Food View- whats a weekly grocery shopping trip looks like up in here?

I am quite certain that the first grocery store I ever stepped in was Red Owl, owned by the Huber's at the corner of Church and Meridian Street here in Small Town, USA. 

Isn't this such a cool vintage photo? Even though it is not the Red Owl I use to know, it still brings back some memories.

It kind of makes me sad to think that kids of this generation will only know grocery shopping at Wally World or Target Boutique(said with a French accent), and not really get a home town feel when they walk into their local grocery store.

I admit, I have shopped all the big box stores for groceries and still do once in awhile. Lately though I have been trying to keep it smaller, more local. It is a challenge to find small & local, but it's there, and it can really be worth it. 

I try to keep my grocery budget at about $150 a week, give or take(mostly give) a few dollars. Unless we are having company or a special occasion then I usually budget for more.

My first local stop was Cedar Summit Farm. This is a great organic farm! They raise grass fed beef and have a store/creamery right there on site. They carry a nice selection of meat & dairy products with a few extra things tossed into the mix.

You are probably wondering if grass fed, organic products are more expensive?.......Yes they are. 

But here is the pay off, they are super high quality, high in essential fatty acids, high in CLA(conjugated linoleic acid) and very low in chances of contracting E.Coli. I also do not have to worry about my daughter getting any added hormones through food. Lord knows, we don't need to add to that brewing disaster!

Here is what I bought at the Farm:

1/2 gallon Whole,Grass fed Milk-, 2 dozen pastured chicken eggs( jumbo, and xtra large), 1 bottle of local maple syrup( total splurge @ $10.99!), Ferndale Italian sausage(Turkey) , 2 lbs of grass fed ground beef, 1 lb of Kalona grass fed butter.

Farm Total: $42.09

Next Stop: the local Coborns. 

Lately I have been finding myself doing most of my "non Farm" food item shopping there. They have a great selection for a small town grocery store. Yes the prices are higher than Wally World, but when it comes to the price of gas and the price of my sanity, I think staying local is a great choice! 

  

Now, before you try to bust me out, I do still purchase some craptastic foods. It's not all organic or "real". We are not perfect, never will be and sometimes it is hard to get a B'Dog to do new tricks....if you know what I mean. Honestly I can't blame it all on the B'Dog...I like chocolate(all kinds) and Lily likes....well...anything with sugar. It's a total work in progress folks!

OK let's get on with it:

Produce: Bananas, Strawberries, grapefruits, snap peas, kale(going to try making kale chips per my cousin Kristi), green onions, and red potatoes.

Bread: 100% Whole Wheat(Bruce & Lily) & Ezekiel bread(for me)

Meat: 1 bag of shrimp, 1 package of sandwich meat, 1 package of Applegate bacon, 

3 packages of Bare chicken breasts

Staples: Rice vinegar, corn starch(I was looking for arrow root powder because I want to stop using corn starch but the store did not have it. Will have to look online for it), long grain brown rice, long grain white rice, and cashews

Home made pizza fixings: Turkey pepperoni, and Mozzarella cheese. 

I am on the hunt for healthier versions of both.

Junk Snacks: M&M's and peanuts to make trail mix, Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips, Annie's white cheddar bunnies, and plain ripple generic potato chips.

Coborns TOTAL: $109.92

For a Grand Total of  $152.01!

Not too bad, right? I know I could work on getting a little more of the super junkie processed stuff out of our diets and finding better alternatives. I am trying, really, really hard. Isn't it scary that this is a vast improvement from how we use to eat?

Maybe next time I will have some substitutions included. Provided I can find them :)

I always love to peek in and see what other are doing for meals....maybe sometime down the road I will include what our menu looks like for the week. Would that be something that interests you?

Thanks for visiting my kitchen.

Enjoy the View~

Jenifer

Food View Friday (cue the Marky Mark music please)- Ya Oil ready for this?

SAY WHAT? 

Yep, this week I am changing it up a little bit.
Usually it's BeautyView on Fridays and for anyone that is new here BeautyView is where I take out my fancy-nancy camera(that I am learning how to use and still not real good with) and look for something I find beautiful that week and post the snap shot.... BUT  I only had my camera out once this week(shameful, right?) and it was to take pictures of Miss L at softball practice.
I know I  never get tired of seeing pictures of her, but she's not yours.....and I don't want to wear out her welcome.
Of course she will make more than just one appearance here, no worries :)

 Instead I am posting about the cooking oils I use in my kitchen.

