Last week I used Walmart Grocery Pick-Up and wanted to give you guys my thoughts. I loved being able to just drive up and have someone load my car with the groceries! It took me awhile to order everything online, but I'm not as familiar with their brands and prices, so I wanted to make sure I was getting the best deal and the right items. 

Once there for pick up, I had a number of substitutions. A couple of them were great and worked in my favor! Instead of one block of cream cheese, I got a package of two. I also got a 5 lb (woah) bag of french fries instead of the smaller bag I ordered. They were out of one of my kefir flavors, but I just got two of the same flavor, so that's not a big deal. I did decline one item they tried to substitute, (a filler cup of yogurt) so no huge loss.

One thing I DID NOT like was that once I got home, I found out I was missing an onion. I tried multiple times to get someone on the phone over there and was never connected. I ended up filling out my "how was your experience" email, mentioned the missing item and received a call immediately. They refunded the amount for the onion and gave me a $5 credit coupon for the trouble, so that was nice. However, I was still stuck making an extra trip for one onion. 

Verdict: I may still use it once in awhile, but will stick with Aldi for my regular shopping.

So, here is our meal plan for this week! Sorry it's a little late. Yesterday was a MOPS day and things are always a little crazy leading up to one, so I don't always get my meal plan set up early enough. Last week I posted that I incorporated Monday's meal into last week's meal plan because of MOPS, but I'll put it below anyway, just so that the full week is listed.

Monday: Creamy French Dip Sandwiches with Mac and Cheese and Peas. Total for meal: included in last week's budget

We actually pushed Tuesday night's meal to Friday night bc I was running late after dropping food off for our friends, so the kids and I went to McDonalds instead #fightyourbattles. We have leftover homemade mac and cheese from Friday, so we ate it last night along with peas we have already.

Tuesday: Chicken and Rice Soup with Cheesy Cornbread Muffins. Total for meal: included in last week's budget.

I'm splitting this with a friend of ours we are taking dinner to. It was actually on the list for this past weekend, but I forgot Clarence's work Easter party was Saturday afternoon and they provided us lunch, so we pushed the meal to this week. Money saved!

Wednesday: Fish Fillets with Parmesan Zucchini and Corn. Just realized I forgot to buy the fish fillets, dang it. Total for meal: $1.75 plus the cost of the fish

Clarence is out tonight, so this will be a simple meal for me and the kids.

Thursday: Ranch Chicken Chili and Crescent Rolls. Total for meal: $2.38

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 bag Ranch Dressing & Dip Mix
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 block cream cheese
 DIRECTIONS
1.    Add chicken, onion, corn, beans, diced tomatoes, broth, and Ranch Dressing & Dip Mix to crock pot.
 Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and tongs and place cream cheese on top. Cover and cook for another hour and stir in melted cream cheese. 

I'm using some of the chicken I bought last week. I also have a bag of frozen corn we didn't use this past week I'm going to split between this meal and last night's meal. I don't have a full bag of ranch dressing mix, so I'll just pour in what is left for some seasoning.

Friday: Texas Hash and Cantaloupe/Grapes. Total for meal: $3.44

Saturday Lunch: Leftovers

Saturday Dinner: Pork Chops over Creamy Garlic Pasta and Broccoli. Total for meal: $1.50

I was trying to use things I already have in the kitchen, so this is kind of a combo of recipes. I'll use this recipe to cook the pork. Then I'll follow this recipe for the pasta. I have some heavy whipping cream to use in the fridge. We also already have a bag of frozen broccoli I'll throw in.

Sunday Lunch: Hot Dogs and French Fries. This is the kind of meal that happens towards the end of the meal plan when you just.dont.care.anymore. Total for meal: $1.58

Sunday Dinner: Small Group. We take turns bringing food. Hopefully it's not our turn this week, bc I didn't meal plan for it. Prayers.

Total at the store this week: $48.06 (but still have to go back for the fish)

Also bought: 2 fruit pouches by the register for hungry kids, cheese sticks, granola, juice, eggs, smoothie, 2 kefirs, tub of yogurt, 4 individual yogurts, grapes, milk, cereal bars, cantaloupe, raisins, almonds, bread, and two books - a big boy potty book for Abel and a Minnie magic marker book for Haven.

And that's it this week! Feel free to share some of your recipes in the comments!!

Weekly Meal Plan for 3/19/18

I decided to order my groceries today through Walmart Grocery pick up because it's calling for rain all morning and I really didn't feel like dragging my kids out of the car in the rain. The irony is that as I look out the window, it's sunny....

But you KNOW as soon as I spend time getting the kids dressed, writing down my grocery list, and driving to the store, it would be raining. That's how the world works, ladies and gentlemen. My life is a lesson in irony. ANYWAY...

I've never done Walmart grocery pick up (mostly bc Aldi's prices win every time), but since it's my first time, I used a $10 off code "WOWFRESH" and still spent under $50!

I'm also feeling particularly lazy, so I'm mostly using this sample meal plan for the Budget Friendly Family Meal from eMeals. I know this is the second time in a row I've posted about them. No rhyme or reason, just happened to go this route this week :) So here's our meal plan!

