Produce Score!

My favorite time of day to grocery shop for markdowns is around 3:00, right after school lets out.  The reasoning is this:  at my local Bi-lo store, the morning shift leaves around 3:00.  Just before leaving, they mark down any items that need to sell right away.  This is the BEST time to find cheap meats and produce.  As long as you use / freeze them right away, they are still perfectly good items. 

Today, I was on the hunt for produce and Bi-lo did not dissapoint!  Today's haul:

Bagged Salad Mix - $0.99  (reg price $3.29)
2 Mushrooms - $0.99 each (reg price $2.99)
9 Blackberries - $0.50 each   (holy cow!!!  reg price $3.49, on sale for $2.50, had $2 mark down stickers)

I was planning on buying a salad mix and mushrooms anyways, so finding them on markdown was awesome.  I have wild blackberries growing my backyard that we pick, but they won't be ready for several weeks, so these will hold me over until then. 

Total Spent - $7.47
Regular Price - $40.68

Savings of $33.21

Confessions of a Fast Food Junkie

Lately, I've been doing a little too much of this.....

That would be the floor board of my van.  *ducking my head in shame now*

..... and not enough of this....

You see, first the kids were sick.  Then we went camping for Spring Break.  Then I was sick.  So, I had reasons for not stepping foot in the gym for almost 3 weeks.  Not good reasons, but reasons nonetheless. 

Let me tell you - 3 weeks of eating crap food and not working out make me feel like hell.  I'm not kidding you.  I had no energy, lots of headaches and was in a generally foul mood.  Sunday night, I said no more.  I've been to the gym every day this week and am finally starting to feel human again. 

"Brown" Rice the Gilbert Way

Growing up, my mom always made her family's "Brown Rice". Now, this is not actually brown rice. It is white rice baked into a state of deliciousness. There is nothing healthy about it, but it is truly comfort food at it's finest.

Brown Rice the Gilbert Way

makes a 9 x 13 casserole dish

 

Ingredients

1 cup converted rice, uncooked
2 tablespoons butter
1 can beef consomme
1 can beef broth
1 can sliced mushrooms
small onion, diced
splash of olive oil

Directions

1. Melt butter in casserole dish.
2. In a small skillet, saute the onion in a splash of olive oil until translucent.
3. Add rice, mushrooms, onions and liquids to casserole dish and stir.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. 

Menu Plan Monday - 4/19 - 4/25

Weekly Menu Plan

April 19 - April 25

 Monday

Lunch: 

Leftovers Clean-up

Dinner:

Pork Chops on the grill (sundried tomato basil marinade)

Gilbert Family Brown Rice

Corn

Broccoli

Tuesday

Dinner:

Enchiladas

Taquitos w/ dipping sauce

Wednesday

Dinner:

    my kids love breakfast for dinner!

Pancakes & Turkey Sausage Links

Thursday

Dinner Out at Osaka!

(Mom's spending the night, so we can do some early Friday morning thrift store hunting!)

Friday

Lunch:

with Mom before she leaves town

Dinner:

~ we'll be camping! ~
Smoked Sausage

Baked Beans (crock pot item)

Corn on the Cob

S’mores

Saturday

~ we'll be camping! ~

Breakfast: 

Bacon, Scrambled Eggs, Cheese Grits

Lunch:

Hot Dogs, Chips, Salsa, Fruit

Dinner:

Flat Iron Steaks

Baked Potatoes for the guys / Baked Sweet Potatoes for the girls

Big bowl of Salad

Apple Pie a la mode

Sunday

~ more camping! ~

Breakfast: 

Pancakes, Sausage Links

Lunch: 

Hot Dogs / Sandwiches

Dinner: 

Chicken on the grill

Great big bowl of Salad