Shelftember

Is Shelftember possible on $25 per week?

Maybe I was feeling empty nest syndrome when both girls went off to school in September. Maybe it was because I’ve always thought food & budget challenges were exciting - although I’ve never officially done one. But I started Shelftember with my typical stubborn attitude that if anyone could do it - I could do it better.

What is Shelftember? Well, some blogger decided to make a challenge out of using your ‘shelves’ to cook for a whole month, and only allowing yourself $25 per week for any other groceries you need. So basically what our grandmothers did their entire lives and didn’t call it anything. Well, actually they just called it September.

What do you spend per month on groceries? Some extreme bloggers say they only spend $200 per month for a family of 8. Some couples spend well over a thousand dollars. And obviously everything in between.

Week 1

I’ll be honest. I did start the month with quite a bit of food in the house. I had done a big shopping trip August 29, in preparation for Labor Day weekend. But then my brother Danny and my mom decided to come for the weekend. My mom is no hog, but Danny, well, is. For instance, before one meal, he raided the refrigerator of 2 leftover slices of pizza and a cheeseburger. I thought he just didn’t want what I was cooking. Turns out, he just wanted an appetizer.

My first weeks’ shopping trip was on the 5th. I was pleasantly surprised to make it until Thursday. I spent $20.21.

I bought mostly produce. I probably wouldn’t have gotten the blueberries if I realized they were $3.99 - when I glanced at the price I thought I saw 2/$5. I did use a coupon worth $1.25 for frozen chicken. I didn’t buy vanilla, which was on my list, because if you’ve ever bought vanilla you know you would basically need the whole $25 for an eye dropper sized container. I really wanted to buy some avocados. Or even just one - but I resisted. Did I mention I am stubborn?

The first week I made chicken cordon bleu casserole, Louisiana beans &rice, beef stew, grilled chicken salad, Ling Cod, leftovers & breakfast casserole.

  

Week 2

Week two was very similar to week one. I rarely go to Walmart - but I needed a variety of things, and, with both girls in school now it was nice to just wander around the store and take my time. I spent $20.16.

A few notes - Primarily I needed dairy & produce. I bought two Italian bread loafs - which were reduced to fifty cents. Italian bread from Walmart is one of our entire family’s go-to for nutritionless soft white bread. I threw one loaf in the freezer for later. The girls have been begging for fruit snacks for their school lunches. I really see no point in fruit snacks - it’s like it’s neither a treat or a food. It’s more like entertainment. But like all good parents, I gave in and bought them. I also bought a mega sized Goldfish cracker box and brought them to the school to donate. When the weekly budget is $25 it seemed awfully expensive at 5.98! I would also like to report….I GOT VANILLA! It’s $3.66 for pure vanilla at Walmart - in case you were wondering. 

I didn’t love the produce at walmart - so I stopped at Smith’s as well. I spent 5.51. I got 1 avocado - wow I’m on a roll here. I got 2 bags of oranges and a bag of plums for three dollars. I also had a coupon for a free yogurt, and bought 2 boxes of Gogurts - another fun food that has basically no nutritional value and a lot of sugar. 

Total for the week is 25.67. We ate meals of Lasagna, tacos, chicken & rice, enchiladas, chicken chile, waffles, etc.

Week 3

Right away on Monday I went to Smith’s and got bacon, a couple impulse snacks for the girls, and a free energy drink. ($5.65)

I made some breakfast sandwiches for Wayne. I also made some of those nut butter energy balls to have for snacks. 

We ate meals of roast beef, Thai chicken ramen, beef pot pie, tomato soup, baked chicken and sauerkraut and sausage.

On Friday I fell hard off the bandwagon. The things we NEEDED were basically produce and eggs. But there was a lot of meat on sale or clearance. And I was feeling bored. And I had only spent $50 all month and had stopped caring. So I went to Smith’s and bought produce, dairy, coffee, a few odds and ends, and a lot of meat. I’m guessing about 25 pounds worth - so it should last us a while. I used several coupons and my total was $139.19.

Produce:     ~$18

Meat:         ~$64

Other:         ~$58

Week 4 

We ate meals of roast beef, leftover pizza, sweet & sour chicken, and jambalaya. I didn’t need to go to the grocery store.

Is Shelftember possible? Of course it is. You could also do a 30 day fast and not spend a dime. But it was a lot easier than I expected. My total for the month was 190.72. 

