Publix & Farmer’s Market – October 5, 2012

J.T. and I have had a fairly busy week.  We had to make a trip to Birmingham on Tuesday.  While we were there, I really, really, really wanted to stop by Earth Fare, “the healthy supermarket.”  My brother, who lives in Birmingham, informed me that Earth Fare was also referred to as “hippie mart.”  I am a type A, plain Jane, non-hippie kind of girl, so I am not sure how I feel about that statement! 

The moment the supermarket doors opened and I stepped through was magical.   In front of me appeared local, organic fruits and vegetables, pledging to come only as far away as 100 miles from the store.  When I glanced to the right, there was an entire section devoted to bulk foods – flours, grains, nuts, and dried fruits – just to name a few.  I headed immediately for the bulk foods and starting analyzing prices.  I was very pleasantly surprised to find many grains and flours at prices lower than what I had been paying back home.  Quinoa was only $3.99 a pound, when I paid $5.99 for less than a pound a week ago at Publix.  My beloved oats were only $1.49 a pound and I could go on and on.  Confession time: I spent $22.  I had decided before I walked into the store, that I would allow myself to spend $25.  This money came from my personal miscellaneous budget.  Each month J.T. and I have a little money that we can spend on whatever.  I know this may be weird, but anytime I have extra money, I always spend it on cookware or food.  What did I buy at Earth Fare?  Of course, everything I purchased was organic.  I wanted to clear that up so I do not have to type “organic” in front of each item.  Here is the list:  Oats, Brown Rice, Quinoa, Black beans, Millet, Fine Corn meal, Brown Rice Flour, and Peanut Butter.  After we left the bulk foods section, we proceeded to look around the rest of the store.  Prices on other items were not nearly as inexpensive as the bulk foods section, but it was fun to venture around.  J.T. especially enjoyed all the free food samples scattered throughout the store.  I will probably plan on stopping by Earth Fare anytime I am in Birmingham to restock pantry essentials.  If you live in a town that has an Earth Fare, I am jealous!

            J.T. and I went back to the Home Grown Alabama Farmer’s market this week.  You really cannot beat the prices they have on vegetables.  I paid $1 to get three bell peppers! (these are $2 each at Publix)  I ran into one obstacle while shopping at Publix.  I thought the Cascadian Farm cereal was on sale at $2.50 a box, meaning after coupons I would pay only $1.15 a box.  When I got to the store, I realized it was only the granola cereal.  Since J.T. does not eat granola, I had to make some quick adjustments to my list.  After breaking out my phone calculator J, I realized I needed to cut $3.00 from somewhere.  Luckily I had overestimated on a few items and I was able shave a dollar or two off in the meat and produce sections.  I spent a total of $59.52 on groceries this week…and I didn’t even use a $5.00 off coupon!

·         Dairy

o   Publix Greenwise Organic Milk @ $5.99

o   Silk almond milk @ $3.49

§  $0.75/1 manufacturer coupon - $2.74

o   1 dozen eggs @ $4.00 (farmer’s market)

·         Grocery

o   (2) Cascadian Farm Organic Cereal @ $7.98

§  (2) $0.85/1 manufacturer coupons & (1) $1.00/2 Publix coupon - $5.28 or $2.64 each

o   (1) Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil @ $5.88

§  $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $4.88

o    (1) 28 oz. can Muir Glen Organic tomatoes @ $2.39

§   $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $1.39

o   (1) 14.5 oz. can Muir Glen Organic Fire-Roasted Tomatoes @ $1.69

§  $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $0.69

o   (1) 8 oz. can Muir Glen Organic Tomato Sauce - $0.89

§  $0.60/1 manufacturer coupon - $0.29

o   (1) 6 oz. can Muir Glen Organic Tomato Paste - $1.09

§  $0.60/1 manufacturer coupon - $0.49

o   Publix Ground Cumin @ $2.99

·         Meat

o   1 lb. White Oak Pastures Natural Grass Fed ground beef @ $6.29/lb.

o   Publix Greenwise Chicken drumsticks @ $2.29/lb. - $2.56

·         Frozen

o    (3) Publix Steam in bag Vegetables @ $3.00

o    (1) Cascadian Farm Organic Blueberries @ $3.49

§  $0.85/1 manufacturer coupon - $2.64

·         Produce

o   Organic bananas @ $0.99/lb. - $2.10

o   2 lbs. Sweet Onions @ $0.99/lb. - $1.69

o   1 lb. Sweet Potatoes @ $1.50/lb. - $1.50 (farmer’s market)

o   2 lbs.  butternut squash @ $1.50/lb. - $3.00 (farmer’s market)

o   3 bell pepper s @ $1.00 (farmer’s market)

o   1 bunch of Lettuce @ $2.00 (farmer’s market)

Total before coupons        $68.02

Less: coupons used              (8.50)

Total with Tax                  $59.52

Pumpkin Cornbread

     My parents traveled to Washington D.C. a few weeks ago.  During this trip they visited George Washington's Mount Vernon.  My mother brought back a bag of cornmeal and a tiny cookbook entitled "Cooking with Cornmeal."  While skimming through this tiny cookbook, I came across Pumpkin cornbread.  I immediately knew I had to make this.  Fall is slowly making its way to Alabama.  Although I hate it when the weather turns cold, I do love a few things about fall: pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and chili.  I actually baked this Pumpkin cornbread the same week I made Gluten-Free Whole Grain Pumpkin Muffins – my fall pumpkin love affair has officially begun.   I served this cornbread with big bowls of thick, hearty black beans.   I guess you could say that it was the perfect Halloween supper – black beans with orange tinted cornbread.

