Grocery Deals

I did pretty good at Kroger this week, I got 92 items for $65.96, which is roughly $0.71 per item, which isn't bad considering I bought a number of things at full price. I saved 68% in total.



Shelf price : $210.71
Spent : $65.96
Saved : $144.75
Pct : 68%







6 x kleenex tissue boxes
quilted northern
4 x hartz dog biscuits
hunts ketchup
3 x mighty dog canned food
3 x temptations cat treats
6 x speedstick deodorants
Fiji water
2 x smart ones frozen meals
6 x marie callenders froxen meals
sea bonds
14 bananas
2 jalapenos
2 kiwi fruits
5 x fresh corn on the cob
cucumber
2 x green bell peppers
2 x daisy sour cream
4 x glade candle tins
4 x glade plug ins
3 x sunny delight
jiff peanut butter
2 x chex mix
fritos
2 x hot shot ant spray
texas brand chili
3 x kraft 2% shredded cheese
sargento sliced swiss cheese
sargento sliced provalone cheese
fresh mozzerella cheese
milk
mango chutney
nilla wafers
2 x vanilla pudding
12 x zatarains boxed rice mixes
2 x fruit 20 water
land o lakes olive oil butter
2 x dannon danonino yogurts
dannon crush cups yogurt

See other grocery deals at The Grocery Cart Challenge

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Spag bol with salad

Tuesday: Pot roast and homemade dinner rolls

Wedneaday: Roasted pork tenderloin with mango lime salsa and rice

Thursday: Hot and sweet chicken with steamed red potatoes and corn on the cob

Friday: Going out to eat

See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Jalapeno Cream Cheese Wontons

I've never made wontons before, I've been worried I couldn't make them properly, that they would open up while frying and turn into a disaster, but they were incredibly easy to make, and as long as the edges of the wonton wrapper was sealed with water, we had no problems. Very easy and delicious!



1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, diced
20 square wonton wrappers
oil for deep frying

In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese and jalapeno.

Place about a teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture onto the center of each wrapper.

Moisten your fingertip in the bowl of water and trace the edges of the wonton wrappers. Follow directions on the package for desired shapes.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. When hot, fry the wontons a few at a time until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with all of the wontons.

Grocery Deals

I only went to Kroger to take advantage of the mega deals this week, but having the hubby with me, meant a lot more ended up in the cart, as usual!


Shelf price : $167.74
Spent : $59.94
Saved : $107.80
Pct : 64%




2 x purina dry dog food
3 x mighty dog cans
3 x purina kitten chow
2 x temptations cat treats
3 x glade candle tins
Dixie paper plates
Frozen egg patties
Healthy choice frozen meal
3 x Marie callenders pasta frozen meals
Texas chili
Sea bonds
Fritos
Fresh mozzerella cheese
3 x Kraft 2% shredded cheese bags
Sargento shredded cheese
Oscar Mayer bacon
2 x velveeta shells and cheese cups
Canned corn
Canned mushrooms
Quaker granola bars
Kraft salad dressing
2 x speedstick deodorant
Starbucks 4 pack iced coffee
7 x fruit 20 water
Pepsi 2 liter
A & W root beer 2 liter
Kraft bbq sauce
2 x kozy shack rice pudding
2 x daisy sour cream
Butterfinger snack sticks
2 x Thomas english muffins
Sara Lee honey wheat bread
Chex mix turtle snack mix
2 x del monte mandarin orange cups
3 x pepperidge farm granola cookies
2 x ritz cheese crackers
3 lbs yellow onions
Organic chicken thighs
Kleenex anti viral tissues
2 x kroger reusable grocery bags

See other grocery deals at The Grocery Cart Challenge

Rhubarb and Apple Crumble

Another apple recipe to use them up! I absolutely love fruit crumbles, especially with custard. My favourite has always been rhubarb, so instead of just making an apple crumble I decided to mix in some rhubarb also.


