Weekly Meal Plan

So, every week I prepare a weekly meal plan. My plan differs a little from most of my fellow bloggers, though. I usually find 4-5 recipes that I plan to make for dinner the coming week because sometimes, I end up eating leftovers or a quick meal depending on what kind of school work I have to finish.

Here is the list of recipes I have for this week:

Potato and Cheddar Soup

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Potato-and-Cheddar-Soup/Detail.aspx

Croque Monsieur- my own recipe

Baked Pasta with Ricotta

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/baked-pasta-with-ricotta-a-recipe.htm

Steak Salad

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/steak-salad-recipe/index.html

It has been getting warmer lately, so I want to try to get in my recipes for cold-weather foods before summer (lasagnas, soup, etc.)

I am making the Baked Pasta Ricotta tonight. 

-Look forward to a post with my alterations to the recipe and a picture of the finished product! Yum!

Happy Eating!

Savings Saturday!

Here is what I bought at Publix this week:

(Please excuse the messy picture. I'm in the middle of my Senior Thesis project!)

2 boxes Ronzoni Pasta
2 Boxes Choclate Cheerios
2 Jars Classico Pasta Sauce
1 bag Dole Salad
1 package Land O'Lakes lunch meat
3 packs Activia yogurt
A dozen eggs
2 Bottles Marie's Salad Dressing
1 Package Sorrento Ricotta cheese
1 package Zuchinni
1 package Asparagus
4 Roma tomatoes
1 cucumber
Ramen Noodles
Fresh Ground Beef
Publix Sandwich bags
Dog Toy
Dog Treats

I can't find my receipt, but this is what I saved (I just don't know the amounts down to the penny :p):

Total Spent: $32.00
Total Saved: $30.00

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this week's results and for the great cashier that I checked out with!


If you want to start saving money with coupons head over to Frugal Fun and Fortune for all the basics.I

Weekly Savings!

This week has definitely been one of my more successful trips to Publix. Here is what I got:

3 boxes Kashi Cereal
2 loaves swirl bread
2 Bags of Sargento Shredded Cheese
2 packs of Lance Crackers
2 boxes of Oreo Cakesters
4 bags of Publix Steam in bag vegetables
2 bags of Flat Out crisps
Country Crock butter
2 jars of Prego pasta Sauce
Pack of 6 chicken thighs
2 cans of tomato paste
2 boxes of pasta (one not pictured)
1 package of Zuchinni (not pictured)

Total Spent: $16.20
Total Saved: $52.45


If you want to start saving money with coupons head over to Frugal Fun and Fortune for all the basics.

Happy savings!

SwagBucks

SawgBucks is a rewards program that gives you points for searching the internet through their engine. It is really easy and the prizes that you can earn are great! I just redeemed an Amazon.com gift card, and I only started a month ago! If you're interested, click on the icon in the right side of my blog. It's really easy to get started!

Happy Swagging!

Weekly Meal Plan

Here are the meals that are planned for the week. Brooke made the Oven Baked Mac and Cheese yesterday and it was delicious!! Tonight I made the Sheperd's Pie. YUM! Tomorrow will be leftovers because Brooke has class in the evening. Loving the menu planning so far!

Chicken and Vegetables over pasta (mushrooms, onion, tomatoes, broc)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Angel-Hair-Pasta-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Oven Baked macaroni and Cheese

http://www.macaronicheeserecipes.com/OvenBaked.htm

Shrimp Scampi

            http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Shrimp-Scampi-V/Detail.aspx

Sheperd’s Pie

            Ingredients: Ground turkey, Cream of Corn, Mashed Potatoes, Parmesan Cheese

Spaghetti A la Brooke

Happy Eating!

Spontaneous Baking!

While dinner was cooking in the oven I decided to whip up a quickbread. Quickbread doesn't require any yeast and is a little more thick and sweet than bread made with rising dough. It makes a great dessert or breakfast bread. The recipe is here. You'll need a loaf pan, but besides that it requires very basic ingredients and preparation.

Happy Baking!

Tomato and Zucchini Tartlet

This was the second time I made this yummy tartlet! It turned out a little better this time because I bought mini circle pans and didn't have to make an improvised form out of tin foil. The most difficult part is getting the phyllo dough in the form, but from there it's pretty simple. I topped it off with some Balsamic Vinegar.

If you want to try your hand at these tartlets, the recipe is here.

Happy Eating!

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Ok, so the picture isn't so great, but it was delicious! Fresh Spinach stuffing (see recipe here) and for an added touch, a side of cherry tomatoes. Yum!

Happy Eating!

Menu Planning

Monday- Voila! Garlic Shrimp Frozen Bag Dinner

Tuesday- Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

Wednesday- Spaghetti a la Brooke 

Thursday- Tomato Zucchini and Brie Tartlets

At the beginning of the semester Brooke made a HUGE batch of spaghetti sauce. We freeze two portion sizes in ziploc bags and defrost them and cook fresh pasta for a quick and yummy meal. I'll post pictures of the meals that we make from scratch as I go. I've made the Zuchinni tartlets before and they are delish. 

Feel free to share your weekly meals. I'd love to see them.

Cheers!

Weekly Savings

So, this is the second week of my succesful couponing. Here is my latest grocery trip:

Purex Laundry Detergent

2x Scotties Tissues

2x Green Giant Vegetables

2x Quaker Chewy Bars

2x Whole Fruit Sorbet

10x Dannon Yogurt

3x Chobani Greek Yogurt

Pillsbury Crescent rolls (small)

2x Voila!

2x Goldfish

2x Progresso Soup

2x Pompeian Olive Oil

2x Lender's Bagels

2x Near East Couscous

Ramen Noodles

Publix Milk

Ecolier Milk Chocoloate Buiscuits

Starbucks Coffee

Competitor Coupons: $5.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $14.20

Advertised Store Savings: $33.41

Total Savings: $52.61

Total Spent: $40.23

With Brooke (my roommate!) and I sharing grocery expenses, we spent $20 each on groceries this week. Not bad. If you want to get into couponing head over to Frugal, Fun, and Fortune to get started. It's really easy and just takes about an hour a week to organize your grocery list.

Happy couponing!

First Post

I've started this blog on a whim. Everything is so hectic this semester that I thought I would try to document some of my crazy life ( and in turn making it a tad more hectic :-/ ). I graduate in May so I am in the process of job searching and saving up some money to get started on my own. I've also gotten into some new things this semester on top of the school work including couponing and weekly menu planning, which means saving money and time while always having a yummy meal. My plan is to keep you updated on my savings and latest dinner creations as well as other tads of school and that make it in here.


Cheers to my first post!