 

Recipe adapted from Cooking with Cornmeal

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups cornmeal
• ½ gluten-free whole grain flour blend
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup canned pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• ¾ cup olive oil mayonnaise
• ¾ cup almond milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and make a well in the center of the bowl. In a large glass measuring cup whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Publix & Home Grown Alabama Farmer’s Market – September 28, 2012

     Two days ago J.T. and I ventured out to our first farmer's market.  My mother would argue that this was technically not my first farmer's market experience.  I, unfortunately, have no memory of going to the market as a child.  I bought three different food items at the market, including ½ dozen eggs, sweet potatoes, and turnip greens.  Although the prices are not cheaper than the grocery store, I would argue that they are no more expensive.  I would consider not paying 9% sales tax on groceries as a huge incentive to head to the farmer's market.  Doing research beforehand allowed me to make purchases from vendors that used organic and hormone/antibiotic-free practices.  I was disappointed with the small amount of vendors at Home Grown Alabama.  One of the main reasons I wanted to attend was to get prices on local beef, pork, and eggs.  The eggs, along with a variety of produce, were the only items present on Thursday.  I am not sure if the Farmer's market will be a weekly occurrence for J.T. and I, but  I hope to eventually incorporate it into my shopping routine. 
     
     My shopping trip to Publix seemed small, at least in quantity, not price.  Many of my purchases ranged from $5.00 to $6.00 an item.  I am still building my "real food" pantry.  Since I cannot stay within my budget and replenish everything at once, I have been gradually adding an item or two each week – hence the maple syrup and quinoa. If you go back and look at my first Publix blog posts, you will notice a big change in the foods I am purchasing now. I am most definitely not buying anything with GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Please watch this short video and get informed.

 

I was in the dark just a few months ago and now this is a subject that is dear to my heart.  You have the right to know what is in your food.  You will probably hear me speak more about this issue later, but that is an entirely different blog post.  I spent $57.99 on groceries for the week (this total includes the $8.00 spent at the farmer's market).  I only had $7.75 in coupons to put toward food items L. Although I used $5.55 in other coupons for toiletry items and dog treats, I have decided that since this is a food blog, I will only post my food purchases.  Pictured below are my groceries from Publix and the Farmer's market (the large Ziploc bags are holding my clean turnip greens which I wrapped in paper towels).

• Dairy
  • Publix Greenwise Organic Milk @ $5.99
  • Silk Almond milk @ $3.49
    • $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $2.49
  • ½ dozen eggs @ $2.00 (Farmer's Market)
• Grocery
  • (1) Publix Greenwise Organic Oats @ $1.99
  • (1) Publix Greenwise Organic Coffee @ $5.99
  • (1) Heinz Organic Ketchup @ $3.19
    • $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $2.19
  • (1) Spring Tree Grade B Maple Syrup @ $5.29
  • (1) Arrowhead Mills Organic Quinoa @ $5.99
• Meat
  • 2 lbs. Publix Greenwise Ground Chuck @ $5.49/lb. - $11.25 
• Frozen
  • (3) Birds Eye frozen peas @ 50% off - $3.00
  • Cascadian Farm Organic Spinach @ $2.69
    • $0.75/1 manufacturer coupon - $1.94
• Produce
  • Organic bananas @ $0.99/lb. - $2.23
  • 12 oz. Publix White Mushrooms @ $1.99
  • 2 lbs. Sweet Potatoes @ $1.50/lb. - $3.00 (Farmer's market)
  • 1 bunch Turnip Greens @ $3.00 (Farmer's market)

      $5.00 off $30.00 purchase Winn-Dixie competitor coupon

 

Total before coupons    $65.74

Less: coupons used          (7.75)

Total with Tax              $57.99

 

Hoppin’ John

     There is something special about living in the south.  I love the southern states and plan to spend the rest of my life living in at least one of them.  The hot weather, politeness of strangers, and simple food (think pintos, greens, & cornbread) are some of my favorite characteristics of the south.  Hoppin' John is a dish that is commonly served among southerners, particularly on New Year's Day.  The black-eyed peas represent coins that symbolize wealth in the upcoming New Year. 

     I was inspired to make this dish after ordering it with my meal at Cypress Inn Restaurant.  While Cypress Inn is one of our favorite places to eat (at least in Tuscaloosa), the Hoppin' John I was served wasn't hoppin' (ha!) with flavor.  The white rice was bland and the bacon tasted rubbery.  After studying many different recipes, I settled on adapting the Hoppin' John recipe from the Joy of Cooking (side note - my sweet husband gave me this cookbook for our 1 year dating anniversary). To make the dish healthier, I substituted brown rice for white rice and olive oil for pork fat.  Hoppin' John would be wonderful with kielbasa or smoked ham.  If you have any on hand, toss it in!  

 

Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking

 

 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (1 ¼ cups) dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight, drained & rinsed
• 1 ½ cups chopped Vidalia onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 cups water, divided
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ¼ cups brown rice
• 2 ½ teaspoons kosher
• ½ black pepper

 
Directions

1. Place the black-eyed peas, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes in a large Dutch oven. Cover with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 30 minutes.
2. Add the remaining cup of water, the vegetable stock, olive oil, and brown rice. Remove the thyme sprigs. Return to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Before serving, remove the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Serves 4 to 5 as a main dish.