Save Your Money- Buy Our Groceries: Vol. 32

2 people, 5 days, 70 bucks or less

For more info on this series of posts, click here!

THIS WEEK’S MENU

Breakfast

• Bananas Foster Oatmeal

Lunch

• Mini Sloppy Joes with Grapes

Dinner

• Arugula Pizza with Poached Eggs

Snacks

• Apple and Trader Joe’s Lite Kettle Corn (We like to have one around 11am and the other around 4pm)

THE GROCERY LIST  (for 2 people)

• 20 slider buns
• 5 bananas
• 2 big bunches green grapes
• 10 apples
• 3 lemons
• 1 bag carrots
• 20 oz. lean ground beef
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 balls of pizza crust dough
• Romano (shaved or a small block)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• brown sugar
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 8oz. cans no salt added tomato sauce
• 3 cups part skim ricotta
• dozen eggs
• 2 boxes quick cook oatmeal
• 10 small bags lite kettle corn
• large tub of arugula

WHAT WE ALREADY HAD AT HOME

• cooking spray
• white vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• butter
• cinnamon
• garlic powder
• chili powder
• ketchup
• Dijon mustard
• Worcestershire sauce
• red wine vinegar

PREP ON SUNDAY

Sloppy Joe Filling

• 3 large carrots, peeled and grated
• 20-26 oz. lean ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 8oz. cans no-salt-added tomato sauce

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onion, carrot and ground beef.  Saute for about 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender and beef is brown.  While that cooks, whisk together the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, vinegar and tomato sauce in a bowl.  When the beef and veggies are cooked through, add the garlic powder, chili powder and pepper.  Saute 1 minute more.  Add the ketchup mixture, lower heat to low and simmer about 4 minutes longer or until thickened.  Transfer to a bowl or storage container and allow to cool before popping in the fridge for the week.

BREAKFAST- 10 minutes

Bananas Foster Oatmeal

• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
• 1 pat of butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup quick cook oatmeal

Heat a pat of butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  When it starts to bubble, add the bananas and toss to coat.  Toss about 30 seconds and then add the brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon.  Cook for about 45 seconds longer or until bananas are soft. and sugar is melted.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Heat water to boiling in a small pot and add the oats.  Stir until it starts to thicken; add the banana mixture and continue to stir until desired thickness.  Divide between two bowls and serve.

LUNCH- 5 minutes

Mini Sloppy Joes with Green Grapes

This recipe is from Cooking Light which is where a lot of our meals come from.  Their recipes are always delicious, I only occasionally have to tweak them, and I love knowing exactly how many calories are in our meals. 

• 4 slider buns, cut in half
• 1/5th of the Sloppy Joe mixture from Sunday
• 2 bunches of green grapes

Toast the buns while you reheat the Sloppy Joe mixture in the microwave.  Divide the mixture between the 4 buns, and serve 2 sandwiches with a bunch of grapes to each person.

DINNER- 30 minutes

Arugula Pizza with Poached Eggs

This recipe is also from Cooking Light!

• 1/2 of a pizza dough ball
• 2 giant handfuls arugula
• juice and zest of 1/2 lemon (wrap the other half and store in the fridge)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup ricotta
• 1/4 cup shaved Romano cheese
• 1 or 2ish tsp. white vinegar
• 2 eggs, cracked into 2 small cups

Preheat oven to 450.  While your oven preheats, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and take that time to prep everything else.   Put the arugula in a large bowl and add half of the shaved Romano, the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Toss well to coat the greens.  In another bowl, mix the ricotta with the other half of the Romano cheese.   Fill a skillet with water (I like to poach eggs in a good old frying pan) and add the vinegar.  Set over medium heat.

When the dough has rested and the oven is hot, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray lightly and roll or stretch the dough out until 1/8 inch thick.  It’s okay if your pizza is oblong or square or whatever shape!  Finish shaping it on the baking sheet by pulling and stretching it out with your hands.  Pop into the oven for 7 minutes.  Pull it out and spread evenly with the ricotta mixture.  Pop back into the oven for 5 minutes or until crust is golden brown with deep brown spots here and there.  Set aside to cool slightly while you poach the eggs.

Turn the heat up on the water if it’s not bubbling by now.  Gently slide the eggs into the water from the cups.  Simmer 3 minutes.  While the eggs simmer, cut the pizza in half and top each piece with half of the arugula.  Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place on top of the arugula.  Sprinkle with pepper.  Eat!

SNACKS-  no minutes

Apple and Trader Joe’s Lite Kettle Corn

Eat ’em!   We like to have one snack around 11:00am and the other around 4:00pm when we have smaller meals like these for the week.