Items and Receipts from 150.00 ish Grocery Spree

As promised, all the stuff I bought and how much it was for the 27 meals. First up the Trader Joe's receipts. If you don't have a TJ near you, you may be able to find comparable prices at a Sav A lot, an Aldi's, or a Wal-Mart supercenter. Items marked with an * are not a part of the meal ingredients.


NOT SURE WHY THE NUMBERS PUBLISHED ALL CROOKED.....GO HOME NUMBERS YOU'RE DRUNK

TRADER JOES

*Half gallon of unsweetened Almond Milk                                       2.99
*Medium Roast Trader Joe's Coffee                                                 4.99
Pint of light Sour Cream                                                                    1.79
*Cold Pressed Watermelon Juice                                                      3.69
Meatless Meatballs                                                                           3.99
*Dark Chocolate covered Honey Grahams w Sea Salt                     3.99
19oz TJ Organic Tofu                                                                       1.69
Red Sprouted Rice                                                                            3.49
Sweet Chili Sauce                                                                            1.49
TJ Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce                                                     1.79
21 Seasonings Spice Mix                                                                 1.99
Romano/Parmesan/Asiago Cheese Shavings                                    2.99
Meatless Italian Sausage                                                                  3.49
Soy Chorizo                                                                                     1.99
*TJ's Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing                                               1.99
Fire Roasted Red Peppers                                                               1.99
Jar of grated Parmesan                                                                     2.69
TJ's Toasted Sesame Oil                                                                  2.69
Frozen Fruit Mango Chunks                                                              2.99
Bag Vegetable Gyoza                                                                        3.79
Supersweet organic roasted corn                                                      1.79
Vegetable Bird's Nest                                                                       3.29
*Coconut milk yogurt                                                                        1.49
Curry Powder                                                                                   1.99
Frozen Asian Stir Fry Veggies                                                          2.69
*Flax and Chia Seed Peanut Butter                                                   2.99
Masala Simmer Sauce                                                                      2.49
*Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate                                                      7.99

TOTAL:                                                                                           $81.82

As you can see, I got two different coffees-my roommate drinks regular hot coffee, and I wanted to try the cold brew. Also I ran out of some condiments like sesame oil and curry. So without things like that, this would've been even less. Now onto getting produce.

GARDEN FRESH MARKET

Sargento Shredded Cheddar                                                                 2.50
Sargento Shredded Monterey Jack                                                       2.50
*Kraft brown sugar BBQ sauce                                                           1.69
*Better than Boullion Veggie Base                                                      6.69
*Better than Boullion Vegetarian Chicken Base                                  6.69
Sura Seasoned Seaweed                                                                      2.99
White miso mix                                                                                    1.49
Heinz Chili Sauce                                                                                2.69
Swad Coconut Oil                                                                                3.99
2 Coconut milk (can)                                                                            2.00
Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes                                                              1.79
Romaine Lettuce                                                                                   1.29
Scallions                                                                                                 .50
Zucchini                                                                                                 1.61
Bag of Avocados                                                                                   4.99
Kale                                                                                                         .99
Spinach bag                                                                                            1.99
Carrots                                                                                                      .69
Celery                                                                                                       .50
3lb bag onions                                                                                        1.99
Red pepper                                                                                               .50
Shallot                                                                                                      .12
Jalapeno                                                                                                   .11
Ginger                                                                                                      .16
Baking Potatoes                                                                                        .69
Curly parsley                                                                                            .69
Bunch tomatoes                                                                                       1.50
Red onion                                                                                                 .52
Cilantro                                                                                                   1.49
Organic Mint                                                                                           1.99

TOTAL                                                                                                 $63.49

ALDI'S

Bag of Limes                                                                                            .99
Basmanti Rice                                                                                        2.99
Garlic                                                                                                       .99
*can kidney beans                                                                                     .79
Heavy whipping cream                                                                           1.69
Vanilla Caramel Creamer                                                                       2.79
Fettuccine Noodle                                                                                   1.89

TOTAL:                                                                                            $ 12.13

GRAND TOTAL:                                                                             $156.84

HEY!!! :) I thought it was 158! So even less than I thought. Only 6.84 over my 'budget.'

The most costly thing was the bouillon jars at 6+ each. That's about 13.00 in bouillon, which would not be a normal weekly thing, either. I get them despite the cost, because they are concentrate and they are delicious and they do last a long time. I keep them around for the times that I don't make veggie broth, and the rare times I may use chicken broth in a dish. (I feel that's not exactly eating meat-it's flavoring.)

