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…
So for this weeks SMART meal we were given the topic of tomatoes, wonderful! Tomatoes are such a versatile fruit to use in just about everything from curry, to condiments. Let’s not forget the old stand-by of pasta sauce, but my favorite way to eat tomatoes is raw. About a month ago I did a recipe on bruschetta and I knew I had to make it again because it’s just that tasty.
In total this cost me about $6.00 to make and you could easily get 6 servings, making it only $1.00 a serving.
For the original recipe go to: HERE
The only variation between this and that is I didn’t have fresh parsley this time, so instead I used some dried oregano. Would have been better with some fresh basil or parsley, but sometimes we need to make due without.
So I’m a notorious insomniac and usually don’t go to bed until around the time the sun is going to come up! Lately I have been making a big effort to not do this anymore. I will talk about this more later, but I needed to share that so you would understand how amazing it was I was up at 8am on a Sunday morning! I admittedly haven’t gone to a farmers market lately due to various reasons, but I was so happy to go. I woke up my husband and we walked the 2 miles to the market. I was pleasantly surprised that more of my favorite vendors had started doing the Sunday market. I think I did very well with my purchases. I did “splurge” a little on things like the onions and peppers, however they were needed for recipe videos like Tofu Scramble and Pickled peppers mix! (videos coming soon, promises!)
Here is what I purchased with totals:
2 cans Dole pineapple juice (not from concentrate) $1.50 ea
1 free water bottle (BPA Free)
2 free packages Dill pickle canning mix
2 free package instant pectin
3.5kgs tomatoes, red/yellow mixed. $11.00 total
just over 1lb purple carrots, $2.75 total
1 bunch Italian parsley 99¢
6 HUGEÂ cucumbers $2.00 total
4 yellow onions $2.00 total
3 sweet peppers $1.00 total
6 HUGE zucchini $2.00 total
2 eggplant $1.00 each
1 heavy red cabbage $2.00
mix of 10 hot peppers $1.00 total
Total: $29.74!!!
My cat decided to come outside and inspect my haul after we finished the video. I don’t share enough cat photos, so you’re welcome! ^.^& before anyone gets stupid, no I wasn’t choking her, its just looked like that because I was holding her under her arms.
2 lbs Roma tomatoes, cored and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil or grape-seed oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning mix
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
1 heavy pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
pinch salt or to taste
optionally to thicken: 1 – 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds or half that amount in psyllium husk or ground chia seeds
Directions:
To start out you need to prep your tomatoes by coring them. The best way to do this is to use an apple corer or you can cut the tomatoes in half and use a V cut to remove the core. Then you need to scrape the seeds out using your fingers. While not required, it helps to remove extra liquid and makes the cooking time faster. (don’t throw the liquid and core out, I ate it with a little tabasco as a virgin bloody Mary shot (lol) however you can add this to a salad dressing for extra nutrition or in your morning juice)
In a larger sized skillet add 1 tablespoon grape-seed or olive oil and swirl it coat. Heat on medium high until hot. You can test the heat by adding a few pieces and waiting for them to sizzle. Once hot, slowly add all your tomatoes in as to not splash the oil. Now add your seasoning. I prefer Italian seasoning blend, freshly ground black pepper, and extra oregano with a pinch of hot pepper flakes however you can change these to your specific tastes. Optionally you can add 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, mined finely. I used a pre-minced version although 5-6 garlic cloves will equal the same amount. Now carefully stir the seasoning. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, still on medium high, without opening the lid.
After 5-6 minutes remove the lid and stir. At this point your tomatoes should be basically falling apart and super tender. If you have a stick blender you can whizz this up in a pan otherwise transfer to a blender container. Pulse blend for literally 5-10 seconds. Now optionally you can add a thickener like I chose to. I did this so the sauce would “feel” better on the pizza. Add 1-2 tablespoons flax meal to the blender WHILE RUNNING. If you just add this while not running you could just end up with a large ball of thickener. This is also the time to add any salt if desired. If you want you can use psyllium seed or ground chia seeds, however, I would half the amount of thickener as they set foods up faster.
At this point your sauce is ready for use on pasta, a sauce to dip your bread sticks into, or spread onto your pizza crust for amazing homemade pizza!
