Two Eggs - Over Easy: project food budget

Showing posts with label project food budget. Show all posts

Saturday, August 15

Project Food Budget: Week 11

So sorry this is so late this week... and on the PFB front it has been an excellent week. One of the best so far, but I was so POed about TT's stolen sword earlier this week I just never got around to writing this post.

The two week budget remains $200. I spent $154 and change at Aldi and didn't do any "extra" shopping. Many many people had urged me to try Market Basket instead of Aldi, but I need shampoo. Which we get at Trader Joe's and TJ's is by my Aldi, so Aldi this week only made sense.

Main dish meals this week:

Sunday: Sausage

Monday: Hot dogs and beans

Tuesday: We went to the spaghetti supper at church

Wednesday: Tacos

Thursday: Whole wheat English muffin pizza and salad

Friday: the kids had mac and cheese Husband and I ate later and had tuna and fries

Saturday: Steak and veggies on the grill

Tuesday, August 4

Project Food Budget (Week 10)

Greetings PFB Fans!

So my two week budget is $200. Last week I spent $ 182.37. This week... we've done pretty good considering how little was left in the budget. Husband spent "a little less than $10" at Stop and Shop earlier in the week and I spent $ 9.20 at Stop and Shop today. I am pretty certain I will need to get milk which will put me in the end about $7 over budget. But really... that's pretty darn good.

That trip to Stop and Shop I had... that was my proudest moment. I love saving money. For my $ 9.20 I got three loaves of bread (two whole wheat and one white... I needed white for my egg salad), two cucumbers, one bunch of regular bananas, several bags of the "mini" bananas, one large bag of salad and one small bag of salad.

Meals this week have been super easy as I had so many planned last week.

Sunday: blueberry pancakes, eggs and sausage

Monday: egg salad sandwiches and applesauce

Tuesday: sloppy Joes and oven fries

Wednesday: "eat what you want that's in the house" aka cereal if they want it

Thursday: grilled steaks and salad

Friday: pizza (which is not part of our food budget)

Hope you all are having a great week!!

And don't forget to visit these other participating bloggers:

Wednesday, July 29

Project Food Budget: Week 9

Another week. Another day late. Oops.

This past week has gone by crazy fast.

Lot's of food shopping this week. I feel like I've been at the store every other day.

$ 146.26 at Aldi.

$ 8 at the farm stand

$11.96 at Geissler's

$ 9.08 at Stop and Shop

$ 7.07 at the Trading Post

Ok... that is a lot of shopping and a lot of different store.

Total $182.37. This leaves me with a little less than $18 for the new expanded $200 every two week budget. Eek!

Meals this week, in no particular order; as my mama is here and we're kind of rolling with it:

White chicken chili with salad and chips

Salmon patties with veggies and pasta salad

Tacos and corn on the cob

Blueberry pancakes, eggs and sausage

Sloppy Joes with veggies and fries

Spaghetti with meatballs and salad

Egg salad sandwiches with fruit

Luncheon meat sandwiches and chips and pickles

Hot dogs, beans and corn on the cob

Can you tell it's summer veggie time!! YUMMY!!!!

Goals for the next week.... to look forward to the final two weeks and have the budget, meal plan and fridge cleaned out and ready to rock the end.

Don't forget to visit Emily Levenson

and these other bloggers:

Wednesday, July 22

Project Food Budget: Week 8 (3)

Sorry for being a day late.

So the two week budget is $160 and I was already over it last week at $163.47. So far this week we've spent $ 53.22 on produce, bread and milk. So for two weeks I am over by $ 56.69 (all of it spent at Stop & Shop). I suppose it could be worst. Husband's new diet is really impacting things. Salad and fruit cost a lot more than bags of commercially made carbs... his previous favorite go-to foods.

But as Emily reminded me, new diets sometime require adjusting the budget. I'll have to look at that more the end of this week as I get ready to do another big two week shopping spree.

Another struggle this week is RR being away at camp. He eats! Like really eats. And eats everything. TT and ERP not so much. This week I feel like I am cooking for two and praying the other two eat something. When RR is home I feel like I am cooking for "the family".

Menu this week
Sunday: mango chicken (I ended up not making it last week)
Monday: grilled porkchops, applesauce and salad
Tuesday: the little ones had mac and cheese; husband and I had salads with grilled chicken over it
Wednesday: teriyaki porkchops, tomatoes, cucumbers, bread with butter and applesauce
Thursday: crockpot chicken (didn't make this last week either), stuffing and carrots
Friday: we're eating out!

