#and you have cilantro and lettuce and frozen bread that are all getting sad...and so many peppers...

[tafadhali]

Waited at the walk-in clinic for an hour and a half for a Covid test (they did NOT have the kind I wanted and had specifically gone to them for and that my sister had called them to confirm they had, but I DID test negative on the tests they had) and then had to go in the pouring rain to do my farmshare pickup 15 minutes before they closed, and by the time I got home I was so tired and hungry that I was just like "EVERYTHING GOES DIRECTLY IN THE BLENDER AND THEN IN MY MOUTH, AND THAT IS CALLED GAZPACHO"

[tintheelvenking]

Iowa (USA) is pretty similar to MN in this regard, it seems. Our house is the same way, we have some things we just always have on hand:

-All of the above, especially frozen vegetables. Frozen peas go good in tuna noodle, frozen broccoli is good for stir fry, and a side of steamed vegetables is always good with a meaty meal-- and they rarely take more than 5 minutes in the microwave to make.

-Your protein and fresh produce should be, and I can't emphasize this enough, whatever's on sale. I've never encountered a grocery store that doesn't offer some sort of weekly deals paper or email or whatever, and it's going to be your best friend. Go through the papers (or whatever you get) and take note of the meat and produce on sale- consider if you like it, if it freezes well, if it'll keep well if you can't freeze it, then make your decisions. If nothing is appealing, ground beef, chicken breasts, broccoli, apples, and spinach/lettuce/bagged salad mixes are generally a stable fall-back for relatively low prices.

-Also,

when you look though the ads, keep an eye on crackers, packaged cookies, shelf-stable drinks (Liquids like apple juice tend to be more expensive than drink mixes), coffees and teas, and cereals (depending on your preferences, ofc)-- In other words, things that are often expensive but keep well on the shelf unopened. It's nice to have those sorts of things on hand, and it's way easier on your wallet to grab an extra or two when they're cheap.

-We need more emphasis on pasta! We keep a crate of pasta in the pantry because we use it so often- it's often on sale from $0.99-$2. Rotini gets you pasta salad, spaghetti gets you spaghetti and chicken alfredo, a bag of dried egg noodles gets you tuna noodle (and fresh egg noodles are dead easy to make), macaroni gets you goulash and mac n cheese, lasagna noodles get you... lasagna... (also easier and cheaper to make than you think), and more. Pasta recipes are bountiful on the internet, experiment some with it!

-Spices. If your spice cabinet looks kind of sad (or nonexistent), toss a new spice into your cart occasionally, they rarely cost more than 3 or 4 dollars. A google search will give you an outline on what it's good for, then you're free to try some wherever you'd like. It's also worth seeing if your grocery store sells fresh herbs (usually in the produce aisle). They're usually expensive, but sales roll around occasionally that get me some fresh basil or mint for 2 or 3 dollars. If you've got a green thumb, an herb on a windowsill can brighten most meals and can range from free via recycling to a few bucks for a fairly young plant- I'd reccomend green onions, chives, cilantro/coriander, and thyme to a beginner.

-Jarred sauces, oh man. They're the best for a lazy meal (Boil some noodles, pour a jar of alfredo over them, add the peas you just steamed in-bag in the microwave, voila), can supplement those protein and rice dishes, and are fairly shelf stable. Again, keep an eye on the ads and grab any prego, alfredo, or pesto your heart desires. Depending on where you live, your grocery's "ethnic" section might have some Indian sauces like kofta sauce and korma that warm up nicely with leftover cooked chicken and some rice.

-Also a good idea to keep an eye on baking supply sales if you bake (or are interested)-- there's no feeling like walking out of the Hyvee with a 99 cent bag of flour the weight of a baby and then turning it into. So much bread.

I have $24 to last me til Friday, what should I buy with it?

[benjamingarden]

A Year Of Eating Locally Challenge-Meal Plan + Food Costs: Week of June 10, 2018

If you’re just tuning in, this is our 1 year challenge in which I share our weekly meal plan as we try to eat primarily locally grown food.  You will see that I often I make 2 different meals because I am primarily plant-based and my husband is not.  Most of what we eat is made from scratch and any boxed, canned and/or frozen products follow the Real Food guidelines.  Meal planning is my way of controlling the grocery budget (read as a LOT of dollars saved), ensuring there is no food waste for the week, as well as saving time.  You can read more about meal planning here.

