Oh Autumn, I love thee.

The weather has turned  bit cooler here in Chicago. I’ve spent the last three days in jeans and long-sleeved shirts. This is my favorite time of year for cooking. For me, nothing is as soothing as the smell of apples and cinnamon. I love eating hearty, hot soups and chili, and nothing beats throwing on a hoodie and enjoying a cup of coffee on my porch while breathing in the crisp Fall air.

There have been some, eh… changes in the Frank household as of late; some as a result of outside pressures and some internal. For example, Josh’s ministry job has been terminated, so the outside pressure of not having a steady income has resulted in us having to cut our food budget. On the other hand, the internal pressure of knowing that I can’t fit into a good number of my clothes has resulted in me giving up (or nearly giving up) dairy. I don’t eat cheese any more, and I only have a splash of cream in my coffee in the mornings. I do still eat keifer when I use it to make raw oatmeal, but I imagine I’ll find an alternative to that in time. Additionally, I’ve been cutting down on my sugar intake. I no longer sweeten my coffee, and I’ve been incredibly successful at not eating sweets since I began this journey (about three weeks ago).

As I was thinking about our new budget, I was wondering if anyone would have any interest in reading about my grocery shopping habits? What I’ve bought and for how much? In other words, are you interested in how I feed my family healthy, whole foods on a budget? Yesterday I went shopping at three different stores, and between the three, I spent less than $60. Some of the food I bought was conventional, but a fair bit was organic. The groceries I purchased yesterday should easily get us through the week food-wise, though I suppose I may need to run to the corner market near the end of the week for more fruit. That’s always a possibility. Anyway, please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Here’s what’s cooking this week:

Breakfast
Eggs with chopped tomatoes and spinach
Keifer oatmeal
Hot oatmeal

Lunch/Dinner
Chili
ALTs
Curried channa
Eggplant and chickpea stew
Refried bean quesadillas/burritos
Pasta with marinara sauce and homemade focaccia bread

Want more? Check out the Weekly Menus archive.

Need more dinner ideas? Check out Jenna’s Mindful Menus Blog Roll.