Grocery Budgets

I'm weeks behind in getting the information typed up. No good reasons, just excuses. I started keeping the lists on Google Documents, instead of in AppleWorks, and I really like it. At least I think I like it - I'm lousy with spreadsheets. Odd, because I'm quite good at working with the data once it's in there, but I can mess up a template and formulas during setup faster than my 3rd grader.

Average weekly grocery bills for my family of five has continued to drop. As of the end of this week (39), it's down to $125.69. Means the per person is roughly $25/week, and that is not too shabby. (It can get better though, especially once I have the pantry for bulk rice, oat, and flour purchases, beginning in two weeks.) The totals for a couple of weeks are going to be great for pulling down my average for a week of groceries for a family of five. In getting ready to move, the fridge, freezer and pantry emptied out. The new house is only 5-10 minutes away, but still don't want to carry anything we don't have to.

I'm still figuring out the whole sharing thing on google docs. In theory, I can set these nifty links, and anyone can click over to see the shopping list.

Week 38

Week 39

The more interesting part of my catch-up will have to go up tomorrow. We've built up a decent number of kid-approved recipes during the 8-9 months of Try Something New Dinner, aka Supper Wars. We're not trying new recipes quite as many days each week, but there have been three pretty successful new additions over the last couple weeks. Want to take the time to post links, as they are really well worth trying. As of this moment, I need to get to bed. Have to make up my long run tomorrow morning, since I didn't get out in the heavy rain after B1's cross country meet.

Extreme Frugality

I've been pretty proud of my efforts to cut the grocery bills from the highs of a couple of years ago - a little over $200/week. And that $200/week was when I was shopping the sales at the big grocers, and taking advantage of coupons from the Sunday paper.

I'm not a coupon shopper anymore, and generally do the shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joes, with less frequent trips to the big grocers, costco and the farmers market. Doing things this way, you don't exactly have a Sunday sales flyer to use while building your weekly menu and shopping list. It's working better than I'd thought when I started changing the way I shopped.

With the couple of months, I've been able to pull the average weekly spending to under $130/week for our family of five. As the temps cool, and baking all of our bread becomes practical again, it'll keep dropping. In fact, if I can keep my $110 & under weeks going, we should be on track for a below $120/week average by the end of the year. Being below the USDA "frugal" spending levels was - I thought - quite the accomplishment.

Until I read about the Z-day Challenge. W. Hodding Carter, a writer for Gourmet, has spent the summer growing vegetables, stocking the freezer with a quarter-cow, and prepping for a month with Zero Spending.

That's right. ZERO spending.

I realized the moment of truth had arrived. The Z-Day Challenge, our personal anti-stimulus project. For the entire month of September, we’re spending ZERO dollars. We’re ready. Our garden’s ready.

It’s our civic duty.

As some of you may remember, I’ve theorized (read ranted) that spending our way out of this current mess is wrong. To me, it’s like putting an overweight person on a 1,000 calorie-a-day diet of ice cream. It may work in the short term, but it’s definitely not healthy in the long run. We need to remember—or in most cases, learn—how to save money, pay off our debts, and become one with reality: The party has now been over for quite a while.

So, on August 31, after topping off the cars and stocking up on groceries and a month’s worth of animal feed, we’re migrating to Unamerica—a land where misers are heroes and spendthrifts are scorned. A land of limited horizons and very little opportunity. A land where … well, you get the idea. I know this sounds like a gimmick since we have a fairly full pantry, nearly a quarter of a cow in our freezer, and we will still pay our monthly bills, but answer this: What’s the longest you’ve ever gone while living your normal daily life without buying something? Think about it. Be honest. A month? A week? A day? For me, during this frugal year, I’ve lasted around two to three days. But I want to do better. It’s time to shake off the shackles and see what it’s like without consuming.

Wow.

At first glance it seems like a big plunge. Heck, it seems like a big plunge at second & third glance, too. But, I've started reading the beginning of the Extreme Frugality series, published back in February.

For years, Lisa had been telling me we were living beyond our means. “Please, please, Hodding, don’t buy that hand-carved black walnut countertop!” she’d implore. In fact, once she even kicked me out of the house for nine months in hopes that I’d wake up. But like that alcoholic who downs yet another Two-Buck-Chuck, I wasn’t ready. I knew that my next book was going to be an international bestseller and I felt entitled to live as did my father (although he was 25 years older than I) and all those successful, happy people in ads and on TV. Here I was, though, finally seeing the raw truth. Our average combined income—drum roll, please—for the past decade had been … $41,000. Thanks to those heady days of refinancing, deft shuffling of credit-card debt, deceased grandparents, and a lucrative house sale, however, we had lived, year after year, as if we were making $120,000. Like 70 percent of our fellow Americans, we were living off our VISA cards with no means of paying them off any time soon. As a result, we had $75,000 in credit-card debt and owed $245,000 on a $289,000 house. What had I been thinking?

Never mind. I’ll sort out the “why” on my therapist’s couch. Right now, it’s time to do the unthinkable. It’s time for us to be more like our grandparents and less like our neighbors. (Ninety percent of us buy something we don’t need every month, and Americans in all walks of life—except the very rich—carry $961 billion of credit-card debt at any given moment, paying $1.22 for every $1 they spend.) For the first time ever, my family is going to do the unthinkable. We’re going to live within our means. No matter what we actually make, we’re only going to spend $41,000 for the entire year. In other words, after paying our mortgage, taxes, insurance, and the $500 to service our credit-card debt, our family of six is going to live on $550 a month.

After mortgage and credit card payments, $550, for a family of six. Again, Wow.

I am a lightweight, a pansy, in comparison to this family. I intend to keep reading my way through the year, and see which lessons I can carry over into my family's habits. (Not raising chickens for eggs though. Even if there weren't zoning laws about livestock intown, I do not want to clean up a henhouse. Been there, done that, and glad to buy my veggie-fed, no-cage eggs at the store.)

Still, there's probably a lot more I can do, and next month is probably a good time to try it. After all, it was last September that I embarked on trying out a variation of the $100 Grocery Challenge, where I upped the amount to $125, to reflect the five members of my family, rather than the four in the original article. Maybe, if I can spend the next week doing some serious planning and sensible stocking up, I can try a month of Semi-Extreme Frugality. It won't be zero spending, but maybe I can treat it like a limbo... how low can you go?