Disclaimer: I have a long way to go as far as weight loss, getting in shape, and true healthy eating...but I am taking steps that are working for me. Adding healthy fat back into my daily diet is one step that has worked in my favor. Since I have quit counting fat grams and stopped eating low-fat/no-fat foods, I have lost 10 lbs!!

How can that be, you ask? When the SAD(Standard American Diet) tells us we need to be eating low fat to curb the obesity epidemic? Maybe we have been misinformed all these years?

There is so much information out there, and it can be quite overwhelming, but I found that replacing certain oils with healthier versions has worked for me. Another huge benefit when I added healthy fats back into my diet: I stayed full longer! Apparently this leads me to eating less...what a brilliant concept!

So out with the unhealthy oils like: vegetable oils, Crisco, and any non-butter spreads or sprays like "I can't believe it's not Butter".

Disclaimer: I am not going to go around pretending to be a health expert because clearly I am not. And I won't pretend I NEVER consume vegetable oils because obviously if we go out to eat, I have little to no control over what kind of oils the restaurant uses. But I do have the control to use healthier versions when I cook at home, right?

And that brings us to the oils I always keep handy in my kitchen.

#1- Coconut Oil-Unrefined: 

Oh I love my coconut oil! So many uses and benefits. In my kitchen I use this for baking, cooking, and sauteing.

#2- EVOO-Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 

Packed full of healthy Omega 3 fatty acids.

I use this for marinades, homemade salad dressings, and low heat sauteing. 

This particular EVOO has a very strong, distinct flavor so when I make a homemade salad dressing or marinade I usually mix it with my next go to oil #3:

#3- Organic Sunflower Oil: 

I use this sparingly because it mainly contains Omega 6 fatty acids, which we get too much of in our SAD(Standard American Diet). When I run out of sunflower oil I am going to try avocado oil next because it has less Omega 6 fatty acids & more Omega 3's!

I like sunflower oil because it does not have a strong flavor, which makes it great for homemade salad dressings and marinades. 

Once in awhile I will use it to saute things if I do not want the EVOO or Coconut oil flavor. 

I would use butter but because I have a mild dairy allergy I try to stay away from butter when I will be consuming the food I am making. 

BUT that does not mean I don't use butter in my kitchen for B'Dog and Miss L.

#4 Butter-Grass Fed:

Who doesn't LOVE butter?

It has gotten such a bad rap over the past couple decades but butter is making a HUGE comeback, as it very well should! 

Here are just 7 reason why butter is good for you!

I use butter mostly for my family's benefit by adding it on top of pancakes & waffles, on toast & sandwiches, on steamed veggies, in homemade baked goods, ect.

As I said before I do have a mild dairy allergy, but on occasion I will still consume butter, even if I pay for it later...naughty me!

And THAT'S IT! Those are the oils I use. 

Pretty simple, pretty healthy, and pretty dang tasty!

Do yourself, your family, and your taste buds a flavor favor...add the healthy fats back into your kitchen!

Happy Friday Y'All!

ENJOY the View~

Jenifer

Food View...I roasted a chicken and I liked it....the taste of its tender breast meat

Are all of you singing that blog title?

I know I was when I finally, for the very first time, roasted a whole chicken, by myself!

Yes, I am at a certain age where everyone who is anyone probably wonders: "She's never roasted a chicken?"

Nope, No I have not thank you very much.

Until a couple days ago.

See I use to never even eat meat with bones still in it.

Until I got "edumacated" on how much goodness all the bones hold.

Do I eat the bones? 

Um, no. 

Because that would be totally crossing the line for me.

However when I have used up all the chicken meat, I throw them bones into a pot of water with some onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt and a little Apple Cider Vinegar(to extract the goodness from the bones) and make a killer pot of chicken broth. I will save all the details on my chicken broth for another post. It definitely deserves it's own glory!

So let's get on to this fabulously simple roasted chicken and the recipe I used.....just in case you are in the same boat as me and have not taken the step to roast your own.

