Grocery Shopping FAIL.

L is gone for the week.  He left this morning, and since he usually goes grocery shopping on Sundays, I was left to do my own weekly shopping.
I wanted to attempt a grocery excursion similar to Beth's, so I went and printed out coupons from Whole Foods, and came up with a plan.  Granted, my plan was not thorough and overall it sucked, but still--a sucky plan should be better than NO PLAN. 
Either way.  Whole Foods is, and always will be, Whole Paycheck.  At least until I make a 6 figure paycheck. And since this will NEVER happen, I think you get the picture.
Also, after today's shopping, I am more glad than not that L does the grocery shopping.  Going to stores with amazing meats and produce and seeing all the things I can't have just because I want them is frustrating. 

On to the purchases and enough negative-nancy-pity-party.

Whole Foods was my first stop, and since I had never been to this location before, I drove by the entrance on accident and had to go around this GIANT block to find my way back.  Great start. 

4 Chobbani yogurts + 2 Champagne Mangoes = $6.58.

The goal was to get Cottage Cheese, Chicken Sausage, Champagne Mangoes, a specific Greek Yogurt, and Tea.  I didn't need the tea, but I had a coupon.  Out of my items, I successfully purchased ONE of these items.  The produce at WF is incredible.  AND samples of fruits are a true treat.  I was going to try these Champagne Mangoes even without the sample, but the sample assured me that I made the right choice. YUM!  The greek yogurt that I had a coupon for didn't look appealing, so I got Chobani, and the cottage cheese also didn't excite me. I completely forgot about the chicken sausage--I was totally enthralled by the produce and fresh seafood--and I walked out of the store with 6 items.  I spent $6.58.  YUK.

Trader Joe's haul.

Trader Joe's was more successful and made me a great deal less sad.  I got 15 items and spent $26.95--and the most expensive thing was $3.99 (chicken sausage).  AND I only bought 3 things I didn't need/shouldn't have bought.  But internet, I really wanted chips and dip and macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight.

Here is what I got:
Produce:
Mango
2 lemons
bag of sliced mushrooms
bag of baby arugula/lettuce
Package of baby heirloom tomatoes
1 sweet onion
1 head of cauliflower
1 bag of sweet potatoes

Other:
Bag of frozen pineapple
Spinach, Fontina & Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage
Honey Wheat Pretzel Twists

Didn't need to get, but got:
Potato Chips (Ridged)
Shells and White Cheddar macaroni and cheese
1 package of cream cheese

I am going to roast the cauliflower, bake the sweet potatoes, use the pineapple for smoothies, make a fruit salad with the mangoes and pineapple that L got me at Costco yesterday, and as of now I have already eaten too much potato chips and dip I made with the cream cheese and onion.

I packed my lunch/snack for tomorrow, I know what I will eat for Tuesday's meals, and  on Tuesday I will have more time to plan out the rest of the week/weekend. I'll probably have to go to Winco later this week for basic produce (apples/bananas)--even though I am not a fan, the price can't be beat.

And the baby Heirloom tomatoes? OMG.  ALMOST BETTER THAN JELLY BELLY JELLY BEANS. 
Hey now, I did say almost!  I really love the cool little shapes and sizes that are in the package.  I have some for tomorrow's lunch to throw on my salad.  FUN! 

Overall, for $33.53 I did ok.  Definitely not fun, but as I go forward, there isn't much about growing up that is fun. Especially not being responsible and budget-conscious. 

Beth's (but first the NY Times) Beans that will Change Your Life

Beth's talk about these beans made me want to try them myself.  I NEVER would have thought I would make beans in this kind of process.  I am VERY glad that I tried something out of my comfort zone. I am not going to be afraid of soaking beans and the preparation they take.  The process is worth it. 
These beans are filling, and while I have only tried them in tortillas with cheese and mushrooms, I know that they would work in MANY other ways. 

Black Beans of Awesomeness

Pre-soaking. Notice the green lentils? Hazards of buying from the bulk bin .

From The New York Times:

1 pound black beans, washed and picked over for stones
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon canola oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish if desired
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste

Directions
1. Soak the beans in the water for at least six hours. If they will be soaking for a long time in warm weather, put them in the refrigerator.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add half the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute. Add the beans and soaking water. The beans should be covered by at least an inch of water. Add more as necessary, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and skim off any foam that rises. Cover and simmer one hour.
3. Add the salt, remaining garlic and cilantro. Continue to simmer another hour, until the beans are quite soft and the broth is thick and fragrant. Taste. Is there enough salt? Does it need more garlic? Add if necessary. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator for the best flavor.

