Day 79: My $30 at Rainbow

Day 79 Vitals:

Weight:  271 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast: Egg Scramble on Tortilla, Nectarine
Lunch: Tuna on Tortilla and Yogurt
Dinner: Pasta w/ Pesto and Mixed Veggies
Hangry Thought of the Day: D is for Dalek!

So first off let's get the big question out of the way.  Yes, Rainbow was bought out by Supervalu (owners of Cub Foods) a few years back, and most of them closed.  But yes, there are a couple that still remain, however there is not much difference, in fact they even used the Cub Coupon book.  

Now my strategy for this week was a little on the weird side.  The day before I did a quick inventory and I still have 6 bags of frozen veggies, 1lb. of beef, 3lbs. of hot dogs, two bags of cheese, 5 cans of tuna fish, 2 boxes of pasta, and two jars of pasta sauce.  Safe to say, I could probably have skipped this week and got by.  So this week I had three goals in mind:

1. Get ready for the 4th of July Weekend (Grilling)
2. Stock up on some fun foods.
3. Start winding down my stock piles.  As I near the end of the project I don't want a whole lot of odds and end to deal with, so I want to start eating down my wares.

So if this weeks grocery list looks a little goofy, it's because it is:

So the big thing I was running low on was my bread.  So I picked up a 24 pack of tortillas to make sandwiches out of.  The tomatoes and nectarines were to get more fruit into my diet, and the yogurts will act as some fun desserts this week.  The Goldfish crackers were for snacking on this weekend.  And lastly the burgers and veggies are just solid pickups to get me through the week.  

I utilized the coupon book on the crackers, meat, and tomatoes.  And that is the best tip to shopping at the remaining Rainbows.  The strategy is pretty much the same as Cubs.  

So I got plenty of goods deals here to sort of spruce up my grilling/snack selections.

Don't forget, if you like this blog please help us in trying to end Childhood Hunger here in the Twin Cities.  Click the link the FINNEGANS logo in the right hand panel, and donate what you can.  Every dollar helps to reach our goal of $2,500 for this GREAT cause where 98% of your dollar will go back to the community!  Thanks for you help!

You can find us on the web at the following places:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tableforoneMN/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TableForOneMN?lang=en.

Day 72: My $30 at Lund's and Byerly's

Day 72 Vitals:

Weight:  271 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast: 2 Hard Boiled Eggs
Lunch: Peanut Butter Sandwich, Blueberries
Dinner: Loaded Baked Potatoes, Mixed Veggies
Hangry Thought of the Day: 4 Weeks To Go!

So I forgot to take a picture of my food this week, but I did get to sit in on a spot on Fox 9 news to talk about Table for One.  They did show my food for the week, so be sure to check out the YouTube Video below!

I caught a GREAT break at Lunds and Byerly's.  I caught the tail end of a large BOGO sale they had going on, and it included a LOT of items that would help my pantry.  I also picked up some ingredients to make a jambalaya at home.

Here are the big wins from Lunds and Byerlys!

• Blue Berries (BOGO for 3.99).  I have said it often, but it bears repeating, fresh fruit is HARD, especially items like berries.  They have very short shelf life, and are often very expensive.  Sure I need to eat to large cartons in the first part of my week, but it is SO worth it!
• Pasta, Sauce, and Shredded Cheese (All on BOGO).  Talk about a fantastic way to stretch your food dollar.  This is more then 6 meals right here for only $7.53!  That is a huge win.
• Potato Hash Brown (BOGO).  I'll be honest, I don't know what I was thinking when I picked these up.  They just sounded mighty tasty, and are convenient breakfast option for a Papa on the go.

Lunds and Byerlys is your poster child for a Hi-Lo retailer.  This means that for the most part, they are high on most items, and use "door buster" pricing (the Lo) to generate traffic, hoping you will pick up a few higher margin tickets while you are there.  Keep this in mind as you shop.  They have plenty of great deals to take advantage of.  Also, when you can, take advantage of their fresh departments (bakery, deli, meat, and produce).  When you can find good deals here, you are pretty much guaranteed higher quality!

Don't forget, if you like this blog please help us in trying to end Childhood Hunger here in the Twin Cities.  Click the link the FINNEGANS logo in the right hand panel, and donate what you can.  Every dollar helps to reach our goal of $2,500 for this GREAT cause where 98% of your dollar will go back to the community!  Thanks for you help!

