Chicken salad with chopped apples, dried cranberries, a little sweet relish and bacon. Yummm Yum.
Beans and rice, rice and beans. I could totally live off of this for the rest of my life.
Cheese and apples.
Sourdough toast with homemade strawberry jam and tea. Another winner.
And then he fired up the Blackstone Griddle again and made Hawaiian burgers two days in a row.
Tuna salad sandwiches… because there were so many leftover hamburger buns.
And then there were meatballs because there was so much hamburger leftover. 🙂
And meatloaf too.
Head Tide Oven $49.73
We picked up a cherry rhubarb pie, a loaf of sourdough Kalamata olive bread, a bag of anise sesame biscotti and a slice of pan forte from Head Tide Oven. I’ve basically swapped out the “entertainment” category in our budget with “bakery and ice cream” for the past year and a half… and I think it’s been a wise choice.
Have you ever tried panforte? Holy canolies, get your hands on some… it’s crazy good. Dried fruits and nuts… shaped into a pie and eaten by the slice. I’m going to have to do some experimenting this winter to see if I can duplicate the recipe.
Costco $189.96
The Girl came to visit… and brought us rations.
We have plenty of food, but I’m still on a mission to stock up my pantry. Like really stock it up. Especially since I know we aren’t moving again anytime soon. Plus, I just have this weird feeling that things are going to get interesting here real soon. I can’t really explain it. I just feel it.
And last but not least… Vanilla extract. The last time we bought vanilla it was a whopping $29.99 for a 16 ounce bottle. This time around it was $15.99. Talk about a HUGE difference!
And the expiration date… January 7th, 2025. Three and a half years from now. It kind of makes you stop and wonder what life will be like then. 😉
The times… they are a changing…
Have a great Monday everyone,
~Mavis
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries and Bakery Treats We Brought Home $239.69
Total Spent in July on Groceries and Bakery Treats $239.69
- Total Spent in June on Groceries and Bakery Treats $297.1
- Total Spent in May on Groceries and Bakery Treats $323.38
- Total Spent in April on Groceries and Bakery Treats $352.64
- Total Spent in March on Groceries and Bakery Treats $712.01
- Total Spent in February on Groceries and Bakery Treats $230.98
- Total Spent in January on Groceries and Bakery Treats $128.60
- Total Spent on Groceries and Bakery Treats We Brought Home in 2021 $2379.75
Joely says
I agree about keeping the pantry stocked!
Jennifer Jo says
How much did that pie cost?
Mavis Butterfield says
I STILL don’t know!!! I forgot to ask. I didn’t see a price list. 🙂 My guess is around $25. I will ask next time. Have you made panforte before? You should give it a try. As I was eating it I actually thought… I should send one of these to JJ so she can try and make it.
Jennifer Jo says
Never tried panforte (had to look it up) — it looks a little like a granola bar but without the oatmeal. Or like a larabar…
JoAnn Moran says
Times are a changin everywhere. I agree with stocking up too. I feel something coming too. Stay safe and thanks for your posts.
Toni Wood says
Like you I feel like something not so good is just around the corner so I’m keeping the pantry stocked up.
Melanie says
What are you eating on the rice I know you said beans but I see tomatoes and other things?.. it looks delicious but do you have a recipe?
Mavis Butterfield says
It’s basically this recipe. https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/creamy-spiced-red-beans-and-lentils/
Sometimes I throw in black beans, chopped tomatoes {or Rotel} salsa or sour cream. 🙂 Beans and rice rule!
Lillian says
Very ominous comments. Hope all is well and stays well in your neck of the woods.
Jennifer says
I feel the need to stock up on meat for sure. I’m nervous about major price increases among other things.
Rosemary Calhoun says
I always have a stocked up pantry – especially since we live in Florida! Tropical Storm Elsa is on her way and I don’t have to run to the store or fight the crowds – we already have what we need. It is a good feeling.
Linda Sand says
That panforte looks like a cousin of fruitcake. I know there are a lot of jokes about fruitcake but, when made right, it is a wonderful treat!
Sandy says
So when you say something is coming and it doesn’t feel good, do you mean personally or collectively? I, too, am feeling like something is coming and I can’t put my finger on it. I’ve felt this way for a couple of weeks and it’s something to see others saying the same thing…
Marcia says
I am not liking this…not liking this at all. I want boring! Please keep life boring!
Wendy Steele says
I agree Marcia! I think there is a toast that Russian people say something like ‘May you live in boring times’. They have the right idea….
Terri Lindeke says
Interesting discussion. We go to Europe every year. 2019 when we should have been making our decisions and putting our money down… I said to my husband… I don’t know what it is … but I really don’t think we should go next year… I just have this feeling… we shouldn’t make any plans or go anywhere… So we had no tour planned for 2020… And we all know what happened. And yes… I’m a little freaked out that I received that message somehow someway. We did go on our Mexico vacation that we book a year in advance… We had to do some research on that since we are from Washington and the old people in homes were sick with Covid. We were headed to Bucerias on the West Coast and only Mexico City had anything… We were there for a few weeks, and were afraid if we didn’t leave, we may not be able to get back into the US. We managed to get a earlier flight. Should have been non stop… but wasn’t.. we had to stop in LA and they rushed us past customs, so they could get rid of us. We’ve been home ever since with few exceptions… even though we are an open state now. Stay safe everyone
Lana says
Panforte as in fruitcake?
