tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-130470063486762192024-03-13T22:39:59.696-05:00Organic Family On a BudgetKandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-50077935008618449252012-04-18T19:49:00.003-05:002012-04-18T19:56:15.635-05:00This Week's CSA and Assorted Other Deliciousness<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r9kk9YM1SP0/T49eIwhgRUI/AAAAAAAAA3U/UxJgV8et6Xs/s1600/IMG_9862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r9kk9YM1SP0/T49eIwhgRUI/AAAAAAAAA3U/UxJgV8et6Xs/s400/IMG_9862.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CSA Share With Tons of Greens<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eO2KEaFC5nM/T49cl_YnenI/AAAAAAAAA20/DO_rZuYOwrg/s1600/IMG_9866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eO2KEaFC5nM/T49cl_YnenI/AAAAAAAAA20/DO_rZuYOwrg/s200/IMG_9866.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quiche Made With Chard, <br />
Onions and Spinach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We got the first delivery of the CSA this week. It included some of the biggest radishes I've ever seen. In our share we got chard, several types of lettuce, spinach, onions, radishes and bok choy. I made a quiche with the onions, spinach and chard.<br />
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I also made these <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hamburger-buns/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=easy%20hamburger%20buns&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page" target="_blank">homemade hamburger buns</a>. They were super easy and, oh my goodness delicious. Right out of the oven, with farm fresh butter from Texas Daily Harvest? Boo-yah, THAT'S what I'm talking about.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q1KMXAhjl8E/T49dLUVsW5I/AAAAAAAAA3E/wZbd1aTj6os/s1600/IMG_9868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q1KMXAhjl8E/T49dLUVsW5I/AAAAAAAAA3E/wZbd1aTj6os/s320/IMG_9868.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Un-freaking-believable Homemade Rolls</td></tr>
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For dinner, I filled the rolls with the <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Buffalo-Chicken-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx" target="_blank">crockpot Buffalo chicken</a> and served it with a salad made from the fresh lettuce, radishes and onions from the CSA. It was ridiculously easy to make and so good.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bvme7AsGVRQ/T49dfaGNF7I/AAAAAAAAA3M/a6YFvhLR4Jc/s1600/IMG_9876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bvme7AsGVRQ/T49dfaGNF7I/AAAAAAAAA3M/a6YFvhLR4Jc/s320/IMG_9876.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches and Salad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I might even make some spicy chicken salad with the leftovers or I could make some enchiladas. Something to ponder.Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-39594508744738779102012-04-13T21:40:00.001-05:002012-04-13T21:40:28.189-05:00Weekly Menu PlanningAnother exciting menu plan for this week. Have you started noticing a pattern? Ha! The Texas Daily Harvest CSA starts this week. I'm not entirely sure what will be in it, but I do know it will be predominantly greens (spinach, chard, lettuce, etc.) It gets delivered Tuesday, so I'm building that loosely into the menu plan. I'm going to have to be flexible.<div>
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I'm also trying to use up some of the meat we have in the freezer. I think we have too much in there, so I'm trying to remedy that situation. Right now we've got 3 different kinds of fish (either 6 or 10 filets, I can't remember), 3 steaks, 2 pork chops, 1 ham hock, and some chicken breasts.</div>
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So, here we go:<br /><div>
<ul>
<li>Taco night (requested by my son)</li>
<li>Spaghetti (requested by the Hubs) with a salad (requested by my daughter) and garlic bread</li>
<li>Fish, salad, rice or quinoa and a vegetable</li>
<li>Steak, salad, frozen vegetable (likely corn since that is nearly the only vegetable my son will eat) </li>
<li>Quiche made with the CSA produce and fruit on the side</li>
</ul>
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And my Pinterest Recipes of the Week are:</div>
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<a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Buffalo-Chicken-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx" target="_blank">Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches</a> and <a href="http://selfreliancebyjamie.blogspot.com/2011/08/tis-seasonings.html" target="_blank">Homemade Ranch</a> (the powdered variety). I love Pinterest.</div>
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Also, as a side note, last week I bought the salmon and marinated it in olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. I put it in a ziploc bag it in the refrigerator. Later that day I decided we needed to use other food first (before it went bad), so I took a chance and tossed the marinating salmon in the freezer. I'm happy to say that after I thawed it out and baked it, it was delicious. I will probably do that again since it was so easy.</div>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-46584280561899956822012-04-10T20:52:00.001-05:002012-04-10T20:52:53.228-05:00Why Shopping Mid-Week is DangerousThis weekend I forgot to buy dog food. So, I popped into Whole Foods for dog food.<br />
<br />
And came out with a loaf of bread, sliced ham, flour tortillas, french vanilla coffee creamer and a carton of chocolate chip cookies. <br />
<br />
This is why I should never, ever forget something on my list.<br />
<br />
Add $37.01 to the weekly total. About $17 was for dog food and $20 for the other stuff.Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-79585353301445334082012-04-09T12:00:00.000-05:002012-04-09T12:00:01.134-05:00Menu PlanningWhen I make a menu plan, it's a fluid sort of thing. I put together a list of meals, but know that I ned to be flexible. We cook what we feel like eating from the list, instead of saying, "Well, it's Tuesday. We must have what's written on the list for Tuesday."<br />
<br />
