Independent Grocers

I stopped at one of our local independent grocers when I was on my way home from my sister's house.  To the best of my knowledge Piggly Wiggly is the only one in our area, but that is fine with me because they usually run great sales that are far better than most of the chain stores. 

I stopped in for some "cherry picking" of the sales items for this week.

 

 

6 -- 2 liter sodas  99 cents each (Company is coming this weekend so they're reserved.)

Star Wars cake decorations (Cake for my grandson this weekend.  :-) )

5 dozen eggs -- Amusingly this is the cheapest way for me to buy them. The 5 dozen box is more expensive than two of the 2 1/2 dozen boxes. 

2 bags of frozen stir fry -- on sale for $1.99 each

1 box of frozen chopped broccoli -- only place I can find this and it is for cornbread

6 cans of peas for 39 cents each

7 cans of corn for 39 cents each

5 cans of mixed veggies for 68 cents each

bone in pork butt -- $1.29 a pound -- for pulled pork sandwiches

 

All total I spent $35.03.

 

 

Pork for the Freezer (Divide and Conquer)

My daughter really likes pork, but she is picky about how it is prepared.

We bought a "half" pork loin that was almost 6.5 lbs.

At $1.69 a pound, which is a pretty good price for my area.

 

 

Of course with just three people, I don't need to cook 6+ pounds of pork at once.

I looked at my calendar, my upcoming menu ideas and what I had on hand to try to help me determine the best way to divide this up.

 

I decided to go with this arrangement.

1 largish roast -- I can use for a guest night or I can cook it and then shred the leftovers.

4 thick boneless "pork chops"

enough pork cubes for a stir fry recipe I want to try

 

 

Of course since none of these are on this week's menu, I wanted to go ahead and freeze the meat.

 

 

I used my food saver to seal them.  Ziplock bags would work, too.

(My food saver is as old as the hills.  I tried to remember exactly what year I bought it and can't.  I do know I've had it for 10+ years though.)

 

 

Shopping Trip

 

Saturday was a busy day for us.  We ran a few errands -- including a trip to the library.

We ground grain, inventoried the freezer, did laundry, and a few other household chores.

I ran out of steam by late day and I sat down with a cookbook I borrowed from the library.

There were several recipes I wanted to try and they called for some items I don't normally buy -- such as ramen noodles, boxed potatoes, etc.

 

I'm still working on adjusting to cooking for two people and sometimes three.  I find buying fresh produce in bulk like I used to do is just not working well.  While I've never been a big believer in using tons of mixes I've decided to incorporate some in.  I think that it will help me with meal sizes and will also have the added bonus of helping me have quick meals on hand.  My daughter, who has no desire to cook from scratch, is more likely to help cook if mixes are used so that is another plus.

 

I used my freezer inventory, my pantry supplies, etc. to make out a fluid menu plan for this week...fluid because I will do my best to use up leftovers and that may require some tweaking.

 

However, from my menu plan and freezer inventory I came up with a simple list:

 

Dollar Tree

3 family sized boxes of Au Gratin potatoes

1 large box of broccoli and cheese rice

1 soy milk carton (for my husband)

1 package of chicken ramen noodles

1 package of beef ramen noodles

 

Neighborhood Market

3 Sam's Choice 2 liter sodas

1 box of Stevia packets

1 large box of Bisquick

2 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread Mix

2 cans of evaporated milk

1 box of marked down bran flakes

1 box of marked down cornflakes

1 jar of marshmallow crème

1 turkey ham

5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast

 

I spent in total $47.86 so not too shabby.  This leaves me with about $77 of my budget left for this week.

 

The chicken was $10 of it and is for a family meal.  My sister and her boyfriend are coming Wednesday and I am making a casserole for the main dish.  (I'm sure it won't take all of it, but I wanted plenty.)

 

As I try the new to me recipes I'll share how they go.

Plans are a potato and ham casserole, ramen noodle stir fries, broccoli cornbread, corn casserole, a chicken and rice casserole, and a few other recipes from the cookbook.