1 lb rhubarb, chopped
1 lb apples, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cornstarch

For the crumble topping:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter, diced
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 375

Place the rhubarb and apples into a pan on medium heat, with the 1/4 cup sugar, butter, vanilla and cornstarch for about 5 minutes. Transfer to baking dish

To make the crumble topping, place the flour and baking powder in a bowl and rub in the cold butter until it looks like soft crumbs

Stir in the sugars and spread evenly over the fruit, bake for 35-45 minutes

See other recipes at The Grocery Cart Challenge

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Steak, greek mashed potatoes and caprese salad

Tuesday: BLT's with avocado and leftover pasta fagioli soup

Wedneaday: Frito chili pie for the hubby and jacket potato topped with chili and cheese for me

Thursday: Homemade pigs in a blanket with salad and watermelon

Friday: Going out to eat

See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Pasta E Fagioli Soup

This is a version of the hubby's favourite soup from the olive garden. It turned out a little too thick, so it needs some water or extra tomato sauce added.



1 lb ground beef
1 cup diced onion
1 cup julienned carrot
3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 (15 ounce) can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 ounce) can v-8 vegetable juice
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 lb ditali pasta (I didn't have any, so I used mini elbows)

1. Brown beef in a large stock pot over medium heat, drain off fat.

2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

4. After 50 minutes boil pasta to al dente.

5. Drain well.

6. Add pasta to the large pot of soup and simmer for 10 minutes.

Chicken Fried Pork Chops

The hubby loves chicken fried steak, but I don't think we have ever tried chicken fried pork before, so I thought it was about time to give it a try.


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
8 ounces crackers, crushed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 thick pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil for frying
In a shallow bowl, mix 1 1/2 cup of flour, paprika, and garlic powder. In a second shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until thoroughly blended. In a third bowl, combine the crushed cracker crumbs, and 1/2 cup of flour.
With a fork, prick the pork chops thoroughly to tenderize the meat. Season the chops with salt and pepper.
Gently press the pork chops into the flour to coat, and shake off the excess flour. Dip into the beaten egg mixture, then press each chop into the cracker crumb mixture. Gently toss between your hands so any crumbs that haven't stuck can fall away
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and gently place the pork chops into the hot oil. Fry the chops until the meat is no longer pink in the center and the crust is crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the chops from the pan, and drain the excess oil on paper towels.

Mango Barbeque Chicken

I found this recipe over at The Perfect Pantry when I was searching for mango barbeque recipes, hoping to be able to find something similar to a mango barbeque short ribs dish we had eaten at a restaurant a few weeks ago. Obviously this is a chicken recipe, but I had everything on hand to make it.



Link To Recipe

Apple Clafouti

Much like a few weeks back where I was looking for ways to use up a big bag of bananas, this week I've been looking for things to make with the dozen apples that I picked up for $1. First on my list was apple clafouti.


1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cold water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large apples
3 tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Combine flour, salt, eggs, milk and cold water in a bowl, beat until smooth.

3. Peel, core and thinly slice apples.

4. Add the apples and sugar to the batter.

5. Put the batter in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour.

6. Place the 2 tablespoons of oil in a 9-inch deep pie plate.

7. Place the pie plate in the oven for 5 minutes until very hot.

8. Pour the batter quickly into the hot fat.

9. Reduce oven temp to 375 and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Grocery Deals

Just a quick Kroger run this week, but I did manage to get my savings above the 50% mark, which I haven't had much luck with recently.


Shelf price : $110.76
OOP : $44.31
Saved : $66.45
Pct : 59%





2 x porterhouse steaks
Beef brisket
Bounty paper towel
Pillsbury cookies
3 x mighty dog canned food
2 x reusable grocery bags
2 x Thomas english muffins
Celery
Purple cauliflower
3 x fresh corn
4 x tomatillos
4 x jalapenos
1 lb carrots
11 x green apples
Iceberg lettuce
5 x baking potatoes
Asparagus
Frozen breakfast sandwich
Garlic mashed potatoes
Danon yogurt
3 x A1 steak sauce
2% milk
Organic egg beaters
Cage free eggs
3 x Sauve deodorant
Sargento potato finishers
Sargento salad finishers
3 x Fruit 2 0 water
Nasoya wanton wrappers
Canned coconut milk
Canned green chiles
Texas chili

