Surprise savings!

Here is my fair warning to you: I get excited easily. So when a friend of mine revealed to me that she can grocery shopping for her family of four on half the budget I shop for I got excited, and weary. I mean HALF my budget? It seems to good to be true. She offered to show me her tricks and take me on a shopping trip. It didn't take much convincing on her part. Hence, my lazy self never took the time to notify my viewers why I wasn't posting a grocery list for weeks two, three, or four. However, part of her plan is that she does not shop one week at a time, but two. In order to prepare for my trip with her I scrounged up what meals I could for my cupboards not wanting to buy extra food until I saw her plan. So here are my friends rules...and the results will dazzle you!

Rules:
1. Pick two meats for your meals to work with
2. Reuse the ingredients in other meals. Ex: Make Taco's Monday and use the remaining ground beef in spaghetti the next night.
3. Write out your grocery list item by item
 4. Go to http://www.grocerysmarts.com/ at the top left and select the state you will be shopping in and then again at the top left select ALL-IN-ONE (its the last option).
5. Scroll through the list of foods on the page and if it's on your list write the store and the price next to the item on your grocery list.
6. Go shopping at wal-mart and put all the items you got on sale at the front. Tell them the item, store, and price and they will change the price for you. NOTE: my friend said that some tellers want to SEE the coupon and if they do that she just leaves. However, following is the link to Walmarts ad match guarantee and it states that you do not have to have the ad with you in order to get the price. I suggest printing the guarantee and showing it to any doubting tellers: http://www.walmartstores.com/10563.aspx

The Results for two weeks of food for a family of four? $158! My average total would have been $220!! Holy Amaze-balls! In that price I also got a birthday cake, a princess pez dispenser, and a whole bunch of nuts for a homemade granola...all these things would not normally be on my list!

Your Grocery List for two weeks and recipes:

Dairy/refrigerated	Produce	Canned	Dry	Frozen	Meat	Misc.
Sliced mozzarella cheese and Colby Jack Cheese Cream Cheese Sour Cream/Cottage cheese (depending on what you like on your baked potato) Butter or Margarine Crescent rolls	Onions Tomato Lettuce Avocado Red bell peppers Mushrooms Garlic Cloves (I buy it in the jar) Russet Potatoes	Cream of chicken Pineapple Salsa Spaghetti sauce Sloppy Joe Mix Chilli Chicken Broth	Rice Tortillas Spaghetti noodles Hamburger buns Bread		Chicken Ground beef Turkey and roast beef lunch meat	Hard Chinese noodles Taco seasoning Ranch seasoning Salad dressing of Choice Pesto sauce Au Jus Sauce Bacon Bits

French Dip Crescent Ingredients: http://www.mamalovesfood.com/2012/01/french-dip-crescents-with-easy-au-jus.html

• 2 packages crescent rolls, 8 count
• 1 pound deli roast beef, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces Swiss or provolone cheese, cut in 16 equal sized pieces
• optional: Horseradish Sauce
• optional: Au Jus for dipping (click here for my Easy Au Jus recipe!)

French Dip Crescent Directions:

1. Unroll crescents onto a large cookie sheet.
2. Spread a small dab of horseradish on each crescent, then place a slice of roast beef and a piece of cheese on each crescent.
3. Roll crescents starting from the wide end and ending at the narrow end.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes, until crescents are a golden color.
5. Serve with Au Jus and enjoy!
   
   
   Slow Cooker Pork Chops
   http://eatcakefordinner.blogspot.com/2011/01/slow-cooker-pork-chops.html
   
   
   4 thick-cut pork chops, bone in or boneless
   1 can cream of chicken soup (with herbs or without)
   1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix
   4 cloves garlic, minced
   1/4 Cup Chicken Broth
   pepper
   
   
   Combine soup, dressing mix, garlic, and broth.  Sprinkle chops with pepper (Do Not Salt).  Place chops in slow cooker and pour soup mixture over top.  Cover and cook on high 4 hours or low 6-7 hours.  Serve over rice.  Serves: 4  

   Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich ( I am not making the pesto sauce I am buying pesto sauce and adding garlic to it so my list follows that)

   based on all those gorgeous green goddesses out there…
   makes 1 sandwich
   

   Ingredients

   2 slices bread (we used a white bread, but one filled with lots of different whole grains and seeds would be *awesome*)
   2-3 tablespoons Green Goddess Herb Pesto (recipe below)
   2 slices mild white melty cheese like mozzarella
   handful fresh baby spinach
   ¼ avocado, sliced
   2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
   olive oil (and butter if you’re so inclined)
   

   Directions

   Spread about 1 tablespoon of Green Goddess Herb Pesto onto each slice of bread (2 tablespoons total, but if you’re sensitive, go light, the pesto is STRONG).
   On one slice of bread, add 1 slice of cheese, sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese, spinach, second slice of cheese, then top it with second slice of bread. Press together gently.
   Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. (If you want to use butter, add it to the oil and let it melt). Add the sandwich to the oil and cook until bread is golden brown. Press down on the sandwich lightly, then flip the sandwich over and cook until second side is golden brown.
   

   Green Goddess Herb Pesto

   Ingredients

   1 clove garlic
   1 (or 2 if you’re ballsy) anchovy fillet (in oil)
   ½ small shallot, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
   1 teaspoon lemon juice
   handful chopped fresh Italian parsley
   handful chopped kale
   2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
   1 tablespoon chopped chives
   ¼ cup olive oil
   salt and pepper to taste
   

   Directions

   Pulse garlic, anchovy, and shallot in food processor until chopped. With the food processor running, add lemon juice, parsley, kale, tarragon and chives. (It won’t process very well yet, don’t worry).
   Very slowly drizzle in olive oil until kale and herbs get sufficiently chopped and everything is the consistency of a pesto. You may need more or less of the olive oil depending on how big a “handful” of herbs is to you. You can also turn off the food processor and push herbs down the side of the bowl with a spatula every once in a while.
   Season to taste with salt and pepper (You probably won’t need too much salt if you used 2 anchovies).
   (This makes a lot, but you will use it all for other things. We added more olive oil to make it back into a salad dressing.)
   
   CrockPot Ranch Chicken: http://www.livinglaughingandloving.com/2012/01/crockpot-ranch-pork-chops-finger-licking-good.html
   
   Uh, yeah.  You heard right.  Only THREE ingredients.  I wasn’t joking.
   

   • Pork Chops
   • Ranch Seasoning Dry Mix Packet
   • 1 can Cream of Chicken plus 1 can water as needed {or 2 cans cream of chicken}  This will depend on how fast your crockpot cooks and how long you’ll be cooking it.

   
   Ready for the hard part?  {I’m so funny.  I know.} Combine all three ingredients in the crockpot and mix well.   Yup.  That’s it.
   
   Hawaiin Haystacks: http://picky-palate.com/2012/04/01/homemade-hawaiian-haystacks/
   
   the link says it all, but at my house I already have craisins and almonds so those weren't on the list, or olives. 
   
   Im thinking the other recipes are self explanatory, but if not please inquire!