Up and About

We decided I was doing well enough to go out and help run some simple errands.  My husband drove me, did the cart pushing, and all the lifting.  Bless his heart!  However, I think we accomplished everything and are set up for the rest of the month.  (We do have one more errand to run on the day I have a doctor's appointment, but beyond that I think we are finished.)

1.  I had to return a school book by mail.  This will net us a full refund minus the small amount of postage.  He handled this errand for me and I sat in the car.

2.  We dropped off a donation to Goodwill and I walked down one aisle.  I'm looking for a 9x13 casserole dish that does not have the end handles like typical Pyrex does.  My small oven will not hold my dish because of the handles.  Sadly, they didn't have one.  I'll keep searching.

3.  I had a short list for Dollar Tree.  I needed Valentine's Day cards to mail to my nieces and nephews.  I bought oatmeal crème pies, 4 jars of mushrooms (thanks Carol for the head's up that they had them), 2 rubber spatulas, 2 sets of measuring cups, 6 aseptically sealed cartons of soy milk, 2 graham cracker crusts,  and 1 small baking pan, 1 cake mix, and 1 brownie mix.

4.  While I was in Dollar Tree, my husband, who had a coupon for five pads of paper for $1.00, walked to the Staples next door to pick that up.

5.  In that same complex is Michaels.  In keeping with my resolution to not shop for crafting items unless I need them for an ongoing project, I picked up two skeins of yarn to go towards the afghan I am working on.  I believe I now have enough to finish it.  (This will be my first completed Christmas present for my 2017 list.)  I also bought a ball of #10 thread.  I use this on and off and had just finished up my last ball.  I had a coupon for 30% off all yarn purchases and used this to reduce my costs.

6.  We went to the library to pick me up a couple of books.  I picked up two mysteries to read and one audio book so that I can listen while I crochet.

7.  On our way back home, I thought I was running out of energy, but by the time we got nearer I thought I could finish up by hitting Aldi.  We had a reasonably small list.  We came home with:
4 bags of corn chips (on sale for 99 cents each), 2 jars of organic salsa, 1 package of mint cookies, 1 package of fig "newtons," 3 containers of vanilla soy milk, 1 carton of lactose free milk, cabbage, zucchini, cucumbers, 2 bags of radishes, 2 bags of kitty treats, 5 lbs of red potatoes, bananas, 2 boxes of pop tarts, 4 cans of vegetable soup for my husband to take with him, and 3 cans of vegetarian chili.

Needless to say by the time we got home my daughter said I was walking like an old lady.  I was exhausted.  After all was put away, I made us a quick and simple lunch.

1 can of the vegetarian chili, 2 baked potatoes, and a bit of Daiya cheddar crumbles -- easy, less than $1.50 a person.
 

Going with the Flow

I'm finding this mini-semester class to be quite time consuming.  Before one section is finished the next is opened. Since the assignments are mostly essays I seemed to spend the first two weeks learning exactly what style my professor wants.  However, I think I finally have the general idea now.  Fortunately the class will be over the first week of December.   Meals are staying on the simple side and I've been nibbling on a bowl of pasta salad for two days now.  I have to admit to a weakness for pasta and especially pasta salad.  I used up some lingering items to pull a simple one together.  Some mixed pasta at the bottom of my pasta container, a lingering zucchini, 1/4 of a red onion, and a carrot along with 1/2 of a jar of chickpeas tossed in some quick dressing made a great salad.  I served it with sliced tomato.

 

Despite my required weekend trip to grab a few grocery items, my husband wanted me to go ahead and go to Sam's Club today.  I keep a running list and try to go when I have enough items on it to justify it.  I admit the list was getting long, but I didn't realize how long. Turns out he was right.  Most of the items were bathroom and cleaning supplies -- so nothing exciting.  I also came home with a bag of apples, a bag of onions, and some bell peppers.  I did buy 4 large bags of cranberries, too.  If all works out I will be canning his favorite cranberry sauce this weekend.   I did take the time to go through and look for any bits and pieces before I decided on my final shopping list.  I feel like we are pretty well stocked on most things, but I do need to pick up some stevia and soy milk from Aldi.  Fortunately I can wait until this weekend todo that.  In my bits and pieces I have about 1 more cup of mixed pasta, some opened Cheerios, some dry lentils, and some brown rice to use up.  I'll try to incorporate them into meals as this week progresses.

