My parents visit. It was 17 days of pure gluttony. And while I wish I could say it was fun while it lasted, I think the buttons on my pants would disagree. I know I gained at least 5 pounds…. maybe even more.
Cracker Barrel, have you been there? If not, this is what the Cracker Barrel Sampler Platter looks like. Chicken n’ Dumplins, meatloaf and sugar cured ham. And if that wasn’t enough, there was also mac and cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes {with gravy} and some buttermilk biscuits and corn muffins {with jam} to wash it all down with.
It’s a miracle I can still move.
Christmas {in September} at the Cracker Barrel.
Hey Mrs. HB! They even had a flamingo PEZ dispenser!
Market Basket $29.65
The day after my parents left the HH ran out of his beloved Cape Cod potato chips and so I tagged along and went to Market Basket with him. But before we could do our shopping, we had a slice of pizza in the cafe section of the store. Because apparently we are are old people now and that’s what you do before you buy groceries. You eat first. Whether you’re hungry or not. Then you look out the window a bit, finish your snack and then bicker about which cart to pick before you stroll up and down the aisles looking for food you don’t really need to buy. It’s a thing, don’t you know.
Koru apples. Have you tried them? What do they taste like? I should have bought one.
Handsome Husband: “What kind of potatoes do you think those are?”
Mavis: “Probably russet potatoes.”
Handsome Husband: “Don’t you think they look more valuable, the way they are packaged?”
Mavis: ….. Blank stare…… And then I remember this is the man who had maybe stepped foot into a grocery store 10 times in the past 25 years and I try not to roll my eyes.
Everything these days is like a shiny object to him. Not having to work 70-80 hours a week… it will do that to you.
Notice anything unusual about this sign? Only in New England will you find “Oyster Crackers” on an aisle sign. Clearly, oyster crackers are a high sought after item around these parts. 😉 I LOVE IT!!!
More food. Surprisingly, the family sized lasagna from ALDI’s tastes totally different from the smaller version. The family sized lasagna has less of a sausage taste to it and I like it much, much better.
Friday night movie pickety bits: Pistachios, cheese and crackers, artichoke jalapeno dip and garlic stuffed olives, spring rolls, apple slices, the last of the garden tomatoes, a whoopie pie and chocolate.
Cream of Wheat. I could totally eat it everyday.
Last night’s dinner. Beef tips, mashed potatoes, Mexican corn {let me know if you want the recipe} and a slice of gingerbread.
Followed by, the last dessert I’ll eat for the next 30 days.
Wait. What?
A few months ago, the peeps at Valley Food Storage sent me a 1 Month Food Gluten Free Value Food Storage Kit. Back in 2015 I tried out their regular 1 month food supply kit and strangely enough, really enjoyed it.
And well, after spending a whopping 17 days with my parents eating out at restaurants and stuffing my face, honestly, I could use a bit of a real world food detox right about now. Not only do I like the idea of not having to think about what I’m going to eat for my next meal, a bit of portion control would be pretty darn awesome about right now as well.
So hey, why not break open the food storage kit? I’ve never gone “gluten free” for 30 days before {or even 24 hours without bread for that matter}. It could be interesting, maybe I’ll learn something new. Maybe I’ll feel better without all that gluten in my system. Who knows.
If you want a more detailed list of what’s in the 1 Month Valley Food Storage Gluten Free Food Storage Kit, you can pop over here. But basically, the kit is a just-add-water meals type of product designed to be enough food for 1 person, for 1 month to SURVIVE on. Now, if you want to THRIVE… {like I do} then you are going to want to supplement the food storage kit with a few more items.
After all, in a real world survival situation you are probably not going to be stranded in the woods with a box of just add water meals. If you are, I would hope you’d be near a water source because you are going to need WATER. And lot’s of it to survive for 30 days with a limited food supply. 😉
So, what makes this food storage experiment different from the one I did three years ago? Well, for starters, this kit is gluten free. Also, two of the most asked questions I wasn’t able to answer last time around, were:
- How much WATER does it take to prepare all the meals in the food storage kit?
- How much drinking water did you use over the coarse of 30 days?
This time around though, I will be tracking all the water I use. So, what will I be supplementing the 30 day gluten free food storage kit with this time around? {Last time it was tea, beans and rice.}
- 1 Box of tea {no sugar, no milk!}
- Anything I can dig up or harvest from my backyard garden.
- Salt and pepper
That’s it. That’s what I’ll be eating for the next 30 days.
Sometimes, you’ve just got to shake things up a bit. 🙂
Wish me luck!
~Mavis
****************
Total Spent This Week $29.65
Total Spent in September $180.97
Total Spent in August $259.90 <– $30 on salami splurge
Total Spent in July $276.56 < – $38 Spent on Amish meat and cheese
Total Spent in June $206.47 <- Attempting once a month grocery shopping
Total Spent in May on Groceries $216.50 <- Included a stock up trip to King Arthur Flour
Total Spent in April on Groceries $169.98
Total Spent in March on Groceries $306.75 <– Apartment life, moving across the country and settling into a new house
Total Spent in February on Groceries $259.81 <- Living in an apartment and buying a lot of ready-made meals
Total Spent in January on Groceries $240.15 <– Packing mode and not cooking from scratch as much
Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.
Connie says
Good luck! Will be fun to follow.. I remember your last challenge and can ‘t believe it has been 3 years. That tea looks good -at least you will have caffiene.
