After realizing that I spend too much time, money and energy in the meals we have been eating I decided that a change was in order. I love to cook and I love to sit on Pinterest trying to find the next best meal. Oh, and I don’t have kids. That combination is kind of dangerous. I have been preparing some great meals but I really don’t need to spend that amount of time cooking each night and scouring the internet looking for new recipes. I think I did an okay job of trying to extend my ingredients as far as possible but my grocery bills were still too high for just two people.
Enter change: I have decided to do a monthly “stock up” at the start of each new month, then supplement that with fresh produce and dairy. That way I’ll start each month with a full fridge, freezer and pantry and be challenged to use only what I have, except for some fresh veggies and dairy products. It’s going to be hard but I think I can do it!
Here’s how it is going to work in March… I ordered my groceries to be delivered on March 1. The biggest thing I did was stock up on meat products. Meat is by far the most expensive part of my groceries. I buy organic, free-range, grass-fed meat so it does cost more. I have no idea if I’ll be able to do this but I am going to try to use only the meat I already have, as well as the meat I ordered for the entire month of March.
Here’s what I got in the meat department:
- 4 chicken breasts = $22
- 3.5 lbs pork roast = $10
- 2 lbs of flank steak = $19
- 4 boneless pork chops = $10
- Vegetables & herbs (broccoli, potatoes, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, peppers, avocados, garlic, cilantro, thyme, acorn squash, onions, tomatoes, spinach) = $45
- Fruits (bananas, apples, oranges, pears) = $15
- Other ingredients (bread, cheese, lunch meat, eggs, etc.) = $30
- Total grocery bill = $150.28
My pantry is fairly well-stocked right now, and I have ground beef, Italian sausage, breakfast sausage and bacon in the freezer already, so I am pretty well set as we start off the new month.
Here are some things I like to keep on hand in my pantry:
- Quinoa
- Couscous
- White beans
- Chickpeas
- Tomato sauce
- Diced tomatoes
- Chicken stock
- Asian noodles
- Oats
- Barley, lentils
- Olive oil
- Vinegar (red wine, apple cider, balsamic, etc.)
- Cooking wine (sherry, Marsala)
- Spices and dried herbs
Some things I have/plan to have on hand in my fridge/freezer are:
- Butter
- Milk
- Sour cream
- Eggs
- Fresh pasta (I like linguine, tortellini/ravioli and gnocchi)
- Tortillas
- Ginger
- Asian seasonings (soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, etc.)
- Capers and olives
- Lemons
- Herbs (I try to grow these in the summer!)
- Granola
- Frozen fruits for smoothies/yogurt parfaits
- Frozen veggies to add to fried rice or a stir fry (peas/carrots/corn medley)
- Nuts
One thing I will still continue to do is plan our meals. I am too type-a and indecisive to fly by the seat of my pants in that regard. I will just plan each week based on the foods that we currently have and add additional fresh ingredients as needed. Here is what’s on the menu for next week:
The challenge is on – I have no idea how I am going to fare but I have high hopes that this will be an exciting change in the way we eat.