Stocking Up

Yesterday I had to pick up a few perishables and as always I am on the lookout for good items for our pantry storage and freezer storage.  In addition to fresh fruits and veggies I came home with several items.

From Fresh Market I brought home the following:
3 bags of ground beef substitute for the freezer
2 bags of vegan cheddar shreds
2 bags of vegan mozzarella shreds
1 package of vegan sandwich cheese

These items are things that my husband really likes.  They've helped us transition to a vegan diet.
From this I will get 6 meals from the ground "beef" and many add ons to meals from the cheese.

From Aldi I bought these things for our storage:
12 cans organic garbanzos
12 cans organic fire roasted tomatoes
12 cans organic tomato sauce
12 cans of black beans
8 cans of organic diced tomatoes

Each of those was on sale from .49 to .79.

I also added a few other things to our pantry storage.
2 cans of chipotle peppers
3 jars of marinated artichoke hearts
2 boxes of golden raisins
2 boxes of wheat crackers
4 packages of gnocchi (8 meals worth)
1 jar of organic salsa
1 container of chili powder
2 jars of Kalamata olives

Each of the things added to the pantry are easy to work into quick meals.  I find that having things on hand keeps me out of the store.  I've also found that eating a vegan diet has actually simplified my shopping.

For the perishables we bought:
2 bags of bagels (time wise I just don't have time to make my own right now)
Ciabatta rolls (a splurge)
2 bags of honeycrisp apples
6 kiwi
1 container of blueberries
2 containers of strawberries (from here on out frozen will have to do)
Cilantro
Asparagus
6 bell pepper
4 zucchini
1 container of organic spinach
1 container of organic grape tomatoes
A bag of yellow onions
A bag of red onions
2 containers of soy milk
4 lbs of shredded cheese for my daughter

I think we are set for the next few weeks and my pantry is beginning to fill back up.

Pantry Filling -- Opportunity and Seasonal

I try to always take advantage of "opportunity" items and seasonal item prices....at least when they are items we use regularly and that will store well.

I spent $54 and added 24 cans of pumpkin, 24 cans of organic beans, 4 boxes of pasta, and 6 packages of gnocchi to our pantry. The pasta boxes and the gnocchi will yield two meals each.  I store tomatoes for a quick sauce, which makes these my idea of convenience foods.  I can do the same with the beans -- chili, burritos, tacos, soup, beans and rice, and the list goes on.  Another convenience item.  Pumpkin can be baked into  sweets or used in sauces, chili, and soups.  

By shopping at Aldi and keeping money aside for "finds" I was able to buy this all for the price of what a "named brand"  amount of pumpkin would have cost me at the local grocery stores.

Cauliflower Storage

Cauliflower is at an excellent price in my area right now.  The store literally had B1G1 on large heads.  I knew I didn't have room for much, but thought I would at least bring home 2 heads of cauliflower.  Being down to cooking for two people most of the week and only three on weekends means that a head makes two good side dishes. 

Cauliflower is easy to prep to freeze.  Wash, check for bugs, and cut into pieces.  I go about 1 inch or so in size.  At this point some people do soak it briefly in a salt water bath.  I do not want the extra salt and do not do this.

Blanch for 3 minutes and cool immediately in iced water.

Seal and freeze.

My bags are pretty large and I will be able to either serve this as a side dish, base for a casserole,  or as a mashed topping for a shepherdess pie.

Freezer Assets -- Dump and Go

A quick browse through of the cabinet where I keep bits and pieces of things reminded me I had some opened lentils I wanted to use up.  I did a quick online search and found a lentil chili that called for butternut squash so that I could also use the butternut squash I had in the refrigerator.

I quickly assembled the ingredients for three batches.  One went straight into the crockpot while the other two went into freezer bags.  I was able to use all on hand ingredients so that was nice.  The double bonus was I'll have to dump and go meals available for busy days. I'll serve it over cooked rice from my food storage for a complete meal and possibly for the second batch I will make cornbread.  The third is anyone's guess.

