Week 3

Well I went grocery shopping for two weeks.  I've found that planning out a two week menu helps me to more effectivly use what I have.  I can make the rice, pasta, tofu, ect. go farther which meas that if something is a little expensive for one week I can make it worth it my spreading the cost over two meals.  This week I went to two stores and spent $38.42 and $20.04.  The two stores I went to were just my regular grocery store and a natural food store.  OK so you're pobably scratching your head at that one right, a natural food store aren't they really expensive?!?!?!  Well yeah, ussually they are more expensive, BUT the reason I go it for the bulk section.  I can get my rice, TVP, broth, spices, beans and pasta in bulk, buying in bulk means that you're cutting out the packaging costs and you get to buy what you need.  I can get a pre-packaged .5 lb bag of TVP for about $6.50 but if I buy in bulk it's $3.99 a pound.  I went to the health food store just to buy my bulk items but I always take the time to look at the produce.  This week I was able to get sweet potatoes for 99 cents a pound, a 3 pound bag of onions for less than I spend on one pound at the grocery store and purple potatoes for less than plain old russet potatoes.  Purple potatoes taste the same but I think they're pretty.  Feel free to roll your eyes at that, I did as I typed it.  :)

So it's starting to get cooler in Kansas, and it's pretty much always windy.  This puts me in the mood for soup, and guess what soup is cheap!  It's so easy to make a big pot of soup for dinner and have plenty for soup and more to freeze for next week.  This week I have two soups and chili on the menu.  Chili is another great cheap, hearty meal solution.  I use dried beans, just soak them overnight in your crockpot.  First thing in the morning out your spices, tomatoes and anything else in the crockpot and set it on low.  Let is cook until dinner time.  Since I don;t have anything to wory about at dinner time I'll make cornbread.  Cornbread is cheap and easy, even the mixes are cheap and tasty.  I stay away from Jiffy brand because it uses real lard, but if you don't care about eatting animal fat go for it.  I've seen Jiffy boxes on sale for less than 33 cents a box.

Thanksgiving, Part One

This was last year's Thanksgiving feast, minus the turkey and apps.  I love Thanksgiving and I tend to go overboard, I made all of that for the two of us...  AND we got a 17lb turkey, I don't eat turkey.  Yeah It's a compulsion.  I love cooking and the holiday's is the perfect time to cook.  No school and no one complaining about diets!

This year my original budget was $20, but I took some lose change to the bank and got another $20, so $40 for Thanksgiving dinner.  This was hard for me, last year our turkey cost more than that.  So I started by looking at what I have around the house, then based on those ingredients I started my menu.  I choose dished that would require only a few purchases.  I also tied to purchase ingredients that I would use in multiple dishes.  This cuts down on the bill and still makes a feast!  I mean come on people, it IS Thanksgiving the national holiday celebrating two of the seven deadly sins... sloth and gluttony.  Watch football, eat, nap, eat more, watch a movie, eat, go to bed, wake up and start process again with leftovers and shopping that starts at 5am.  We need a feast!

So lets move on to the feast; the last few years I've started to make a southwestern influenced Thanksgiving.  My husband and I are originally from Colorado and grew up eating some of the best Mexican food outside of Mexico.  Green chili's, Chipolte in Adobo, Cotija cheese, we love it all.  Unfortunately we now live in Kansas and I couldn't find good Cotija cheese so I'm using goat cheese.  The goat cheese and the brie are my two splurges, they also cost less then $10 combined.  When you plan out your menu decide how much you want to spend, then find the cost of the main components of your meal.  Doing this means that you can find money to have a much needed splurge.  I also make sure that we have a few apps, the meal and dessert.  To me it's just not a holiday with out all of that.

So here's the menu:
Apps:
Hummus and Pita chips
Brie en crute with pear and raisins

Meal:
Seiten Wellington (It's pronounced satan; yeah like that Satan, but yummy)
Mashed Potatoes
Caramelized Onion Cornbread Dressing
Chipolte Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
Rolls
Wild Rice with Dried Cranberries
Pablano Gravy

Dessert:
Spiced Pumpkin Cake

I might make a few changes, chef's prerogative.  I'm debating adding another app or cranberry sauce.  Oh and all of this has only cost me $35.78, so I have enough to get a few more things if I decide too.  I will also have enough food to feed at least 4 people and have leftovers.