Grocery Shopping Paleo Style

What do you eat in a week? 

Do you purposely plan your meals? 

Do do you buy precooked food for the week and stop through the drive thru multiple times a week? 

Don't get me wrong, sometime it is a time saver to have a few frozen meals ready in a pinch. 

Who isn't tempted{and given into temptation} to drive thru your nearest fast food restaurant?

It all happens but after reading the following article it solidified the choice to eat paleo

Are you like the average american family?

This and the following photos is from an article Infowars

I have to say I was THOROUGHLY grossed out! 

Now if this is how your family eats I mean no offence but this is why the American

people are obese, diabetic, racked with disease and the like.

Now before you think that just Americans are poor eaters...

think again!

Great Britans weekly food consumption

Mexico...did you count the 2 liters of Coke? 12, TWELVE!!!!

Chad, this reminds me to NEVER complain about my grocery budget!

Now to show me mine now that I am eating a simple, natural, unprocessed diet

We eat pretty simply, my boys cereal/protein bars are probably the most processed food we consume. 

Now even though there isn't a lot of food don't equate this with a small amount of money spent. I made some yummy meals with this trip like sweet potato fries and breaded chicken, quiche, and garden meatballs.

I am very pro organically grown food, humanly treated animal meals and products, which all cost. 

But I would rather spend it natural foods than on medicine and Dr. visits. 

What does your weekly grocery shopping look like?

 

3 Ways Planning Helps with Homemaking

 Planing!

This touches every aspect of the homemaking. Activities, dinners and grocery shopping. Here are a few ways I handle each of these:

Activities:

This category isn’t too big in our home yet; with two toddlers there aren’t many activities going on for them. But I am a VERY social person and so at the beginning of the month I get all my event calendars together, MOPS, Building Blocks, Bible Study and play dates and block those times off. I am big on doing two big things on the same day. So if two events fall on the same day I pick one, sometimes that decision is hard but the repercussions of me over-extending myself and doing to much is harder on me and my family. 

Dinner/ Grocery Shopping

I like to plan my weekly meals on Sunday evening.  I like to add new meals in from time to time. Who wants to eat the same thing for every meal. Variety is the spice of life after all! When I do my planning I include at least 3 breakfast, 3 lunches, 2 snacks and 3 dinners. So that means there will be repeats of at least 2 different meals. Just incase you are wondering what we are eating this week here it is

Breakfast:

Steel cut oats

Eggs {scrambled, fried or omelets}

Waffles

Lunch

Tuna Salad

Chicken Salad

Chef salad

Lettuce Wraps

Dinner:

Taco Soup {out of the freezer}

Spaghetti

Breakfast for dinner

Snacks

Hummus and bell pepper

Nuts and fruit

Toast with nut butter and banana

So nothing that is rocket science. I’m not gourmet chef but my family likes it!  

Another aspect of meal planning is freezing meals. I love love, LOVE to freeze food for later in the week or month.

Grocery Shopping.

First and foremost I “shop” around the house before I even make my list. For instance, I go pantry shopping {going to my own pantry to see what is already in the house} and freezer shopping {take a guess that means}. I try to make sure and use the things that already in the house to maximize our grocery budget. As I make my dinner menus I take note of the meals that are a hit and the one that hit a sour note. The winners’ get their ingredients get added to the grocery list. This makes it easy to know what to by. But if I don't do these things I end up buying doubles of things we have, and forgetting things we need! 

How does planning help you run your home?

Thankful Thursday~Four weeks with 2 boys

Today my new baby Elliot is 4 weeks old! Oh how time flies with 2! It is amazing that I am able to get anything accomplished! But some how I am able to:

1. keep our new little home clean, 
2. laundry done, 
3. boys fed, diapered, and clothed, 
4. cook breakfast, lunch and dinner
5. Grocery shop

 I also am able at times to do things for myself with and without the boys

1. Attend MOPS and Building Blocks
2. Go shopping for clothes for MYSELF!!!
3. Go out with girlfriends
4. In Feburary attend Bible study

Its definitely harder with two, it takes twice as long to do anything, but I love my boys and wouldn't trade it for the world! I am so thankful for my family I wouldn't trade them for anything!

Grocery Shopping: Saving money with a plan

So I just got back from the grocery store. I made 2 mistakes; 1. I went hungry 2. I didn't have a list. AHH but I am happy to say I didn't spend much. I actually did pretty well (not my best, but considering the circumstances its really good)

So I just feel like sharing:

• 2 boxes of Barilla pasta
• 2 jars of pasta sauce
• 2 boxes if toaster strudels (the hungry me bought this)
• 7 jars of organic baby food
• 2 bags of frozen steamer veggies
• Simply Pillsbury biscuits
• 2 yogurts
• 2 packages of hotdogs
• 2 pacifiers

Ok so yes it isn't much but this the best part, when I go to the store I like for them to scan my groceries, then I give them my membership card, then the coupons. I like to get the BIG effect of my savings. So my total went from just under $60 (no card) to $38 (after the card) to the final cost of $25 (after coupons). The crazy thing is that someone might actually spend nearly $60 on so little groceries!

Now I did say that this isn't one of my best, but it is always nice when you go shopping with out a plan (not recommended often if saving money if your goal) and not break the bank. Now if you are really interested in becoming a real Grocery Guru you have to visit one of my favorite blogs, Beauty and Bedlam. She has a section on coupons and freebies