Good morning! The sun is shining this morning, we're expected to hit about 72 degrees today, we're going to a new church with friends, and I'm picking up four three-year old blueberry plants today for our "micro farm"!
Here is our menu plan for the week:
Monday:: shrimp tostada bowl thingy
Tuesday:: I'm working too late. Jack will eat dinner at my aunt's, and Troy and I will have sandwiches or leftovers
Wednesday:: salmon cakes (a new recipe I'm trying), artichokes with aioli, and home canned fruit
Thursday:: working late again, so we're having soup from the freezer, grilled cheese sandwiches, and home canned fruit
Friday:: popcorn and fruit on the couch while watching a movie. A nice end to the week
Saturday:: hot dogs (from our local butcher), homemade buns, salad (from the garden), and sweet potato fries (from the freezer. Ha!)
Sunday:: family dinner at my parent's.
This week was a HUGE stock up week for me. I hit up my favorite grocery store that is about an hour away, but has a selection of items I can only get there. Also, my monthly Azure Standard order came in this week and it was a WHOPPER. I'm not sure if I'll order next month because this one was huge (that's what she said). I also hit up Costco. I'm just thankful my grassfed beef order that I placed a few months ago didn't come in this week, or I would be hyperventilating at the cost.
Total spent this week: $534.75. Yeah, you read that correctly. :gulp:
My Azure Standard order was $369.30 (it was higher, but I order for family members, and then am reimbursed, so the $369 reflects my stuff). I spent:
-$5.10 on 3 big packages of cupcake liners. The brand is "If You Care" and my aunt turned me on to these. They're amazing - nothing sticks and they're chlorine-free! They're the liners you see here.
-$32.60 on Bac Out. This was 2 gallons of Bac Out and it will last at least 6 months. I use it for laundry, and cleaning toilets. Biokleen is a local company too which is cool!
-$36.10 on 5 pounds of raw cheddar. This was good, but probably something I won't order again. I'll stick to my 5 lbs of Tillamook from Costco for $15 from Costco.
-$7.45 for 5 pounds of dried organic navy beans
-$4.20 for 5 pounds of dried organic lentils
-$5.50 for 4 pounds of organic grapefruit
-$85.80 for a bunch of organic and grassfed butter. So expensive, but so worth it. This is the product that I justify spending money on by telling myself "we don't have cable".
-$29.25 for 5 pounds of walnut oil. I use walnut oil to make almond butter. The 5 lbs should last 6+ months
-$9.35 for 5 pounds of dried organic black beans (that will last me about a year)
-$30.10 for 5 pounds of organic chocolate chips (I probably won't make this purchase again. Too expensive)
-$38.30 for 100 pounds of organic soft white wheat berries. I grind my own flour, and use soft white for everything other than bread. I bought 50 pounds last fall and only have about 5 pounds left. So, 50 pounds lasts me about 6 months. Consider this $38 a year's worth of baked goods.
-$85.55 for 25 lbs of bulk raw almonds. I use raw almonds for many things, but mostly for homemade almond butter. I've been purchasing 2 pound bags of almonds at Costco for $12 which is $6 per pound. This purchase brings the cost down to $3.42 per pound, and should last us over a year. I divided the box up in to containers and am storing it in our garage freezer.
My grocery store order was $111.18. I bought:
-$.99 on seafood seasoning (in bulk spices for cheaper)
-$.72 on citric acid (in bulk spices for cheaper)
-$14.27 on cocoa powder (in the bulk section for cheaper). I use cocoa powder a lot and this is our favorite. It will last about 6 months.
-$11.63 on coffee. Ugh, I hate spending money on coffee, but Troy has started drinking it. It was fair trade and organic, and at the rate he drinks it, it will last a year.
-$3.19 on 2.5 pounds of organic split peas (enough for 2 meals of split pea soup)
-$1.88 on .82 lbs of panko (panko is light and this was an enormous bag)
-$5.88 on hot dog buns (for dinner at my parent's yesterday). I didn't have time to make my own. Sue me.
-$21 for four organic free-range whole chickens. They were BOGO!
-$10.99 on roasted turkey breast (the store roasts their own and it's amazing!)
-$3.00 on tostada shells. They make them there!
-$2.50 on frozen organic peas
-$6.29 on organic molasses. The price went up from last year! I use this to make my own brown sugar, and 1 bottle lasts an entire year plus.
-$.99 on a plain organic yogurt. I needed a new starter for homemade yogurt.
$9.87 for 3 things of organic cream cheese. We use this for tons of things, and it keeps so well that I always stock up when it's on sale. It will last us about 2-3 months
-$.98 organic green onions. WAY too expensive compared to my local store
-$1.29 on bananas (I couldn't afford their organic prices)
-$5 on 2 artichokes
-$2 on 2 huge mangoes
-$7.39 on large wild caught shrimp for our tostada salads tomorrow
Costco was $54.27. I bought:
-a giant can of tomato sauce which is the base for my crockpot marinara sauce. I have everything else already.
-two bags of organic frozen berries. I think this must be a new item! We're out of homemade freezer jam, and local strawberries won't be ready until June. Costco didn't have organic jam, so I'm going to make my own with frozen berries. The berries were from an Oregon farm, so I consider that "local".
-organic chicken "Better than Bouillon". I make my own stock, but sometimes I just need a tiny bit and don't want to open a whole jar. This is my go-to for those moments.
-Avocado
-Pickles (I got a whole refrigerated jar for about $6). I've been paying $3 on sale for our favorite brand at the grocery store! Hopefully my cucumbers produce this summer so that I'll have homemade pickles next year.
-Lemons
-Limes
Oh crap, I also spent $24 on 2 quarts of raw local honey, and $3.50 for raw local milk.
This week was SO expensive, but will have us "set" for staples for many months (for some) and a year (for others). I'm willing to invest up front for quality foods as long as it reduces my overall monthly expenditures.Labels: Meal plan