But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;

and all these things shall be added unto you.

~Matthew 6:33

All You Grocery Challenge wk 2

Week 2 spending for the All You Grocery Challenge. Our goal is to spend no more than $25 per person each week for our family of 6.

Farmer's Market

6 ears of sweet corn
2 dozen free-range eggs
4 yellow squash
4 green bell peppers
2 eggplants
~ 1/2lb string beans

Total spent: $25.00

Whole Foods

1 Synergy Kombucha tea
2 cans 365 Wild Alaskan Salmon
2 cans 365 organic tomato paste
1 bag frozen 365 organic sweet peas
1 box 365 organic yellow taco shells
1-8oz Stonyfield organic yogurt
5lb bag whole wheat flour
1.75 quart 365 Rocky Road ice cream (FREE with coupon!)
1lb organic rolled oats (bulk)
1lb organic lentils (bulk)

Total spent: $22.66

Earth Fare

1/2lb block Morningland Dairy raw milk cheddar
1 bag Enjoy Life chocolate chips - dairy, soy & gluten free
8oz whole, fresh mushrooms
2 Earthbound Farm salad mixes (sale BOGO - $1/2Q)

Total spent: $17.89

Trader Joe's

1 bottle Charles Shaw Shiraz
2 Kerrygold Irish unsalted butter
1 bag organic brown rice penne pasta 16oz
3lb bag organic pink lady apples

Total spent: $14.78

Kroger

2 jumbo packs Huggies Pull-Ups (sale 8.99 - $2/1Q)
2lb organic bananas

Total spent: $16.50

ALDI

7 bottles apple juice
1 box diaper wipes

Total spent: $11.83

And my Super Double buys at Harris Teeter --- total spent $20.55

TOTAL SPENT: $129.21

$20.79 below grocery challenge target of $150

Harris Teeter Super Doubles

Since our diet has changed towards more simple, whole and organic foods, I focus my couponing these days on mostly non-food, household items. Saving on those non-food items frees up more grocery budget money for the things that really matter to us - organic, fresh fruits and vegetables, pastured meats & eggs.

Here's what I picked up this morning at Harris Teeter Super Doubles

6 single rolls 7th Generation paper towels --- sale 1.50 ea - (3) $1/2Q = .50 ea

3 St. Joseph 81 mg aspirin (for my Mom) --- 2.59 ea - (3) $1/1Q = .59 ea

3 Playtex Living Gloves --- sale 1.99 ea - (3) $1/1Q = FREE!

3 Lifeway Kefir --- 3.59 ea - (3) $1/1Q = 1.59 ea

1 Downy fabric softener --- sale 4.99 - $1/1Q = 2.99

3 Dawn Pure dish detergents --- 2.99 ea - (3) $1.50/1Q = FREE!

6 Pounce cat treats --- sale 1.67 ea - (3) $1/2Q = .33 for each 2

1 Organic Prairie frozen ground turkey --- 6.99 - 1/1Q = 4.99

Total oop: $20.55

Total savings: $56.01

Menu Plan - July 20th

For the All You Grocery Challenge, I thought I would post not only the items we bought for the week, but also how those items come together for our meals. Menu planning not only saves me time in the kitchen, but takes away the stress of coming home from work in the evenings and trying to figure out what cook when everyone is already starving! And it serves as a reminder of what prep work needs to be done ahead of time - what needs to be defrosted, beans that need to be soaked and cooked, etc.

Dinners:

- Golden Veggie Fried Rice (For veggies, I used organic onions, organic carrots, organic frozen corn and broccoli florets)

- Grilled Hamburgers on wheat buns with Better than McDonald's Oven Fries, Green and Purple Beans sauteed with Garlic & Sliced Watermelon

-Dirty Rice made with Pastured Pork Sausage & steamed organic corn

-Lasagna Rolls using Whole Wheat noodles & Yogurt Cheese and Basil filling (using the filling recipe from Kelly's stuffed shells)

- Quinoa & Black Beans topped with shredded, raw milk cheddar cheese

- Egg Salad with Sardines (a new take on tuna salad, inspired by these two Edible Aria recipes - Sardine Salad Sandwich and Keep it Simple Egg Salad ) Sprouted, whole wheat toast & sliced cantaloupe & watermelon

- Homemade Whole Wheat Veggie Pizza topped with organic onions, green peppers & fresh basil from our container garden


Breakfasts:

Scrambled free-range eggs, pastured pork sausage, sliced cantaloupe & watermelon
Scrambled free-range eggs, fruit salad and sprouted, whole wheat toast w/strawberry spread
Soaked oatmeal

Lunches:

Usually leftovers & sandwiches


I'm An Organizing Junkie - Menu Plan Monday

All You Grocery Challenge wk 1

With our grocery shopping done for the week, it's time to see how we did with our All You Grocery Challenge. The goal, $25 per person per week. For our family of 6 we bought:

Farmer's Market

1.5 lb grass-fed beef

1 lb pastured pork sausage

2 dozen free-range eggs

2 broccoli

2 green bell peppers

1 seedless watermelon (not pictured because I forget about it!)

