QFC Grocery List 10/30

I knew that things had changed for me when I started looking through the clothes at Hadlock Building Supply.  Miss MoneyPenny used to buy her clothes at Nordstrom back in the good ol' days when the money was flowing freely, thanks to her favorite ex-husband.  These days I'm waiting for payday so I can purchase the above Carhartt hoodie complete with logo.  My grandson, the plumber, wears a lot of Carhartt so I know that I will be stylin'.

They also had some good looking tees like this one which will work well in my present wardrobe of hoodies and jeans with a few bibs thrown in:

Okay - let's take a look at the QFC ad for this week.  Miss MaggieMay and I were talking about meatloaf the other day.  I only like meatloaf in sandwich form and I don't care for meatballs, either, but I love burgers.  Go figure that one out.  Anyway, ground beef is on sale for $2.49 a pound but you have to buy the three pound roll which is not a problem.

When I get it home, I divide it up into a two pound piece and the rest gets shaped into patties for the grill.  Then into the freezer for later use if I'm not gonna make meatloaf right then.  No problem at all.  Buy more if you are feeding a family with kids.

Here are the highlights this week:

La Brea Bakery French Baguette - $1.99/loaf (bread crumbs when stale)
Orowheat Bread - $2.50/loaf
Spice Islands Spices - 50% off
Starbucks Coffee - $6.99/12oz or 12ct
La Victoria Salsa - $2/16oz
QFC Large Eggs - $1.99/18ct
Draper Valley Whole Chicken - $ .88/lb (stockup for the freezer price)
Lean Ground Beef - $2.49/lb
Celery - $ .68/lb
Fuji/Braeburn Apples - $ .99/lb
Tomatoes on the Vine $ .99/lb
Mayan Sweet Onions - $ .99/lb

I make a fabulous meatloaf and I got the recipe off the Onion Soup Mix box back in the 70s and it has never let me down.  I added my own touch which is a glaze that really makes a tasty loaf.  Here is the recipe straight from the box with my glaze:

2lb ground beef
1 envelope Onion Soup Mix
3/4 cup bread crumbs (I have used oatmeal with success)
2 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/3cup ketchup
I also add a good jolt of Worcestershire

Get in there with your hands and give it a good mix.  Shape it into a loaf and bake at 350 until done.  The recipe says one hour but I usually give it 30 minutes more and keep an eye on it.

30 minutes before it is done mix up this glaze and paint the top of the loaf liberally:

1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar

This is really good the next day after it has set up.  Grill some slices with cheese and make a delicious sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions on sourdough.  Yum!!

2013 Garden WrapUp & Critique

Isn't this a cool picture??  I found this in a group of like minded photos on the web and this one really tells it like it is.  We have been stuck in this Puget Sound Stagnation forever and I'm starting to get sick of it.  My favorite ex-husband used to call days like this suicide gray and he was right for once.

The first thing that I want to say about this garden year is that it was spectacular!!  The best I've seen since I left Portland and the Willamette Valley.  I don't know what to tell you if you had a lousy garden this year because everything that you need for success was in place - lots of sun and warm temperatures.

Even though my hip blew out in June and I wasn't able to keep up with the weeding my garden was still fantastic because of our fabulous summer.  I've taken some notes and thought I would share my successes and failures and what I plan to do next year. 

I'm a big fan of Territorial Seeds because these guys grow their stuff in Cottage Grove, Oregon, so they are always looking for seeds that do well in the Pacific Northwest.  Be sure and request their catalog for garden dreaming and planning in the winter.  I also really do well with starts from Red Dog Farm which is just next door in Chimacum.

Lettuce:  I like to start my garden year off with starts from Red Dog and then plant seeds at the same time - kind of like a jumpstart.  This year I planted seeds of New Red Fire and Tom Thumb Butterhead and was happy that they didn't bolt in the heat.  Next year I'm going to add Salad Bowl and Drunken Woman Frizzyhead just for the name alone.

Beets:  This year I grew starts from RD and was quite happy with them but next year I'm going to try Boro seeds.  Territorial says that this variety is good for pickled beets which is the only reason I grow beets.

