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This is what $116.87in groceries look like
I did it. This is a weeks worth of groceries folks - mind you there's a bunch of stuff in my fridge and pantry. And soon there wont be and then I'll be getting inventive, believe me. I spent a total of $116.87 leaving me $8.13 to splurge with, or perhaps keep for next week's budget.

There were a few surprises, my little Persian store that I loved so much has raised their prices  higher than the big chain stores - I spent way too much on my free range chicken purchasing it there - so buh bye my little Persian store. It was fun while it lasted. It used to be a thriving little store and now its not. Gee! I wonder why?



Because I was able to take advantage of the food already in my fridge and pantry, it left room for me to buy for future meals with items on sale. Organic quinoa was 50% off  at $.99 100g (granular gold if you ask me) so I purchased a kilo. I bought some coconut milk too as it was on sale. I will be using it for sure in the next couple of weeks. Take note, the only processed food in the picture is the pasta and I bought an extra box as it was on sale. I used to make my own pasta, but come on people, there is a limit to my madness. I did cave in and purchase some canned garbanzo beans and some broth. I didn't have any broth prepared at home and no time to make some. I promise to make some on the weekend. The canned garbanzo beans was just because I was lazy - I fully admit it.

Which brings me to the mishap portion of my update. I would have sworn that I had two cans of organic black beans in my pantry. Sworn it. Enter 'mental pause'. Tonight's dinner is Black Bean soup. I was rather looking forward to it. Before going to work this morning, even before bed last night I thought to myself - maybe you should soak some black beans for tomorrow and save the canned beans for an emergency. Pshaw to that! What? Pour some beans in a pot and throw some water over it. That's like 15 seconds of my time! Why would I do that? So I didn't.

Tonight I come home, say hello to Beagle Stew, and then get right into making dinner because ... well, I'm kind of hungry. I want to eat, then I'll have time to blog, or write some other stuff I'm working on, and I have to paint my toenails - very important. So on dinner goes. It's a relatively quick recipe. A chop here and there. Let it simmer for a bit. Make some salad. Voila! Dinner. I go to get the cans of black beans. I find one. One, What? No! There's more than one. I remember. Enter 'mental pause'. Come on! It has to be here! Oh, there's another can of garbanzo beans. No black beans??? Really? What to do? As I'm furiously looking through my pantry a spice jar falls and lands right on my big toe! *%**%$#*# Things are not going well on day two of my little challenge - at least it didn't wreck my already wrecked pedicure. Thank goodness for small favours. A quick look on the internet and I see that there is a quick method (quick being 90 minutes). So the soup is ready to soup once the beans are ready to bean - which should be another 20 minutes or so - So here I am blogging, although I should paint my toenail - I think its going to go black.

Lesson? Don't be so lazy Cayla. Yup, like that's going to happen. Nope, just have to tell myself what I tell my daughter. Make the best of it, switch into a different gear and then go. So, I'm a little hungry, but I'm sure it will be lovely when it finally gets into my gullet, which better be soon or I'm going to get into the parsley. Update! Apparently I'm a very slow typist as well as terrible at counting, which isn't good as I make a living bookkeeping. What a great method of preparing dry beans! No soaking! Simply cover with water. Boil them for about 15 minutes while the oven is heating up to 250F. Put a tight lid on the pot, put in the oven for 75 minutes. That's it. They were tender, not mushy. Awesome! And the soup is yummy by the way.

I've decided to make my challenge even more challenging by inviting my sister and her husband over for dinner. Why not? I told her we're having Shepherd's Pie on Sunday. Come on over! It may be Shepherd's Pie with a sprig of parsley for a side dish, but she's my sister and she has to love me anyways. She said she would pack a snack in her bag just in case - apparently we share the same sense of humour. So the menu for Sunday has changed slightly, I'm going to make Shepherd's pie, with a fresh beet salad and fresh lemon pudding cake for dessert. Sounds yummy to me. Until next time ...



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Dinner on a budget. Thai flavoured pasta with snow peas, bell pepper, carrots and free range chicken. Fresh garden salad with dressing.
9/24/2014 03:37:05 pm

I promise to make some on the weekend. The canned garbanzo beans was just because I was lazy - I fully admit it.

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