Meal Planning: 5/21 - 5/27
Brand new to Meal Planning?
Start reading about Meal Planning (scroll down to "A Day in My Life" on the right-hand side of this page) or just click here in order to familiarize yourself with the steps and to get started!
This week, I decided to switch things up and start shopping at Whole Foods, rather than going straight to our local Nob Hill and Safeway. Why? Because they have the largest, most comprehensive selection of Organic products, which I have found to almost always equal to lower prices than Nob Hill and Safeway. For new readers or those who missed a post or two, we have been in the process of going Organic (meat, poultry, dairy products and The Dirty Dozen produce) for a few months now.
I though some of you who've expressed interest in going Organic yourselves might like an Organic vs. Non-Organic post; a specific comparison by item and a tally showing the money spent or saved to help you evaluate the cost for yourself and begin your own comparison.
So, below you will find a list of the items I actually purchased that were Organic with their per pound/ounce/item price, the Non-Organic price of the same item, and the difference:
Organic blueberries: $4.99 vs. Non-Organic: $2.99 = $2.00
Organic strawberries: $3.99 vs. Non-Organic: 2@$6 or $3.00 = $0.99
Organic pink lady apples: $1.99/lb vs. Non-Organic: $2.49/lb = ($0.50)
Organic celery: $0.99 vs. Non-Organic: $1.99 = ($1.00)
Organic pears: $2.49/lb vs. Non-Organic: $2.99/lb = ($0.50)
Organic peaches: $3.99/lb vs. Non-Organic: $2.99/lb = $1.00
Organic red bell peppers: $3.99 vs. Non-Organic: $0.99 = $3.00
Organic spinach: $1.99 vs. Non-Organic $5.99 = ($4.00)
Organic romaine hearts: $2.00 vs. Non-Organic: $2.00 = $0
Organic ham deli meat: $10.99/lb vs. Non-Organic $8.99/lb = $2.00
Organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts: $9.99/lb vs. Non-Organic: $5.99/lb = $4.00
Organic 7% fat lean ground beef: $6.99/lb vs. Non-Organic: $5.49 = $1.50
Organic fat-free milk: $5.99 vs. Non-Organic: $3.19 = $2.80
Organic butter: $4.99/lb vs. Non-Organic: $2.49 = $2.50
Organic yogurt: $0.99 vs. Non-Organic: $0.79 = $0.20
In total, it cost me $13.99 more to purchase the Organic product instead of the Non-Organic product and the bulk of that is from the Organic animal products. Most of the time, I have found the Organic produce product is cheaper than the Non-Organic, especially if you shop at a store that has a larger Organic selection, like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.
So, there's a great example for you from kitchen to yours. :)
Big Changes:
No photo nor detailed list of all the groceries I purchased this week as I just didn't have the time. I'm coming to the end of my pregnancy and will soon have a newborn so, I'm just not going to have the time to do such detailed posts. From now on, I'll be doing a more streamlined, comprehensive Meal Planning posts. I think listing what was on sale in the weekly ad, plus how I further saved with coupons, as well as listing what I had on-hand and how those things shaped my weekly meal plan is the most beneficial part of these weekly posts so, I'll go with that to start. Please let me know if there's anything valuable that I'm leaving out to help you in your Meal Planning!
My budget: $150.00
Actually spent: $121.09
I had potatoes leftover from last week, corn-on-the-cob was 3@$0.99, and Organic romaine hearts were $2.00 so, the side dishes were easy to choose. Have I mentioned my husband really hates vegetables so, we have salad A LOT? ;) I had home-made pizza dough in the freezer as well as pizza sauce, Canadian bacon, and shredded mozzarella; the breadcrumbs and seasonings for the baked "fried" chicken; tacos shells and toppings; chicken marinade; plenty of salad dressing; and all the fresh ingredients for the meatballs (carrots, onion, thyme) on-hand to start my meal plan. All I needed to purchase that I don't already buy every week (like milk, cheeses, onion, garlic to name a few) was whole wheat sub rolls for the meatballs and cajun spice, sun-dried tomatoes, and heavy cream for the Alfredo.
A tip: I keep my meal plans written in on my monthly calendar so that I have a visual of what we've eaten so we don't have too many repeats.
Weekly Meal Plan
Home-made pizzas
Baked "fried" chicken with mashed potatoes and a salad
Turkey tacos
Marinated & grilled chicken with grilled corn-on-the-cob and a salad
Leftovers
Meatball subs
Cajun chicken Alfredo with a salad
Check out these and all my recipes on the right-hand side of this page under From My Kitchen!