Read the entire series here.

Oh asparagus......I LOVE asparagus but I must say, I'm ready for new veggies!  And our CSA delivered on that wish!!!  They had sugar snap peas and broccolini this week.  Can I just tell you how truly excited I was?  The sugar snap peas are sooooooo sweet and delicious.  I did buy more asparagus too, this may be the last weekend it's available so I wanted to make sure we eat it until it's gone.  For a year.  It's so sad to think about the length of time. Our CSA started up.  If you are not familiar with this concept, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and is a system where farmers and the consumers (members) are in partnership of sharing both the benefits and risks of farming. Members purchase a share at the start of growing season so the farmers receive up-front capital to grow and manage the farm. Members then receive an allotted amount (share) of vegetables each week. Where the risk comes in is if the farmer has a crop that fails, that type of veggie or fruit won't be a part of the share. This typically comes at a savings over purchasing the items themselves weekly.  I've already paid in full.  Our Certified Organic CSA charges $390.00 for 21 weeks, breaking down to $18.60 per week.  Ours is a free choice CSA meaning we are able to select a set amount of items per week, but we get to pick which items.  I will list the weekly cost below including a list of what I received.  We eat a LOT of fruits & veggies, however, so I've considered either purchasing the larger share or purchasing another CSA from another farmer and "sharing the love". I used quite a bit that we had on hand this week, making room for the items we'll be preserving for the next year.  I also purchased a few items for canning.  Our food costs would have been considerably more had I not had some of the meat and seafood in the freezer.  Strawberries made their first appearance this weekend as well.  Now that I think about it, this was a GREAT weekend for fresh food!  Strawberries are absolutely one of my favorite foods and, therefore, I tend to stockpile them.  Not always a good idea as sometimes I hoard stash many bags in the freezer.... Some of you have emailed asking me about veggie burger recipes.  One of my fav's is from the blog Oh She Glows and is found here.  It features black beans and sweet potatoes, which are almost always in my house. On to the meal plan!

Weekly Meal Plan:

Sunday

Breakfast - Breakfast Sandwiches

Lunch - (me) Veggie Sandwich, (J) Ham Sandwich

Dinner - (me) Rice & Veggie Bowl (Sugar Snaps, Kale, Asparagus, Broccolini, herbs, Black Beans), (J) BBQ Chicken Quarter, Rice, Asparagus

Monday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with Strawberries & Raw Walnuts

Lunch - (me) Salad of Quinoa, Kale, Chickpeas, Cilantro, Sunflower Seeds, & Grated Carrots, (J) Homemade Flatbread Pizza

Dinner - Grilled Salmon Salad & Homemade Sourdough Bread

Tuesday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with Strawberries & Raw Walnuts

Lunch - Leftovers

Dinner - (me) Soba Noodle Bowl with Roasted Red Peppers, Sugar Snaps, Kale, & Asparagus), (J) Grilled Steak Tips, Rice, Asparagus

Wednesday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with Strawberries & Raw Walnuts

Lunch - (me) Salad of Quinoa, Kale, Chickpeas, Cilantro, Sunflower Seeds, & Grated Carrots, (J) Homemade Flatbread Pizza

Dinner - Orecchiette with White Beans & Broccolini, Homemade Sourdough Bread

Thursday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with Strawberries & Raw Walnuts

Lunch - Leftovers

Dinner - Burgers (Veg - Me & Beef - J), Potato Salad, Kohlrabi Sticks (*see note above for link to veggie burger recipe*)

Friday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with Strawberries & Raw Walnuts

Lunch - (me) Salad of Quinoa, Kale, Chickpeas, Cilantro, Sunflower Seeds, & Grated Carrots, (J) Homemade Flatbread Pizza

Dinner - (me) Salad with Avocado, Black Beans, Sugar Snaps, Radish, Broccolini, & Roasted Red Peppers, (J) Grilled Pork Chop, Mac & Cheese, and Sautéed Sugar Snaps

Saturday

Breakfast - Breakfast Burritos

Lunch - Bean & Veggie Quesadilla's 

Dinner - Grilled Chicken Breast/Veggie Burger, Mushroom Risotto, Stir Fry of all leftover veggies

Making For the pantry:

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

Vanilla Strawberries

Strawberry-Vanilla Jam

Rhubarb Compote

I think I will put a bit of asparagus in the freezer as well.  It's good in frittata or quiche.

