Bread and Milk {Weekly Meal Planning}

Not a spot remained in the parking lot. Driver circled and waited, circled and waited, turning on blinkers at any sign of hope. I managed to get a space almost immediately and near the door, though, I'm not sure how. But once I got into the store, I knew that my child-free trip to the grocery was going to be anything but peaceful.

There were no carts in the bay, and a group of us congregated in the empty space. Waiting. Watching. I could see others stalking customers exiting the checkouts, eyes darting from lane to lane, wondering if they could take their carts. I tried to be patient but when I saw a manger leave a cart, I pounced. The pregnant lady should get preference, right?

And so began the adventure of grocery shopping the day before a substantial snow – forecasts ranged from 8 inches to 18 – was to hit.

I would have been at the store, regardless. I grocery shop most every Saturday, and our fridge was looking mighty dire. We were down to four eggs, a half-loaf of bread and a quarter gallon of whole milk.

Yes, I needed bread and milk.

But, to be honest, if I was stocking up for a snowpocalypse, I needed some other things, too.

Coffee. Yes, definitely coffee. I also grabbed a good bunch of bananas, tangerines, frozen pizza (for Mark, who will likely have snow days this week) and snacks. Oh, and flour and butter for baking (to pass the time while we're homebound) and breast milk storage bags*. The last item the most necessary. Obviously.

I'm not sure what else I grabbed because genius here left her grocery list at work. After all, it's a good example to write your grocery list during meetings. Thankfully, Mark had texted me his meal requests for the week and though I rarely do, I decided to oblige him on all accounts as it might score me good-wife points**. And, it's really easy to look at "tacos" and go grab ground chicken, avocados and tortillas.

Well, on another day when you aren't playing bumper carts with everyone planning to hibernate for 10 weeks over one snow storm.

Meals for the week:

Sunday: Steak on the grill pan and requisite sides
Monday: Grilled chicken tacos/taco salad with Spanish rice
Tuesday: Tomato tortellini soup*** with salad and/or sandwiches
Wednesday: In-law's (ziti and meatballs for the 192,302 time)
Thursday: Cajun macaroni and cheese

Lunches for Kim: White bean soup and leftovers

What are you making this week? Any good recipes to pin?

*Really, I am just trying to buy one baby thing a week at the store to get a stockpile and get used to the spending. The storage bags were on clearance for $4.49 for 50. It was a steal!

**I probably lost all of said points when  forgot to pick up beer.

***A lot of times I pin recipes (follow me HERE) but only use them for general inspiration. I'll probably tweak this recipe based on some of my other tomato soup recipes, plus what's in my pantry.

Eat for less: More grocery budget tips

I had $100 to spend and a lengthy list of items to buy. Bananas, pears, celery. Rice, eggs, cheese, bread, milk, cheese. Ground beef, cheese, chicken, cereal, cereal bars, cheese.

My frustration grew as my cart filled, the eye ever on the budget. I wanted sparkling water but decided to skip it since we now go through almost two gallons of milk a week. Orange juice wasn't on sale so I opted to get a smaller jar of peanut butter.

By the end, I tossed up my hands. I went back through the aisles and grabbed what I wanted. I was done with the budget and whatever we were over ... well, we were over.

I lucked out that week, staying under my budget and still getting some luxury items, but it's not always that way. It can take a lot more finessing to get the necessities and the fun stuff for the week.

But I've learned a few tricks that help me get what I want and keep it under budget.

Be loyal to a store — when it pays. Kroger is the most convenient store to my house, and the chain is also the most popular in the area. Like so many stores, they have a loyalty card, which offers savings and a way for the store to track purchases. It can feel a bit invasive but Kroger mails out loyalty coupons that can be applied to the items I buy most. Free cereal bars? Yes, please. And, while you are at it, I will take 50 cents off the rice that's on sale. Thanks for asking.

I also get fuel points at Kroger, and my $400 monthly spending at the store can save me $5 on gas. It's not a lot but I'll take it.

Shop in the morning. My neighborhood store will put perishable items on manager's special like clockwork — at 8 a.m. Meat that can go in the freezer and vegetables still with days of life can be found at a good discount. I try to make it at the store on Friday before work or Saturday before a run to get the best-looking products for the best price.

Get to know the employees. I shop at the same Kroger at the same time (usually) each week. I know the guy in the meat department, and he knows me. He knows I like to buy sale items, to which he'll direct me. I never would have bought chorizo had it not been for him but the $2.49 roll became two meals, including chili. Employees are also, at times, at liberty to further mark down items or make them free depending on the expiration. A Kroger employee gave me a six-pack of Tropicana juice boxes at no cost as he only had four days on them. It was an instance when being a regular shopper worked to my advantage.

