Inventory ..... Frozen Foods

Yesterday I started my inventory in order to better assess what I have and what I need, not want.  I am going to start with the frozen foods.  We have an upright freezer, a chest freezer and the freezer par tot the fridge.


Proteins:
2 pkgs turkey bacon
3 pounds ground turkey
1 pound ground beef
4 pkgs chicken leg quarters
1 pkg skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 single serve white fish
1.5 big bags of chunked white fish
1 pkg turkey breakfast sausage
1 portion country ham
1 bag of cooked chicken
1 whole ham
1 pork roast
29 hamburger patties
1 pkg chicken breakfast sausage
1 roll of breakfast sausage
1 pkgs cubed ham
2 pkgs hot dogs

2 pkgs sliced cheese
1 pkg pizza cheese
1 pkg cheddar cheese, shredded


Starches:
2 bags french fries
2 bags sweet potato fries
1 pkg hot dog buns
1 loaf white bread
1.5 pkgs Mediterranean cheese bread
white rice

Veggies:
lots of frozen peppers, peas, corn from our garden
shredded and sliced zucchini and summer squash
about a dozen bags of frozen veggies from grocery store

Other:
bread flour
yeast
butter
strawberries
blueberries
pecans
cranberries

This is the end of the frozen section.  I will list the pantry and fridge items in another post.  I have more frozen then I thought I did.  I definitely have more protein than I thought.

It's been a while ......

Life is finally returning back to "normal" a little bit.  My houseguests have moved out this week and my daughter is talking about moving this summer.  With just 3 adults living in the house now and the 3rd not eating with us very often, I can resume my goal of just $40 a week in groceries starting next week.

My dh will be home for the summer starting on Tuesday so he will be eating 3 meals a day at home until the end of July.  Dd normally just eats breakfast and sometimes lunch at home (even though she works from home she tends to buy her own food to keep in a little fridge in her room) and my crazy work schedule (some weeks 23 hours some weeks 36) it will still be a challenge.  The big challenge will be to keep dh out of McDonald's drive thru while I am at work. :)

I will inventory this coming weekend to see where I stand before I plan.  I just had a toss a kitchen size garbage bag of food out that a mouse got into.  grrrrrr

Stay tuned .....

Menu for March 16 - 22

I brought food back from our ladies retreat this past weekend, where I cooked for 17 ladies, so this will be worked into our menus.

Breakfast:  choice of oatmeal, eggs and sausage, cold cereal or muffins
Lunch:  choice of sandwiches or leftovers
Dinner:
     Sunday - baked potatoes, chicken and rice soup
     Monday - pulled pork sandwiches, broccoli
     Tuesday - taco soup and salad
     Wednesday - baked pasta and salad
     Thursday - homemade pizza
     Friday - fried fish, boiled potatoes
     Saturday - chicken leg quarters, corn and veggies

Dh starts his spring break on Wednesday so this menu is hopeful.  He has been known to change things up on me at the last minute.
   

Menus for March 9 - 15

Here is what we are planning to eat this week:

Breakfast:  choice of eggs and bacon, muffins, toast and peanut butter or protein shakes

Lunch:  choice of leftovers, sandwiches or mac and cheese

Dinners:
     Sunday - turkey, sweet potatoes and green beans
     Monday - turkey stir-fry
     Tuesday -  baked chicken, new potatoes and veggie
     Wednesday - spaghetti
     Thursday - turkey casserole
     Friday - fish, corn on the cob and veggie
     Saturday - hot dogs and coleslaw

I am going out of town Friday thru Sunday lunch so I am listing what I plan to leave for them.  :)  I have everything I need for this week.

Saturday .....

I was blessed with a Kroger gift card so off I went this morning after talking with dh.

First trip:

1 bundle of asparagus
10 cans of tuna
1 box of meal replacement bars (free with coupon)
1 protein bar (free with coupon)
18 ct of eggs
1 loaf of whole wheat bread
4 yogurt containers (small)
1 pkg of mushrooms
1 pkg of shallots
1 bottle of mustard

Total:  $21.47


Second trip:

2 loaves of white bread
1 paper towel
1 pkg hot dogs
3 boxes 6 ct popcorn
2 bags of swai nuggets (total weight almost 6 pounds)
10 cans of tuna

Total:  $26.94

Grand Total:  $48.41


The tuna was half price - Bumblebee brand for 59 cents a can.  I have been looking for a good sale for months.  The popcorn was marked down to $2.29 normally $4.29.  I had two coupons - one for $1 off of 1 and one for $1 off of 2.  The fish was 99 cents a pound and they taste amazing lightly breaded  and oven fried.  My dh will be excited about so much name brand popcorn.

Quick shop.....

After assessing what we would need to finish the month I did a quick shop at Kroger ...

2 4pks of double rolls toilet paper
1 roll paper towels
2 bundles of asparagus
2 pkgs hot dog buns
5 lb new potatoes
18 ct string cheese
1 pkg colby cheese
1 bottle hydrogen peroxide
1 bottle vapor rub
1 container coffee
2 bags french fries
1 bag of candy (for dd)
1 pkg luncheon meat
2 jars of spaghetti sauce
1 box of 6 count microwave popcorn

Total:  $49.23

I will be repaid for the vapor rub - $5 and the candy - $1.50.  So I really spent $42.73.

This should last us most of the month ~ I hope.  I still needs canned tuna (on sale at Kroger for .59 a can this week) but other than milk later on it should be it.

For the month of March ........

For the rest of March we need to eat down the deep freezers and the pantry.  We have had some unexpected expenses (tires of the car) and the money has to come from somewhere.  The only area to cut is groceries and gas for the cars.  Dh has more of a fixed gas amount as he drives over 100 miles a day round trip for work.  My gas on the other hand is not fixed so I am going to try to stay home more and make more efficient trips when I do go out.

I have only spent $3.73 on groceries so far this month and do not anticipate more than milk and fresh stuff the rest of the month.  I will also try to keep the fresh stuff down too.

In the two deep freezers I have:

1 whole turkey
1 big bag of fish nuggets (Swai)
1 pkg seasoned chicken leg quarters
2 boxes of breakfast sausage
1 tube of breakfast sausage
2 lbs of ground turkey
1 pkg turkey bacon
2 bags of chicken leg quarters
2 pkgs of skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 bag of turkey meatballs
1 pkg of skinless boneless chicken thighs
2 pkg hot dogs
1 bag of cooked chicken

Protein in the pantry:

2 cans tuna
2 cans chicken
lots of home canned pinto and black beans
lots of dried beans

I also have assorted sliced and shredded cheeses.  There are a couple of boxes of pasta but not a lot of sauce.

I am sure I am missing something but it is what I saw when I looked yesterday.  Tonight we are having the seasoned chicken leg quarters with mashed potatoes and broccoli.  Trying to use up fresh items before they go bad.

My temptation will be asparagus as it is on sale for $1.99/lb this week at Kroger.  We love asparagus !!! I will try to keep track of how we are doing on here better this month.