2009 Recap

I had a nice deep "start the new year" post planned where I went over this past year and all I learned and yada yada yada but I'm not in a pensive mood right now so I decided I would do that next month when my birthday comes around.

Instead I am going to do this superficial blog recap carnival. You just post the first line of the first post of every month.

January: We went with my in-laws to the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, KY a few days ago to learn all about their bourbon-making process.

And despite my dislike of bourbon (and 99% of alcoholic beverages for that matter), I enjoyed myself.

February: When reading the sorts of hippie books and blogs I tend to read, sometimes you get the feeling that everything you touch will kill you, especially in the kitchen.

And it's gets worse when you start reading about hippie baby stuff.

March: I think it is fairly widely known that we like free stuff.

You don't have to be a long time reader to know that's the truth.

April: This commercial is great.

Now that's a statement you don't hear all the time, but at a second glance, you'll realize it was sarcasm.

May: Whew, I am sure glad it is May.

I'm pretty sure I'll be saying that again next May but for entirely different reasons.

June: I finished!

My May-Day Grocery Emergency challenge that is. This is the end to what I think may have been my most thought-out, well written series of the year.

July: Okay, now that you have a idea of how I feel about food, what do we really eat around here?

Oh, this was part of another series, the Nourishing Beginnings one. This has reminded me that I had a lot more to say about the subject of eating and now that I can talk about it again, I think I'll have to follow through with those post ideas.

August: I talked about kefir a bit when I first got my grains but wanted to wait until I was proficient before passing on my know-how.

Water Kefir, how I miss thee. You died while I was too sick to feed you but I'll be starting you up again soon.

September: We currently receive Money magazine here at the BRC household.

This is no longer true. After a while we found the articles to be repetitive or not applicable to us.

October: In the past week, I've read two different blog posts about Twilight.

Twilight. It's still my guilty pleasure. I can't help it.

November: Well, I'm back again and I lied, all I have to talk about is Nigel.

But it's a pretty good subject so expect that trend to continue in 2010. On a related side note, you may have noticed that the widget's "days so far" is now greater than the "days to go" meaning I am theoretically over halfway done being pregnant. Yah!

December: We had a good but noisy Thanksgiving with my family.

Ditto for Christmas.

Well, that was fun. Going over old posts reminded me of why I like to blog and what I like to blog about. Let me know if you do something similar on your post, I'll love to read your recaps.

May-day Grocery Emergency Challenge: The End

I finished! I had to buy a loaf of bread mid-week but that was it so I finished the month at $77.99. That is $122.01 under my normal budget. I did so much better than I was expecting and I think we ate well. I also tried a number of new recipes that we ended up really liking so all in all I would say it was a smashing success! My biggest concern is that I would have to overspend the next month to make up for it but we went shopping today for the next week and I was right about where I normally am so I don't think that will be a problem. I'll definitely be trying to repeat this challenge once or twice a year.

So do you want to know what my plans for the extra money are? Well, do you remember my fermentation failure? I'm ready to try it again but this time I am going to get a little help. I put in an order for some cultures I've been coveting from Cultures for Health. I was planning on just getting the water kefir kit but since I did so well with the challenge that I splurged and bought the vili yogurt starter too. They arrived on Saturday and I started them up.

The yogurt seems super easy and I am really excited about being able to make my own, without even having to use a yogurt maker or crockpot.

The kefir is something I've been wanting for a while. Kefir is a beverage made by fermenting milk with Kefir grains. Kefir grains aren't really a grain but a mother structure of a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. Like I said, Kefir is a traditionally fermented milk product that is thicker than milk, thinner than yogurt. You can buy it at the grocery store but just like most commercial yogurts, it is choke-full of thickeners, flavor additives and sugar. Make it yourself and you can avoid that.

Hopefully I will like it as I think it will be a easy source of good probiotics.I've heard it can help with eczema which would be great and mine is difficult to deal with.*

I didn't actually get the normal milk kefir grains but instead went the water kefir route. The grains are a little different and allow you to ferment water turning it into kefir lemonade, homemade ginger beer or fruity kefir juice, depending on what you add to it. The fermentation naturally adds carbonation in addition to probiotic benefits so the end result is supposed to be tasty and nutritious. (My grains came dried and take a few days to rejuvenate so you'll have to wait a few days to know what I think they taste like.)

I choose water kefir instead of milk because I already eat my fill of dairy products with yogurt and milk and I need another way to stay hydrated. With my heart condition, it is important that I don't get dehydrated but it is really hard to do that in Texas. Ten minutes outside and I am feeling woozy. But water is boring, juice is sugary and hot tea is not appealing when it is in the 90s. (Yah, I made it to June without complaining about the weather, I am very proud of myself). There are so many fun options to try with water kefir that I hope I can keep my palate entertained. I'll start with the easier things, like lemonade, but I really want to try ginger beer.