After cooking.  YUM.

I haven't figured out exactly how many servings this gets, but a rough estimate is 6 cups.   If you use 1 cup as a serving it comes to 7pts+/ cup.  1/2 C serving size would decrease the pts+ value.  Either way, I can't eat a whole cup in one sitting--SUPER filling. 

Crock-Pot Chicken Salsa

I made this for three weeks straight when I was back in Wisconsin. It is filling, comforting, and delicious.  I have tried different amounts of stuff, and the recipe below has been the most successful:

Boneless/skinless chicken breasts (they can even be frozen!) : as many as you need--in the picture there are 3 GIANT ones. (I usually use 3-5)

1 jar of salsa (as mild or spicy as you wish) I use the GIANT jar of Pace mild salsa, not the normal, standard size.

1 can of low-sodium black beans rinsed (I usually use the biggest can, or two cans)

1 bag frozen sweet corn (I LOVE white corn)

1/2 onion chopped

package of mushrooms

package (big one) 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1-2 packets of taco seasoning: OR MAKE YOUR OWN (thanks Krista!) which I did this time--soooooo much better!!

My version of taco seasoning for this dish:

2 tsp EACH:

garlic powder

cumin

kosher salt

oregano 

paprika

1 tsp black pepper

so much better without the added random scary crap!

Directions:

The night before, put chicken breasts in crock pot.  Add taco seasoning, salsa, beans, corn, onions, mushrooms.  Put crock pot in refrigerator overnight. In the morning plug crock pot in, turn on low, let cook all day (it makes the house smell so good!!)--at least 6 hours.  45 minutes before eating, I take two forks and pull apart the large chicken pieces so it is in shredded pieces (see picture), and then 30  minutes before serving I add the cream cheese.  Stir and serve.  It is hearty enough to eat as is, or you can put it over rice or in tortillas or tacos.  My friend made this and left out the mushrooms and added jalapenos and used spicy salsa, but I am a baby when it comes to heat.  I seriously love this dish and it would provide lunches for the week.  

This time around I got 10 servings/5pts. a serving.  But it varies depending on the amount of chicken/beans I add.  You could probably use regular cream cheese or fat free.

Now that I have written about this, I am going to go make some leftovers for a late breakfast, early lunch!

Reflections and Explanations

I haven't been posting as often as I'd like.  That is for sure.  BUT, I also haven't been cooking much.  I won't lie, my budget is super tight, I am working extremely hard subbing (which I hadn't planned), and I can't seem to find the time/energy to really go to town with experimenting with recipes.
I also might have needed some time for me much more desperately than I thought--today I slept.  The entire day.  I got home last night and slept from about 12:30-8.  Then ate a snack.  Slept from about 8:30-10:30.  Puttzed on the computer.  Slept from  11:30-2:30.  Tried to get motivated to get up and run.  Fell back asleep from 3:00-6.  My sister woke me up to say goodbye, and asked if I had even gotten up at all.  Then I fell back asleep from about 6:30-8.  And I am looking forward to going back to bed now that I had a decent meal that didn't consist of Quaker Cheddar mini-popcorn cakes. 

I am just really hoping with my whole being that I AM NOT GETTING SICK.

This is my exciting life.  During the week, add to the sleeping-- planning for my students, reading their writing, driving, and packing my lunches and that is what things have become.  I haven't been able to visit my grandpa as much as I'd like--and to be honest, it is still really hard to go there. 

One thing that I am VERY proud of though is how I am eating at school.  Lunch, while a pain in the butt to get ready every day, is my redeeming positive at the moment.
I know that WW sometimes sucks people into habits that become repetitive and boring.  For me, if I find something I am really enjoying, I don't mind the repetitiveness.  If it is working, I will keep doing it.

