I have no idea why budgetarian shopping is so fun for me. :) These winter months after the overindulgence and overspending of the holidays are a time for me to relish making simple fare with what's on hand.
Our priciest items are milk and cheese from a local dairy. They have a stand at the Farmers' Market, and would be considered organic if they did not medicate their sick cows. (They discard milk taken from medicated cows.) A farm has to jump through hoops for the government to label it "organic." I like knowing this milk has no growth hormones or steroids, and that the cows spend time outside. In so many US dairies, cows are NEVER outside, living 24/7 in dim, manure-floored, industrial-sized barns. I like thinking our milk comes from happier cows, just like our eggs come from happier chickens, who can run around outside, scratching in the dirt like they were meant to do. :)
Not everyone has easy access to a local, well-run dairy's products. Not everyone lives near a Farmers' Market. I know I'm fortunate. If we ever moved, it would be hard to leave these things, and leave the little owner-operated grocery store where I got the rest of my groceries at a great price (four reusable bags of groceries for under $40!) And I walked there.
Our choice to go more-organic has a lot to do with our easy access to these things, and with the fact that both Alan and I are on board with it. I am grateful that it is so convenient for us.
And finally, TIME. As someone who works full-time, I totally understand how much planning this can take. If I'm going to bake bread, it has to happen on the weekends (along with laundry, grocery shopping, changing bed sheets, and any special or family event.) My husband shares cooking and cleaning responsibilities, otherwise we could not live like this. It's not always perfect, but we truly enjoy the attempt!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Cooking Like Mother Hubbard
Her cupboards were bare. Ours are not bare, but they--and our frig--are not bursting in the typical way. We like it like that. We like to know what we have and use it up before it goes bad. I get a genuine kick out of using absolutely everything.
We're now into the third week of our version of Mother Hubbard cooking: buying only the bare essentials to boost what's already in the kitchen. Last week was especially fun, because it snowed Saturday and the Farmers' Market was nearly deserted. I bought only our milk, cheese, and the big $3 bucket of not-so-pretty-but-perfectly-delicious apples. (They have $1 big buckets, too, which are downright ugly. I'll make pies one of these weeks.)
Then to the grocery store, where $30 of groceries included: broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, frozen peas, hot cocoa, wheat thin, & two boxes of cereal (3 remaining processed food pleasures!), sausage, and a loaf of bread. Including the Farmers' Market, the week's groceries came to less than $50, thanks to what I already had on hand. Our weekly total also includes the $3 I spent on 18 eggs from the family at church that has free range chickens. How nice is that?
So here's what was on the menu this week:
- On Sunday I baked 3 rather bland loaves of whole wheat bread, using up the rest of my whole wheat flour. We ate it w/eggs I scrambled with cheese & salsa (had the salsa in the frig from football snacking)
- Baked potatoes with steamed brocolli & cheese, adorned w/leftover Sweet Potato Chili from last week
- Sausage with Roasted sweet potatoes, white potatoes, & onions, and peas (that same night my friend Diana came over with leftovers to share--several grilled chicken breasts, which we gladly added to the menu)
- Shredded chicken (see above) and sausage jambalaya with peas
- Pasta & sauce from a jar (both already in the cupboard) w/the rest of the sausage thrown in
- And for breakfasts, the girls ate the cereal (takes about 4 days to finish it), I ate peanut butter & jelly on bland bread, and then I used a loaf & a half of bland bread to make ok French Toast, and this morning I made Baked Oatmeal--a family favorite that I can prep the night before.
- The girls' lunches usually include things like bags of nuts, craisins or raisins, cheese-and-mustard sandwiches (their favorite), sliced apples, applesauce, carrot sticks, and boiled eggs. This week we added wheat thins to the mix. Alan and I eat dinner leftovers for our lunches.
Now I'm off to the Farmers' Market & Grocery store. Let's see if I can keep this week to under $50, too! I have to buy two kinds of flour, though, and I'd hoped to get some Tahini to make hummus, so the bill may be higher. We'll see!
We're now into the third week of our version of Mother Hubbard cooking: buying only the bare essentials to boost what's already in the kitchen. Last week was especially fun, because it snowed Saturday and the Farmers' Market was nearly deserted. I bought only our milk, cheese, and the big $3 bucket of not-so-pretty-but-perfectly-delicious apples. (They have $1 big buckets, too, which are downright ugly. I'll make pies one of these weeks.)
Then to the grocery store, where $30 of groceries included: broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, frozen peas, hot cocoa, wheat thin, & two boxes of cereal (3 remaining processed food pleasures!), sausage, and a loaf of bread. Including the Farmers' Market, the week's groceries came to less than $50, thanks to what I already had on hand. Our weekly total also includes the $3 I spent on 18 eggs from the family at church that has free range chickens. How nice is that?
So here's what was on the menu this week:
- On Sunday I baked 3 rather bland loaves of whole wheat bread, using up the rest of my whole wheat flour. We ate it w/eggs I scrambled with cheese & salsa (had the salsa in the frig from football snacking)
- Baked potatoes with steamed brocolli & cheese, adorned w/leftover Sweet Potato Chili from last week
- Sausage with Roasted sweet potatoes, white potatoes, & onions, and peas (that same night my friend Diana came over with leftovers to share--several grilled chicken breasts, which we gladly added to the menu)
- Shredded chicken (see above) and sausage jambalaya with peas
- Pasta & sauce from a jar (both already in the cupboard) w/the rest of the sausage thrown in
- And for breakfasts, the girls ate the cereal (takes about 4 days to finish it), I ate peanut butter & jelly on bland bread, and then I used a loaf & a half of bland bread to make ok French Toast, and this morning I made Baked Oatmeal--a family favorite that I can prep the night before.
- The girls' lunches usually include things like bags of nuts, craisins or raisins, cheese-and-mustard sandwiches (their favorite), sliced apples, applesauce, carrot sticks, and boiled eggs. This week we added wheat thins to the mix. Alan and I eat dinner leftovers for our lunches.
Now I'm off to the Farmers' Market & Grocery store. Let's see if I can keep this week to under $50, too! I have to buy two kinds of flour, though, and I'd hoped to get some Tahini to make hummus, so the bill may be higher. We'll see!
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