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Feed Your Family for $80 a Week
I was challenged while I was in Perth in February, to feed a family of 4 for a week for just $80.
That had to include breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for 4 people for the week, a total of 84 meals and 28 snacks.
I had a family who very kindly volunteered to be the $80 a Week guinea pigs, with mum Juliana coming shopping with me and the kids happily helping to prepare one of the meals.
This isn't anything new for me, or a lot of other Cheapskaters who are living well on the $300 a Month Food Challenge, but for Juliana it was less than half what she would normally spend for the week and it was her first time in an Aldi store!
I was so excited, I just love Aldi newbies. They have so much to gain and so much money to save it makes me jump for joy.
Juliana met me at the lovely Aldi supermarket at Mirrabooka Square and, with meal plan done and shopping list in hand, she put her $1 in the trolley and off we went.
I love Aldi. I've loved Aldi since before they opened here in Melbourne. I'm sure I've mentioned before just how green with envy I was when the Bankstown store opened in Sydney - Sydney of all places, when I lived in Melbourne!
As soon as a store opened close to me, Chirnside Park, even though it was a bit of a trip, I was there. I had my shopping list and crossed everything off for the grand total of $80 (and a few cents - it was under $81) for the month.
You can imagine how exciting was to be able to show Juliana just how great the products are and just how cheap they are. Explaining the two tiers or levels of grocery items was thrilling. Telling her about the gluten free and organic ranges made me smile. Pointing out just how much Australian produce is in an Aldi store made me so proud (100% of the meat, 91% of fruit and veg and 93% of dairy is Australian - way to go Aldi).
But watching her eyes as we put the trolley load through the register was the most thrilling part of the day. Yes, the total on the docket was $114, and the challenge was to feed a family of 4 for $80. We completed the challenge.
The difference was the grocery items that will serve more than 1 week. Things like the rice and the breakfast cereals, the potatoes, onions and carrots that will all carry over to the next week and the week after (and the cost of those items would come off those grocery budgets - does that make sense?).
Here's the meal plan created for Juliana's family (and everything was bought at Aldi).
Breakfasts:
Monday - Friday: Wheat biscuits, rolled oats, milk, honey
Saturday: Ricies, milk, honey
Sunday: Mum's Hotcakes and Pancake Syrup
Lunches:
Sandwiches: Cheese & ham, Cheese & Chicken, Cheese & salami, Cheese & beef
Dinners:
Sunday: Roast chicken, baked veggies, gravy
Monday: Paprika Sausages, mash, peas/corn/carrots, broccoli
Tuesday: Mum’s Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread
Wednesday: Chicken parma, wedges, salad
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Cream Cheese Patties, salad
Saturday: Haystacks
Munchies:
8 apples,
8 bananas,
8 oranges,
8 mandarins
That had to include breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for 4 people for the week, a total of 84 meals and 28 snacks.
I had a family who very kindly volunteered to be the $80 a Week guinea pigs, with mum Juliana coming shopping with me and the kids happily helping to prepare one of the meals.
This isn't anything new for me, or a lot of other Cheapskaters who are living well on the $300 a Month Food Challenge, but for Juliana it was less than half what she would normally spend for the week and it was her first time in an Aldi store!
I was so excited, I just love Aldi newbies. They have so much to gain and so much money to save it makes me jump for joy.
Juliana met me at the lovely Aldi supermarket at Mirrabooka Square and, with meal plan done and shopping list in hand, she put her $1 in the trolley and off we went.
I love Aldi. I've loved Aldi since before they opened here in Melbourne. I'm sure I've mentioned before just how green with envy I was when the Bankstown store opened in Sydney - Sydney of all places, when I lived in Melbourne!
As soon as a store opened close to me, Chirnside Park, even though it was a bit of a trip, I was there. I had my shopping list and crossed everything off for the grand total of $80 (and a few cents - it was under $81) for the month.
You can imagine how exciting was to be able to show Juliana just how great the products are and just how cheap they are. Explaining the two tiers or levels of grocery items was thrilling. Telling her about the gluten free and organic ranges made me smile. Pointing out just how much Australian produce is in an Aldi store made me so proud (100% of the meat, 91% of fruit and veg and 93% of dairy is Australian - way to go Aldi).