~1/2 lb green & purple beans

Total spent: $28.05

Whole Foods

1-365 organic ketchup 24 oz (FREE with coupon)

1 Eden Organic shoyu sauce

1-365 Extra Virgin olive oil

1-365 organic beef broth

1 can 365 organic diced tomatoes

2 cans 365 organic tomato paste

1 lb organic rolled oats (bulk)

1/2 lb organic raisins (bulk)

1-365 organic peanut butter

8pk wheat hamburger buns (FREE with coupon)

1 tin skinless, boneless sardines

2lb bag organic brown rice

8pk Hamburger patties

2lb bag organic carrots

2 bags frozen organic corn

1pk 365 organic shredded mozzarella cheese

2lb organic bananas

5lb bag organic russet potatoes

Total spent: $48.89

Lowes Foods

3 gallons Full Circle organic milk

Total spent: $17.41

Walgreens

2 jumbo packs Huggies Pull-Ups

Total spent: $21.35 (rec'd $5 Register Reward)

ALDI

7 apple juice 64oz

1 box baking soda

1 bottle white vinegar

Total spent: $11.23

TOTAL SPENT: $126.93

$23.07 below Grocery Challenge target of $150

$1.93 above our weekly grocery budget of $125

All You Grocery Challenge

The All You Grocery Challenge starts today. Spend no more than $25 per person, per week on groceries over the next four weeks. For our family of six, that would be $150 per week. Our grocery budget is less than that, but I'm hoping the challenge will help keep me motivated to stay on budget with our grocery spending. And maybe even curb our spending on eating out!

Sunday Reading

Real Food by Nina Planck

All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

Our Summer Table

While out for one of his morning runs, my husband came upon three boxes of canning jars that had been put out by the road as free to a good home. Among the usual canning jars were these three beautiful aqua colored jars - 2 Ball Perfect Mason jars and one Atlas Strong Shoulder jar.



After cleaning the jars up a bit, I set about making a Summer tablescape. I filled the jars with decor sand and added a small, white candle to each. As I began arranging my jars, three sets of little hands eagerly joined in, hastily arranging shells gathered from our previous trips to the beach.

I had a vision in my head of how I wanted the tablescape to look. But I'm glad I let go of my "perfect" vision, in favor of something much more beautiful.

Soaked Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

Local, organically grown and certified blueberries

We've been thoroughly delighting ourselves in the seasonal goodness of fresh blueberries. So much so, that we've almost eaten through the entire bucket we picked last Friday! I did manage to set aside a quart bag full of berries for the freezer. But nothing beats the taste of fresh berries in the summertime!

Fresh blueberries in the kitchen means waking up to the smell of soaked oatmeal blueberry muffins in the morning for our family. The recipe is simple, which makes it easy for me to put together before work in the mornings. And the muffins make a great on the go breakfast or afternoon snack later in the day.

Soaked Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

1 1/4c organic rolled oats

1 c whole wheat flour

1/3 c organic sucanat

1 tbsp baking powder, aluminum-free

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 c butter (I use Kerrygold), melted

1 tsp vanilla

1 c fresh (or frozen) organic blueberries

1 tbsp lemon juice or whey (for soaking)


The night before, soak rolled oats and whole wheat flour in 1 - 1 1/4 c water with a tablespoon of lemon juice or whey added. I leave my oats and flour soaking overnight in a plate covered bowl on the counter.

Soaking? According to Nourishing Traditions, soaking neutralizes phytic acid and other enzyme inhibitors in whole grains allowing for better digestion and mineral absorption. Read more about soaking grains here.

The next morning, add the egg, sucanat, baking powder, vanilla and melted butter to the soaked oats and flour mixture. Blend ingredients together. Then slowly fold in a cup of fresh or frozen organic blueberries.

Fill greased muffin cups and bake at 425 for 20 -25 minutes.

Kelly the Kitchen Kop - Real Food Wednesdays
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - Tasty Tuesday

Red, White & Blueberries

She is like the merchant ships,

bringing her food from afar.

Proverbs 31:14

Our holiday weekend began this morning with a trip out to the farm for some blueberry picking!

Vollmer Farm (Bunn, NC) organically grown and certified blueberries

As I learn more about nourishing, real foods, I find myself wanting to connect with where our food comes from and the person who grew it. We're blessed to have many U-Pick farms and farmer's markets in our area, which lessens the distance between farm and plate. It also provides the kids a fun and enjoyable experience!

Our 2 year-old having fun picking berries. His blue shirt reminded him to pick only the blue ones :)