Somebody got lucky!!! Justin was nice enough to give Matt his old iPhone! I agreed if he could find a used phone, we’d bump him up to a data plan. Thanks Justin!!!
The two of us walked to the grocery store this afternoon to pick up a few things to tide us until our trip on Friday. So glad our sun decided to come out 
I had wanted to go to the farmer’s market to be all green and all, but that would have involved at least 10 miles of driving and gas, so I decided a walk to Harris Teeter and make an effort to choose foods that had the “Local” sign on front of them. We bought $18 worth of produce and yogurt – bringing us up to $55 for the month.
Would have been less if I hadn’t stumbled upon this sale:
I’ve slowed waaaay down on my consumption, but they are still just as delicious. I was waiting for a sale to get some more. You should be proud of me though – I had two boxes in hand and actually put one back and came home with one in the spirit of our grocery budget challenge.
Had to have a few when we walked in the door!
It was also a fun day for the mail! I got a letter from my grandmother on a hand-painted brontosaurus card, which included a drawing I did for a play we put on at Christmas in 1991!!, and a post card from Jenn in Hawaii!!!!!
Dinner tonight was low-key but festive -
We made a huuuuuge batch of mustard BBQ cabbage
Topped with Fortnum and Mason Whiskey Mustard and Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
If you want to reduce your grocery budget, include a cabbage!! They are usually only $.47/lb at our store. Topped with the last of the delicious cranberry pecans -
We also munched on tuna salad, made with Oikos and mustard, carrots + green pepper
And served with Kashis
Corn on the cob rounded out the plate
This dinner was quite filling!
SnagFilm Free Entertainment
I got an email today about SnagFilms, an online library of more than 700 documentaries that can be viewed at any time for free. In light of the media about Food Inc, this hour+ long film presents organic and healthy alternatives to the large-scale, pesticide-ridden agriculture that’s a major part of what we eat in today’s mass produced food.
While watching I noticed another interesting movie about the broadway cast of the original show and their life after -
***
I’ve got a few more things to do this evening and then I’m off to read in bed.
G’night!
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the dinnerware!
Cute star plates.
I never get crackers at the store, or at least crackers I know I will eat a million of.
Dinner looks like an all star event (bad pun but I had to do it)
Kashi crackers on sale are always a good thing!!
I applaud you for the self control with the Kashis, I cannot buy them because they are so yummy!
That dinner looks amazing. And quite All-American, given the blue and red stars with the corn on the cob.
I have salmon salad often but have never tried it with Kashis; I believe I will now!
HelpMeghanRun.com
Congrats to Matt + his new phone!
Have you tried the new Kashi crackers? I talked myself out of buying them but sampled a friends.. they’re like yummier Triscuits!
I think I’ll have to try mustard cabbage soon. Looks awesome.
Pimpin phone!
And I love the childhood drawing, that is too cute. Grandmas keep everything, don’t they.
Cabbage is awesome.
Food Inc pretty much freaked me out…:(
On a happier note…Mmmm cabbage:) Dig the star plates!
oh man, 2 iPhones in one house! we don’t even have one yet!
dinner looks great, and that’s true about the cabbage – it’s always so cheap!
Ooo snagfilms.com looks awesome! Thanks for the link – I will definitely be checking some of these out!
Lucky ducks – yall’ have two i-phones now! Hahah. I have an i-pod touch, but an i-phone would be awesome!
At least the crackers were on sale! I’ve been on a tight budget myself latley and have had to cut back on quite a few things. Tuna salad has become a favorite of mine too – cheap and cheerful!
Nice discovery! I have seen future of food, kind of one note and only shows one side of the argument, but a powerful and insightful documentary nonetheless. While on the snag films website I came by another doc that I thought would be good too and tied in with the Food Inc message entitled “Peter Jennings Reporting: How to Get Fat Without Really Trying.” The document description says, “reveals how federal government agricultural policies and food industry practices are contributing to America’s growing obesity epidemic.” Check it out!
Nice discovery! I have seen future of food, kind of one note and only shows one side of the argument, but a powerful and insightful documentary nonetheless. While on the snag films website I came by another doc that I thought would be good too and tied in with the Food Inc message entitled “Peter Jennings Reporting: How to Get Fat Without Really Trying.” The document description says, “reveals how federal government agricultural policies and food industry practices are contributing to America’s growing obesity epidemic.” Check it out! (the comment above is my old website. This is my current blog..Oops!)
Oh Kashi crackers, how I love thee
Haha. I’m off to read in bed too! Have a good night!
so true about cabbage – you get SO much in one head! that dinner is plated so adorably. i love all your dishware!
BBQ mustard cabbage?!?!?! what?!!?!? that sounds amazing!!!!! Is it really just BBQ sauce and mustard? I LOVE sauteed cabbage!
Hey Kath!
I was actually hoping you could answer a question for me. You see, i started practicing bikram yoga and i have been at it for about a month . . . going 3-4 days a week. I usually go mon., weds., and friday. I have also been really good about my eating, but saturday is usually the day i go out to eat in a restaurant and indulge a bit. The past few weeks i would weigh myself on sunday and would see a three to four lb. increase in weight, but then i haul my butt to a yoga class and cut my calorie intake just a bit then monday thru friday i go back to my normal healthy eating and my weight has stayed in check. However, today i found that after 2 days of indulging (Thanks to some birthday celebrations) my weight only went up a pound and some change and i found it easier to get back to starter weight. Could this be because yoga is helping to improve my metabolism?
Good job on keeping your grocery budget in check lady. I’m impressed.
