I think one good thing about this economy is that it is teaching me to be a little more fiscally responsible. I like that term so much better than frugal, thrifty, or penny-pinching. Fiscally responsible is not something I have always been. This may sound surprising considering I’m a CPA, but it is the truth. A closet impulse buyer, I never really considered expenses despite a few overdraft notices I received in the mail. My post-college/pre-husband roommate and I hated to find those in our mailbox and were secretly relieved when the other’s name was on the envelope. But one husband, child and recession later, my habits have drastically changed. After reviewing my bank statements I realized that groceries accounted for a high percentage of my total expenses. I would go to the grocery store unprepared and unaware of weekly specials that could result in big savings. I started consulting the Harris Teeter website while making my weekly list so I could plan our weeknight meals around the VIC specials and take advantage of multiple cost saving opportunities. Each weekend I read my emails from Harris Teeter (I am now an eVIC member) to see the specials for the week. Sign up here so you can be an eVIC member too.
The emails are tailored to your VIC card and purchasing history. They will link you to the weekly specials online. The website will even help you create your shopping list that you can print out for later. I am a manual list person and still prefer to write mine down, but this feature is so easy to use my lists may soon become a thing of the past.
Harris Teeter will also double coupons up to $0.99 each week, and be on the lookout for Triple coupon (triples coupons up to $0.99) and Super-Double coupon (doubles coupons up to $1.99) promotions. I haven’t quite mastered the art of coupon-ing yet, but the girls in my office give great tutorials. Hopefully I’ll be able to reference coupon deals in posts to come. Couponmom.com is also an easy-to-use, informative site for coupon novices. It gives you all kinds of coupon information, and if you register, it will even send you printable coupons.
Maybe this blog will help make others more fiscally responsible at the grocery store. I’ll highlight current VIC specials and give examples of recipes for meals you can make using the specials. This week’s is posted merely as an example, because now that it’s Tuesday, the specials expire at midnight tonight. But hopefully you’ll get the idea and come back to see what we can cook next week.
Here are highlights for the week 3/24/10 – 3/30/10:
- Buy one, get TWO small packs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Buy one, get one chuck roasts
- Buy one, get one marinated turkey tenderloin
- Buy one, get one shredded cheese
- Buy one, get one Bertolli pasta sauce
Sunday – Turkey and Spinach Lasagna
This menu came from Alison Surles via the very fabulous cookbook, “Make it Easy.” This is my go-to cookbook and the product of my wonderful sister-in-law, Laura Monk and her friend, Kimberly Mize. I have tried many new recipes since receiving it as a Christmas present this past year. I really cannot say enough good things about it. See what Charlotte Smarty Pants has to say about it here.
I have always been intimidated by lasagna, but after hearing Laura talk about this recipe over the weekend, I had to try it. Much, much easier to make than I had imagined and so delicious! Also made enough for Colin and me to have for lunch on Monday, dinner on Monday and lunch again on Tuesday – needless to say we are about lasagna’ed out, but I do love leftovers.
Recipe
- 1 pack of ground turkey – I used the 93/7 lean meat.
- 1 family size pack of fresh spinach
- Lasagna noodles – I got the box of Harris Teeter no-boil noodles. Was very skeptical and sure that my first lasagna would have hard noodles, but it was great. You don’t boil them at all!
- 2-3 jars of pasta sauce – Bertolli is buy one, get one
- 1 15oz container of ricotta cheese – I used part skim
- 2 packs of shredded mozzarella (buy one, get one)
- 1 pack of shredded parmesan (buy one, get one)
- 2 eggs
Optional – 1 zucchini and 1 squash. These were not in the recipe, but I added to help with our veggie intake
Preheat oven to 350. Brown the turkey meat in a skillet and drain. Chop the spinach in a food processor and place in a mixing bowl. Slice the zucchini and squash and also chop in food processor, then lightly sauté in a pan. Remove from pan and combine with spinach. Add ricotta cheese and eggs to spinach-squash-zucchini. Lightly cover casserole with pasta sauce. Then layer noodles, spinach mixture, turkey, mozzarella, parmesan and sauce. I think I did two layers and topped with extra sauce and cheese. Cook 35 – 40 minutes.
I love this because it’s not as heavy as traditional lasagna and gave us a few more servings of veggies. Colin is also a fan. He commented that our kitchen smelled like Texas Toast – a very good thing in his mind.
Monday – Lasagna Leftovers
Tuesday – Grilled Turkey Tenderloin
This is easy. The turkey was buy one, get one, so freeze one tenderloin for later. The tenderloin is already marinated so grill to your liking and serve with your choice of sides. I think I’ll do a squash casserole and grilled asparagus. Have some squash left over from the lasagna and grilled veggies are especially yummy once it starts to get warmer. There may even be some left for Wednesday’s lunch!
Wednesday – Chuck Roast
Use one roast for this recipe and freeze one for later! My friend from work very kindly delivered this to me while I was home on maternity leave. So delicious, and because it cooks in a crockpot, it could not be easier to make. I LOVE a crockpot. She also brought mashed potatoes and green beans. To all the Perry followers reading this blog, you may not believe it, but her potatoes tasted just like Memama’s. Ask Colin. I hate to go on and on about the potatoes and not include a recipe for them, but I think they are a family secret. So, you can serve with brown rice and/or your own favorite potato recipe.
Recipe (thanks for sharing Amanda Musgrove!!!):
- 1 chuck roast
- Onions, sliced
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can beef broth
- Water – enough to fill an empty can of soup
- French onion soup mix
Trim the fat off the chuck roast. I skipped this step the first time I made this and should not have. It really makes a difference to remove as much fat as possible. Place in crock pot. Top with onions. Combine cream of mushroom soup, water, beef broth and soup mix. Stir together and pour over meet and onions. Cook on low all day. The longer the better!
Thursday – Fiery “Fried” Chicken in the Oven
I tried this a few years ago and it’s been an easy chicken favorite ever since. It’s adapted from a recipe I found in the August 2007 issue of “Real Simple” – one of my favorite mags. My best friend started me with a subscription to “Real Simple,” as a Christmas present in December 2006, a month before Colin and I got married. She said it would make most anything “real simple,” an almost necessity in a newlywed household. I loved our first year married and living together, but as Colin so sweetly wrote in his first Valentine’s card to me as his wife (we had been married one month and a day), our living together was not a “seamless transition.” Nice Colin. Thanks…
Recipe:
- 1T chili garlic sauce – I bought a jar of this the first time I made this, almost 3 years ago, and am embarrassed to say that it is the same jar I still have in my fridge. Does this stuff go bad? I hope not! I can’t find the expiration date?!
- 1T honey
- 3 T soy sauce
- 3 – 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts – buy one, get TWO small packs. Use one pack for this recipe and freeze the other two for later
- ¾ c bread crumbs. If I have panko in my cupboard, I like to mix in about ¼ c panko as well.
- Kosher salt
- Canola oil
Heat oven to 450. In large bowl combine chili-garlic sauce, honey and soy. Add chicken and toss to coat. In separate bowl, combine the bread crumbs, ½ t. salt and oil. Coat chicken in bread crumbs mixture and transfer to baking sheet. Bake about 15 minutes.
Friday – It’s Good Friday!!! Kitchen’s closed!