I also expected to have bare cupboards at the end of the month. That was not the case at all. Although I started the month with plenty of pantry items, I felt like I ended the month with about the same. 

A few more variables...

Breakfast & Lunch: On average, I pack lunches 3-4 days a week for the kids and breakfast and lunch for my husband. So one day a week my husband might eat out for lunch and we pay for school lunch for the kids. (We are a family of 4)

Restaurants: We did eat out twice this month. 

Consumables: I did buy a few toiletry items this month but did not include them. I think it was like $5 at Walgreens. 

I think my biggest takeaway from this is that if you set a goal and are committed, you can pretty much do anything. But it certainly helps to be stubborn.

Cooking with Dad: Pinterest Balloon Chocolate Fail!!

Cooking with dad!

Making cool chocolate bowls using balloons

.....until a balloon popped!

I think only one balloon bowl made it - and it broke in half

They also made some red velvet cookies

Brunch

Sunday Brunch with Wayne's parents and my mom

Three dinners, No pictures

We've hosted several dinners lately that I wanted to document. They were all different and all successful. Not much beats good food and good company.

Dinner 1

The Scene: Two of my best girlfriends and their families. Six adults and 6 monkeys kids. The four oldest girls played nicely together and the babies got cuddled.

The Menu:

Appetizers
Bread & oils for dipping
Pruciutta wrapped asparagus
olives, cocktail onions & marcona almonds

Dinner
Grilled salmon a la Wayne
Fennel, pear & walnut salad
Black Japonica rice

Dessert
Cheesecake & fresh berries

The salmon was the real deal. Wayne grilled it perfectly, and one of my friends still says it was the best salmon she ever had. The cheesecake I had made before, and it was good, but I need to remember it needs to be prepared the day before to allow for proper cooling and setting.

Fennel, Pear & Walnut Salad

Spring Greens or Spinach
Pear, sliced
Fennel, slice the bulb and add a little bit of the chopped greens
Walnuts
Blue Cheese
Shallots, sliced thinly
Toss with equal parts oil & balsamic. (I used some fancy Hazelnut oil and Espresso Balsamic)

Dinner 2

The Scene: Wayne mentioned at 2 pm that Todd may be coming over that evening just to visit, and I texted back to ask if he would like to have dinner with us. No response, so at 5 I fed Pippy, and at 530 Wayne calls to say that, yes, dinner would be great for him Todd, and should he invite Todd's wife Dini too? Oh, well sure, I guess!

Last Minute Spread:
Jalepeno popper stuffed chicken breasts
Red pepper lentil bake
Tossed salad
Homemade bread

Todd and Dini are so easy going that we had  great time and I didn't have any issues putting together something last minute.

Last Minute Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

Pull chicken breasts out of freezer and defrost in microwave until you can make a cut in it horizontally. Mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and chopped jalapenos together in a bowl. Stuff chicken with the mixture. Dip breasts into beaten egg, then bread crumbs. (mix the bread crumbs with some taco seasoning to add some pizzaz.) Bake for about an hour.

Dinner 3

The Scene: We invited Jayce & Tanner and their parents over for dinner since we hadn't seen them in a while. Penelope loved having her boys back around and it was a lovely evening.

Menu

Appetizer
Cheesy pull apart bread
Smoked salmon cucumber bites

Dinner
Casserole-style Chicken Cordon Bleu
Mashed potatoes
Fresh steamed green beans

Dessert
Brownies & Ice Cream

The pull apart bread looked delicious and ooey gooey on Pinterest, and people devoured it, but I probably wouldn't make it again. It's just not my thing. The Smoked Salmon bites were basically a slice of cucumber, topped with a dollop of dill cream cheese, topped with a bit of smoked salmon. It was fine, but we felt it needed a cracker. Next time I would chop the cucumber and mix it in with the cream cheese, and put it all on a cracker. Either way, these are very pretty and fancy looking.

Wayne said the H word about a delicious salad, so we skipped it. Cori introduced me to the casserole-style chicken cordon bleu; It's basically a layer of chicken, layer of ham, layer of Swiss cheese, topped with a cream sauce and bread crumbs. It turned out amazing. I thought the menu as a whole went together very well, especially for adults & kids eating together.

