Yoga Challenge (day 14,) over-budget, and FLOG

Dan and I went to see a play last night, and when we got home, I convinced Dan to do the dishes :) while I did twenty minutes of Yoga Journal's "Step-by-Step Session 1." The more I do the sun salutes, the more I love them! (And boy, are my arms and legs tired when I'm done!) This might have been a little bit too much physical activity for me at 9:30 at night, since I could barely crawl my butt into bed when I was done, but it was fun while it lasted. :) I may choose an easier practice today!

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I went grocery shopping yesterday morning, and I am officially already WAY over budget for groceries this month. (This will be okay in the end, since it's a three-paycheck month for me.) I think I may go to a cash system next month, however -- take out $87 per week, leave my debit card at home, and be smarter about my shopping. I'm also watching to see what expensive things I've been picking up, so I can maybe make better choices next time. (For some reason, anything over four dollars seems to catch my eye on my reciepts. These items include coffee, health and beauty items, organic canola oil, cheeses, and some high-cost produce items such as the pineapple, grapes, beets, and pound-and-a-half of mushrooms I bought this week!)

Budgeting, like anything else, is a learning process, right??

Here's the loot:


BULK:
organic green lentils
egg noodles (so glad I found these in bulk! They are SO EXPENSIVE pre-packaged!)

CHEESE:
local queso fresco

FROZEN:
local, organic edamame (in-pod)

HERBS & SPICES:
local, organic, ground white pepper

PACKAGED GROCERY:
organic canola oil
wild capers
organic tomato juice
organic firm silken tofu
organic dried shiitake mushrooms
organic diced tomatoes
organic stoneground wheat and flax crackers
organic "harvest whole wheat" crackers
Seventh Generation TP

PERSONAL CARE:
two bottles of Nature's Gate shampoo
two packages organic cotton tampons (on sale!!)
Burt's Bees orange essence facial cleanser

PRODUCE:
organic cucumber
organic bananas
organic avocados
organic pineapple
organic green grapes
organic limes
organic red pears
organic green beans
organic eggplant
organic garlic
organic red chard
organic dino kale (two bunches)
organic cilantro
organic Italian parsley
local, organic, white button mushrooms
organic yellow onions
organic green onions
organic green bell pepper
local, organic russet potato
local hydroponic romaine
organic zucchini
organic beets
organic cherry tomatoes

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
flour tortillas
local, organic, low-fat sour cream

To stay in budget, I'm considering switching to conventional canola oil next month, and will also make smarter fruit choices. I must admit, though, it's that time of year when I'm just so SICK of apples and oranges, I want to SCREAM! (Don't get me wrong . . . the Minneolas are still tasty, but it's been ages since I've had grapes! Let's hope the grapes and pineapple were worth the cost!)

I also need to plan my internet orders for heath and beauty items better -- I had to pick up a couple of things we ran out of, because I had just placed an order. Oh well!

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Enough budget talk; on to yesterday's FLOG!

Breakfast #1:

Pre-grocery store muffin. Coffee, too, of course.

Breakfast #2:

Post-grocery store dates. Dan managed to sneak some of these out of my dish!

Lunch:

Our weekly brunch, with freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice on the side! (P.S. My hashbrown-making skills improve with each week. Crispy deliciousness!)

Treat:

I have been savoring last weekend's batch of sprinkle-cookies.

Dinner:

I made Agean Eggplant with Lentils, brown rice, and steamed beets for dinner last night. I haven't made this recipe in a couple of years, and I can't for the life of me figure out why! These lentils and veggies are so healthy, comforting, and delicious. Yum. This should be a good recipe to keep in mind for late-summer farmer's market bounty, too!

(P.S. I didn't use canned lentils, per the recipe instructions -- I cooked up a big pot yesterday morning, and portioned out and froze the rest.)

Treat:

I made a tofu, chocolate, and peanut butter mousse yesterday, which turned out SO thick and rich, I couldn't finish my entire portion! I think I'll skip the peanut butter next time -- I tasted barely a whisper of peanut butter flavor, and in my opinion, the last thing this recipe needs is more richness! Cook and learn, right?

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Stay tuned -- more yoga and delicious food to come today!