Grocery Hauls / Haul Videos
Here are the totals for each place I shopped at. I spent more than what I wanted, but I now don’t need to do much shopping the rest of the month.
Asian Market:
15lb bag of Nishiki Rice – $17.50
Bell Peppers – $6.02
Green Onions – $1.00
jalapeno – $0.13
ginger – $0.32
cabbage – $1.86
pork bellies – $7.86
mochi red bean cake – $1.79
Total: $36.48
Costco:
My mother-in-law accidentally kept my receipt, but I spent $161.22 , but I also returned $106 of items, so really wasn’t much.
Whole Foods:
Kahlona Organic milk – $5.39
2.41lb organic gold potatoes – $2.36
Pork sausage – $3.77
total: $11.52
Trader Joe’s:
Joe’s O’s – $1.99
TJ’s Mini wheats – $2.99
linguine – $0.99
penne – $0.99
frozen pineapple – $1.99
Madras lentils – $1.99
organic ketchup – $1.99
3 bananas – $0.57
REFUNDS -$15.15
total: -$2.13 (they paid me)
Grocery Hauls / Haul Videos
So this week’s grocery haul video is a combination of two places. Hyvee, a local store from the Midwest, as well as Whole Foods market. I spent like $110 dollars, not totally sure and I can’t list the stuff I bought because in the confusion of construction I lost the receipts! Oops, sorry!
Grocery Hauls / Haul Videos
Today was a HUGE haul for me! My mother in law came to town to take us shopping. (She lives 45 miles away from us, so it’s a big deal) So when she comes over, we always go to Costco.
At Costco I spent a total of $207.87 , I couldn’t show you the receipt because she paid for everything and then I just gave her cash. It’s easier than having to split the groceries up, it tends to confuse the cashiers and causes it to take longer. Here is what I got:
- cat food $19.89
- Brussels sprouts $4.49 X 2
- 1/3rd pork loin $6.84
- 1/2 bag kale salad kit $2.54
- butter $6.99
- 1 avocado 91¢
- tomato $1
- romaine $2.24
- molasses $4.89
- tomato paste $6.69
- black beans $6.59
- kidney beans $6.59
- 3 dozen eggs $3.59 X 2
- oatmeal $7.99 X 2
- big can of green beans $3.29
- frozen broccoli $5.99
- 1/2 container of bread $2
- 2lbs ground beef $7.38
- 1/3rd beef roast $11.91
As for none food I am VERY happy to say I was able to purchase a special pressure cooker set for $79.99 . Normally when you got to the store, or look online, you can get an 8qt pressure cooker for $99, well I was able to get a set that has a 4qt AND an 8qt pressure cooker PLUS a steamer basket and a glass lid all for only $80. I was really needing one of these so I am so happy. I used it to cook beans yesterday and love it!
Next place was Whole Foods. Unfortunately my husband was rushing and left the bag in my mother’s car so I didn’t receive it until today actually. (THANKFULLY she had to come back to Omaha today for something else) She was able to freeze/refrigerate what needed to be kept cold so the food is still good. The croissants might go bad before we eat them all, but nothing I can do about it.
- Bob’s red mill cream of wheat $3.69
- Bob’s red mill masa harina $3.69
- Luna chocolate coconut bar 99¢ x 3
- bulk bin ginger snaps $1.90 ($9.99/lb)
- Luna smores bar 99¢
- Luna caramel nut bar 99¢
- bulk bin organic oregano 48¢ ($23.99/lb or $1.49/oz)
- bulk bin organic garlic powder $1.28 ($15.99/lb or $1/oz)
- Applegate farms uncured pepperoni (from deli) 77¢
- 365 deli Havarti cheese 1/2 pound approx $4.54
- 6ct package of Whole Foods Croissants $6.99
- 365 frozen organic cauliflower $1.99 X 2
- 16 ounce brewed coffee $2.00
- 20 ounce brewed coffee $2.25
- bulk olive bar $4.07 ($10.99/lb)
- bulk bin organic chives $2.46 ($40.99/lb or $2.56/oz)
- credit of 10¢ for bag refund
Total @ Whole foods was : $44.35
Finally we went to Trader Joe’s. (I told you it was a huge grocery haul day!) I had to refund some items, because I didn’t like them. That’s the great thing about TJ is there “if you don’t like it, bring it back” policy. No one else is better. In total I got $11.97 back from returns, so that’s already taken off the total.
