Week Two - Food to warm the Soul

Although I love Blue Apron recipes, I added in a couple of other sources because the boyfriend found a yummy meat casserole dish and I found a recipe for Nordic soup that make me feel warm and hearty just looking at the ingredient list! Two of the blue apron recipes were also paired with wine, Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay. If I can find something on sale around $10 - I'll pick up two bottles. I already have three beers in the fridge and the Viognier half drank that Blue Apron recommended last week - so I'm not in a huge hurry. I also picked up a mulled blackberry wine from the farmers market today, so I have lots to drink!

Shopping list this week:
Protein

1 lb ground beef
10 oz ground chicken
Chicken breast (this isn't mandatory - we add chicken to all vegetarian meals!)
3 eggs
bacon


Veggies

2 shallot
2 Sweet onion
russet potatos
1 leek
chives
5 garlic cloves (I have enough left over from last week!)
2 celary root (I finally found these at my local farmers market)
parsnips
cauliflower head
kale (I have some left over from last week!)
sweet potato
butter lettuce head
baby spinach (I have left overs from last week because I bought a spinach/arugula blend)
arugula (same case as above)


Fruit

red grapes
2 lemon


Carbs

Sour Dough Bread
1/3 cup bread crumbs (Leftover ingredient form last week!)
panko bread crumbs
1 cup pearled barley
farro
5oz egg noodle


Dairy

¾ cup milk
2/3 cup canned evaporated milk
5 tbsp butter
2/3 cup shredded mexican style cheese
cream cheese
4 oz gruyere cheese
parmesian


Extras

Jack Daniel BBQ sauce
¼ cup crispy canned fried onions
vegetable broth
1 ¾ cup coconut milk
sherry vinegar


Spice

2 tbsp chili powder (bought last week)
parsley
garlic powder(bought last week)
thyme (I'm lucky and have this and Rosemary growing on my roof's herb garden!)
rosemary
ginger
2 bay leaves
Paprika(bought last week)
sesame seeds/poppy seeds
sage/harrissa powder
Flour
nutmeg
hazelnuts
fennel pollen (this is an expensive ingredient that I might lay off unless I can find it in a small quantity)
Berbere spice (chili, garlic, basil, ginger, fenugreek)

So I might start spending over my goal budget of $50 because I really want to start buying local groceries at the farmers market, but I will still keep track of what the food would have cost at the grocery so I can make sure I'm staying within my intended goals of this blog. I do believe healthy food from scratch is affordable and accessible if you are willing to put the time into obtaining it and prepare it. I do want to spend the money to support the local farm community and buy the freshest ingredients. That's a premium I think is worth it. Here's my booty from today's market. I walk to the grocery store and farmers market and drive to the Asian market that is about 4 miles away (but is also accessible by bus for $2.50 if I didn't have a car).

If I had just bought these groceries at the store (and not indulged in wine) it would have cost around $13.50 instead of the $40.75 I shelled out. I regret nothing.

Everything added up, I spent around $81 dollars for food. Which is $30 bucks over budget. A friend consoled me that $80 was her weekly budget in Brooklyn, so maybe I'm just butting heads with city prices versus my previous lower cost of living in NC. I will still strive to meet my goal of $50 for two for a weeks worth on meals. Not sure if I can, but I will try.

 Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Brown Butter Grape Sauce and Farro

This was really tasty. I loved the butter fruit sauce. The cauliflower was surprisingly nice an I really enjoy Farro. Will definitely come back to this recipe again. 

Smoky Gruyere Grilled Cheese with Fried Eggs and Butter Lettuce Salad

I'm a sucker for grilled cheese. C is a sucker of fried eggs. I enjoy the guise of a salad that its healthy. C asked why I didn't put the lettuce in the sandwich - which is a great suggestion when you try.. I enjoyed it all separate and messy.

Creamy Sweet Potato Kale Casserole with Berbere Spice

I ended up using the leftover sourdough bread from the grilled cheese to make the breadcrumbs which was great. This website suggested washing the hardened bread and then putting it in the oven to soften it up. Then cutting it into small chunks, lightly coating in  olive oil a dash of salt and Parmesan.

Sherry Glazed Chicken Meatballs with Everything Bagel Celeriac Mash

I ended up not buying enough celeriac and sublimated a small potato. This combination is really tasty.  Its a very different taste, but refreshing to the taste buds.

Nordic Winter Vegetable Soup

This was divine. For how much soup the recipe makes, I assumed (incorrectly) that we'd have leftovers for days. I started cooking it in the morning and we ate is throughout the day until it was gone. The Celeriac and parsnips gave it great taste and flavor. Definitely recommend. 

Cowboy Meatloaf Potato Casserole

This is one of those indulgent unhealthy recipes that I would normally stay away from but C picked it out. It was tasty, I'll give it that, but now I can an almost full can of condensed milk and no idea when I'll use it!

Head over to Week 3 grocery list and recipe links!