*Note* the thickener is not required however I find you get a better sauce with it added as most store bought sauces have some form of thickening agent. If you choose not to use it, you will need to cook for 2-3 times as long to get the same consistency OR your sauce is just thinner. It’s your choice, ENJOY! ^.^
Nutritional information is for 1 cup serving. Full recipe makes about 4 1/2 cups:
2lb ripe tomatoes (I used two HUGE beefsteak tomatoes)
1 regular size French style baguette
2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
1/4 cup grape seed or olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 medium onion,sweet yellow or red
half bunch Italian parsley, minced VERY fine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
pinch salt or to taste
few cracks black pepper or to taste
Directions:
Start by turning your broiler on. If using an electric stove like myself, move your racks to the middle, doing this step ensures your bread will toast evenly.
With a sharp, serrated knife slice on the diagonal down your baguette about 1/4 inch slices. You will get about 20-24 slices depending on size. Place these on a tray in a flat even layer and set aside. Take a small pan and add 1/4 cup grape-seed oil (you may use extra virgin olive oil also), along with 1 tablespoon of your finely minced garlic, and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of dried basil. Put the heat on low and just let slowly heat up, DO NOT rush this. The object of this is to perfume and flavor the oil, not to cook the dried herbs. If you rush this, you will burn the basil and your bread will taste terrible.
Cut your tomatoes into cubes less than 1/4 inch in size. The easiest way to do this is to put the tomato in half, then make 1/4 slices around the tomato. Take those slices onto your board then make long slices, turn those slices then cut long slices again, this will produce cubes. You NEED a sharp knife, if you do not have a sharp knife, you will mush the tomatoes (you could also harm yourself).
Cut your onion into small pieces. The easiest way to do this is to cut the onion in half the long way then cut off the top bit. Now hold the onion vertical and slice 3 cuts into the onion SLOWLY, so you don’t cut yourself, almost all the way to the root but leave a little uncut. This makes layers, now set your onion flat on your board and cut vertical strips along the onion. Follow the natural lines, as this will help. Finally, turn the onion and cut it up and down. Your end result are small pieces of onion. If you cannot do this properly, or don’t like this method. Simply slice the onion thinly and rock your blade around your board until the pieces are small OR use a food processor to pulse the pieces small, NOT puree.
Prepare your fresh Italian parsley (not regular parsley) by washing and drying the herbs. Cut thin slices all along the leaves until you get to the roots (we will not be using the roots however save them in a freezer bag for the next time you make broth/stock, adds amazing flavor). Rock and chop in all directions until your parsley is small pieces, you don’t want large pieces stuck in your teeth. You may have to pile the herb back up to help cut it.
By this time your oil and basil mixture should be starting to sizzle or bubble. Turn off the heat and let it naturally cool down just until it stops bubbling. In the mean time, add all your tomatoes, onions, and parsley into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt, a few grinds of fresh pepper, remaining 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (see video if using pre-minced garlic from a jar) and approximately 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Stir well, making sure not to squish the tomatoes though. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, adding more salt or vinegar if needed. However keep in mind it’s not suppose to be super salty or sour, just a subtle hint of each.
Once your oil cools down, take a spoon (obviously metal so it doesn’t melt) and spoon a SMALL amount of oil on each piece and spread it around. Repeat for all the bread slices. Once all the slices are done, scrap off any LARGE clumps of garlic and basil. If you fail to do this step they will burn in the oven, which is not tasty. You also only need to oil one side of the bread. Once all the pieces have been oiled and scraped, stick them in your oven on high broil in the middle racks for about 60 seconds. You will need to watch these very closely. The point is not to brown the bread, but to lightly toast them so they do not go soggy with the addition of the topping. Once the tops are lightly toasted or JUST starting to brown around the edges, flip them all over with a heat proof tongs and replace in oven. At this point I like to turn off the broiler as the remaining heat is enough to finish the job. Leave them in there another 30-90 seconds or until they just start to get crispy. The way you tell is to lightly scrape your tongs or a fork against the top, if you hear a dry sound, they are done. Remove from oven.
RIGHT before serving (do not do this ahead of time) spoon on a couple tablespoons of your tomato mixture (be sure to stir first). Try not to get a lot of juice on the bread. Enjoy! A red wine goes great with this dish or these are great served before pasta dishes. To be honest with you, I just ate a ton of these by themselves for dinner and I was happy! ^.^
For a gluten free version, make sure to use a gluten free baguette or bread. For bread slices, cut them into triangles for a neat design. Toast as mentioned above and be careful you use gluten free vinegar. This recipe is naturally vegan friendly (always check bread ingredients though as some companies use milk).
For nutritional information, its for non-gluten free with 20 servings.