You can find us on the web at the following places:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tableforoneMN/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TableForOneMN?lang=en.

Day 65: My $30 at Fresh Thyme

Day 65 Vitals:

Weight:  271 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast: 2 Oranges
Lunch: Mixed veggies, pork chop
Dinner: Bean Casserole
Hangry Thought of the Day: I need a better happy place...

Week 10 is here.  It is time to shop at a relatively new store to the Twin Cities Market:  Fresh Thyme.  For those of you unfortunate enough NOT to have one of these little gems nearby should really take a trip to check one out.  They sort of have a feel of a Trader Joe's combined with a Whole Foods.  They have a smaller footprint, but have a much larger focus on fresh departments like bakery, meat and produce.  Perhaps my favorite thing about Fresh Thyme is their focus on locally made products.  You will find "Made in Minnesota" stickers scattered through out the store to help you identify those products.  So I took my $30 weekly budget and here is what I got:

Most of my shopping was focused on a bean casserole bake I wanted to make (and yes, that is what the chips are for).  I also needed to stock up on effs, and potatoes for the week.  For "luxury" buys I ended up with a 12 pack of sparkling water (cucumber melon!) and 2 packs of raspberries!  So here were my big wins:

• Raspberries $0.77 per package.  Fruit is by far the hardest of the food groups to come by on this limited budget.  These were a real treat, and the cheapest I have seen berries during the whole Project.
• Potatoes:  $1.50 for 5lbs.  You can't beat that price for name brand potatoes!
• Eggs $0.69.  While I think COSTCO has the best price per egg, this was the second, and the lowest I have seen a 12pk all project.

The swiss chard and the lime juice ate up a large portion of my budget this week, but I needed them for my bake.  I still felt I got plenty of food, and even had $10 to play with at the end of the week because I still have a fridge full of frozen veggies.  Overall I wish I would have had more room in the budget to play with, but I only have $30.  I should also give a shout out to the staff at the Bloomington, MN Fresh Thyme.  On more then one occasion they stopped what they were doing to ask if I needed help, and help they did.  They also have cucumber/melon sparkling water!

Don't forget, if you like this blog please help us in trying to end Childhood Hunger here in the Twin Cities.  Click the link the FINNEGANS logo in the right hand panel, and donate what you can.  Every dollar helps to reach our goal of $2,500 for this GREAT cause where 98% of your dollar will go back to the community!  Thanks for you help!

You can find us on the web at the following places:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tableforoneMN/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TableForOneMN?lang=en.

Day 64: Thoughts About Junkfood

Day 64 Vitals:

Weight:  271 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast: 2 Oranges
Lunch: Rice Pudding, Tuna on Tortilla, Asparagus
Dinner: Pork Chop, Potatoes, and Mixed Veggies
Hangry Thought of the Day: How does my kid snore louder then me!

First off, apologies for the lack of posts the last couple of week.  Work required a lot of attention, and the weekends were just as busy.  Suffice to say I should be on track this week, and will be putting out more regular blog posts.  Before we get into Fresh Thyme grocery shopping I would like to take some time talking about the availability of junk food.  Part of this project's goal was to show that you can live off of food stamps without resorting to too much junk food.  But in our culture, you just can't avoid it...

Now I would like to preface this article by saying that I have no official degree in food science or nutrition.  These are strictly my observations as a consumer, a parent, and a member of society.  But it is still a VERY small window compared to the myopic realities of the rest of the world.  With that said junk food is just too dang accessible in this country.  So, do to the rules of this project I am able to accept food from others outside of my household, as well as samples from my work.  I can also utilize free offers from retail outlets.  This has led to several opportunities to eat junk food without paying a single dime!  Here are a few examples of how junk food became available to me on this project:

• Free burrito at Chipotle:  Yeah, Chipotle is a healthier options then a lot of other fast food vendors, but come one people!  Has anyone really felt great about themselves after finishing one of those behemoths?!?
• Free Sandwich from Milo's:  This mayo laden sandwich, while tasty, cannot be good for you in quantity.
• Multiple free medium beverages from Caribou:  I will admit, before the project, Caribou coffee received a fairly sizable chunk of my yearly income.  About three weeks after cutting them out for this project they must have noticed, as I have been getting offers for free medium sized drinks on my Caribou Perks card.
• Candy is laying around EVERYWHERE at work for people to snack on.  No I try to avoid the candy bowls as much as possible, but I have been visiting a little more often then normal.  There have also been samples of new Christmas and Valentines candy available pretty much once a week.