Tomatoes:  Again these came from RD and it was a banner tomato year.  The varieties that I grew were Sungold, Glacier, Siletz, and Koralik.  The last three were new to me and I would recommend them.

Onions:  Walla Wallas, red onions, shallots, sweet white onions - all from RD.  This is the second year for me with the onions and I'm really hooked.  Who knew that they were so easy to grow and delicious right out of the garden??

Zucchini:  Starts from RD that did well but I'm going to try them from seed next year.  I'm looking at Patio Star from Territorial because they are bred for containers and I grow zucchinis in an old wheel barrow.

Cucumbers:  Starts from QFC that did well in their big pot in the old lawn chair.  Again I'm thinking that I might try Patio Snacker seeds because they are bred for containers.

Potatoes:  I get these from Mr. SuperGenius, who gets them from his parents.  This year he brought me five different varieties and they are a pure joy.  These are not like potatoes in the store.  Give them a try.

Green Beans:  As always I grow Jade which is a very tasty bush bean.  Keep picking and they will keep producing enough for you and all your friends.  In fact you will get sick of them before they finally quit producing.

Radishes:  This is a true story.  I found an open envelope of Territorial French Breakfast radish seeds in the shed after my grandson, Eli, cleaned it out.  I thought what the heck and sowed them.  I had wonderful radishes and those seeds were at least five years old.  I will plant them (new seeds) again next year along with a variety called Cherry Belle.

Herbs:  I had good luck with Profumo (basil) this year from seed.  This was my first year from seed and I am much happier than with starts.  I also grew Long Island Mammoth dill and Santo Coriander cilantro which also exceeded my expectations.  Herbs just do better from seed, in my opinion.

Berries:  First year for everbearing strawberries and raspberries (not everbearing) and I was thrilled with the harvest.  I had a good crop of blueberries but when I went out to pick them they were all gone.  I suspect the little shits boys that like to play catch in my yard.

Flowers:  I like to grow flowers in the veggie garden because I believe that they encourage bees and, of course, they add beauty.  This year I grew Teddy Bear sunflowers and they are still blooming.  I also grew California Giant Mix zinnias and I will again next year because they are real beauties.  Next year I want to try out Waooh and Solar Chocolate Gold sunflowers, along with the Teddy Bears.

The Failures!!  Peppers - I got my starts at QFC and they really flourished but as soon as they outgrew the mini greenhouse and got planted in the garden they started to go downhill and turn black.  If I can't grow them in a summer like we had I better give up on them.  My other failure was with broccoli starts.  They immediately turned yellow (what the slugs didn't get) and bolted.

I know that this seems like a lot of garden but it really isn't.  I have two 4x12 beds and one 3x5 for the veggies.  I also plant the big old wheel barrow and the cucumber pot.  I grow the strawberries in a 5x5 pyramid and the raspberries in a 2x8 bed.  I used to have five blueberry bushes in the back yard but had to move them after Poppy took out three of them when I first got her.  They now live in the east facing flower bed and do very well.

QFC Grocery List 10/23

I was hoping that this spider web would show up better in this shot but Miss MoneyPenny is not the world's best photographer...and this was the best of five shots.  Our fall mornings and most days for that matter have been blanketed in fog and coolish temps which is giving the beautiful begonia a real hard time:

I figure she has a week, maybe two weeks tops, before she winters out in the compost.  I don't overwinter my begonias because I don't really have a place big enough for them.  They are too big to come inside and for my mini greenhouse.  The garden shed is too cold and besides I like to try out new colors and varieties every year.

I've been getting the place ready for winter.  I've had the roof cleaned and the gutters swabbed out.  I changed out the battery in the smoke detector and I had the heat pump serviced.  I turned the mattress and bought a new set of flannel sheets. 

I'm in the process of taking down the veggie gardens.  I have one completely ready and one almost done.  I started on the last one this morning but got caught up in turning the compost in my old composter and digging out a wheel barrow full of the black gold.  That stuff is amazing!!  And free!!

Next week I will take my car up to the Car Wash in Port Townsend and have them give it a good going over.  It costs about $45, including tip, and they also do the windows.  I will also make an appointment at Satch Works for a winter service, making sure I get new window wipers.  I had my tires rotated this summer at Costco.  When you buy your tires there you get free rotations and I take advantage of that while I do my shopping.  My dear old dad, who was a tire man, said that rotating your tires is important, so I do it.

