Publix – January 31, 2013

     Since July of 2012, I have been blogging about my grocery trips to Publix and for the very first time I went over budget.  I knew it was going to be very close, but there were items we needed that I refused to go another week without.  At first I was a little upset that I went over my $60 limit, but it was only by $0.59 cents so I let it go.  I purchased staple ingredients such as flour, sugar, cheese, and olive oil.  If you missed my last post, the cheese will be enough for another month’s worth of J.T.’s Cheese Crackers.  I am so thankful that it is the beginning of a new month.  This means my budget numbers get refreshed and I get to see how we did overall for the month of January.  An excel spreadsheet helps me keep track of our month to month expenses.  There are fixed costs such as rent, power, cable, gas, water, cell phone, and insurance.  These costs are around the same amount each month – with the exception of power.  I about flipped a lid when we received our power bill in July!  Our variable expenses are broken down in more detail.  Food covers how much we spend at the grocery store, on meals dining out, and Otis (our doggie).  There are also separate categories for prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, and toiletry items.  The remaining expenses include fuel (& other car expenses), doctor co-pays, and miscellaneous.  When too many miscellaneous expenses accrue a red flag goes up.  Over the last nine months of marriage, I have learned that there is a fine line between sticking to the budget and enjoying life.  J.T. and I have been blessed, so we try to be good stewards of our money.  We don’t use credit cards and everything is paid for by cash or check.  However, if we have the money saved, it is okay to take a random trip to the beach or to go over budget during a weekly grocery store trip.  My Mama always says she wants the last check she writes to bounce, because when you leave this world you can’t take the money with you!

·         Dairy

o   Silk almond milk @ $3.35

§  $0.75/1 manufacturer coupon - $2.60

o   Publix Greenwise Organic Eggs @ $4.29

o   (2) Cabot Vermont Cheddar Cheese @ $5.00

§  $1.00/2 manufacturer coupon - $4.00

·         Grocery

o   (1) Publix Greenwise Organic Toasted Oats Cereal @ $3.79

o   (2) Publix Greenwise Organic Oats @ $3.98

o   1 lb. Publix lentils @ $1.49

o   (1) 5 lb. bag King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour @ $3.99

o   (1) Florida Crystals Organic Cane Sugar @ $4.29

§  $0.55/1 manufacturer coupon - $3.74

o   (2) Pompeian Extra-Virgin Olive Oil @ $6.65

§   (1) $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $5.65

o   Publix Greenwise Flaxseed @ 20% off - $1.59

·         Meat

o   6 lb. Springer Mountain Farm (antibiotic free) whole chicken @ $1.69/lb. - $10.06

§  $2.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $8.06

·         Frozen

o   (1) 10 oz. bag Cascadian Farm Organic Broccoli @ $2.49

o   (3) Bird’s Eye steam fresh Frozen Brussels @ $3.68

§  (3) $1.00/1 manufacturer coupons - $0.68

o   (1) 16 oz. bag Publix Whole Okra @ $1.69

·         Produce

o   Organic Bananas @ $0.99/lb. - $2.46

o   1 lb. Publix Greenwise Organic Carrots @ $1.29/lb.

o   Sweet Potatoes @ $0.79/lb. - $2.92

Total before coupons              $68.59

Less: coupons used                   (8.00)

Total with Tax                        $60.59

J.T.’s Cheese Crackers

     These are J.T.’s favorite crackers and he eats them every day as a mid-morning snack.  When we first started the real food challenge, I assumed that crackers and cereal would be my biggest obstacles to recreate in the kitchen.  I was right.  Dozens and dozens of these cheese crackers have been produced in my kitchen and it took many, many batches before I finally created the perfect consistency and flavor for J.T.  His favorite store bought crackers are Hot & Spicy Cheez-It’s, so I was attempting to make something that was similar.  These cheese crackers are very easy to make, but I always have a game plan when it comes to making my life simple.  There are four ingredients in these cheese crackers and everything revolves around the cheese.  I solely purchase Cabot Cheese, because our store does not sell Organic Valley cheese and this is the next best option.  Cabot is farmer owned and operated and produces high quality products.  About once a month Publix runs an 8 ounce block of Cabot cheese on sale for $2.50.  This sale normally lasts two weeks and I purchase one or two blocks each week.  The next three ingredients rarely ever go on sale, so I just bite the bullet and purchase these whenever there’s room in my budget.  Once I have all my ingredients together, I get to work and double the recipe listed below.  This gives me four cracker logs, or enough for four weeks.  Every weekend I defrost a log, slice, and bake.  It literally takes less than ten minutes.  On Saturday, I wrote about purchasing these containers.  The crackers fit perfectly and I will be ordering another set soon.  I divide the 24 crackers into six individual portions, and every morning before work one gets popped into J.T.’s lunch bag.  I have a confession.  I feel as though I have been holding back some of my most frequently made recipes.  This post will begin a mini-series of pantry staples that I make week in and week out.  Next week’s topic is cereal, so stay tuned! 

