I 've often wondered the sensability of a weekly menu. Personally I have never done it. Probably because I always buy groceries based on what's on sale. I usually stop in at SuperStore on my way home after dropping the g'kids off at school. First place I check out is the meat department for markdowns. Then the cheese and yogurts etc. Then over to the veg and bakery. I have nothing else to do to entertain myself. So this is how I get my "high's". And if there isn't anything of interest at the one closest to me I sometimes drive over to the one on glenmore and deerfoot. After stopping off at the library to pickup what ever reserves happen to be on the shelf for me, I stop in at the No Fills and check them out. So the meal planning is usually done around noon. Everyday.
But this week I did something different
I actually got all the flyers after stopping at Superstore to grab a couple sirloin roasts to grind into hamburger and another one for actual roast dinner sometime in the future and the other half cut into stew meat. It was like $8/kg . I also picked up a turkey breast that I cut into cutlets for turkey piccata that was marked down. A flat of chops that would be good for two meals was also marked down, so into the bag it went also. A chicken fryer (even though I don't remember the last time I actually bought one of these we usually just get a rotisserie chicken on lazy days) was marked down cheaper than a rotisserie one would have been so some day when I notice another one we may have our own version of that flat Portuguese flame grilled butterfly cut peri-peri chicken. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I had the pleasure of having sampled some of this in Toronto a couple years ago and keep forgetting to try making it. But I'm determined since I actually picked up some Clubhouse Peri Peri spice mixture awhile ago. Coarse someone's going to have to get those propane tanks filled one of these days first. But we still need a second chicken so there's time still for that. Hopefully we will manage to have a nice weekend somewhere this winter that will be favorable to outdoor bbqing. What else did I buy? Oh yea two packages of bacon marked down to $1.50 each that got thrown into the freezer. Apple wood double smoked...I'm only sorry there were only two available. A flat of chicken breasts good for two meals also made into my bag a ukaranian garlic coil marked down (my hubs fav thing for snacks) also made the bag and a flank steak. I've never made bbq brisket before so I quess I'm going to give it a go cause the blank steak also was marked down. It's a good thing I brought two bags because by the time I got out of there I needed the second bag Cause I picked up some cheemo perogies on sale and some assorted freezer bags and couple jugs of some new lemonade/cranberry drink that was only a buck. Plus the two huge sirloin roasts that were on sale. So this whole mess was $110.
I little more than I intended to spend.
I stopped at Co-op and Safeway and Sobey's and grabbed the flyers and then stopped in at No Frills. The intention was to match prices with the flyers. A thankless annoying job. But I really didn't have to do that cause all their prices were less. I couldn't believe it. Obviously they've been going through the same flyers and marking everything down less. I picked up more things than I had intended (obviously that's what they had planned that I would do...and they succeeded) I was expecting to spend no more than $200. Under $200 would have been better but I would be happy with $200.
Well......I almost had to get resusitated when the checkout tape read $300. I gave up on the checking flyer thing after like ten minutes. I looooove that they also mark down meat and veg (well they are owned by same corp as superstore, so it wasn't really that much of a surprise) Even though I couldn't believe I spent that much. So when I got home I toke out all the flyers and my register tapes and went to it. Later that day I went back to No frills to pick up somemore bread for those gluten eaters of us to pack into the freezer. I brought my tape and all the flyers back and saved another $8 (not much off the $300...but nice just the same) for several things that were actually cheaper in the flyers. They matched them all. I managed to get a nice pork loin roast marked down and three pkg's of chicken thigh's marked down 2 striploin steaks and 2 T-bone steaks and some pork loin chops for maybe something stir fry later on, all marked down.
And they overcharged me 3 cents....yes 3 cents for my butter. So I got the first pound of two that I bought free. I love when that happens. I have been known to scout out these things at the sobey's in my old neighborhood first thing in the morning the day after the flyer date. Cause they never got around to changing the prices....but I was there grabbing things I knew weren't on sale any longer. Cause if it's marked at a sale price on the self but the checkout charges the new price. Well it's FREE BABY....If the difference is under $7 bucks.....it's free.
I'm surprised that not to many people know this little rule. Every retailer has to abide by it. It's a condition of getting the software for their point of sale system.
