Shopping list

Week 4: No plan is a good plan

Between the personal and the working projects I’ve been tackling, I had no time to plan a menu  this week. The inspiration is still alive but I’m lacking energy to go shopping and get cooking. Sometimes NO PLAN is a good plan!

I went to Whole Foods and spent $34.00 in fruits, veggies and buffalo meat for our spaghetti and meat balls dinner yesterday. Sale items: Organic peaches $1.99 lb. and watermelon 29c lb. You may find cheaper watermelon at Sprouts or Ralphs but I just don’t know how to pick a good watermelon. The taping and knocking technique never really works with me and I rarely pick a bad watermelon at Whole Foods. It could be luck or just plain good quality.

So tonight’s dinner will be baked beans out of a can (yeah…kill me), mashed potatoes and chicken nuggets out of the freezer (I know…kill me twice). Steamed cauliflower, broccoli, spinach salad, lots of fruits and take out tomorrow is part of the NO PLAN plan too so you can exhale now.

Week 3

I realize it’s hard to come up with a real budget when it comes to groceries. I’m in desperate need of some input and perspective. How much is adequate? How much am I really saving by cooking with seasonal and sale items? Why is organic so dang expensive? What to and how to compromise?

So, I’ll blog how much I’m spending on food per week and hopefully I’ll be able to determine a budget.

Do you have a food budget?

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We had some yummy vegetarian spaghetti yesterday. I added 2 zucchinis, left over spinach and broccoli to the sauce and blended it. The kids really enjoyed it. I really missed having some kind of protein with it. Imaginary meatballs kept playing with my carnivorous mind. So I decided this week we’re having a steak dish, and since the weather is just too cold for grilling, I’ll be making Brazilian Style Beef Stroganoff.

The shopping list for this week:

I was planning to get some avocados at 49 c each at Sprouts but they looked overripe and so did the tomatoes. I got a bag of organic roma tomatoes at $2.99 for the Orzo salad, a little over 1 lb. of organic sirloin steak $5.99 lb. for the Stroganoff, chicken thighs at $1.99 lb. for Sunday’s dinner, tempeh, mushrooms, bananas, sprouts, whole wheat tortillas, apples, onions, etc ($47.00 total). From Ralphs I got 1 lb. of jumbo shrimp at $5.49 for today’s dinner and $93.00 dollars worth of cereal, juice, bread, milk, yogurt, etc. I used a bunch of coupons I had from Ralphs, some I clipped from the Sunday LA Times and some I found online at Mambo Sprouts.

I’m planning to shop for vegetables at Whole Foods or Tj’s sometime this week. I’ll stay FOCUSED!

Menu for week 3:

Today: Orzo pesto salad with mushrooms, tomatoes and shrimp. Leftover collard greens and turkey bacon soup.

Thursday: Brazilian Style Beef Stroganoff (I’ll post recipe and pic tomorrow)

Friday: possibly Pizza

Saturday: eating out

Sunday: Chicken and vegetables stew with mashed potatoes

Meatless Monday: Coconut curry tempeh with jasmine rice

Tuesday:  leftovers and salad

I had some turkey bacon so I made wrap sandwiches for B- and me for lunch.

Week 2

Not all of us can afford to go 100% organic every time we shop.  I always try to stay away from those foods that come with the heaviest burden of pesticides, additives and hormones.

EWG has been publishing guides to the “dirty dozen” of most pesticide contaminated foods since 1995, based on statistical analysis of testing conducted by the USDA and the FDA.  The dirty dozen list only reflects measurable pesticide residues on the parts of the foods normally consumed (i.e. after being washed and peeled).

Here is EWG “dirty dozen” list:

1.Celery  2.Peaches 3. Strawberries 4. Apples 5. Blueberries 6. Nectarines 7. Bell Peppers 8. Spinach 9. Kale 10. Cherries 11. Potatoes 12. Grapes

Here is the EWG “clean 15” list:

1.Onions 2.Avocado 3.Sweet Corn 4.Pineapple 5.Mango 6.Sweet Peas 7.Asparagus 8.Kiwi 9.Cabbage 10.Eggplant 11.Cantaloupe 12.Watermelon 13.Grapefruit 14.Sweet Potato 15.Honeydew Melon

I try to avoid conventional versions of the dirty dozen and shift from eating foods on the dirty dozen to clean 15. Conventional bell peppers, celery and grapes are a BIG NO NO. Broccoli doesn’t retain many pesticides because the crop faces fewer pest threats, which means less spraying. Because we eat a lot of broccoli I try to take turns between organic and conventional.  Same thing for blueberries. Costco has organic spinach year-round for under $4.00 lb. and Trader Joe’s has a good selection of organic produce for reasonable prices.

I’m planning to go to Ralphs or Vons only for some pantry items this week. I wasn’t very thrilled about their deal this week, but please let us know if you find something out there.

From Sprouts:

Fresh chicken basil sausage $2.99 lb. (no nitrates, no MSG, made at the store)

Boneless sirloin pork roast $1.99 lb. (no antibiotics, no hormones)

California grown cantaloupe 88c each (and they’re BIG, ours weight 4 1/2 lb.)

California grown broccoli 88c lb.

From Whole Foods:

Bulk brown organic lentils (not on sale, but always the best price)

Organic collard greens $1.99 each

It was hard to stay focus at Whole Foods and just get what I needed, but no splurging this week. Not yet anyways!

This week dinner menu plan:

WEDNESDAY: Tomato creamy pasta with Sprouts chicken basil sausage and left over steamed spinach (from Costco last week)

THURSDAY: Green chili pork with seasoned rice

FRIDAY: Gourmet Friday

SATURDAY: planning to go to Torrance “So Fresh Market”. We’ve never been there and they’ll be having a Hawaiian Festival.

SUNDAY: make lentils and collard greens

MONDAY: lentils and collard greens

TUESDAY: no idea yet

Week 1

I’m so excited to start this blog. It has been a year in the making and I finally have taken on the challenge to keep up with it. I hope you enjoy these weekly menu suggestions and that you keep coming back for seconds.

That being said, let’s get cooking!

Sprouts and Ralphs (both on PCH in the 90505) are the closest markets to us. It can be a little challenging to shop there on Wednesday mornings, but that’s when I find the best picks and biggest variety.

I looked through the ads last night and went shopping this morning. Here is my list and recipes for this week:

From Ralphs:

Organic red grapes $2.50 lb (not bad for California organic)

Organic avocados 99c each

Foster Farms fresh chicken legs and thighs combo pack 97 c lb.

Fresh Atlantic Salmon $7.99 lb.

White or red potatoes 99c lb.

From Sprouts:

Eggplant 99c each

Broccoli 88c lb.

White corn 15c each

This week’s dinner menu plan:

Wednesday: Lime honey salmon served with tomato/grape/corn salad and Quinoa

Thursday: Quick and easy “Arroz con Pollo” (Rice with chicken)

Friday: Gourmet Friday

Saturday: eat out

Sunday: Vegetable curry with rice

Monday: Leftover curry

Tuesday: Collect all loose items in the fridge and come up with something “dealicious”.

What’s on your plate this week?