See other grocery deals at The Grocery Cart Challenge

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Chicken in mango bbq sauce with jasmine rice and peas and apple clafouti for dessert

Tuesday: Pepsi pot roast

Wedneaday: Pasta E fagioli soup and salad with rhubarb and apple crumble for dessert

Thursday: Chicken fried pork chops, mashed potatoes and purple cauliflower

Friday: Going out to eat

See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Enchiladas

This enchilada recipe came from The pioneer Woman Link To Enchilada Recipe
I made them once before, but the hubby has been asking for me to make them again, and as I had a package of corn tortillas to use up I was happy to do so.


I did a few things differently, I didn't add flour to the enchilada sauce and I left out the black olives as we don't care for those, they still turned out great!

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

I'm not really a fan of american style pancakes because I don't like syrup or sweet breakfasts that much and this was the first time I had ever made them, but I thought sour cream banana pancakes actually sounded quite good, and I wasn't wrong! this is an Ina Garten recipe that I found when I was looking for ideas to use up some more of the ripe bananas I have.


1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used.

Linked to: Eat At Home

Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes

Whenever the hubby and I go to the Cheesecake Factory we always order the tamale cakes appetizer, but up until now I thought they looked way too complicated to try and make at home. That is until I found this recipe, and I have to say that they turned out great and taste just like the restaurant version.


Salsa Verde:
2 tomatillos, chopped (remove papery skin)
4 ounces mild green chilies
1 green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, fresh
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
salt & fresh ground pepper

Tomato Salsa:
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tablespoon Spanish onion, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro, fresh minced
1/4 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 jalapeno, small minced
salt
fresh ground pepper

Southwestern Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon water
3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
salt
garlic powder

Tamale Cakes:
1 1/2 cups corn, frozen
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup masa harina (corn flour)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Garnish:
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 avocado, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, fresh chopped

1. Prepare salsa verde by combining all ingredients in a food processor on high speed. Cover and chill.

2. Prepare tomato salsa by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

3. Prepare southwestern sauce by combining all ingredients is a small bowl. Cover and chill.

4. Preheat oven to 400°F.

5. For the tamale cakes coarsely puree 1 cup of the frozen corn in a food processor.
Combine pureed corn with softened butter, sugar and salt. Blend well with electric mixer until smooth. Add masa harina and flour and blend well. Mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of frozen corn by hand.

6. Measure 1/2 cup portions and form into 3-inch patties, arrange patties on a baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes, or until the cakes are browned on the bottom. Carefully flip cakes with a spatula and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until other side is browned.

7. Assembly: Spoon some Salsa Verde onto a platter, place all the cakes on top of the salsa verde, spoon a dollop of sour cream on to each cake, and the southwestern sauce and garnish with diced avocado and cilantro.



See other recipes at The Grocery Cart Challenge, Eat At Home, Family Fresh Meals

Yeasted Banana Rolls

I have a lot of ripe bananas to use up, so while searching for banana recipes I found this one over at Technicolor Kitchen it sounded really interesting, and I figured as long as I didn't tell the hubby what was in them, he would probably eat them!

I ended up leaving them in the oven a little too long, so they turned out darker than I wanted, but other than that I thought they were very good. They have a stronger banana smell than they do taste, you just get a faint hint of banana flavour.




2 tsp instant yeast
3 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup lukewarm water
3 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, softened
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 ripe banana, mashed

1. Place yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer, and a pinch of the sugar and pour in the water, mix well and set aside until foamy

2. Add the flour, salt, remaining sugar, butter, dry milk and banana, mix using the dough hook until you have a smooth, soft dough (around 5 minutes). Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap, let rise 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size

3. Removed dough from bowl, place on a lightly floured surface and knead lightly for 10 seconds. Cut into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Butter a 10 in round cake pan and place the rolls inside, forming a circle, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise again for 1 hour

4. Preheat the oven to 350, bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown

Mango Lime Pork Chops

I have a little obsession with those little cooking magazines you find at the checkout at the grocery store, and when I saw one with this recipe pictured on the front cover last week I just had to buy it.

