For this week, I decided that I needed the following items for my home cooking assignments for the week:
- Tofu (Target: $2.69 Cub: $1.79)
- Chili Powder (Target: $1.49 Cub: $1.29)
- Smoked Kielbasa Sausage (Target: $4.05 Cub: $3.00)
- Broccoli (Target: $2.99 Cub: $2.00)
- Carrots (Target: $1.99 Cub: $2.59)
The tofu, broccoli, and carrots were needed for the tofu curry that I prepared for this assignment. The other ingredients were needed to make a chili that I prepared using leftover taco meat. I purchased all five items from my local Cub foods during my weekly grocery trip.
For this week, I decided to use a curry spice block that I had in my pantry. This was not a pre-made curry sauce; rather, a condensed blend of spices that I purchase to avoid spending a large amount of money on spices. There was no strict recipe that I followed for this dish; instead, I made up the recipe as I went along. For this dish, I began by sauteing broccoli, red onion, and carrots in olive oil.
While sauteing the vegetables, I fried some extra firm tofu in a pan until the exterior the tofu was crisp and firm. I also added around 5 cups of water to the sauteed vegetables along with a container of whole mushrooms.
I then added the curry spice block to the vegetables and water, and I finally added the tofu to the curry. I mixed well to incorporate the spices into the curry, and I let the curry simmer until it had reduced by about an inch. I then made some basmati rice that I have stored in my pantry and served the curry with the rice.
1. I chose the below items to purchase because I needed them for the meals that I was going to prepare for the week, and I always make a shopping list before I go to the store to provide some insight into how much money I will be spending. By having a list, I also prevent myself from making impulsive purchases; rather, I focus only on the items that are on my list. By making this list, I believe that I did save money because I prevent myself from purchasing food that I do not need, and I am able to look for the best deals when I have my list. I try to purchase the Cub brand foods to avoid paying a little more for the same quality for items such as canned tomatoes.
- Tofu (Target: $2.69 Cub: $1.79)
- Chili Powder (Target: $1.49 Cub: $1.29)
- Smoked Kielbasa Sausage (Target: $4.05 Cub: $3.00)
- Broccoli (Target: $2.99 Cub: $2.00)
- Carrots (Target: $1.99 Cub: $2.59)
2. For the tofu curry that I prepared, I estimate the cost to be around $9.00 for the all of non-pantry ingredients that I had to purchase. On the box for the spice mix, the serving size was estimated to be about 12 servings per spice block. Therefore, I estimate the cost per serving to be $0.75 per serving.
3. This week I did not purchase any long-term pantry items since over the past three years I have accumulated many items for my pantry. As a result, I do not have a need to purchase some of those pantry items. However, I will say that by purchasing the pantry items I find that I only need to buy items with short shelf lives such as protein and fresh vegetables.
4. A pantry staple that I like to keep on hand is bread and peanut butter because it is a cheap item to purchase, and a peanut butter sandwich is a quick way to get nutrients and calories in during the day.
5. I was not too surprised by this exercise. However, I wish I had learned this lesson around 2 years ago when I first started buying my own groceries and budgeting for the first time.
6. This exercise and the lessons I learned will definitely influence my shopping and eating patterns in the future since budgeting is a critical part of grocery shopping to not only avoid buying excess amounts of food but to also save money for other investments.
7. I always think expanding one's pantry is useful because it provides more flexibility in the meals you are able to prepare. Also if you do not have the chance to go the grocery store or spend a lot of time cooking, you can quickly go to the pantry or refrigerator to quickly prepare a quick meal.
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