Junk food is everywhere!  And it is hard to resist, especially when you are hungry AND you have an addiction/cravings for it.  Also I have begun watching our influence start creeping into other countries.  On my first trip to Germany there was one McDonald's in town.  Now they have a Burger King, a Subway, and even a Taco Bell.  And for the first time I have seen a few local restaurants close down.  It goes to show, once you are hooked on this time of food, it is hard to quit it's greasy convenience.  

So what are your thoughts on junk food in our culture?

Don't forget, if you like this blog please help us in trying to end Childhood Hunger here in the Twin Cities.  Click the link the FINNEGANS logo in the right hand panel, and donate what you can.  Every dollar helps to reach our goal of $2,500 for this GREAT cause where 98% of your dollar will go back to the community!  Thanks for you help!

You can find us on the web at the following places:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tableforoneMN/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TableForOneMN?lang=en.

Day 57: My $30 At Hy-Vee

Day 57 Vitals:

Weight:  271 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast: Eggs
Lunch: Chicken Wing, and Cheese Slices (Gouda)
Dinner: Potato, Chicken Wing, Corn
Hangry Thought of the Day: He wet the bed three times LESS the 24 hours!

When I first envisioned this project, Hy-Vee was one of my first thoughts.  It is also one of the few grocery stores that is not either around my work area, or my home (but I hope that changes soon).  I LOVE Hy-Vee.  It has been my favorite grocery store chain even before they moved into the Twin Cities.  When I decided to break each week into a different store, I HAD To include them.  So here is how I spent my $30 at Hy-Vee:

It's my last week of chicken wings, and I have enough eggs from last week, so that is two huge purchases I don't need this week.  I bought some pasta at Festival, so I thought about snagging some sauce and ground meat to make a sauce.  I also needed some new bread, and fresh veggies.

Here are my big wins:

• Artisan French Bread (2 for $4.99):  I needed bread this week and I got a GREAT deal on two large rounds of bread for $4.99 (buy one at full price, get the second for $1.00).  I tossed one in the freezer, and kept the other one out this week.
• Pork Chops (4 for $5).  These large porkchops are perfect for Grillin', baking, or frying.  They are thick cut, and I might even get multiple meals out of just one.  
• Cottage Cheese ($1.99 for one container).  I have been REALLY hungry cottage cheese, and this is the cheapest I have seen it in a while.

Overall Hy-Vee's big wins are in the fresh departments.  For example I found a pound of ground pork in the frozen section for $4.29, but got more then a pound for $3.33 in the meat department.  Likewise I was able to sneak in multi-colored organic carrots for a better price then a slightly bigger bag of regular carrots.  The BEST wins from Hy-Vee come from these fresh departments.  

I wish I had a more cohesive list of items I needed for this week, but that wasn't to be for this week.  I needed to restock on staples, as well as make sure my lunches were covered.  Overall I was not disappointed by my trip to Hy-Vee.

Don't forget, if you like this blog please help us in trying to end Childhood Hunger here in the Twin Cities.  Click the link the FINNEGANS logo in the right hand panel, and donate what you can.  Every dollar helps to reach our goal of $2,500 for this GREAT cause where 98% of your dollar will go back to the community!  Thanks for you help!

You can find us on the web at the following places:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tableforoneMN/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TableForOneMN?lang=en.

Day 52: My $30 at Festival Foods

Day 52 Vitals:

Weight:  271 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast: Chocolate Muffin
Lunch: Hot Pot soup
Dinner: Potato, Chicken Wing, Jalapeno Cheddar Scones
Hangry Thought of the Day: I'm Hungry!

First off, again apologies for the long weekend.  It was Memorial Weekend and we spent the weekend up at the cabin with no internet.  So I'm back, and it is time to head to Festival Foods to spend my weeks budget:

So my main goals for Festival Foods was to get the ingredients I needed to make a Tofu Hot Pot soup.  I also had a secondary goal for restocking my frozen vegetable stash.

So here are my big wins:

• Frozen Vegetables (5 bags at $1 ea):  Frozen veggies are an awesome way to get fresh vegetables into a daily diet.  When they hit this low I just needed to stock up.
• Crystal Farm's Chunk Cheese (2 chunks at $2.50 ea):  Every week I try to sneak in some comfort/treat type foods.  As I was headed to the cabin, I thought a couple blocks of cheese would be good.
• White Corn Tortillas ($1.29):  Tortillas are a great utility food that I find more versatile the bread.  I have a lot of uses for these.