Recipe adapted from 100 Days of Real Food

Ingredients

·         2 cups whole wheat flour, preferably King Arthur

·         1 (8 oz.) block Cabot Vermont sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

·         10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced into cubes

·         1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (decrease or omit for less heat)

Directions

1.      Place the flour, cheese, butter and crushed red pepper flakes into a food processor.  Pulse until the dough comes together into a ball.  Dump the dough onto a pastry mat or dough board and shape into a round disk.  Use a knife to divide the dough in half.  Roll each half into a log that is approximately 9 inches long (if freezing for later, 9 inches fits perfectly into a Ziploc bag).   

2.      Slice each log into 24 cracker rounds.  I use a ramekin to flatten each cracker slightly.  Be sure to lay a piece parchment or saran wrap over the dough before pressing down with the ramekin.  Place the sliced cracker dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for exactly 15 minutes at 375 degrees.  Remove the baked crackers to a wire rack and cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to one week.  Yields 48 crackers. 

Note:  These crackers freeze beautifully.  Each dough log can be wrapped in saran wrap and placed in a Ziploc bag.  Be sure to defrost the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking.  I set mine out of the refrigerator for a few hours before I bake it.  The dough is much easier to slice at room temperature. 

Publix – January 24, 2013

     I had a really good trip to Publix this week and was so happy with the quantity of food I brought home.  Some weeks, my grocery trips can look pretty skimpy.  Especially if I have to shell out $6 for coffee, pure maple syrup, or some other more expensive staple that we cannot go another week without.  I am now getting 21 meals a week out of my $60 budget (this is three meals a day for 7 days).  Most of my meals serve 4, but every Sunday I cook enough to feed 6 to 8.  These savings are huge in comparison to what it would cost to eat out.  We are eating well too – no beans and rice meals around here!  I know which vegetables and fruits to buy organic and which ones have low pesticide levels, so their conventional form is okay.  I try to serve something green with every meal.  This week I splurged on a bag of preservative free, natural collard greens for $4.  We don’t normally eat vegetables that are so expensive, but generally stick with peas, cabbage, carrots, onions, Brussels, and whatever is on sale and in season.  While I have become a master at planning our meals on a budget, I am always looking to see where we can cut costs.  It must the accountant in me.  We already switched to cloth napkins several months ago.  This greatly reduces the amount of trash we create and it eliminates the need to continue buying paper napkins.  I have 3 sets of cloth napkins.  By far, my favorite are these from Pottery Barn (I'm OBSESSED with Pottery Barn).  I also ordered this smaller baseball napkin for J.T.’s lunch box.  This week I ordered my first set of stainless steel lunch box containers.  I plan on using these to pack J.T.’s crackers, which he eats for a snack every day.  Now, I can quit buying all those fussy Ziploc baggies that get thrown away day after day.  In October, I invested in several anchor hocking glass one cup containers and we use them constantly.  These are the perfect size for muffins and J.T. and I both take one to work daily.  We are slowly transitioning our kitchen to be a bit greener.  I am hoping that investing in good containers now will save money in the future.  One last note - most lunch box items are geared toward children.  Are there any adults out there who pack a lunch? 

