Rich People Problems

First of all, let me say that I don't usually identify myself with "the rich." (And certainly not, "the rich and famous.")

But today, I was really struck by all my "rich people problems." Consider:

We were out--completely out--of milk, eggs, bread, fresh fruit. ACK! What in the world do we eat for breakfast? for lunch? Grocery is now on the "urgent-must-do-today" list. And yet, here's what we could have eaten...just off the top of my head and working from what we still had on hand:

• smoothie with yogurt and some frozen fruit (which we actually did eat for breakfast)
• oatmeal cooked with water (which we also ate)
• cooked grains with dried fruit (I have rice, oats, farro, bulgur, ...)
• potatoes with vegetables
• cheese and crackers for lunch
• peanut butter and crackers for lunch
• fresh vegetables for any meal
• cheese quesadillas for any meal
• noodles with butter and salt and cheese on top 

For dinner, I had several options since I had chicken and sausage in the freezer, several bags of dried beans/lentils in the cupboard, the aforementioned grains, cans of tomatoes, some pasta, some fresh AND frozen vegetables, chicken stock, .... 

In short, if we were willing to be a little untraditional for our breakfasts for a few days, we could have eaten well on what was in the house. Not to mention my steady supply of fresh vegetables every week (admittedly, I'm bartering blogging services for these--but that implies that I have the time and means to blog--still a rich person's situation.)

Despite this abundance, in middle class American rich people fashion, we went to not just one, not just two, but three grocery stores. Why? Well, because I got better prices/quality on certain things at certain stores... duh! But consider:

• the transportation I had to each of these stores (implying bus fare, working car with gas, etc.)
• the time I had to do this (admittedly, I am NOT a marathon shopper and these went fairly quickly... still....)
• the money I had to do this: good prices are still prices and still reflect money I was planning to spend
• the store options: I have enough stores near me to be picky on where I go--and all of them carry abundant groceries including lots of fresh ingredients
• the storage space at my house: to bring home a week's worth (or more) of groceries, many of which require refrigeration or at least air conditioning in order to stay fresh for more than a day or two, means that I have a big enough house/electricity/etc. 
• the supplies I had on hand: for me to be able to get those good prices on random ingredients also meant that I had enough ingredients on hand (i.e. chicken, etc.) that I could afford to buy a few things we're not necessarily planning to eat up this week. And that I could afford to buy a lot of fresh fruit. A LOT, I tell you. It's almost embarrassing how much. I should confess that there are more peaches than the ones reflected in the picture above. What can I say? Those SC peaches are amazing.

So, yes, I believe we're definitely in the rich people camp when compared to most of the world. And in light of that, I chose not to complain about hauling in bags of groceries in the heat, about driving to a grocery store, about the rising cost of groceries. Prices may be going up, but we are still far better off than so many. 

What's on Hand/July Menus

I didn't make a 2-week menu for July and probably won't for August. We tend to eat differently in the summer than we do the rest of the year, even though no one in my family is actually on a school schedule. But we have random garden produce, are on the go/traveling more, and I'm needing to defrost my big stand-up freezer to get ready for the hoped-for August garden bounty (and some more freezer meals)! So, here's what I have on hand right now (*=Big Freezer). I need to clear up room in the two smaller freezers (we have an extra fridge/freezer combo in our basement--the fridge compartment stores extra milk and other beverages) because I know I can't use up all the chicken stock and flour in the Big Freezer.

I also tend to store a lot of grain/nut-related products in my freezers because we've had problems with moths getting into them in the pantry.

(strike throughs and things in red are things I've used up/changed since this post first published!)

Meats (most meat below has been repackaged in smaller amounts for my freezer; we tend to eat less meat/person than 1 typical store package assumes)

• 15 11 1-pound bags of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (hit a big sale AND had coupons)
• 2 1-pound bags boneless, skinless chicken tenders
• 1 whole chicken*
• 1 pound organic chicken thighs
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 bag of chicken for stir-fry
• 4 1/2-pound bags beef cut for stir-fry*
• 2 8-oz. bags Italian sausage*
• 1 pound kielbasa*
• 2 1/2-pound bags smoked sausage*
• 1 1/2 pound breakfast sausage (cooked)
  
• 2 small bags homemade meatballs
• 2 1 bag fish
• 1 bag fish packets (on the menu for tomorrow night)

Condiments/Sauces/Stock

• chicken stock--a ton*
• pesto--3 cups homemade; more on the way if my basil plants keep it up

Dairy

• shredded cheese--a ton*
• American cheese
• feta cheese
• Danish blue cheese (a mild gorgonzola type)
  

Baking Supplies, Grains, and Breads

• flour*
• cornmeal
• nuts*
• oats
• pie crusts (3) (2)
  
• filo dough (been in there a while....)*
• 2 1 box puff pastry (also been in there a while....)*
• small carton Cool-Whip
• ice cream... should be thrown away maybe
• 4 1 loaf bread*
• 2 1 bag tortillas
• 1 bag pita bread
• 3 pizza dough balls (using up some of that flour!)
  

