Re-stocking my arsenal!

Does anyone else feel excited when they need to go grocery shopping? I love staring at the weekly sales and vibrant produce. I like having an idea of what my weekly meals will look like before the weekend ends. I go into the store already with some dishes in mind but as I stare at the available choices, I adjust my game plan slightly.

How do you plan what you eat? Do you go in take it day by day, meal by meal, week by week?

This weekend is Sam's Club Spring Open House (it ends tomorrow so GO if you aren't a member). I'm not a member but I couldn't pass out the opportunity to go and see if I WANT to be a member. My mom's a Costco member so I've always been a fan of these wholesale warehouses. I picked up bulk containers of spices, some baking ingredients, bulk protein (salmon, flank steak, and chuck roast meat), and toilet paper. For produce, I picked up some avocados, English cucumbers, and garlic. I need to portion out the protein into smaller portion sizes later.

I went after breakfast but the grocery trip took longer than I imagined. I was very tempted to grab something quick along the way because I was hungry. I talked myself out of it though because I knew I could whip up something at home within 30 minutes.

This is what I ended up making...

Spicy Burgers on a Baguette Roll

Ingredients

1/2 Sweet Onion (sliced)

1/2 tsp Vegetable Oil

10 oz lean Ground Beef

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 tsp Dried Basil

4 cloves Garlic (minced)

2 slices Pepper Jack Cheese

2 sandwich sized Baguettes or any other bun on hand

1. In a small pot, sauté onions with 1/2 tsp oil on medium heat for 3-4 minutes

2. Lower heat to low and allow onions to continue to caramelize

3. Season the beef with the spices and garlic

4. Form into 2 patties the shape of your bread (mine were long oval shapes)

5. Preheat a pan on high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray

6. Cook patties approximately 4-5 minutes on each side

7. Place cheese on top of each patty

8. Toast bread and serve one patty on each baguette

9. Top with caramelized onions

* I finished it off with some pickled jalapenos, ketchup, and shredded romaine lettuce. I served it with a side of roasted sweet potatoes (Roasted Sweet Potato Recipe)

I was glad I opted for eating at home instead of eating out. The time it would take for me to decide where I wanted to eat, order my food, and wait for it to come out would have been longer than making it myself. I also saved money since all these ingredients were already in my fridge!

Hope everyone makes good choices this weekend!

Do you guys shop at any wholesale retailers? What are the best savings you've found?