On This Week's Menu: The Stockpiling Time of Year

It's the final week of October and we are right on track for the grocery budget....sort of.  You see, at this time of year when the leaves start to change color and the air starts to chill and smell of campfires, some weird gatherer-instinct section of my brain kicks in.  It is then that I totally freak out if both the deep freeze and the pantry are not stuffed to the gills. (I have also noticed this happens for me around the seventh month of pregnancy.  Interesting.) 

Anyhoo, in the last two weeks I've worked the cereal deal that Mara told us about  three times, bringing 21 boxes of cereal into the house, bought up 8 huge cans of $6 sale coffee, and run out of beef, prompting a $165 order for 24 lbs of meat from Golden West Glatt (which I'll post about soon.)  The cereal should stretch to Passover and the beef and coffee get us through early spring, so it's not that it was inappropriate spending so much as untimely spending. Altogether, those stockups added just over $200 to the budget this month ( Originally $375 - yikes!) So, I'm adjusting our grocery budget down from $100/week to $75/week for the next few months.  I've been doing it ever since Sukkot and it's actually quite doable for us right now.

Here's what's on the menu at the Kopans bayit this week:

Sunday: Black bean and steak stew left over from Shabbos lunch with rice
Monday: Pierogies with sauerkraut and carmelized onions, with steamed broccoli
Tuesday: Vegetarian Chili we had stashed in our freezer over rice
Wednesday: David is out of town on business, so I will have cold cereal, scrambled eggs, or PB&J after I somehow wrangle the children to bed.  (Don't feel sorry for me - all three are guilty pleasures.)
Thursday: Same as Wednesday.   Yummmmm
Friday:  David's home for Shabbat!  Spaghetti and Meatballs, Fresh Green Salad, and of course fresh-baked challah.
Shabbat Lunch: Barbecued Chicken and roasted potatoes yummmmmmmmmmm
Saturday: David's in charge, I don't ask (this past week it was $5 falafel sandwiches from Holy Land Cafe (whose site helpfully informs us serves "middle easter cuisine."  So that's awesome.)

Who's coming over? :)