Welcome to the first week of December’s LWD Grocery Haul series in which I share our weekly grocery purchases, including prices. I’m always curious to see what others purchase and what food prices are in different countries or regions. I hope you are finding this series interesting and helpful.
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LWD GROCERY HAUL
December 2024 ~ Week One
Did you have a nice Thanksgiving (if you are in the U.S. and celebrate)? We had a wonderful meal and lots of leftovers, the best part! We finished everything but the ham and a little turkey by Sunday night. David and I had turkey sandwiches yesterday and the cats got the last bit today. I put the ham bone with lots of meat on it, plus three bags of meat, in the freezer for beans, soups, casseroles, etc. A little ham goes a long way in dishes like those. I’ll probably make Split Pea Soup with some of the ham next week.
PRUETT’S (REGIONAL GROCERY STORE)
- Ruffles potato chips (13 oz.) $6.49 (on sale)
- Honey Nut Cheerios (18.8 oz.) $3.99 (on sale)
- Dole baby spinach (5 oz.) $3.49
- fresh cranberries (12 oz.) $2.50
- Best Choice dry black beans (32 oz.) $2.59 (on sale)
- Best Choice 16 dry bean soup mix (20 oz.) $2.59 (on sale)
- Sara Lee Hawaiian bread (20 oz.) $2.99 (on sale)
- Sara Lee artisan bread (20 oz.) $2.99 (on sale)
- Tostitos tortilla chips (12 oz.) $3.99 (on sale)
- Farm Rich frozen meatballs (26 oz.) $5.99 (on sale)
- Roma tomatoes (3 @ $2.49/lb.) $2.24
- cinnamon raisin bagels (6) $3.59 (on sale)
- Mission flour tortillas (10 count) $1.99
- Best Choice cheese stuffed garlic bread sticks (5 count) $3.69 (on sale)
- Torani Puremade Sauce, dark chocolate (16.5 oz.) $4.39 (on sale)
- Birds Eye frozen whole grain rice with broccoli and carrots (2 @10 oz.) $3.18 (on sale)
- Best Choice steamable frozen broccoli florets (12 oz.) $1.49 (on sale)
- Birds Eye frozen gold & white corn, carrots and asparagus (10.8 oz.) $2.79 (on sale)
- boneless skinless chicken breasts (3 @ 3.59/lb.) $0.90 (They only charged me for 1/4 pound. I’ll mention it to my shopper next week.)
- Skinner bowtie pasta (12 oz.) $1.39 (on sale)
- Mahatma whole grain brown rice (32 oz.) $2.89 (on sale)
- Bolthouse Farms baby carrots (2 lb.) $2.99
- sweet potatoes (2 count) $1.19
- Best Choice russet potatoes (5 lb.) $2.99
- Dole classic coleslaw mix (14 oz.) $1.69
- Best Choice extra sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz.) $2.19 (on sale)
- Best Choice frozen Normandy blend vegetables (60 0z.) $6.99
- Libby’s canned sweet corn (15.25 oz.) $0.99 (on sale)
- Best Choice canned tomatoes with green chilis (2 @ 10 oz.) $0.98
- Heinz Simply Tomato Ketchup (31 oz.) $5.99 (on sale)
- Mt. Olive Simply bread and butter pickles (24 oz.) $4.69
- Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (8.5 oz.) $0.55 (on sale)
- Clorox splash-less bleach (2.41 qt.) $5.99 (on sale)
- American Beauty penne rigate pasta (16 oz.) $1.79 (on sale)
- Classico pasta sauce, caramelized onion & roasted garlic (24 oz.) $3.79
- Skinny Pop popcorn (4.4 oz.) $3.69 (on sale)
- Vanity Fair napkins (100 count) $2.99 (on sale)
Subtotal: $115.64 (plus tax, shoppers fee and tip)
There were a few good sales this week. The frozen meatballs were $5.99 instead of $10.99. They will still be on sale next week so I plan to buy another bag if I have room in the freezer. It’s awfully handy to be able to cook them along with a jar of pasta sauce for a quick spaghetti and meatball dinner.