But watching her eyes as we put the trolley load through the register was the most thrilling part of the day. Yes, the total on the docket was $114, and the challenge was to feed a family of 4 for $80. We completed the challenge.
The difference was the grocery items that will serve more than 1 week. Things like the rice and the breakfast cereals, the potatoes, onions and carrots that will all carry over to the next week and the week after (and the cost of those items would come off those grocery budgets - does that make sense?).
Here's the meal plan created for Juliana's family (and everything was bought at Aldi).
Breakfasts:
Monday - Friday: Wheat biscuits, rolled oats, milk, honey
Saturday: Ricies, milk, honey
Sunday: Mum's Hotcakes and Pancake Syrup
Lunches:
Sandwiches: Cheese & ham, Cheese & Chicken, Cheese & salami, Cheese & beef
Dinners:
Sunday: Roast chicken, baked veggies, gravy
Monday: Paprika Sausages, mash, peas/corn/carrots, broccoli
Tuesday: Mum’s Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread
Wednesday: Chicken parma, wedges, salad
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Cream Cheese Patties, salad
Saturday: Haystacks
Munchies:
8 apples,
8 bananas,
8 oranges,
8 mandarins
And here are the recipes:
Paprika Sausages with Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 - 3 tsp paprika
125g button mushrooms, sliced
425g can diced peeled tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste
500g sausages
Sour cream
Method:
Heat oil in a large pan and cook onions for 1 minute or until soft. Stir in paprika. Add mushrooms, tomatoes with juice and season to taste. Cook uncovered over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, stir occasionally. While sauce is cooking, cook sausages under grill until cooked through and browned. Remove sausages from heat and cut into chunks. Mix through sauce and heat. Top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with cooked rice to stretch further, great heated up the next day.
Mum's Spaghetti
Ingredients:
500g mince
1 tin tomatoes
1 tin tomato soup
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp mixed herbs
500g spaghetti
Method:
In a non-stick pan brown mince, drain and rinse to remove fat. Sauté onion and garlic in pan. Add mince, stir to combine. Add tomatoes and tomato soup. Stir in mixed herbs. Bring sauce to a boil, turn down to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, while you cook the pasta. Cook spaghetti according to directions on packet. Drain, top with sauce and enjoy.
MOO Pizza
Make the bases and top with your favourite pizza toppings. You'll be eating the most delicious gourmet pizza for a fraction of the price of home delivery and it'll be faster too!
Penny Pinching Pizza Base
Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour – 30c
2 tbsp olive oil – 30c
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp dry yeast – 5c
1 tsp sugar – 1c
Method:
Dissolve the sugar in ¼ cup of the warm water and then add the yeast. Put aside to ferment – about 5 minutes.
Process the flour and oil for a few seconds until it becomes crumbly. Add the yeast mixture and process. Slowly pour in the remaining ¾ cup water. Process until a dough ball forms. Continue processing for 30 seconds.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board, cover with a damp tea towel and let it sit for 10 minutes.
At this point you can freeze the dough in a ball to use later on or cover with a damp tea towel and let it sit for 10 minutes before pressing into a Swiss roll tin, using the palm of your hand. Try not to roll it with a rolling pin (or Marmite jar) as it toughens the dough.
Top with your favourite pizza toppings (we love tomato sauce, oregano and grated cheese and tomato sauce, slice mushrooms, pineapple pieces, sliced onion and olives topped with grated cheese). Bake in a hot oven for 15 – 20 minutes until the base is browned and the topping is bubbling nicely.
Suggested toppings:
Tomato sauce, oregano and grated cheese – 25c, 1c, 90c
Tomato sauce, sliced mushrooms, sliced capsicum, pineapple pieces, sliced onions, slice olives and grated cheese
Tomato sauce, shredded chicken, pineapple and cheese
Tomato sauce, shredded ham and beaten egg
Cream Cheese Patties
I love these patties in summer with salad just as much as I do in winter with steamed green vegetables.