Vegetables and Fruit

• beans (dried)
• 2 bag corn kernels
• 1 big bag peas
• 1 small bag peas
  
• 2 bags vegetable blends
• 3 small boxes vegetable blends
• 3 2 bell peppers
• 3 2 boxes spinach
• 1 bag sugar snap peas
• big bag sweet potato fries*
• bananas (what was I thinking? We have enough bananas to live off smoothies and banana bread for quite some time....)
• miscellaneous fruit
• ginger
• red beans (cooked for red beans and rice)
• 2 "cans" equivalent cooked black beans (using up chicken stock and pantry supplies)
  
• 2 "cans" equivalent cooked pinto beans (using up chicken stock and pantry supplies)
• 4 cups chopped onion (from my garden)
• 7 green bell peppers, chopped (from my garden)
• 2 Poblano peppers, chopped (from my garden)
  
• 2 quart-sized bags green beans (from my garden)
• roma tomatoes (from my garden)
• jalapeno peppers (from my garden)
  

Random

• Pot sticker wrappers
• popcorn kernels
• pasta
• 3 hoagie rolls

Meals that immediately jump to mind:
Stir-Fry! We do this a lot, but in the summer they have a bit more of a Thai flavor (bell peppers, basil, jalapenos, etc.)
Beans and Kielbasa (baked together)
Pasta with Sausage Sauce
Grilled Chicken (eaten plain, on top of green salad, used in chicken salad, etc.)
Homemade Pizza

That's our menu for the summer! Side dishes will be crudite (my volunteer cucumber plant is prolifically producing monstrous cukes), homemade salsa, pasta with homemade marinara sauce, etc. My garden is full of tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, and winter squash plants. A few green beans sprinkled here and there. It provided plenty of napa cabbage and snow peas for our spring stir-fries (and lettuce for salad). The summer stuff is just coming in, so hopefully we won't need to buy much produce!

What's On Hand as of January, 2009

See my explanation of "What's on Hand." (and I have a problem with little moths in my pantry, so I store a lot of grain products in my freezer that most would have in their pantry.) Looking at my list below, I realized a few things: (1) no one else is going to read this whole list but me, (2) I have a tendency to hoard things that I get at specialty stores, like our food co-op pr the Chinese grocery store, because I get there so seldom--this is not a good tendency, (3) I've managed to create quite a stockpile on a modest budget since I never buy extra of anything unless it's on sale--and I NEVER pay full price for meat, bread, and a few other things, (4) I should be able to create a nice cushion in our budget because I won't need to buy much in the coming months other than perishable foods. This is not perfectly organized and does not include spices, open bottles of vinegars/oils, flour/sugar in canisters, etc.....

Freezer Items

Baking/Miscellaneous Supplies

• 3.5 pounds pecans
  
• 7 pounds walnuts
  
• 2 pounds whole almonds
• 1 bag popcorn
  
• 3 pie crusts
  
• whole wheat pastry flour
  
• wheat germ
  
• raw sunflower seeds
  
• some other flour? got to call the co-op and double check the number
  
• 4 bags King Arthur white whole wheat flour (sale plus coupon!)
• 1 bag King Arthur whole wheat flour
• gyoza/wonton wrappers (these freeze great!)
• 
  

Fruits and Veggies

• 5 bananas
  
• 1/2 gallon sized bag blueberries (that I picked last summer...time for blueberry pancakes!)
  
• 1/2 gallon sized bag blackberries (that I picked last summer.... need to use those up!)
  