Grocery Challenge - At the halfway point

Slightly past the halfway point for the year, but I'm making progress on dropping the regular weekly grocery budget for the family into the range I tried out for one month last year. Getting my weekly shopping information into Google Docs has taken a while. I put all the weekly totals into a spreadsheet, and found I lost my ability to add a list of numbers properly, at least by the old paper & pencil methods. Somewhere over the last six months, I'd gotten off by about $40. Not sure if it was an incident (or three) of reversing numbers in transfer, or if the children and old age are taking their toll by erasing the basics of addition from my mind.

As far as errors go, it's a good one. My botched YTD was higher than the correct number, so I'm glad to admit it. I'm not going to go back through every single shopping trip, item by item. But, I will pop a snapshot of the year so far right here:


I haven't managed to get the weekly average below the target of $25/person (or less), but I'm getting closer. With the last few weeks of summer, there's a bit more "junk" food than there will be once school starts. Popsicles for handing to kids during outside chores in the heat. Ice cream and cones - so I can easily head off requests for $2-3 frozen treats at the pool. Single serve snacks, juice boxes and pre-sliced apples for hikes, bike rides or mommy pool camp. Between those items and the fact I'm shopping with the children throughout the summer, I look forward to the totals continuing to drop over the next few months.

The ongoing "try something new" suppers are a big part of the difference. By treating a few meals each week as experimental dinners and letting the kids make suggestions for how recipes can be altered to make dishes more kid-friendly, we're finding ways for everyone to eat the same meal, though sometimes with slight kid/grownup variations. I'm not cooking two completely separate dinners very often anymore. If I have a hankering for a really spicy curry dish, or something they've tried and truly disliked (like the pan-crisped deviled eggs on french lettuces), they get cheesy pasta and veggies. Other than the snacks mentioned above, we really don't have much in the way of heavily processed foods.

Here's the weekly lists for the last few weeks. I know the YTD and average don't match up... like I said, my math skills are not what they once were. Thankfully, there's technology to make up for my failings.
Week 28 - $96.67
Week 29 - $91.78
Week 30 - $106.33
Week 31 - $102.58

**Shoot. Along with my diminishing math skills, I've also forgotten how to correctly set up a batch of images for conversion. Will need to grab the last week and add to post in a bit.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 27

Week 27 Shopping:
Trader Joes - $28.17
Costco - $120.15

Trader Joes (bike) - $24.06
Total - $172.38

2009 YTD - $3,665.52
Average weekly spending - $135.76

Still a bit higher than I'd like, but there was still a bit of restocking to do for both pantry and freezer. I took the June coupons to Costco for a few things I knew we'd use, and decided to buy the big pack of chicken breasts, onions and potatoes while there. The potatoes and vidalias have been definitely been worth it, but I'm not quite sure about the chicken. The two packs I used from the refrigerator were quite good - I'd say as good as the regular chicken breasts from Whole Foods. The Costco packs used from the freezer so far have been a bit stringy, though still tasty. If freezing poultry, I think I need to stick with the super-fresh from the Farmers Market. Even though the packets were "never frozen", they don't thaw out quite as well as the straight-from-the-butcher-counter breasts.

Supper Wars

Didn't try anything brand new this week, but did re-try a few things which have not gone over so well in the past. Meatless burgers being one of them. We bought boca burgers at Costco because of the coupon, but the samplers were handing out pieces of the store brand portobella & garlic burgers, which two of three children said they liked. Next time, we'll get those, because they were delish!

Snacky Dinner: Brie, Cilantro/Chive Yogurt Dip, Pita Chips, Red Wax Gouda, Baby Carrots, Berries & Apples

Went with a movie night. Mostly a hit, sort of. B1 didn't care for the yogurt dip; other two did. B2 still doesn't like Brie; other two do. DD is still the only one who eats strawberries...

Boca Burgers, Roasted potato & vidalia (foil packets), spinach salad

Burgers declared edible, but not good. Wasn't the texture, which surprised me. B2 suggested I use worcestershire sauce, so it would taste more like a real burger. As usual, kids enjoyed taste of potatoes cooked with onions, but skipped eating any pieces of onion.

Brinner! Turkey Bacon, Spinach Omelette, Whipping Cream Biscuits

Less whining this time, but there's still more spinach left on the plate than eaten when the egg is all gone.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 26

Week 26 Shopping:
Whole Foods - $91.70
Publix - $87.24
Total - $178.94

2009 YTD - $3,493.14
Average weekly spending - $134.35


These first two weeks back from vacation are a bit higher, as I'm restocking the fridge & freezer we emptied out before the trip. And, there was the matter of junk food. Publix had both brownie mix and ice cream sales, so it was a good time to restock the items for occasional gluttony. It turned out to be a bit more spaving (spending to save) than spurging though, as the promise of a scoop of ice cream or cold can of yoohoo (don't ask) when we get back home from the pool saved my wallet - and patience - from begging for pricier single serve items sold by our friendly neighborhood ice cream man.

Supper Wars
Meals were fairly simple this week.

Orange Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Jasmine Rice and Broccoli
Father's Day request. Two kids liked the shrimp, one ate under protest. None of them ate the peppers, onions and mushrooms on the skewers. That was anticipated, which is why there was broccoli.

Turkey Tacos, Mango & Black Bean Salad
Still can't get the kids excited about the black beans in salad form. Guess they'll have to be mixed in with the turkey for a while longer. Had ice cold Dublin Dr Pepper with this dinner. No dessert necessary after. (Wish I'd bought an extra three or four cases of the stuff while we were at the soda shop in Texas.)

Chicken Fried Rice
Got a night of leftovers out of this, too.

Brinner!
Spinach & Mushroom omlet, Turkey Bacon, Whole Wheat & Flax Waffles. (No mushrooms for kids.) Turned out to be perfect comfort food on a night we all needed it, too.

Thai Basil Chicken & Sticky Rice
Used thinly cut strips of chicken breast instead of ground chicken, and cut back a little on the red chili to keep from scaring off the kids. Used loads of both Thai and Sweet Basil from the planter. Soooo good. Will post link to recipe soon. Want to make sure I link the one with the step by step photos.

Grocery Challenge Catch Up

Missed getting the last couple of weeks up before vacation, so am putting up stores & totals without the full shopping lists. Full lists and "try something new" menu will restart next week.

