Mission: Feed my family for $40/week (week 2)

Last week I let you all now that I failed the $40 mission but this week I am back to tell you I did it!!  It was so easy even my husband could do it!  I sent him with a list and told him that he was to stick to it and that if he didn't he could count on a lot of disturbances during The Masters tonight.  My man delivered!  He came in at $33.80 and that was with some of his own additions to the list (brave man).  Below is a sample of what I got and what recipes I am using.  Remember that my first step was to see what we already had in the pantry and cook based around that.  Any ingredient you don't see listed was one that I already had on hand.  


Note: If you are just starting the $40/week mission I would suggest doing a preliminary trip for "staples" and then begin shopping weekly.  Some of my staples are bread crumbs, rice, pasta, potatoes, lemon juice, Ritz crackers, onion soup dry mix, spaghetti sauce, and broth.  I know all kids are different and picky so "staples" for kids can be tricky but I always have these things on hand: peanut butter, graham crackers, fruit and grain bars, granola bars, cereal and tortillas.  I also order all of my chicken in bulk (at a great price) from Thompson Poultry.  Usually my list includes fruit and vegetables but I had lots of fruit left over from last week.  I always buy pineapples, apples, and strawberries or oranges and cut it all up instead of buying pre-cut fruit cups.  I buy my produce from either Wal-Mart or HT...whatever is cheaper but I am going to try out Aldi because I hear that is the cheapest way to go.


My grocery list week 2:
gatorade (2- 64 oz)
Italian dressing
Cheetos
ground beef
turkey (1 lb. deli meat)
take and bake french bread (2 loaves)
lemon
loaf of bread
OJ
bag shredded cheddar
mushrooms


Our meals for a week:
Potato Soup with french bread
Baked Chicken with grapes and lemon with roasted potatoes
Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans
Chicken in Italian dressing marinade with rice and french bread
Vegetarian Pizza (my sister cooked this for us while in town...yum!!)
Hot dogs (not a usual meal in our house but we had buns left over from my neices being here so I decided to use what we have!)
*I factor in one night of left overs or eating out.


These recipes are great because they only require a few ingredients and most of them are things that I consider my "staples."  Next week I will be buying more "kid" food because I will be out of most of their favorites so stay tuned!  Good luck with your shopping!