Use coupons for the things you buy. I rarely use coupons from online sources or the newspaper because they are most often for things I don't buy. If I wouldn't get it at full price, I don't need it at a discount — no matter how great the savings is.

A note on this: Use the coupons only if it makes the deal better. For example, I had coupons for Laura's Lean Beef and Kroger's Simple Truth Chicken. I could use them whenever to save a bit but I waited. On Saturday, I found both products on manager's special, which equaled about double the savings.

If it's a good deal, buy it. On the most recent shopping trip, I didn't need either the beef or the chicken but I bought them. Yes, it cut into the budget for things I needed on that trip but it was going to save me for the next week. I do this especially with meat as it is often the most expensive thing on the list. A word of caution: I buy what I think I will use in the next month but no more. Grocery stores cycle specials and new coupons come out. I will be able to get a good sale again.

Plan double-duty dinners. There's a good chance that the Laura's Lean Beef will become meatballs next week. The first meal will be with pasta and sauce, and the second can be a meatball sandwich. Pulled pork and barbecue chicken are great for this, too.

Know what's worth your money. Mark drinks Tropicana orange juice. Period. The times I have tried to go to a lower cost beverage have been met with complaints and, sometimes, waste. I no longer try to save money on juice. However, there are no complaints when it comes to store brand cereal and pasta. I also alternate between the good stuff and the value items. One week, we get Private Selection ice cream (the best) and the next week it's Kroger brand or a sale item + coupon.

How do you save at the grocery?

Related post: Getting started on a budget

Earth Fare: A grocery experience

I died and went to heaven.

Or, I drove to the other side of town and finally visited the Earth Fare that opened recently.

The organic grocery store is the first of its kind in my tiny pocket of northeast Indiana. While we do have a Fresh Market, there is not a store of this size or one with similar buying power devoted to healthy living and organic produce. The opening had people so excited that the northeast store had caused traffic back-ups and shopping was cart-to-cart, according to friends who live in the area and went to explore.

If you are unfamiliar with Earth Fare, the company says that, "What really sets Earth Fare apart from other stores is the list of things we don't offer...like any products containing high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, artificial colors and sweeteners, and synthetic growth hormones in fresh meat and dairy. We believe food should be as close to the ground as it gets, and we are proud to read the labels so you don't have to!"

According to me, what sets Earth Fare apart is the taste of big city shopping that we just don't have here. The store was clean and bright, the signs were fun and bold and the selection was wide. I was particularly happy to see things like bulk bins for nuts, grains and beans that I don't have at my neighborhood Kroger (though some of the nicer ones do).

There was also freshly ground nut butters and dispensers for honey, agave and maple syrup. Again, given what's available in the city and my neighborhood, especially, it was all so novel. If I didn't have self restraint and serious hunger pangs from HIIT training, I might have gotten all the stuffs as everyone needs 10 pounds of nut butter.

Rather, I limited myself to a few choice things including Lemon Lime Zevia, which I had not seen before, a few bars for California and a special treat for Mark - specialty raviolis from the bulk pasta bins. I was sure that the goat cheese sundried tomato variety would make up for my cross-country solo trip. I even got fresh Parmesan to complement the dish.

I will say that my one moment of weakness came when I spotted the salad and hot bars. I was hungry, tired and the cucumber-tomato salad I had packed seemed less than sexy compared to some of the things I spotted. And, the hot bar is oh-so-cool. Right? Maybe. Not so much if you live in a major metropolitan area (and are thus not even reading this because you don't care about my Earth Fare).

But I resisted. If anything, it gives me a reason to go back.

Getting started on a budget {A Three Things Thursday post}

With $40 in my hand as I pushed the cart, I was testing the definition of a tight grocery budget. I looked for the cheapest cuts of meat and then tried to find packages that were marked down further. I skipped the name brands, then the store brands and stocked up on the value products.

I was 14, and my parents were recently separated. My dad was lost, unsure of what to do with two kids - much less how to do it with the debt of two adults and one income. He wasn't a cook or a shopper, and his attempts at stocking up for a week's meals left him frustrated and upset.

So I volunteered.

In the six months that followed, I did my best to find the most amount of food for the least amount of price. I wasn't worried about health, quality and sourcing. I was worried about making sure everyone, most importantly my dad, had enough to eat.