- Organic free range chicken broth $1.99 X 4
- TJ Soy sauce $2.99 X 2
- Baking cocoa $2.49
- TJ Sriracha roasted garlic BBQ sauce $2.99 X 2
- can of TJ coconut cream $1.49
- TJ traditional marinara sauce $1.49
- TJ organic ketchup $1.99
- can of black refried beans 99¢
- TJ beets in vinaigrette – $1.69
- TJ unscented deodorant $3.49
- organic red palm oil $5.99
- Luna nutz over chocolate bar 99¢
- Luna smores bar 99¢
- cliff peanut butter bar 99¢
- TJ corn and chile salsa $2.49
- linguine pasta 99¢
- bananas 19¢ X 9
- organic carrots 99¢ X 4
- carrots of many colors $2.49
- Zipline beer $1.34
- TJ madras lentils $1.99
- TJ sliced almonds $3.99
- TJ frozen raspberries $2.69
- Golden potatoes $2.49 X 3
- Red wax Gouda cheese $3.18
- Turkey jerky $5.99
- Natural whole roaster chicken $9.05
Total @Trader Joe’s was $81.76 (if you take off the credit it would be $93.73)
All in all, don’t think I’ll be grocery shopping til next month. My freezer is completely full. I’ll probably buy like milk here and there, but that isn’t video worthy. Yikes… did the math and I spent a total of $333.98 O_O oh my…
Uncategorized
Today’s lunchbox has an Asian twist in it. Its still healthy, but leaves you feeling fuller than other healthy meals would. Its also very budget friendly, making this an A+ meal in my book! I mean, who doesn’t need to save money these days?
For Today’s Menu we have 1 serving of my peanut butter chicken recipe (Recipe Here) tossed with Chinese style wheat noodles , 4 large celery stalks cut into more bite size pieces, a side of my homemade peanut sauce (Recipe Here) for dipping, and one ripe banana.
Pros of this lunch:
*Cheap! this meal cost me $2.00 approximately to make.
*This meal is healthy, while the original recipe calls for chicken, this could very easily be veganized!
*Quick to make. This entire meal took me about 7 minute to make, including the homemade peanut butter sauce
*Decent in calories, high in vitamins and minerals
Cons:
*Depending on the microwave, it could get mushy
(click to see full photo breakdown of nutritional values)
Uncategorized
Peanut butter chicken is another one of those dishes that everyone and their mother seems to have a recipe for. I, however, am not one of them! Everytime I’ve made this dish, I’ve  never wrote it down. Well, with website in mind, I wrote this down while cooking it! This probably isn’t traditional, or what you’re used to. However, this version is pretty healthy for you and in my own honest opinion, really flipping tasty! =D You can veganize this very easy by using vegan peanut butter, and tofu instead of chicken. (you could also use a chicken type faux meat product) With all that being said, lets get this recipe rollin!
Ingredients:
2 ounces chicken, sliced or minced
1 1/2 tablespoons carrot, minced
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon celery (optional, i just had some extra)
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons onion, minced
1 red chili snapped in half (if you don’t have whole red chilies use approx heavy pinch chili flakes, or to taste)
1 – 2 teaspoons ginger grated, fiber & juice
1 tablespoon peas
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (if you don’t have low sodium you could use 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon water to lessen the salt content)
2 tablespoons – 1/4 cup peanut sauce *****
extra peanuts for garnish (**optional**)
Rice or noodles to toss with your chicken mix
Directions:
Prepare all your vegetables, this will cook really quick (less than 5 minutes) so you don’t want to be chopping while attempting to cook.
Add your oil to a nonstick skillet and let it become pretty hot on medium flame. While oil is hot, add your garlic and onion to the pot. Stir fry this for 30 seconds then add the red chili and celery. Stir fry this for another 20 seconds, add the chicken pieces. Stir fry this another 30-45 seconds or until you see the outside cooked. (this quick cooking method works for really fine cooked chicken, i minced mine) Next, add the carrot, bell pepper, ginger, and peas. I cooked it for an additional minute, however you should cook it to your desired texture. Add your soy sauce, stir for 15 more seconds. When you’re done add the peanut sauce. Cook for 20 more seconds, stirring quickly.
Serve this on-top of fresh rice or toss with Chinese noodles like I did.
Makes 1 serving, Preparation time: >5 minutes, Cook time >5 minutes
Dietary Notes: Contains meat, moderate sodium content (those with sensitives should take caution), contains peanuts (this recipe COULD be made with cashews however), contains soy and possibly wheat. (check your soy sauce to see if it contains wheat, most do)
***Peanut sauce***
I will be posting this Peanut Sauce recipe separate, as its a great calorie buster, however! I figured I should post it here too. Essentially, you take a natural peanut butter. Natural meaning just peanuts ground into a butter, no additives or salts. Mix it with 3 times its amount in water. Add honey or another sweetener to your desired taste. I also add some ground psyllium husk to thicken it back up, but this is totally optional. This cuts the calories into a third of what it normally is, naturally!