Week 21 (5/17 - 5/23):
Trader Joe's - $60.32
Costco - $86.94 (Stock-up trip)
Trader Joe's (bike) - $23.03
Total - $170.29

Week 22 (5/24-5/30):
Publix - $32.34
Little Euro. Bakery - $8.29
Publix - $59.33
Total - $99.96
This was an experiment in standard supermarket shopping. Prices good, but some of the food, especially produce... meh.

Week 23 (5/31-6/6):
Whole Foods (bike) - $30.25
Publix - $31.73
Whole Foods - $49.81
Total - $111.79

Grocery spending (as of 6/6/2009): $3,239.90
Average weekly spending: $140.86

We were on the road for Week 24 and Week 25. The restaurant meals we ate were officially part of the vacation budget, so don't figure here. I did pick up travel food at Trader Joes before we left, and again in Colorado at Safeway before we headed out for the trek back home.

The little bit spent on peanut butter pretzels, olive oil popcorn, juice boxes, baby carrots, apples, babybel cheese wheels, dried fruits and nuts provided us with a few picnic lunches, helping us avoid greasy fast food meals and more expensive "healthier" restaurant alternatives. Also saved quite a few whining rants - I mean requests - for the pricey snacks while we were refueling the van.

Week 24 (6/7-6/13):
Trader Joes - $33.13

Week 25 (6/14-6/20):
Safeway - $41.17
I'm totally spoiled by Trader Joe's prices on bagged fruits and nuts. The list of items purchased for the trip home was quite close to the list for the trip out, but the cashews, pistachios and almonds in the little canisters cost quite a bit more than my usual $5.99-$8.99 baggies at TJ's.

Grocery spending (as of 6/20): $3,314.20
Average weekly spending: $132.57

I'll post a few of the memorable "try something new" meals in our ongoing Supper Wars this weekend, after I see if I can dig up recipe links. If not, I'll type them up and post. Yes, a couple were that good.

I'm a beyond-thrifty grocery shopper!

I may think the grocery budget needs further trimming, but I'm beyond frugal by government standards. This isn't the beginnings of a rant on wasteful spending and federal bailouts, though that does seem like the obvious direction for this post to take. This is about official numbers on the food budget of the average American family, but - what the heck - let's make a brief side trip to the rant.

The federal government does entirely too much snooping and mucking about in the daily details of our shopping lives. In addition to being meddlesome, government agencies are constantly gathering data. Not that this is all bad. Data about population and crime statistics fall squarely into planning for the government to do it's main job - protecting life, liberty and property. But then there's all those other little details of our lives. Like that census question everyone likes to use to point out the ridiculous - about how many flush toilets are in a house.

In this case, the data has been collected by the US Dept. of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and is related to weekly grocery spending. It's broken down by sex and age, and has been conveniently categorized as Thrift, Low, Moderate, and Liberal. It's updated monthy. As unhappy as I am to find my tax dollars used to snoop in grocery baskets, the data is current, answers a question I had about how our food bills compare to others, and was easy to find. I'll swallow my grumbling and use it. After all, I paid for the @#!* stuff.

My question: How does our average weekly grocery spending of $142.89 compare to the national average?

According to the January 2009 data (link to PDF):

Family of four, with children in the 6-8 and 9-11 range:
Thrift.............$139.00
Low...............$179.90
Moderate.....$224.80
Liberal..........$272.90

Great, but I also have a teenaged boy. The recommendation is to reduce the weekly amount for the age/sex by 7% when adding to an existing family group. I used 10%, to avoid needing a calculator.

Male child, age 14-18 (less 10%):
Thrift.............$33.75
Low...............$47.07
Moderate.....$58.59
Liberal..........$67.32

Add the two sets together, and here are the USDA amounts for the weekly food spending of a family of five, with children aged eight, nine and fifteen:

Thrift.............$172.75
Low...............$226.97
Moderate.....$282.59
Liberal..........$340.00

The average weekly spending for my family is $30 less than the Thrift level of spending. Many weeks come in below the Thrift level for a family of four. Even my big stock-up weeks, with gourmet cheeses and fancy coffee, come in between the Low and Moderate levels.

I have lost just about all sympathy for anyone who says it's too tough and too expensive to buy healthy food. For people with access to only the inner city convenience markets that may be true. But for everyone else... Really?!

I do most of our shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joes, both considered to be at the high end of pricing. Buy organic when I can, especially if it's an item where we'll be eating the skin. Free range chicken. Grass fed beef. Eggs from birds with hormone free, vegetarian diets.

Sure, I could do more to lower the bill. Using only bulk dry beans, rather than purchasing canned, is a big one, given how many days they're mixed into our meals. If I were to make the drive out to the Super Walmart and Farmers Market each week, I could probably drop the bill even further. The only reason I don't is one of time and effort. I get far more enjoyment out of the ride to the store on the bike than I would from driving around the suburbs. It's worth an extra $10-15 each week to stay within a 3 mile radius of home. (Actually, if you figure in gas, it's probably more like $5-10 each week I'd save.)

I get that it's a convenience and personal preference thing. I bake oat muffins for breakfasts, and always make extra waffles during weekend breakfasts, to keep in the freezer for another day. Our granola is homemade. (Not cheap, once I add all the nuts & fruits, but still less than if I were to purchase the premium packaged stuff at the store.) Lunches are made with homemade sandwiches, not pre-packaged lunchmeat & cheese combos. Meat, poultry and fish are parts of our dinners, but rarely the main part.

I'm not saying everyone should do what I do. What works for us is far more difficult for someone who works full time. Heck, I read several Mom & Food bloggers who do far more from-scratch cooking than I do, plus gardening and food preserving. There are families out there who eat diets far healthier and greener than ours. In comparing the numbers here though, I have a pretty good idea that those families' grocery bills might not be much, if any, higher than mine.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 20

Good week for the shopping by bike, with the exception of the frozen rear wheel and the call to my knight in shining armor for a rescue, right at the beginning of the week. Freewheel cleaned and oiled, so rest of the trips went smoothly. Again, loving the added cargo space having the panniers provides. And the stability of having all the weight on the rear rack.

Week 20 Shopping:
Whole Foods (Bike) - $62.14
Kroger - $6.17
Trader Joes (Bike) - $25.14
Euro. Bakery (Bike) - $4.75
Farmstand (Bike) - $9.25
Total - $107.40
Year to Date - $2,857.86
Average weekly spending - $142.89

There's around $80 not included with this week's shopping. Made the decision to pull all of the food for school parties and cooking for the international festival out of the regular shopping. I have a monthly item on the budget tagged "Misc-School" which covers things like yearbooks, field day t-shirts, teacher gifts. I felt the foods for the Swedish and Australian tables fell squarely in that category.