Those days, and constraints, may be far behind but the memories are vivid. (I can still taste the canned ravioli that Dad watered down so it could go further.) It's not the case for some and it can be why I scoff when people will say that eating healthy isn't expensive. Sure, the grocery bill doesn't have to be outrageous when you put your focus on eating better but when just eating is expensive, the added pressure of "healthy" can be intimidating.

But it can be done.

Here are three meal ideas - breakfast, lunch and dinner - that come in under budget.

1. Breakfast: Eggs. Simple as that. I was recently listening to a Vinnie Tortorich podcast, and a guest said that eggs are one of the most complete proteins. They are also filling and affordable. A dozen of non-organic eggs at my Kroger comes in just under $2, and I buy the 18-pack carton for $2.99. You can hard boil the carton and eat two with salt and pepper. Make a frittata, using frozen veggies, and cut into individual portions. Or, if you have time, poach a couple and serve with toast.

Source

2. Lunch: I can easily spend upwards of $10 on lunch supplies for a week's worth of quote-unquote healthy lunches. It's not so bad when you consider that's what I spend when I got out but it's double what cheaper frozen meals cost. My solution: Dried beans, lentils and brown rice. For about $1.50 and a little prep time, someone has the building blocks of a nutrient dense, affordable lunch. Rice bowls are also insanely easy and versatile - add frozen or fresh veggies, choosing based on a "theme" (Mexican, Japanese, Indian) and it's done. Don't like bowls? Add some broth and turn it into soup. The beans and lentils serve as affordable protein options although one could easily use tofu or meat found on sale.

Bonus: You can prep lunch on Sunday and just grab and go throughout the week.

3. Dinner: The rule here is to keep it simple. It's fun to try new recipes and keeping the flavors fresh can help with adherence. However, a lengthy ingredient list can significantly increase the grocery bill. Some of my affordable favorites are Salsa Chicken - as a salad or wrap; homemade chili over a sweet potato (save on meat and add more beans); taco soup; and one-pot pasta.

This post was inspired by a beautiful friend who is starting her own journey. So give her some encouragement and share your budget meals!

Well, aisle be

It was looking desperate.

 Don’t be fooled by the look of the fridge –
a good chunk is breast milk and three types of leftover buns.

No milk. No eggs. No fruit of any kind. The peanut butter was dangerously low, as was the bread and orange juice.

Trying to find something for breakfast was like an episode of “Chopped” – oats made with water, sunflower seed butter and reduced sugar grape jelly with a side of pre-cooked turkey sausage that I found in the depths of the freezer. Thank God, I had some half-caff coffee or I might have been marching to Burger King for a Croissan’wich and cup of joe.

Instead, I bundled up Miles and marched down to Kroger.

I guess that’s the perk of a workday that starts at 10 a.m.

We blazed down the aisles, tossing in bananas and clementines, spinach and broccoli (for Spinnocoli Pizza), flour and marshmallows (for holiday treats) and frozen meals and Kroger’s Private Selection ice cream (for Mark).

An hour and $93 later, Miles and I had everything on the list … and then some. What can I say? I really wanted grapes … and Diet Coke.

What are your grocery staples?

Mark has to have for the week: bananas, orange juice, milk, beer, cereal bars, frozen breakfast items (i.e. Jimmy Dean sandwiches or waffles), frozen meals for lunch and a frozen pizza.

Me? I need at least two kinds of fruit, baby carrots, fat-free hot chocolate, peppermint tea, Progresso light soups (vegetable barley is my fave), eggs for breakfast and wheat bread.

A tisket, a tasket, a basket full of groceries

Let's go Krogering ...


Fresh produce ... bananas, celery for Chicken and Basil Dumplings, apples and carrots for snacking, a bell pepper for egg white omelets and lettuce for Asian Lettuce Wraps. There might be some turnips in there for "fries" and cauliflower to roast, as well.


My Kroger was remodeled recently, adding sushi, an olive/Mediterranean bar and a milkshake machine. After all, everyone wants a milkshake while grocery shopping. F'real.


I saw these in the cereal aisle when I was looking for snack bars for Mark. Mean. Just mean.


Some chicken (for the Chicken and Basil Dumplings), turkey pepperoni (for Pizza Spaghetti), raisins and peanuts (snacks for tutoring) and generic yogurt fell into my cart.


And then I went to get Mark's food ... frozen pizza, frozen dinners and frozen breakfast. A couple bags of frozen broccoli - a staple in the Healthy Strides house - also joined the party.

All told, it was about $75 for the week - the lowest bill in MONTHS - for me to eat how I eat and Mark to eat how he eats.

What are your grocery essentials? Do you buy food for others in the household that you don't eat?