I try to mix things up a bit, but we stick to a pretty simple formula: protein, fruit or vegetable, side item. The side item might be rice or a second vegetable. Or sometimes, we'll go rogue and not have a side item.<br />
<br />
I keep finding all of these amazing recipes on Pinterest, so I'm going to try to make at least one new one each week. This week's new Pinterest recipe is for <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1651643" target="_blank">Quinoa Jambalaya</a> courtesy of Oxygen Magazine.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hbgsmLOrDT4/T4IzcegiGZI/AAAAAAAAA2U/UV1L2ULh1kk/s1600/l838739770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hbgsmLOrDT4/T4IzcegiGZI/AAAAAAAAA2U/UV1L2ULh1kk/s320/l838739770.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Looks Delicious<br /></td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>Quinoa jambalaya with shrimp and sausage </li>
<li>Homemade pizza and fruit</li>
<li>Nachos with beef, refried beans, avocado and homemade salsa compliments of my brother</li>
<li>Baked chicken, rice, strawberries and garlic bread (yes, double carbs)</li>
<li>Salmon (marinated in soy sauce, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper then baked), corn, salad and fruit </li>
<li>Breakfast for dinner: bacon and eggs</li>
</ul>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-84850408177918536352012-04-08T19:49:00.000-05:002012-04-08T19:49:45.861-05:00Weekly Shopping Trip Report - April 8, 2012My total this week was <b><i>$154.80</i></b>. My Texas Daily Harvest order will be delivered Tuesday and I made a trip to Sprouts. They had a great sale on strawberries this week, so I stocked up. They go bad really quickly, so we ate some fresh and the rest we sliced and froze for use in smoothies. If I wasn't hindered by my back injury, I'd figure out how to make some homemade strawberry preserves. Oh, well. Another time.<br />
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<b><i>Texas Daily Harvest, $40.47</i></b><br />
<ul>
<li>2 dozen eggs ($10.00)</li>
<li>1 pound beef breakfast sausage ($6.99)</li>
<li>1 pound ground beef ($6.49)</li>
<li>1 pound of bacon ($9.99)</li>
<li>Local honey, 16 oz. ($6.00)</li>
<li>Delivery Fee ($1.00)</li>
</ul>
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<b><i>Sprouts, $114.33</i></b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Bakery, $7.37 (wheat bread, french bread, pizza crust)</li>
<li>Bulk, $5.98 (almond toffee granola, brown rice, pretzels)</li>
<li>Dairy, $21.86 (yogurt, cottage cheese, butter, soy milk, cows milk, orange juice)</li>
<li>Deli, $9.23 (shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, sliced turkey)</li>
<li>Meat, $22.56 (shrimp, salmon, chicken, pork sausage)</li>
<li>Frozen, $5.98 (ice cream, frozen corn)</li>
<li>Grocery, $20.24 (crackers, canned beans, pasta sauce, tortilla chips, italian soda)</li>
<li>Produce, $20.74 (strawberries, clementines, cucumber, tomatoes, bell peppers, avocados, spring mix, bananas, grapes)</li>
</ul>
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<b><i>Other Stuff</i></b></div>
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I'm not sure when the CSA delivery will start (in a few weeks, I hope), but we had to pay a $25 planting fee, plus the last two weeks $68, in advance. I'm not including this $93 in my total for this week.</div>
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I also got a notice that there was a Whole Foods gift card on <a href="http://plasticjungle.com/" target="_blank">Plastic Jungle</a> available. I bought a $500 gift card at a 3% discount, so for $485. I haven't received this in the mail yet and will be using it to pay for my groceries over the next month or so. These don't come available very often, so I jumped at the chance. $15 is $15, right?</div>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-70377420893111970052012-04-05T19:49:00.000-05:002012-04-05T19:49:00.918-05:00The Final CountdownA few weeks ago I turned 39. I didn't like it. Because that means next birthday I'll be 40. <br />
<br />
40.<br />
<br />
Forty.<br />
<br />
Blech. <br />
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I don't want to be overweight and unhealthy when I turn 40. I want to be in kick-ass shape and be accused of being a MILF when I'm 40. I want to embrace 40.<br />
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Yes, yes I do.<br />
<br />
I have 11 months. <br />
<br />
So, the CSA and the organic food is only part of it. The other part is getting a handle on how much food I'm consuming and exercise (which right now doesn't happen at all).<br />
<br />
Stephen and I talked about it and decided to make an investment in us. We joined a very nice athletic club about a two minute drive from our house. We could walk there if we were so inclined.<br />
<br />
As part of joining, we each get a session with a nutritionist and three sessions with a personal trainer. The first session will be an assessment as to where we are. (This scares me.) The other two sessions will be to show us the exercise program they've put together for each of us.<br />
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I'm excited and hopeful. I can't wait to meet with the nutritionist and learn about food and what we should be feeding our bodies. It's going to be a great opportunity to teach our kids. Our kids are very healthy, slim and active in sports. We need to match our children!<br />
<br />
I'll take a before picture and track my progress. I want a strong, healthy body. Think Jennifer Garner in Alias. That's what I'm after.<br />
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It's going to be a lot of hard work, but I'm ready. <br />
<br />Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-35382425441399022892012-04-04T14:27:00.000-05:002012-04-04T14:30:24.844-05:00Easy, Healthy Lunch<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__8w5yshs7g/T3ydrpP5zII/AAAAAAAAA2M/M-RWIIrNTaI/s1600/IMG_9827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__8w5yshs7g/T3ydrpP5zII/AAAAAAAAA2M/M-RWIIrNTaI/s320/IMG_9827.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh. Easy. Delicious.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Because I'm trying to recover from a back injury, I'm spending my time not sitting upright. I am not supposed to be lifting things or moving around a lot and that means meals need to be super easy to prepare. <br />