Week 21 is the final week of school, so there are a few more party items to purchase. Nothing like this week's shopping though. I'm looking forward to seeing what Week 22 does for the shopping budget, with lunches at home and juice by the half gallon, instead of 10pk drink packets.

Supper Wars -

Butter Chicken, Basmati Rice, Green Peas
First time with no complaints, even though it was the official tangy version. Used greek yogurt, rather than coconut milk. For the kids, chose breast meat, instead of thighs. Kept the biggest critic of the dish involved in the cooking process. B2 & I decided to use sweet vidalia onions, instead of the usual yellow or white, and that I should keep scoop some of the curry paste to the side. That way, I could make the servings as spicy as my evil tastebuds desired.

Cheese Flatbread Pizza, Salad

Baked Pasta (w/Bison), Salad
The kids who make faces about meat if they know it's not coming from the big three of farm animals are continuing their exploration of other protein sources, such as bison and lamb. And by exploration, I mean being kept in the dark by mom until after they've eaten a meal and pronounced it a winner. (Yes, the same strategy used for sneaking in veggies.) Had leftover pasta, salad and fruit a couple nights later.

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Pears and Root Vegetables
Brussels sprouts, carrots, sweet potato, red and vidalia onion, pears and garlic; tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, thyme, sea salt and red pepper. The kids tried the sweet potato and carrot, but weren't at all impressed. Was okay, as this was completely expected, and already planned as the night of the leftover pasta. One of my favorite dishes, but not one I'm going to force on the kids. My memory of childhood brussels sprout traumas are still too vivid.

Baked Ginger Sesame Tofu, Sticky Rice
Stir Fried Veggies
Kids ate green beans and carrots from the stir fry, but left all the squash, onions, peppers, etc., untouched. Sigh.

Cornmeal Waffles, Bacon, Fruit & Yogurt
Brinner!

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 19

I'm not sure if it's the beginning of the summer drop in produce prices, or the smaller amount I can carry on my two-wheeled grocery trips, but I am liking these last two weeks of grocery bills. (We'll have to see if having the ability to carry to bags' worth of food increases the overall bill, now that I have the panniers.)


The trip to Harry's Farmers Market was with one of the children, so the bike wasn't an option. 20+ miles round trip, in traffic, with the one child in the house who hates being on a bike to the point of actively sabotaging the balance of the adult in the front seat is not on my To-Do list. I would consider hooking up DD for a trip to TJs or Starbucks though. It would have to be early on a weekend morning, when there's very little traffic, but I think she'd be great.

Anyways... the numbers:

Week 19 Shopping:
Harry's (Whole Foods) - $50.69
Publix - $15.94
Trader Joes (Bike) - $22.93
Euro. Bakery (Bike) - $1.75
Trader Joes (Bike) - $25.72
Total - $117.03
Year to Date - $2,750.16
Average weekly spending - $144.75

Supper Wars-
Good week on the food front. Only one day where there was any big conflict. It was over a dahl curry with couscous. I may need to give up on that one for a while, other than as a small side dish for the kids when I want it for the grownup supper. Did a bit of convenience cooking this week, by combining prep for two suppers at a time. Made enough lemon-pepper marinade one night to take care of the tuna for that night's meal, and to zip into a baggie with chicken breast for the next night. Then, the little bit of lemon pepper chicken which was extra got used the following evening in fried rice.


Mac & Cheese, Peas

Honey/Maple Turkey Sandwiches, Apples, Baby Carrots

Dahl Curry & Couscous, Salad

Lemon Pepper Tuna, Oven Baked Mac & Cheese, Green Beans
The lighter color of the lemon pepper didn't make it as easy for the kids to think of the tuna steaks as "steak" instead of "tuna" as with the dark soy/honey/ginger. Will need to stick with the darker marinades until they forget tuna is fish.

Lemon Pepper Chicken, Basmati/Wild Rice Medley, Salad

Veggie Fried Rice w/ LP Chicken, Sliced Pears

Mini Cheeseburgers, Roasted Garlic Russet/Sweet Potatoes, Corn on the Cob

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 18

Week 18 Shopping:
Trader Joes (Bike) - $19.74
Publix - $15.43
Trader Joes (Bike) - $26.43
Euro. Bakery (Bike) - $6.25
Trader Joes (Bike) - $44.41
Total - $112.18
Year to Date - $2,633.13
Average weekly spending - $146.28

The total could have been lower, but I gave in to a couple of special requests from the kids, like the Gouda w/Walnuts and the chocolate filled shortbread cookies. Oh - and I restocked cashews and pecans for salad topping and granola. Most shopping was done by bike this week. If weather permits, I'm planning to do the same thing this week.


Supper Wars
Good stuff this week, but nothing fancy. The big win for the week was getting zucchini into the children successfully! (Hid it in lasagna.)

Chicken Breasts, Potato & Onion Pierogi with Butter-Onion Sauce, Peas, Tomato Salad
The mashed potato texture of the pierogi filling disturbed B2, but everyone else enjoyed. The tomato salad ended up being all mine. (I didn't mind - I'm a big fan of the tomato.)

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chickpea Curry Brown Rice, Leftover Chicken
Knew the kids wouldn't eat much of the curry, even though it was mild, so served up the leftover chicken on the side. I think it's growing on them. Or the lack of complaints just means they've abandoned hope.

Lasagna (Turkey Italian Sausage & Zucchini), Salad, Ciabatta
Had the leftovers the next evening, along with salad and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Veggie Stir Fry, Fried Rice

Brinner!
Was just B2 & me. Bacon, garlic roasted potatoes, slow-scrambled eggs (super creamy) and fruit.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 17

Week 17 Shopping:
Publix - $46.67
Whole Foods - $54.87
Trader Joes (Bike) - $31.75
Euro. Bakery (Bike) - $11.75
Trader Joes (Bike) - $8.46
Total - $153.30
Year to Date - $2,520.95
Average weekly spending - $153.30


I'm missing one of my receipts from this week, so my list isn't complete. Used the total charge as the amount, so it's just the items missing.