Start reading about Meal Planning (scroll down to "A Day in My Life" on the right-hand side of this page) or just click here in order to familiarize yourself with the steps and to get started!
This week, I decided to switch things up and start shopping at Whole Foods, rather than going straight to our local Nob Hill and Safeway. Why? Because they have the largest, most comprehensive selection of Organic products, which I have found to almost always equal to lower prices than Nob Hill and Safeway. For new readers or those who missed a post or two, we have been in the process of going Organic (meat, poultry, dairy products and The Dirty Dozen produce) for a few months now.
I though some of you who've expressed interest in going Organic yourselves might like an Organic vs. Non-Organic post; a specific comparison by item and a tally showing the money spent or saved to help you evaluate the cost for yourself and begin your own comparison.
So, below you will find a list of the items I actually purchased that were Organic with their per pound/ounce/item price, the Non-Organic price of the same item, and the difference:
Organic blueberries: $4.99 vs. Non-Organic: $2.99 = $2.00
Organic strawberries: $3.99 vs. Non-Organic: 2@$6 or $3.00 = $0.99
Organic pink lady apples: $1.99/lb vs. Non-Organic: $2.49/lb = ($0.50)
Organic celery: $0.99 vs. Non-Organic: $1.99 = ($1.00)
Organic pears: $2.49/lb vs. Non-Organic: $2.99/lb = ($0.50)
Organic peaches: $3.99/lb vs. Non-Organic: $2.99/lb = $1.00
Organic red bell peppers: $3.99 vs. Non-Organic: $0.99 = $3.00
Organic spinach: $1.99 vs. Non-Organic $5.99 = ($4.00)
Organic romaine hearts: $2.00 vs. Non-Organic: $2.00 = $0
Organic ham deli meat: $10.99/lb vs. Non-Organic $8.99/lb = $2.00
Organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts: $9.99/lb vs. Non-Organic: $5.99/lb = $4.00
Organic 7% fat lean ground beef: $6.99/lb vs. Non-Organic: $5.49 = $1.50
Organic fat-free milk: $5.99 vs. Non-Organic: $3.19 = $2.80
Organic butter: $4.99/lb vs. Non-Organic: $2.49 = $2.50
Organic yogurt: $0.99 vs. Non-Organic: $0.79 = $0.20
In total, it cost me $13.99 more to purchase the Organic product instead of the Non-Organic product and the bulk of that is from the Organic animal products. Most of the time, I have found the Organic produce product is cheaper than the Non-Organic, especially if you shop at a store that has a larger Organic selection, like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.
So, there's a great example for you from kitchen to yours. :)
Big Changes:
No photo nor detailed list of all the groceries I purchased this week as I just didn't have the time. I'm coming to the end of my pregnancy and will soon have a newborn so, I'm just not going to have the time to do such detailed posts. From now on, I'll be doing a more streamlined, comprehensive Meal Planning posts. I think listing what was on sale in the weekly ad, plus how I further saved with coupons, as well as listing what I had on-hand and how those things shaped my weekly meal plan is the most beneficial part of these weekly posts so, I'll go with that to start. Please let me know if there's anything valuable that I'm leaving out to help you in your Meal Planning!
My budget: $150.00
Actually spent: $121.09
I had potatoes leftover from last week, corn-on-the-cob was 3@$0.99, and Organic romaine hearts were $2.00 so, the side dishes were easy to choose. Have I mentioned my husband really hates vegetables so, we have salad A LOT? ;) I had home-made pizza dough in the freezer as well as pizza sauce, Canadian bacon, and shredded mozzarella; the breadcrumbs and seasonings for the baked "fried" chicken; tacos shells and toppings; chicken marinade; plenty of salad dressing; and all the fresh ingredients for the meatballs (carrots, onion, thyme) on-hand to start my meal plan. All I needed to purchase that I don't already buy every week (like milk, cheeses, onion, garlic to name a few) was whole wheat sub rolls for the meatballs and cajun spice, sun-dried tomatoes, and heavy cream for the Alfredo.
A tip: I keep my meal plans written in on my monthly calendar so that I have a visual of what we've eaten so we don't have too many repeats.
Weekly Meal Plan
Home-made pizzas
Baked "fried" chicken with mashed potatoes and a salad
Turkey tacos
Marinated & grilled chicken with grilled corn-on-the-cob and a salad
Leftovers
Meatball subs
Cajun chicken Alfredo with a salad
Check out these and all my recipes on the right-hand side of this page under From My Kitchen!
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