Life with Chickns?

A close friend of mine just committed that Jeremy and I create a great deal of extra work for our selves. So the new on that front, is by Friday afternoon we will have 8... yeas eight chickens. I love fresh eggs, who doesn't? And now we have an endless supply of chicken poop for my garden. Witch is a good thing, if you were wondering.
So you are probably asking what does this have to do with feeding a family of 4 for $200 bucks a month? Well i am slightly procrastinating, doing the step i hate.. Meal planing takes time, and organization. Tow areas of life i can improve in. Having chickens on the other hand demonstrate a well devolved trate of our family (Jeremy is included in this), compulsiveness. Once we decied to do something, we do... And figer it out as we go, I should add that it is raley rashional. We did check the city codes, and we can have chickens.
I will contuen witht the meal plaing soon.
-LeAnne

The basic

So to start the month, before you ever set foot in the grocery there are a few steps that are a must.
1) Make a meal plan (I personally hate this part, due to the fact that it takes planning.) But it is a must. step on e in the meal planning, go throw the pantry and freezer and wright down all the meals you have or have most of the ingredients to.
This month I have all the ingredients for 14 meals. I was a little shocked, this is all food in my cabinets, not my food storage. (o.k. I have not kept up with this step) The side benefit is that food in the freezer is rotated on a regular biases. No eating frozen gazpacho from June 07'.
This also helps with meal planing for the month
Here is the list of what I have.
- Spaghetti with salad
-Cheese Ravioli with salad
-Veggy Burgers x2, one meal with sweet potaot fires and one with parsnip fries
-Chilly and cornbread
-Been burritos with salad
-Black been soup with rice (dinner to night, but we made broatos for lunch out of it also)
-Black eye pees with rice and steamed kale
-Butter nut squash soup
-Mac' N' Cheese with veggies x3 ( I always add frozen veggies and a hand full of whole wheat macaroni noodles to each box of Annie's Mac' N' Cheese.) Each box has left overs for the kids lunch the next day if served with salad.
-Spaghetti Alfredo with broccoli and fake meat

Step 2)
Plan out your meal plane for the month. I rotate a set number of breakfast and lunches, keeping in mind what leftovers anticipated having. Than I work from this point planing the meals. I only plan 4-5 meals a week. I know we eat at my in-laws on Sunday night and will probably have a leftover night as well.
From here I make my list, with the ability to change it if say spinach is on sale, instead of a different green.
I do have a list of set things I buy every month, cheese, pea nut butter and so on.
I am going to try to brake down the budget by food group on what I spend each week.
I will post my meal plan and shopping list tomorrow, and than off to the store. We will see how well i do. Wish me luck.

Eat our diet on $200 or less?

Christmas is passed and the new year is upon us. So is the time for new year resolutions. Or in my case a challenge. I have been asked by my Moms Club of Twin/Jorme to speak in February on food bugeting. Something i have tryed to keep at $280 a month for some time now, and also eat very well. I mean well not just tasty to the pallet, but also healthy. So I am changling my self to walk the walk, and see if in Twin it is posable to feed a family of 4 (as defined as one adult male, one prgo. adult female, and two kids 5 & 3. )
I am starting this blog to keep recored of how and what I do throw the month to reach this gaol. Pulse I plan on field reshurch for the prices of the food we eat, and some for the food I know that are more comely eaten by my club mates. Ya' I plan to see what you are paying for a lb. of meet and a gal. of milk.
I am a bit intimidated by the process but I won't to bring the best info. to the club, and hopefully improve my current budget.

The rules of the game I intend to use are
1) $200 in cash, to spend on food and hose hold needs
2) I plan to buy all food from stores and or co-ops/farmers in Twin
3) I will use a meal plan for 30 days
4) My meal plan will use pantree supplies on hand
5) I will post up dates every 2-3 days.

So here we go...

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