I needed to take goodies into classes @ school, and there are peanut allergies. The bakery nearest our house runs a peanut-free kitchen, so nobody was left out, as they would have been with anything either home-baked or from the grocery bakery. We tried a loaf of the whole wheat sandwich bread, and will let the kids try the buttercrust this week. With prices of $1.75-$3.50 for the various breads, I think I may be shelving my bread pans for the duration of the hot summer months. It's not quite as low as the per loaf cost of ingredients for homemade, but once you include the extra cost of cooling the house on a baking day when it's 85+ degrees, it's probably pretty close.

With the return of gorgeous weather, I'll be trying something new for Week 18. Info. later today, but a quick glance at the ( ) on Week 17's list ought to give it away.

Supper Wars-

New stuff this week:

5 Spice Chicken with Vegetable Stir Fry,
Veggie Fried Rice
Didn't add as much 5 Spice Powder as recipe called for. Figured the flavor might be too intense if I did. Odd reception of the veggies. Carrots are always a fave. Noses were turned up at the normally loved broccoli, but yellow squash was embraced. Celery got by for the first time, but mushrooms and zucchini were still on the "no eat" list.

Braised Lamb in Beer & Onions, Whole Wheat Rolls,
Mashed Garlic Potatoes, Orange Cauliflower & Broccoli
Kids helped with this dinner, peeling potatoes and garlic cloves. Nobody but me knew it was lamb. This was possible because of the Whole Foods labeling, "New Zealand Boneless Shoulder Roast."

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Weeks 15 & 16

Now that I'm playing catch up after the chaos of the last couple weeks, I'm taking a close look at my receipts for the first time. The numbers are up. Week 15 was a bit of a stock up week, but there was extra spending that can only be due to shopping with 1-3 children tagging along. One child, not that tough. All three of them, and my brain ceased to function.

It was spring break, two of them are hitting a growth spurt, they were all feeling snacky, so were their friends, we were having company for a birthday, etc... I know, enough excuses.

Week 15 Shopping:
Publix - $46.54
Trader Joes - $47.42
Farmers Mkt - $93.98
Costco - $22.07
Total - $210.01
Year to Date - $2,180.39
Average weekly spending - $145.79


The following week was a little better. Between birthday dinners, but a pressed schedule (no baking time) and a pantry which had been cleaned out of all the things I normally package in lunchboxes made for another week where I bought more snacks than usual.

Week 16 Shopping:
Whole Foods - $28.69
Kroger - $95.45
Whole Foods - $63.12
Total - $187.26
Year to Date - $2,367.65
Average weekly spending - $147.97

Supper Wars -

I have very little memory of cooking dinner for much of these two weeks. The new things, and what we had for supper when Grandma & Grandpa were over are a bit more memorable - some good, some not so good.

Lobster Ravioli, Salad, Oat/Wheat Dinner Bread
The children acted like I was trying to kill them. Even the teenager, who tried it and liked it, decided I was evil. He apparently felt betrayed I didn't tell him it was lobster before he sat down to supper. (I did.) I think I was supposed to stand between him and the television screen, waving my arms and speaking slowly, until he broke away from Halo Wars. (Ugh.) Anyway, lots of salad & rolls for the kids.

Penne w/ Vodka Sauce
Made this sauce with homemade tomato sauce. So. Good. Have two more pints of the tomato sauce in the freezer, just waiting to be turned into something delicious. Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.

Sweet Potato Curry w/Spinach and Chickpeas, Basmati Rice
Amazing, but only from the grownup perspective. Two kids tried it. One liked it. Middle child refused to eat anything but rice and green peas. (Recipe for curry dish here.)

Dahl Curry w/Couscous, Naan
After the earlier curry, I expected a big fight on this one. Didn't get one. They picked out the grape tomato halves and peppers, but admitted to rather liking this dish. Since DD helped wash & rip up the parsley & coriander, there was no suspicion of the "green stuff" in the dish. (Some of which was spinach.)

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 14

Week 14 Shopping:
Publix - $31.64
Trader Joes - $20.35
Publix - $41.96
Total - $93.95
Year to Date - $1,970.38

Average weekly spending - $140.74


Until I sat down with the receipts yesterday, I was sure this week would show up as a step backward in budgeting. Didn't follow any of the normal guidelines. I shopped without a list. Picked up a bit of junk food. Bought bread, instead of baking. Plus, everyone was here this week. When I took off the non food items - vitamins, allergy meds for the whole family, ibuprofen for the post-half legs - the total for the week was under $100. Taking advantage of a few of the Buy One, Get One specials at Publix definitely helped.

I'm starting Week 15 completely out of meat, poultry, milk, rice, couscous, oats, etc., so this week will definitely be higher as I restock. With the kids out of school for Spring Break, the food cost may end up being higher for lunches, too. The weather stinks, and cold temps are sparking requests for hot lunches and cocoa.

A good thing about the lousy weather these first few days of break - I'll have enthusiastic participants in the Farmers Market trip. They'll be completely sick of the house, not long after using up all their video game time. Time on the Xbox360 is earned by physical activity and chores. I'm going to guess that, for the kids, walking around the farmers market trumps cleaning out under their beds.

Supper Wars-

Flatbread Pizza, Salad & Fruit (Kids)
Leftover Sw. Potato Curry & Flatbread
This was after getting up early for the trip downtown for the ING Half-marathon. Nobody was terribly motivated, and we were all very happy with our dinners.

Chicken Fried Rice, Garlic Green Beans

Turkey Tacos, Black Bean, Corn & Mango Salad

Baked Mac & Cheese, Broccoli (Kids)
Quinoa Salad w/Feta & Avocado
The kids sampled the quinoa before I mixed it into the salad. DD is convinced the little string-like centers are worms, thanks to the comments of big brother. (I refrained from murdering the boy in question.)

Pork Chops w/Mango & Roasted Red Peppers
Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Liked the flavor left by roasted peppers, but wouldn't eat the actual peppers, yet. When I puree the peppers with more mango and onion, making a BBQ sauce for chicken, they'll eat them.

Garlic Chicken, Dahl Curry w/Couscous
Cornbread, Salad
Once they learned dahl was related to the lentils and chickpeas they work so hard to avoid, the eating of dahl & couscous stopped. It was expected, but still disappointing. (I'm pretty sure they're not actually my children, having been replaced by alien clones at some point.) The cornbread was a non-dairy experiment. Used olive oil and soy milk, instead of melted butter & whole milk. It was good, though a bit drier on day two than the dairy version would normally be.

