I am still in process of working with my website and Facebook page. However, I am going to put this out before I can even accept subscriptions because of how crazy our world had become.
I personally went out today to shop. Reminders: It is OK to go out as long as you take all precautions. Aldi does not provide sanitizing wipes when you enter their store. If you feel strongly about that, please bring your own or purchase items elsewhere. There is a lot of produce and fresh meat still available. That is what I use every week. I use very little canned, frozen or dried so I was able to find everything on my list on Wednesday morning. I cannot, however, predict how long what I was able to find will still be on the shelves. Be flexible. If you have items at home and can’t find what I have listed, drop me a message and I will give you ideas of what you can make.
What’s Cooking SuFu!: March 19, 2020
Welcome to What’s Cooking SuFu! What is What’s Cooking SuFu? It is a weekly newsletter that provides you with a meal plan with a shopping list for the week. The goal is to feed a family of 4, 5 meals for around $60/week. Each meal has a protein, starch, vegetable and fruit. The meals are easily prepared with a small amount of ingredients. Often times, you will cook once and eat twice.
If you are budget conscious, I list out the prices for three different stores. Aldi and HyVee can be ordered online and delivered. You could certainly purchase all items at one store if you wish.
You can certainly work with your schedule and have the meals in any order that you would like. You will need to make sure and make the meals that you need to “use” again ahead of the meals that require that.
The secondary goal of What’s Cooking SuFu! is to provide a donation per subscription for a food charity in the Sioux Falls area. Feeding a family good food at a reasonable price isn’t even a possibility for some in our area. So, for each subscription, $5 per month will be donated to a charity. The charity will be chosen by a subscriber. The subscriber must submit an easy recipe that could be used in a What’s Cooking SuFu! newsletter.
NOTES FOR THIS WEEK:
Welcome to the week of the full-blown pandemic in the United States. Life has certainly changed in the last week. Take all precautions and stay healthy. If you are spending more time at home, it is a great time to cook with fresh ingredients. If you order out, please consider some of the smaller restaurants. It will be interesting how this will all pan out.
With that in mind, most times I use ads to put together my meal plans. However, today (Wednesday, March 18, 2020) I went to both Aldi and Hy-Vee to assure that what I list is actually in the store. As of 11 am this morning, it was. If you can’t get what is listed, try to come close. Or, let me know what you have in your freezer, etc… and I will help you put together something.
Ground beef is on sale at Fareway for $1.99/lb in a 10lb tube. (2.19/lb if you buy it wrapped). I did not include this since I did not venture to a Fareway. However, they have it in stock and it is limited to 10 lb. It is a great price to stock up on.
Aldi had the pot roast kits but the amount of beef will only cover one meal. You will not have leftovers. The chicken hindquarters are an excellent deal. You can cut them apart when baking and they will bake more evenly. Bake all of the chicken at once and debone. If you don’t like that, feel free to purchase boneless, skinless chicken if you desire or buy a rotisserie chicken already done. (On sale at HyVee for $5.99)
As always, if you do not like a certain vegetable or fruit, you can always swap them out.
There are several seasonings that are used and oil that are not listed on your shopping lists. Please make sure that you have the needed spices before you go shopping. There are a lot of different seasoning this week so double check your list.
So, as we venture into the cooking world of really food for
real people that don’t have a lot of time, I encourage feedback, recipes, tips,
etc.…
Day 1:
Boneless Pork Loin Chops, Rice, Green Beans, Pineapple
- Drizzle 8 pork loin chops with 2 Tbsp olive oil, mix 1 Tbsp onion powder, 1 Tbsp garlic powder, 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp pepper. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of the chops. Place in a 400 degree oven for 10 min. Internal temperature needs to be 145 degrees. Watch closely to make sure that it does not overcook and get dry.
- Prepare the Knorr Garlic Parmesan Rice kit as per directions. (Or, make your own rice)
- Steam your green beans and cut up pineapple
Day 2:
Chicken Hindquarters, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli, Blackberries
- Rinse and dry hindquarters. Place on a lined 9×13 pan (2 pans if you want to make extra for next meal). Brush with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake covered at 300 degrees for an hour and then uncovered at 425 degrees for 10-20 min until browned.
