Menu Plan Monday 12/6-12/12

Last week’s menu plans went well!  We had friends, who are unemployed, over for dinner on Friday night.  I made homemade pizza!  I made my dough in my bread machine.  Oh was it good!  I made it with half whole wheat flour and everyone enjoyed it!

I did grocery shopping this past week!  I finally was able to find some pork that actually looked good!  We like to have a variety of meat and we haven’t pork for over a month because I was just not finding any that didn’t look all fatty. I also was able to snag some meat that was markdown by 80%!

This week’s meals are some of the family favorites.  We are having a new furnace, A/C unit and water heater installed on Monday and Tuesday so those meals might end up getting changed due to having gas available to run the stove or not.  It will be nice to have heat all the time rather than 25% of the time.

For this week’s lunches that are for the kids and me! Unless we are having leftovers, our lunches are served with apple slices or carrot sticks along with fruit juice or water.  Hubby usually takes a dinner leftover along with various snacks for his work lunch so I don’t take the time to plan his lunches.  

A special thanks to Laura-Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday! Need help with your menus; go check the over 300 other delicious meal plans that have been linked at Laura-Organizing Junkie's site or look down in my right sidebar for my menu suggestion lists!

Sunday (12-6)

Breakfast: eggs, sausage, hash browns, and jiffy muffins

Lunch: leftover spaghetti dinner with garlic toast

Dinner:  Arby’s

Snack: snack basket

Monday (12-7)

Breakfast: cereal and muffins

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: creamy chicken served over egg noodles and green peas as a side

Snack: snack basket

Tuesday (12-8)

Breakfast:  waffles and sausage

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  pork chops, served with rice, green beans and crescent rolls

Snack: snack basket

Wednesday (12-9)

Breakfast:  bagels and cereal

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner:  Taco Bar

Snack: snack basket

Thursday (12-10)

Breakfast:  Pancakes (from freezer) and sausage

Lunch: leftovers

Dinner: chicken rice soup served with homemade bread

Snack: snack basket

Friday (12-11)

Breakfast:  cereal and toast

Lunch: sandwich & chips

Dinner: beef gravy served over egg noodles and peas as a side

Snack: ice cream night

Saturday (12-12)

Breakfast:  Your Choice

Lunch: ????

Dinner: chicken club sandwiches served with fries and carrot sticks

Snack: popcorn

Meijer Deals 12/6-12/12

Just a reminder, that I am using a West Michigan sale ad and my Meijer does NOT double coupons! Also check the THREE pages of Mealbox coupons there are several cpns that match items in this week's ad! Please let me know if there is something that I missed and I will take the time to update my deals listing.


Also this week, Meijer is having a 10 for $10 get 11th item FREE Sale!!  It doesn't seem too great of a sale, however you can check out the complete list here.

****THE MEIJER BONUS: For every $100 you spend in General Merchandise or Apparel, you get a coupon for 5% off your next grocery purchase. You can combine up to 4 of the 5% off coupons in one grocery order for a total of 20% off your groceries. Good thru 12/24.

Grocery Deals:

Boneless Chuckeye Roast USDA Choice Grain Fed $2.49/lb

Deans Ice Cream 48oz Assorted Varieties $2.79

Meijer Tilapia Filets 16oz pkg frozen $2.99

Oranges: California Sweet Seedless Navel-4lb bag 2/$5

Rondele Gourmet Spreadable Cheese 8oz pkg 2/$5

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Tenderloin 40oz bag frozen $4.99

Red Baron Multi-serve Pizza 18.15-25.6oz $2.99

Vlasic Pickles 16-24 oz jar $1.99
50/1 cpn
$5/5 Rebate cpn

Tennessee Pride Roll Pork Sausage 16oz pkg All Varieties $2.19
55/1 cpn 11-15 RP
55/1 cpn 

Progresso Soup 18.5-19oz Select Varieties 4/$5
50/2 cpn 12-06 S
50/2 cpn 11-15 GM
50/2 cpn 11-08 S
50/2 cpn 10-25 S
$1/3 cpn
$1/3 cpn 
$1.10/3 cpn

NON-GROCERY DEALS:

Meijer Suet Cakes All Single pack Varieties ~~ Buy One Get One FREE!

