Foods

Jarred and I are not the healthiest eaters, but we're not terrible either.  I used to try to eat super healthy foods but since I began buying groceries for myself, I can't bring myself to buy some things I used to eat.  I definitely pay attention to food prices and get annoyed when it gets more expensive.  I noticed that my usual bread went up in price buy 11 cents last week and I was pissed.  Really.

I normally plan our weekly menu on Sundays for the upcoming week.  I'm pretty limited when it comes to ideas for meals.  I could probably write down on a single piece of paper all the recipes I know and use.  Even though I have many cookbooks, I don't put much monetary value on our food, so we eat what's cheap.  I don't want to make something that has tons of ingredients because the remaining will just go to waste.

With all that being said, Jarred and I definitely don't starve.  We have the beginnings of nice belly pooches that attest to that.  I buy what's cheap even when there may be more calories, I figure we're young and have the drive to be active to counteract any high fat food.  I don't want anyone to get the impression that most cheap food is bad for you.  Totally untrue.  I buy off brand tomato soup rather than Campbell's and it has less sodium, fat, and calories per serving than the name brand.  Take that high dollar foods!

My grocery list for the week:

- lettuce head     -broccoli     -cucumber     -eggplant     -zucchini     -tomato     green pepper     -green apple     -2 baking potatoes     -hummus     -marina sauce     -chicken breasts     -red beans and rice mix     -cheddar cheese     -cereal     -milk     -tortilla chips     -salsa

And that's it!  That's not all I need for this week's meals, but I already have some of my ingredients at home.  I have decided that it's easiest (and cheaper) for me to only think about one week at a time.  Some will say that buying groceries to last 2 weeks is cheaper, but I've found the opposite is true.  I only buy what I need.  I will also buy a new bottle of shampoo this trip because we're going to run out during the middle of the week.  I have enough toilet paper for another week, but I will then have to buy more.  I used to keep toiletries stocked up, but I would find myself buying the same things week after week because I couldn't keep track of what we were running low on.

Our menu for the week:

Monday:  Broccoli and cheese baked potato with salads

Tuesday:  Chicken salad on toast with cut up veggies

Wednesday:  Fried eggplant with marina sauce and salads

Thursday:  Red beans and rice and salads

Fiday:  Spaghetti and meatballs with veggies/salad

I also try to cook things that will have leftovers for Jarred to have for lunch.  We used to buy frozen dinners for him, but that got old (and expensive) real quick.

None of our meals are overly expensive to make and it provides some variety.  I wanted to cut back on the meat intake this week, so we'll only be having it with the chicken salad and spaghetti.  I don't normally buy snacks, but I'm having a craving for chips and salsa as well as hummus, which is something we never have because of expense.

I don't really deviate from our regular recipes.  Jarred can eat anything and I know if I'm getting tired of eating something, he won't mind.  It may take more time to cook a meal, but there's always more satisfaction and I always get exactly what I want!