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This one fits the bill. It took me exactly two seconds to put together and it was fabulous. <br />
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I sliced a tomato, part of a cucumber, then added greek peppers and olives from the olive bar at Whole Foods. I added some feta cheese, greek seasoning, the juice of half a lemon and a tiny bit of olive oil.<br />
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I can see this becoming a go-to lunch option.Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-47482902794550475612012-04-01T19:35:00.000-05:002012-04-01T19:35:00.528-05:00TDH CSAThe farm (<a href="http://texasdailyharvest.com/" target="_blank">Texas Daily Harvest</a>) from which we buy our organic dairy, grass-fed beef, pork, chicken and eggs is going to have a CSA this spring and summer. I'm really excited.<br />
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For $34 per week, we'll get a large share of seasonal, organic, local produce. They've promised 20 weeks worth of produce (although they may not be consecutive weeks depending on production.) <br />
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For those who have been reading my blog, we previously got an every-other-week share from Urban Acres. We loved it, but it was every two weeks and super heavy on the greens and not as much fruit. I'm hoping the CSA will be a little more balanced.<br />
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I might only have to go the grocery store once every couple of weeks this spring and summer. We should be able to get our dairy, eggs, meat and produce from TDH. The only thing we'll need to get from the grocery store will be bread, snacks, grains, flour, sugar, spices, fish, nut butter and deli meat. I should be able to do that every two weeks.<br />
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Most everything I need on a weekly basis can be purchased from Texas Daily Harvest, including organic coffee and local honey. Plus, I like knowing we are supporting local farmers.<br />
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I can't wait to see what we get in the CSA share!Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-78272766760372990642012-03-31T00:09:00.001-05:002012-03-31T00:09:13.316-05:00Weekly Menu PlanningThis is what I plan to make this week.* If this week goes like every other week, one of the meals I plan won't happen.<br />
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Breakfast during the week is oatmeal, cereal or scrambled eggs. We get a little more adventurous on the weekends since we have more time. Not sure what's going to happen this weekend -- could be bacon and eggs, pancakes or french toast. We leave it to whatever we're in the mood for. Last weekend it was fried eggs on toasted baguettes with avocado and tomato. It was delicious.<br />
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I try to pack the kids' lunches during the week. I hate it when they eat in the cafeteria -- the food isn't the healthiest and it's expensive ($5.50 per kid). The hubs and I eat leftovers from dinner. We go out with co-workers or friends about once a week. It used to be every day. We're making progress.<br />
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Dinners (in no particular order)<br />
<ul>
<li>Pasta with shrimp and jalapeno cilantro pesto (minus the pesto for my son)</li>
<li>Tacos (a staple in our home) with fresh fruit</li>
<li>Steamed fish, salad, corn and roasted potatoes/homemade baked french fries</li>
<li>Grilled chicken breast, rice/quinoa and steamed carrots</li>
<li>Bacon, eggs and fresh fruit</li>
<li>A crockpot dish of some kind, usually cobbled together from a meat in the freezer and any leftover veggies/grain/pasta in the frig</li>
</ul>
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I found a recipe on Pinterest I'm going to make this weekend for a no bake dessert treat. More on that later.</div>
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*I threw out my back about two weeks ago, so this all depends on how I'm feeling. I'm on my second round of steroids and go in for an MRI today. Yes, it sucks. Suckety suck suck suck. <br />
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My parents are watching the kids while Stephen takes me for the MRI. The kids will get taken out to dinner at a restaurant. Stephen and I will eat whatever when we get home.</div>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-53543749667531307502012-03-31T00:06:00.000-05:002012-03-31T00:19:14.505-05:00Weekly Shopping Trip Report - March 30, 2012This week I took a late Friday shopping excursion to Whole Foods. Good news, though: My new reusable produce and bulk bags I bought from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/96113968/4-reusable-drawstring-small-cotton" target="_blank">Joyce1492</a> on Etsy arrived. They are fabulous! I'm trying to incorporate the tips from <a href="http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bea Johnson</a> and using reusable bags and jars is one of them.<br />
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I gathered up my shopping bags, produce bags, glass jars and off I went. The WF employee at the customer service counter weighed the tare of my containers and I hit the produce section first. I don't have enough jars yet, but I should in the next few weeks as I have been making a conscious effort to buy items in glass jars where possible (as opposed to plastic).<br />