Chinet Lunch 72 ct or Platter Value Pack 24 ct. $4.49
$1/1 Mealbox cpn
$1/1 cpn
$1/1 cpn

Clorox Cleanup Cleaner W/Bleach Original 32 Oz $2.49
50/1 cpn 10-04 RP

Clorox Liquid Bleach Regular 96 Oz $1.69
50/2 cpn 10-04 RP

Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner For Tough Stains, 24 oz. $1.69
50/1 cpn 10-04 RP

Ban Invisible Solid or Clear Gel 2.25-2.6oz 2/$4
40/1 cpn 10-11 S

Purina Beneful Dog Food 15-15.5 lbs Select Varieties $13.99
10-18 S(with purchase get a Free 10 oz Purina Beneful Prepared Meal (up to $2.29)

Natures Bounty Vitamins and Supplements ~~ Buy One Get One FREE!
$1/1 cpn 11-01 S

Ester C Vtimamins And Supplements ~~ Buy One Get One FREE!
$5/1 cpn 11-08 RP
$2/1 cpn

Snuggle Fabric Softener Liquid 50-100oz or sheets 105-120ct assorted varieties $4.29
$2/1 cpn 12-06 RP
75/1 cpn 11-15 RP

***Please take the time to check out your local ad, which you can find here.  IF Meijer is not your store of choice, head over to BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering! 

This post is linked to:

• Meijer Deals at Coupon Saving Game!
• BecentsAble's Grocery Gathering!

Meijer 10 for $10 Get 11th Item Free Sale 12/6-12/12

This week, Meijer is having a 10 for $10 Get 11th item FREE Sale!! It is not one of their better 10 for $10 Sales but I did find a few items that I will be snagging before the week is out!

Here is a complete list of the products that are included in the 10 for $10 get 11th item FREE Sale:

Apples: Michigan Premium Empire, Jonathan, Rome or Ida Red Apples 3lb bag

Aunt Mids Flat or Curly Leaf Spinach 10oz pkg

Aunt Millie's Bun Old Fashioned White Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns 8ct

Avocados: Extra Large (each)

Banquet Meals 5-10.25oz Assorted varieties/excludes select recipes

Bar S Jumbo Meat Franks, Chicken Franks or Bologna 16 oz
$1/2 cpn

Bar S Sausage Links 8 oz

Betty Crocker Helpers 5.5-8.4oz Select Varieties

Blackberries 6 oz container

Bumblebee Chunk White Tuna in Water 5 oz

Coke 2 Liter-All Varieties

Coles mini garlic bread 8oz or mini toast 7oz Assorted Varieties

Colgate Cavity Protection Regular Paste: excludes liquid gels and children's paste

Colgate Plus Toothbrush 1ct

Combos Snack Mix 6.3-7oz

Dole Iceberg Salad 12oz bag
$1/2 cpn

Gerber 2nd Foods

Glaceau Vitamin Water 20oz bottle or Smart Water 1L bottle

Greenhouse Cucumbers (each)

Hunts Tomatoes 14.5oz Select Varieties

Ice Cream Cups: 3.6-6oz Breyers, Haagan Dazs, Edys, Ittibitz, Ben & Jerrys or Starbucks
$1/1 Starbucks pint cpn

Jenos Crisp n Tasy Pizza 6.8-7.2oz

Markets of Meijer Sliced white or Slice Mini Bella Mushrooms 8oz pkg

Meijer Bread Crumbs 15oz

Meijer Confectioners or Light Brown Sugar 2lbs

Meijer Crescent Rolls, Cinnamon Rolls or Pizza Crust-Tubes- All Varieties

Meijer Essentials Paper Towels 1big roll

Meijer Food Storage Bags-lunch, reclosable snack or sandwich 50 ct. or fold-top sandwich 150 ct.

Meijer Gravy 12oz

Meijer Light Corn Syrup 16oz

Meijer Microwave Popcorn 3ct box

Meijer Seasoning and Coating Mix

Meijer Soft cookies 10-11oz

Pepsi 2 Liter-All Varieties

Rotel tomatoes 10oz Select Varieties

Aunt Millie's Bread Old Fashioned Bread 24 oz

Totinos 15ct Pizza Rolls

Campbells Reduced Fat Cream Soup 10.75oz can
40/2 cpn 10-04 S

Green Giant Boxed Vegetables 7-10oz
60/3 cpn 11-15 GM
50/2 cpn
50/2 cpn
50/2 cpn
50/2 cpn

Del Monte All Natural Fruit Cup 8oz All Varieties
$1/8 cpn 11-15 RP
$1/3 cpn

Weekly Shopping Trip--Savings $100.21

I did my shopping this week on two different days due to my schedule.  Because of my previous shopping a couple of weeks ago, I didn't actually need a whole lot other than some meat to last me through until payday on the 15th.

Now that winter is here, I like keep a good stockpile so that if the weather is too bad to go out shopping I can put it off for a couple of days.