And..........the Potsticker (Gyoza) Soup was amazing!

I garnished with Gyoza sauce, but Sriracha would be great also, I'm sure. 

So there you have it. This is more than a week's worth of food for me. Here it is Thursday night and I've only made 4 meals from my 27, and I have 3 of them in the freezer. So roughly 150 bucks for 2 weeks of eats-75.00 a week for food. I'd say that's a pretty good deal. The more stocked your pantry is, the less it becomes. It may take $$$ as an initial investment to get all your staples, spices and condiments, but also if you have the space -warehouse stores are great places to stock up on canned goods, beans, rice, etc-saving you even more money in the long run. 

Keep in mind, this also included things such as coffee and creamer and cookies and butter. Many people spend 4 bucks on a cup of coffee in the morning, then 5-7 bucks on lunch. So not only am I making meals from this but also my morning coffee and some 'sweets'-the grahams and the chocolate 'milk'.

 I have frozen strawberries, blueberries, and some pineapple and mangos for other 'sweet' tooth stuff. I have Acai and veggie/fruit bars, I have oatmeals and cream of wheats, etc. So I have a freezer full and a cabinet full of pantry items and such. Over a 4 month period since I've started to truly eat from home and cook all my own stuff, I have a ton of food to thaw, in the cabinet and I simply replace as I use up. I eat more than one meal a day, that's for sure! 

Also if you are near a farmer's market or outdoor city vendor, your produce can be even less. Some stores also honor coupons so all told, if you read the weekly flyers for food stores around you (even the high end ones)-and the flyers can also be found online if they don't come in your mail box-and look for coupon deals and plan your meals around similar ingredients, you can make a big dent in your food budget. I will also be posting more on other money saving ways, and will link you to "SNAP Challenges" where people other than Gwyneth Paltrow attempt to eat healthy with food stamps. 

PT 3 (and final) 27 healthy/hearty meals on 150.00, Ft. Trader Joe's

I'm going to wrap up the recipes for this past shopping trip that totaled around 150.00 bucks, give or take a few (around 158 actually.) Yes, I am actually making the meals. Here is the Curried Potatoes with Mint Pea Salad-I sopped up the curry sauce with some Garlic Naan bread and the whole thing was divine.

I have enough left over for lunch tomorrow. 

Now, even though I just had a tomato based sauce and some eggs, I am going to now segway into other dishes that boast those ingredients. Again, you needn't make them in consecutive order, just know that you have the ingredients on hand. I now want to make Spaghetti Squash. 

Yep, squash that ends up like spaghetti. I will be adding a sauce-most likely just a jarred marinara. I will probably also add some cannelli beans to the squash. But according to this recipe for how to make the squash, you have to be careful how you apply any sauces. I let you read on about it. The right way to make Spaghetti Squash

Next meal is Chorizo and Migas (eggs). But not 'real' Chorizo. Chorizo found at Trader Joe's, soy-based. Its been given rave reviews by anyone who has tried it and people were known to have cried when it was discontinued for some time. I am anxious of course to see what all the hype will be about, and I do love me some Migas (spanish eggs.)

Recipe here: Migas with Chorizo

Meanwhile, how about a snack? Why pay 6.00 for a bag of kale chips, when you can make your own? ( I know. At first I thought they sounded gross too. Boy was I wrong. I made them at home and like a Lay's potato chip-I could.not.stop.eating.them.

While not a meal per se, I did buy a bag of kale in the 150 mission, so yes, that trip also included some snacks. Recipe here Kale Chips

Keeping with another tomato-based sauce theme, and another fake 'sausage' theme, how about Italian Sausage and Peppers, a classic favorite? I found what sounds like a fantastic recipe for them (even though my family is Italian, we didn't make this)-and I also found some fake Italian sausage at the Trader so......along with a bag of tri-colored peppers I already had in my freezer, and I just bought another bag of onions-well it was a no-brainer!

Recipe here: Italian Sausage and Peppers

Now for a completely different road: Miso Soup. I love love LOVE Miso soup. You may have had it and didn't even know it. It is the complimentary soup served to you in Japanese restaurants. It usually comes in a black and red bowl that you pick up with your hands, and its a cloudy golden broth, with a couple squares of Tofu and Scallions floating on top. Not only is it divine, but it's one of the healthiest things on the planet for you to eat. Miso is fermented soybean. The health benefits are too numerous to list here. And it's surprisingly easy to make at home. 

