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)
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…
This is my go to dressing. This recipe can be vegan friendly if maple syrup or another liquid sweetener like agave is used. It can also be a raw dressing depending on your ingredients. If making this for someone with gluten issues, please insure you use gluten free tamari/soy sauce, AND gluten free vinegar.
Ingredients:
1 cup grape-seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sesame seed oil*
2 1/2 tablespoons whole sesame seeds
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 – 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground is best
2-4 tablespoons honey or liquid sweetener of choice**(see notes)
Ginger***(see notes)
Directions:
In a large bowl (high sided works best), add in your vinegar, soy sauce, and honey or other sweetener. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of oil. This should take 1-2 minutes of vigorous whisking. The trick is to make a dressing and not oily vinegar, there is a difference. Once you have 1/2 cup of oil in, try your sauce and if desired add the rest of the oil. At this point if you’re using it, whisk in the sesame oil as well. Once all your oil is whisked in, add your extra flavors or extra sweetener if desired. I used whole sesame seeds and black peppers. Stir in and you are done!
To store this dressing use a mason jar or repurposed glass jar with a tight fitting lid OR use a VERY well cleaned salad dressing bottle, I like the ones with the caps on the lid that restricts the amount that comes out at one time. In the fridge this will last for weeks, maybe a month or so I have never tried it that long. Before using, shake really well to re-emulsify and you’re ready to go.
*If you do not want to use or don’t have access to sesame oil, you can substitute it with regular oil or leave out entirely.
**If you are vegan or simply do not use honey, feel free to use maple syrup or agave. If neither appeal to you, try making a simple syrup by boiling 1/4 cup water with 2 tablespoons sugar. Whisk well to ensure no grainy texture. Once cooled, substitute this in for honey. Start with 1 tablespoon and try it from there as this changes the flavor.
***If you want to add a ginger flare to this dish, use a microplane or fine tooth grater and grate some ginger into the bowl. I would suggest 1/2 – 1 tablespoon. Whisk this in with the sesame seeds. Optionally you can add other flavors such as fresh garlic or chili flakes to change the flavor.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: If you are making this and/or cooking for someone with gluten allergies or celiacs disease. Make sure to purchase ingredients that are certified gluten free, and clean your utensils very well. Better safe than sorry.
Nutritional information is per tablespoon, Thanks!
So today I did some grocery shopping and wanted to share it with you guys. I did not shoot a grocery haul video for my produce purchases this week, however, I did want to share my “staples” haul. What do I mean by “staples haul”? Well, these things are dry goods like grain, beans, pastas, etc. That you can stock up on. When you read this list please keep in mind this is a 4 or more week stock of these supplies, some of them will last 2 months or more, so it just depends.
My total for this haul was $129.68 and it was split between two places, here is the breakdown of each place.
Trader Joe’s:
3 bags of brown rice fusilli pasta,organic, $1.99 ea
3 half gallons of TJ almond milk, $2.99 ea
1 half gallon of TJ coconut milk, $2.99 ea
1 19 ounce package organic TJ tofu, $1.69 ea
1 box TJ Joe O’s (like Cheerios) $2.99 ea
1 bottle of organic ketchup $1.99
2 bags of corn spaghetti, $1.39 ea
1 box of TJ bran cereal $1.99 ea
1 HUGE cucumber ,organic 79¢ ea
1 16oz bag frozen kale, $1.79ea
1 160z bag frozen strawberries $1.69 ea
1 16oz jar raw unsalted almond butter $4.99 ea
1 bag brown rice spaghetti pasta ,organic $1.99 ea
1 bag whole wheat fusilli pasta ,organic $1.39 ea
1 160z bag organic seedless raisins, $2.99 ea
total spent: $45.00 even
Whole foods:
4.75lbs organic spelt berries, $9.45
1.92lb organic buckwheat groats, $5.16
3.10lb organic hard white wheat berries, $3.69
2.15lb organic old fashion thick cut oats, $2.99
.02lbs (2 small pieces) ginger chew candy, 12¢ (whenever Daniel and myself go to Whole Foods we get these ginger chews in the bulk bin, 1 each, its always a nice treat!)
.72lb organic wheat bran, $1.00
1.66lb organic garbanzo/chick peas $4.47
7.01lb organic steel cut oats, $9.74
1.97lb organic rye berries, $2.34
1.03lb organic hulled millet $1.74
1 bag unsalted corn chips $2.99
1 32oz bottle organic maple syrup, $19.99 (my big spender item, in a couple months when I need more I’m going to try the TJ brand)
.33lb olives, $3.63
.47lb wasabi peas, $2.35
4 1lb bag non-gmo corn, $1.29 ea
1 1lb bag non-gmo peas, $1.29 ea
1 bag Daiya shredded pepper jack cheese, $4.69 ea
1 large organic French baguette , $1.99 ea
.29lb organic wild rice, $1.74
.25 organic raw wheat germ 25¢
-10¢ for bag refund
Total spent: $84.68
(click link to show recipe, first is whole foods, second is trader joes, keep in mind my card information has been blocked out)