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The produce bags are awesome. I wished I had more, but I've ordered additional bags (including a bread bag!) from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/73315818/pink-paisley-flour-and-sugar-bulk-food" target="_blank">ThreadBareStitcher </a>on Etsy and am anxiously awaiting their arrival. I should be good to go once they get here.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4h2g7oSy2Pk/T3ZwLPecdxI/AAAAAAAAA10/EKhaCzd2sDA/s1600/IMG_9815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4h2g7oSy2Pk/T3ZwLPecdxI/AAAAAAAAA10/EKhaCzd2sDA/s200/IMG_9815.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bulk Aisle Goods</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bE6pxO0dUwg/T3Zv08TFKBI/AAAAAAAAA1s/rPLq6LEY16w/s1600/IMG_9812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bE6pxO0dUwg/T3Zv08TFKBI/AAAAAAAAA1s/rPLq6LEY16w/s200/IMG_9812.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apples and Citrus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-muaG2LDrYyI/T3ZwdITIFuI/AAAAAAAAA18/eCI1yGWgOow/s1600/IMG_9817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-muaG2LDrYyI/T3ZwdITIFuI/AAAAAAAAA18/eCI1yGWgOow/s200/IMG_9817.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shrimp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I filled up mixed produce in two of the bags, which the cashier sorted without complaint. <br />
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Next up was the meat counter. I needed shrimp and handed over the jar. No problem! <br />
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When I got to the check-out counter, the cashier had a little difficulty with a couple of the jars I filled with items from the olive bar (jalapeƱo cilantro pesto and assorted olives and greek peppers). When the price popped up I told him I didn't think it was quite right. He quickly corrected the error and we were good to go. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BTwOsG6pmJA/T3Zvg9qGg4I/AAAAAAAAA1k/3tmkO650Igo/s1600/IMG_9811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BTwOsG6pmJA/T3Zvg9qGg4I/AAAAAAAAA1k/3tmkO650Igo/s320/IMG_9811.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Whole She-Bang: Not a Great Picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i>Whole Foods Summary</i></b></div>
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I used all of my own shopping bags, bought dog food and toilet paper. The total was <b><i>$152.14</i></b>. </div>
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There were several "out of the ordinary" purchases this week that increased my total. First, my favorite pasta was on sale for $1.39 per package instead of $1.99 per package, so I got 4. Second, I bought chocolate chips ($6.69) from the bulk bin and a box of 100 Stevia packets ($5.99) which are not weekly purchases. Finally, the Bell & Evans chicken nuggets (a must have for nights when you just don't feel like cooking) were on sale buy one get one free ($7.49 for two). I wasn't originally planning on buying them, but that's a great price so I got two boxes. </div>
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Otherwise, here's how it broke down:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Produce, $29.44 (oranges, apples, bananas, strawberries, watermelon, limes, tomatoes, mint, avacado, mixed field greens)</li>
<li>Meat, $21.07 (shrimp, chicken nuggets, turkey breast, salami)</li>
<li>Drinks, $18.74 (milk, goat milk, orange juice, apple juice, sparkling water, root beer)</li>
<li>Dog Food, $14.99</li>
<li>Toilet Paper, $3.99</li>
<li>Other, $63.91 (salsa, refried beans, bulk items -- oats, cereal, chocolate chips, chocolate covered pretzels and veggie chips, pasta, ice cream, baguette, pop chips, harissa, olive bar stuff, bag of shredded cheese)</li>
</ul>
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<b><i>Texas Daily Harvest Summary (All Organic/Grass-Fed/Pastured/Free Range)</i></b></div>
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I bought a dozen eggs, one pound of roasted coffee, 8 ounces of colby cheese, bacon and a pound of ground beef from <a href="http://texasdailyharvest.com/" target="_blank">Texas Daily Harvest</a> that will be delivered Tuesday. This cost <b><i>$41.48</i></b>. </div>
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<b><i>Total</i></b></div>
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My total for the week was <b><i><u>$193.62</u></i></b>.<br />
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This included dog food and toiletries. We have two dogs: Toby is 13 and is a border collie/shepherd mix. Eddie is a 10 month old miniature dachshund/chihuahua mix. The dog food I bought is for Toby and should last her about a week. Eddie still has food from a previous bag we bought for him. I plan on learning how to make dog food myself later this year. It's on the list of things to do, along with learning how to make my own cleaning supplies.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-awcigUOYQ_U/T3Zwy5e2N-I/AAAAAAAAA2E/e6Vnr69TkUg/s1600/IMG_9820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-awcigUOYQ_U/T3Zwy5e2N-I/AAAAAAAAA2E/e6Vnr69TkUg/s320/IMG_9820.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Because this was a late evening trip, my ravenous, whiny children were crawling all over me for dinner, so I had to make it. Stat! We had sandwiches on part of the baguette, fresh fruit and pop chips. Nothing fancy, but delicious.<br />
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A little trivia about this post: I had half of it drafted. One bad move with the delete button and *poof* it disappeared. Gah!<br />
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Tomorrow I'll post what I plan on cooking this week.Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-52869504486541453452012-03-29T15:47:00.002-05:002012-03-29T22:57:01.172-05:00Homemade Cleaning SuppliesI've been thinking about making my own cleaning supplies. I read somewhere about using baking soda and vinegar as the basis for a cleaner and I tried it on our toilets. It worked really, really well. Which made me wonder why I've been buying toilet cleaner that has God only knows what in it.<br />
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I've been collecting recipes on Pinterest and came across this recipe for <a href="http://frugallysustainable.com/2011/09/homemade-liquid-dish-soap-that-really/" target="_blank">Homemade Handsoap</a>.<br />
