Menu Plan Monday and Weekly Food Spending

Last week I tried several new recipes here's a list and link to those: Snickers Pie, Bubble-Up Pizza Casserole, Pizza Cups, Summer Squash Pie, and Strawberry Twinkie Cake.
I am still doing Weight Watchers Flex. Here is my meal plan for this week. Come back throughout the week to get the recipes for the new recipes I am trying.

Dinners
Monday: Pizza Cups, Salad, Cantaloupe, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tuesday: Spaghetti Casserole Bake, salad, No Pudge Brownies at Home
Wednesday: Manwich Tater Tot Casserole, corn, Honey Bun Cake
Thursday: Stovetop Meatloaf Muffins, mashed potatoes, green beans, Chips Ahoy Dessert
Friday: Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti, salad, Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Saturday: Sweet and Sour Chicken, green beans
Sunday: Corn dog Casserole, veggies

Snacks: Whales crackers, cookies, Chex Party Mix, Summer Breezes Smoothie, Wendy's No Bake Peanut Butter Bars, 94% Fat Free Microwave Popcorn, Orange Cream Weight Watcher Smoothies.

Breakfast
Kids:
Scrambled Eggs, Biscuits, sausage links (2 days)
cereal, fruit, yogurt (2 days)
Cinnamon French Toast, fruit
Cottage Cheese Pancakes, fruit
Oatmeal with fruit

Me:
Low fat waffles and fruit (3 days)
Cinnamon French Toast, fruit
Cottage Cheese Pancakes, fruit
Oatmeal and fruit
Biscuit with Canadian Bacon, fruit

Lunch
Kids:
Soup and sandwiches, cookies, milk(4 days)
Fat Free Hot Dogs, Whales, fruit, milk
Tuna sandwiches, fruit, milk
Eat at Summer Reading Program Party

Me:
Refried Beans Soup
Boca Burger
Leftovers (2 days)
Veggie Soup
Fat Free Hot Dogs, fruit

salad with fruit (2 days)

Weekly Food Spending

Everyone went shopping with me(I have a family of 6) so some things got put into the cart that were not on the list but here it is anyways:

1 package Strawberries- $2.28
Brown and Serve Sausage Links- $3.94
Hot Dog Buns- $1.68
Loaf of bread- $1.97
Lt. Bologna- $2.00
Ham- $2.98
Salt and Sweet Bars- $2.00
Orange Juice $2.34
Gogurts (for kids)- $2.43
Yogurt- 6 pk- $2.43
Jiffy muffin mix- $.43
Reduced Sugar Yellow Cake Mix- $1.00
Lemon Cake- $.96
Whales Crackers-$1.66
Cooking Spray- $1.68
Pineapples- $1.12
Apple Juice- $2.50
Apple Juice-$2.50
Wafer Cookies- $.98
3 Water Drop=ins- $4.50
Grape Drop in- $1.97
Grapes- $2.99
Cucumber-$1.17
Lemon- $.58
2 Green Pepper- $1.84
Cream Cheese- $1.86
WW Yogurt- $.50
Water Bottles- $3.88
Water Bottles- $3.88
Pizza Sauce- $.88
Lettuce- $.98(on sale)
Ketchup- $2.00
Fruit Bowls- $1.68
Turkey Chili No beans- $1.78
WW Yogurt- $.50
Manwich- $1.34
Spaghetti Sauce- $1.25
Butter Spray- $2.50(on sale)
Cantaloupe- $2.68
Tater Tots- $1.56
Mushrooms- $.54
Grape Water Drop ins- $1.97
Jelly- $2.44
Sea Salt- $2.16
Cookie- $1.83
Whales Crackers- $1.66
Cereal- $3.83
2.54 pounds bananas- $1.23 (on sale)
4 pounds sweet onions- $3.78
Almond Extract- $2.72
Coconut Extract- $2.72
WW Str Multi- $1.98 (I don't know what this was)
WW Amrtocsk- $.50 (I don't know what this was)
WIC-2 gallons milk, 4 packs cheese, 2 peanut butters, 4 juice, 2 eggs- WIC
Total: $104.56

Note: I like looking back at my receipts! Last week I found something that was not rung up. This week I found that my cashier rang up my cucumber and then voided it and rang up a zucchini. The zucchini was about 20 cents cheaper.