The hubby and I both loved the salsa so much that we have already made it for a second time, although we both thought the marinade for the pork chops had too much soy sauce in it.



Marinade:
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 boneless pork loin chops

Salsa:
2 mangoes, peeled and cubed
4 kiwi fruit, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 tbsp each lemon and lime juice
2 tsp fresh mint
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt

1. In a large plastic bag, combine the marinade ingredients, add pork chops, turn to coat and refrigerate overnight. Drain and discard marinade, grill chops over medium heat for 6-7 minutes a side

2. In a bowl, combine the salsa ingredients, cover and refrigerate before serving.

Grocery Deals

My grocery total was pretty high this week, especially considering I didn't feel like I got that much (although the hubby was with me, and things like batteries, kitchen tongs and shoe insoles found their way into the cart!)


Shelf price : $141.90
OOP : $89.37
Saved : $52.53
Pct : 37%






A&W root beer
2 x pedigree canned dog food
2 x pedigree kitten chow
3 x mighty dog canned food
the goodlife dog treats
Dry milk powder
Sea-bonds
Smart ones frozen meal
Frozen corn
Canned enchilada sauce
Canned chili
4 x McCormick peppercorn grinders
2 x McCormick salt grinders
Batterie
Borden sun dried tomato cheese slices
fresh mozzerella cheese
Kraft 2% cheese slices
Kroger colby jack cheese
Goat cheese
Goat cheese with herbs
Large goat cheese
Spreadable swiss cheese
2 x cream cheese
Heavy whipping cream
Daisy sour cream
Cage free brown eggs
Green onions
1 lb strawberries
Mango
Red bell pepper
6 x orange bell peppers
2 x yellow bell peppers
3 x tomatoes
3 x tomatillos
3 x jalapenos
Egg roll wrappers
Kitchen tongs
canned mexican corn
2 x A1 steak sauce
Dr scholls shoe insoles
English muffins
4 x spanish rice mixes
Zatarains smothered chicken mix
Zatarains vegetable rice mix
2 x filet steaks
Beef brisket
Fabric softener
Downy fabric softener

CVS:
I did really well at CVS this week, I only spent around $8 and got $17 back in ECBs.


Shelf price : $52.60
OOP : $8.63
Saved : $43.97


2 x dawn dish soaps
2 x olay body wash
febreeze room spray
febreeze fabric spray
febreeze noticeables starter kit
2 x head and shoulders



See other grocery deals at The Grocery Cart Challenge

Menu Plan Monday - July 6th

Monday: Keemer stuffed peppers with salad and yeasted banana rolls

Tuesday: Chicken bundles that I didn't make last week

Wedneaday: Sweetcorn tamale cakes with jasmine rice

Thursday: Enchiladas with mexican corn

Friday: Going out to eat

See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Salmon Burger

I saw this recipe in the food network magazine and I've been waiting for a chance to make it, and it was worth the wait! unfortunately the hubby did not agree and he ended up eating a regular hamburger.


1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 pound salmon fillet
3 large eggs, 2 hardboiled and sliced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 rolls, split and toasted

1. In a small bowl combine the yogurt and mint, season with salt

2. Slice the salmon lengthwise into 1/4 inch wide strips, cut in half crosswise, then cut into 1/4 inch pieces. Beat the raw egg with 1/2 tsp salt and add to the salmon

3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, add the salmon mixture in 4 mounds, gently press to form 4 patties. Cook, turning once for 6 minutes

4. Place a salmon patty on each roll bottom, top with 2 tablespoons of the yogurt-mint sauce, some cucumber and hard boiled egg slices

See other recipes at The Grocery Cart Challenge, Eat At Home

Beer-Battered Fried Chicken

3 lbs chicken drumsticks
Ice water
Vegetable oil for frying
2 cups beer
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
salt and pepper

1. Soak the chicken in the ice water for 30 minutes, drain and pat dry. Heat oil in a large pan until it reaches 365 degrees.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the beer and eggs. Whisk in 2 cups of flour, the cornstarch and 1/2 tsp of salt until smooth. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a shallow bowl.

