Falling off the wagon

Needless to say after a week without updates, my husband and I have fallen off the wagon and out of the grocery challenge. We've started a search for our first house which has led to some busy days and not feeling like cooking or not being in a position to cook. I plan to continue this blog (although probably not on a daily basis), because I really enjoy coming up with cheap recipes and spending as little as possible on our groceries. But we do enjoy the occasional meal out, and it wasn't much fun feeling as if we couldn't do that when we wanted to.

Today is our 2nd anniversary, and I've made us a dinner almost entirely out of the Angel Food Ministries box we picked up Saturday. I cut a 6 oz New York Strip into two 3 oz servings, chopped up one of the baking potatoes, and added some of the frozen sliced carrots into the slow cooker. I seasoned the steak with some Grill Mates seasoning I got free after coupon from Kroger, and poured some beef broth in for the cooking liquid. I'm going to make some gravy from the cooking juices in a little while, just before my husband comes home.

We got a yummy (but sooo sweet!) cake from a local bakery to celebrate our anniversary. It kept both of us awake last night though so I don't think we'll be enjoying it again tonight. We'll have to break into the wine I bought back in the spring in Gatlinburg though. ;)

I've been having fun with the Angel Food box, and we've both been impressed with the food so far. The pork roast made some excellent pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, and the blueberry pie was just awesome. Maybe we'll have that for dessert tonight instead since it's not so painfully sweet. I already ordered next month's signature box from AFM, but I'm wishing I'd ordered the produce box too.

Day 6: Vegetable Barley Soup

Yesterday was a good day for the grocery challenge, with no extra money spent aside from the groceries I bought at the beginning of the week. For lunch, we had leftover stir fry from Friday evening, and for dinner, I put a Vegetable Barley Soup in the Crock Pot to be ready when I got home from work. I made grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it, and it was a delectable (and easy!) dinner.

Vegetable Barley Soup
*=from stockpile

1 zucchini, chopped ($0.63)
1/2 cup chopped onion ($0.17)*
1 cup chopped celery ($0.20)*
3 1/2 cups water
8 oz tomato sauce, no-salt-added ($0.40)*
15 oz can petite cut no-salt-added diced tomatoes (free w/ coupon)*
10 oz frozen mixed vegetables ($0.50)*
1/2 cup pearled barley, rinsed & drained ($0.17)*
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning *
4 chicken bouillon cubes *

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for about 4 hours. Yields 4-5 servings.

Day 5: Two Hours in the Kitchen

I might be sick of cooking by the end of this challenge. ;) I spent two hours in the kitchen today, and I still have to make my sandwich to take to work. First, I blanched some summer squash that was given to me by a coworker. I think they might have overcooked a little even though I only boiled them for 2-3 minutes. They are in the freezer now, and hopefully they will be okay. I still have two sitting raw on the counter that I may fry sometime this weekend. I may change the Sunday meal plan from pizza to a veggie supper if I can find a good deal on some corn on the cob.

My second hour in the kitchen was spent thawing chicken and chopping veggies to make a Szechuan Chicken stir fry from a Kroger seasoning packet. A friend of ours introduced me to this, and it is very yummy. Aside from all of the chopping, it's pretty easy too. We had that for lunch over some rice, and we'll each do our own thing for dinner. I plan to make a turkey sandwich, and hubby will probably have some leftovers or Chef Boyardee from the stockpile.

Here is the recipe for the chicken stir fry, with prices in parentheses and items from the stockpile (i.e. not purchased this week) denoted with an asterisk:

Szechuan Chicken & Veggies

1 packet Kroger Szechwan seasoning mix ($0.55)*
3/4 lb chicken breast, cut into strips or cubes ($1.75)*
1 tsp sugar*
3 tbsp soy sauce*
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp oil*
1 medium onion, sliced ($0.33)*
2 carrots, sliced ($0.25)
1 bell pepper, sliced ($0.95)
3 cups prepared rice ($0.80)*

