Good Ol' Mother Hubbard

Today is the day that cycles around about every two weeks in which breakfast, lunch and dinner can sometimes consist of the most odd combinations. The reason is that there is next to nothing left in my pantry or fridge. Well, that's not entirely true, we could probably live on pasta for the next few days and I suppose I could scrounge up some form of flat bread involving little more than flour and water...but I'm not quite ready to be Laura Ingalls's "Ma" just yet. Why the meager food supplies? Well, today is 1 day short of two weeks from the last time I went to the grocery stores (s).  You see, I have discovered (thanks to one of my fellow penny pinchers) that if I can stretch my grocery budget over two weeks rather than shopping every week I actually end up saving money.

I was pretty doubtful when I first began. Why would I save money? Wouldn't I just end up buying more when I do go to the store? So I tested the theory and found that in fact it was true. I did spend less. I've been doing this since January and every week I feel like I get a little better at making the food we have last a little longer, so I don't have to buy quite as much when I shop. There are still weeks when we happen to run out of all basic condiments or dried goods at once, and the grocery bill is a little higher, but I still don't spend more than I used to, even in those weeks.

It's become a new adventure for me as I try to find ways of making things last and using foods in creative ways that I would never have attempted before. Like the week we were out of all bread, tortillas and even eggs to use in making bread, and we still had four days left in the week (I've learned how to stretch my bread better since then, but anyway).  I thought, "how hard can it be to make tortillas?" So, I went online to my new favorite cookbook (the Internet) and found a recipe I thought I could use. Two hours later, I had made my very own tortillas...and the family actually approved (I even adjusted the recipe to include whole wheat flour and flax meal)! Yes! I assure you, that cost much less than buying them pre-made in the store, and now I can't bring myself to buy them anymore.  Then, just this week, there were cooked chickpeas left over from another meal and I thought, "would anyone notice if I snuck them into the pancake batter, which is already brimming with flax meal, almond meal and wheat germ?" So, I pureed those chickpeas and added them to my pancakes.  They certainly didn't taste like our normal pancakes, but they were actually pretty tasty and with peanut butter and honey or molasses we could barely taste the difference. My husband loved them, although my daughter was a little skeptical. But, with the extra nutritional benefits those little chickpeas added, I think I will definitely be doing that again.

Its exhilarating to find that I really can spend less money and still eat a healthy, varied diet.  The best part is all of the new recipes and creations I have been "forced" to discover because I've run out of something I would normally use or am trying to make last longer. Necessity is the mother-of-invention, right? It's still a work-in-progress, and I feel certain that I could do much better, spending even less and being even more creative in my food choices and preparation. I'll keep working at it.

But for now, just for kicks, here is a sample of my 2-week list. I would love to know what everyone thinks of it and any suggestions or ideas anyone would like to share that would improve on this.

2 24oz. blocks of cheese
4 cartons cage-free organic eggs
2 gal fat-free hormone free milk (would prefer organic but for now...)
3 cartons organic whole milk yogurt
2 boxes cereal
2 loaves complete protein Trader Joe's bread
3 bags beans (navy, black, pinto, red, lentils)
Flax Meal
Whole Wheat Flour
Huge Container Baking Soda (one of my favorite cleaning agents)
Raisins
Biggest box Oats I can find
Barilla Plus pasta (I love their line of pasta for the protein & whole grains)
Basmati or Jasmine Rice                     
2 whole organic chickens (4-5lbs. each)
Juice (we don't drink every am anymore)
Apple Cider Vinegar (we drink 1T. w Baking soda everyday)
Pasta sauce (my favorite it Pastene, I think its local its the lowest sodium of any brand I've seen)
Fresh Spinach-organic
Romaine Lettuce-organic sometimes
Carrots
Onions - lots
Garlic
Sweet potatoes
Cucumbers - lots when on sale
Broccoli
Apples-cheapest I can find
Oranges by the bag
Grapefruit
Other seasonal/sale fruit
Soy milk
peanut butter (salted &unsalted)

That's the basics. Like this week we are out of mustard and things like that, but I try to spread those things out and have even eliminated things that I can't justify, like butter or bacon. We ran out of butter almost a year ago and I just couldn't bring myself to buy it again. My husband said he was happy to use olive oil or honey, and with his genetically high cholesterol anyway, we haven't gone back.

*I'm still trying to work out how to buy even more organically, especially produce, but right now, whatever I buy that isn't organic, I scrub with baking soda which I've read is the best method of removing any pesticides on the outer skins. Obviously, that won't help remove what the skin has absorbed, but, sometimes, its the best I can do.

At the moment, I'm just excited to get to the store tomorrow and refill my fridge and pantry!