Cheap & Cheerful posts show, week by week, how a budget of $135/month for groceries works out for our family of 4
Friday
ground beef and cabbage sir fry, using 10 oz ground beef, shredded cabbage, onion, garlic, ginger (powder), soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and vinegar over
brown rice
tomato wedges in yogurt dressing
Saturday
bean, vegetable, noodle soup, using frozen chicken stock as a base
scratch biscuits
last of the summer peaches
Sunday
red cabbage cole slaw (red cabbage gifted to us)
bean and cheese burritos in homemade whole wheat tortillas
Monday
Mexican-inspired casserole, using leftover cooked rice, canned corn, salsa, chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic, onion, leftover cooked pinto beans, cheddar cheese, shredded cabbage, and fresh tomatoes -- delicious casserole and I had leftovers to use for lunches
applesauce cake
Tuesday
lentil and vegetable curry over
brown rice
applesauce cake
Wednesday
rosemary polenta smothered with
beefy marinara (actually, was leftover pizza sauce from freezer with 10 oz. ground beef added)
tomato, onion, chard, and summer squash medley
Thursday
garden chard and onion omelet
brown rice topped with salsa
baked acorn squash (from garden), simply dotted with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon
garden salad of cucumber, tomato, and lettuce in a homemade vinaigrette of chive blossom vinegar, oil, oregano, and salt
I continued to harvest from our garden and use supplies from the freezer, fridge, and pantry. The only food item that I bought this week was a jar of instant decaf coffee (wow, we blew through the instant decaf this month -- must be the cooler temps). So for food, this week I spent $3.57, total, bringing my up to $128.77 for the entire month of September. That's $13.31 under what I had to spend for the month, which will be added to next month's budget.
We eat a lot of brown rice in our house (Friday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday). Brown rice is a whole grain and helps to keep my blood sugar stable, which in turn helps with my depression. Brown rice is a good thing. However, it gets dull. So, I try to have something to top it, such as the curry and stir fry, or mix it with other foods. When I just don't have any idea what I can use to top brown rice, I add a generous spoonful of salsa. If you've never tried this, I'll tell you, it's good. My family loves salsa. Maybe that has something to do with its success on rice in my house.
On Wednesday, I served rosemary polenta that was topped with a pasta sauce (beefy marinara). Polenta is an easy-to-make alternative to pasta to use as the starch for adding sauces. I used a coarse grind of cornmeal labelled for use for polenta, bought in the bulk section at WinCo. You can substitute a medium to coarse grind of regular cornmeal to make polenta. Most cornmeal that isn't labelled either coarse ground or fine ground/cornflour are likely medium ground (the kitchn.com). When I don't have polenta corn meal, I use regular cornmeal -- no issues.
What I like about polenta (besides adding variety) is its creamy texture, ability to add savory flavorings, such as herbs, and its cost. I pay about 60 to 70 cents/pound for polenta cornmeal at WinCo, which is comparable in cost to pasta bought at Dollar Tree (67 cents/lb in 24-oz bags). So for the variety, change in texture and flavor, I can add polenta to our repertoire of meals at no extra cost. I also use rice as a base for pasta sauce, which can be even more economical, while still changing things up for our meals. Leftover cooked rice can be added to cooked pasta to stretch a meager amount of noodles. As a bonus, adding rice to pasta dishes adds a nice, chewy texture that will make the pasta meal seem meatier.
That's what was on our menu this past week. What was on yours? Do you make polenta? What have been your favorite variations? Do you serve pasta sauce over foods other than pasta?