Tonight I am looking for recipes for some homemade diabetic bran muffins. But nothing with crazy fake sugar in it so the kids can it them too. I need to find more high fiber foods to keep Husband feeling full longer. Lately it seems like all he thinks about is food. Which I guess is common among those who are dieting or facing big lifestyle/food changes. And I am open for suggestions for other yummy good high fiber eats.

Emily Levenson - who started this all.

Tuesday, July 14

Project Food Budget: Week 7 (My Week 2)

Check it - I have the current logo this week. :-)

So this week things changed in the house. Things that affect how we eat and in the end how we shop. Now if you are not familiar with this blog I am the mom of three boys. RR is 11 years, nearly 11.5 and stands a good five foot two or three inches. TT is four, nearly four and a half; and is bigger than most six years old. I kid you not. He's better than 46-inches and about 60-lbs. Then there is ERP, the baby. My smallest guy at 19 months he's barley 19 pounds. But since starting medication for reflux seems to be eating more. And then there is me and Husband. On Thursday last week we found out that Husband was a diabetic. At this time he is classified as "unknown", but his doctor is leaning more towards him being a type one diabetic. Obviously we are pursuing more information and testing on this.

Now husband was the king of carbs. He could make entire meals, nay eat for an entire day; on nothing but carbs. And with this latest news, that has changed. He is reading labels. Looking at eats more vegetables and proteins and is more willing to try new foods. He really is doing good and I am sure once he meets with his new team of doctors we'll both learn more about food and eating for health.

So... with that being said... food shopping this week involved buying new foods. Our menu this week features new foods. And I am excited to be cooking new foods.

Our food budget for a two week period, because I do bulk shopping in two week blocks is $160. Every few days I do go to buy fresh produce and milk.

Aldi - $117.96 - this is my total after taking out the Hula Hoops and what not
Stop & Shop - $ 45.52

For a total of $163.47.

So.... It's going to be really hard to spend no money in the next two weeks on milk and produce, so I'll really have to be careful and shop with price in mind as I am technically over budget already.

Menu this week
Sunday: ham and turkey wrap sandwiches with veggies and tater tots
Monday: chicken nuggets with salad and fresh green beans
Tuesday: salmon burgers* with cantaloupe and cucumbers
Wednesday: RR has scouts so the boys will have mac and cheese and Husband and I will make something later
Thursday: mango chicken over whole wheat rice
Friday: tacos (made with ground turkey)
Saturday: chicken (in the crockpot) with veggies and maybe stuffing

* The salmon burgers were a HUGE HIT. Husband, and the kids for that matter; have never had them before. And I MADE them. It was super easy and super yummy. No one complained ONCE about this dinner. I was really proud of Husband for trying them, let alone liking them. I made a lemon-dill mayo to go with them, which ERP enjoyed eating as is. TT, who is super picky even ate some. It was a total winner.

Oh and in case you are wondering I do feed them meals aside from dinner. Breakfast is usually cereal or french toast sticks. But I did spluge on bagels this week. And Stop & Shop had big boxes of Kix and Cheerios on sale, 4 for $10 so I had to get those as well. Lunch is typically cheese sandwiches, turkey dogs, peanut butter anything. And they snack on fruit on graham crackers all day long.

So... now that you are hungry... make sure you stop by and see how these other members are doing and what's on their menu.

Emily Levenson - who started this all.

Tuesday, July 7

Project Food Budget: It's Back!

A few years ago I did an online "experiment" called Project Food Budget with Emily Levenson. The goal of the project was to have a grocery budget and to try and shop in that budget. All of the bloggers in the experiment had to share their weekly menu, their budget and what they actually spent - you know that whole accountability thing.

Last week while I was blogging I was thinking about PFB and was missing it. As sad and as strange as that sounds. And then one of my friends that also participated in it a few years back told me it was going on again. This time for 12 weeks, instead of a year... and yeah it was almost half over already. But I figured if she can jump in late this time around... so can I.

A few things are different for me this time around. Aside from having more and bigger mouths to feed. I am now actually grocery shopping on a regular basis. That was one of the hardest things for me with the first go around of PFB, not shopping regularly. Now I am also meal planning 2 weeks in advance. This is because we now do the bulk of our shopping at Aldi. And Aldi is a bit of a drive. This time around I also have a hand on staples. I know I need four boxes of cereal, two boxes of granola bars, one giant box of fruit snacks, etc... to last two weeks between the Aldi trips. I guess you could say I have a handle on what we, as a family, eat.

So last time I shopped I spent $130 at Aldis. My food budget over two weeks is $160 and this includes buying milk and fruit every few days from a local grocery store or market. I don't know my total for my "milk and fruit" shopping trips, so I can only assume it was on budget. So I guess in that sense PFB will be a help.