Winter biking and egg dipping

Pippy and Daddy love biking

Pippy is obsessed with eggs... good thing it's egg dipping season

My sophisticated husband. We made a crab and lobster dinner.

Vegetarians

Since returning from out vacation, Wayne and I decided that in an attempt to eat more on the lighter side, We would become Vegetarians.

When I say vegetarian, I am using the word very loosely. To West Coast Yuppies, we wouldn't even come close to being vegetarians, but to the midwest communities that we grew up in, we are now super crunchy granola. (Actually people where we grew up may not even know what crunchy granola people  are. It means people who are 'out there' 'health nuts' 'hippies' etc.)

When i first suggested it to Wayne, he was enthusiastic and wanted to try it to. About five minutes later, I said, "Waaaaait a second, there is no way we are going to be able to do this." How about vegetarian, with seafood and fish twice a week. Then I thought about it again, and how we were raised with the mindset that food wasn't a meal unless there was meat in it. Three times a day. So we decided to be vegetarians, plus seafood and fish, and red meat once a week.

It has been about three weeks, and unfortunately, I have no funny or embarrassing stories about becoming vegetarians who eat seafood, fish and once-a-week-meat. The good news is that we have been eating a healthier, leaner diet, and Wayne has been loosing weight. The only bad news is that I start feeling shaky once in a while, but that is usually fixed by eating some protein. I don't want a repeat of passing out in a Verizon store. We have been trying out new foods and recipes, and discovering that you can eat a whole lot a veggies and beans for one meal.

Christmas 2012

We spent the Christmas season here at home with Grandma Cassens, Danny, Abigail and Duke (the dog). We had lots of fun and snow, and the snow is really coming down again today. Our visitors left today, so hopefully they can get through the roads back to South Dakota!

The annual Pretzel Dipping tradition.

Our Prime Rib Christmas dinner.

 Baby's gotta eat meat!!

 Good thing my family is normal. Especially Danny.

Peanut had an absolute blast entertaining everyone.

 Abigail and Penelope were the best of buds!

 Another one of my normal brother. And that is Duke the doggie.

 Puzzles...

 P kicking Abigail's ear. Me: "Just take the picture from the waist up!!"

 "Was anyone listening? Waist up!"

 We were pretty sad to have to say goodbye.

A field trip online

So, after I wrote about the naked man dancing in the field, I was wondering if any more feet had washed ashore in Vancouver. (See Something's afoot in Vancouver) So I Googled it, and apparently there have not been any more feet found.

Then I was intrigued by the headline "Missouri couple sues doctors for separating baby's head during grisly botched birth."  Which lead to "Boy dies after living without brain for three years"; "Evil nanny kills tot"; and "Sicko teen meets shocking end." I decided to stop reading grisly news stories.

Quite frequently, when I am online, I look at recipes. I get annoyed when I find something, then have to scroll down through one hundred pictures to actually see the recipe. Thanks to the Pioneer Woman, every blogger seems to think that since their cooking is the best, they need to prove it by adding countless pictures. They try to 'tweak' recipes to make them their 'own.' For instance, instead of adding 2 cups of flour, the recipe will call for 2 1/4 cups of flour, minus two tablespoons (And who ever uses 2 tablespoons, when it's the same as 1/8 cup?). As if someone wants to carefully measure out 2 1/2 cups, then un-measure two tablespoons of it. As if those extra tablespoons were the 'secret' to making their recipe great. Or maybe it's the fact that you preheat the oven to 335 degrees instead of 350.

What I really don't get is the picture fad. I guess if it looks good you want to eat it. True. But I really don't need a picture pictures of EVERYTHING. Every. Singly. Step. In case you don't know how to add one teaspoon of cinnamon, there is a picture. Turn the oven on? Picture for that too. I just want the recipe, is that too hard to ask?

Now, let's look at some of the comments. "This casserole is AMAZING! Like baked potatoes, only better!" Then you look at the ingredients: 5 potatoes, 2 cups heavy cream, 2 cups cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Why is it you were surprised that it tasted amazing? (You did read that right, five potatoes, as opposed to five pounds of potatoes.)

What's the difference between chocolate muffins and chocolate cake?

Absolutely nothing. Good morning breakfast.