Spaghetti w/ Pistachio Pesto, Salad, Rustic Italian Bread
The pesto was amazing. Modified the recipe from one out of the Splendid Table host's How to Eat Supper cookbook. Used the food processor, instead of doing the rough chop, figuring it best if the onions blended with the basil and pistachio. It worked.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 13

A few days late posting this, but it took me a while to figure out where the receipts were and what we'd eaten for dinner. Sunday was a lot harder on my brain than I thought it would be. Not the run, but the part about getting up at 4:00 a.m. after a restless night of paranoid dreams about sleeping through the alarm.

Week 13 Shopping:
Whole Foods - $26.20
Publix - $50.34
Trader Joes - $26.81
Total - $103.75
Year to Date - $1,876.43

Average weekly spending - $144.34


Another good week with the shopping budget. Almost made it to another $100 grocery week. Biggest reason for this was the small stockpile of meat and poultry in the freezer. The weekly average is continuing to drop, even if only by a few dollars each week. This week's spending will be higher, as I'm having to pick up the protein from the regular stores, instead of the farmers market. Was planning to make a trip out to Dekalb this week, but there's a lot of work on projects I'm trying to get finished before the kids are out for Spring Break.

Next week, we'll be taking a half-day trip to the farmers market. Whichever day is not suited to outdoor play will become our food adventure day. I'll figure out some sort of scavenger hunt to keep them occupied. Maybe the search for everything we need for a three course pizza dinner. Wonder if I can steer dessert away from the normal peanut butter and chocolate this time?


Supper Wars -

Cheddar Stuffed Burgers, Green beans
Roasted sweet & russet potatoes
Easy win. Burgers were chicken & turkey combo, prepped & frozen last week.

Parmesan Chicken, Salad
Roast Winter Vegetables
The kids like parsnips when mashed, but not so much when roasted. General kid consensus? Creepy. Squash, potatoes & carrots all okay though.

Baked pasta & broccoli (kids)
Butternut Squash & Mushroom Risotto
The kids tried the risotto, and thought it was okay... except for the mushrooms, which are apparently even creepier than roasted parsnips. (Figured this, which is why there was pasta for them.)

15 Bean Soup, Fresh Whole Wheat Bread
Don't want to talk about reactions to this meal. Not a win with the kids, even though it's one of my favorite soups.

Beef in Beer & Onions, Brown Rice, Broccoli
Used guinness instead of lager, so there were a few faces made upon sight of the very dark gravy. Until they tried it. B2 declared it the best ever.

Garlic Ginger Baked Tofu, Veggie Fried Rice, Salad

Brinner - Bacon, Eggs, Fruit (kids)
Sweet Potato, Spinach & Chickpea Curry
The curry was not for the kids. That wasn't a battle I was interested in fighting Saturday. Found the recipe for the curry here. Modified it slightly by making my own curry paste (onion, jalapeno, grape tomatoes, garlic, ginger, spices), and it was delicious. Plenty of leftovers, which made for the perfect hot food to warm me from the inside out after Sunday's run.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 12

Week 12 Shopping:
Dekalb Int'l Farmers Market - $104.97
Kroger - $10.91
Trader Joes - $6.65
Total - $122.53

Year to date - $1,772.22

Average Weekly - $147.68


It's not quick, but the average weekly number is continuing to drop. Week 12 was a little of a stock up week, at a much lower cost than my trips earlier in the year. I purchased much of the protein we needed for two weeks while at the farmers market, and divided it up for easy cooking - details. Carried us nicely through last week, and a couple of meals into Week 13. There's still a packet of the basil meatballs (chicken/turkey) in the freezer for Saturday.

The shopping for this week is already complete, but I think next week is a good time for another trip to the farmers market. I won't be doing a lot of miles for the first half of the week, so prepping two (or more) week's worth chicken, turkey and beef for the freezer can fill the time.

Supper Wars

Malaysian Fish Curry, Rice, Pineapple - Cucumber Sambal
Very, VERY good, but kids did not like. Wasn't too spicy, so dislike had to be because of their automatic "eew" about fish.

Pho (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)
Green Salad
Thin sliced beef, chicken broth, vermicelli and handfulls of fresh bean sprouts, basil and cilantro.

Lemongrass Chicken Skewers, Sticky Rice, Green Beans
Minor grumblings about spiciness, but they liked. Will cut back on the red pepper flakes or green thai chili next time.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti & Meatballs
Salad, Cheesy Flatbread
This went over better than last time I made the whole wheat spaghetti, because I tossed a little of the sauce with the pasta, and they hadn't seen the label on the box. It's so odd that WW ziti, macaroni, etc., are all okay, but they freak out about spaghetti.

Baked Tofu & Veggie Fried Rice

Turkey & Black Bean Tacos Mango Salad
Tried starting sauce with a vegetable and chili paste, like with curries. Love it.

Garlic Ginger Beef w/Snow Peas, Broccoli
Leftover Fried Rice
Left onions rough chopped, for easy removal. No whining.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 11

Week 11 Shopping:
Harry's Market (Whole Foods) - $100.34
Publix - $27.61
Total - $127.95

Year to date - $1,649.75

Average Weekly - $149.98

Lower than last week, but it will take a few weeks before I start making a noticeable difference in my average.

It wasn't a bad week, as far as the budget went. Had I not done the majority of my shopping at Whole Foods (Harry's Market), it could have been lower. But, the weather was gorgeous last week, and a trip to the International Farmers Market would have meant less time to play outside at the park with the kidlets. Plus, we'd not have discovered the additional options for fresh ground nut butters which are not available at either the Whole Foods close to the house, or the Int'l Market. Not Almond or Cashew, as both other places have that. What I'm talking about are the two machines filled with nuts and chocolate chips. We tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter, but have plans to go back in a couple weeks to get the Chocolate Almond Butter. Mmmmmm....

Supper Wars -

Butter Chicken, Brown Rice, Peas, Naan
Tried it with coconut milk, instead of yogurt this time. (Per B2's request.) All three kids loved it. It was pretty good, though it was a bit too mild for me.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Couscous Salad
The chicken was declared the best chicken ever by the boys. Since it's something I've done before, I'll have to attribute the difference to the all natural, free range chicken breasts from Harry's. For the salad, I used a touch too much mint. Will scale back a touch next time.

Garlic Teriyaki Wings, Yucca Buns
Mango Salad, Sticky Rice
Other than complaints about the chicken skin, well received. Again, I think the all-natural, free range chicken makes a difference.