Menu this week
Monday: Pasta with sausage
Tuesday: eggs, corn beef hash and toast
Wednesday: Need to figure something out... I had assumed RR had scouts which meant the boys would have something quick like mac and cheese and fruit and Husband and I would eat later... but no scouts... so I am open to suggestions.
Thursday: sandwiches and salads
Friday: eating out

This symbol is really old... I should confirm if there is a new this time around.

Emily Levenson

McGinnis and Bean // Red Pen Mama // Seeking White Space // facepalmmama // Gardening in High Heels // Melissa Firman // Copy & Post // Rachel Olive Miller // Shea Lennon // Erra Creations// Two Eggs Over Easy

Tuesday, October 2

Project Food Budget: Grande Finale (Week 52 - late)

Remember this cute little band-aide piggy? I do. Even though it seems like I have forgotten about Project Food Budget (PFB) the last few weeks. But well, life happens and my blog got less attention last month than normal, and pretty much everything with it fell by the way-side. That being said, this was a great project to participate in, and I look forward to more Emily Levenson projects in the future.

Two of the main themes with PFB were meal planning and budgeting your shopping trips. Now I have always been a big, HUGE, fan of meal planning. It's like part of my working-mom-credo. If I'm at work and I don't know what we're having for dinner that night I can ensure you it is going to be a long night.

Creating the meal plan, and then shopping off the list is great. To an extent. You need to make sure that your shopping list includes things that you don't plan; but know you will need during the week... you know those pesky little "pantry staples" like bananas, and cereal bars, chocolate soy milk. The things your kids would be lost without; should you forget to get them. I've actually been meaning to make a list of items I would consider staples in my house - maybe I'll do that as a follow up to this project.

The next big thing for me was ROUTINE. I honestly needed to find time to go food shopping; and then to be consistent about it. This is something I am still working on. By the end of the last school year (June) I was doing great, and then summer vacation happened, and our day to day didn't have much rhythm or reason... and with that regular shopping went out the window. So yeah, I'm still working on it.

Am I am expert at food budgeting and meal planning now? No. But I did learn a thing or two over the course of this project and I would try and make this program part of my day to day.

When you can, check out these other blogs and see how they did.

Friday, August 10

Project food Budget (Week 45)

Ah.... another week of me not keeping a running total of what we spent on groceries, but really it couldn't have been much, I picked up meat for $20 and a fruit/veggies run for maybe another $10. RR was gone for the first half of the week at camp - and I am happy to report Husband and I managed to eat at home without him. If you recall last week was a mess because he wasn't home and had no idea what to cook or desire to cook for two (and a quarter).

Meals this week:
Sunday - ham wraps, pickles and coleslaw
Monday - cube steaks, pan fried potatoes and onions, carrots
Tuesday - hot dogs and corn on the cob
Wednesday - pork roast (thank you crock pot), stuffing and veggies
Thursday - meatless pasta and salad
Friday - beef stew and salad

Don't forget to check out these follow participants:

Friday, August 3

Project Food Budget (Weeks ???)

I missed last week, I am a mess this week... I guess I have partially fallen off the PFB band wagon lately. I have no idea what I've spent on groceries and eating out. And while Husband and I did come up with a meal plan we didn't do the best job following it, and I can't really recall what we ate this week; aside from the pesto that didn't agree with me.

However what I can tell you I have learned - without the Big Boy around I am lost in the kitchen. Having him pick a dinner or two a week helps me with my planning. I cannot come up with enough meal ideas without him and Husband. Having him home makes me want to cook at home more. It's too easy with him out to just grab something quick for Husband and I (and TT). I need him around to add structure and routine to my meal planning and cooking habits. Obviously I will need to learn better habits myself and have better self control in the kitchen by the time my babies leave the nest (in the distant future, which will be here in the blink of an eye I am sure).

So with that being said... hopefully you can garner a better idea of this project from these other bloggers:

Thursday, July 19

Project Food Budget (Week 42)

Wow... week 42 already. Only 10 weeks left in this project, how is that even possible. I feel like my growth in this project has been slacking lately, and tonight was a big slap in the face in regards to that.

I spent about $7 at the farm stand earlier this week, one thing lead to another and we didn't eat the meals in the order I had planned this week (it was hot, I mean HOT and humid, and then the library closed the night we were going to go (because of the weather). Anyhow, long story short... I know too late for that right, I ended up throwing out 90% of that produce tonight. Ugh. Then to add insult to injury the bag salad I had bought wilted before we ate it as well. So tonight I ended up throwing out some $15 in food.