On to the ad - QFC has a decent one this week.  Pork roast is going for $1.79 a pound and there are all kinds of things that you can do with it.  The Know-It-Alls served it for our Supper Club and I believe they roasted it covered with a green salsa for a Latin flair.  It was delicious!!

Here are the highlights:

Orowheat Bread - $2.50/loaf
Peet's Coffee - $6.99/12oz or 10ct singles
Fage Greek Yogurt - $1/7oz
Kroger Sour Cream - $1/16oz
Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream - 3 for $10/14oz
Colgate Toothpaste - $1/ea 4.6oz
Pork Shoulder Roast - $1.79/lb
Beef Flank Steaks - $4.99/lb
Asparagus - $2.99/lb
Colored Bell Peppers - $1/ea
Cucumbers/Green Peppers - $ .59/ea
Gala, Jonagold Apples - $1/lb
Pears - $1/lb
Pineapple - $1.99/ea
Pomegranates - $2.50/ea

I love the idea of pomegranates in the fall but the eatin' is something else again.  What a mess!!  I think that it is best to put on a big bib and go outside and have at it.

How to Save Money on Groceries - Part 2 (The Hard Part)

Now you know how Miss MoneyPenny loves graphs.  This is a good one from the folks at NRDC and it really tells it like it is but these are just averages which means that some of us waste a lot less and some of us waste a lot more.  In fact studies show that the average family of four wastes over $2000 in food per year!!  Scary, isn't it??

So it is all about not wasting the groceries that we spend gobs of money on once we get home and have dragged into the house.  Our culture has gotten away from good stewardship when it comes to food, which is another scary thought if you think about it.  Big parts of the world do not have enough to eat and here we are wasting it.

I know that I'm going to hear groans about how we just don't have enough time to plan and manage our food dollars.  If you have plenty of money to waste - read no further but if you would rather spend that $2000+ on something fun, stick with me.

Of course planning is the biggie here and those of us with a smartphone or pen and paper handy have no excuse.  This is when you can set the stage for the most money saving.  Decide what meals you are going to have for the week, or more if you are ambitious, taking into account what is in your pantry, in your freezer, and in your garden.  Shop your house first, then check out the weekly ads noting what is on sale and in season and make your list.

Really most of us only have about 10 to 15 main dishes that we regularly prepare. And who doesn't live with a picky eatin' kid or husband??  We are not living with Guy Fieri after all so most of us are just cooking up stews and pastas with some chicken thrown into the mix.  Just regular food.

Since we are pretty much cooking these 10 main dishes, with some seasonal meals, we know what we need to have on hand, so stock up when they are on sale.  When you get them home take care to use up the perishables first and freeze what you can for later. 

Miss MoneyPenny thinks that it is smart to cook with an eye for leftovers.  If your family doesn't like leftovers, get rid of them, the family, I mean.  If you decide to keep the family, change up that roast chicken and make chicken enchiladas a couple days later.  I have yet to see any husband turn up his nose at Mexican food.  There is very little in a leftover that won't live again deliciously in an omelet, pasta, or pizza.  Be creative.  There are several sites on the web to help you with leftover ingredients.  Try food.com for one.

If you know that you aren't going to be able to eat your leftovers, freeze them like an individual TV dinner.  All your hungry teenager has to do is grab and nuke when he gets home from soccer practice.  Kind of like a fast food restaurant in your freezer.

So it is all about the planning.  This is a very good habit to reach back and borrow from our Grandmothers and like all habits, it takes a while before it becomes second nature.  You only have to be as efficient as you want here, depending on how much money you want to save, so go easy on yourself.

Food waste update:

Now that I've been going on and on about food waste, check mine out.  The picture doesn't do the slime justice.  This is the last of a bag of cole slaw mix that I picked up for $2.50 on sale.  I love cole slaw and knew it was there and I had plans for it.  I was going to mix it with a chopped apple, celery, nuts, and blue cheese and have it for lunch.  Instead it went straight to the compost.