Hoisin Beef w/Snow Peas
Brown Rice, Broccoli
Finally have the onion chop size perfect. The kids are not complaining about the onions, as they're the perfect size to slide off to the side.

Grilled Cheese, Sliced Apples
Left the teenager in charge - ducked out for enchiladas and a movie.

Eggplant Curry, Naan
Turkey Burgers (Kids)
The kids tried the eggplant curry, but I knew it was both tangier and spicier than they'd care for. Had basil turkey burgers and crunchy baby carrots for them.

Tamarind Glazed Pork Chops, Sticky Rice
Braised Carrots & Broccoli
Really good. I think I'll add less tamarind next time, or a touch more sugar. The sauce was a bit too sour for the kids, though they did like the flavor of what had carmelized on the boneless chops. The veggies had mixed results. In a complete switch from the norm, the girl loved the broccoli, and the boys ate all of the carrots.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 10

Week 10 Shopping:
Publix - $64.02
Trader Joes - $14.52
Trader Joes (Bike) - $20.82
Whole Foods (Bike) - $50.06
Total - $149.42

Year to date - $1,521.80

Average Weekly - $152.18

You know when you're zipping along on weight loss, and you hit a five or ten pound milestone, and just can't quite get past the "speed bump" on the way to the next part of your goal?

That's where I am with the grocery budget. I'm pretty solid on the average of $30 per person for the week, but that's where I am.


I could get it lower, by shopping for conventional items at the chain supermarkets. I'm just not sure it's possible while I'm purchasing any organic fruits and veggies, along with grass fed beef and cage free eggs. Hopefully, the arrival of spring and summer will mean lower prices on a lot of the produce, as locally grown stuff becomes available. And, there was the $25+ spent on supplies for nutty granola on Friday. We should get four batches with the nuts & fruit, though I will need more rolled oats. Assuming that's roughly $6/batch, I could just purchase a box of granola each week. But I'm not sure that's a savings I want to take. DD & I had a great time making the granola, it's absolutely delicious, and we know exactly what's in it.

For the next few weeks, I'm going to try holding steady at the $150/week average. As the local produce hits the shelves, I'll see what I can do to try and drop to $125-130.

Another good thing about spring, it is a lot nicer for frequent small trips and errands by bike and on foot. I'll be saving on gas, if not on the groceries. This past Friday, the weather was lovely, and I rode to pick up the bib for Saturday's 10k, and then kept pedaling right on down the road for the nuts/seeds/fruit shopping spree.

Supper Wars:
I was in the mood for a bit of the spicy stuff this week, so there are a couple of suppers with kid/adult designations. I had them try a bite, but then eat a meal in their own comfort zone. As much as the kids need to keep trying new things, I'm not pushing the chili and curry very hard. They get to keep trying heat in small doses.

Black Bean Chili, Salad
Baked Pasta w/Beef & Sausage
Kids weren't fans of the black bean chili, which I expected. They did try it though, before scarfing down their Pasta.

Turkey Tacos, Black Bean Chili, Salad
Oddly enough, a bit of the chili, mixed with the turkey and stuffed into a taco shell - gets past the "eww" factor with the kids.

Teriyaki Chicken, Green Beans
Brown Fried Rice

Casserole Roasted Chicken with Butternut Squash
Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Parsnips, Petite Peas
As usual, the butternut squash is only a hit with one of the three. Will keep trying.

Lentils & Couscous Curry,
Baked Pasta (leftover)
Broccoli & Carrots
Again, the spicy stuff was a bit much for the kidlets.

Smothered Potatoes, Spinach Salad
Leftover Roasted Chicken
The potatoes are thick sliced, browned in butter with spices. Onion slices are added, then the whole thing is topped with chicken, beef or vegetable broth and allowed to simmer down until it's all absorbed by the potatoes. It's really delicious, and the kids won't eat the onions, so I end up with more onions than potatoes on my plate - which I love!

Saturday night was sandwiches and fruit, picnic style. The first two Harry Potter movies were being shown back-to-back, so the younger kids & I made an evening of it. (It was guys' night out for the oldest child & dad.)

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 9

2009 Grocery Challenge - Week 9 (Stock up week)
Atlanta Farmers Market - $55.33
Trader Joe's - $140.41
Publix - $22.72
Week 9 Total - $218.46

Year to date - $1,372.38

Weekly Average - $152.48

Had my grocery receipts clipped to my notepad, ready to be entered into the lists, along with the notes on suppers for the week. I was so organized, yet somehow managed to outstupid myself. I set everything down on the dining table Saturday, right in the middle of rainy day art projects.

All was cleared away for dinner, but came back out for Sunday's snowy day projects. And was cleared away again, along with wet gloves, hats and sweetgum balls. By the time we were clearing up the table for tonight's supper (no school today), I realized what I'd done. There is no way I'm going to find those receipts.

Oops.

I had planned to talk about the differences in shopping at the Asian/Mexican market, in an old supermarket, as opposed to the warehouse sized farmer's market, but I'll have to try for a short version.

Week 9 was supposed to be a stock up week, and it was, to some extent. I tried the Asian market closer to home, instead of the Farmers Market. I got a great price on jasmine rice, and hoisin sauce, but felt limited by the choice of produce. There was plenty of fresh produce, but I had to do more sorting through bins to find it. The seafood is amazing, with many things you can't find anywhere else (live frogs, anyone?), but boneless, skinless chicken breast wasn't available. Finding the tapioca flour needed for yucca buns was a cinch, but there wasn't one chorizo which wasn't super processed, smoked and loaded with chemicals. I'm going to stick with the Int'l Market over in Dekalb, and save the Buford Highway trips for specialty items.

Without the receipts, I'm going by the bank debits, so there's a couple bottles of handsoap and a jug of laundry detergent included in the totals. But, I do have photos.

Atlanta Farmers Market (Formerly Hong Kong Market):



Note the lack of meat & poultry. I don't insist on buying everything organic/free range/grass fed, but I've gotten a bit pickier about knowing something about what we're eating. At the Dekalb Market, the farm or distributor is named on the cases, along with the grass/grain/range information and price. At Trader Joes, the packages mention the non-antibiotic & hormone feed.

Now, for Trader Joe's. Gotta say, bike shopping is the way to go here. Walking in with 3-4 bags to fill, and a truck to carry everything home for me made for a much pricier trip. Two bike trips spaced through the week would have gotten everything we actually needed, with a smaller total at the end of the week. I picked up both spicy and sweet Italian sausage, ground beef, chicken breasts and thighs. I still have some of the spicy sausage and chicken thighs, which will be used this week, but it really wasn't the most sensible trip I've made.