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This is going on the list of recipes to try!Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-71376894660089893002012-03-23T11:20:00.007-05:002012-03-24T21:42:19.519-05:00Reducing Waste One Step at a TimeIn the last few days I've taken these steps to start our waste reduction journey:<div><ul><li>Ordered from Etsy some bulk bags. Two great things about this: I'm supporting home-based businesses in the United States and I'm getting some awesome reusable bags.</li></ul><ul><li>Found a local resale shop that I will be taking the kids' outgrown clothes to.</li></ul><ul><li>Called my local Whole Foods to confirm that I can use my own containers in the bulk aisle and in the meat department. I took my containers in, they weighed the tare no problem, and I didn't have any issues at the meat counter when I asked to have my chicken put in a tupperware container. </li></ul><div>One of my friends took a trip to Toronto and brought back this beautiful jar full of syrup for our family:</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hBOG8YA-8uo/T26AYzKV5TI/AAAAAAAAA1E/Rn2u620oqtM/s400/IMG_9802.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723653339973281074" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dy8d1kGvmv8/T26A6NvFsCI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/SGhCN-UvEAc/s320/IMG_9803.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723653914042413090" /><div>I love the glass jar -- it's a beautiful maple leaf. I took it to Whole Foods and refilled it with bulk syrup. (You can see the green sticker that shows the weight of the jar on its own.)</div><div><br /><div><div><div>I won't be buying any more tupperware containers when I can reuse the glass jars that are coming into my home (salsa, apple sauce, etc.). </div><div><br /></div><div>I purchased a large container of yogurt today (as opposed to six small containers) and will be able to reuse that container as well.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>We've started going through our cabinets and are putting items we don't need or use in boxes to get out of our house.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>I feel like I'm being flooded with information. My friend told me this morning about a website calling for "Collaborative Consumption." We talked about having a toy swap with our kids (DVDs, Wii and Nintendo games). We can recycle our games, get new-to-us fun stuff and not spend a dime. Apparently the site includes a video you can show the kids. I'm going to check it out.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's so much to learn. I really feel like my eyes have been opened. I'm tired of being suffocated by the stuff, by the trash, by the waste of it all.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's going to take time to get all of the excess out of our home, but I feel good about it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll start posting again on my shopping, recipes and the budget, too. For now, I'll leave you with this picture of my kitchen:</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o0hCc4ChYLQ/T26AYJpzo7I/AAAAAAAAA0s/E0eQNDuLmGs/s1600/IMG_9798.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o0hCc4ChYLQ/T26AYJpzo7I/AAAAAAAAA0s/E0eQNDuLmGs/s400/IMG_9798.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723653328830964658" /></a><br /><div>What started out as putting together a list of projects for the house very quickly turned into this. It's going to make the kitchen a lot more open (there was a wall there with a peek through window). Since we are purging our excess, there should be plenty of room for our stuff even though we've lost six upper cabinets. Thank goodness my hubby is handy. He's doing all the work himself. At least all of the work for Phase I. Phase II will require a plumber, but we won't be tackling that for a long time. </div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-10173192797594321892012-03-23T10:04:00.002-05:002012-03-23T10:13:05.158-05:00A New DiscoveryI have been schooled. In a good way. <div><br /></div><div>Yesterday I discovered Bea Johnson of <a href="http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com">Zero Waste Home</a>. Holy cow. She blogs about reducing waste. It's amazing what she has been able to accomplish.</div><div><br /></div><div>In six months, all of the trash her family of 4 generated can fit into the palm of her hand. </div><div><br /></div><div>It made me think hard about what my family is doing. We generate so much trash (and a lot of recyclables). It's not unusual for us to fill up a full trash bin (overflowing, hoping the trash guys don't revolt) and still have more trash in other bins each week. The recycle bin is usually full, as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our house is full of clutter. We are all guilty. I have a lot of books, paper and clothes. My husband has tools, more clothes than me (yes, really) and books and paper. The kids - oh, the toys. My son is pretty good, he's not a packrat like the rest of us. My daughter's room makes me want to cry with all of the clothes, toys, paper, dolls and MESS.</div><div><br /></div><div>And waste.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just as I was excited when I discovered Michael Pollan, which prompted me to do some research, so did Bea Johnson get me excited about reducing and simplifying. I've been doing more research, this time about ways to reduce our trash generation. The first step is to arm yourself with knowledge.</div><div><br /></div><div>You don't know what you don't know.</div><div><br /></div><div>But now I know. And I'm gonna do something about it. </div>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-49412114216651835622011-11-05T16:29:00.004-05:002011-11-05T16:47:19.816-05:00Osom Chicken SoupIt's been forever since I blogged and I've missed it. I've been cooking, just not writing about it. This week I got a delivery from Texas Daily Harvest that included an organic whole chicken. While at first it may seem a bit pricey ($14.50), I stretched every penny of that by making multiple meals out of one chicken.<br /><br />Here's what I did. I put the whole frozen chicken in a crockpot. The chicken was bigger than the crockpot, so I had to weigh down the lid to make it stay. Thank you, Joy of Cooking.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u-AKUHle5n0/TrWrN6I4xtI/AAAAAAAAA0g/PpWsWUfp5ZQ/s1600/Crockpot%2BChicken.