Cha Ching:  $ .63

QFC Grocery Basket 10/16

This is the last of my beautiful summer lettuce along with some purple onions.  From now on I will be getting my lettuce at Chimacum Corner which is grown locally.  After my spring lettuces all started to bolt during the hot weather this summer I decided to try summer lettuces from Territorial seeds and was pleasantly surprised at how well they did.

Here are my suggestions from the grocery ad this week:

Orowheat Bread - $2.50/loaf
Spice Island Spices - 50% off
Fage Greek Yogurt - $2.50/17.6oz
Kroger Cottage Cheese - $1.99/24oz
USDA Boneless New York Steak - $5.99/lb
Pears - $ .99/lb
Broccoli/Cauliflower - $ .99/lb
Celery - $ .68/lb
English Cucumbers - $1.25/ea
Mayan Sweet Onions - $1/lb
Medium Hass Avocados - $ .99/ea
Sweet Tango, Ambrosia, Honeycrisp Apples - $1.88/lb

I'm off to Costco this morning to get a new smartphone.  I've been ready for a new upgrade for about a year but have been putting it off until my charger no longer charges.  GRRRRRRR!!!!

Photo Dump 10/14

I thought I would share a few more of the pictures from my great granddaughter's first birthday party.  Again we have the little princess thrilled with the box.  This box actually has windows drawn on the sides which you can just barely make out in this shot.

Mommy and Daddy looking pretty and handsome, in that order.  They put this picture on their Thank You card.  Cool idea.

These were some seriously tasty cupcakes.  They had lemon curd in the middle and butter cream frosting.  The cake in the upper right is sitting there not having a clue what was going to happen to it at the hands of a one year old.

Mommy's beautiful friends.  I know for sure that the one in the middle has been her friend since about birth.

I told you that things got interesting as the party wore on.  Before it was a fashionable skirt this flounce was on the highchair.

My friend, Miss Cassie, came over and did a great job of mercy weeding for me.  Having a bum hip doesn't work very well with crouching.

My hydrangea did not bloom on the top!!  What is that all about??

I love this hardy fuchsia.  He comes back every spring and blooms his little heart out all summer and fall, until the first hard freeze.

I know this is kind of blurry but I was trying to take this shot while trying to keep Poppy from getting it.  Isn't this the most perfect of little bitty frogs that Miss Cassie found in the flowerbed??  It is on her wrist and Cassie is pretty itty bitty herself.

Speaking of itty bitty - I noticed this little traveler on the side of the dahlia bouquet.  I carefully carried him out and put him in with the sage and oregano.  I know.  I know.  I battle slugs and snails so seriously in the spring that I buy my Sluggo at Costco.

Poppy loves warm blankets just out of the dryer.

Somehow she gets that big heavy lid off so she can dig in the compost.  It scares me to think what she might be after.

The little Teddy Bear sunflowers blooming away with the last of the onions.

The dahlias were not happy with the 32 degrees last night but they are still blooming.

I'm very serious about the red maple's leaves.  They make fabulous mulch and they add that "brown" that we are always looking for in our compost.  And the best part - they are free!!

Come on, admit it, you had one of these back in the day.  My son, the plumber, got me this one for Christmas back in the 90s when I told him how much I used to enjoy mine.  All you have to do is replace the bulb when it quits doing its thing.  I wonder how many get tossed??  I know my old one went to the dump in Reedsport, Oregon.

October - the Best Month to Buy...

I did it!!  I cleaned off the table and it is still clean but only because the Bradster is coming over for lunch.  After that...who knows??

This is the first morning of Fall that I wanted a bowl of oatmeal instead of my usual beloved Strawberry Special K.  I'm sure one of the reasons is that I'm not getting very many berries now, although, the raspberry patch has lots of green berries that will probably never ripen in these shorter days and cooler temps.

Baking season is just about to get going so we should start seeing sales on those kind of ingredients.  I've already seen bargains on butter.  A cookie that isn't made with butter is a scary thing indeed.  Remember that butter freezes well so you can stock up.

Here is the list that you should start seeing good deals on:

Canned Foods
Large Appliances
Jeans
Air Conditioners
Cars
Grills
Toys
Tires
Trees, Shrubs, Bulbs
Lawn Movers
Candy
Smoke Detectors
Batteries

Seasonal produce:

Apples, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, chard, cranberries, lemons, parsnips, pears, pomegranates, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, turnips, yams.