Monday: Mexican Chicken Skillet, Baked Creamy Rice and Green Beans. Total for meal $3.73 

Tuesday: Chicken Nuggets, Homemade Mac and Cheese, Broccoli. Total for meal $1.85

This looks suspiciously like a meal we had last week ;) Clarence is out for a meeting again, so we are revisiting the easy meal from last week. It is actually on the sample emeals list, I just adjusted it slightly. We already have chicken nuggets so I'll use those and some elbow macaroni I bought last week. 

*I'm also taking dinner this night to a couple in our small group who just had a baby. The mom is a vegetarian, so I'll take them this Easy Vegetarian Chili with Buttermilk Cornbread/Muffins. Total for this meal $4.50

Wednesday: This is the night I lead a local evening MOPS group. We set up at 6pm, so we usually meet the hubs there a bit early and eat dinner together. I'll probably grab a hot and ready pizza from Little Caesars. #highclass

Thursday: There is a new Chinese Immersion School, East Link Academy, opening in our town this fall. We plan to put both our kiddos there and are really excited! They are having a fundraiser spirit night at Chick Fil A this night, so we're going to go and help support the school. 

Friday: Date Night! I'll probably do grilled cheese or something exciting for the kids ;)

Saturday Lunch (and leftovers for Sunday Lunch): Real Taco Pie with Smoky Corn. Total for meal $7.48

Saturday Dinner: Garlic Roast Beef and Onions, Red Potatoes and Peas. Total for meal $7.57 

Sunday Dinner: Chicken and Rice Soup with Cheesy Cornbread Muffins. Total for meal $8.74

Monday morning I have my morning MOPS group and we usually don't get to the store, so I have dinner prepared for that night too.

Monday (next week): Creamy French Dip Sandwiches with French Fries. Total for meal $9.20

Total at the store this week: $46.88

Also bought: 2 Kefirs, milk, chicken bouillon powder, beef bouillon powder, yogurt, mini muffins. The meat prices kill me as compared to Aldi! That's why the meal totals above are so much higher than usual. But still within budget, so I'm happy :)

Weekly Meal Plan for 3/12/18

Oh, look...this thing still exists!! Well, it's only been TWO YEARS since my last blog post. I'm basically killing the blogging game over here.

I've been sharing on my Facebook page recently about our family's goal to spend about $50 a week at the store on groceries. Not easy for a family of 4 and, I'll be honest, we don't always succeed, but that's our goal and we usually stay relatively close to it. This does not include toiletries; JUST food. A couple friends suggested posting my meal plan here so more people could access it. So here you go!

Monday: Vegetarian Lentil Soup with tortilla chips. Total for meal $4.71.

Thanks to my friend Taylor for this recipe. I had some stuff already on hand which brought my cost down some. Planning a meal based on what you have in the cabinet is a great way to save on your grocery budget!

Tuesday: Homemade Mac & Cheese, Chicken Nuggets, Peas. Total for meal $2.13.

The hubs has a meeting after work, so I'm making it easy! We had some leftover cheese sauce from a dish last week so I'm using that over some elbow macaroni.

Wednesday: Cabbage with Kielbasa and Peaches. Total for this meal $1.85.

We had half a head of a large cabbage left over from a meal last week that I'll use for this. I also went to a food and craft swap this weekend and got a jar of peaches which we will pair with this meal.

Thursday: Sausage Pizza Puffs and Roasted Broccoli. Total for this meal $3.90

I had a lot of stuff on hand for this recipe and we are omitting the pepperoni. I bought a package of mild Italian sausage and will just use part of it for this meal and part for another.

Friday: Eating at a friend's house warming. FREE!

Saturday Lunch: Parm Pork Chops with Sautéed Kale and Roasted Potatoes. Total for this meal $5.39

Grabbed this recipe from one of my old eMeals sheets. We used them for awhile and probably will again in the future. They send you 7 dinner recipes (you also have an option for breakfast and lunch) every week with grocery list and instructions. There are so many meal plans to choose from and it takes the guesswork out of everything! We loved it. Here is a referral link for two free weeks if you want to check it out!

1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 boneless pork chops
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine Panko, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a shallow dish; dredge pork chops in mixture, pressing to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook pork chops 3 to 4 minutes per side or until done.

1 lb new potatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 slices bacon (I'm omitting this)
1 bunch fresh kale, chopped

Preheat oven to 425. Combine potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, and half of the salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are browned and tender. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; remove bacon to paper towels, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in skillet. Add kale to skillet; saute 8 minutes or until tender. Crumble bacon, and stir into kale. Spring with remaining salt and pepper.

Saturday Dinner: Sausage Zucchini Boats with rice. Total for this meal $4.90

Sunday Lunch: Our church is hosting a volunteer luncheon so lunch will be provided for us!

Sunday Dinner: Leftovers

Total at the store this week: $49.19

Also bought: apple juice, 2 kefirs, milk, smoothie, american cheese slices, corn, 2 packages of fruit bowls, penguin crackers (aldi's version of goldfish), eggs, cantaloupe, and bread.

There you have it! Hope it's helpful!