Amid the busyness of life, I've fallen behind on documenting my grocery shopping! Here is December's second shopping trip.

I have actually gone shopping once since this trip, and bought items needed to make food for the freezer for when our new baby's born. Even though we've spent a bit this month on groceries, I am happy to say that we haven't eaten it ALL, yet, and my freezer is getting fuller!! :)

Is it any surprise that I went to... Costco for groceries?! Living 3 miles from Costco means I can go weekly. :| :)

Read more for items and prices...

I didn't get around to sharing photos and prices from my grocery shopping last week, so here it is, a bit late. :)

Joshua and the boys walked to QFC for bananas and came back with this assortment of goodies:

M&Ms    $2.99
Whole grain bread  $2.50
Orange juice   $1.50
Bananas    $2.83

Total:  $9.82

Joshua said he knew we were low on bread and bought some so I wouldn't have to make any the next day. :) The M&Ms were supposed to be a treat for me... and we ate some and put the rest on cookies! :)

Later in the week, I went to Costco and bought:

Read more for items and prices from Costco...

I've had fun typing up my grocery shopping trips from the past few weeks. It has actually helped me be much more aware of what we're buying/eating. :D

I hope some of you find these posts interesting, because I plan to continue sharing our grocery trips for at least a few more weeks! :)

This week's groceries were from Costco and QFC. I spent a lot at Costco, but I got a lot of food, too... but I always say that after going to Costco! :P

Here is what we got at Costco: (read more for items and prices)

I did my grocery shopping this week at Costco. I spent quite a bit, but we also got quite a lot of yummy food! It totally filled our kitchen table when I tried to take a picture! :)

Here is a price breakdown of what I bought:

Baking potatoes (20#)            $4.49
Organic red delicious apples (10#)    $6.49
Romaine lettuce (6 ct.)          $2.99
Bananas (3#)                $1.32 (x2)
Mission tortilla strips (3#)      $3.35
Mission flour tortillas (5#14oz)   $4.99
Butter (4#)                             $6.39
Tillamook sliced swiss cheese (2#)    $7.29
Shredded mozzarella cheese (5#)    $9.79
Whole milk (2 gal.)                       $4.34
Darigold cream (40% fat) (1/2 gal.)   $5.99
Whole chickens (2)  (9.52#)         $9.42
Frozen strawberries (5#)              $8.85
Organic frozen green beans (5#)      $5.99
Applesauce (106oz)                $3.65
Quaker rolled oats (10#)          $6.89
KS "enviro-friendly" dish soap (135oz)    $7.99
Toilet paper (36 rolls)      $17.99
Vaseline Intensive Care lotion set  $8.99 (w/coupon)

Total: $132.32

Romaine lettuce is one of my favorite things to get at Costco, since it's so affordable! And the Red Delicious apples... we tried some from this bag and they are so fresh and crisp! Yum! :)

We seem to go through a lot of toilet paper, but the dish soap and lotion will last us quite a long time (about a year for the dish soap, and probably 4+ years for the lotion). :)

This week's grocery shopping is rather sparse, but I'll (hopefully) be heading to Costco early next week to make up for that. ;)

Pictured above is what I bought at QFC this week:

Darigold lactose-free milk  $2.99 (x2)
Sweet potatoes ($0.99/lb)   $2.32
Bananas ($0.59/lb)       $3.60
Red onion ($1.49/lb)     $0.98
Cucumber                $0.99
Leaf lettuce                $1.99
Cilantro                    $0.99

Total: $16.85

The lactose-free milk is a regular purchase for us at that price. Everything else is pricey BUT I didn't want a Costco-sized portion and/or it was just to hold us over until I do go to Costco (like the bananas and lettuce). I can walk to QFC so I often go there between Costco trips to re-stock our bananas or get specialty food items (like when I just need 1 lemon, or 1 tomato... that sort of thing!). :)

Not all of the bananas are pictured, since right outside the store we peeled and ate 3 bananas as we walked home! It isn't uncommon for us to eat a whole bunch of bananas by the time we get home from the grocery store. I don't mind, though, since they're healthy and we're outside getting fresh air and exercise! :)

I also went to Rite Aid, and we got some fish in bulk. Read more for photo and prices, including this week's total:

One of my favorite features of Crystal's blog is when she photographs and shares about her weekly grocery shopping trips! :) I love the great deals she finds, but mostly I just like seeing the yummy food she got. ;)

I thought it would be a fun experiment to document all of our family's grocery/household purchases for a while. Those of you who have asked about how I shop, or what my grocery budget is, this will give you a firsthand look! :)

Some of these things will last much longer than a week, so as I share our grocery trips in future weeks, hopefully it will give more of a complete picture of what we buy and use! :)

This week's groceries, from Costco: Read more for prices and total!