I think you’ve sold me on the mustard bbq cabbage. I love cooked cabbage so maybe I can convince Hubz to give it a try.
Nite!
Thank you for the tip about the documentaries!
I am addicted to the crunch of kashi crackers, what can I say!
congrats to matt on the iphone! if you’re anything like me and my hubby, you’ll be seen in public a lot staring at your phones and not at each other…..
LOVE the star plates! Cabbage is one of those things I love when I eat it but always neglect to pick up at the store, not sure why!
Jenn
Those dinner plates are SO CUTE! Love them!
Wow, I definitely would have had a hard time passing up that Kashi sale. YUMMMY!!!!
What a fun dinner! I love all these summery meals you’ve been making. Definitely giving me some great ideas!
I adore Kashi crackers! That’s a great deal!
I dont think I could eat that much cabbage in one meal if I needed to be around other people soon after!
If you didn’t receive all the free food products you get from manufacturers, could you afford to buy the healthy products you eat? I would love to eat the nut butters that you do (like $8-12 a jar?) , and the protein bars, and the Amazing Grass Meals (at $70 each, are you kidding?), chia seeds and who knows what else you get, but I can’t afford to buy the products. How can “the rest of us” eat healthy on an affordable budget?
I love your festive plates, they’re so cute! Your dinner looks delish, great idea putting Oikos in tuna salad!
Loving the plates and the food – I love the crunch of cabbage
i’m not sure i even like cabbage but you dinner looks awesome! and super filling. kudos on the budget shopping. we are trying to cut corners too.
Wow, those prices are amazing! haha it would be hard for me to resist too
I can’t believe you are only at $55 for the month! I feel like I’ve spent at least $55 for the month already and I’m only feeding MYSELF! Then again..I guess I am in nyc..
just an FYI – Sandra Lee has a series on the Food Network that focuses on low budget home-cooked meals. You can find episodes online.
The iphone sitch really reveals who wears the pants…(it’s okay, so do I!)
I’m craving mustard and cabbage now. Weird.
So lucky about the iphone! Also just wanted to tell you that I am always loving on your adorable bowls, plates and utensils – so cute, especially the star bowl!
I bought some crackers as well today! Cherry Semolina flavor by Dr. Krackers.. wasn’t too expensive with my handy dandy $1 off coupon
What a great way to make tuna salad! I’m going to try that
IPhone? Can this Justin character be my friend?!?!
I am new and just read about your grocery challenge- great idea!
That looks delicious and I love those star plates!
Did you use albacore tuna? I like albacore but it is always so expensive in my neighborhood.
I recently wrote about watching “Annie” again for the first time in years! Instant happiness remembering simpler times. I can’t wait to see the Life After Tomorrow doc. Thanks for the link.
Great going on your budget!
I enjoyed your article at Angie’s (www.ohsheglows.com)
Great!
Pam
http://www.alovefornewrecipes.blogspot.com
Eating healthfully does not mean that you have to eat crazy nut butters and chia seeds. I think Kath shows us great ways to eat where we can easily substitute more expensive products with ones we can afford. Such as peanut butter, or nuts and lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
Saying that healthy eating is expensive is a cop out – when you look at how much a bag of Doritos cost how come its so hard to switch that money over to a healthier product?
Love your blog
Jeine
HAHA! I love the Christmas drawing. My sisters and I definitely have a few of those lying around as well.
And I’m the same way with Kashis…they can’t enter my house without my trying them asap.
Love those star plates – dinner look amazing!!
Where did you get those adorable star plates? I love them!
Who can resist Kashi crackers on sale?
Dinner looks fabulous. Hooray for Matt getting his new cell phone.
Great job on the grocery challenge! I need to start one myself
Heather,
New new ones? I’ve seen the big squares and the asiago flavor, but I haven’t seen any others?
Jenny,
Weight fluxuations are so dependent on things like your food intake, water intake, exercise habits, time of month, that I doubt your lesser gain is a result of metabolism. Muscle gain does positively impact metabolism, as does any form of regular exercise, but not to the number of a whole pound – maybe a few extra calories per day (unless you’re gaining TONS of muscle as a body builder type). So I’d attribute the flux to other factors.
Donna ,
I know I do get a lot of complimentary foods – foods that I definitely would not buy otherwise. If I didn’t get so many varieties of nut butter to sample, I’d probably be eating the huuuuge jars of Smucker’s Natural from Costco or the $1.97 jars from Trader Joe’s with only an occasional treat of a fancy nut butter. I don’t buy Amazing Grass and don’t plan to either. I don’t buy many packaged foods with my own dollar – I’d make my own granola, eat oatmeal for breakfast, and just skip things like chips and granola bars. We focus our spending on produce – heavily – and compliment with some organic dairy and meats. If we weren’t getting our bread and variety of samples for free, I would definitely increase our grocery budget some, but since we do, I keep it super low as motivation to use up what we have in the house along with fresh produce.
HappyWriter7,
I use Chunk Light tuna from Costco.
Stacy ,
I don’t remember! I think Homegoods??
Kath
I love cabbage, especially cooked up in a sauce like that! I’m even more obsessed with sauerkraut… I usually end up eating way too much and giving myself a little “food baby” stomach!
Wow….a little controlling about the iPhone?? Why the restrictions on your husband when you yourself have an iPhone?? Yikes….
I love the Kashi crackers, too. But I try not to buy them because I will eat the whole box!! They are hard to find here and rarely go on sale, so that makes it easier to resist them.
Last time I bought a cabbage I thought I would never get rid of it. They make a surprisingly huge amount of food.
Glad the postcard made it to you safely! That dinner looks superb – volume eating at its finest!