*On a eczema side note, mine has gotten better as my diet has improved and it actually completely disappeared a few months back when I was off sugar for Lent and drinking raw milk, but right after that we took a trip and I started being lax about sugar and milk and it came back. So I don't know exactly why but at least it gives me hope. I'll be working on narrowing down the reason this summer, but if it was the milk, the kefir might help.

Meal Plan Monday - Grocery Challenge Week 2

Last week's menu worked well, something came up Friday so we pushed all our meals back and we had shepherd's pie yesterday instead of Saturday. It worked out perfectly as we ended up having Craig's office over and I needed a meal that would feed seven people (hence the 3 loaves of bread, that would have been a little too much for just Craig and I). That means I couldn't save the other half of the recipe for later in the month so our intake of red meat will be quite limited for the rest of the month but that is typical for us anyway. I used to worry about it but the last time Craig gave blood the lady remarked at how high his iron levels were. I guess it is all those meals with beans and spinach.

You will also notice that our menu is for more than a week. I wanted to get all the way to Tuesday as next Wednesday Craig and I will be leaving on a little trip. I had to buy a few more staples this week and I splurged on strawberries and heavy cream to make ice cream, but the strawberries were on sale and smelled delicious and I wanted to make a treat for Craig as he puts up with all those bean meals. But I'm still doing much better than I anticipated and I am not willing to scrimp on fresh fruits and veggies, especially when they is so much in season now.

Breakfast/Lunch: Same as last week

Dinners:
Sunday - Shepherd's pie, 3 loaves bread, green beans, lemonade, a friend brought dessert

Monday - Parmesan chicken (not chicken Parmesan, this is a baked breaded chicken recipe), brown rice/wheat pilaf and squash

Tuesday - Mac 'n Cheese, kale (never had kale before, we will see how we like it)

Wednesday - Navy bean/vegetable soup - making up a recipe, but I have beef broth, beans and lots of veggies from last week and the market

Thursday - B4D French toast, smoothies (with kale instead of spinach?)

Friday - Chicken spaghetti (from the freezer), salad

Saturday - There is a concert at a local park so we will be picnicking with homemade bread, chicken salad with garbonzo beans, and cut up fruits and veggies

Sunday - Salmon spinach pasta (no recipe, but I've seen similar things before, I'll just make a roux and add to that)

Monday - Chicken quinoa curry, green beans

Tuesday - Leftovers, clean out the fridge before we leave (eggs and toast if nothing else is still around)

This week I bought:

Farmer's Market = $4.25
Onions
Multiplying onions (farmer said it tasted like a cross between an onion and a shallot, I'll try it in the pasta and soup)
Tomatoes (I have no cans of tomatoes like I normally use for shepherd's pie so I'll be dicing fresh tomatoes and adding a can of tomato sauce)
Squash

Grocery Store = $29.26
Yogurt
Heavy Cream
Bananas
Apples
Potatoes
Green Beans
Strawberries
Bread
Peanut Butter
Jelly

Walgreen = $0
Fish Oil (perfect timing for a free item, I ran out of my capsules earlier this week!)

Weekly total =$33.51

Monthly total to date = $46.88

Check out more meal plans here.

Meal Plan Monday - Grocery Challenge Week 1

Okay, here's the plan :

Breakfast: I will be eating Oatmeal or Meusli in an attempt to use up oatmeal and avoid buying more cold cereal, Craig doesn't like oatmeal so he can stick with the regular boxed stuff.

Lunch:- Sandwiches, 2 pieces of fruit each, granola bar for Craig (I gave them up for Lent and didn't miss the 7 grams of extra sugar each day but started up again after Easter. I will be giving them up again for this month)

Dinners:
Sunday - Grilled Chicken Salad with nuts, cranberries, broccoli, and homemade salad dressing (minus basil)

Monday - Tacos with homemade tortillas

Tuesday - Black Beans and Rice, Homemade Bread, Salad

Wednesday - Eggs, Toast and Smoothies

Thursday - Spaghetti with Pesto Sauce (how long does jarred Pesto last? Hopefully quite a while or we will be eating plain spaghetti) and Squash

Friday - Pizza Margherita (same dough as Tuesday's bread), Frozen veggies - missing my basil again :-(

Saturday - Shephard's Pie

Snacks:
Smoothies
Popcorn, regular or maybe caramel if I need a real treat
Tapioca pudding
This Week I bought:

Farmer's market = $4
Eggs
Squash

Grocery Store = $7.27
Bread
Bananas
Milk
1 apple

CVS = $2.10
3 boxed cereal
toothpaste
Monthly total to date = $ 13.37

And for all you not doing a grocery challenge but still looking for fun recipes, check out other meal plans at organizing junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Inventory

I started to worry after I put that last post up. I had committed to this whole "May-day Grocery Emergency Challenge" but I wasn't sure I had much in my pantry. What if I completely failed at this experiment - wouldn't that be so embarrassing? But Saturday afternoon I went through and took a simply inventory of what I had and was pleasantly surprised. I'm not going to write everything down, but here are some of the major things we have in stock:

Freeze/Fridge -

• ~ 2-3 lbs chicken, variety types
• ~ 2 lbs ground beef (I buy in bulk from the university then freeze in 3/4lb portions, although I "pretend" each 3/4lb portion is a lb. For almost all recipes, it still works)
• A few slices of applegate (nitrate free) bacon. Mostly used to flavor beans so it is 3 or 4 "servings" worth
• 1 lb cheese
  
• 1 lb butter (I just bought a ton of butter, where did it go?)
• Bag of nuts
• 4-5 bags frozen fruit
• 2-3 bags frozen veggies
• 1 can o.j. concentrate
• Homemade turkey broth
  
• 9x9 Lasagna (I make 9x13 casseroles as two 9x9 and freeze one)
  
• 9x9 Chicken Spaghetti
• Milk
  
• Random leftover veggies from last week (carrots, spinach, lettuce, 1/2 green pepper, etc)
• Eggs
  
• Yogurt
• Random condiments
  

Pantry

• Flour (Wheat, White, Rye)
• Cornmeal
• Wheat Germ
• Wheat Berries (Mostly we grow for a cat snack, but I have seen a couple recipes that actually use them and want to give it a try)
• Rolled Oats (I bought 3 large containers for ~$1/ea around Christmas time and have only just started on the second)
• Dried Beans - Black, Navy
• Quinoa
  
• Sweeteners - White Sugar, Rapadura, Honey, Maple Sugar and some Stevia samples I had completely forgotten about
• Oil - Olive, Coconut
• Vinegars - Variety
• Herbs/Spices - Variety (Although I know I am out of Basil, can I make it through the month w/o buying more?)
• Carnation instant breakfast - Craig got this free from CVS and will eat it, I refuse.
• 1 onion
• Bag potatoes (beginning to sprout, must be used NOW)
• 1.5 boxes granola bars (that is not enough for the month, uh-oh)
• Loaf of Bread
• Pasta - Spaghetti, Fettucine, Lasagna noodles, Egg Noodles, Rotini
• Cocoa powder
• Tapioca
• Semisweet chocolate
• Shortening
• Baby food carrots

That is about it. And since most if not all of you skipped reading that list (and I don't blame you), the jist was - I have a lot of food. Already this month was a success if I can force myself to remember that just because I think we have no food, doesn't mean we don't actually have anything.

I am so blessed that even when my cupboard is "bare" I have lots to eat. It may be kinda random but it is edible, it provides nourishment, it sustains life! Not everyone has access to that and I don't ever want to be ungrateful for what I have.

I never meant for this challenge to be a spiritual thing, but between reading these posts about the newest Compassion trip to India, and seeing how much I have when I didn't think I had anything, I can't but help ask God to change me heart towards my resources:

Give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

Proverbs 30:8

May-day May-day - Grocery Emergency!

Whew, I am sure glad it is May. April has been a super busy month for us and I feel like I am just barely hanging on. I would say that I completely failed at meeting my monthly grocery budget but I don't even know that for sure because for the first time in a long time, we didn't do cash for groceries. We just got busy and let it slide the first week, then a week and a half and then it wasn't even worth it so I just finished out the month buying whatever. It was actually very distressing to me to not know how much I was spending on groceries. On top of that, I was feeling very bleh towards cooking and health. I ate a bunch of sweets right after Lent ended and I could really feel the difference after being away from refined sugar but was too lazy to do anything about it or we were traveling and didn't have the option. So overall, April was just very very yucky.

But I did keep seeing an idea bopping around the blogosphere (see here and here) that sounded interesting and kept telling myself... maybe next month. Well next month is here and since I need a boost to get me started again I am giving myself a challenge - buy as little as possible.

I want to empty out my freezer and pantry. Mostly freezer as our pantry is quite little so I don't stock up on much there. But I do have a lot of frozen meat and meals in the freezer that I want to use up before summer - it is way to hot here in Texas to be cooking casseroles all evening.

It will also (hopefully) force me to be creative. Hmm, I have a old can of french onions and two chicken legs, what can I make?

Third, I hope to save a little money from our grocery budget for a special upcoming purchase. Craig thinks I am weird for wanting to do it but is willing to go along, but I would rather take the money from our budget than have to scrounge for it elsewhere. I don't have any grand illusions of making it through the month without grocery shopping or even cutting our spending in half. My special purchase is $25 so that is what I want to save. Our monthly budget for groceries is normally $200 (that includes cleaning supplies and papers products but we don't actually buy much of that or if we do, we get it free/dirt cheap from CVS/Walgreen) and I'm normally using every penny of that so even saving that much will be a win in my book.

So this month I will try to post my meal plans and grocery lists, more for accountability and entertainment than because I think I will be creating anything special. First one should go up Monday. Anyone want to join me?