SHOPPING TRIP!!

You know I love to shop...and it's been about 7 weeks since I last did a big shopping, which I think was on September 8th - almost positive in fact. We haven't had to do any little grocery trips since then either, although of course have stopped for half'n'half when we've run out, and I did go to Bart's (produce) a couple of times and Aldi's once...but my last BIG Shopping Event was a long time ago...

Anyway, it was past due time, we had eaten our last package of meat and were down to just a couple partial bags of frozen veggies and half a box of Dreamfield's spaghetti.

And yesterday was our shopping day! I love seeking out the bargains, stopping at nearby thrift stores, lunch out, and most of all spending the whole day with my husband! We went to Steve's, my favorite meat store in the world, the Sav-a-Lot down in Harrison near Steve's (the Sav-a-Lot in our town could be renamed Spend-a-Lot and be more accurate), then on to Midland to go to Kroger's for their 10 for $10 sale, to Gordon's for the big bags of frozen vegetables, and finally to Meijer for daikon - and I was thrilled that they still had some delicata squash left! It is my favorite, and I hadn't seen any for sale anywhere since last month. I bought their last 4. We also picked up some Orville's because the last time we looked for it at Walmart they were out, and Orville's is the best of the best popcorn - half as much unpopped makes just as much popped as other brands.

We spent roughly $206. Of that, $108.89 was for meat:
- boneless pork loin @ $2.19/lb which they sliced free - I always get 3/4" slices
- 10 chicken leg quarters @ 59c/lb
- a boneless ham (without a bunch of junk in it!) for $1.99/lb
- a small slice of steelhead for $5.99/lb
- 10 polish sausages @ $1.78/lb
- about 5# of bacon @ $2.49/lb (Steve's has really wonderful fresh bacon!)
- country style pork chops for $1.49/lb
- 5# of ground beef for $2.29/lb (72/28)
- a whole NY strip loin (they sliced into 17 steaks, 3/4" each) @ $2.99/lb.
The meat averaged $2.22/lb, and it's high-quality meat too...I believe that's a great value by anybody's standards!

For fresh produce I just got the daikon, some tomatoes, some onions, a big napa cabbage, and the squashes. Frozen veggies - $28.20 - were broccoli, cauliflower, a vegetable blend, brussels sprouts, and whole green beans. They didn't have as much of a selection as some of the other GFS stores do, just one freezer section and most usually have two. But I got multiple packages.

I got mostly dairy at Kroger, so we have plenty of sour cream (YUM!) and cheeses. Plus some SF pudding mixes since the only ones we can get locally are chocolate and vanilla unless I want to pay over $1.00 for a small box of the name brand - which I most certainly do not! But I was able to get butterscotch and lemon, and only 59c for the Kroger brand.

And that was the food part of our day out shopping yesterday! I just love when I open the fridge and freezer and they're full...such a great feeling!

Low Carb Boredom - Meal Ideas - Oct. 26th

(Just a reminder that this blog will be moving to its new home at the end of this year.)

Actually, nothing to report for Friday. We were gone all day and I didn't cook at all. We went to a Chinese buffet for a late lunch/early supper (but lunch prices, just about $16 for both of us, that's $8 each for a whole day's food!) and that's all we had for the day. LOTS of shopping though...I'll write about that in another post :).

#Lowcarb Boredom - Meal Ideas - Oct. 24

(Just a reminder that this blog will be moving to its new home at the end of this year.)

Was given some ham bits and pieces today from carving a ham. We got the rind parts from the outside, and the bone. I don't do bean soup so not sure what I'll do with the bone - maybe just use it in some other kind of soup? Open for ideas.

So for lunch I just had bits of ham from the bag of pieces, dipped in dijon mustard.

Supper was chicken thighs. I had asked hubby to get some chicken thighs at the store, he bought boneless skinless - UGH! I was so disappointed, the crispy skin is the best part! Anyway, I slightly warmed (until soft) about 6 oz of full-fat cream cheese and mixed it with some horseradish mustard. After laying the 6 thighs in a baking dish I spread the cream cheese mixture across the top, then covered them with a couple of big pieces the ham rind (just for the flavor, not to eat). While that was roasting in the oven, I also roasted some broccoli; when it was starting to brown and time to turn it, I topped it with shredded cheeses - colbyjack and shredded cheddar - for the last 10 minutes or so.

I don't think I snacked on anything today - oh wait, I did have a dark chocolate square after supper - is that a snack, or dessert? Really when I eat plenty of fat and adequate protein, I don't have much of an appetite.

#Lowcarb Boredom - Meal Ideas - Oct. 23rd

(Just a reminder that this blog will be moving to its new home at the end of this year.)

Simple day today.

Lunch was the last of the sausage and summer squash dish from a few days ago. Supper was roasted pork country ribs that I had seasoned with a half-packet of ranch dressing mix, roasted sweet potato medallions (just with olive oil and sea salt), and buttered chopped spinach.

I had a dish of white rice - heavily buttered of course - as a snack this afternoon. (I have discussed white rice as part of my diet in a past post.)

Still sick - in fact worst day yet. So lots of sleep and not much meal prep. Just simple food.

#Lowcarb Boredom - Meal Ideas - Oct. 21-22 & Today's Easy Bread Recipe

(Just a reminder that this blog will be moving to its new home at the end of this year.)

Yesterday before church we had some good breakfast sandwiches. Using Maria's sub buns recipe, they were loaded with bacon, eggs, and cheese. This bread plus all the high-fat ingredients are REALLY filling. We didn't get hungry again for the rest of the day.

For supper yesterday I broiled the last of the steaks from the freezer so I'd have leftovers, and reheated the leftover squash and roasted cauliflower to go with it. Very good.

Today's lunch was toasted one-minute bread (my version below), heavily buttered, and topped with diced smoked sausage and fried eggs.

Supper will be a couple of onions, chopped and fried in olive oil/butter, a bunch of mushrooms, and the leftover steak, cubed. Will toss it with some full-fat sour cream for my favorite sauce/gravy, and serve it over mashed potatoes. Being sick, I want comfort foods.

Yes, I said mashed potatoes. When I find them cheap, I buy packets of instant potatoes, which sit in my cupboard for months at a time. Then once in a while I use some of them. There are 4 servings @ 16gN each; I will eat one serving. The carbs are definitely worth it to me when I'm sick and want comfort food with very little effort! Who wants to make fauxtatoes when they're sick, anyway?

Now, my version of one-minute bread which is actually closer to 5 minutes when I make it for 2 people (or make 4 slices) but worth it!
2 eggs
2T full-fat sour cream
3 drops EZ Sweetz (I like the sweetness of the bread in the same way I used to like the sweetness of Ritz crackers.)
1/4c CarbQuik
1/4c fine almond flour
2T golden flax meal
1 tsp. baking powder
I thoroughly mix together the eggs, sour cream, and sweetener until smooth; in another bowl I whisk together the dry ingredients until well-blended. Then I mix the dry into the wet, and pour it into a greased pyrex loaf pan; then I nuke it on high for 3 minutes, turn out onto a cooling rack, and slice into 4 slices.
It is good as-is, but I really love it toasted...with lots of butter!