Weekly Meal Plan for 3/26/18

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!!