·         Dairy

o   (2) ½ gallon Organic Valley milk @ $7.00

§  $1.00/2 manufacturer coupon - $6.00

o   Silk almond milk @ $3.35

§  $0.75/1 manufacturer coupon - $2.60

o   Publix Greenwise Organic Eggs @ $4.29

·         Grocery

o   (1) Publix Greenwise Organic Toasted Oats Cereal @ $3.79

o   (1) Publix Greenwise Organic Oats @ $1.99

o   (1) 8 oz. can Muir Glen Organic tomato sauce @ $0.89

o   (1) 28 oz. can Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Crushed tomatoes @ $2.59

o   (2) Frank’s Hot Sauce @ $3.00

§  (2) $0.75/1 manufacturer coupon - $1.50

·         Meat

o   5 ½ lb. Springer Mountain Farm Whole Chicken @ $9.57

§  $2.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $7.57

·         Frozen

o   (2) Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers (Peas) @ $2.59

o   (1) Cascadian Farm Organic Strawberries & (1) Organic Spinach @ $6.18

§  $2.00/2 manufacturer coupon - $4.18

·         Produce

o   Bananas @ $0.99/lb. - $2.22

o   2 lbs. Nature’s Greens Shredded Collards @ $3.99

o   1 head green cabbage @ $0.69/lb. - $1..39

o   2 lbs. carrots @ $2.58

o   3 lb. bag yellow onions @ $2.49

o   1 head garlic @ $0.51

Total before coupons              $64.62

Less: coupons used                   (7.25)

Total with Tax                        $57.37

Happy Birthday Mama - Mashed Butternut Squash

     On January 13, we celebrated my mother’s birthday.  Her birthday fell on a Sunday, so we had a birthday lunch at my parent’s house.  I gave Mama two different menu options.  She chose Herbs de Provence Roasted chicken, Mashed Butternut Squash, and Sautéed Asparagus.  Everything was delicious and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the main dishes.  Her birthday cake is a different story.  I usually make Mama a chocolate cake for her birthday.  Remember these? Double Chocolate Layer Cake & Claire’s Dark Chocolate Cake.  She is not supposed to eat chocolate anymore so we had to come up with a different alternative.  Mama gave me a recipe for an apple cake, which I have made before.  The cake was supposed to bake for an hour, but after an hour and a half the cake tester still came out wet.  I gave it a little more time in the oven but was worried about burning the outside.  The recipe stated that the cake should cool completely in the pan.  I reasoned that it would continue to cook in the pan so I would go ahead and take it out.  This was a bad decision.  The cake also had a glaze that was supposed to be applied as soon as it came out of the oven.  After letting the cake cool for several hours, I decided to remove it from the bundt pan.  Bad decision number 2.  The cake fell apart completely and it wasn’t even cooked!  I stared down at a plate of uncooked, mushy, cake.  My first reaction was to scream but I instead held it together.  I tossed the whole cake, glaze and all, back into the mixer.  Then, I beat it until it held together like dough.  I then mashed it down into a 9- inch round cake pan and baked it for 30 minutes.  This apple cake now became twice-baked apple cake and it was delicious.  The cake was more dense and moist than what the original recipe would have been.  I am sure this is due to the glaze being baked inside the cake.  Astatically speaking, the birthday cake needed help.  I caramelized apples in a skillet with brown sugar and butter and then spread them on top of the cake.  The only reason I am not blogging about my twice-baked apple cake is because I do not have a concrete recipe to share.  Everything was a gamble and it happened to turn out in my favor.  Another birthday cake disaster averted!  Unlike the apple cake recipe, the mashed butternut squash recipe comes from the always reliable Ina Garten.  It was easy to make and tasted great!  Even the men in my life who don’t always care for “sweet” vegetables loved it!

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients

·         4 to 5 pounds butternut squash (2 small or 1 large)

·         3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

·         3 tablespoons coconut oil

·         ¼ cup brown sugar

·         2 teaspoons kosher salt

·         ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

·         ¼ cup almond milk

Directions

1.      Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Peel and cut the butternut squash into ¾ inch cubes.   Toss the squash with olive oil, coconut oil, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.  Spread on a large sheet pan and roast for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through.  The squash should be very tender when pierced with a fork, but not browned.

2.      Transfer the roasted squash and any accumulated juices to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment.  Add the almond milk and beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until thoroughly combined and slightly fluffy.  Keep warm or reheat over a bowl of simmering water.  If reheating, add an additional ¼ cup of almond milk.  Serves 6.  

My mother is probably going to kill me but here are a few pictures from her birthday.  I was told not to publish any because she was "having a bad hair day."  

 

Mama with her birthday cake

 

The hubs and I

 

The whole family minus J.T. and Otis.  J.T. was taking the picture and Otis hates having his picture made.  

 

I told my parents I wanted a good picture made.  

This is what they gave me.  

The birthday girl wanted her picture made with her favorite grandson, Otis.  He wasn't having it.  I told you he was camera shy.  She was pointing at the camera trying to get him to focus.  That never happened.