My lunches as of late:
1 yogurt (Yoplait light: Key Lime, Apricot Mango, Very Cherry, Strawberry Kiwi, Harvest Peach, Apple Turnover) --2 points
1 or 1/2 serving of Old Dutch Pretzel Rods--one serving = 32 rods (yep, all pre-counted and pre-bagged the night before)-1 serving = 2 points
1/2 c fat free cottage cheese with salt and pepper --I love the mini gladware containers--they are the perfect size to hold this portion.  = 1.5 points
locally processed/harvested turkey bacon--the slices are mini, but I still count them the same as processed turkey bacon--3 slices = 2 points
1 apple--usually honeycrisp--bigger and not mealy, but they cost MUCHO DINERO.  (1.99/lb!)  So, I tried a jongald (sp.), and it was good too.  I pre-slice it and bag it.  =2 points (it is a bigger apple)
Sometimes:
flatout wrap (light) =1point + turkey slices (1 point) + 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese (.5 pt.) + dijion mustard (0 pt)
WW string cheese 1 piece = 1 pt
Leftover of some sort--like hashbrown casserole 

This is after having a bagel thin for breakfast (1 pt.) and a coke zero.

I saw two of my friends from grad school yesterday, and they noticed and complimented me that I look different and that my shirt was baggy (it might have been because it was a XXL, but I didn't tell them!), and I am hoping to lose 10 more pounds before the end of the month--I get to go back to OR for the weekend.  You have no idea how excited I am.  Or how much I need to see L. And my cats.  And drive my car.

Ok.  I am going to take a shower and go back to bed.  I have to be more productive tomorrow.  I procrastinated with my homework for my online grad class again, and I have student work to read and planning to do.  Just not tonight.

Crock Pot Awesomeness (my title, Krista's idea)

Dear Krista,

I super-heart you times ten. 

While my version turned out slightly different, this meal was awesome, hearty, and super-perfect for a chilly fall evening/morning!
AND...my sister liked it too!! (not a minor feat let me tell you!)

Here is Krista's version:  check it out!

And here is mine:

YUM

Crock Pot Awesomeness
2 Honeycrisp Apples cut up (these were pretty big apples--grown in WI too!!)
2 Sweet potatoes scrubbed and cut up
1 yellow onion cut up
6 whole cloves of garlic
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
4 drumsticks (they still had the bones and skin)  (*I was really looking for white meat since my sister doesn't like dark meat, but I wound up buying this chicken because it was from local free-range chicken farms that don't use artificial anything. While expensive for my limited budget at the moment, the extra money spent really is worth it to me--especially after watching Food Inc.)
Cinnamon (GENEROUS amount shaken all over the different "layers")
Put all components into crock pot (I pretty much STUFFED the crock pot to maximum capacity), layering the different ingredients with shakes of cinnamon.
I put the dish in the refrigerator overnight (I prepped all of this the night before), took it out before I left the house in the morning (at 6:25 am), and my sister had some when I got home at 6:45 pm and it was PERFECT.  The meat fell apart, and the flavor was incredible.  Hearty, sweet (but not too sweet), and a little savory all in one.  YUM.
Mine reminds me of a stew--much more liquidy than I anticipated (thank goodness I didn't add any liquid!! Thanks Krista!), but totally forkable.
And beyond easy.

My sister estimated we will get about 10 servings from what I made.
10 servings=3pts. per serving.  FRIGGEN AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Planning Ahead

Unlimited veggies cut in advance! YUM!

It's slowly coming back to me now...how important it is to plan my meals, my day (of eating), my week--and how much time is involved.

1/2 c fresh strawberries & 1 c fresh blueberries--DELICIOUS!

When I was really successful last time on the program, I was purchasing food for the week based on the WW boards, suggestions, and recipe ideas, and making food for the week--carefully portioning out EVERYTHING in advance.  If I didn't, I would resort back to eating entire containers of ranch dip with my vegetables or whole bags of chips or at a really BAD moment--entire loaves of bread.  With everything portioned out in advance, I know how much I can have at a time.

If I portion out the 15 baked Sour Cream and Cheddar Ruffles in little individual baggies--even the thought of having more than one at a time makes me cringe. 

I have also fallen in love with the 100 calorie packs for a treat--Oreo Cakester 100 calorie packs and the Sweet and Salty Chex mix are my two current favorites. (I also write the point value of the packs on the box as a reminder as to how much I am going to eat--do I really want to burn those points at that moment?!?!)

Sour Cream and Onion Pirate's Booty--1 of 4 servings from the bag (which I can easily eat in one sitting) = 3 points per serving!!

This initial start is intensive and tedious, at least right now--I know, I know, only one week in and a lifetime to go! 

Could I easily have a GIANT bowl of this stuff? 

Yep.  Or, I could just as easily open up the box and munch mindlessly--and endlessly.

The solution!  One serving = 1 1/4 c = 1 pt!

Definitely could eat the whole box!

One serving--17 crackers =