Did I say I was exhausted... yeah, I am... please hold for a brief caffeinated interlude....BRB!
OK that is better. Week 4 wasn't bad actually. I was feeling pretty accomplished, having prepared food at home nearly everyday for 3 whole weeks already. Monday we strayed from the plan, which was chicken nuggets, mac & cheese and carrots. I just couldn't bring myself to eat chicken nuggets that day so... I had pork tenderloin tips in the fridge from the night before since we ate at our friend Ems house instead of making pork stir fry and tons of left over baked potatoes from the previous Wednesday. And that night Baked BBQ pork, fried potatoes and peas was born. And it was good.
Tuesday I felt bad for the chicken nuggets so we ate them, and their friends Mac, Cheese and green beans. Nothing to traumatic. Then Wednesday my amazing best friend Kirsten came over to hold my hand as I journey further down the black hole that was my sis-n-laws wedding dress. In a nod to Dave Ramsey, we had sausage, rice, and beans. It was quick, easy and everyone got full. Thursday I used up the last of the poached chicken breast from way back when in week 1. It has been chill'n in freezer waiting it's turn. We had yummy homemade Chicken Bacon Ranch pasta salad, and I gave myself a pat on the back for having planned a cold dish since it was back up to near 100 degrees (in September mind you)--- Love ya Texas weather! Friday we paid homage to good ole' Pinterest and had Corn Dog Muffins with a side of apple sauce. Perfect. Easy. Yummy.
Saturday was busy as usual. I tell you man.. I need a weekend from my weekends in the fall. Got up early, cooler weather had rolled in (Praise Be!!!!) showered, made breakfast for the kids got them dressed and headed out to the first pee wee football game of the season... for which we were responsible for snacks. Home for a quick lunch and prep veggies for dinner. Then loaded back in the car and headed to Kirsten's oldest daughters b-day party. Brought mine and Kirsten's gang back to my house so the kids could keep each other busy and she could help me with the dress from ---- well you know. Unfortunately by the the time we got her kids (plus one of their friends) and my kids rounded up and in the car, made a pit stop for sleepover provisions, made a pit stop for gas and then finally got to the house it was 8pm. The amazing wild rice soup recipe I had planned takes around 45 minutes to cook and it's not always a kid crowd pleaser.. so we caved and our friendly neighborhood delivery driver showed up at the door with pizza. The upside for my budget was that Kirsten took care of the pizza bill... so I'm not sure that that constitutes a failure. In fact, since I write the rules here I'm going say it wasn't a failure. This experiment was more about budget confines then my resolve to prepare food. So there.
Sunday, the last day of the 4 weeks, I was finally back on track. The weather was still nice, and the veggies were already cut for Wild Rice Soup, which is fam fav..... there isn't much to say other than... SOUPS ON!
My experiment is over, well at least the documented part... we are still walking frugal lane so I'll continue to be meal planning, cooking at home and using up whats left in our pantry for a while.
Here are the top then things I learned over the past few weeks.
1. Meal Planning is easy
2. Sticking to a meal plan is haaaarrrrrrd.
3. Make sure you keep up your prescription refills ... or the chicken suffers
4. I have more recipes than I thought
5. I still have alot of food in my pantry..... *sigh*
6. I don't care for shopping every single week
7. My kids will in fact survive with out a weekly dose of McDonald's
8. We saved over $100 by not eating out
9. My weekly average grocery trip for dinner items only was $12.61
9. My weekly average grocery trip for dinner items only was $12.61
10. My husband is very patient!
11. I feel a kindred bond with and have a new found respect for the women who came before us and managed to put food on the table every night before the days of drive thru's, delivery in less than 30 minutes, canned, freeze dried, and pre-packaged. They were better women than I.
Ok that was 11, but the last couple were pretty important.
Here is a little glimps into the my pantry/freezer and fridge usage over the 4 weeks. If you remember I inventoried eveything at the begining of week 1, and have kept track of what was used as I went along.
Ok that was 11, but the last couple were pretty important.
Here is a little glimps into the my pantry/freezer and fridge usage over the 4 weeks. If you remember I inventoried eveything at the begining of week 1, and have kept track of what was used as I went along.
| Item | Inventory | Used |
| Bacon Bits | 2 pkgs | 2 pkg |
| BBQ Sauce | 3 bottles | 1 bottle |
| Beef Broth | 2 Cartons | 1 carton |
| Bisquick Mix | 1/2 box | 1/2 box |
| Canned Carrots | 3 Cans | 1 can |
| Canned Cheddar Cheese Soup | 1 Can | 1 can |
| Canned Chipotle Peppers | 1 Can | 1/2 can |
| Canned Corn | 3 Cans | 1 can |
| Canned Cream of Chicken Soup | 4 Cans | 1 can |
| Canned Diced Tomatoes | 4 Cans | 2 cans |
| Canned Green Beans | 9 Cans | 4 cans |
| Canned Madrine Oranges | 3 Cans | 1 can |
| Canned Mushrooms | 4 Cans | 4 cans |
| Canned Peaches | 1 Can | 1 can |
| Canned Peas | 3 Cans | 1 can |
| Canned Pinto Beans | 1 Can | 1 can |
| Chicken Broth | 2 Cartons | 1 carton |
| Corn Bread Mix | 2 boxes | 2 boxes |
| Italian Seasoning Mix | 1 pkg | I pkg |
| Jarred Artichoke Hearts | 1 Can | 1/2 can |
| Jarred Spaghetti Sauce | 1 Can | 1 can |
| Mac & Cheese | 1 box | 1 box |
| Pasta - Bowtie | 1 lb | 1 1b |
| Pasta - Rotini | 1 lb | 1 1b |
| Pasta - Shells | 1 lb | 1 lb |
| Pasta - Spaghetti | 1 lb | .3 lbs |
| Ranch Dressing Mix | 1 pkg | 1 pkg |
| Rice | 5 lbs | 3 cups |
| Salsa | 1 Can | 1 can |
| Tortilla Chips | 1 bag | 1/2 bag |
| Chicken Breasts | 3 lb bag | 3 lb bag |
| Chicken Nuggets | 1/2 bag | 1/2 bag |
| Dino Nuggets | 1/2 bag | 1/2 bag |
| Frozen Broccoli - Cuts | 1 large bag | .5 bag |
| Frozen Fries | 1 large bag | 1 large bag |
| Ground Beef | 2 lbs | 2 lbs |
| Ham | 2 pkgs | 2 pkg |
| Hamburger Patties | 5 each | 5 each |
| Hot Dogs | 1 pkg | 1 pkg |
| Pork Shoulder | 2 lb | 2 lbs |
| Pork Tenderloin Tips | 2 pkgs | 1 pkg |
| Applesauce | 1 jar | 1 jar |
| Canned Biscuits | 1 - 8 ct | 1 - 8 ct |
| Carrots | 1/2 bag | 1/2 bag |
| Left Over Sausage | 1/2 lb | 1/2 lb |
| Left Over Potatoes | 6 each | 6 each |
| Left Over Corn on the Cob | 5 each | 5 each |
| Poatoes | 5 lbs | 3 lbs |
