My Grocery Shopping/Spending

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Ok, I guess I will share my grocery spending with you all. This month I have started a diet, well it's not really a diet... it's a lifestyle change. I have been eating real foods, but I really want to trim down a little bit and just real food wasn't quite doing it.

I know you want to know what I have started - Trim Healthy Mama! If you haven't heard of this yet, then you are not on this planet. It is really big right now and a wonderful lifestyle change. It's not just another diet fad, it is learning how to separate carbs and fats to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.

Enough of that for now, I will make a separate post about that later on.

Normally, I do my grocery shopping once a month, but I wanted to try Trim Healthy Mama for a week to see how it goes. My budget for the entire month is $200 - hope we can do it! :) Some of these items are for the entire month of August.

I had to run to three different stores to shop the best prices.

Here is what I bought yesterday:

(1) 16 oz Daisy Light Sour Cream - $1.89
(1) 15 oz Wegman's Brand Skim Ricotta  - $1.99
(1) Pint Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream - $3.99
(1) Ezekiel Sprouted Tortillas - $3.29
(1) Ezekiel Sprouted Flax Bread - $3.99
(1) Wegman's Organic Diced Tomatoes - $1.89
(1) 32 oz Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar - $5.99
(1) Applegate Natural Pepperoni - $4.99
(1) 8 oz Kerrygold Unsalted Butter - $2.69
(1) 2 lb Organic Strawberries - $6.99
(1) Bunch Organic Tuscan Kale - $2.99
(1) Organic Zucchini - $0.91
(1) Organic Green Bell Pepper - $0.74 **Cashier rang this up non-organic and I didn't catch it**
(1) Ginger Slices - $2.25 **Lovely Husband said he wanted them so bad, ughh...**
(1) 1 lb. + Organic Chia Seeds - $8.57
(1) Cantaloupe - $1.98
(1) Sweet Potato - $0.65
(1) Jalapeno - $0.09
(1) 1 lb. Dry Black Beans - $1.72
(1) Dozen Omega 3 Eggs - $2.68
(1) 16 oz Frozen Broccoli/Cauliflower Mix - $1.47
(3) 16 oz Frozen Cauliflower - $1.38 each
(1) 2 lb Block White Cheddar Cheese -$6.99
(4) 16 oz Egg Whites - $7.99
(1) 16 oz Organic 50/50 Salad Mix - $4.49
(1) 3 lbs Almonds - $12.99
(1) 2 lbs Daisy Cottage Cheese - $3.99
(1) 14 pack of Sponges - $9.99

Total cost: $109.57 without tax ($112.73 with tax)

Eeek.... I am already more than halfway through the budget!!

Vegetable Curry with Couscous

If you have never had curry before you have to try this! We had it for dinner and oh my goodness, it was delicious. Both of us even have lunch for tomorrow - yay. :)

Did I mention it was a very quick and easy meal to put together. Oh, yes it is.

It is yummy.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips (you can use any color you would like)
• 1/4 cup of chicken stock
• 1 tbsp curry power
• 1 bag (lb) of frozen broccoli and cauliflower
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 tsp salt

Directions

• Heat oil over medium heat and cook bell pepper until tender. 
• Stir in curry powder, broth, salt, and vegetables. Heat to boiling and boil for 4-5 minutes stirring frequently. 
• Stir in raisins and serve over couscous. 

Meal Planning: Knowing What You Have On Hand (Inventory)

If you are already not familiar with meal planning, then you need to start getting to know it. Making a budget work without a meal plan is not going to happen! I have tried it and I failed miserably.

I do major grocery shopping once a month, and I spend half of a week before my shopping trip carefully making my meal plan and going over it a couple of times. I love to re-check things to make sure everything is correct. I do my minor grocery shopping once a week to replace produce and things that might get used up fairly quickly. After my meal plan is created, I start making my grocery lists. I never shop at one store because I want to get the lowest price. I will create a separate list for each store.

It might seem like a really long process, but it really isn't. I actually enjoy it. Does that sound weird?

Before you sit down and start making a meal plan, you will have to do some organizational prep work. You need to take an inventory of everything you have on hand.

Taking an inventory is usually making a list of all the basics that you currently have in your kitchen. That means spices, flour, sugar, meats, oils, cheese, milk, butter, etc. Some of these basic items may not have to get replaced every month and some will.

It is time to go take inventory now. :) Bring a pad and a pen with you in your kitchen and write down all the major staples that you have. While you are at it, write down all the things you need to use up. It may be a couple packages of ground beef, a piece of fish, an egg, or anything. I have a package of ground beef and a boston butt that really needs to get used up. What do you have? Hopefully, you have taken inventory!

That wasn't so scary, was it? Knowing your inventory before creating a meal place is crucial. It really lets you know what you need to use up.