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671627561176188626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u-AKUHle5n0/TrWrN6I4xtI/AAAAAAAAA0g/PpWsWUfp5ZQ/s400/Crockpot%2BChicken.jpg" border="0" /></a> I put olive oil on top of the chicken as well as some garlic herb seasoning. I put some water in the bottom, turned it on low, and let it cook while we slept. The next day I pulled the cooked chicken off of the bones and used some of it to make a chicken casserole.<br /><br />Then, I put what was left in a large pot, along with some carrots, onions, garlic and seasoning and simmered it on low heat for a couple of hours. It made a lot of chicken stock. Like 64 ounces. <br />My daughter drank some of the fresh stock out of a mug and loved it. The weather is getting cooler and it was perfect for a chilly night.<br /><br />Once that batch was made, I put the chicken and vegetables back in the crockpot to make another batch of chicken stock.<br /><br />I used that second batch of stock as the base of a soup. I put in some vegetables from my Urban Acres share: red onion, white potatoes, zucchini, carrots, sweet potato and some white beans. It's cooking now and will make for a great dinner. I'll puree it to make it a thicker, heartier soup.<br /><br />Organic chicken stock can be expensive. I like making my own and having the fresh chicken for other meals. <br /><br />We may be able to use the chicken in soup, on salads or on its own with vegetables on the side. <br /><br />A word from my daughter who wants to type (no editing by me):<br />I like the supe my mom made it was osomKandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-63021103943479702362011-02-08T21:58:00.002-06:002011-02-08T22:11:05.085-06:00Another Lunch PostThere may be another snow day tomorrow.<br /><br />*Insert sound of crazy person screaming.*<br /><br />In denial, I packed their lunches anyway. I prefer to call it unbridled optimism.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TVIRY93yHGI/AAAAAAAAA0U/Y54XCFI8hz4/s1600/IMG_8953.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571534809633791074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TVIRY93yHGI/AAAAAAAAA0U/Y54XCFI8hz4/s400/IMG_8953.JPG" border="0" /></a> </p><p>Starting from the top left and going clockwise: organic potatoes, pan fried in some olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, ketchup, steak baked in the oven with some bbq rub seasoning on top, homemade cashew nut butter cookies, and fresh organic orange slices.</p><p>And, if school doesn't happen, then their lunches are ready for them. Once I break up whatever fight is inevitably going to happen when they get on each others nerves. Again. Just like last week.</p><p>Did I mention I hope there isn't another snow day? Why can't we have Mommy Goes to the Spa Day? How about one of those?<br /></p>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-85273103038710867062011-02-06T21:28:00.005-06:002011-02-06T21:38:13.574-06:00Organic Olive TapenadeWhile, technically, a tapenade has capers in it, capers are not one of the foods on my <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.sarimellman.com">Mellman</a> plan. So, I improvised.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TU9nbc6NEOI/AAAAAAAAA0I/razEIXa2XAM/s1600/IMG_8948.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570784985395040482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TU9nbc6NEOI/AAAAAAAAA0I/razEIXa2XAM/s400/IMG_8948.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I have a mini-cuisinart, which was perfect for this little spread. I put the following ingredients in the bowl: a can of organic green olives, a couple of tablespoons of the olive juice, the zest and juice of one-half of a lemon, 1 teaspoon of salt (a little much, I'd do 1/2 teaspoon next time), 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil.<br /><br /><br />I pulsed it on low until it was the right consistency. There were a couple of whole olives that escaped the blade, but they didn't escape my mouth.<br /><br /><br />I put some goat cheese and the tapenade on a rye cracker and made a perfect little snack. The tapenade was the perfect blend of salt and tangy, but still very light at the same time.<br /><br />The tapenade would be delicious on fish or instead of pesto on pasta. Or, just as a dip.Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-64532305599548905892011-02-06T21:15:00.002-06:002011-02-06T21:25:48.906-06:00Thank God School is Back in Session LunchesI was ever so grateful to be packing lunches tonight. Seriously. Like, really really thankful. I'm pretty sure I'll have to restrain myself in carpool tomorrow morning. I might just hop out and give the teachers a huge hug right before I jump back in my car and speed off. Just kidding. Sort of.<br /><br />4 snow days in row? I'm done.<br /><p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TU9kSuRJZ6I/AAAAAAAAA0A/HFZcPrJ8-Jk/s1600/IMG_8951.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570781536900966306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TU9kSuRJZ6I/AAAAAAAAA0A/HFZcPrJ8-Jk/s400/IMG_8951.JPG" border="0" /></a> My son's is on top: Organic apple slices, a packet of Justin's honey and peanut butter, organic parmesan cheese from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.texasdailyharvest.com">Texas Daily Harvest</a>, some mixed nuts, organic apple sauce with cinnamon sprinkled on top, and a couple of mini chocolate peanut butter cups (non-organic, totally disgusting).</p><p>My daughter's: roll-ups made with Applegate Farms turkey and mustard on Whole Foods southwest tortillas, organic parmesan cheese, the mini peanut butter cups (she probably won't eat them, honestly), organic apples sauce with cinnamon, organic apple slices, and mixed nuts.</p>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-51455842935771433502011-02-04T18:47:00.004-06:002011-02-04T18:52:35.992-06:00Bread Machine Peanut Butter Rolls<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUye7iYjm6I/AAAAAAAAAx4/q2VqD0q7_Ic/s1600/IMG_8777.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570001584829733794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUye7iYjm6I/AAAAAAAAAx4/q2VqD0q7_Ic/s400/IMG_8777.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I was experimenting again with the bread machine. This time, I made these peanut butter rolls. I have to admit, my first attempt was a miserable failure because I tried to substitute the chocolate chips with carob powder.