Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Mid-May

Friday
pepperoni pizza, carrot soup made from canned carrots, frozen broccoli cuts mixed with florets, brownies

Saturday
spaghetti and TVP marinara, canned green beans, brownies

Sunday
peanut sauce over rice, canned carrots

Monday
roast chicken, brown rice, gravy, asparagus, brownies

Tuesday
leftover chicken in gravy over mashed potatoes, asparagus, rhubarb sauce

Wednesday

chicken pot pie (scratch crust, chicken meat, gravy, frozen mixed vegetables), apple wedges, brownies from the freezer

Thursday

spaghetti and meat sauce, frozen peas, pumpkin-spice cookies

Was I spoiled by my daughters' cooking for April? Have I found ways to treat myself to more time off from cooking? What I've been doing for the last 2 weeks (first week of May I was on the road) is doubling or tripling the main dishes and freezing the leftovers. Some examples: I made taco meat and refried beans X 2, chicken breast in marinara sauce X 2, pepperoni pizza from scratch X 2, meat spaghetti sauce X 2, roasted whole chicken, yielding 4+ meals, freezing 1 large portion of roasted chicken and some chicken meat in stock for two future meals. I also made a large batch of hummus and froze part for another meal or snack and a double batch of scratch brownies (some for last week and some for the freezer). For now, I'm focusing on the mains. Most side dishes are fairly simple in my house. If I do make something more complex, I'll try to remember to double or triple the batch to freeze for a future meal. One thing that has become clear, though, is that I need better organization for my freezer, so that I can actually find these future meals. 

A couple of things that I'll mention about Friday's dinner -- the carrot soup was made with 1 can of carrots plus water, pureed in the smoothie maker, flavored with onion powder and chicken bouillon, then heated in cups in the microwave. It was very tasty, quick and easy, and a different way to serve canned carrots. The frozen broccoli was a mix of broccoli cuts (which are inexpensive, often have a lot of stem pieces) and broccoli florets (more expensive and only the florets). I mix some from each bag, about half cuts/half florets. It's my way of stretching the more expensive florets for my family.

Before I steamed the asparagus, I snapped off the tough, white ends. I saved these in a container in the fridge to deal with for tonight's dinner. I'll peel the tough ends, chop, then steam them to add to other vegetables in a stir fry. In the past, I've also peeled then added these asparagus bits to soups and casseroles.

The chicken dinners on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday came from the marked down whole chicken I bought at Fred Meyer on Monday. After pulling most of the meat off the chicken (and freezing a large portion), I simmered the carcass in the crockpot overnight. My daughter picked the remaining meat off the bones for me. I then simmered those bones, skin, and fat for a second time. The second run broth is not as rich as first run stock, but it does have flavor and I'm assuming nutrients. I froze this stock in quart and pint containers to use in making soups, stews, casseroles, or for cooking rice in coming weeks.

That's what we cooked this week. What was on your menu?

Shopping and Gas This Week -- Mid-May

Now that I'm shopping in-person again, I can get more deals. At Fred Meyer I found both asparagus (1.99/lb) and a whole chicken (1.12/lb) on markdown, selling on the sell-by date stamped on the products. The asparagus was slightly wilted and the chicken needed using or freezing immediately. I wound up serving both for dinner that night. While I did find these deals, there were very few markdowns at Fred Meyer. In fact, they've completely eliminated the general clearance rack, having just a day-old bakery rack where marked down canned goods and pantry staples had once been. No markdowns in the dairy department and very few in meats.

Milk is now $3.09 per gallon at Fred Meyer, up 90 cents/gallon in the last year. I bought 3 gallons this time instead of 4. My milk decision is part of a growing trend in the US. Families are buying half-gallons instead of gallons, quarts instead of half-gallons, and for those families that use more milk (like mine) fewer gallons per shopping trip. The 3 gallons will be a 2-week supply for us. We normally use 4 gallons in the same time span. When we run out, we'll just have to be out for a couple of days. The upside to this trend is there could be some gallons that get marked down in coming weeks. I expect they'll be scooped up quickly, however. But someone will get a needed deal. I also bought a 5-pack of garlic (we ran out of our garden supply from last summer over the weekend), a 3-lb bag of onions, and 2 bunches of bananas. I spent $24.48. I also used my gift card to Fred Meyer (my Christmas gift from my husband -- I asked for it) to buy myself a pound of fresh strawberries. But I didn't count that into my grocery spending, as I see these as my Christmas gift. In November, I told my husband that the thing I really wanted was some spending money to buy special foods just for me. He was more than happy to give me this gift card, and I've been enjoying a treat now and then since the holidays.

I also shopped at Cash & Carry ChefStore (restaurant supply) for the first time in months. In the last month, raisins have increased in price by 65 cents per pound at Walmart. I checked several other stores around me and found raisins at a lower price per pound at Cash & Carry, sold in a case of nine 4-lb bags ($2.24/lb). Yes, that's 36 pounds of raisins. The best-by date is December 2022, 7 months out. A case is about a 9 to 11-month supply for us. I'll freeze several bags, which will keep them beyond that best-by date. (Dried fruit freezes well.) I also bought 15 pounds of fuji apples ($1.03/lb), 20 pounds of carrots (59 cents/lb), 25 pounds of lentils ($18.95), and a 13-oz container of chili powder ($4.09). I spent $131.26.

Walmart.com sometimes has great deals on Folger's instant coffee when bought in cases of six 8-oz jars. There's a limit of 1 case. Wanting free shipping, I added some supplements that my family takes. My cost for the coffee was $20.22. 

For the week, my grocery spending came to $175.96. Last week I didn't grocery shop, so I think I'm doing fine. I expect to be paying more overall on groceries, but I have yet to set a new budget amount. 

Gas topped $5 per gallon in my area for the lowest octane unleaded, $5.09/gal at Fred Meyer, $5.15/gal at 7-11, and $5.49/gal at Shell. We don't have a Costco membership, but Costco gas is the cheapest around at $4.89/gal. I use gasbuddy.com to find the lowest prices in my area each time I need to fill up. If errands take me to neighboring areas, I check gas prices online for those areas, too. 

Speaking of Costco gas -- my son and daughter-in-law (who do have a Costco membership) drove their own car down to Arizona the other week. We had 3 possible routes from which to choose, 1) straight south through WA, OR, CA, then over to AZ, or, 2) east through WA, OR, ID, then south through NV, and finally over to AZ, or, 3) east through WA, OR, ID, then south through UT, then into AZ. Each route had its merits and drawbacks. Due south through CA meant fewer mountain passes and frequent towns but much more expensive gas in CA. Through NV was definitely the shortest in time and miles, good prices on gas, but lots of mountain passes and a long desolate stretch where there are no gas stations. The route through UT was what my son and daughter-in-law chose, as there were enough Costco gas stations so they could get the least expensive gas the entire drive, even if it meant they drove some extra miles. The two of them are pretty careful about evaluating their costs, so I assume they costed out the benefit to driving extra but getting cheaper gas. My husband and I chose the route through NV. My brother advised that this route can be very desolate and said we should map out our gas stops before setting out. We topped off the gas tank at every gas stop we came across. Our small sedan got pretty good gas mileage, so even with a smaller gas tank, we did just fine. 

What's the shopping like in your area? Are you finding very many markdowns or clearance items? How are you changing your grocery shopping during this period of inflation? What's the lowest price on gas in your region?