Miss MaggieMay and I are waiting for Costco to put out their fresh cut-up butternut squash.  This stuff is seriously good roasted in a hot oven and then made into soup.  I agree with MMM that if I had to peel and cut it up myself (complete with emergency room visit for knife cuts) it probably wouldn't get eaten in my house.

QFC Grocery Basket 10/9

 

 

Yesterday Miss MaggieMay and I went to see the new Ron Howard movie Rush and it was really just that - an exciting rush.  This is the real life story of the competition of two Formula One drivers back in the 70s.  If you love racing, and I do, and even if you don't, Ron Howard does a wonderful job getting to the real core of the sport.  These guys are just plain and simple crazy thrill seekers.  My favorite ex-husband did some stock car racing in the 90s so I know of what I speak.

Before the movie, we stopped at one of our favorite places to eat, Snug Harbor Café in Port Ludlow.  Now you know that Miss MoneyPenny really hates to put down her hard cold cash for restaurant food that isn't better than what she can do at home, so Snug Harbor is a welcome addition to dining out. 

This is cafe food done carefully and with pride.  All of the bread products are homemade and totally delicious including the hamburger buns and their fries are amazing.  There is a daily special and homemade soup all served up by a really good waitress.  Snug Harbor serves breakfast (very good), lunch, and dinner, and in good weather you can sit out on the deck.

I did not need to eat dinner after this most perfect of cheeseburgers.  The meat is fresh organic grassfed beef and is hand shaped for each order.  I always wonder about those frozen hockey pucks that most restaurants serve up.

Okay - let's look at the QFC ad and see if we can find some real food for a good price, always looking for on sale and in season.

Orowheat Bread - $2.50/loaf
Tully's Coffee - $6.99/12oz
Kroger Cottage Cheese - $1.99/24oz (I put CC in my smoothies for protein)
Simple Truth Cage Free Eggs - $2.50/doz
Tillamook Butter - $2/pound
Pork Shoulder Roast - $1.79/lb
USDA Chuck Roast - 50% off
Fresh Rockfish - $5.99/lb
Asparagus - $1.99/lb
Broccoli/Cauliflower - $ .99/lb
Cucumbers/Green Bell Peppers - $ .68/ea
Honeycrisp Apples - $2.99/lb
Mayan Sweet Onions - $ .99/lb
Organic Fuji/Gala Apples - $1.99/lb
Tomatoes on the Vine - $ .99/lb

Reminder:

Time for your flu shot.  I got mine yesterday while I was at my doctor's office but they are available everywhere this year.  Getting the flu is a rotten waste of time and money.  The last time I got the flu I worried that I was gonna die but every since I started getting the shot I've been flu free.  Knock on wood.

 

 

Costco Coupons 10/3/2013 - 10/27/2013

Miss MoneyPenny never thought that she would have a table that looks like this.  The sad thing is it usually looks like this, sometimes even worse.  The only time it gets cleaned off is when company is coming.  I thought that if I posted this picture I would be shamed into keeping it tidy.  Who knows??  It worked really well with my food waste problem.

Instead of cleaning house I was outside raking leaves and slowly getting the garden put to bed.  I deadheaded the zinnias and dahlias hoping to get more blooms before they get frozen to death and I planted my first crop of garlic.  I mentioned in an earlier post that one of the ladies from my knitting group gave me some garlic from Italy.  I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Last week while I was at Costco I picked up a new set of flannel sheets.  I use flannel all year long because I love the way it feels.  This is my third set of Costco flannels and this one seems even more luxurious than the others and you can't beat the price of $29.99 for a set of queens.

The Costco coupons are exceptionally good this month.  Here are the highlights:

Keurig Platinum Brewer - $25
Vizio 80" TV - $600 (yes, really)
Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chips - $2
Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chips - $2.50
Kleenex - $3.50
Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner - $2
Tide with Downey - $6.50
Kirkland Signature Diapers - $5
Huggies Pull-Ups - $6
Crest Toothpaste - $4
Dove Beauty Bars - $3.25
Crest 3D WhiteStrips - $10
Brita Pitcher/Filters - $8
LED Motion Activated Security Light - $10
Sonicare Replacement Brush Heads - $10
Cottonelle Flushable Wipes - $3

Remember if you use Verizon that Costco is the best place to get your phone.  And if you need tires there is a $70 coupon for Michelins this month.