• 2 storebought bags raspberries
• 1 whole red pepper
  
• 1/2 red pepper in strips
  
• 8 3/4 bags chopped green peppers
  
• 2 bags chopped onions
  
• 1/2 bag cranberries
  
• miscellaneous and partially opened bags frozen fruit 
  
• 2 c. cooked, seasoned pinto beans
  
• 3 cooked sweet potatoes
  
• 1 box broccoli spears
  
• 1 box chopped broccoli
• 2 boxes Garden Blend (w/potatoes)
• 2 bags Garden Blend
• 1 bag cut green beans
• 2 boxes GG "healthy weight" with black beans and veggies
• 1 bag peas
• 1 bag corn
• 1 box French style green beans
• 3 boxes sugar snap peas
• 7 boxes spinach
• 1 ginormous bag sweet potato fries
• 2 cups homemade apple sauce

Breads and Grains

• 2 c. brown basmati rice (cooked)
  
• 2 c. brown rice (cooked)
  
• 3 c. (in 1 1/2 c. packs) of wild rice blend (cooked)
• 10 pounds brown jasmine rice (uncooked)
• steel cut oats (lots--uncooked)
  
• 2 whole wheat rolls
  
• 2+pounds whole wheat spaghetti (uncooked)
  
• 6 loaves Nature's Own whole wheat bread
• 1 loaf homemade whole wheat bread
• 2 artisanal loaves
• 1 bag mini whole wheat bagels
• 1 bag whole wheat pitas
• 1/2 box Phyllo dough
• 2 boxes puff pastry
• 1 big bag white tortillas

Meats/Chicken/Fish

• 4 pounds ground turkey
  
• 3 Italian sausage links
  
• unidentified chicken parts....hmm...
  
• 3 whole chickens
• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 pounds chopped boneless, skinless chicken (in 1-pound bags)
• 6 pounds or so leg quarters (in 2 bags)
• 2 pounds kielbasa
• 2 pounds breakfast sausage
• tilapia
• 2.3 pounds boneless beef shoulder
• 1.5 pounds beef stew meat
• 3-4 pork chops (can't remember)
• 1 cup chopped pork

Finished Meals/Products

• 5 egg mcmuffins
  
• 7 tiropites (spanakopita in individual triangles)
  
• 2 big "bags" butternut squash soup
• 1 tupperware chili
• 3 small bags tomato soup
• 3 small bags spaghetti sauce
• 1 bag peanut sauce for chicken
• 1 bag peanut sauce for Thai fish 
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 6 cups turkey stock
• 6 cups cooked pinto beans
• 4 cups cooked white beans
• 2 cartons Cool Whip
• 14 Lean Cuisines
• 16 tuna sandwiches
• 2 packets chicken for stir-fry
• 1 packet cherry chipotle chicken

Pantry

Grains/Cereals/Pasta/Etc.

• oats
  
• raisins
  
• homemade pancake mix
  
• miscellaneous chocolate, cake decorating stuff, etc. (most of which I also inherited with the nuts)
  
• honey
  
• ~2 c. brown jasmine rice
  
• ~1.5 c. brown rice
  
• 1/2 quart jar full of quinoa (had forever...)
  
• 2/3 quart jar full of whole wheat couscous
• 1 bag plus 1/4 c. barley
• 2/3 quart jar full of bran (oat or wheat--can't remember, but think it's wheat)
• 1 quart jar full of bulgur
• 1 pint jar full of nutritional yeast flakes--this supposedly gives a "chicken" flavor to vegetarian grain dishes
• 1 quart jar full of homemade granola
• couple of boxes of opened storebought cereal
• partially full box of cream of wheat
• partially full box of malt-o-meal (should use this up or throw away...)

• 1/2 box lasagna noodles (enough for 1 pan lasagna)
  
• 2 pounds whole wheat Penne pasta
• 1 pound whole wheat macaroni
• 250 g brown rice sticks (soften in Thai pasta dishes)
  
• 12 oz. whole wheat egg noodles
• 2 small packets bean thread noodles

• partially full box of Panko bread crumbs
• partially full canister of plain bread crumbs
• partially full canister of seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 canister Royal Blend rice/wheat berry mix (uncooked)
• 1/2 canister whole wheat orzo
• 2 boxes mac-n-cheese
• 1 box Jiffy cornbread
• 1 box Spanish rice-a-roni (yuk)

Crackers and Snack Items

• 1 box cracked black pepper triscuits
  
• 1 box Rosemary and olive oil triscuits
• opened box of graham crackers
  
• unopened pack of Wasa crackers
  
• opened box of sweet Ryvita crackers
  
• unopened box of sweet Ryvita crackers
  
• 1 box Townhouse Crackers
• 2 bags Goldfish

• opened box unflavored gelatin packets (for homemade jello)
• 1 box fat free butterscotch pudding mix
• 1 box fat free lemon pudding mix
• 1 box sugar free strawberry jello
• 1 box sugar free cherry jello
• 1 box sugar free red raspberry jello