Go here to see more plans.

Food Spending Journal for Week July 14-July20

I need to become more accountable for my food shopping. I need to lower my spending there too. So, as a way to become more accountable, I have decided to use this blog. I use this blog to be accountable for my weight loss, so why not food buying too since this blog is all about what I eat. I have to feed a family of 6 and I have three small children ages 3 and 16 months. I also have an 8 year old. I am just going to journal for a few months and see about my spending and then try to make a budget and stick to it, as best as possible. Grocery shopping is kind of hard for me because we get money once a month and that has to last all month. I usually like to stock up on some things in the beginning of the month, even though I could probably wait until the end of the month to get it. I also try to look for deals and sometimes that means stocking up earlier on the month on those items too. I got this idea from a MPM poster, Gayle. You should check out her blog, it is so neat. She lives off of about $50 a week for groceries, not just food. I have found that on weeks that she is trying to eat healthier, she does seem to spend more though. So, I know I will be spending more than $50 a week and I am only going to include food. We already have a pretty set budget on household stuff and diapers/pull-ups. (I buy mostly generic but I know I need to become better at doing coupons and deals, like CVS. I wish someone could help me understand CVS because I still don't understand it.) This is kind of like a game to me and I do want to become more accountable about what I buy and since food journeying helps me with food intake, why not try it with food spending. So here goes my first week. To see my weekly menu plan, go here.
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Wal-mart
1/2 gallon buttermilk $2.98
2 lbs lean ground beef $7.76
Jimmy Dean De-light (4 pre-made sausage croissants) $5.94
Jimmy Dean sausage Croissants (DH takes these to work) $5.94
Canadian Bacon $2.97
Shredded Pizza Cheese $2.68
Nestle 24 pack Bottled Water(not pictured) $3.88
Head of lettuce(on sale) 98 cents
2 bell peppers (on sale) 50 cents
2 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Sprays (on sale) $5.00
Light Twinkies $3.00
Whales (kids snack) $1.66
1/2 gallon Orange Juice $2.34
Fat Free Hot Dogs (on sale) $2.50
Light Sour Cream $1.08
Egg Beaters $5.28
2 Refrigerated Pizza Dough $2.88
4 pound onions $3.78
Hamburger Buns $1.68
Loaf bread (on sale) $1.97
2 Apple Juice $5.00
Fiber One Bars $2.48
Non stick canola Oil spray $1.68
Bisquick Heart Smart $2.98
1 jar spaghetti sauce $1.25
Watkins Paprika $2.68
Peach Baby Food(not for baby for cupcakes) $1.09
2 packages water drop-ins (on sale) $3.00
SF/FF Strawberry Jello 50 cents
Hot Dog Buns $1.68
Italian Bread loaf $1.50
Bananas (on sale) 1.67
Reduced Sugar Yellow Cake Mix $1.00
12 pack Caffeine Free Diet Dr Pepper(for me) $3.88
2 gallons milk WIC Free
1 box Rice Krispies WIC Free
1 box Multi Grain Cheerios WIC Free
2 Grape Juicy Juice WIC Free
1 dozen eggs WIC Free
1 Peanut Butter WIC Free
Total Spent: $95.12
Note: I also got a Watermelon and the check out girl came to my cart to ring up my water and pop and said she had to manually ring in the watermelon, which I thought she did but I can't find it on my receipt. I guess she forgot to manually enter it and I thought she had. It was on sale for $3.88.
~
Food City
8 boxes(only one in picture) 94% FF Butter Microwave Popcorn (on sale$1.25 usually $1.89) $10.00
Kraft Fat Free Mayo (on sale) $2.69
Kraft Fat Free Miracle Whip(on sale) $2.79
Peter Pan Whipped Peanut Butter $2.29
1 cucumber 65 cents
2.31 pounds Red Grapes(on sale 1.99 pound) $4.60
24 pack Pepsi One(Dh's drink on sale) $3.34
Total Spent: $26.56
~
Total Weekly Food Buying: $121.68