Organic Groceries Week #2

So maybe you read my post last week on shopping for organic groceries- maybe not.  You can check it out here if you want to.  Either way, I've decided to spend the next month posting a picture and complete list of all the groceries I buy each week.  I do my very best to shop just once per week and I spend roughly $175-200.

Below is week #2 in my month long series.  I spent $163.87 but I also had $16 in coupons and a LOT of my stuff was on sale this week.  WooHoo!!  I did much better this week then I did last week.

Items are listed from left to right of the picture.

Week #2

• 1 container O Organics Sour Cream
• 1 30 oz can O Organics Diced Tomatoes
• 1 lb Open Nature Cheddar Cheese
• 2 loaves Dave's Killer Bread- organic
• 1 very big organic heirloom tomato
• 1 bag organic sprouted lentils
• 1 bunch organic bananas
• 2 containers organic strawberries
• 4 boxes Annie's bunny crackers- they were half off!
• 1 box Van's frozen waffles
• 2 boxes  Morningstar Farms Veggie Corn Dogs
• 2 organic peaches
• 2 organic kiwis
• 3 organic nectarines
• 2 organic pears
• 2 organic apples
• 2 bags Late July chips
• 2 cans organic vegetarian refried beans
• 4 sticks  Organic Valley butter
• 4 small individual sized Stoneyfield yogurt containers
• 4 small individual sized Wallaby yogurt containers
• 1 gallon Organic Valley organic milk
• 1 bottle O Organics cooking spray
• 1/2 pint O Organics orange juice
• 1- 6 pack beer
• 1 box  Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage Patties
• 1 lb organic Spring Mix salad- in the box under the sausage patties
• 2 containers ice cream- not organic
• 2 more organic apples
• 1 bunch organic celery
• 1 package Applegate Farms roasted turkey lunch meat
• 1 package Applegate Farms ham lunch meat
• 1 package Applegate Farms roast beef lunch meat
• 1 package pork steak- for my dogs!
• 2- 1 lb bags Open Nature shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 organic avocados
• 2 organic cucumbers
• 1 bag organic onions
• 1 bag w/6 ears organic corn on the cob
• *and not pictured, 1 whole organic cantaloupe
• *also not pictured, one package hamburger buns, not organic

You may also notice my adorable William and his trusty sidekick Buddy Boy.  They wanted to be in the picture too!

This week I am hosting a birthday party for my Mom.  I will be making lentil sloppy joes (she's been bugging me to make these for her!), Applegate Farms hot dogs from my freezer, fresh corn on the cob, fresh fruit, chips, salad, ice cream and beer.  I will also make her some homemade brownies which are her favorite.

In addition, I have dog food that I will make from this weeks grocery trip.  Pork steak, lentils, veggies.  And also beef steak, brown rice & veggies.  Two separate meals that will last for breakfast & dinner for 2 hungry pups throughout the week.  My dogs love this stuff, I highly recommend you think about making your animals their food!

I will combine the foods I bought this week with my pantry supplies and things still in my fridge and freezer.  This will be more then enough to last us throughout the week.

I shop mainly at Safeway which carries the O Organics brand.  They also have the Open Nature brand.  So when I can't find what I need in organic, I buy the Open Nature as a last resort.  It's still better then the alternative.

Ok- well that concludes week #2.  Next up is Week #3.

A Typical Week's Organic Groceries- Week 1

We eat roughly 80-90% organic, mostly vegetarian and a non processed, non GMO diet.  Whenever we can't find something that meets our needs we always do our best to find an alternative.  Take cheese for example....my local grocery store does NOT carry organic cheese yet.  Bummer!  So I always buy Tillamook cheese.  It's fairly local for us- the Tillamook factory is just one state away.  It's tasty and it doesn't have any added chemicals or junk.  So I know I'm making the best choice possible given the options available to me.

I spend about $200 per week.  I pretty much make all our meals from scratch and I recently started making our beloved Lucky Dog & Buddy Boy their meals too.  Commercial dog food is SO bad for your pups!

To give you an idea of what a typical week looks like, I put all my groceries on the counter after my weekly trip to the grocery store.  Here it is- this is $175 worth of food.  I'll break it down for you starting from left to right.