- If you make extra, debone the extra chicken for later. If you are really ambitious, you can make your own chicken broth by boiling the bones, onion and a bay leaf in a pot of water.
- Boil potatoes until soft. Once soft, drain potatoes. Add 2 Tbsp butter and ½ c sour cream, ¼ c milk, salt and pepper and mash with a potato masher or a hand mixer.
- Steam broccoli and wash blackberries
Day 3:
Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes, Cantaloupe
- Pot Roast is a complete kit with directions for crockpot.
- Cut up cantaloupe. Make sure to wash the outside before cutting.
Day 4:
Pork Stir Fry, Rice, Red Grapes
- In a skillet, heat up 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp sesame seed oil. Add sliced vegetables – 1 c pea pods, 1 c broccoli, 1 c onion, 1 c celery. Cook until soft. Add in slice pork with 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 minced clove garlic, 3 Tbsp brown sugar,
- HyVee chicken rice packet or make your own rice.
- Serve with red grapes
Day 5:
Chicken Tortilla Soup, Tortilla Chips, Salad, Apples
- Chicken was previously cooked and perhaps even the chicken stock J. In a stock pot, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add 1 c chopped onion and brown. Add 1 clove minced garlic for 1 min. Add 8 c chicken stock, 1 28 oz tomatoes, 1 can black beans, 1 bag frozen corn, 1 package taco seasoning, ½ bunch chopped cilantro, juice of 1 lime.
- Tear lettuce and serve with favorite dressing.
- Serve with sliced apples
| March 19, 2020 | |||||
| Aldi | Seasonings: | ||||
| Price | Quantity | Cost | Fresh garlic | ||
| Yellow onions | $1.99 | 1 | $1.99 | salt | |
| Red Potatoes | $2.55 | 1 | $2.55 | pepper | |
| Red grapes | $0.99 | 1 | $0.99 | garlic powder | |
| Cilantro | $0.69 | 1 | $0.69 | bay leaves | |
| Broccoli | $1.69 | 1 | $1.69 | soy sauce | |
| Pea Pods | $2.65 | 1 | $2.65 | sesame seed oil | |
| Strawberries | $1.99 | 1 | $1.99 | onion powder | |
| Celery | $1.35 | 1 | $1.35 | ||
| Green Beans | $1.60 | 1 | $1.60 | ||
| Carrots | $1.29 | 1 | $1.29 | ||
| Head Lettuce | $1.35 | 1 | $1.35 | ||
| Blackberries | $0.99 | 1 | $0.99 | ||
| Lime | $1.39 | 1 | $1.39 | ||
| Green Apples | $2.39 | 1 | $2.39 | ||
| Pineapple | $1.29 | 1 | $1.29 | ||
| Chicken Stock | $1.99 | 2 | $3.98 | ||
| Chicken Hindquarters (10 lb) | $4.99 | 1 | $4.99 | ||
| Pot Roast Kit | $9.99 | 1 | $9.99 | ||
| Black beans | $0.88 | 1 | $0.88 | ||
| Tortilla Chips | $0.99 | 1 | $0.99 | ||
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | $2.29 | 1 | $2.29 | ||
| Sour Cream | $1.29 | 1 | $1.29 | ||
| Total | $48.61 | ||||
| Fareway | |||||
| Hamburger 1.99/lb (10lb tube) | $0.00 | ||||
| $0.00 | |||||
| Total | $0.00 | ||||
| Hy-Vee | |||||
| Boneless Pork Loin Chops | $0.88 | 8 | $7.04 | ||
| Rice packets – Garlic Parmesan/Chicken | $1.00 | 2 | $2.00 | ||
| Cantaloupe | $1.28 | 1 | $1.28 | ||
| Taco Seasoning | $0.67 | 3 | $2.01 | ||
| Frozen Corn | $1.00 | 3 | $3.00 | ||
| Total | $15.33 | ||||
| Grand Total | $63.94 |