I like using miso in a tub found in the fridge section of a health food store, but it also comes powdered which is fine also-if that is all you can find. It probably comes in a jar and stuff as well, and if you are fortunate enough to live near an Asian market, all the better. White miso is more mild and than Red miso which can be real salty to some tastes-it is traditional restaurant style though. Also can use as a base for Ramen soup (not that crap in the package for 25 cents that gets most people thru college, either. Red, yellow or white-Misos are incredibly good for you. 

Recipe: Miso Soup

 Meal 19: Cauliflower Corn Bisque! VEGAN!!!  Utilizing more of the cauliflower, a bag of Roasted Corn from Trader Joes (the only change to the recipe I made), also using more turmeric (that healthy spice again!) and lime.....this is a chilled soup, perfect for summer. 

Ashley makes a relish for the top as you can see, but I am not feeling the jalapenos and radishes right now. Normally I would, but lately I've had some heartburn so I'm going to pass on that (but it sounds delicious to me and I will make next time) Cauliflower and Corn Bisque

So how about meal 20, more curry. A Quinoa Curry Bowl. With lentils. And....drum roll......still got some mint left?? Good. A cilantro-mint Chutney. 

Recipe: Curried Red Lentils and Quinoa with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Now the thing with the Quinoa is that you can cook up a huge batch of it on a Sunday evening-and utilize it throughout the week, and even freeze some in a baggie once cooked for when you decide to make these dishes. It may seem like "well I just had curry" or "I just had Quinoa." So you can also for example, make the mint-cilantro chutney (because you have just a little mint left and don't want to waste it) and put it on something else. You can use different kinds of curry-there is a red curry sauce, a yellow curry sauce and a green curry sauce. Experiment! So just because the recipes sound alike, they often aren't. Just like these red lentils taste a bit different than brown ones do. 

But for brown lentils, how about a Lentil Loaf with Garlic Mashed Cauliflower? After all, you've got some of that left also. So let's do that! 

Recipe Lentil Rice Loaf

Once again, I'm using up other things, such as the mushrooms I purchased for the Creamy Tomato and Spinach pasta. 

Mashed Cauli w Garlic

Recipe: Mashed Garlic Cauliflower

Meal 22: Veggie Nests from Trader Joe's

This one is easy. From a box: 

They taste just like Tempura. Cook up some rice, and make a salad and boom, yummy dinner. 

23: While you got that Quinoa, how about a Peruvian Stew? If you are like me, you've frozen some potatoes already in the freezer for even easier cooking. Also, again with the peas, and feta and cilantro (you did buy a big bunch, right?)

I have to give you this recipe. 

2 tbl veg oil

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

5 minced garlic cloves

1 T paprika

2 tsp coriander, ground

1 1/2 tsp cumin

6 cups vegetable broth

1 lb red potatos, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup quinoa

1 cup corn

2 tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 c frozen peas

salt and pepper

Garnish:

8 oz queso or feta cheese

1 avocado, diced

1/2 c cilantro

Here's a picture: 

Heat oil in dutch oven. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until softened. Stir in garlic and apprika, coriander and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and potatoes and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to med low and simmer gently for 10 min. Stir in quinoa and simmer for 8 minutes. Stir in corn and simmer until potatoes and quinoa are just tender, 5 to 7 mins. Stir in tomatoes and peas and let heat through, about 2 mins. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add to bowls and garnish as desired. 

Now: Be creative. You have a lot of leftovers, both in finished meals and in ingredients. So, what is left? There's eggs and feta and spinach omelet (24), there's rice and veggies and teriyaki sauce (soy, pineapple juice, brown sugar) 25,  there's veggies and tofu and jarred Masala sauce 26, there's a big ass salad-because you have spinach and kale and lettuce and carrots and celery and oh, how about a beet salad? 

Number 27: 

A can of beets, chopped. Some celery, chopped. The rest of that red onion-chopped. A can of Mandarin oranges, I keep them whole. A dressing of rice vinegar, sugar and lemon/lime. With some chopped parsley. Really good with a rice and bean dish. 

So there you have it. I have stuff in my freezer, I have stuff in my fridge, I made 27 items off of a 158.00 grocery ticket. I will post tomorrow all the items I purchased and the price. I did get some fun stuff as well-it wasn't just all for the meals. Stay tuned, and I hope you will try some of these recipes! I am still searching for amazing ones for us all to try, and I found a VEGAN BLT that I gotta get on board with, hopefully it'll be good enough to pass onto you! Thanks for reading!