Making A Realistic Budget

Budgeting for every family is different. We have tried many different types of budgeting and only one has really worked for us - cash system/envelope.

With the cash system you can see how much you have and only that amount. Once it is gone, it's gone. 

When you use your debit card you say, "Well, I just need a gallon of milk, that isn't much." Those little purchases really add up during the month. That was something I did in the past - not anymore! 

Before you start a budget, talk to your spouse. That is key. Even though Clay (hubby) doesn't have anything to do with the budget money, he still likes to know what is going on. We always have those types of talks at night when we are laying down. I am positive we aren't the only ones, right?!

Having a budget on a real food diet is a must! Another important thing about a real food diet is making almost all of your food from scratch. Saves the budget and weird chemical ingredients. 

Some just buy prepackaged items that are organic and they make a a huge dent on their budget and wallets. Also, purchasing prepackaged organic items do not mean you are completely avoiding strange ingredients. Some even have ingredients you cannot pronounce. Gross. 

Having a budget and sticking to it is vital for a real food, clean diet. 

Have a quick look into what our budget looks like. 

We have many different categories within our cash system/envelope: fall/winter preserving, spring garden supplies, food, gas, and bulk. 

The fall/winter preserving, spring garden supplies, and bulk are funds we contribute to each month. Each month depending on each paycheck, I decide how much will go into each fund.

An example of how we use the funds from fall/winter preserving are...if strawberries go on sale for a great price, then I will buy 50 pounds or more. At that price that would destroy my regular grocery budget because I am buying to preserve. 

Which ever way works for your family is great - just stick with it!

How do you budget?

Clean Homemade Crock Pot Pizza Sauce

Mmm, I am a saucy kind of gal, are you? Extra sauce the better!

Have you ever noticed that most people eat pizza on Fridays? They usually take out the phone and call some major pizza chain and it makes a HUGE dent in your pocket. Not cheap, not good. 

I love to make extra sauce to freeze - makes pizza making a breeze. 

Organic pizza sauce in a jar can be a little pricey. Have you ever looked at the ingredients in a non-organic jar of pizza sauce? Man, those ingredients are scary. Very scary. Have no idea what the heck they are, but I am putting them into my body. No thanks. :) Sorry, rant. 

Ingredients

• 1, 15 oz can of tomato sauce (organic preferred, if you can)
• 4, 6oz cans of tomato paste (organic preferred, if you can)
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• 1/3 cup of fresh basil, chopped
• 3 tbsp Italian seasoning

Directions

1. Toss everything into the crock pot.
2. Mix everything together and cook for 4 hours. 
3. Stir occasionally. 

When my Husband came home yesterday, he immediately went to the crock pot and said that looks amazing. Of course, he had to taste it. Like always... :)

Easy, right? If you want you can freeze the rest in individual bags.

Clean Pizza Dough

Yesterday, I was craving pizza so badly! When you walk out our house you will find a Domino's and a Pizza Hut within 2 blocks!!! Not good at all when you just craving pizza like crazy...all those crappy, non-food ingredients. Gross.

Why choose either of those pizza companies when you can make your own homemade, real food pizza dough for pennies. Yes, pennies. :)

Did I mention it is so easy to make? Well it is. Yes!

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups of white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast (one small package - if you buy yeast that way)
• 1 tbsp coconut palm sugar
• 1/4 cup of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 1/4 cup of water

Directions

1. In a separate small bowl mix the yeast, water, and coconut palm sugar together and let it sit for 10 minutes (until it starts to get foamy).
2. In another bowl mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour the wet yeast mixture together. 
3. Stir everything together and knead the dough for 3 minutes.
4. Cover and let the dough sit until it rises, roughly 30 minutes. I put it in the oven. 
5. Divide the dough into two portions and freeze if you are not making a pan pizza - like I was. 
6. Roll out the dough to fit in the pan.
7. Bake pan for 5 minutes at 450 degrees. 
8. Add clean homemade pizza sauce and toppings. 
9. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. 
10. Slice and serve!

HOW TO: Can Chicken Stock

There is something about things being homemade - the taste is so much better and you know you took the time to make it. You appreciate it more.  You can catch up here on how to make chicken stock from a whole chicken.

Have you looked at the prices of organic chicken stock lately? It is not cheap at all. Why not make your own, if you can?

Out of one medium chicken I canned 7 pints. That is about 7 different meals for my family! Awesome. :)

Pssst, hey, it's organic too!

As always, sterilize your jars, lids, and bands. (Oops, I misspelled sterilize in the photo - sorry!!)

I always heat anything up that I am putting in glass jars because I am so afraid of breakage. Before you ladle the chicken stock into the jars you can heat it up. 

For step by step picture instructions you can catch up on this post. 

Pressure can the chicken stock for 90 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure. After the 90 minutes wait until the canner completely cools. 

That's it! Very easy for frugal, organic chicken stock!