Quiet Sunday

It is kind of a quiet Sunday here.  Due to recent gas shortages we filled the cars up yesterday.  (The nearest gas stations are now out.)  As a precaution, in case they don't have the pipeline repaired by the end of the week, I've spent the morning cooking for my husband to take with him.

I thought I would share how I use my freezer, pantry and stock up items to pull together meals.

I made a pot of bean chili.  Quick and easy.  I made exactly enough to fill 3 pint jars.  Two for him to take with him and one for me.
This used:
kidney beans -- dry storage, cooked in bulk yesterday
chickpeas -- from freezer
diced tomatoes with chilis -- from pantry
onion and bell pepper -- from freezer
tomato sauce (1/2 can) -- from pantry
spices and seasonings from storage

I also wanted something "taco" flavored.  A quick survey showed me I had leftover Spanish rice, which served as my jumping off point.

Spanish rice (a few cups) -- from fridge (previously made from all food storage)
1 cup of ground vegan crumbles -- from freezer
onion and bell pepper -- from freezer
tomato sauce (second half of can from chili)
spices and seasonings  from storage
kidney beans  -- from yesterday's cooking

This made a pretty large batch.  We will have it in tortilla wraps (burrito style) and serve some on baked potatoes. 

While all of this was going I baked 8 of my freezer biscuits.  4 went for breakfast and 4 for my husband to take along this week. Since the oven was already hot I baked a crisp, too.

For the crisp--
1 sweet potato from short term storage
2 apples from short term storage
coconut sugar from pantry storage
cinnamon from storage
Earth Balance -- from fridge
oatmeal -- from pantry storage

To me the best thing about having a stocked pantry is not having to run out to get things.  I was able to pull out canned fruits, veggies, baked beans, etc. to round out his weekly meals.  If the gas shortages continue I'll be able to do the same thing for us here at home with no problems.  If things were to progress we might have to switch from more fresh to frozen, canned, or dried, but we would still eat well.

Aldi Trip 9/11

I had to be out and my husband needed a few things for this week so I went ahead and hit Aldi while I was out.  During my baking earlier in the day I made a list of the things I was out of.  There were three things left on my list, but they are things Aldi doesn't carry.  I'll try to pick them up later this week or perhaps see if I can get by without them for a while.

For some reason three things didn't make it into my photo. 

Gala apples

2 cranberry juices (for pantry)

Roma tomatoes

3 avocadoes

2 soy milks

2 bags of stir fry veggies (for freezer assets)

2 bags of green beans (for freezer assets)

1 box of instant potatoes (for pantry)

2 boxes of wheat crackers

1 container of raisins (for the baking cabinet)

1 bag of chopped kale

2 bags of pepperoni for my daughter

3 lbs. bananas

mints

10 lbs. of potatoes

bag of lemons

cinnamon

parsley

salsa

Total spent was $52.61.

Opportunity Spending

I had to run to Aldi to pick up some convenience items for my daughter. With her school schedule it is hard for her to cook three meals a day and neither of us want her to eat out multiple times a day.  Convenience foods were the most economical and healthier route.   Her items aren't shown here because they come out of a different category.  

However, since I was there anyway I picked up some items that are accounted for in grocery and travel line items.

2 lbs of fettuccine -- $1.89 (normally not in my Aldi)

1/2 bag of apples for travel and 1/2 for her -- $1.79

Apple Jacks for travel (a gift for my grandson, when we arrive) -- $2.89

1 box crackers -- $1.49

1 box crackers for travel $1.49

2 80 ounce jars of dill pickles -- $7.38 (normally not in my Aldi)

2 bottles bamboo shoots -- $1.89 (hit and miss stocking)

2 bottles of bean sprouts -- $1.89 (hit and miss stocking)

4 cans water chestnuts -- $1.56 (hit and miss stocking)

