Here are my purchases at the local grocery and the health food store:
Local grocery:
2 ice creams $2.98 each
10 bags frozen veggies $1 each
3 boxes Chex for $5
3 packs pudding cups $.88 each
2 bags white tortilla chips $2.59 each
2 packages chicken parts, $4.64 and $5.28
Pork sausage $3.18
2 heads lettuce $.88 each
2 5 lb bags apples $3.99 ea
pack mushrooms $1.98
Total came to $53.60
Health Food Store:
4 boxes tea $3.39, $4.25, $4.29, $3.59
2 half-gallons Organic Valley milk $4.89 ea
Fermented Pickles (Bubbies) $5.49
Pastured Butter $4.49
Raw Honey $3.58
Cacao Nibs $2.58
Total came to $41.44
So...total left from last shop $243.87 - $53.60 - $41.44 = $143.83 left for the month.
I will work on my menu for the rest of the month and post it soon!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
November 2011, Week 2: Can I feed a family of 5 for $450/month?
Updating today on spending since the last post on this topic.
I went to the health food store, Dollar General, and the deep-discount grocery store.
Health food store: $42.81
Grassfed Ground beef and beef liver 5.72, 3.63, Namaste GF flour $10.99, 2 dozen eggs 3.35 ea, 5# bag carrots $5.99, 2 half-gallons milk 4.89 ea
Dollar General: $8.74
3 bags Fritos (buy 2 @ $2.95/get 1 free), Cocoa Pebbles $2.50, Trident $1
(Incidently, I printed off and used a $5 off $25 coupon from the Dollar General site--helped trim down household expenses a bit! They seem to offer these on a regular basis.)
Deep Discount Grocery Store: $42.43
This store doesn't label the items on the receipt and I just put stuff away w/o writing it all down. Off the top of my head, we got: 4 boxes granola bars, 3 bags Lenders bagels, 4 bags mini whole wheat bagels, 2 boxes LIFE cereal, 3 jars of organic juice, a pound of butter, 5 8oz bags shredded cheese, box of frozen corn dogs, 3 lbs dried black eyed peas(for hubby to plant next spring), soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, 1 small can Bush's Baked Beans, 2 lbs brown sugar(Domino), 2 pkg Kraft Singles (though I thought I'd put 3 in my cart, as well as a can of Ready-Whip), mini marshmallows, and a can of International House of Coffee mix.
There are some good loss-leader deals at the local grocery that I might pick up this week, along with Tortilla chips... and I will probably need to get more milk by the end of the week as well.
My dinner menu for the week looks like this:
Monday: Venison Roast(may cut into steaks), mashed potatoes or fries, sauteed cabbage and onions, maybe salad
Tuesday: Ground Beef (or maybe venison from roast above) stir-fry with broccoli, carrots and rice
Wednesday: Sandwiches-nut butter, Fritos, cut up apples or carrots
Thursday: Hamburgers, Coleslaw, Carrot sticks, homemade freezer pickles
Friday: Beef Nachos-seasoned browned ground beef over white corn tortilla chips (that I need to buy still)
Saturday: Pizza?
Snacks: Dried/fresh apples, homemade popcorn, zucchini brownies, granola bars, "cheesy tortillas", pb bagels
Breakfasts: eggs, oatmeal, granola, cereal, "cheesy tortillas", bagels with nut butter
Lunches: leftovers, eggs and sauteed veggies/rice depending on what's in the fridge, nut butter sandwich
I went to the health food store, Dollar General, and the deep-discount grocery store.
Health food store: $42.81
Grassfed Ground beef and beef liver 5.72, 3.63, Namaste GF flour $10.99, 2 dozen eggs 3.35 ea, 5# bag carrots $5.99, 2 half-gallons milk 4.89 ea
Dollar General: $8.74
3 bags Fritos (buy 2 @ $2.95/get 1 free), Cocoa Pebbles $2.50, Trident $1
(Incidently, I printed off and used a $5 off $25 coupon from the Dollar General site--helped trim down household expenses a bit! They seem to offer these on a regular basis.)
Deep Discount Grocery Store: $42.43
This store doesn't label the items on the receipt and I just put stuff away w/o writing it all down. Off the top of my head, we got: 4 boxes granola bars, 3 bags Lenders bagels, 4 bags mini whole wheat bagels, 2 boxes LIFE cereal, 3 jars of organic juice, a pound of butter, 5 8oz bags shredded cheese, box of frozen corn dogs, 3 lbs dried black eyed peas(for hubby to plant next spring), soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, 1 small can Bush's Baked Beans, 2 lbs brown sugar(Domino), 2 pkg Kraft Singles (though I thought I'd put 3 in my cart, as well as a can of Ready-Whip), mini marshmallows, and a can of International House of Coffee mix.
Last tally: $337.85- $42.81-8.74-42.43= $243.87 left for the month
There are some good loss-leader deals at the local grocery that I might pick up this week, along with Tortilla chips... and I will probably need to get more milk by the end of the week as well.
