Grocery List + Kids' Menu Ideas

     The grocery store can either be a very stressful or a moderately stress relieving place.  When I can go to the store by myself and take my time, it almost seems like a little mini vacation.  I know, that probably seems really sad.  Most of the time though, I have to go with my kids and I run through the store like it's the Daytona 500 all the while protecting the shelves from tiny hands and breaking up fights.  So, it really does help if I can go in with a plan.  My grocery store routine if you will. 
     Obviously, I have to know what I need and how much I can spend.  Like most everyone, I have to buy on a budget.  I generally spend anywhere from $80-$150 per week to keep my family happily well fed, watered, and snacked.  We all have some things we are not willing to skimp on.  For me that is diapers and wipes.  They MUST BE Huggies.  However, there are a lot of ways to cut corners and save money.  I shop at Kroger for my groceries.  I find it to be small enough to keep me focused as well as help keep me from going for the impulse buy like I would at Wal-Mart.  Also, I am familiar with Kroger now so I know what specials they usually run and can more easily predict my final total.  Shout out to the 10 for 10! 
     I work full time as well as being a full time mom to two preschoolers so having a well stocked pantry from which to create quick and easy meals is a must.  Things like pasta, pasta sauce, canned fruits and veggies, granola bars, raisins, and other snacks need to be there.  When my kids decide they want to eat, it needs to be ready now!  That doesn't mean I have to cut out the nutritional value. 
     Unfortunately, processed and nutritionally void food is cheaper and more plentiful than fresh produce and organic foods.  How I would love to have a famers' market open in Conway when I am off work to be able to shop at!  My solution tends to be the semi-homemade meal consisting of a mix of ready-made and fresh foods.  For example, I watch the produce section for what things are on sale and plan meals around that.  My kids love fruit and always have some at breakfast and for snacks.  So, I see which fruits they have at a good price and get those.  Usually, we get bananas, grapes, and either apples, oranges, or strawberries.  I love when they put the precut fruit or berry bowls on sale.  Those are awesome!  Most kids like fruit, so it is any easy way to get those vitamins in there.  
     Another of my favorite produce section finds is the boxes of the prewashed, ready to eat salad.  For some reason my kids love salad with ranch, so it is easy to make something for dinner and throw some mixed greens, shredded cheddar, and ranch on the side and helps me feel like they are eating well.  The little bag of baby carrots is also great for a easy quick partner to a sandwich or a healthy snack.  You can put them in a zip top bag the first time you open them and they will keep for a long time.  Celery is cheap and comes in a big bunch.  When you get it home you can go ahead and wash it, cut it up and put it in a zip top bag.  Then it is ready for you when you need it for some tasty "ants on a log" snacks. It also has great shelf life.  It is actually cheaper in the long run than buying the little individual bags of chips or cookies and much healthier.
     Snacks are the most fun to make and they are really important to keeping the munchkins at bay.  Snacks can be quick, easy, and healthy.  My favorites usually consist of all or a combination of a carbohydrate, a dairy, and a fruit.  Some of my stand bys are: fruit yogurt, granola bars, cheese cubes with grapes or raisins, peaches or pineapple and cottage cheese, celery sticks and peanut butter, bowl of berries, peanut butter on crackers or vanilla wafers, and goldfish crackers or cheeze-its with raisins all with a glass of milk.  At our house, by milk, of course I mean whole milk with a little bit of Hershey's calcium enriched chocolate syrup added in; shaken, not stirred.   
     Lunch and dinner can be a little more complicated.  Remember, I am cooking for a 2 and almost 4 year old.  My decisions have to be based on what is easy to eat and digest, and on most days days, what they won't have spread from one end of the dinning room to the other.  Some things I know they won't do well with are most soups, rice (have you tried to sweep cooked rice of a wood floor...yikes!), and most spicy things.  During the week, I also need these meals to be easy and fairly quick to make. 
     I work during the day and my husband, Chuck, works in the evening so we can save on daycare costs.  Needless to say, since he is making lunch it needs to be simple.  Love you honey!  Some things I get for him to make include:  fish sticks and chicken nuggets with mac and cheese, frozen pizza, sandwiches with either deli meat and cheese or pb&j, spaghetti-o's, and hotdogs, all paired with fruit and/or a veggie.
     Dinner is my arena and is quite variable.  Like most families we seem to kind of go in phases as to what we are eating.  Lately, I have not been doing as intense cooking as I used to.  Some things I like make are as follows: chicken of all kinds, different kinds of pasta dishes like, spaghetti, alfredo, and goulash, some casseroles, homemade pizza (it is easy to get the kids involved on that one), stuffed pablano peppers, burgers, "breakfast for dinner," tacos, taco casserole, and many others.  My main rules of thumb are I want the plates to look very colorful and diverse, and I want to see all food groups represented.  Some items that definitely make life easier for me are the bags of veggies you can steam in the microwave, Prego and the like, and canned cream soups.   
     I cook things for my kids that I want to eat.  I also like to expose them to a lot of different kinds of foods with different textures and appearances to expand their palates.  I think it is an in-born mom thing that we feel good when we feed our kids well.  I love it when I try a new recipe and they say, "mmmmm mommy this is yummy!"  Cookbooks are wonderful inspiration along with the Food Network channel.  My favorites are Barefoot Contessa, Rachel Ray (because she cooks just like me, "chop and drop"), and Sandra Lee.  While shopping for the groceries may not always be an enjoyable experience the cooking and the love that comes out of kitchen sure can be.  Cooking with my kids can be a lot of fun too, when we are in the mood.  Chloe and Jackson love to mix things, sprinkle on shredded cheese, and pour things in.  Cooking teaches them about measurements and about the ingrediants.  Just remember to remind them and yourself of safety around heat and sharp objects like knives and graters.  If you have any good time or money saving ideas put them in the comments or comment under this post on my FB.  I love hearing new ideas.  We all get in a rut sometimes.  So, until next time, keep the plates happy and the tummies full!