Day 11 - Sick Day 2: Bread

Money spent: $31.23

Total in food eaten: $4.08

I woke up feeling awful again, so I took the day off.  We've run out of edible-on-their-own groceries, so I dragged my sick ass to the grocery store (Food Emporium) when I finally stumbled out of bed.  I got a nice amount of organic groceries and saved $4.60 in coupons, but I didn't do nearly as well as last week.   The cashier was a little huffy about the coupons and kind of rude, which I found a little weird (especially in my icky state), and Food Emporium's prices are pretty high for organic foods.  I think I'll avoid them when I can, but I was in a pinch.

Organic Milk* - 3.79

Almond Milk - 3.99

Blueberry yogurt* (3) - 4.27

Cereal* - 3.99

Amy's Mac and Cheese* - 2.99

Chickpeas* - 1.94

Apples (2) - 2.14

Burrito - 3.99

Tomato soup* - 2.69

Chocolate milk - 1.69

Total: $31.23

When I got home, I had some yogurt and passed out for a while.  When I got up, I was feeling like I had a bit of energy, so I mixed up some oatmeal bread dough (Click here for recipe) and let it rise while I napped some more.

 dough after 1 hour of rising

YUM

I also made some easy chickpea snacks.   Just rinse and dry chickpeas and lay out on cookie sheet.  Then heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil, garlic powder, rosemary, fresh garlic (diced), and salt in a small pot and heat until it smells amazing.  Pour the mixture over the chickpeas, coat well, and bake on 400 for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. ($2.09, though you can make this cheaper if you use cheaper chickpeas... I wasn't happy with the price of mine)

Any spices you like will taste great!  Get creative.

Uncooked chickpeas, covered in seasoning

Crunchy and zesty - such an amazing snack!

I took it easy for a while, and was starting to feel better. I made Amy's mac and cheese for lunch ($2.99) They sent me a bunch of coupons, so it was nice to have a cheaper frozen meal around.  I can definitely make mac and cheese myself for significantly less, but not when I'm feeling icky.

I wanted to get outside for a little while because it's been a BEAUTIFUL day, so I escorted Mike to Fordham, where his friend Katy came to play him piano for his birthday.  I'd arranged the whole thing, so it was nice to be able to go (I didn't think I'd make it in the morning).  When I got there, my friend Derrick wanted to go check out some Freegan dumpster dive sites we'd found online.  While Katy played for Mike, Derrick and I took a walk to find the dumpster's we'll eventually go on freegan dives to.  Nothing was out yet, but we got a good idea of where to look.

When we got back to Fordham, we got wind of a benefit where there would be food.  Donations were optional, but since it was for Haiti we each gave a few bucks.  Though my Hatian dinner wasn't organic, it was free!  

Rice, beans, potatoes, plantains, pasta, cookies, and some Coke

We even got to stay for a few of my friends' performances, which was awesome!

 Owen and Nadia

 

 Mike Fabano's fabulous guitar

 I'm glad to be feeling better, and I feel like I had a pretty good day for my mission.  Even though the grocery shopping wasn't the thriftiest, I do feel like I've learned where NOT to shop.  I also think I got a few things I didn't need because I had coupons - it's all stuff I'll use and enjoy, but I'm not sure it was necessary.  We'll see how long I can stretch it :)  I do still need to get some veggies, so I'll see if there's any good deals at WF tomorrow.

It'll be a busy day at work since I missed today.  Glad I have oatmeal bread to start my day!

Day 2: Getting Started

Money spent: $46.91

Grocery Bill: $46.91

Total amount in food eaten: $3.04

How to get started on your new lifestyle:

I started by spending an hour after work at my computer searching for coupons. I was surprised to find that there are TONS of organic coupons available for a lot of the organic staples I usually get. I printed 'em, categorized 'em, and searched for budget-friendly recipe ideas. Then I headed for Whole Foods.

I spent about twice as much time as I usually do at Whole Foods planning meals and searching for all the stuff I had coupons for. I'm not a big couponer, but I do know the tricks they can pull - so I only clipped stuff I eat on a regular basis and could incorporate into several different meals.