• 1 box peach melba cheeseball mix
• 1 box lemon raspberry cheeseball mix

Baking Materials

• 1 quart jar sorghum (like it better than molasses)
• miscellaneous chocolate baking bars white chocolate, semi-sweet, unsweetened)
• miscellaneous cake decorating stuff (sprinkles, decorator icing)
• butterscotch chips
• white chocolate chips
• peanut butter chips
• semi-sweet chips
• bittersweet choc chips
• food coloring
• peppermint sprinkles
• honey
• large box powdered milk (to add to bread dough or homemade yogurt)
• 3 cans sweetened condensed milk
  
• 3 cans evaporated milk

• Big bag of powdered sugar
• Crisco
• Baking soda 
• 1 pint jar sesame seeds
• brown sugar (LOTS)

Dried  and Canned Beans

• 1/2 bag red lentils
• 1 bag plus 1 1/4 cups black beans
  
• 1 bag red beans
• 1 1/2 cups navy beans
  
• 3/4 cup kidney beans
  
• 1 bag mung beans (for sprouting)
  
• 1 bag regular lentils
  

• 1 can Great Northern beans
• 2 cans Canellini beans
• 2 cans chick peas
• large can Bold and Spicy Beans
  

Condiments

• 1 jar black bean sauce (Chinese condiment)
  
• 1 packet Creamy Pesto sauce mix
• 1 packet weird Chinese seasoning mix (from Chinese grocery store--it's in Chinese and I can't read it, but my husband knows what it is...)
• 1 packet Pad Thai Sauce mix
• 1 jar chili garlic sauce
• 1 jar sweet chili sauce (I think I may have moved with this three and a half years ago... maybe should throw it out)
• 1 jar Chicken Korma sauce (this is so good!!)
• 1 bottle Kraft BBQ sauce
• 5 bottles Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
• 1 jar mild Black Bean and Corn Salsa
• 1 jar medium Black Bean and Corn Salsa
• 1 jar medium traditional salsa
• 1 jar alfredo sauce
• 1 jar sun-dried tomato alfredo sauce
• 1 huge (Sam's sized) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 bottle Ranch dressing
• 1 jar Dijon mustard (date is still in future)
• 1 jar Dijon mustard (date was Nov/08, but it's never been opened...)
• 1 jar spicy brown mustard
• 1 can cream of coconut (also moved with this--you know, hate to throw away food... probably bought it for some recipe I never made)
• 1 bottle fish sauce
• 1 bottle ketchup
• 1 bottle good Balsamic vinegar
  
• miscellaneous Kool-aid packets (we've never made...)

• 1 jar natural peanut butter (unsweetened)
• 1 small jar regular (sweetened) peanut butter
• 6 jars organic peanut butter (sweetened, but with honey)
• 1 large jar unsweetened natural crunchy peanut butter

• 2 jars "just fruit" grape jelly
• 1 jar "just fruit" apricot jelly
• 1 jar hot mango chutney
• 1 jar sweet mango chutney
• 4 8-oz. jars homemade blackberry jam
• 3 8-oz. jars homemade jalapeno jam

Soup/Stock-Related Items

• 1 box chipotle potato soup mix (a couple years old...)
• 1 baggie dehydrated "soup veggies"
• 1 package oriental flavored ramen
• 2 cans beef broth
  
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 can condensed chicken soup
  
• 3 cans chicken soup
• 2 cans chicken stock

Canned Vegetables

• 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
• 2 small cans tomato juice
  
• 8 cans tomato paste
  
• 1 can green chiles
• 2 cans corn
• 3 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 large cans solid pack pumpkin

Miscellaneous

• 1 jar Marshmallow fluff
• partially full can "nut topping" (hmm)
• Hummus mix
• Falafel mix
• whole almonds
• dried minced onion
• lemon juice
• French's fried onion rings
• 1 can Man-wich
• 4 small boxes raisins
• 2 packets salmon
• 2 packets "mango chipotle" salmon
• 14 packs tuna (huge sale and coupons!)
• 2 boxes liquid Certo (this is for jelly making)
  
• 2 boxes pectin (also for jelly making)
• small bag of peanuts in the shell
  
• makings for spiced tea mix (Tang, instant iced tea mix...)
• 2 quart jars full of oolong tea... not sure I like it, actually
  
• cinnamon sticks
• 1 jar imitation vanilla (but I have a huge jar of the real thing...??)
• 1/2 Sam's sized bag Craisins
• TONS of olive (2 big Sam's sized containers...should have checked more carefully before the last Sam's run)
• Big Sam's size box of Power Bars
• Vinegar
• 27 juice boxes
• 2 boxes green tea
• 1 bottle cranberry juice
• 2 bottles apple juice