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 66: Black Bean Chilaquile

Day 66 Vitals:

Weight:  271 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast: Eggs and Beans
Lunch: Mixed veggies, pork chop, 2 oranges
Dinner: Bean Chilaquile
Hangry Thought of the Day: I hate computer data filters!

Before we begin I just want to post a little announcement.  We are a little behind on donations.  So if you like this blog please click the FINNEGANS logo in the side bar and donate.  Every $5 helps to stamp out Childhood Food Insecurity right here in the Twin Cities!

So today's recipe comes from Tracy over at Urban Oasis.  Now if you are not familiar with Urban Oasis, then hang in there as we have an upcoming interview with Tracy from this amazing organization!  It is a Black Bean Chilaquile:

Ingredients:  

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 table spoons of olive oil (I used vegetable oil, because that is what I had in my pantry)
• 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn
• 1 1/2 cups of cooked black beans (I used navy beans because I had those in my pantry already)
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice (I doubled this for more lime punch!)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups of greens like kale or chard.  (I used chard)
• 2 cups of crushed tortilla chips
• 8 oz of shredded cheese
• 2 cups of salsa

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large skillet, heat oil and onions over medium heat until onions are translucent.

Stir in tomatoes, corn, beans, lime juice, and salt and pepper and cook for about 15 more minutes.  I also tossed in my chard stems in this part to add some more color and crunch to the dish.

In a large 8x10 or larger baking dish layer half the crushed tortilla chips.

Add the cooked veggie mixture and sprinkle on 2/3rds of the shredded cheese.

Arrange the greens over the veggie mixture, and spoon on half the salsa.

Top with the remaining chips, salsa and cheese.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

This was an AWESOME recipe, and very filling.  I didn't even know I was eating a meatless dish.  Switch out the cheese for a vegan cheese and this is easily converted to a vegan dish!  It also made plenty.  I family of four can eat this for two days, especially if served with a slice of bread or two.  I also prepped this a day ahead of time and just baked it off after coming home from work.  Sure, my chips might have been a little soggier, but you know convenience is key in a household with key!  Also add a little Sriracha for more punch!

Thank you Tracy for the recipe, and we look forward to hearing from you later this week!

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 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 36: My $30 Budget At Trader Joe's

Day 36 Vitals:

Weight:  269 lbs.
Mood:  Exhausted
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast:Granola Bars
Lunch: Orange, Peanut Butter Sandwich
Dinner: Tomaote Soup and Toast
Hangry Thought of the Day: Just go the f%#@ to sleep kid!

Hey gang and welcome back.  Sorry for the long absence but I was up at the cabin again this week, with no internet.

So for today's articles I would like to talk about my trip to Trader Joe's.  

We are still good on proteins thanks to our Week 3 trip to COSTCO.  So for another week I get to go veggie heavy.  I also picked up ingredients to make some chocolate zucchini muffins.  I also got a couple of treats for the cabin, namely the bacon ends and the sparkling water.  So let's talk about the big wins for Trader Joe's!

• 2lb Bag of Sweet Potatoes $1.69:  I had the option of potatoes or sweet potatoes.  I went with the sweet potatoes just for a change up.
• 4 bags of frozen brussel sproutes $.99 ea.  Trader Joe's offers up a lot of great selections for frozen veggies and fruits.  I found these ones on sale and can't wait to stir-fry or grill these up!
• 2lb Gala Apples for $2.99.  While not the cheapest I have bought apples, I could still fit this into by budget, and they had a much better flavor then most of the other apples I have eaten in the past weeks.
• Small jar of Peanut Butter $1.99:  TJ's is known for pretty great peanut butter, this will make for some great convenience lunches.
• 1 dozen eggs $.99:  I didn't NEED eggs this week, but I picked them up because they are about $.29 cheaper then most other places.

Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi's.  Its pricing and business model show.  There are a lot of great deals to be had.  I had a BLAST shopping at Trader Joe's.  Not only did I get a lot of food, but I also got a lot of veggies for my dollar, and even a few treats.  It is hard to go wrong in a place like this.  It will be very interesting to to compare my experience with Aldi's next week.

With this weeks purchases I am hoping to make some of the a fore mentioned  muffins, another batch of scones, and stir-fried veggies.  Yum!

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 31: Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars

Day 31 Vitals:

Weight:  269 lbs.
Mood:  Awesome it's game night
Water Consumed:  2 Nalgenes
Breakfast:Pancakes
Lunch: Orange, Hard Boiled Eggs
Dinner: Chicken Wings and Veggies
Hangry Thought of the Day: May is too busy of a month

Today's recipe once again comes from Leanne Brown's book Good and Cheap.  I have kinda had my fill of eggs for breakfast, so I thought I would spice it up.  I had a lot of oats left over from week 1.  I have been slowly eating oatmeal from it, but it was too boring.  So let's turn them into something tasty, and I am bringing my helper Felix along for the ride:

• butter or vegetable oil for the pan 
• 3 cups rolled oats, or 2 cups rolled oats and 1 cup Rice Krispies 
• ½ cup peanut butter 
• ½ cup jelly or jam 
• ¼ cup hot water 
• ¼ teaspoon salt

The book linked above also has a lot of great suggestions for what to add.  Since I had some extra room in my Week 5 Budget I picked up some coconut to add to this (which I can use the left overs to mix in with my plain oatmeal).

Grease an 8x10 pan, and pre-heat the oven at 350
Pour oats into a large bowl

In a small sauce pan add the remaining ingredients (including your optional) and stir over low heat until well blended (should be around 2 minutes).

Pour the peanut butter mixture into the oats and stir.  Place in the prepared 8x10 pan and bake for 25 minutes!

Done, and poof, instant breakfast!  What would you add?  Leave us 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

Please help spread the word of this project!