Greek Food

I would never have expected we would have so many cultural experiences here in Old-West-Miningville, Nevada, but last week we had a Greek dinner with a couple from Greece. Ioanna (yo-ana) was born and raised in Greece, and Tony was raised mostly American, but comes from a Greek family. Ioanna has an aura of what must be Greek sophistication. The accent probably helps. She is the kind of girl that I never was - one who can be cool by simply running her fingers through her hair. Tony has lots of great stories, like one about nearly dying from food poisoning in Cyprus. He is the kind of person that presses the tips of his fingers together (only the tips) and might ask you your opinion on the affect of the Euro on the economy of India. We met their little dog, who Tony 'found begging for food on the streets of Cyprus'. I'm telling you, this couple has cool down. Who has a cute little dog from Cyprus that can do tricks?

For dinner we had beets, corn on the cob, and salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta, olives, oil and seasonings). We had stuffed cabbage - little rolls stuffed with onions, meat, and rice. According to Tony, he 'botched' them, so he said "Babe, make some of that yellow sauce," and Ioanna quickly whipped up some delicious sauce that was nothing like the typical American sauce made of salty dairy products. We also had pasta, again with another sauce that was quickly pureed up and ladled on top. The main dish was stuffed chicken, which I thought was the best. Chicken with basil and cheese inside, topped with a large onion petal. We had fruit for dessert - some organic apples and plums, and some pears they 'found walking along Fifth Street'. It was a nice evening of dinner and conversation.

Eat, Drink, and be Basque

Yesterday we went to the annual Basque festival. A lot of the families around here are descendants of Basque sheepherders that came the area years ago. Basque is an area in Northern Spain/Southern France with their own language, traditions and culture. At the festival we saw dancing, woodcutting, and strong man demonstrations. It was refreshing to see people that took some pride in their heritage and took a weekend to remember that heritage and relax with their large extended families. 

At the festival we ate the prepared picnic: Lamb, tri-tip, paella, stew, salad, beans, cake and bread. It was all pretty good. A lot of the large families were bringing their own picnic, and sat around picnic tables in the park with lots of food and drink to share. 

Here in town, there are Basque restaurants. It is definitely an experience worth your time. Especially if you like garlic. If you don't like garlic, you probably shouldn't go, and you should stay away from anyone who has eaten there for several days. Once you order at a Basque restaurant, everything but your meal is served 'family style.' First you get a large bowl full of cabbage soup. It sounds bland, but I think it's quite tasty. Next is a large bowl of salad - iceberg drenched in a very garlicky dressing. There is soft Italian bread to go with. Around the time your meal arrives, they bring five side dishes. Yes, five: Green beans, baked beans, garbanzo beans, spaghetti, and French fries. I guess Basques have a thing for beans. Now, if you think you might be getting full, they bring out your meal. Steak, prawns, lobster, crab, lamb, fish, etc. Some of the food is done with lots of paprika, sometimes very spicy. If you order a steak, it comes with about 2 bulbs of sautéed garlic. There's always dessert if you are still hungry, or want to see if your stomach will burst from eating so much food. Basque restaurants also make a few drinks that you probably won't find anywhere else. A Picon Punch is popular, along with a Kalimotxo (cali-mocho), which is red wine, Coke, and lime. 

Once we ate our picnic at the festival, there was lots of Basque dancing. Lots of little girls and boys, and also adults, who were quite good. One of the dances was all men - and I thought it was pretty good. One guy did all these intricate dances while in a horse costume. Or camel, I'm not sure which. I was impressed. One of the dances required each dancer to tip-tap around a full wine glass, without knocking it over. Lots of the dances used hoops, sticks or flags. Later some burly bearded Basques demonstrated lifting 230-250 pound objects - a cube, a ball and a cylinder. Then a strong guy did a demonstration in wood-cutting with an ax. Only after a few minutes, I realized it was not a guy, but a very buff girl! 

We left before what must be the grand finale. Above the dancing area was a red keg hanging. The announcer told us that it was sort of like a piñata, only when Basques make a piñata, it isn't filled with candy, but beer. Later on, he promised, the key would be punctured to spray beer down to the Basques, and if you a good Basque, you would catch a spray of beer in your mouth. 

 Two little Basques

 The Keg

 Woodcutter

 Dancing around the wine glass

 Burly guys

 Jen, P and Wayne

 I caught Jen making silly faces at P...hehe:)

 Guy dancing in horse. Or Camel, whichever.