Feeding a {big} American Family in a {small} French world

Okay so Monday is my menu planning/grocery shopping/food prep day.  I like to get everything done in one day so I am not making a million trips to the grocery store.  I also like to keep myself on a very strict budget so we can have money for other fun things, like, I don't know, going to London or something.  :) 

So if any of you know my husband or even have seen him, you understand that I need to purchase a lot of food to keep that man happy.  And trust me, it is worth it to keep him happy.  Lavar eats like you wouldn't believe.  (and doesn't gain a single. freakin. pound. ever. ugh)  For breakfast there will be something like 8 pancakes, 3 eggs, and a piece of meat sliced up and cooked in the eggs.  If one of the items is missing, he doesn't want it.  For lunch he has to have something hot.  Not a sandwich, that won't do.  And there has to have meat in it somewhere.  He will not eat a meal if there isn't meat in it.  So he will eat chicken and rice, or a quiche (with meat of course), or left overs from the night before (if I can ever manage to have any, you'll see).  Then for dinner he will eat a huge helping of whatever I make and then later that night at like 10 or so he will eat another helping.  There goes my left-overs...

{DISCLAIMER:  He is a professional basketball player.  I know he sounds like a prim donna right now, but first of all the man is big.  He is 6'7" 220.  Second of all, he is playing against guys that are bigger.  So he needs to bulk up.  Just defending my hubby... after I just made him sound ridiculous.  hehe}

Then there is Tae.  He is a little mirror of Lavar.  Not only does he think Lavar is the coolest thing, he is a big kid too.  So he likes a smaller version of Daddy's breakfast. 4 pancakes and 1 egg, with some meat in it.  Some days he will already have had some oatmeal and he will eat again with daddy.  And finish it.  Then for lunch it is a sandwich, fruit, crackers and dip, yogurt, and chips.  Dinner is sometimes challenging, but lately he has been devouring everything.  And combined with the complaining of leg cramps, I think we are having another growth spurt.

Then there is the little E-man.  Not too little, but the littlest of us.  (I can't wait until I am the littlest one!)  He still takes his formula and three whole meals of baby food a day.  If you are a little late on the food, the little angel turns into a little devil.  He is super sweet easy baby, until you tick him off.  Then watch out!

My not-so-full pantry

So Lavar gives me a budget and because I like a challenge, I want to see how much under that budget I can come, and still have my family fed and maybe a little extra for me.  Every Monday I set off to conquer my goal.  Few problems.  First of all, in France everything  is in smaller proportions.  Maybe that is why they are all thin, but for us, it just doesn't cut it. For example, to buy sliced meat, like for sandwhiches, they have 4 slices to a package.  4 slices??  That is like one sandwich!  Their 'maxi' sizes are like our regular American sizes.  There is no such thing as Costco here.  And I love Costco! 

So it is looking like I am going to spend about 150 Euros a week on groceries, give or take.  That translates to about 200 American dollars depending on the exchange rate.  So around 800 dollars a month for a family of four.  I am super curious.  Is that normal?  Is that good?  I try to not buy things that I don't need like candies and sweets :( but I am just not sure how it compares.  I know every family is different, but I want to see what other people do.  Can I do better?  If you don't mind telling me, leave a comment with what your family does.  I am always looking for new ways to do things or ideas to do things better.  I am still tryin to figure everything out and I like to compare ideas. 

I did good tonight.  Curry chicken and rice for about 2.30 Euros a person.  Yay!