In a small bowl, combine seasoning mix, sugar, water, and soy sauce. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet; add meat and cook until browned. Add veggies and stir fry. When veggies are cooked to desired tenderness, add sauce and stir fry until thickened, about 1 minute. Serve over rice.

$$ Spent Today: $0.00
$$ Remaining: $7.57

Day 2: Dinner & A Movie

...but not in the traditional sense. ;) Dinner is simmering away in the Crock Pot right now -- Round Steak with Garden Vegetables. I am going to see Harry Potter with a friend at midnight tonight, and I'm trying my best to plan ahead so I can hopefully resist the call of popcorn. I will buy my drink at the theatre, but in the interest of my healthy eating plan and to conserve the rest of our grocery money, I will take my own snack.

I had another tuna sandwich for lunch, with some sweet potato chips. It was very filling and healthy, and I'm hoping to not be jonesing too bad for a snack when I do a little shopping this afternoon.

Without further adieu, here is the recipe for dinner:

Round Steak with Garden Vegetables
from Better Homes & Gardens Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker cookbook

Prices are included in parentheses; items from stockpile denoted with a *.

1.33 lbs boneless beef round steaks ($4.58)
salt & pepper to taste*
2 cups baby carrots ($0.70)
1 large onion, cut into wedges*
4 oz can mushrooms, drained ($0.55)
15 oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added) w/ basil, garlic & oregano*
3 tbsp tomato paste*
1 tsp Italian seasoning*
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce*
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced ($0.63)

Cut steaks into 4 serving size pieces, season with salt and pepper, and place in bottom of slow cooker. Add carrots, onion, and drained mushrooms on top of steaks. In a medium bowl, combine diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour tomato mixture over vegetables in slow cooker. Cook on low 8-9 hours or high for about 4 hours. Add zucchini for last 30 minutes of cooking time.

$$ Spent Today: $2.07
$$ Remaining: $16.29

Day One: White Bean & Ham Soup

Since I am working the evening shift tonight, I made what I had originally planned for dinner at lunchtime instead. (I also adjusted my meal plan I posted earlier.) I got the recipe for White Bean & Ham Soup from $5 Dinners, and made a couple of modifications. The original recipe used dry beans, soaked over night and cooked for 1.5 hours on the stovetop. To save time, I used 2 cans of beans, rinsed & drained, instead of 1 cup of dry beans. I also used no-salt-added diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano to add a little extra flavor. Here is the recipe as I made it this morning, using my slow cooker:

White Bean & Ham Soup

2 15 oz cans Great Northern beans, rinsed & drained
10 oz diced ham
15 oz can diced tomatoes, no salt added w/ basil, garlic & oregano (undrained)
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
3 tsp jarred minced garlic
5-6 cups water

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for at least 2 hours, or on low for at least 4.

The original recipe was made on the stovetop, but with the substitution of the canned beans, I would only be cooking it for 15 minutes and didn't feel this would be enough time for the flavors to mingle, so I decided to throw it in the slow cooker this morning. This also saved time. You could use dry beans in the slow cooker as well; just soak them overnight, add an extra cup or so of water to the slow cooker, and cook for 8-9 hours, adding the tomatoes during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking. (The tomatoes can keep the beans from cooking if they are added sooner.)

All of the ingredients for this recipe were already in my pantry or refrigerator, so it took absolutely nothing from this week's grocery budget.

For dinner, we'll be having the tuna sandwiches I'd originally planned for lunch. I've got mine all packed and ready to go to work. The recipe for the tuna sandwiches came from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, and is called Today's Tuna Sandwiches. It's essentially tuna with the bare minimum of mayonnaise, mixed with finely diced celery and red onion, put on a sandwich with thinly sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. It looks tasty; hopefully it will taste as good as it looks! I had to buy some tomatoes today at the farmer's market; I got 2 large homegrown ones for $1.71. They didn't give me a receipt, so I guess I will be logging my farmer's market purchases separately from the grocery receipts.

$$ Spent Today: $1.71
$$ Remaining: $18.36