I found some awesome deals on a couple of cuts of meat! The London Broil had a regular price of $12.48 and I got the 2.50 lbs for $3.12  I also got a .88 lb of Boneless thin cut Top Round Steak for $1.60 instead of $4.57!!!  It ended up being like 80% off the original price and the main reason for markdown is that it needed to be sold that day.  Well I bought them and stuck in my freezer right away.  The London Broil will make a great beef gravy and noodle meal and the Top Round Steak will be a great item to cut for making breakfast steak for hubby.

Other than the markdown meat, here is the breakdown of the other items I purchased this week:

Save A Lot: 

• 3.69 lbs bananas $1.23 (on sale 3 lbs for $1!!)
• 4 cans cream of chicken soup $2.36
• 1 can light kidney beans 59¢
• 6 jars pizza sauce $5.94

Total OOP: $10.12

Total savings: priceless! :) 

Family Fare: 

• 1 carton Spartan Moose Track ice cream $2.00
• 2 bag Gorton's fish fillets $9.73
• 1 box Gorton's breaded shrimp poppers $3.22
• 2 bottles 64 oz Spartan Apple Juice $2.98
• 2 boxes(25 1/4 oz) Honey Nut Cheerios  $5.67
• 2lbs baby carrots $2.29
• 2.50 lbs beef london broil $3.12
• 2.77 lbs pork loin chops $5.51
• 7.31 lbs ground beef from chuck $13.09
• .88 lbs thin cut top round steak $1.60
• 4.75 lbs pork loin $9.45
• 2 gallons Hawaiian punch $4.67
• 10 lbs sugar $3.98
• 2 gallons milk $4.00
• 1 Spartan self rising crust pizza $1.88

Total OOP: $73.19

Total Savings $48.39

Total without sales & coupons: $121.58

Meijer: 

• 2 bottles kids vitamins $16.94
• 1 gallon bleach $1.79
• 2 pkgs Eckrich smoky links $5.98
• 10 boxes Kraft Mac & Cheese $4.40
• 2 bags Fritos $3.18
• 2 boxes Frosted Mini Wheats $2.26
• 2 boxes Kelloggs cereal $2.76
• 4 bags Sargento shredded cheese $7.01
• 1 bottle Miracle Whip $2.49
• 1 lb bacon $1.94
• 2 bags Tyson breaded chicken $7.98
• 2 gallons milk $4.00
• 15 cups Yoplait Yogurt $6.70
• 8 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breast $15.98

Total OOP after $2 off shopping order cpn: $81.41

Total Savings: $51.82

Total without sales & coupons: $133.23

Grand Total OOP: $164. 72

Grand Total Savings: $100.21

Grand Total without sales and coupons: $264.93

This post is linked to: 

• Super Savings Saturday at MoneySavingMom!
• Grocery Shopping Round Up at The Grocery Cart Challenge!

When Winter Comes to the Midwest!

My area of the Midwest received about 12 inches of new snow overnight!  This is our first measurable snow of the season!  It was beautiful this morning to look at but not to drive around town!  It took hubby over 45 minutes to get to work that is 15 minutes away on dry roads!

my backyard!

the trees across the street!

the view down the street into the cul-de-sac!

Crockpot Roast and Veggies

As we get into the holiday season, I love making meals that are simple and easy to prepare or fall under the "fix and forget it until dinnertime" category.

Crockpot Roast and Veggies falls under both of those categories and is enjoyed by the whole family!  The other thing about this dish is that if I fix it and end up having unexpected guests there is still plenty to serve up for dinner.

When I make this dish, I use a beef eye of round roast from Sam's Club that is usually between 4 and 5 pounds.  I get one this size because I know that it will work for two meals for my family.

I cook the whole roast along with 9 or 10 potatoes and at least 1 pound bag of carrots. I have several kids that do not like cooked carrots of any kind but will eat crunchy fresh carrot sticks so I serve those with this dish as well.

As for spices that I put on the roast, I use a packet of onion soup mix,  about 2-4 tsp. garlic powder and shake on about 1-2 TSP black pepper.  I also put 2 cans of beef broth in the pot.

I put all the ingredients in my crockpot on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Lately for this dish I have been using my small roaster at 225° for about 5 hours.

Once the roast and veggies are cooked, I drain the liquid off and use it for making up some homemade beef gravy to use with it.  I drain the liquid into another pan.  I put it on the stove and bring it to a boil.  Once the broth is boiling I add thickener (flour, cornstarch and milk mixture) to it.

When I make this meal, I try to make sure that there are leftovers, not just the roast but the veggies so that I can make a second quick meal.  If there are meat and veggies leftovers, then I make my veggie beef stew. If there is only meat leftovers, then I make my beef gravy and noodles meal.

This post is linked to:

• Food On Fridays at Ann Kroeker’s!
• Recipe Swap at The Grocery Cart Challenge!
• Friday Feasts at Mom Trends!
• Foodie Friday at Designs By Gollum!