Keeping our pantry well stocked, too. But, I am also leery of a crazy heat wave like on the west coast and the power grid going down. We do have a generator but could it keep the freezers frozen against a heat wave?
Sheila says
The basic info I have researched for freezers during a power outage is – if the freezer is full, food should stay frozen 2-4 days, if half full 24 hours is the estimate. I keep frozen gallons jugs of water to fill the freezer. You only need to generate power to them one hour every 24 hours to keep your food frozen. Refrigerators are a different story. It is recommended that you generate power to them on a 1:4 ratio – 1 hour every 4 hours to keep food cold. I have found I can get by powering them 3 times a day. I put some of the frozen jugs of water in the fridge to help (think ice chest). I have been without power many times. The longest was 10 days in the winter and 5 days in the sweltering summer. We have a separate fuse / circuit box for when our generator is running and only power what is necessary at any given time. We have a gas-powered generator and I also invested in 3 portable generators that will power most 110v appliances. These generators will run my refrigerator continuously for 17 hours, however, once the refrigerator motor shuts off, I unplug it to save the portable generator’s energy.
Psuchica212345 says
What a wealth of information! Thank you!
Catherine says
I agree with a well stocked pantry. I keep extra meat by canning it and keeping it on the shelf. I don’t have extra freezer space so when there is a good price on ground beef or chicken I pressure can it for some quick meals. Open the jar and mix with other ingredients.
I don’t know what is in the air but I have been uneasy as well. Just waiting for the other shoe to drop. With the increase in cyber attacks, shortages and the supply chain blips. I don’t want to be caught short. Plus it’s a hedge against inflation.
Laura Arnett says
When everyone started opening things back up and lifting restrictions I told my husband that I didn’t feel like things were right still. I keep saying something is coming.
I pray everyone stays safe.
Laura L. says
So do I, Laura. Great name, by the way! 🙂
Psuchica212345 says
I agree… the other shoe hasn’t dropped. It is like the wizard.of Oz…do not.look behind the curtain…
Natalie says
I also want to know what else is in those beans! It’s looks delicious!
Lisa says
My pantry is stocked but o keep adding more because I have that same feeling.
Mavis- is your closest Costco in Massachusetts? I wish Maine would get one. Also, I’d love a post on how you don’t rely on Amazon anymore. Especially since you don’t seem like someone who frequents Walkyworld.
Sandyf says
I hope your health is not the concern. Our lil tribe here needs you. You brighten our days and provide respite and inspiration in the simplicity of a life well lived.
Kirsten says
Hey Mavis… Can you share your standard chicken salad recipe? I notice it’s one of your oft-listed vittles and I’d love to try it out.
And regarding your stock-up sense… Supermarket Butcher Husband says the lack of feed and draught in CA is affecting east coast supermarket beef supply and quality, due to the ranchers killing off their herds at a younger age to minimize losses. He says pork and chicken supply will remain steady due to short gestation time, but due to beef supply becoming scarce, expect grocers to increase costs on pork and chicken to make up for losses on beef sales beginning in September as people become more price conscious.
Lori SA says
We are already having an uneasy period happening here in BC, Canada. We had an intense, never before heat wave (42c/ 107f) and now are having forest fires breaking out. I am just waiting out this summer- hoping we get through unscathed. I can’t wait to welcome a “calm” Fall (and, cross-my-fingers, there isn’t more bad news then).
As for the Panforte (Italian Fruitcake), I have been making it around Christmas for years. It is a bit labour intensive but really not that hard. I have a great recipe I use that I clipped out of a newspaper 15 yrs ago (if you want me to send it to you).
Ellen says
I made panforte once and loved it. Need to make it again I think.
Pandemic, intense heat, our oak trees are being devastated by caterpillars, an unexpected family death ( not COVID) – trying to stay positive but it’s hard! Our pantry is always well stocked – we live quite far from good grocers- but shop at local markets and grow lots of food.
Let’s keep moving forward
Erin says
I feel you on the uncertainty of things to come. I’ve had an uneasy feeling for about 2 months now. We have turned an unused closet into an extra pantry and have been stocking it over the past month. Nothing wrong with extra food on hand no matter what happens.
Emily says
I’m so happy to see you enjoying pan forte. I didn’t know it was available anywhere in the US. I enjoyed it when I spent a semester in Siena, Italy.
Hilogene in Az says
Another voice here supporting the stock up plan. I have become uneasy for no apparent reason so have stocked up. I paid attention to my favorite frugality sites in the fall of 2019, many bloggers were commenting on their unease and recommended stocking up, and I did. Now the same sentiment is flowing. I also agree with the commenter that said stocking up now is a hedge against inflation. Love your blog, don’t usually comment.