<br /></div><div>Not a good idea. At all.</div><br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570001591801137922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUye78WqywI/AAAAAAAAAyA/wKYwm1g0Gyk/s400/IMG_8779.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>This is attempt number two. Instead of chocolate chips, though, I used some of the chocolate nut mix from the Whole Foods bulk bins. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>These seemed to be well received. They didn't last very long, anyway.</div></div>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-16314924518087032042011-02-04T18:35:00.003-06:002011-02-04T18:43:50.622-06:00Comfort Food<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUybsOZn-dI/AAAAAAAAAxw/0EJ7XQZ9tFY/s1600/IMG_8930.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569998023232584146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUybsOZn-dI/AAAAAAAAAxw/0EJ7XQZ9tFY/s400/IMG_8930.JPG" border="0" /></a>Today we got slammed with at least six inches of snow, maybe more. That translates into comfort food.<br /><br /><div>I made the Whole Foods hamburgers and served them with the organic potato chips. The grill is out of commission, so I baked them instead. They were a hit. There will be leftovers, so either someone can eat hamburgers for lunch this weekend or I can use the beef in something else. </div><br /><p>I found out today that the Texas Daily Harvest delivery has been cancelled, so that amount ($41) will go into next week's budget. I'll have to run to the store tomorrow to pick up a few things. No big deal. I'll be way under budget this week. Next week? It's an Urban Acres week, so I'll probably be on the upper end, if not a little over.</p><p>Aside from a trip to Colorado in 1995, I haven't seen this much snow since my high school days in Canada. I'm totally over it.</p>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-46751005793422071552011-02-03T21:40:00.005-06:002011-02-03T22:25:01.971-06:00Snowed In Menu Planning and Weekly Budget ReviewWe are heading into our fourth snow day in a row. In Dallas this is unheard of. My kids are going stir crazy and, truth be told, so am I. I relish my time at home with my family, but I am one of those women that needs to work. Not just to contribute financially, but as in, I NEED to work. <br /><br />Stephen and I have been taking turns going into our (closed) offices this week. We have to get stuff done. He goes in the morning, I go in the afternoon. I ran by the grocery store tonight on my way back home. <br /><br />I didn't plan, but had some of my coupons with me. On the fly, I came up with this menu for the upcoming week, which I am sure will be tweaked. Part of it was the special deal Whole Foods was running which I will detail below:<br /><br /><strong><em>Dinners</em></strong><br /><ol><li>Beef Chili </li><li>Hamburgers, homemade french fries and sliced fruit</li><li>Vegetarian Sloppy Joes</li><li>Steak, fruit and vegetables</li><li>Tilapia, fruit/salad and vegetables</li><li>Quesadillas and Soup</li></ol><p><strong><em>Lunches</em></strong></p><ol><li>Turkey or salami sandwiches on homemade bread, organic potato chips, fruit</li><li>Wrap sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, hummus with carrot and celery sticks, fruit</li><li>Homemade pizza rolls, homemade apple chips</li><li>Spaghetti with butter and parmesan</li><li>Leftovers from dinner</li></ol><p>I will be cooking slightly different meals for myself since I'm on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.sarimellman.com">Mellman</a>, so I'll be eating more buffalo and fish.</p><p>We'll be getting a delivery from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.texasdailyharvest.com">Texas Daily Harvest </a>on Saturday. I spent <strong><em>$41.49</em></strong> on a gallon of milk, 1 pint of cream, 8 oz of Colby, 8 oz of Mozzarella, one pound of pasture fed ground beef and one pound of pasture fed strip steak.</p><p>I spent <strong><em>$81.55</em></strong> at Whole Foods. They were having a special: if you purchased their hamburger patties, you'd get hamburger buns, potato chips and smoked sausage for free. The free items were worth $10.98 and I had $6 in coupons. Here's what I got:</p><ul><li>Sloppy joe mix, $2.79</li><li>2 small containers of strawberry yogurt, $.79 each</li><li>BBQ sauce, $2.50</li><li>Rye crackers, $2.69</li><li>Organic potato chips, $2.00</li><li>Kashi cheddar crackers, $2.99</li><li>365 Peanut Butter cereal, $3.49</li><li>3 boxes of Arrowhead Mills Cereal, $4.39 each</li><li>2 boxes Kashi Cereal, $3.39 each</li><li>3 cans of organic beans (kidney, red and navy), $5.00</li><li>Sweet german pork sausage, $5.99</li><li>365 Goat Cheese, $6.99</li><li>Gourmet beef burgers, $14.14</li><li>Tazo Chai Tea Concentrate, $4.49</li><li>Applegate Farms Genoa Salami, $2.25</li><li>Applegate Farms Oven Roasted Turkey, $4.18</li><li>Hamburger Buns, $2.99</li><li>WF Tortillas, $2.49</li><li>Organic Cameo Apples (2.48 lb), $3.70</li><li>Organic Lemon, $.79</li><li>Clean Eating Magazine, $5.99 (technically not groceries, but included in the total)</li></ul><p>We were out of cereal, so I used coupons and stocked up. I still need to get some more Soy milk and, likely, eggs. But I'm well within the budget this week.</p><p>I made a lemon cake treat that I'll be posting about later and I'll be whipping up some of my nut butter cookies. It's gonna be a great week.</p>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-62002384929143680592011-02-01T22:54:00.004-06:002011-02-01T23:02:24.395-06:00Dinner for the Fam<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUjkDURLQwI/AAAAAAAAAxk/mATx3M7FU2M/s1600/IMG_8901.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568951684875109122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUjkDURLQwI/AAAAAAAAAxk/mATx3M7FU2M/s400/IMG_8901.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />This was a super quick dinner. Last night I had cooked the steak, so it just had to be reheated. (I put a ginormous steak in a casserole dish, covered it with some sort of memphis seasonings rub, put the lid on and baked it in a 350 degree oven until it was done.)