At Whole Foods they have a bulk section. I've been really into quinoa because you can make it into a dinner (there's a million ways to make it, I like it with pasta sauce and cheese), breakfast (oatmeal or fruit and yogurt parfaits - delicious!), or even cornbread. I got a pound of it for $3.32, which will equal about 5-6 meals. Hell yeah.

Everything I bought was on sale or I had a coupon for. It wound up being $46, which is about 1/2 of what Mike and I usually spend on groceries (Crazy, right??? This city is sooo expensive...)

My shopping list:
Onions (8) = 2.99
Chicken (3lb) = 9.38
Tomato Sauce/can = 1.49 (I got 3)
Garlic (14 cloves/head) = .60, .04/clove
Mushrooms (15) = 2.19
Tortilla Chips (15 servings) = 2.49
Mozzarella (On sale at 2 for $6 - 12 servings) = 6.00
Plum tomatoes (3) = 1.15
Sour Cream (8 servings) = 1.39
Kidney beans = .89/can
Black beans = .89/can
English Muffins (6)= 2.49/pack
Fajita Mix = 1.49 (since buying this, I realized I can probably make it at home for free/cheap with cumin, garlic, onions, and some other stuff. Not sure about the consistency, but it’s worth a shot)
Red potatoes (sack) = 2.62
Almond Milk (w/ coupon for $1 off) = 1.69
Crackers = 1.67 Quinoa (bulk – 1lb) = 3.32
English muffins (6) = 2.49
Peanut butter (coupon for $1 off!) = 1.19
Total grocery bill: $46.91

I got back to Mike's and made the following in order to make the most of all the groceries I bought and have food for the rest of the week:

 Bean salad, rice, fajita salad, tomato sauce, and chicken!

1) Pasta sauce ($3.62)
2) Fajitas - chicken w/ fajita spice, mushrooms, and onions cooked together served over organic tortilla chips topped with cheese, sour cream, and tomatoes. (This was dinner) ($6.08, serves 2)
3) Brown rice – This has been sitting in Mike’s cupboard for like 10 months ‘cause it says it takes 40 minutes to make and I’m WAY too impatient for that.
4) Chicken for tomorrow - onions, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, blackened seasoning in a ziplock. We’ll probably serve it with rice ($2.79)
5) Bean salad - garbanzo, black, and kidney beans mixed with onions, balsamic vinaigrette dressing, lemonade (we make this fresh every week with agave nectar and lemons), and Coleman's mustard powder. This is gonna be served over the brown rice. I made a TON of this so hopefully we like it and it will last a while. ($2.87 – makes about 6-8 servings depending on how much rice you eat with it)

I'm planning on making:
1) Tomato, mozzarella, and onions in a flour dough pouch - I'm going to freeze these and we'll just throw them on the stove and cook them up when we're hungry.
2) Pasta salad - just macaroni, tomato, and garlic in balsamic dressing w/ some spices
3) Chicken salad (w/ wasabi mayo, raisins, onions, and mustard)
4) Potato pancakes (I might as well be the Jew in our relationship 'cause my potato pancakes are bangin')
5) Home fries
6) Potato gnocchi (w/ sage butter sauce)

...and I'm sure a lot more.

I've also been looking into "freeganism", which is basically a lifestyle where people go to bakeries and farm markets where foods that are slightly damaged or day-old are left for people to take. There are a bunch of hot spots, and my friend Derrick and I have been wanting to do this for a while now. I can cook pretty much anything (I've gained this confidence because I hate to clean the fridge and can therefore make the most bruised-and-battered veggie into something delicious.

I e-mailed a bunch of my favorite organic food brands and told them my current situation. I asked if there are any extra coupons/promotions/free samples possible beyond those on their websites. I heard back from Amy’s Organic right away (mmmm macaroni and cheeeese) saying they’d be glad to send me coupons in the mail.

Places to e-mail:
Amy's Organic
Horizon
Organic Valley (and Organic Prairie)
Eden Foods
Wise Organics
Kashi

I signed up for a bunch of free samples, too. You can find free sample sites by doing a quick Google search, and they usually only require that you enter your contact info and/or that you take a quick survey. I hope I don’t get a bazillion spam e-mails and bullshit in the mail because of this, but I’m really interested in seeing where it goes.