I loved having a menu planned for last week, and was actually successful in making most of what I had planned! :)

This week's menu plan is very different, since we're starting the week with a couple meals' worth of leftovers in the fridge. We'll also be getting a large order of frozen fish some day this week (discounted specials through Joshua's employer; who can resist fillets and smoked salmon for $0.99/lb. ?!) so I'll be getting creative with the freezer space and we'll probably be eating fish several times this week! :)

And to top it all off, yesterday we went blueberry picking with family and I came home with several gallons of fresh and frozen blueberries... and garden goodies from Joshua's mom and grandma as well! What a blessing to have an abundance of delicious food! God is so good to us! :)

Most of the time I am horribly neglectful when it comes to planning our menus. Usually I manage to pull through in the end but especially recently, the downsides have been apparent. Little variety from week to week, not as healthy overall, and just a general "I don't know WHAT to make" every afternoon. Uhg! I need to plan better!!

So, yesterday I planned a menu for this week. Here's my plan:

Monday

• Grilled cheese, cooked peas, apples, grapes (a quick meal since we're supposed to be out the door right after!)

Tuesday

• Oven-roasted chicken (in the crock pot), creamy potato soup, green beans, fruit

Wednesday

• Cheesy chicken vermicelli (using leftover chicken), veggie bean soup with spinach, fruit

Thursday

• Chicken Squash Bake, seasoned baked potato wedges, fruit

Friday

• Pizza, cooked peas, fruit smoothies for dessert

Saturday

• My mom's meatloaf, homemade scalloped potatoes, green beans, corn, and fruit

Sunday

• Burgers and condiments (taking to a BBQ), Orange Vanilla Dream cheesecake

Breakfasts: Green smoothies, cold cereal, or oatmeal with fruit

Fruit for the week: Grapes, apples, bananas, and oranges (fresh); blueberries or strawberries (frozen).

One of my biggest struggles in the kitchen is with menu planning. Oh, I am great at planning extravagant menus for dinner guests (and we do try to have dinner guests weekly if possible!) but what really stumps me is the day-to-day dinner plans.

I want our dinners to be:

• healthy (Joshua and I are both still working towards losing a few more pounds!)

• balanced (protein, fiber, veggies, fruits, and carbs!)

• varied (serving pizza twice in one week is a no-no for me!)

• easy (60-90 min. of dinner prep time, max!)

• affordable

I usually plan the day's meals when I get up in the morning. Many days, nothing really sounds appealing to me and I'm still trying to decide what I should make, mid-day! Menu planning is the hardest part for me; I always say that I'd be glad to cook whatever's "on the menu", if only someone else would make up the menu. ;)

But. I want to do better. And I can, if I put more effort into it. So, here's this week's menu! :)

Monday

• Potato soup, bread, salad, green beans, oranges

Tuesday

• Seven-Layer Taco salad, peas, bananas

Wednesday

• Spaghetti and meatballs, Italian cheese bread, salad, corn, green beans

Thursday

• Beef and Barley Soup, leftover cheese bread, peas, salad

Friday

• Pizza, salad, fresh fruit

Saturday

• Two large pans of Italian cheese bread to church potluck;
  leftovers in the evening

Sunday

• Leftovers for lunch;
  oven-roasted chicken, salad, and green beans for dinner

There. Now that feels MUCH better!

I was excited to be able to take a meal to a friend who recently gave birth. I made a dish of Three-Cheese Baked Spaghetti (one of my favorites!) and included baking instructions on a sticky note on the lid.

This dish has a glass lid that fits on top. I got the dish at an estate sale. So fun! As much as I love stainless steel all-around, I also love glass -- particularly for things that will be sitting in the fridge. :)

A fresh loaf of homemade whole wheat bread, sliced right before I headed out the door. I figured buttered slices of bread could be eaten with the meal, with leftovers for sandwiches, toast, etc...

A container of (cold) baked apples. Apples were $0.99 for a 3-pound bag at Aldi's this week. We love apples and bought 5 bags!

I peeled and baked an entire bag (it fit into a 9x13 dish, minus the two apples that Eliyahu ate while I worked!) and had enough to give away plus a serving for Joshua's lunch the next day.

I was going to take along a bag of frozen veggies to complete the meal, but forgot. I did remember the baby's gift -- a super cute hand-knitted wool soaker (see the green one in this picture -- that's it!). No, I don't know how to knit... but my friend Ruth graciously allowed me to hire her services. ;)

What's your favorite meal to take to someone? I like to do a one-dish casserole of some sort (I have lots of yummy ones!), some kind of homemade bread, and whatever I have on hand as far as fruits or veggies. A jar of homemade tomato soup makes a great gift, too!