fresh. that's how we're eating these days because it's just too hot to cook. period. we've had temps over 100 and heat index in the 110's+ for several days it looks like it's not changing anytime soon. lawman worked outside yesterday and his superior required he take breaks every 10 minutes. yes, it's that hot. madison is lifeguarding this summer; she's got zero energy when she gets home after 6 hours of guarding. fortunately they take breaks regularly and she's a water drinker and a sunscreen user.
due to the dog days of summer, i've lost my mojo in the kitchen. it's hard to find inspiration when it's too hot to cook or eat yet the others in the house expect to find something available in the fridge or the pantry. i was diligent yesterday about creating a menu and a shopping list. it's been weeks since i've made a true menu plan and i can honestly say that i'm looking forward to this week because i did one! i'm going to utilize the grill, microwave and stovetop.
here's what's on the plan, and in no particular order:
- mac & cheese with ham, sugar snap peas
- spicy italians (homemade but made like subway), hot spinach dip with tortilla chips
- taco salad
- fried rice with egg rolls (ok, i lied - - these are frozen so i'll have to use the oven)
- italian beef in tortillas, fruit
- pork rice bowls with asparagus
- BLT's with avocado, green salad, fruit
- grilled chicken with santa fe salad
- caesar salad with grilled chicken
- homemade pizza (which i think we will try on the grill)
- other things i've made/prepped today so they're at the ready ~ homemade limeade, fresh salsa (hence the reason for the photo of the cilantro & lime), no bake cookie bars, sliced strawberries and grapes.
yesterday as i was preparing my grocery list i tallied up my food expenses for may and june. holy cow! anyone else seen a spike in the $ spent on food? granted, we had 2 graduation parties in may that added to the increase plus 2 june birthdays and 2 x we hosted friends. i also realize that having the girls home and not at school adds to the expense however, i will say that both have been diligent about packing a lunch/snack when needed according to their work schedule. both may and june were near the $600 mark and i typically try to maintain a $450 grocery budget. i've seen the new prices on the shelf labels at the grocery store so i know i'm not the only one spending more to feed the family. i'm going to have to be diligent this month to get this back under control. i think i'll go back through and re-visit my monthly food expenditure since the beginning of the year to see if the trend began before summer. are you seeing the same trend in your grocery bill?
8 comments:
between you and Sharon - I am really getting fired up to get back to budgeting and the like. It is so easy to get off track.
Let us know how the pizza on the grill turns out.
Stay cool.
Raining here today :(
I have been noticing a spike in food prices. If it's not one thing, it's another. I feel your pain about not wanting to cook but still having to deal with a hungry family poking around in the {empty} fridge. The boys are going to camp tomorrow until Thursday...it'll be nice to not have to worry about feeding them!
Must.do.menu.plan. Your menus always sound SO GOOD and are so inspiring!
a lot of foods seem more expensive lately. thats why i am working on a stockpile when stuff goes on sale.
your menu looks good!!!
I would love if you stopped by my blog and checked out my Menu Plan
Have a great week
From Cristin To Mommy
Yes! Foos expenses have gone up! Now that DJ is traveling every other day for work we have to buy/repare almost 3 times as much food and it has not been easy on the wallet. We've been trying to go to the farmers market as much as possible.
Absolutely yes! Even after spending a month in France, paying their prices, I can even see a difference between when I left and now.
mmmm good idea, fresh salsa.
I'm shocked that you could spend only $450 a month on groceries. As it is rare to spend under $300 a week here. Bananas are $7 a lb, ground beef $8 a lb, a qt of milk is $1.80 and a gallon of gas is $5.60.
I think us Australians are completely jealous of US prices esp now that the Australian $ is higher than the US. We pay about $180 for a pair of Levis, and $200 for a pair of Nikes. Crazy but true.
@blueskyhi
wow! big difference in prices. bananas here are about 69 cents/lb. ground beef i can buy on sale for $2.99/lb, milk is $2.50/gal, and gas is $3.60/gal.
levi's that hubby wears are about $40 a pair and anywhere from $50 + for a pair of nikes, depending on style.
Nancy,
I love your menu..it's so much easier when you know what you are going to cook! Groceries are ridiculously expensive, my budget for them is completely off.
Since we are all having health issues lately, I want to feed our family the most healthy food, including organic fruits and veggies. (although if you saw the junk food purchased on vacation, I would sound like a complete fake!)
$450.00 sounds low for a family of four. If you can do it on $450...I want to know the secret! ;)!
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