Soy milk -- $2.19

Peach iced tea for travel -- $3.99

Nescafé instant coffee for travel  -- $5.38

Hummus for travel -- $1.99

Onion powder -- .99

Bananas for travel -- .85

Wheat tortillas for travel -- $1.39

Home $19.67 including tax

Travel $20.17 including tax

Daughter's supplies $36.15 including tax

Grocery Run

With us rolling into September soon I took stock of what we had on hand.  I pulled out the running grocery list and decided what was necessary and what I had a substitute for to use as a basis for creating my list.  I divided it by the three stores closest to my home and with the best prices.  I aim for closest to home because I believe if I ride all over town I am burning up more on gas than I am saving.  Also with me home more now, I am doing less "going by" stores in route to somewhere else.  Some things are specifically for my daughter, who is not joining us on a vegetarian diet. (Even though her items were dairy and technically vegetarian, I am trying to avoid dairy if possible.)

Aldi was first on my list.  I check their prices and what is available before heading to the next stores.

Aldi

4 packages of wheat tortillas

1 carton FF Lactose Free milk (daughter)

2 cartons organic soy milk

5 lbs. of red potatoes

dish detergent (I usually buy this at Dollar Tree, but wasn't going that direction.)

tomatoes

American cheese slices (daughter)

carrots

sweet potatoes

2 dozen eggs (daughter)

sweet pickle relish

Walmart Neighborhood Market

6 lbs. of brown rice

shredded mozzarella (daughter)

6 packages of vegetarian frozen substitutes

vegan mayonnaise

highlighters (daughter)

Gatorade (for travel and blood sugar issues because if I drop this doesn't sky rocket me)

8 cups of yogurt (daughter)

cat food

cat litter

The Fresh Market -- expensive so I only buy specialty items there.

3 packages of Vegan "cheese" -- only place in town I can buy this

3 packages of allergen free chocolate chips for baking (must for allergens)

Total I spent based on my categories (totals rounded up):

pantry stock up -- $21

freezer vegan conveniences -- $30

Gatorade -- $9

Animals -- $27

Produce and perishable -- $55

Cleaning supplies -- $2

The only thing on my list that I feel was kind of high was the vegetarian meat substitutes.  While I don't use a lot of them, I do want to keep some in the freezer for quick fix meals.  Each packages will make two meals for  two of us when combined with leftovers or quick heat veggies.  These are far cheaper than us just trying to grab something or ordering a vegetarian pizza, and I believe they are healthier.  Some days life just requires adjusting and I had rather plan for that than have to scramble at the last minute.

Not too bad and all I will need to buy next month is any fresh produce and dairy we need.  I'll keep a watch on the sales papers just to be safe.  However, I find that most weeks I can beat sales paper prices by careful shopping and keeping the pantry stocked.

Quick Stock Up

Our family has been exposed to the flu and we have one down.  I took her to the doctor this morning and after I got her home I ran out to pick up her medications and grab a few things from the store.

These items were on my running list:
ground beef (85/15) large package for burgers and fries
2 bags of frozen cheese ravioli (my son's favorite)
low fat cottage cheese (for fruit salad)
dry beans 6 lbs of Mayocoba Beans (used up last of GNBeans recently)

Hubby's request:
4 packages of breakfast sausage links (These went into the freezer for weekend breakfasts.  I normally keep patties on hand, but he has been requesting links.)

Treats for sick kiddo:
6 Hershey's Bars (on sale 40% off)
Rice cakes

Perishables:
2 containers of milk
4 small cups of Greek Yogurt (to help with antibiotic issues)
sour cream
strawberries

To hedge for a simple meal since I am now developing a sore throat -- a loaf of garlic bread for quick pizza.

We're still doing well for the month and everything is stocked.  In fact, I'm taking a turkey out to thaw for a "Thanksgiving" style meal this weekend.  Leftovers will go either in the freezer or be incorporated into next week's meals.

Carrots Everywhere

8 pounds of carrots is way more than we will eat quickly.  I knew that when I picked them up, but canning them keeps that fresh taste to them when I add them to dishes.  I like to can the baby carrots whole and add them to roasts and things like that.  I can also add them to soups or whatever else I chose.  When I do that I just chop up how every many I need. 

