Welcome to Frugal Workshop where every Monday I share the simple strategies used to save money in my kitchen over the past week, along with the meals that made it to our dinner table. You'll find practical tips on how we saved money on food hopefully to inspire your own meal planning using the foods you have in your own pantry.
My Frugal Week
I cleaned out and organized the refrigerator on Wednesday making sure I was using both our fresh produce and leftovers in a timely manner. After cutting up most of the vegetables I took the rinds and seeds outside to the compost pile.
On Friday we picked up grapes at Kroger, which were on sale for $1.99 a pound. I also picked up several varieties of melons including more yellow watermelon as it is good and sweet. I also bought more blackberries at Sam's Club and washed and cut up all the fruit on Saturday.
You've probably read about the nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which has sickened over 1,000 people, and has been linked to raw, fresh produce. Health agencies advise purchasing whole heads of lettuce rather than pre-bagged mixes. I've also heard it may be extended to blackberries. So, I washed and made a solution of baking soda and vinegar and washed my berries more then I usually do this week.
Savings of the Week
We found this box of Organic Chia Oatmeal in the Crash & Burn section of Kroger for 56 cents. I only bought one box and left the others for someone else.
What’s for Dinner
Monday ~ Egg Roll in a Bowl, Corn on the Cob.
I used a lot of vegetables in this dinner including half of a cabbage, several carrots, onions, and multicolored peppers. I also used Jimmy Dean turkey sausage, which tasted so good that I will definitely be buying that brand again.
Tuesday ~ Leftovers from Monday
Wednesday & Thursday ~ Bruschetta Chicken, Green Beans with Onions, Red Peppers, Grape Tomatoes.
I made up a mixture of tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil and made a bruschetta, which I baked in the oven over some grilled chicken I made. We enjoyed it and it was something different from what we are used to eating.
Friday ~ Grilled Salmon, and Broccoli Salad.
Saturday ~ Baked Chicken Strip Sandwiches.
Sunday ~ Egg Roll in a Bowl, Carrots, Sliced Peppers, Cucumbers, and Grape Tomatoes.
I’d saved the leftover broth from green beans I made earlier in the week and used that to sauté the onions for this dinner. This saves on both calories and money by not using any oil for sautéing.
What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?
Did you build up or organize your pantry this week?
We would love to hear all about it in the comment section.
Belinda
Homemaker at Heart
Your meals sound so good, especially the bruschetta chicken. I have been trying to use all our produce as well as using stuff from the freezer and pantry. Keeping food waste down seems like a full time job sometimes
ReplyDeleteIt sure does seem like a full time job, especially in the summer time with all the extra produce, Anne.
DeleteEverything sounds yummy.
ReplyDeleteYour meals sound great! I've been thinking about the outbreak. My great nephew, who is three, will be returning for childcare soon. I serve him lots of berries and I'm thinking what else I can offer him. His mom is almost 8 month pregnant and I don't want to risk illness in their home.
ReplyDeleteThat was a great find on the oatmeal!
Thank you, Wendi.
DeleteYour meals sound tasty! I love bruschetta on fresh baked bread!
ReplyDeleteAll the fruits and veggies of summer are so good, but the outbreak concerns me. Hopefully washing the fruits and veggies well will help lessen the risk.
Thank you, Kathy. I like bruschetta on fresh bread too, the taste is so good. I'm worried about the fresh fruits and vegetables this summer too.
DeleteLots of great savings in your kitchen. Sorry to hear about the fresh veggie and fruit problem. Hope that it is brought under control very soon.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Thank you, Jackie.
DeleteBelinda
Long time reader, first time posting. PLEASE be careful with the fruits and veggies! Cooking to 160 deg is the only thing that will kill this parasite. Rinsing/vinegar/baking soda is not effective.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Miss Joann. I’ve been reading that as well this week. I hope they can find the source of this and get this taken care of very soon. Thank you for being a long time reader too. It’s always so nice to receive a comment from a long time reader.
DeleteBelinda
I love the way you think! I don't think I've ever considered our electric bill in terms of per day cost. We just got a new meter to measure our "time of day" usage which might, hopefully, lower our bill a bit. During the, reconfiguration, they double billed us, but thinking of it in your terms, even the double bill (which was corrected) was only about $6 per day which for all the air conditioning we've been using is pretty reasonable.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bobi. I hope the new meter lowers your bill too.
Delete