Monday, February 09, 2009

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 6

Not a bad shopping week. Not a great one, but not bad. Earlier this week, I posted my blissful shopping by bike from Sunday, but here's the Whole Foods haul from the midweek shopping.

No, it was not by bike, as I had two bags, one of them loaded down a six pack of pop and a jug of milk. Moved the fruit into the bowl for photo. (Can't tell much from plastic baggies.) I've become a total pear addict over the past couple weeks. I'm cooking with them, eating them as-is while working at computer or driving to pick up the kids at school. (Something I advise against, having had to wipe down the door handles, steering wheel and center console after a particularly perfect Red d'Anjou.)


Week 6 Grocery Numbers:
Trader Joes - $42.63
Whole Foods - $62.19
Publix - $15.76
Week 6 Total - $120.58

Year to Date - $940.71 Weekly Average - $156.78

I will need to either double my quantity of whole wheat flour, or just plan on purchasing every other week, instead of on the four week stockup. The rice & couscous amounts were perfect, so I'm getting better. Still have a ways to go until I get it down to under $120/week. Would probably be a bit easier if I cut back another supper or two each week to basics, but I'm going to see if I can manage without that.

Supper Wars
On the supper front, was a pretty good week. I expected loads of complaints, so was quite pleased with the less than average number I received.
BBQ Chicken Breasts (Split), Roasted Sweet Potatoes w/Garlic
Snap Beans, Oat & Whole Wheat Rolls
Have gotten the kids used to the mix of regular & sweet potatoes. Am down to just cutting one russet potato into wedges, with 2-3 sweets. (Big win!)

Mild Vegetable Curry, Bronzed Chicken Breasts, Brown Rice
There were protests over the curry, until I let them stir green peas into the sauce. (I planned it this way) Used coconut milk for the sauce, instead of yogurt, to lure in B2.

Herbed Turkey / Ham Sandwiches, Celery & Carrot Sticks
Assortment of Sliced Apples and Pears.
Lest the kids think "try something new" is always about the icky vegetables, we had a family wide taste test, with three different varieties of apple and two pears. Pink Lady Apples are still the favorite, though we did enjoy the Arkansas Black. Comice beat out d'Anjou as the pear of choice.

Veggie Omelets, Turkey Bacon, Cornmeal Waffles
Brinner! Kept the veggie amount in the kids' eggs a bit lower. They're still getting used to "stuff" in eggs. No complaints, but a few raised eyebrows & scrunched noses. The uncured turkey bacon from Whole Foods (365 brand) was a big hit. Waffles are always a win.

Basil Chicken/Turkey Meatballs, Whole Wheat Linguine and Sauce
The meatballs turned out really well. Wasn't sure they would, since it was the other portion of the mixture for last weeks Cheddar Packed Burgers. No worries, though. I'll be doing this again. Added a bit extra chopped basil and parsley to the sauce before serving. None of the kids commented on the extra bit of green, so they're getting used to it. Pretty soon, I'll have fresh greens added to everything (mua ha ha)

Moroccan Spiced Lamb Stew, Couscous, Nan
It was delicious! But... the girl loved the chickpeas and hated the lamb. The boys liked the lamb, and thought I was poisoning them with the chickpeas. Between them, the dish was, well, it was like a bizarro version of the Jack Sprat nursery rhyme.

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, with Winter Veggies and Autumn Fruit
Cheesy Flatbread
Kids ate sweet potato, parsnips, carrots, pears and butternut squash, but were not at all interested in the sprouts. No surprise there, and I'm not willing to push that particular veggie just yet.


Friday's Moroccan Spiced Lamb Stew, complete with the little girl who rinsed the garbanzos and lentils, and did the garnishing. If she hadn't seen the label on the ziploc bag, it's quite possible she'd have liked the lamb. But, knowing it was lamb and not cow, she wouldn't touch it. Oh well.

Links
2009 Grocery Challenge
Supper Wars

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