Ingredients:
250g cream cheese
1 cup rice
1 large onion, grated
1 large carrot, grated
1 egg
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
Olive oil for frying
Shake'n'bake
1/2 cup milk
Method:
Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 12 minutes. Dice cream cheese into 2cm cubes (this makes it easier to melt). Drain rice. Add remaining ingredients, except shake'n'bake, milk and olive oil, to the hot rice, stirring to melt the cream cheese. Take 1/4 cup of mixture, shape into a patty. Dip in milk then in shake'n'bake to coat. Let the patties rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before frying in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Can be served hot or cold.
Cheats Haystacks
Ingredients:
1 tin baked beans
1 tin kidney beans, rinsed
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 pkt corn chips
1/2 cup grated cheese
Method:
Mix baked beans, kidney beans and diced tomatoes and warm through. Layer corn chips on plates and top with bean mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.
Paprika Sausages with Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 - 3 tsp paprika
125g button mushrooms, sliced
425g can diced peeled tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste
500g sausages
Sour cream
Method:
Heat oil in a large pan and cook onions for 1 minute or until soft. Stir in paprika. Add mushrooms, tomatoes with juice and season to taste. Cook uncovered over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, stir occasionally. While sauce is cooking, cook sausages under grill until cooked through and browned. Remove sausages from heat and cut into chunks. Mix through sauce and heat. Top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with cooked rice to stretch further, great heated up the next day.
Mum's Spaghetti
Ingredients:
500g mince
1 tin tomatoes
1 tin tomato soup
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp mixed herbs
500g spaghetti
Method:
In a non-stick pan brown mince, drain and rinse to remove fat. Sauté onion and garlic in pan. Add mince, stir to combine. Add tomatoes and tomato soup. Stir in mixed herbs. Bring sauce to a boil, turn down to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, while you cook the pasta. Cook spaghetti according to directions on packet. Drain, top with sauce and enjoy.
MOO Pizza
Make the bases and top with your favourite pizza toppings. You'll be eating the most delicious gourmet pizza for a fraction of the price of home delivery and it'll be faster too!
Penny Pinching Pizza Base
Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour – 30c
2 tbsp olive oil – 30c
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp dry yeast – 5c
1 tsp sugar – 1c
Method:
Dissolve the sugar in ¼ cup of the warm water and then add the yeast. Put aside to ferment – about 5 minutes.
Process the flour and oil for a few seconds until it becomes crumbly. Add the yeast mixture and process. Slowly pour in the remaining ¾ cup water. Process until a dough ball forms. Continue processing for 30 seconds.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board, cover with a damp tea towel and let it sit for 10 minutes.
At this point you can freeze the dough in a ball to use later on or cover with a damp tea towel and let it sit for 10 minutes before pressing into a Swiss roll tin, using the palm of your hand. Try not to roll it with a rolling pin (or Marmite jar) as it toughens the dough.
Top with your favourite pizza toppings (we love tomato sauce, oregano and grated cheese and tomato sauce, slice mushrooms, pineapple pieces, sliced onion and olives topped with grated cheese). Bake in a hot oven for 15 – 20 minutes until the base is browned and the topping is bubbling nicely.
Suggested toppings:
Tomato sauce, oregano and grated cheese – 25c, 1c, 90c
Tomato sauce, sliced mushrooms, sliced capsicum, pineapple pieces, sliced onions, slice olives and grated cheese
Tomato sauce, shredded chicken, pineapple and cheese
Tomato sauce, shredded ham and beaten egg
Cream Cheese Patties
I love these patties in summer with salad just as much as I do in winter with steamed green vegetables.
Ingredients:
250g cream cheese
1 cup rice
1 large onion, grated
1 large carrot, grated
1 egg
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
Olive oil for frying
Shake'n'bake
1/2 cup milk
Method:
Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 12 minutes. Dice cream cheese into 2cm cubes (this makes it easier to melt). Drain rice. Add remaining ingredients, except shake'n'bake, milk and olive oil, to the hot rice, stirring to melt the cream cheese. Take 1/4 cup of mixture, shape into a patty. Dip in milk then in shake'n'bake to coat. Let the patties rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before frying in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Can be served hot or cold.
Cheats Haystacks
Ingredients:
1 tin baked beans
1 tin kidney beans, rinsed
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 pkt corn chips
1/2 cup grated cheese
Method:
Mix baked beans, kidney beans and diced tomatoes and warm through. Layer corn chips on plates and top with bean mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.
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