A Day in the Life (of my grocery cart)

Peeking into other people’s refrigerators or the contents of their grocery cart is always so interesting. And yes, I also watch people’s food at restaurants as it’s brought to their table. What can I say? I’m curious about other people’s eating habits. That’s why I figured I’d let you have a peek into mine this week. I planned a week’s worth of recipes, that would a) feed my family of four b) provide dinner/lunch during work or class c) focus on a vegetarian diet.

Last night I sat down and figured out what recipes I wanted to make (while watching the Oscars) and this morning I went shopping.

First Stop: Trader Joes

Grapeseed Oil

2 cans of diced, no salt added tomatoes

TJ Rustic Pomodoro Sauce

Low Sodium Vegetable Broth

Low Sodium Organic Chicken Broth

Frozen Peas

TJ Veggie Burgers

2 packages cremini mushrooms

Red and Green Artisan Lettuce

Romaine Hearts

Shallots

Strawberries

2 packages of organic green peppers

1 red, 1 orange pepper

Mint

Country Loaf of Seven Grain Bread

Applegate sliced turkey meat

TJ Natural Chicken breast, individually packaged

Pesto Chicken & Turkey Sausage

Chevre goat cheese

Parmigiano Reggiano

Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Dried tropical fruit mix

Whole wheat pizza dough

Total $ = $80.48

Stop 2: King Kullen ( Because TJ’s produce section was lacking today)

3 Pink Lady Apples

Package Baby Arugula

2 Parsnips

3 Eggplants

3 Beets

2 Jalapeno Peppers

1 Red onion

2 Butternut Squash

2 packages multigrain Eggo waffles

1 package grapenuts cereal

Bob’s Red mill thick rolled oats

1 can of cannellini beans

2 cans of black eyed peas

1 bag of dried chickpeas

I can of crushed tomatoes

1 can of pineapple juice

Pack of multivitamins

Pack of razors

Total $= 78.06

Our house’s staples of milk, eggs, baby spinach and bananas had been purchased the day before.  For my purchases, the most expensive items were the vitamins, razors, and chicken breasts.

Recipes planned are:

Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata; Vegetarian Moussaka; Pizza Supreme; Chickpea Chili; Oh So Good Granola Bars; Creole Stuffed Peppers; Bulgur, Arugula and Cannellini Bean Salad; Shredded Parsnip and Beet Salad.

 

A Riddle

A riddle for you on this Tuesday afternoon: what do a 17th century troubadour, a man in a banana suit and cookie monster all have in common?

The answer is they are all subway musicians! Over the past two weeks I saw the my 17th century friend uptown on the downtown one platform, strumming a guitar with a mead tankard hanging from his belt. The banana and cookie monster actually played a duet together in Penn station. In case you were curious, Cookie monster plays the xylophone and banana’s are fond of the stand up bass. (Actually, they were really good).

 

Just a day in the life of a commuting grad student. Another normal day? Doing lots of reading while your muffins bake in the oven.

 

These muffins are lightly adapted from The New American Plate’s Flaxseed Raisin muffins. I subbed in whole wheat flour, raw turbinado sugar, and added a 1/2 tsp of all spice. I also used plain yogurt instead of buttermilk. These will be my go to breakfast (or snack) for the next few days,  as I finish reading about cognitive flexibility in the drawings of bilingual children.

Back to Florence

A break from regularly scheduled posting to bring you the amazingness that is the Google Art Project. Visit a museum anywhere in the world, zoom in on works of art. I’m not saying that looking at art through a computer is at all the same but this is pretty damn awesome.

See you Monday, I’m at the Uffizi!

Winter Doldrums

The amount of snow still on the ground is ridiculous, there isn’t any space to put the results of the next impending storm. I decided to spare you a photograph of the piled up mounds of snow because it just bums me out. The accumulated snow and the reading I have to do for grad school has me hibernating inside my home like my dog, Riley. Without fail, every morning Riley curls up on the chair in our family’s living room with his tail touching his nose.

How long til I can have days with views like this again?

In art news, I have 20 days to check out the exhibit Glorious Sky: Herbert Katzman’s New York. To be followed up with a viewing of this show at the Met. Finally, I found this article discussing how the current situation in Egypt may impact their cultural treasures.

I also have less than a week to figure out a delicious, veggie inspired party food for Superbowl Sunday.

Any suggestions?