When it comes to Festival Foods the ad is a great place to start.  The front page was loaded with great deals.  Not as heavy on the coupons as a place like Cub is, this makes shopping a little easier.  I had about $10 extra to spend after picking up my ingredients for the week.  They had a lot of great deals in meat for Memorial Week.  However I went the more conservative route and used that money to pick up five bags of frozen veggies, and a couple of blocks of cheese.  Also keep an eye on the end caps as there are a lot of great deals at the end of the aisles.

Don't forget, if you like this blog please help us in trying to end Childhood Hunger here in the Twin Cities.  Click the link the FINNEGANS logo in the right hand panel, and donate what you can.  Every dollar helps to reach our goal of $2,500 for this GREAT cause where 98% of your dollar will go back to the community!  Thanks for you help!

You can find us on the web at the following places:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tableforoneMN/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TableForOneMN?lang=en

Day 46: Some Thoughts On Rice

Day 46 Vitals:

Weight:  271 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast: Chocolate 2 Hard Boiled Eggs
Lunch: Yogurt, Apple, Tuna on Crackers
Dinner: Potato, Chicken Wing, Jalapeno Cheddar Scones
Hangry Thought of the Day: Raising a Toddler is like a prescription for a daily dose of F#$% You!

First off just a couple of quick notes about the project.  My large quantity grabs from Wal-Mart and COSTCO are starting to dwindle.  Flour is running out, and for the first time since day 1 I am out of eggs.  Also I am down to my last two pack of chicken wings, and last stick of butter.  I should be okay, but man I had it easy for the last couple of weeks.

Today I want to talk about the versatility of rice:

Rice is one of those foods that helped to cultivate human culture as we know it.  When hunters and gatherers started settling down in one area and abandoning their nomadic ways, people needed a crop that could be cultivated, stored wells, and added nutrition to their daily diets.  Rice was one of those early cultivars.  Domestication of rice accord between 8,200 to 13,500 years ago according to Wikipedia.

Part of rice's longevity is it's flexibility.  It's ability to absorb various liquids means you can adapt rice for any meal, even dessert.  It can be used as a base for liquor like sake or even beer.  It is a staple in the cuisine of many cultures including China, India, Japan, and several others.  Imagine a world with no rice and there is no sushi, fried rice, jambalaya, chicken and rice soup, and rice cakes.  That is a pretty bleak world is you ask me. 

Here is a pic of Felix and I making a large batch of Rice Pudding (which we divided into two batches, chocolate and coconut):

This starchy goodness is a staple in many communities across the world.  One key aspect that should also be noted is the cost of rice.  I bought a large bag of rice at Aldi's for $1.79.  And there is a good chance this will last me to pretty darn close to the end of the project.  Here are some possible uses I can make of the rice:

•  Rice Pudding:
• Milk, Sugar, Salt and some additional season can make for a surprisingly tasty desert.
• Fried Rice:
• One can of mixed veggies, an egg, and some soy sauce.  You can't go wrong with this simple side dash.
• Soups:
• Chicken soup with rice in place of noodles might be on a future menu.
• Jambalaya
• Sausage, canned tomatoes, and some other seasonings can come together to make this Cajun inspired dish.

And those are just what comes to the top of my head without any research.  In fact I am more amazed by the fact that I haven't used rice sooner then this!  So the next time you are donating to a food shelf think about donating a bag of rice.  It will last the family a lot longer then a can of salted veggies will, and it's usefulness cannot be understated!

So what do you like to cook with rice?  Leave a comment below, and thanks for reading!

Don't forget, if you like this blog please help us in trying to end Childhood Hunger here in the Twin Cities.  Click the link the FINNEGANS logo in the right hand panel, and donate what you can.  Every dollar helps to reach our goal of $2,500 for this GREAT cause where 98% of your dollar will go back to the community!  Thanks for you help!

You can find us on the web at the following places:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tableforoneMN/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TableForOneMN?lang=en

Day 43: My $30 At Aldi's

Day 43 Vitals:

Weight:  270 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast: Chocolate Zuccini Muffin
Lunch: Apple, Burger, Sweet Potato
Dinner: Sweet Potato, Brat
Hangry Thought of the Day: Can someone explain to me the difference between Vacation Time and Personal Time?