My dinner menu for the week looks like this:
Monday: Venison Roast(may cut into steaks), mashed potatoes or fries, sauteed cabbage and onions, maybe salad
Tuesday: Ground Beef (or maybe venison from roast above) stir-fry with broccoli, carrots and rice
Wednesday: Sandwiches-nut butter, Fritos, cut up apples or carrots
Thursday: Hamburgers, Coleslaw, Carrot sticks, homemade freezer pickles
Friday: Beef Nachos-seasoned browned ground beef over white corn tortilla chips (that I need to buy still)
Saturday: Pizza?
Snacks: Dried/fresh apples, homemade popcorn, zucchini brownies, granola bars, "cheesy tortillas", pb bagels
Breakfasts: eggs, oatmeal, granola, cereal, "cheesy tortillas", bagels with nut butter
Lunches: leftovers, eggs and sauteed veggies/rice depending on what's in the fridge, nut butter sandwich
RECIPE: Another Healthy Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
Last year, I posted a recipe for Healthier Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix.
Today, I am posting another recipe that I think I like even better--especially since I can't find the Ghirardelli Hot Cocoa Mix now.
In my experience, most homemade cocoa mixes seem to not mix up very well in the cup, and little bits of stuff end up floating around and leaving a mess in the cup when you are finished drinking.
I have been making this particular recipe for hubby since January, using regular cocoa and Splenda instead of sugar for his low-carbness (I know, *sigh*). When I made it the last two times I used the Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa (more antioxidants and all that jazz). Hubby informed me that his cocoa no longer had clumps--I am glad he informed me, or I would have never known to share!
This morning, I made myself an experimental cup using sugar instead of Splenda and it came out wonderfully!
So here it is:
Another Healthy Homemade Hot Cocoa
1 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup sugar (I use cane sugar)
1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
Measure the above into a suitable storage container (I used an old cocoa container). Put the lid on and shake to combine.
Use about 3 TB per 12 oz. cup, or to taste.
I like to measure my dry mix into my cup, fill the cup just over halfway with hot water and stir it up, then top off with milk to make it creamier.
Alternative recipe--If you want to try it before you commit to making a full container:
Combine 4 teaspoons powdered milk, 2 teaspoons Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, and 2 teaspoons of sugar in your cup, add hot water (and milk, if desired). Stir and enjoy!
YUM!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
November 2011, Week 1: Can I feed a family of 5 for $450/month?
It's the start of a new month! Let's see if I can manage to feed my family of 5 for $450 this month!
I have gone through my cupboards and written a rough menu for the next two weeks.
I have looked through the sales flyer for the local grocery store and written down the best deals for our family.
I have written the grocery list with the items from the sales flyer that I plan to get, as well as the other items I need to fill out the menu.
I went to the grocery store today. I will probably go to the health food store later this week/early next week to get a few items that I can't get at the local grocery store.
Here's what I got at the local grocery store: (S=sale item)
S-1 block muenster cheese, 2 blocks sharp cheddar $7.50 (should have gotten more at last week's sale!)
6 packages of tortillas $11.94 (oops, these were supposed to be the 10/$10 ones-gotta pay attention at the register!)
9 grain bread $3.99
100% wheat bread $2.39
12 grain bread $3.99 (I plan on doing a taste test with the 3 breads to see which one the kids like best)
Whole grain hamburger buns $1.69 (passed up the sale $1 buns for these)
Black Jewel popcorn kernels $7.49
Jalapeno mustard $1
S-Domino sugar $2.99
box English tea $3.19
Unbleached flour $3.69
S-5 packs of Handi-Snacks pudding $5
S-2 packs of Nestle hot chocolate $2
large jar of Nutella $7.29
S-1 can olives $1
S-2 cans spinach $2
S-3 cans yams $3
S-3 cans of pumpkin $3
markdown can of Bush's beans $1
S-Turkey (88c/lb) $11.62
Bananas $1.46
head cabbage $2.09
head lettuce $1.49
S-mushrooms $1.50
S-5# onions $2.50
Sweet potatoes $1.34
S-16 lbs potatoes for $4
S-12 bags of frozen veggies $12
Total came to $112.15
$450-112.15 = $337.85 left for the month
Menu for the next two weeks:
Breakfasts: Eggs, Oatmeal, Cereal left from last month, toast with peanut butter/nutella, "cheesy tortillas", zucchini or Spinach Quiche if I get around to it
Lunches for me/dh(kids do school lunches): Leftovers from Supper, regular/sweet potato with toppings, almond butter on Udi's bread...
Snacks: pudding, bananas, apples(fresh or dried), tangerines, popcorn, frozen peas/carrots, Chex mix, cheese, Halloween candy (hehe)
Dinners:
~Mexican Pizza (tortillas, refried beans/salsa/cheese/olives/sour cream)
~Roasted Chicken Thighs/beets/squash from the garden/mashed potatoes?
~Lentils/Rice or some sort (Dahl?)