<br /><br />Tonight I made a quick salad with our Urban Acres produce and some almond slivers (is that a technical term?) and heated some frozen organic corn from Costco. Add that to the beef and you're done. Eating in about 15 minutes.Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-46767678850310111112011-02-01T16:47:00.008-06:002011-02-01T19:13:39.114-06:00Playing in the Kitchen with Fillo DoughI got some organic fillo dough at the store and knew I wanted to experiment.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUivIFh0Q7I/AAAAAAAAAxc/cilJ5v6G924/s1600/IMG_8874.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568893492701447090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUivIFh0Q7I/AAAAAAAAAxc/cilJ5v6G924/s400/IMG_8874.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I kept coming out of the kitchen and putting plates in front of Stephen. Try this. Now this. And one more. He liked all three. The kids, well, not so much.<br /><br />First, I made some fillo wrapped chicken nuggets. These are the ones they weren't as crazy about.<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568891393482930658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUitN5VHueI/AAAAAAAAAxE/A6RdDY_xmxo/s400/IMG_8867.JPG" border="0" /><br />Next came the pizza rolls. These they liked.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568892142587781186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUit5f9ooEI/AAAAAAAAAxM/JFVpsS0FaGI/s400/IMG_8871.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />Finally, something sweet. Little fruit tarts. Inside were apples, blackberries, cinnamon, sugar and then, of course, butter.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568892791669222690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TUiufR-tbSI/AAAAAAAAAxU/DpujCJbjkNo/s400/IMG_8876.JPG" border="0" /><br />These weren't Mellmanized, so I didn't eat them. They were easy to heat up for a fast weeknight dinner, too, although they are definitely much better right out of the oven.Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-27861127178373731192011-01-29T18:28:00.002-06:002011-01-29T18:34:11.707-06:00Super Fast UpdateI'm back from Miami and am getting my house back in order, literally and figuratively. I spent about $70 at Sprouts and $67 at Whole Foods and picked up my Urban Acres share ($50). I didn't go to the store at all last weekend, so this is two weeks worth.<br /><br />I'll be headed back to Whole Foods tomorrow to pick up some buffalo, fish and cashews. I've got everything else I need for the week, though. <br /><br />I've been playing in the kitchen this afternoon and a new post with my creations will follow. <br /><br />This week we'll be having our standard menu: beef, chicken or fish, our fresh produce and I picked up some gluten free pasta we'll be testing out.<br /><br />The share this week included apples, oranges and lemons (yay!), onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, lettuce, purple turnips, and lots of greens. Oh, and a butternut and acorn squash. Not sure how I'm going to prepare those and I've never seen a purple turnip before.<br /><br />I am so glad to be home.Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-91749983191965076302011-01-22T20:36:00.004-06:002011-01-22T20:44:00.318-06:00Brief Hiatus and Budget ObservationsI will be out of town for work for most of this upcoming week, which means there will be little to no blogging. Unless I post pictures of my hotel room. Stephen is going to be home alone with the kids.<br /><br />Which means he's da man.<br /><br />Which translates into: Easy meals and lunches are mandatory.<br /><br />The kids will eat lunch at school this week. *shudder* I'm throwing Stephen a bone on this one.<br /><br />Dinners will be a crockpot stew I will make ahead of time, spaghetti with butter and parmesan, and one night will be broiled fish with steamed veggies. I'm sure there will be cereal for dinner one night.<br /><br />I'm headed to the grocery store for a few staples in the morning, but we have pretty much everything we need. I went over budget last week, but didn't keep track (or blog about it, sorry). I've figured out, though, why I haven't been able to stick to my original budget.<br /><br />There are two very logical explanations. First, the kids aren't eating lunch at school. I'm packing their lunches. I figure this adds an additional $20 a week to the budget. <br /><br />Second, I'm back on the Mellman plan. Which means my diet consists of very specific and sometimes expensive items. Like buffalo. And cashews. And goat cheese. I'm going to have to figure out a way to either spend less on these items, or as I add new foods, hope that the ones I add aren't uber expensive.<br /><br />I'm stumbling along the way regarding the budget, but I'll get there.<br /><br />It's all a journey, right?Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047006348676219.post-5272796928574059582011-01-22T20:27:00.002-06:002011-01-22T20:35:44.960-06:00Organic Chili A La Crockpot<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TTuS4gsCz9I/AAAAAAAAAws/1fb3VlRt3bI/s1600/IMG_8823.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565203264091377618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ArPR5LXCn3s/TTuS4gsCz9I/AAAAAAAAAws/1fb3VlRt3bI/s400/IMG_8823.JPG" border="0" /></a> This was a really fast dinner. When I'm making stew or chili or whatever in the crockpot, there is no recipe. <br /><br />This meal was made by combining organic ground beef from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.texasdailyharvest.com">Texas Daily Harvest</a>, a can of organic white beans, organic black beans (I had made them from dried beans and frozen them, so I pulled them from my freezer), bok choy from my <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.urbanacresmarket.com">Urban Acres </a>share, a carton of 365 organic chicken broth, a can of tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and paprika. Oh, and an onion.<br /><br />I served it with the homemade cheese bread sticks. I didn't eat any of it, because it's not on my Mellman plan, but Stephen and the kids did. This is definitely an easy, weeknight, make ahead kind of a meal.<br /><br /><div></div>Kandicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10848232351307953759noreply@blogger.com1