Weekly Food Cost:

Farmer's Market - $87.60

Milk - $2.50

1/2 & 1/2 - $2.50

Asparagus - $8.00

Lettuce - $6.00

Rhubarb - $8.00

Strawberries - $21.00

Grass-fed Beef Burger - $5.00

Grass-fed Beef Steak - $16.00 (this was large enough for 2 meals, so I've put 1/2 in the freezer)

CSA Share - $18.60 (included organic kohlrabi, mesclun mix, broccolini, sugar snap peas, radish)

Commissary - $14.23

*I am not allowed to share individual costs from the commissary so I've listed what we purchased and the total price*

Potatoes, lemons, garlic, carrots, sweet potato, onions, sugar

Hannaford - $28.75

2 Avocados - $1.76

Mushrooms - $3.99

Dates - $5.99

Organic Black Beans - $1.59

Organic Bananas - $1.86

4 Pectin - $13.56

Grand Total - $130.58

Weekly Food Notes:

You should never (ever) see eggs on our shopping list since we raise chickens for eggs.

I had quite a bit on hand: Kale (garden), Ham, Parsley (garden), Basil (garden), Cilantro (garden), Raw Pecans, Raw Walnuts, Rice, Quinoa, Chickpeas, Raw Sunflower Seeds, Pasta, Pork Chop (from last week - farmer's market), Roasted Red Peppers, Chicken Quarter, Chicken Breast, Honey, Balsamic Vinegar, Maple Syrup, Mustard, Mayo, Cheddar Cheese (from last week - farmer's market), Salmon, Flour, Butter, & Olive Oil

A Year Of Eating Locally Challenge-Meal Plan + Food Costs: Week of June 10, 2018 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

[benjamingarden]

A Year Of Eating Locally Challenge-Meal Plan + Food Costs: Week of June 10, 2018

If you’re just tuning in, this is our 1 year challenge in which I share our weekly meal plan as we try to eat primarily locally grown food.  You will see that I often I make 2 different meals because I am primarily plant-based and my husband is not.  Most of what we eat is made from scratch and any boxed, canned and/or frozen products follow the Real Food guidelines.  Meal planning is my way of controlling the grocery budget (read as a LOT of dollars saved), ensuring there is no food waste for the week, as well as saving time.  You can read more about meal planning here.

Read the entire series here.

Oh asparagus......I LOVE asparagus but I must say, I'm ready for new veggies!  And our CSA delivered on that wish!!!  They had sugar snap peas and broccolini this week.  Can I just tell you how truly excited I was?  The sugar snap peas are sooooooo sweet and delicious.  I did buy more asparagus too, this may be the last weekend it's available so I wanted to make sure we eat it until it's gone.  For a year.  It's so sad to think about the length of time. Our CSA started up.  If you are not familiar with this concept, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and is a system where farmers and the consumers (members) are in partnership of sharing both the benefits and risks of farming. Members purchase a share at the start of growing season so the farmers receive up-front capital to grow and manage the farm. Members then receive an allotted amount (share) of vegetables each week. Where the risk comes in is if the farmer has a crop that fails, that type of veggie or fruit won't be a part of the share. This typically comes at a savings over purchasing the items themselves weekly.  I've already paid in full.  Our Certified Organic CSA charges $390.00 for 21 weeks, breaking down to $18.60 per week.  Ours is a free choice CSA meaning we are able to select a set amount of items per week, but we get to pick which items.  I will list the weekly cost below including a list of what I received.  We eat a LOT of fruits & veggies, however, so I've considered either purchasing the larger share or purchasing another CSA from another farmer and "sharing the love". I used quite a bit that we had on hand this week, making room for the items we'll be preserving for the next year.  I also purchased a few items for canning.  Our food costs would have been considerably more had I not had some of the meat and seafood in the freezer.  Strawberries made their first appearance this weekend as well.  Now that I think about it, this was a GREAT weekend for fresh food!  Strawberries are absolutely one of my favorite foods and, therefore, I tend to stockpile them.  Not always a good idea as sometimes I hoard stash many bags in the freezer.... Some of you have emailed asking me about veggie burger recipes.  One of my fav's is from the blog Oh She Glows and is found here.  It features black beans and sweet potatoes, which are almost always in my house. On to the meal plan!