~Runzas/Runza guts for those of us gf/low-carb, probably with a salad
~Homemade Pizza (pepperoni/mushroom/basil from freezer-I will use the remaining Udi's crust I have left from last month for me)
~Enchiladas (chicken or beef, haven't decided yet, have masa harina in the freezer to try making corn tortillas with fewer questionable ingredients)
~Stir-fry, probably beef with broccoli and carrots, over rice
~Sandwich night-probably peanut butter or tuna or hummus
~Hamburgers, mac 'n cheese, Tailgate salad or cole slaw
~Beefy Nachos (need to buy tortilla chips before I make this)
~Venison roast(possibly made into steaks/stew meat instead), mashed potatoes, corn
~Beans/cornbread-maybe a Green Chili?
~Chicken noodle soup--perhaps something intentionally made more immune-boosting like Ginger Mushroom Chicken Soup made using frozen veggies I purchased today, pasta I have on hand, and homemade chicken broth from the freezer
~One weekend meal will probably be a canned soup, since I have some in my stash that we need to use up
I have gone through my cupboards and written a rough menu for the next two weeks.
I have looked through the sales flyer for the local grocery store and written down the best deals for our family.
I have written the grocery list with the items from the sales flyer that I plan to get, as well as the other items I need to fill out the menu.
I went to the grocery store today. I will probably go to the health food store later this week/early next week to get a few items that I can't get at the local grocery store.
Here's what I got at the local grocery store: (S=sale item)
S-1 block muenster cheese, 2 blocks sharp cheddar $7.50 (should have gotten more at last week's sale!)
6 packages of tortillas $11.94 (oops, these were supposed to be the 10/$10 ones-gotta pay attention at the register!)
9 grain bread $3.99
100% wheat bread $2.39
12 grain bread $3.99 (I plan on doing a taste test with the 3 breads to see which one the kids like best)
Whole grain hamburger buns $1.69 (passed up the sale $1 buns for these)
Black Jewel popcorn kernels $7.49
Jalapeno mustard $1
S-Domino sugar $2.99
box English tea $3.19
Unbleached flour $3.69
S-5 packs of Handi-Snacks pudding $5
S-2 packs of Nestle hot chocolate $2
large jar of Nutella $7.29
S-1 can olives $1
S-2 cans spinach $2
S-3 cans yams $3
S-3 cans of pumpkin $3
markdown can of Bush's beans $1
S-Turkey (88c/lb) $11.62
Bananas $1.46
head cabbage $2.09
head lettuce $1.49
S-mushrooms $1.50
S-5# onions $2.50
Sweet potatoes $1.34
S-16 lbs potatoes for $4
S-12 bags of frozen veggies $12
Total came to $112.15
$450-112.15 = $337.85 left for the month
Menu for the next two weeks:
Breakfasts: Eggs, Oatmeal, Cereal left from last month, toast with peanut butter/nutella, "cheesy tortillas", zucchini or Spinach Quiche if I get around to it
Lunches for me/dh(kids do school lunches): Leftovers from Supper, regular/sweet potato with toppings, almond butter on Udi's bread...
Snacks: pudding, bananas, apples(fresh or dried), tangerines, popcorn, frozen peas/carrots, Chex mix, cheese, Halloween candy (hehe)
Dinners:
~Mexican Pizza (tortillas, refried beans/salsa/cheese/olives/sour cream)
~Roasted Chicken Thighs/beets/squash from the garden/mashed potatoes?
~Lentils/Rice or some sort (Dahl?)
~Runzas/Runza guts for those of us gf/low-carb, probably with a salad
~Homemade Pizza (pepperoni/mushroom/basil from freezer-I will use the remaining Udi's crust I have left from last month for me)
~Enchiladas (chicken or beef, haven't decided yet, have masa harina in the freezer to try making corn tortillas with fewer questionable ingredients)
~Stir-fry, probably beef with broccoli and carrots, over rice
~Sandwich night-probably peanut butter or tuna or hummus
~Hamburgers, mac 'n cheese, Tailgate salad or cole slaw
~Beefy Nachos (need to buy tortilla chips before I make this)
~Venison roast(possibly made into steaks/stew meat instead), mashed potatoes, corn
~Beans/cornbread-maybe a Green Chili?
~Chicken noodle soup--perhaps something intentionally made more immune-boosting like Ginger Mushroom Chicken Soup made using frozen veggies I purchased today, pasta I have on hand, and homemade chicken broth from the freezer
~One weekend meal will probably be a canned soup, since I have some in my stash that we need to use up
Allergy Update November 1, 2011
Since today marks the beginning of a new month, I decided to update my readers on how I am feeling allergy-wise since my last BaxAura appointment.
I feel very good lately! I am still doing the gluten-free and tomato-free thing, and I feel that it is paying off and helping my body to further heal. I am trying to stay on top of taking a probiotic (preferably in the form of homemade kefir) fairly regularly, and have also been taking digestive enzymes when I feel the need, which do wonders. I even ate out last weekend and did not have any repercussions!
So there you have it, my little positive update. :)
I feel very good lately! I am still doing the gluten-free and tomato-free thing, and I feel that it is paying off and helping my body to further heal. I am trying to stay on top of taking a probiotic (preferably in the form of homemade kefir) fairly regularly, and have also been taking digestive enzymes when I feel the need, which do wonders. I even ate out last weekend and did not have any repercussions!
So there you have it, my little positive update. :)
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