One of the hardest things that us Moms have to figure out is what to feed our families for dinner. Some kids (and husbands) are picky about what they eat, so you may end up in a rut and keep serving the same dinner over and over. Or you may find yourself waiting until the last minute to plan dinner. You go to the store and pay full price (the "f" word) for your ingredients.
A solution to these problems is to plan your dinners based on the sales flyer of your favorite grocery store or 2 stores. I begin my planning based on what meat is for sale. My Mom always told me " If you have a meat, you have a meal." I always have ground beef, stew meat, and chicken in the freezer because I buy them on sale ahead of time, so I don't have to pay full price when I need it. If you do not do this already, I highly suggest buying the meat when its on sale and stocking up in your freezer. You don't nee to get a large amount because another sale will come around soon enough. Locally (in NC), the best price for boneless, skinless chicken is $1.99/lb. Every now and then, Kroger will have it for $1.77/lb, but I haven't seen that lately. The best price I have seen in a long time for 80/20 ground beef is $1.99/lb. When you see these prices for chicken and ground beef, you know it is a good time to stock up!
So, this week at Harris Teeter, the 2 pound chubs of 80/20 ground beef are on sale. They are BOGO and the price ends up being $1.99/lb. If you plan on freezing some, I recommend opening the chubs and putting them into freezer bags in 1 lb. portions since most recipes call for 1 lb. of meat. The meat is MUCH easier to defrost in the microwave when in a freezer bag.
Here is a tip I just learned about Harris Teeter and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They sell them in the meat department ALL the time for $1.99/lb. This is way cheaper than buying them frozen or in the packages on the sales floor.
Other meats on sale this week:
Butterball Turkey bacon $3
Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage BOGO
NY Strip steaks BOGO
So, whats for dinner this week at my house?
- Breakfast Night - Butterball Turkey Bacon and Scrambled Eggs
- Meatloaf, Scalloped potatoes (from my pantry stockpile) and Aldi green beans (*Aldi has great prices on canned veggies and cooking soups and they taste GREAT!)
- Grilled Cheese and Soup (also from my pantry stock pile)
- Frenchs Onion Chicken, Rice, and Salad (Frenchs onions and rice from stock pile)
- Beef Stroganoff (bought Stew Meat when BOGO at Harris Teeter). This is a very easy and tasty crock pot recipe. Put 1 1/2 -2 pounds of stew meat in crock pot. Add 1 Cream of Chicken soup and a pouch of Onion soup powder (like Lipton's, but aldi has their own brand). Stir together and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over rice or egg noodles. YUM!
Since HT has great deals on Spaghetti sauce, Meat, and pasta this week, it would be a great time to stock up on those items and make a double batch of Spaghetti or Baked Ziti. Bertolli Pasta sauces are Buy 2, Get 3 Free. Barilla pasta is also Buy 2, Get 3 Free.