At checkout just show them the coupons on your smartphone or show them your coupon booklet.  No more clipping coupons and leaving them on the kitchen counter. 

QFC Grocery Basket 10/2

My sister, Miss SmartyPants, sent along some new shots of her sunflowers.  Pretty amazing!!  I happen to know that she owns a beautiful hand thrown pot with sunflowers painted on it that she bought just for sunflower bouquets.

This is how they looked a couple of days later, after the big storm.  Good thing she took pictures before the wind hit.

You would think that Mother Nature would appreciate my sister's offer of sunflowers and spare them, although it looks like the little Teddy Bears in the front did okay.

Okay, let's look at this week's ad.  QFC is running whole chickens at $ .99 a pound so if you didn't stock up a couple weeks ago, grab a couple for the freezer.  It makes me feel secure to have bags of frozen cooked chicken at the ready for soups and other recipes.

Here are the highlights:

QFC Large Eggs - $1.50/doz
Foster Farms Whole Chickens - $ .99/lb
Fresh Northwest Cooked Shrimp Meat - $5.99/lb
Fresh Wild Alaska Coho - $9.99/lb
Fresh Dover Sole - $5.99/lb
Bartlett/Red Pears - $ .99/lb
English Cucumbers - $1.25/ea
Gala Apples - $ .99/lb
Medium Hass Avocados - $ ,99/ea
Mini Peeled Carrots - $ .99/16oz bag
Roma Tomatoes - $ .99/lb

Since it is the beginning of the month I went to the QFC website and downloaded the few coupons that I use to my loyalty card.  Almost all of the coupons are for heavily processed food items so there isn't much there for me but I did click on the one for $2 off Tide.  The trick is remembering what I downloaded or where I put the printout.

Zip it with ZipList

Sorry about the grainy quality here but I scanned this old sepia photo with my phone.  Today would have been Mom's 91st birthday had she lived.  Everybody, included my favorite ex-husband, called her Granny and she was a pistol.  No matter what room you would walk into, Mom would be the smallest person there and she made up for it with her quirky personality.  Happy birthday, Granny.

Okay - I've been looking for an easy, effective way to organize my grocery shopping and I have finally found it.  I have worked with Astrid Tasks and Evernote but they were always missing something or were just too complicated, and ended up frustrating me at the store.

I read about ZipList in an issue of ShopSmart so I thought I would give it a try and it turned out to be even better than I was hoping for.  This isn't just a shopping list.  It pretty much includes everything to do with grocery shopping...from weekly ads for your favorite store, menu planners, recipes, and the coolest thing every - the ZipList Recipe Clipper!!

The way the Clipper works is just brilliant.  Say you are lounging in your favorite chair watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory while strolling through Pinterest.  You see a recipe that sounds so good that you have to have it.  All you do is click on the Clipper on your tool bar and Clipper puts that recipe in your Recipe Box in ZipList.  As you look through the ingredients for your recipe you realize that you are out of chocolate chips so you click on it and it goes straight to your grocery list. 

And get this!!  If you are reading a blog and the recipe is not in list form Clipper is so smart that once it gets to your Recipe Box it is in recipe form!!  Words just fail me.

ZipList keeps track of several stores for you, including the weekly ad.  Just scroll through the ad and click on what you want to buy and it will be added to your chosen list and in the correct category.  I have my categories set up just like QFC so I just go down the list and get out of there fast.  Studies have shown that the longer you are in the store the more you spend.

I have the free ZipList app on my smartphone which syncs with my pc and Color Nook so I'm never without my grocery list.  If you would rather have a paper list or recipe, just print it out.

I have just skimmed the top of what ZipList will do.  You can go here and take a look.  Even if you aren't interested in the grocery list part the Clipper is definitely a keeper.  Not in my wildest dreams did I think that there would be anything like it.

I had trouble clicking and dragging the Clipper to my tool bar, so I right clicked on the Clipper box, chose "add to favorites", then scrolled down to "favorites bar" and that worked like a charm.