Grocery shopping

So far this week, we've spent $28.60. I can't list everything we've purchased because I trashed the receipts without thinking. I'm still a little disorganized from last week. :) There were several non-essential purchases, though--beer, donuts, and a Cadbury egg come to mind. I know I also got apples, kiwi, lasagna noodles, mozzarella cheese, corn tortillas and black beans, but that's all I can remember for sure. Either way, we have most everything for our menu this week and are going to try not to spend any more. We're going to be moving in about a month and need to work on cleaning out some of what's in our freezer and cabinets!

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

This makes a LOT of lasagna. If you have a small family or aren't big fans of leftovers, you should plan to freeze half for later.

2 26 oz jars of spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb of cooked ground meat (optional)
15 oz tub of ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp Italian seasoning
any vegetables you want to add (I used a box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained well, and about a cup of finely chopped uncooked broccoli)
uncooked lasagna noodles (regular, NOT the no-cook kind)

I used a 6-quart oval slow-cooker for this recipe. In a medium-sized bowl, combine egg, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, parmesan, Italian seasoning, and vegetables. If you're using meat, stir it into the sauce. Cover the bottom of your slow-cooker with a layer of sauce, then add a layer of noodles. You'll probably have to break the noodles to fill in all the spaces. Spread a layer of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then cover with another layer of sauce. Continue making layers, ending with sauce. Make sure the top layer of noodles is well-covered with sauce.

Cook on low until noodles are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. It took about 3 1/2 hrs in my slow-cooker, but I think it cooks a little faster than most. Sprinkle the top with 1 cup of mozzarella and cover just until it melts.

Visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday and Grocery Cart Challenge for more great recipes and tips!

Menu Plan Monday

We did not stick to our menu or our budget last week. It was the first week this year we've gone over our $40/week goal, and we went way over! Hubby had minor surgery on Thursday and his mother came up for a couple of days to help us out, so it was not a typical week. There was a lot of eating out and convenience foods. We're going to get back on track this week!

I didn't make the beef stew I had planned last week, so it's on the menu again. The beef stew and lasagna should each make enough leftovers for a couple of meals, so I'm only planning five lunches and five dinners.

BREAKFASTS
oatmeal
cold cereal
biscuits and sausage
scrambled egg and toast
granola bars, yogurt

LUNCHES
hot ham & cheese sandwiches, chips, apples
pizza muffins and tomato soup, carrot sticks
ham and cheese waffles, fruit
peanut butter sandwiches, pretzels, fruit
chicken nuggets, fries, fruit

DINNERS
spinach lasagna (slow-cooker), garlic bread, salad
beef stew (slow-cooker), biscuits
teriyaki salmon over spicy peanut noodles and broccoli
tortilla soup
chili dogs, french fries

You can find more menu planning inspiration at $5 Dinners this week.

Slow-cooker Pumpkin Butter

My family loves this pumpkin butter, and it's so easy to make in the slow-cooker. It's also very inexpensive to mix up a batch. We eat this on about any kind of bread--toast, biscuits, pancakes, bagels, muffins. This is adapted from the recipe in Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. The original recipe called for quite a bit more sweetener, but we think it's tasty just like this.

29 oz can of pumpkin (plain pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie mix)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp honey (or more to taste)
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or your own mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & cloves)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 lemon

Put everything in a crockpot, stir well, and cook with the lid on for about 2 hours. Stir every 30 minutes or so and be sure to scrape the sides down well. I use a 2 qt crock for this, but if you use a larger one it would probably cook faster. Then take the lid off and cook for another 30 mins to an hour until it gets as thick as you'd like. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to six weeks, although it rarely lasts that long at my house!

For more great recipes and tips, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Kitchen Tip Tuesday

Menu Plan Monday

BREAKFASTS
Cold cereal
Scrambled egg on English muffin
Applesauce muffins (these were a big hit last week and will probably become regulars on our menu)
Granola bars
Oatmeal

LUNCHES
Cheese & corn quesadillas on multi-grain tortillas; Mexican rice; fruit
Hot ham & cheese sandwiches, pretzels, apples
Omelets w/ ham, swiss cheese & peppers; English muffins; fruit
Baked potatoes w/ broccoli, cheese & ham; fruit
Leftover beef stew

DINNERS
Shrimp po-boys, French fries, fruit
Salmon, brown rice pilaf, steamed broccoli
White pizza (ricotta, garlic & parmesan) on no-knead crust , salad
Homemade corn dogs , French fries, fruit
Beef stew, salad, biscuits

For more menu planning inspiration, visit Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Aldi

First shopping trip of the week was to Aldi, where I spent $26.28. That leaves $13.72 in the budget, which is enough to cover the rest of the things we need (milk, eggs, fruit). We also have a $20 credit at Kroger from getting a prescription filled that we'll probably use to stock up on soft drinks and some other non-essential items this week.

10 lb russet potatoes 2.99
vegetable oil 2.29
skinless, boneless salmon filets 3.99
beef stew meat 4.17
ham lunch meat 2.49
salt .33
2 pkgs broccoli crowns .59/ea
mac & cheese .35
8 oz block cheddar cheese 1.29
carrots 1.15
fresh mushrooms .59
tortilla chips .99
2 bags italian salad blend .99/ea
hot dog buns .45
hamburger buns .45
frozen fries 1.59

Walgreens Deals

We got everything in the picture above for $33.07 (after using $12 in Register Rewards) at Walgreen's and we earned $10 in Register Rewards for buying the Huggies. Here's how it worked:

• 3 pkgs Huggies @ $10/ea - 3 $3 printable coupons (print them from the coupons.com sidebar on the left of this page)
• 14 cans Butterball chicken broth @ 69/ea (use Walgreen's in-ad coupon to get them for .69/ea)
• 2 Glade Sense & Spray air fresheners @ $7.99/ea - printable buy 1 get 1 free coupon - $4 mfg coupon (2/08 SS)- $8 Walgreen's Easy Saver coupon (1 coupon takes $4 off each one)
• 2 Glade Lasting Impressions scented oil @$7.99/ea - printable buy 1 get 1 free coupon - $4 mfg coupon (2/08 SS) - $8 Walgreen's Easy Saver coupons (1 coupon takes $4 off each one)
• 2 pkgs Energizer AA rechargeable batteries @$7.99/ea
• 2 boxes Pediasure granola bars @$2.69/ea - $2 mfg coupons (1/11 SS)

I had $8 in overage from the 4 Glade products ($2 from each). We'll get a $5 Easy Saver rebate for buying $10 worth of broth(the $10 worth comes from the price BEFORE the in-ad coupon) and $10 Easy Saver rebate for buying two packs of Energizer batteries. So for less than $17 after Easy Saver rebates, our house smells great, our daughter has diapers, we're stocked up on broth for the next six months, and we no longer have to take the rechargeable batteries out of the camera to use the wireless mouse. :-) I'd say it was a really good shopping trip!

If you're new to bargain shopping at Walgreen's, Money Saving Mom has a great post on Walgreens 101. You can also check out more Walgreen's deals at Deal Seeking Mom.