Supper Wars -

Chicken Paella
Have been asked to leave out the green peppers. When I explained this would change the flavor of the dish, since it all cooks together for a while, we reached a compromise. I'll leave the pepper in big pieces next time, so they can be easily avoided. (I wasn't a bell pepper fan at the age of nine, so it's not a big deal.)

Sausage & Plantain Frittata, Yucca Buns, Fruit
Will use mild sausage next time, instead of spicy, to get past the preferences of small people, but otherwise good. The yucca buns were a BIG HIT.

Mozzarella Stuffed Burgers, Sliced Apples
Garlic Roasted Russet & Sweet Potatoes
The burgers were a combo of beef & sweet Italian sausage. I browned the portion of the mixture over our burgers and popped it in the freezer to use later for pizza & pasta sauces.

Broccoli & Baked Penne
Basic white sauce, with egg, mozzarella and parmesan added.

Baked Teriyaki Tofu, Brown Rice
Stir Fried Veggies
Carrots, celery and broccoli - all okay. Kids were bugged not by onion, but by the use of both yellow and red onion. (??) Not sure why, since they won't eat the onions. Maybe B1 just had to reach a little further to come up with feedback.

Pizza & Salad
Included sausage/beef from Tues

Beef & Barley Stew, Cheese Toast
There was skepticism about the barley, until B2 made the announcement "It's okay. It's just like rice." After that, the only complaints were about the parsnips. Will do this again, but with potatoes and carrots, instead of parsnips and carrots. (Nobody noticed the minced onion - hah!)

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 8

2009 Grocery Challenge - Week 8
Kroger - $55.09
Trader Joe's - $21.40
Trader Joe's - $17.23
Week 8 Total - $93.72

Year to date - $1,153.92

Weekly Average - $144.24

Week 8 Grocery Lists:


Great week for the budget. Under $100, and we didn't have to skip anything. Now, I just have to figure out how to have more weeks like this. (I haven't totaled up week 9 yet, but it's not pretty.)

Supper Wars -
Broke out the Thai cookbook I received as a gift several years ago. There are a couple recipes which I use often enough that I can do from memory, which means there's been fewer chances to browse and pick an adventure meal. DD & I stocked up during Sunday's shopping on the fresh herbs needed, and spent the next four days in a happy abundance of basil, cilantro & ginger.

Rice Soup w/Eggs
It's essentially the Vietnamese Pho, but with rice grains replacing the rice noodles. I was really surprised this didn't go over better. I think we'll try it again, but I'll roll the ground chicken into small meatballs, instead of browning in pan with spices before adding broth & rice. Then, it will be even closer to the bowls of Pho they love.

Stir Fried Pork & Corn w/Chinese Noodles
I was a bit worried about this one, especially after the reaction to Sunday night's meal, but everyone liked it, mostly. B2 requested I use edamame or snow peas next time, as he wasn't a big fan of the crunchy green beans. We talked about it, and he's okay with me trying again after my next Dekalb Farmers Market trip, when I'll have the chance to pick up the thinner long beans.

Warm Tuna & Tomato Salad
Homemade Mac & Cheese, Peas
I knew the kids would try a slice of the tuna steaks, as long as I kept emphasizing the word "steak" while cooking. I didn't make pushing the warm tomato portion was a big priority. The tuna was seared, then tossed in the dressing for the salad before serving. Served their tuna steak slices with mac & cheese an green peas. Mine was tossed on a bed of shredded cabbage with the tomatoes. Soooo Good! Will repeat this exact meal again, and soon.

Thai Style Burgers, Salad
Garlic-roasted Russet & Sweet Potatoes
The seasoning of these burgers was very similar to the normal basil/cilantro/lime burgers we already make with either chicken or turkey. The difference in these burgers was the container of minced button mushrooms. The kids weren't too keen on the texture. (I loved them, of course.)

Cheese Pizza, Salad

Baked Tofu, Fried (Brown) Rice, Broccoflower
The only complaint on this meal was general lamenting over the green of the broccoflower. They like it, very much - they are just eagerly awaiting the day when we can find the purple cauliflower in the market. Yes. Instead of asking for the cereals in the latest commercials, my kids are begging for the veggie they saw in a health news story. (Sometimes, they are the neatest little weirdos.)

Veggie Omelets, Bacon, Whipping Cream/Cheese Biscuits
Brinner!

Links:
2009 Grocery Challenge
Supper Wars

$100 Grocery Week? Maybe so.

With Tuesday's shopping trip, and the Kroger shopping on Sunday, I'm up to $76.49 for the week, so far.

Rode to Trader Joe's. My quads were surprisingly shaky. I had been feeling fine since Saturday's half marathon, except for my bruised & blistered toes. Or, so I thought. Had to drop my seat about an inch, so my feet would reach the ground for a solid stance. The normal tiptoe perch was not cutting it. I was dangerously close to testing out my helmet's ability to protect my head from the asphalt.

Anyway, enough griping. Here's how $21.40 filled out the bike basket:


Yes, that's another bag of flour. I had the right amount figured for 2-3 loaves of bread each week, and breakfast muffins, but completely forgot to figure in the extra required for hamburger buns, pizza dough, and biscuits this week. 'Doh!

I'll need to make one more trip to the store Friday morning, but I don't need much. Fingers crossed, pencils sharpened, list ready to go. (The list is on the iPhone in Grocery IQ, so there's not actually any pencils needed. I just like the mental image of myself with a ledger book, pencil and green eyeshade.)

And, Tuesday night's Try Something New - Warm Tuna & Tomato Salad:


Cooked strips of tuna ( two yellowfin steaks picked up at TJs a couple months ago) over high heat, then tossed garlic, ginger, salt, chopped scallions and halved grape tomatoes into the pan drippings. After a couple of minutes, added fresh chopped cilantro and mint, and placed on shredded cabbage, with a dressing made of brown sugar, lime juice, white wine, fish sauce and red pepper flakes.

I didn't hit the kids with the whole dish, but they did try a strip or two of the tuna (after it'd been tossed with dressing) with a side of pasta with white sauce and green peas. I called it "steak", until after they'd tasted it. After the two fish-shy young'uns said they liked it, I asked them if they'd like me to cook tuna steaks again sometime. They said yes. Big old win for mom!