Monthly Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping Trips – Week 24 of 52

The HH’s new summer game plan of cooking just once a week, seems to be working out. I mean really, who knew scrambled eggs with a side of beef tips and brussels sprouts would be just what we needed to fill our bellies before a busy day of gardening and house projects. 😉

Beef tips and bacon ranch pasta salad for lunch four days in a row… no problem.

And just to change things up a little we used all the leftover weenies and made a pot of drunken beans. Because you know variety, it’s the key to everything. 😉 Bahahha. I THINK I’M GOOD ON BBQ FOR A WHILE!! HH are you reading this? NO MORE BBQ UNTIL JULY!

He uses Mr. Yoshida’s marinade for the beef tips in case you were wondering.

For date day last week we went headed north to Wiscasset to get a lobster roll and fried clams {for the HH} and a burger and fried zucchini for me.

Have you ever tried fried zucchini before? Oh my word it’s delicious. I don’t know what sort of batter they use at Red’s Eats, but it’s worth standing in line for, that’s for sure.

Thanks to several stock up trips earlier this year, the only groceries we bought last week was a couple of bottles of honey from The Bee’s Knees in Kennebunkport.

Tuna salad on Ritz.

Guacamole on a toasted everything bagel {the everything bagels are my favorite!}

A weenie and chips.

Pickety bits. I think Lucy LOVES the pickety bit dinners just as much as we do.

And last but not least… Our neighbor sent us a text asking what we had available in our garden. I sent back a list of what we had: rhubarb, mint, chives, radish and baby greens and asked if she would like anything from the garden.

She came back with an offer for us to come over to their place and her husband would make dinner based on what we had growing in the garden {minus the rhubarb}. And well, you know me, I’m pretty much up for anything these days if it means I don’t have to cook and so we said yes.

Yada yada yada….

Her husband made lamb with mint sauce and grilled radishes, fresh herb butter, a salad made with baby greens and radish tops that was served with some dried cherries and croutons, and for dessert we had fresh strawberries and creme fraiche. It was delightful and much more than we expected considering our meager offerings so early in the season.

It was a good week, with very little cooking on my part, which these days, is a total plus. 🙂

How about YOU? What have you been making for dinner lately? What’s your go to meal these days? Curious minds want to know.

Have a great Monday everyone,

~Mavis

Strawberry Short Sheet Cake : This sheet cake version of strawberry shortcake is dessert perfection. It’s sweet but not overwhelmingly so. You can of course sweeten it up as much as you want with some whipped cream or ice cream!

Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries, Bakery Treats We Brought Home $20

• Total Spent of Groceries and Bakery Treats We brought Home in June $54.24
• Total Spent in May on Groceries and Bakery Treats $256.47
• Total Spent in April on Groceries and Bakery Treats $1083.55 WOWZA
• Total Spent in March on Groceries and Bakery Treats $446.03 {includes a $50 gift card}
• Total Spent in February on Groceries and Bakery Treats $416.98 {the fridge and freezer are packed!}
• Total Spent in January on Groceries and Bakery Treats $346.47
• Total Spent on Groceries and Bakery Treats in 2020 $2602.94

You can go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories

Looking for ways to save on your grocery budget? Back when the kids were in school, I used to cook loads of freezer meals in bulk, and preserved as much food as possible from my vegetable garden. I have written about the list of pantry staples I always have on hand and The Best Foods for Eating Well on a Tight Budget. I’ve also written about How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half and even did a series on 52 Ways to Save $100 a Month.