I canned 12 pints.  I saved a 2 bags for other things.  I will make an apple carrot salad with part of one, perhaps a carrot cake for a friend, and then the others will be for munching on.

I decided to go ahead and can the last of the mixed veggies and ended up with 4 more pints of them.

Aldi and Dollar Tree

Before my trip back to Sam's Club to pick up a few items I decided to hit Aldi.  One of the things I like about Sam's Club is that I can pull items up online and tally my purchases before I go.  This also alerts me to some things that I can buy for less elsewhere.  Eggs are cheaper at my local Aldi, chips are cheaper, and milk is cheaper.  I don't have storage space for huge crates of eggs from Sam's Club and the chips bags are just too big.   The lactose free milk (store brand) is a better price at Aldi.

I bought:
2 boxes of oatmeal squares
3 packages of fruit popsicles (for my grandson's visits)
3 bowls of cool whip (yes, I know.  However somethings are simply good with it.)
1 package of frozen sausage patties (these make quick heat and go)
1 cantaloupe
1 bag of Honeycrisp Apples
3 boxes of saltines
2 cartons of milk
1 can of cocoa powder
4 boxes of jello
2 packages of coffee
12 cans of peaches
12 cans of pineapple
3 dozen eggs
3 cans of lemon pie filling (this will be for quick parfait type desserts)
5 bags of chips (1 bag is for a casserole and then one per week for the month)
4 boxes of Stevia packets
8 lbs of carrots

In total I spent $98.23 with most of the items going either in storage or into this months meals based on my menu.

My mistake......  I had stopped at Dollar Tree before Aldi and passed up the stevia packets there.  They are 35 to a box for $1.  They would have been a better buy, but now that I know next month I will buy stevia there. 

At Dollar Tree I bought:
4 9 inch disposable pans
1 bag of pretzels
2 cans of pringles
1 box of high fiber cereal
2 toothbrushes
2 bags of steak fries
2 bags of tater rounds

Total was $11.37

The only thing they didn't have that was on my list for there was the 2 gallon sized storage bags.  I will probably check the store closer to Sam's Club when I go to finish up my shopping.

Grocery Shopping for the Month

I'm working on going back to monthly grocery shopping trips.  I find that I simply do better at sticking to a plan that way.  I've planned out my supper menu for the month, allowed for leftovers for most lunches and easy breakfast meals.  I'll share my menu plan in another post.

I'm allowing $600 for the month...to include all pet supplies and toiletries.  I feed somewhere between 2 and 8 people on any given day and the number is often undecided until that day. I also have to have supplies for my husband to keep at our place where he stays during the work week.


I've purchased so far:

$197.71 Sam's Club
    20 lbs of cheddar cheese
    cat litter
    2 bags of cat food
    decaf tea bags (for iced tea)
    3 flats sodas (for daughter for school -- far cheaper than vending machine)
    bananas
    Shredded wheat (for husband's breakfasts)
    3 boxes of fiber one bars (for husband)
    2 cartons of lactose free milk
    oil
    cooking spray (oil)
    pop tarts (my daughter takes these to school because she can eat them as she walks between classes if need be)

$165 in meat
      hamburger for 18 burgers
      2 pork loin roasts
      16 large pork chops
      2 large coils of Italian sausage
      pork ribs
     
My finalized list for the rest of the month includes:
5 lbs of mozzarella cheese
3 lbs of pepperoni
25 pounds of all purpose flour (I mix this half and half with my fresh wheat)
3 lbs. of cottage cheese
12 cans of peach slices
12 cans of pineapple
4 lbs. of frozen ravioli
5 bags of various chips
frozen fries (Dollar Tree) for quick grab
saltines
3 dozen eggs
toilet paper (POM from Sams)
washing powder
toothbrush
stevia
cocoa powder
salt
pepper
vanilla
disposable freezer pans from Dollar Tree
   

Canning Around

Canned 7 pints of cinnamon applesauce

Experimented with canning carrots. I had never used these before, but have tried them since canning these and I really like the ease.

Homemade barbecue sauce 

White grape jelly -- this is so good!

Mandarin oranges for fruit salad.

Plain applesauce.

Black bean and pinto mix.