• One bunch organic bananas
• 1 bag Alexia organic hashbrowns
• 1 lb Tillamook cheddar cheese
• 1 box O Organics Green Tea bags
• 2 packages Applegate roasted turkey lunch meat
• 1 package Applegate ham lunch meat
• 1 container O Organics half & half 
• 1 box Applegate frozen turkey sausages
• 1 lb organic coffee
• 2 containers O Organic sour cream
• 2 loaves Dave's Killer Bread- organic
• 4 cans organic vegetarian refried beans
• 2 organic apples
• 2 organic kiwi's
• 1 red, 1 yellow & 2 green organic bell peppers
• 1 large container O Organics plain yogurt
• Arrowhead Mills flax seed
• Arrowhead Mills pearl barley
• 1 bag Alexia fries
• 1 bag BoomChickaPop popcorn (big yellow bag)
• International Delight Cinnabon creamer- I know...I know...
• 2 packages O Organic romaine lettuce
• 2 bunches organic green onions
• 1 bunch organic cilantro
• 1 bag organic carrots
• 1 jar organic mayonnaise
• 1 box Annie's cheddar crackers
• 1 container Tillamook ice cream
• 2 boxes Morningstar Farms Chik N Nuggets (vegetarian)
• 1 jar O Organics ranch dressing
• 1 box organic frozen yogurt bars
• 1 bag organic green grapes
• 1 container organic blackberries
• 1 container organic raspberries
• 2 organic plums
• 4 organic white peaches

Obviously I don't buy every single thing I need each week.  I stock up just like you probably do when things are on sale.  In my fridge I still have corn on the cob, broccoli, tortillas, milk, eggs, butter, kale, cucumbers, celery, onions and tomatoes.  We also have some organic orange juice and organic lemonade still sitting in the fridge.  My pantry has a nice supply of quinoa, rice, canned beans, canned tomatoes, pasta, oatmeal and granola.  My freezer has 4 black bean & quinoa burgers that I made last week.  There's also a whole organic chicken, 4 organic grass fed steaks, a package of Applegate hot dogs, homemade blueberry muffins, one loaf of banana chocolate bread, frozen organic veggies, frozen organic berries, a pan of homemade macaroni & cheese and homemade black bean chili.  Tip- make a double batch of something and freeze half!

From this weekly grocery trip and my fridge and pantry, I will make 6 dinners, 7 lunches and 7 breakfast's for 4 people and 2 dogs.  You may notice that I do have some processed foods- mainly the Morningstar Farms Chik N Nuggets and the International Delight coffee creamer.  These 2 items are probably the worst offenders in my weekly shopping cart.  However, I have found that I need to have 1 or 2 quick frozen meals that I can just open and pop in the oven.  Doesn't every busy Mom on the go- need something quick and easy? So instead of the standard factory farmed chicken nuggets (Tyson anyone?) and cheap GMO filled frozen french fries or trip to McDonald's drive thru, I have opted for a slightly healthier version.  Thus the Morningstar Farms Chik N Nuggets (these contain NO real chicken) and Alexia brand french fries.

And well...what can I say about the International Delight coffee creamer.  It's my weakness.  I'm working on it.

Every meal is served with fruit or veggies, sometimes both.  Since my son usually goes grocery shopping with me, I always let him pick out one new food to try.  Last week it was radishes this week it was the Annie's cheddar crackers, go figure!  Tip- this is a super easy way to get your kids excited about trying something new.  

You may also notice that there's no soda.  I stopped buying it about a year ago.  My dad gets it free from his work, so we usually have a nice supply for guests and my husband sometimes gets a can of soda in his lunch.  Now, you may wonder why I pack him a can of soda....well, let me just tell you that a year ago, he was drinking 3-4 cans per day.  He's slowly weaning off the soda- these changes take time, so give yourself a break.  I'm super proud of him!!

We mainly drink lemon water and my husband likes to mix a little lemonade in with his water.  In addition, every morning my boys have a cup of organic orange juice with breakfast.  I also make lots of kale/green smoothies and yogurt/berry smoothies.  And my favorite drink of choice- cold iced green tea with lemon.  Brew a big pot, stick in the fridge with some lemons and drink it just like iced tea.  Yummy and SO good for you!  Well, that and coffee are my most favorite things to drink....

So there you have it.  One weeks worth of organic groceries.  I'm thinking this should be a monthly segment so I will do my best to post next weeks groceries.  Stay tuned!

Want to see what Week #2 looks like?  Click here.