All right, we made it to week 7, almost half-way through the project.  This week brings us to Aldi's. This week was guided by two major factors.  I have another big cabin Weekend coming up in the near future.  So my focus was on some items I could grill up, restocking my frozen veggies, and I picked up some rice to make rice pudding.

So here are some of my big wins:

• Steamable Bags of Asparagus ($2.29 ea.):  Yeah, this was a little spendy for a bag of frozen asparagus that yields one or two servings, but they were SO tasty, and perfect to steam in the microwave, or grill on the grill.
• Blackberries (.99):  Maybe I should have picked up a second one of these, but I am always weary of berries going bad, especially when they are so budget friendly.  They are going in my breakfast tomorrow, so far they have held up.
• Sparkling Water (2.99 12pk):  Yeah, I have been graving this for a LONG time, and this was my treat for the week.  I hope I still get treats once my chicken wings run out!
• Froen mixed veggies (.99 ea):  These have been my go to for veggies on this project.  Very affordable, and you don't have to worry about spoilage.  While these are a little heavy on the cauliflower, you can't beat the price!

Overall, shopping Aldi's should be a GREAT experience for the budget minded.  They have a great selection of organics, there produce is not so shabby, and the meat department had several fresh looking options.  Everything seems to be about 25% cheaper then their name brand counterparts found at more traditional grocery stores. Also Aldi's brings in a lot of products from their home country in Germany.  So you will find some highend mustards and chocolates and bargain basement prices.  Milk was by far the cheapest I have seen (beating COSTCO by .10, and eggs where on the cheap end as well.

(Yes, I know I went a little over on this receipt, but I returned some of the yogurt to get me back within budget, hence the markings)

Don't forget, if you like this blog please help us in trying to end Childhood Hunger here in the Twin Cities.  Click the link the FINNEGANS logo in the right hand panel, and donate what you can.  Every dollar helps to reach our goal of $2,500 for this GREAT cause where 98% of your dollar will go back to the community!  Thanks for you help!

You can find us on the web at the following places:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tableforoneMN/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TableForOneMN?lang=en

Day 37: Odds and Ends

Day 37 Vitals:

Weight:  270 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast: 2 Hard Boiled Eggs
Lunch: Tomato Soup and Toast
Dinner: Tomato and Sweet Potatoes
Hangry Thought of the Day: Do not EVER nominate me for your Facebook Challenges!

We are now rapidly approaching the half-way point of Project Table for One.  So far so good.  I went looking through my pantry the other day and I actually have quite a bit of odds and ends that I should find some use for.  Here are some of the items I have in abundance:

• 1/2 bag of Flour (Week 1 Cub Foods)
• Possible Uses:  I would like to take another stab at baking bread.  But right now I tortillas, bread, and am making scones this week.  So I will take this venture on in the near future
• 1 full bag of black eyed beans (Week 0 Pantry Stocking)
• I have a recipe for these, but the last bunch of stores I have been at did not have ham hocks.  I will keep trying!
• Soy Sauce (Week 3 Wal-Mart)
• I picked this up as a flavoring agent based on the advice of the book Good and Cheap.  but I am trying to be mindful of my salt intake, so I have been avoiding it's use.  It's not that this is a BAD thing to pick up, I just don't need it.
• 1 LARGE pack of Hot Dogs (Week 4 COSTCO)
• I picked these up for cabin weekends.  So I will get to these shortly.  I think I just burned myself out on hot dogs the first few weeks.
• Baking Powder (Week 1 Cub Foods), Vanilla (Week 3 Wal-Mart), Brown Sugar (Week 0 Pantry)
• And lastly I have some odds and ends from Week 0 Pantry Stocking like a jar of Vindaloo sauce, some canned beans, a can of spicy corned beer.  Lots of fun stuff still out there.  

So what would you cook with these odds and ends?  Leave a comment below!

Don't forget, if you like this blog please help us in trying to end Childhood Hunger here in the Twin Cities.  Click the link the FINNEGANS logo in the right hand panel, and donate what you can.  Every dollar helps to reach our goal of $2,500 for this GREAT cause where 98% of your dollar will go back to the community!  Thanks for you help!

You can find us on the web at the following places:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tableforoneMN/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TableForOneMN?lang=en