Food plan: week of 081609

What is more inspiring to get on a regular weekly meal plan than having a new fridge? Nothing I can think of.

I have a feeling, a pretty small one, that I'll follow through with this plan, rather than ditching part-way through like the last time(s). Feel free to call me out on it if I default.

This weeks menu, after pestering Rodney with questions not varying much from "what do you feel like having this week?", in no particular order:

1. Honey-soy Marinated London Broil
2. Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
3. Mixed Green, Artichokes and Olives with Avocado dressing
4. Bow-Tie Pasta with Fresh Vegetable Sauce
5. Tapenade-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Our grocery list including stuff I needed to re-up on ("on-hand" necessities), which are not necessarily necessary for us to eat this week, but I feel naked without and are good go-to pantry items in case I want to crap out on the food plan:

• Tomato paste = $5.07/12-6 0z cans
• Mexican-blend cheese = $4.99/2.5 lbs
• Diced tomatoes = $7.99/8-14.5 oz cans
• Tortilla chips = $3.99/3 lbs.
• Grape tomatoes = 1.49/pint
• Lemon = 0.32/0.36 lb
• Zucchini = 0.68/0.98 lb
• Yellow squash = 1.08/0.84 lb
• Baby red potatoes = 3.99/2 lb
• Red pepper = $1.02/0.41 lb
• Sweet onion = $1.76/2.33 lb
• Avocado = $1.49/ea
• English cucumber = $1.49/ea
• Ginger root* = $0.38/0.24 lb
• Romaine lettuce = $0.79/ea
• Iceburg lettuce = $0.68/ea
• Baby spinach = $1.99/6 oz
• Fresh dill* = $1.12
• Sourdough bread = $2.99
• Eggs, large =$2.59/18
• Swiss cheese, sliced =$3/8 oz
• Mayo = $6.99
• Honey mustard* = $0.99
• Red wine vinegar* = $2.63/16 oz
• Whole chicken = $5.22 @0.99/lb
• Whole chicken = $5.40 @0.99/lb
• London broil* = $4.94 @ 1.99/lb

*First-time ever items for our household! We're broadening our food horizons -- so vivid this way!
=$105.36 -- for two people? In one week? Seems like a lot. Yeah, it is, sort of.

I'll probably go get another whole chicken or two for the boobs required for the tapenade-stuffed boobs, which will be another $10, bringing up the grand total to about $115. Keep in mind we'll have an extra 8 each of wings, legs, and thighs as well as 1.25 lbs of London broil to use later.

Plus, I'm kinda thinkin' I'll try my hand at making a chicken stock sometime in the somewhat near future, which might save some money while being more healthy and flavorful (in what, I'm not sure yet). But then again, I don't have any carrots or celery to make up a mire poix (isn't that what it's called?) for the stock. Maybe I'll just have a bunch of chicken carcasses in the freezer for a while. And maybe I'll get sick of them being the freezer and dump them and the Ziplocs their stored in, ultimately costing me money. We'll see how it works out -- I'm optimistic!