I also like to check the sales on frozen vegetables and choose a few for the freezer each week. I really like the big 60 oz. bags of Normandy or California vegetables. I bought Normandy this week and will buy California next. One way I like to serve these is to put them in a large casserole dish, season and drizzle with a bit of oil then bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile I make a cheese sauce (start with a roux then add grated cheese). I pour the cheese sauce over the vegetables and bake until they are tender and the cheese sauce is lightly browned on top. This is especially good with smoked gouda cheese.
I’m in the process of making sure I have a good stock of pasta so I check the sales and buy a couple of varieties each week. This week I got penne rigate and bowtie pasta. I also was able to get brown rice and two kinds of dry beans on sale. I like to keep a good stock of basics like these on hand as there are so many types of meals I can make with them.
Amazon
- Progresso Beef Pot Roast with Country Vegetables soup (12 cans – 18.5 oz.)
- Old El Paso traditional refried beans (12 cans – 16 oz.)
- Old El Paso mild red enchilada sauce (12 cans – 10 oz.)
Subtotal: $53.00
I got these items on a special sale. The original price was $63 and I got $10 off. We eat a lot of Mexican food so it’s good to have the refried beans and enchilada sauce on hand. I haven’t tried this particular Progresso soup but it has good reviews. I figure it will make a nice warm side with a sandwich for weekend lunches this winter. Or I might use it as a base for a big pot of soup with leftovers.
Total: $168.64
Our weekly menu…
I was planning to make a batch of Brazilian Black Beans in the Instant Pot yesterday but as I was putting away the groceries I realized I had some in the freezer. Perfect! As soon as I get some extra room in the freezer I ought to make a big batch and freeze in meal-size portions.
I’ve got Lentil Taco mix in the Instant Pot right now and there will be plenty of leftovers of that, too. The Instant Pot is perfect for cooking beans, lentils and legumes, all of which freeze well.
I also have leftover Mediterranean Turkey and Veggie Skillet in the freezer which I’ll reheat for Thursday’s dinner.
Featured Recipe:
PREVIOUS GROCERY HAUL POSTS IN THIS SERIES:
Hi, here in Italy everything costs a little less than in the US in general, even our menus are a little different, for example we are not in the habit of preparing meals and freezing them, let’s say we improvise every day, but it would be convenient to prepare like
I’d love to see your typical menu!
I’m not actually in the habit of freezing whole meals. We usually just eat the leftovers for lunches. I think the Mediterranean Turkey and Veggies ended up in the freezer because I had so much leftover and we went on a business trip the following day. I really hate to waste food. I’m just hoping it’s one of those things that freezes well – ha! Beans, however, really are a good thing to freeze. I can make a big batch in the Instant Pot and freeze in smaller portions. They taste better than canned but are just as convenient this way. And much cheaper, too.
Hi, let’s say that often on the menu there is pasta with sauces like: amatriciana (tomato, onion and bacon), carbonara (eggs, cheese and bacon), with tomato sauce, Ligurian pesto. For the second course, pork or chicken escalopes, omelette, chicken breast cut into pieces with peas, and typically Italian when there is time tripe, braised beef, meat stew. More or less this is the menu, but when I have time I will send you a menu of the week.
Thank you! It sounds delcious.
Menu, as always, sounds delicious! I love your baked veggie mix method! I’ll have to try that for myself. My husband hates broccoli and cauliflower so it’s just me eating it but I can do small batches. I have to say that a few weeks ago I made traditional tuna casserole with Ruffles on top and ever since I’ve been craving Ruffles despite not having had them for quite a long time. Tomorrow’s lunch shall be a toasted tuna sandwich with Ruffles! Yum!
I love tuna sandwiches and Ruffles! Or even better, BBQ chips. My daughter and I both agree that the best lunch is a tuna sandwich, BBQ chips and grapes. 🙂