Linda says
I’d like the recipe for the beef tips? or were you talking about the gingerbread? Either way it all looks good!
Mavis Butterfield says
The beef tips recipes is the same as the Mississippi pot roast recipe, just use 2 – 3 pounds of beef tips instead of a roast. Recipe: https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/mississippi-pot-roast/ The gingerbread came from here: https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/gingerbread-construction-company-in-wakefield-massachusetts/
Em says
THREE YEARS AGO, that’s so hard to believe!
I know you can do it! It will be interesting to read your reviews.
And I can’t wait for the next goals update to read about your secret project!
Wendy Clark says
I would love to know how you prepare and serve your cream of wheat. I want to like it, it looks so good, but tastes so bland. What do you have as toppings in your picture?
Mavis Butterfield says
My husband cooked it with half water half milk. Then I added a little more milk, brown sugar and dried cranberries. Yum Yum!
Lolly says
I always cook mine with milk for the liquid! And add sugar. I can’t eat it made with water….ew!
Wendy L says
What is your husband eating this month?
Mavis Butterfield says
That is a fantastic question! 🙂 I guess we’ll see what HE makes for him and The Girl. 🙂
Brenda says
You should include that with your updates: what the rest of the family eats. How would they survive your survival kit test, lol.
Stephanie says
Fascinating! I remember your last challenge; I’m looking forward to seeing how this one works out! 🙂
Marcia says
Ah I remember the last time you did this. It will be fun to follow.
Since then, I’ve had to give up wheat – it no longer agrees with me. So we’ll see what this does to you. I gave up wheat a little over a year ago and I’ve lost 12 lbs, unintentionally. I was fine before, a little thin right now.
Marcia says
One bit of caution – and you prob already know this from last time. I looked up the kit, and I’m a math nerd.
The total # of calories available in that box (adding all servings) is 23,300. For 30 days, that comes out to 777 calories per day. Now, I know you will have garden produce, but that is still a super low number of calories. For someone who is pretty active.
In any event, in a “real” emergency, you’d have “other” things available to boost calories, no? I’m thinking like oil, peanut butter, canned tuna or chicken (which I keep on hand – in the guise of emergency but really it’s just really easy to make tuna salad and chicken salad with canned meats!
Seriously I’d insist on a big scoop of peanut butter in that oatmeal and some chicken mixed in with those rice dishes.
Chelsea says
I agree.
Mavis- you may want to consider adding several hundred extra calories per day. Even when dieting most women (except very short and petite women) aren’t recommended to eat less than 1200 calories per day. Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure ( or TDEE) and then you can safely eat 500 calories a day less than that as a diet plan. I like this calculator at SailRabbit: https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/ but a simple search for TDEE with yield many basic calculators.
Brad says
So… Your Gluten-Free Survival Food Diet experiment ends on Halloween?!
Well Played… well played!
Sharon says
What is your recipe for Mexican corn? Could not find it under Recipes. It looks so good.
Mary Kerns says
I also remember when you did this last time. I just ordered a month supply and am going to try it for a month. I will probably start on the 8th. I still have in my garden potatoes, beets, carrots, onions and applies. I live in PO, miss you around here.
Mavis Butterfield says
I WISH I had a producing apple tree!!!
Eve of Ohio says
I can’t wait to read about your Gluten Free Survival meals. I am GF and was wondering if there was an option for MRE’s. Who knew I would find the answer here with you! 🙂 I love following you and your adventures!!! And Lucy is the cutest.
Tamara Reid says
Can’t believe it’s been three years since you did this!!! OR , that you are brave enough to do it again! LOL! I will eat all the things for you….;-)
BeckyM says
If this kit, intended to support a person for a month, only contains 777 calories per person, per day, I think it’s very irresponsible of the company. I’m not sure how they can justify charging $165 for food that will put your body into starvation mode.
I also think it’s very irresponsible for you to model eating disorder behavior (extreme restriction of calories). Such an active person needs at least twice as many calories to be happy and healthy. You may want to look up the Minnesota starvation study to see the effects of such a reduction of calories.
Karin says
I love your crazy challenges! Can’t wait to hear how it goes.
Alison says
No beans and rice? But I figure right about now you can harvest potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and winter squash… And I think you grew some of your own beans too? Good luck!
Mavis Butterfield says
And if I get desperate…. there is always Swiss chard! 🙂 But let hope it doesn’t come to that. Ha!
lynne says
Your dad’s smile… so sweet!
concur with the above comments on the questionable number of calories you will be eating :-/
lynneinWI
Lisa says
Those potatoes came from a farm about 60 miles away from me (that’s sort of local in my neck of the woods). Since they are packaged as “all purpose” potatoes they must be some type of small white potatoes such as Katahdans, Kennebecs or Ontarios etc. Those are the most popular around here. Russets are usually listed on the packaging. A future field trip would be to come up to the area around this time to see the harvesting–very cool.
If you have a hard time drinking your black tea with no milk, try herbal tea. My favorite is the Lemon Ginger flavor from Bigelow tea. Another plus is that you could pretty much consider it local since they package it in Fairfield, CT.
Good luck on the challenge.
Mary says
I LOVE THAT FIRST PICTURE! Is that your Dad? He looks so happy and giggly – what a great time you must have had celebrating everything!!!
Lissa says
Interested if you get supplemental food from everything that has already been harvested or only what you can currently get from the gardens. Good luck
Mavis Butterfield says
Just what I can currently harvest. 🙂