3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and coat in the flour, then coat in the beer batter.

4. Fry in the oil, turning occasionally for about 15 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Grocery Deals

We didn't shop last week, so this week we ended up spending a little more than usual and we shopped at Kroger and Randalls. I found a tear pad at Randalls that was for $3 off a watermelon when you buy Sara Lee hotdog buns and Ball park franks, well, it just so happened that their watermelons were on sale for $3.50, the hot dogs were on sale for $0.99 and I had $1.00 off 2 coupons and the bread was on sale for $1.89, so after coupons I paid $3.37 for a watermelon, 2 packs of hot dogs and a pack of hotdog buns, which isn't bad considering the regular price of the watermelon alone is $6.50. I also got a free angel food cake (on sale for $1.99 and I had a cat for $2.00 off) and 2 liter pepsi bottles for $0.50 each (on sale for $0.99 and I had a cat for $2.00 off 4 bottles) the mission corn tortillas were on sale for $0.99 and I had a $0.75 coupon, and the hefty ziploc bags were on sale for $1.25 each and I had $1 coupons so I only paid $1.00 for 4 boxes.

Kroger

Shelf price : $242.32
OOP : $128.49
Saved : $113.83
Pct : 47%





Cottonelle
Hefty kitchen bags
Wesson oil
2 x purex laundry soap
3 x purina kitten chow
2 x mighty dog cans
2 x pedigree cans
3 x hunts ketchup
lemon lime soda
A&W rootbeer
6 pack beer
Lloyds shredded bbq beef
Onion ring batter mix
2 x suave shampoo
Kraft hotdogs
Ritz crackers
Wheat thins crackers
2 x Hallmark cards
Crystal light pink lemonade
Fritos
2 x Breyers ice cream
2 x country crock
Grands biscuits
2 x cresent rolls
2 x kraft bbq sauce
3 x suave deodorant
4 x sure deodorant
2 x McCormick grinders
Reeses cups
Carpet fresh
Mozzerella cheese slices
2 x cheerios snack mix
Buitoni alfredo sauce
4 x Ragu sauce
Pam spray
Plastic cups
Jalapeno poppers
Zatarains frozen chicken alfredo
2 x nestle snack sticks
2 lbs salmon filets
Frito lay dip
Egglands best eggs
Sargento salad finishers
2 x hersheys bliss
Spreadable butter
2 x hamburger buns
Thomas English muffins
2 x jalapenos
2 x green apples
3 x avocados
4 pack baking potatoes
4 nectarines
3 pack fresh corn
Bag full of bananas
5 green bell peppers
Red creamer potatoes
4 x kiwis
2 x mangoes
Organic baby carrots
Red grapes
Fresh pineapple
Watermelon quarter
1 lb strawberries
1 red onion
Sugar snap peas

Randalls

Shelf price : $130.04
OOP : $53.30
Saved : $79.74
Pct : 61%





4 x pepsi 2 liter bottles
Realime bottle
2 x pace salsa verde
2 x herdez salsa
A1 steak sauce
Regina white wine vinegar
Mission yellow corn tortillas
Peppered gravy mix
Spaghetti sauce mix
4 x hefty ziploc bags
2 x pedigree canned dog food
12 pack brawny paper towels
Kraft fat free cheese singles
Lucerne plain yogurt
Sargento mexican blend shredded cheese
Frozen creme brulees
Frozen peas
Glade candle
Plastic tumbler
1 bagel
Angel food cake
Sara Lee hot dog buns
2 x ball park franks
5 lbs ground beef
Italian hot sausages
Watermelon

See other grocery deals at The Grocery Cart Challenge