This Week's Shopping List

Wow, I feel so balanced this week! I made foods from all over the world, and still managed to avoid Asian foods altogether, much to my husband's relief. Well, it's arguable that the fish I made is Asian, but not obnoxiously so. This week, we had a taste of Mexican, some Italian, and some new American (or Native American, if you count quinoa as ethnic). Everything in my stomach is getting along just fine. It's shame that isn't the case in the surprisingly more volatile climate of the world (I thought my stomach was pretty volatile ... maybe not).

The menu this week is as follows:

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner:
- Ground Turkey/Shredded Chicken tacos with shredded lettuce, guacamole, cheese & pinto beans
- Grilled Mahi Mahi with oranges & sesame over quinoa with steamed broccoli
- Stuffed manicotti with spinach


Some explanation is due regarding the tacos, I think. The ground turkey was a 1/2 pound that was leftover after last week's meatballs. The shredded chicken was 1/2 pound of chicken odds and ends from the freezer (some from leftover Coq Au Vin, some from chicken soup). Each of these made a good portion for one night's meal, but we usually try to do things for two to three nights, so we had one night of turkey, one night of chicken. For those surprised to see me use leftover Coq Au Vin, which has a strong taste, in another very different dish, I was a little nervous, too. But it turned out quite well. The spices used (mostly chili powder and cumin) to season the meat overpowered the taste of wine in the chicken, and you'd never know the difference. You know I can't waste anything!

This is the shopping list for the week (* indicates non-organic):

lettuce
avocados
tomatoes
oranges
ginger
scallions
broccoli*
pears
apples
bananas
garlic
onions
carrots
red onion
mahi mahi* (5.99/lb.)
Imagine chicken broth ($1 coupon)
honey
butter
cheddar* (local, grass-fed)
ricotta
mozzarella
cream cheese
milk
eggs* (local, free-range)
safflower oil*
manicotti shells*
frozen spinach
orange juice*
seltzer*
whole grain tortillas
english muffins ($0.35 coupon)

The only thing I was unable to get on the list was the chicken broth. Oh well, that would have been a good bargain. I also bought a couple of items not on the list that were on sale at the health food store: canned tomatoes and ramen noodles. Yes, folks, I bought ramen noodles. In the days before I cared what I put in my body, I ate ramen noodles all the time, and heartily enjoyed them. When I was sick, I wouldn't turn to homemade chicken soup, I'd make myself some ramen noodles (or Lipton noodle soup). Now that I'm trying my best to put good stuff in my body, I've found it very hard to manage when I do have the occasional cold. What should I eat that would give me that same feeling? Well, lo and behold, this week, I saw organic, completely sound and reasonable ramen noodles on sale at the health food store. Woo hoo! So, I stocked up, just in case illness strikes. Hopefully, they'll sit in the pantry for a long time.

The total for the week came to $114.16, which is less than our weekly budget, but more than we typically spend in a regular grocery shopping. That's bad news, because this week, we also had a delivery from one of our co-ops. The good news, is that this will be the last of these bulk/wholesale purchases for several weeks. That will give us a chance to repent.

The co-op order included the following items: tea, coffee, bulk wild rice, bulk all-purpose flour, and bulk whole wheat flour. The order came to $45.58. So, the grand total for the week comes to $159.74, which is $37.24 over our weekly budget. We sink deeper into the hole, standing now at negative $104. Sheesh! We might have to eat those ramen noodles sooner than I thought! With a few weeks before the next of these sorts of orders, and with regular grocery bills averaging around $90, we should be able to bring that deficit down nicely, without resorting to college fare. Relax .... we're sure to balance this budget well before our new president has made a dent!