I start with a whole chicken, preferably organic, pasture raised.

Make sure it is completely cleaned out on the inside. They already do that for me where I purchase mine, THANK THE LORD!

I then put the chicken in a pan deep enough to roast it and to catch all the juices. I rubbed the inside of my chicken with 2 garlic cloves and 1 TBSP of Italian Seasonings. 

If you do not have a mixed Italian Seasoning use 1 tsp of thyme, 1 tsp of rosemary, and 1 tsp of oregano.

Then I rubbed the outside of my chicken with Olive Oil, salt, and pepper. I made sure the breast side was face down. I heard somewhere that it stays more tender that way(and it did).

At this point I already have my oven preheated to 450 degrees. 

Roast chicken at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes turn your oven down to 400 degrees and roast your bird for another 35-45 minutes(for a 2-2 1/2 lb-er) or 60 minutes (for a 3-5 lb-er).

I also made sure the breast of the chicken had an internal temp of 165 degrees or more when I took it out of the oven.

And this here is the finished product Folks. 

Crispy and Juicy!

For our family of 3 this can turn into at least 2-3 meals. So I don't get too wound up about the price of my organic, pasture chicken. 

You can serve it with a side of rice, baked potato, or fried potato & veggies.

Turn it into chicken salad sandwiches the next day or add it to salad greens with any type of fixings you want.

Then for the final meal I make soup: chicken dumpling, chicken noodle, or chicken & rice.

YUM!

It is super easy, super simple, super economical, and super delicious.

If you have not tried it, go for it!

And while dinner is roasting, kick your feet up and.............

Enjoy the View~

Jenifer

A Viewing...where plants "usually" come to die and other tales from the crypt

I've been inspired.......to garden this year....if the snow ever stops falling and the ground thaws.
It is nearing the end of April and Minnesota was just slammed with another winter storm this week.
Thankfully it was 40 degrees yesterday and there was some serious melting going on while the sun was shining.
Let me tell ya folks, that is the ONLY good thing about snow in April, it does not last.

OK let's get back to the inspiring parts....a couple blogs I read have "talked me into" becoming a quasi-farmer.
When it comes to anything living that is green, that needs TLC, let's just say, I don't do it well.
Typically it's a big 'ol flop. In my defense it's not always my fault. I try, really hard, to carefully tend to the beautifully gifted houseplants that I have received, but I have 2 serious issues and they look like this:

Cute, right?

Don't let them fool ya, they are fur-covered plant killers.

P.S. not the same cat...Big Mow(Mow sounds like Mauer, as in Joe, without the "er") & Mee Mow(on the right)

So I gave up on house plants, because it was easier than giving up on the Mows.

But come February, in Minnesota...I am jones-ing for some plant life. 

I think you already get the drift that these two criminals make it nearly impossible to have a living one indoors.

Ms. Kelly over at: Grassroots Homestead, was an inspiration on two parts: to get my blog up and running and to start producing my own food, or at least TRY to produce my own food.

Hop over to Kelly's blog and check her out, let her know I sent you :)

Another inspiration was Jessica over at: Optimal Living. 

Her family leads, what I would consider, a healthy lifestyle. Her blog has inspired me to incorporate little tips and tricks into my family's lifestyle too!  Find a moment to check out Jessica's blog, you won't be disappointed.

 She recommended this book on gardening: 

I must admit, it has an overwhelming amount of information to sort through. Especially for this non-gardener's brain. But we, as a family, are going to put our best foot forward and try to produce a little of our own food.

Sounds fun, right? 

I hope I think that as I am out tending to my precious plants, when it is 100 degrees, 70 degree dew point, and the mosquito's are dive bombing my head this summer.

And just so you don't go away thinking ALL plants come here to die, I have proof they don't:

(pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a flat of marigolds(apparently these keep the rabbits out of the garden?)

My daughter and I actually grew these from little teeny-tiny seeds!

I would like to say there wasn't any criminal activity from the fur-covered plant killers, but I would be lying. 

Mee Mow was caught red-pawed(?), with a tomato seedling hanging out of her mouth.

They have since been safely tucked away into the play room, with the door closed at all times.

Hopefully sometime this summer we will all get to,

Enjoy the View......from our garden!