Food log: Tuesday September 1st

Cereal and OJ - from groceries



Otsu and peaches from groceries/Diet Coke from the vending machine - $1.25


This was almost as good as last night, as I reheated the tofu seperatly. Yum yum yum.


Linden tea from the bistro - free


There no real tea left in the tea drawer. No Earl Grey, no China Black, no English Breakfast. There's only herbal tea. And you know where that leads: Bolchevism .

Salt & vinegar chips and Diet Coke from the vending machine - $2.50

I got two for the price of one, as the machine that sells the chips went bonzo-bananas. I gave my extra bag to Ellen and a crunchy time was had by all.


Cheese and veggie cocktail - from groceries




Cold steak with spicy salt, sautéed beet greens and tamagoyaki omelet - from groceries


This is one of my favorite meals. The Japanese omelet is easy to make and the cold steak is perfect with a dab of fancy salt on top. The bitter greens balance out the sweetness of the omelet. I used the leftover otsu dressing as a dipping sauce. It was perfect.


Crumpets with butter and brown sugar - from groceries




Money spent on food today: $3.75

Grocery day in Hochelaga

Today was grocery day. Except I didn't really go to the grocery store. You see, I've stopped going there 3 years ago, when I discovered the convenience of IGA's online store with home delivery. It's such a time saver and really easy to use. You can even save shopping list to your profile and go "click click click" next to the items you want to put in your cart next time you visit the online store. 

"But I love going to the supermarket" some of my friends say when I talk to them about it. "I like to see the stuff on the shelves, eat sausage slices from a frilly toothpick and choose my own milk carton." Sure. Me too. And I still go to farmer's markets and cute little foodie boutiques for fun. But I love sleeping late on Saturdays and lazily making pancakes for breakfast more. I like coming home on a Thursday night and getting my delivery just in time to cook supper and watch Jeopardy. I like to give a tip to the guy, close the door and unpack my brown bags, checking everything like it's Christmas. 

When I go to the store, it takes me 15 minutes to get there. Then I have to shop - that takes at least 40 minutes. Then I have to come back - another 15 minutes. And that's all on foot, using a rolling shopping cart, sweating and swearing as I go, since I don't have a car. Not to mention I can't stock up on big bottles of Perrier and heavy cat litter tubs when I go - I am only one woman after all and that stuff weighs a ton. 

My time is more precious. My energy is more precious.  

"But it's expensive. And I bet they make mistakes or send you the wrong stuff" the non-believers will add, crossing their arms in front of them. Well, yes and no. It costs $3 to have your order assembled. You can then go pick it up at the store, if you have a car or if the order is small enough to carry in bags by hand. If you choose the delivery option, you add $6 to your total. I don't know about you, but to me, saving an hour of time on the weekend is worth $9. And don't forget that with online shopping from a list, you don't fall into the impulse buy trap.

The supermaket people rarely make mistakes. In three years, it happened only twice and it was no big deal - something like getting a different brand of English muffins. Sometimes, they even call me to tell me if something is missing and ask if I want something else instead. But I did once order a 25 kilo bag of flour by mistake because I hadn't read the item description well. Now that, my friend, is a lot of cakes and muffins. 

So yeah, IGA's online store pretty much rocks*. This is what I ordered today, including household items.

Perrier (8 bottles)

Diet Coke (12 cans)

Salmon pie

Chicken liver

Cat food (3 big cans)

Ground beef

Pork shoulder roast (2)

Corn on the cob (4)

Sour cream

Butter (2 pounds)

Cream cheese

Ricotta cheese

Garlic

Bread

Mozzarina cheese

White vinegar

Gelatin

Mayonaise

Food coloring

Sub-total $83.17

Plastic containers

SOS scrub pads

Garbage bags

Ziploc bags

Cat litter (2)

Paper towels

Sub-Total: $46.80

So with assembly, delivery, bottle deposit and taxes, the total comes to $156.12. For now. Depending on what is in stock, items may be missing from this order when it gets delivered. I guess I'll do the actual tally on Thursday. 

*Full disclosure: my employer has IGA for a client, but I've been praising IGA waaaay before I started working there. Just ask my friends. They'll tell you how annoying I get when someone gets me started. I love IGA. Love, love, love IGA.


Image source: Neato Coolville's Flickr feed

Yummy link

Where's the outrage over high milk prices?

Yummy Link

Save on Plastic Wrap by using reusable Abeego sheets

Great Depression cooking with Clara

This is one of my favorite feeds on Youtube. From the description:

"91 year old cook and great grandmother, Clara, recounts her childhood during the Great Depression as she prepares meals from the era. Learn how to make simple yet delicious dishes while listening to stories from the Depression."

I've never tried her recipes, but I love hearing her talk about memories from the Depression while she cooks.

Food log: Monday August 31th

Cereals: from groceries

I'm really digging those organic cereals. Crunchy!


Banana and chaï tea from the bistro - free



Broad bean soup, English muffin, cheese and lemon bar - from groceries
Diet Coke from the vending machine: $1.25



Fig and tea from the bistro - free


Another snack, brought from home



Fizzy drink - from groceries



Otsu, made from scratch - from groceries



Now, this is one FANTASTIC dish. I found it on 101 Cookbooks  and could not wait to make it. I ommited the cucumber (didn't have one) and switched the honey for maple syrup. The soba is cold and the tofu is hot, golden and creamy on the inside, making for interesting textures. Everything is doused with a delicous sauce that fuses many flavors: lemon, hot pepper, ginger, sesame... As they say on the blog it's from, it's very soul-satisfying. There's also a ton of coriander and scallions in the mix, for that added touch of green. You garnish it with sesame seeds and hope for seconds.


The last lemon square, I swear

I also had a yummy peach. Or two.


Money spent on food today: $1.25

Waste less: tomato paste in a tube

Here's the scenario: you make a dish that requires 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. So you open one of those tiny cans and measure out what you need. Thinking ahead, you save the rest. "I may use it in a sauce or something" you promise yourself. The smartest amongst us will freeze the leftover paste, but most of us will just smack a piece of cling wrap on top on the opened can and call it a day.

Fast-forward to a few weeks later.

You are cleaning out the fridge. Behind the jar of dill pickes, hiding next to the box of baking soda, sits the wrapped can of tomato paste. You take it with a disgusted "eww!" and dare not look under its plastic shield to see what's going on. Out to the trash it goes. What a waste!

The solution is to let go of the cans and to buy tomato paste in a tube. 

You just squeeze out what you need, put the cap back on and voilà! No more waste. And no more breeding ground for bacteria in your fridge. It may look like it's more expensive than the cans, but you'll use it all. And in my experience, it's tastier, too.