So instead of having a "Monday Menu Plan" like I notice several blogs do....I'm having a "Friday ---this was the menu" thingy. Cause I don't know how to live with a menu plan for the week coming up. That's just the stupidest thing to live with if you purchase grocery's like I do. Here it is Friday and I just dropped everyone off and I didn't stop at either of the mark down stores. And my palms are itching......Cause who doesn't like a good sale. But I'm not going until maybe Tuesday. Cause my freezer is got more than enough at the moment and no bargain is a bargain if you don't really need it.
Monday - We enjoyed bbq ribs (i had 1/2 a jar of apricot marmalade so I squirted in about 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar and then filled the jar with gluten free honey garlic bbq sauce. I removed that ucky membrain off the back of the wrack and then cut them up after the 3rd bone. Line a sheetpan with parchment and crowded them up meaty side down. Slathered on the sauce and into the oven at 250. Turned them over a couple times and slathered them up each time. Drained the liquid every once in awhile off the sheetpan cause I didn't want them poached. Then when only half of the sauce was left and the ribs were sorta read, I toke them out and cut them at each bone after they cooled a bit. To finish them off I piled them into my magic pot (enameled cast iron pot) poured the remaining sauce over them in layers and returned the whole mess to the oven on the lowest setting of the oven until dinner was served. Falling off the bone they were. Yummmmm
Since the oven was on most of the day (i think i started just after noon on this) I threw in (on another sheetpan) four organic baby yams and half a dozen yellow beets to roast up. I had half a head of cabbage leftover from something that I can't remember so I made some Marinated Coleslaw. Lots of leftovers---I love day old coleslaw and cold ribs. The warmed up 1/2 a yam that was leftover was particularly umtiousious...is that a word?
Tuesday - was lazy day. My daughter called me up and asked what my dinner plans were around 3:30. I didn't have any...was at a total and complete loss (no wine in my system will do that) so I suggested she pick up a rotisserie chicken and some of their nice premade gravy (that she couldn't eat cause the gravy wasn't gluten free...but hey the rest of us love it) and I made some mashed potatoes and she also brought some broccoli to steam. And there was still some coleslaw left so that's dinner done...with leftovers even for lunches that were fought over
Wed - some of the adults went to a show that evening and had takeout, the other two adults were volunteering at the drop-in center serving meals for 800+then went to a bar with all the other volunteers afterwards so it was just me and the g'kids so I cooked up some honey garlic sausages bought on mark down that had to be cooked...free this, free that ...as in hormone and pesticide and apparently the piggies were ethically treated and everything else. I nuked some cheese wiz and cooked up some multi colored fusili and some green beans that looked partliculary festive and fresh got sauted. And there were even some leftovers for the lunchbunch...
Thursday was stew. It was very good. 1/2 that sirloin roast cut up into chunks was browned in the magic pot. Then removed when browned. Added chopped up onion and garlic and celery into the nice browned up remains added some grapeseed oil after everything was mellowed out I added a big glug of red wine a couple bay leaves and 1/2 crnt gluten free beef broth the meat was returned to the pot with three over ripe romna tomatoes that I skinned and seeded. Set that to bring heat up. Cut up several carrots and a couple turnips brought the whole mess to a boil then stuck it into the oven at 225 for the rest of the day. Turned it off after the meat sample melted in my mouth. But kept the pot in the oven. I picked up some celeric (my hubs and I watched an episode of Come Dine With Me and one of the contestant made mashed with potato and celeric to rave reviews) to add to the regular mashed. A great success. Good thing I picked up a couple cause this is a revelation...so good. To serve just scoop up some mashed make a big well in the middle and add the stew to the center. This stew got raves and the mashed got raves. "this is the best stew I've ever tasted" said my husband. In fact he went back for thirds. The Lunchbunch were looking worried at the potential leftovers that he was scarfing down. Served that with garlic buttered up french bread (gluten free corn muffins for those gluten free) and gluten free ceasar salad. I'm really pissed that I didn't get any for my breakfast this morning. I should have chopped up the entire roast made a bigger batch darm. Ohhh well.
And tonight Friday - It's home made chicken fingers (with some gluten free ceasar salad croutons wizzed up for coating for those gluten free) with panko and greek roasted potato wedges and since I bought a bag of pea pods marked down 1/2 and I have extra garlic butter probably some sauted peas as a veg.
So there you have it. The Week that was ----menu plan.
The freezer is overflowing and the pantry is full...I will be really pissed off If I have to go back anytime before tuesday to pick anything up.
Portuguese, flame-grilled, butterfly-cut PERi-PERi chicken.Portuguese, flame-grilled, butterfly-cut PERi-PERi chicken.
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