Budget: $125
Spent: $63.25 at the grocery, $7 at the farm stand and $30 (with tip) out at dinner

Actual meals this week:
Monday: Pasta salad
Tuesday: hot dogs, beans and cucumbers
Wednesday: dinner out
Thursday: ham steaks, Parmesan noodle and carrots and salad (if you count a bowl of iceberg salad)
Friday: bean burritos
Saturday: Parties!!!! (not here)

Let's see how everyone else did this week:

Thursday, July 12

Project Food Budget (Week 41)

Budget: $50
Actual: $33.35 - this doesn't include going out to dinner tomorrow night, but we have a gift card

Meals:
Sunday: pasta w/ meatballs and fruit salad and homemade rolls - recipe to come soon
Monday: (at home made) pizza and cucumbers
Tuesday: eggs and potatoes with applesauce
Wednesday: tuna casserole, green beans and fresh pineapple
Thursday: chicken tenders, carrots, cranberry sauce

All in all a pretty straight forward and boring week. But you know, that's OK every now and then.

Maybe one of these other participants is more exciting this week. ;-)

Sunday, July 1

Project Food Budget (Week 38)

Here I am, late again on Project Food Budget. hanging my head in shame

Budget: $125
Spent: $101

Meals:
Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs with salad
Tuesday: scrambled eggs and yogurt parfaits
Wednesday: buttermilk pancakes These totally ROCKED.
Thursday: Cub Scout cook-out. We brought freeze pops and tortillas and salsa.
Friday: Out to eat before the Kid's Library Party
Saturday: grinders (Husband's pick)
Sunday (today): tacos (Turkey's pick)

The pancake recipe (if you click on the link you can get it) made a TON of pancakes and the boys have been eating them all week for breakfast. I love when things line up like that.

Don't forget to check out these other project participants.

Cook Write Heal

Warm As Pie

xox, b

Project Food Budget 2.0

Thursday, June 14

Project Food Budget (Week 37)

What a week.... we've been so busy this week. So I never did any real food shopping, just two quick trips during lunch breaks at work. I spent a whopping $9.58 this week, and most of that was on bananas. Clearly I've done a good job at empty my pantry this week as well.

Meals this week are:
Monday: BBQ turkey patties with baked beans and green beans
Tuesday: pasta salad with egg and chicken and (leftover) baked beans and fruit
Wednesday: egg salad sandwiches
Thursday: (hopefully, if it defrosts in time) chicken, mac and cheese and brussel sprouts
Friday: finger foods while we do a movie at home
Saturday: we have a party to go to

Let's see how the others are doing.

Thursday, May 31

Project Food Budget (Week 35)

Goal: $ 100
Actual: $72.45

This was a good and easy week, and visiting with friends certainly lightened the food budget. On Monday we went to a cook-out for dinner and we had to bring the watermelon. That was nice and easy, and a very enjoyable afternoon.

Tuesday we had pasta salad (with cheese, tuna and egg) and corn on the cob.
Wednesday we had quiche and green salad.
Tonight is bbq chicken, roasted potatoes and veggies.
Friday we're going to Nana's house.

Easy easy week.

Let's see how everyone else is doing:

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The official details:
http://emilylevenson.com/blog/project-food-budget/details

Friday, May 25

Project Food Budget: Week 34

Last weekend we were watching Man vs. Food and Adam, the show’s host, was in Hawaii taking on the pancake challenge. For this challenge he had to eat 4 lbs. of pancakes and toppings. He was able to choose the pancake toppings and fillings and from his choices he picked bananas and chocolate chips.

Why had I never thought of this before? We love banana pancakes. We love chocolate chip pancakes. Why not combine the two to make extra yummy pancakes? So on Wednesday that’s just what I did.

They were a hit. In the words of the 8-year-old, these are “the bomb-est of bombs”. I chopped up the bananas fairly small so they almost melted into the pancake as they cooked. I served them with whip cream, maple syrup (the real stuff) and blueberry syrup. Sure not the healthiest of meals, but at least I used turkey sausage.

For other meals this week we had:

Monday: scramble eggs, potatoes, peaches and turkey bacon
Tuesday: the boy’s had mac and cheese and veggies, and Husband and I went out for our anniversary
Wednesday: “the bomb-est of bombs pancakes
Thursday: the boy’s had grilled cheese and veggies on the way to Cub Scouts
Friday: pasta with tomato sauce and salad
Saturday: sesame honey chicken, brown rice and veggies

I spent $74 at the grocery this week, plus spent another $45 on a Schwan’s order. If you’re not familiar with Schwan’s they are a frozen food company that delivers to your house. Aside from this service they also provide a lot of those frozen diet meals you see on TV. I stocked up on frozen chicken breasts, 20 breasts for $17 yes, please. We’ve gotten these before and love them.