Week 11 Dinners and Low Grocery Bill

I had a very good day grocery shopping. Not only did my baby sleep through the entire trip, but I managed to get a week's worth of groceries--breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for two adults and ingredients for homemade baby food--for only $45! No coupons, no overly-processed food that tends to be cheap. I also bought freezer bags and ingredients to make and can my own Apple Butter Barbeque Sauce, so my grand total came to $55 this week.

The greatest ways I saved money were by using up foods that I had previously bought in bulk. Two of my meals this week called for ground beef--unless it's a hamburger, I almost always substitute the healthier ground turkey for ground beef. I already had two pounds frozen in the freezer, so I did not need to buy it this time. I also had frozen red and yellow peppers from last week's stuffed peppers. I cut up and froze the tops of the peppers that I cut off to make the cups. No waste! I also bought butternut squash when it was on sale a few weeks ago; foods like squash and potatoes will stay good for many weeks (or months) if cleaned off and then kept in a dark, cool place. So when they're on sale, stock up! Finally, because the risotto and lasagna make so much food, we actually got a freebie day by eating their leftovers for dinner on day 4 and lunch on day 5. I could have frozen half of the risotto, but the flavors actually got better the next day and the day after!

Here's what's for dinner this week:

1. Greek salad
2. Butternut squash barley risotto
3. Zucchini lasagna
4. Leftovers! (risotto and lasagna)
5. Lemon and thyme stroganoff
6. Mushroom and spinach calzones
7. Roast chicken with balsamic peppers