Weekly Meal Plan:

Sunday

Breakfast - Breakfast Sandwiches

Lunch - (me) Veggie Sandwich, (J) Ham Sandwich

Dinner - (me) Rice & Veggie Bowl (Sugar Snaps, Kale, Asparagus, Broccolini, herbs, Black Beans), (J) BBQ Chicken Quarter, Rice, Asparagus

Monday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with Strawberries & Raw Walnuts

Lunch - (me) Salad of Quinoa, Kale, Chickpeas, Cilantro, Sunflower Seeds, & Grated Carrots, (J) Homemade Flatbread Pizza

Dinner - Grilled Salmon Salad & Homemade Sourdough Bread

Tuesday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with Strawberries & Raw Walnuts

Lunch - Leftovers

Dinner - (me) Soba Noodle Bowl with Roasted Red Peppers, Sugar Snaps, Kale, & Asparagus), (J) Grilled Steak Tips, Rice, Asparagus

Wednesday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with Strawberries & Raw Walnuts

Lunch - (me) Salad of Quinoa, Kale, Chickpeas, Cilantro, Sunflower Seeds, & Grated Carrots, (J) Homemade Flatbread Pizza

Dinner - Orecchiette with White Beans & Broccolini, Homemade Sourdough Bread

Thursday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with Strawberries & Raw Walnuts

Lunch - Leftovers

Dinner - Burgers (Veg - Me & Beef - J), Potato Salad, Kohlrabi Sticks (*see note above for link to veggie burger recipe*)

Friday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with Strawberries & Raw Walnuts

Lunch - (me) Salad of Quinoa, Kale, Chickpeas, Cilantro, Sunflower Seeds, & Grated Carrots, (J) Homemade Flatbread Pizza

Dinner - (me) Salad with Avocado, Black Beans, Sugar Snaps, Radish, Broccolini, & Roasted Red Peppers, (J) Grilled Pork Chop, Mac & Cheese, and Sautéed Sugar Snaps

Saturday

Breakfast - Breakfast Burritos

Lunch - Bean & Veggie Quesadilla's 

Dinner - Grilled Chicken Breast/Veggie Burger, Mushroom Risotto, Stir Fry of all leftover veggies

Making For the pantry:

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

Vanilla Strawberries

Strawberry-Vanilla Jam

Rhubarb Compote

I think I will put a bit of asparagus in the freezer as well.  It's good in frittata or quiche.

Weekly Food Cost:

Farmer's Market - $87.60

Milk - $2.50

1/2 & 1/2 - $2.50

Asparagus - $8.00

Lettuce - $6.00

Rhubarb - $8.00

Strawberries - $21.00

Grass-fed Beef Burger - $5.00

Grass-fed Beef Steak - $16.00 (this was large enough for 2 meals, so I've put 1/2 in the freezer)

CSA Share - $18.60 (included organic kohlrabi, mesclun mix, broccolini, sugar snap peas, radish)

Commissary - $14.23

*I am not allowed to share individual costs from the commissary so I've listed what we purchased and the total price*

Potatoes, lemons, garlic, carrots, sweet potato, onions, sugar

Hannaford - $28.75

2 Avocados - $1.76

Mushrooms - $3.99

Dates - $5.99

Organic Black Beans - $1.59

Organic Bananas - $1.86

4 Pectin - $13.56

Grand Total - $130.58

Weekly Food Notes:

You should never (ever) see eggs on our shopping list since we raise chickens for eggs.

I had quite a bit on hand: Kale (garden), Ham, Parsley (garden), Basil (garden), Cilantro (garden), Raw Pecans, Raw Walnuts, Rice, Quinoa, Chickpeas, Raw Sunflower Seeds, Pasta, Pork Chop (from last week - farmer's market), Roasted Red Peppers, Chicken Quarter, Chicken Breast, Honey, Balsamic Vinegar, Maple Syrup, Mustard, Mayo, Cheddar Cheese (from last week - farmer's market), Salmon, Flour, Butter, & Olive Oil

A Year Of Eating Locally Challenge-Meal Plan + Food Costs: Week of June 10, 2018 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)