I am so glad I found you Melanie! It is great to find a grocery challenge done in Canada. Many on RUclips from the US, but of course their grocery prices are much less than ours. You did a terrific job! I did not know about the Flashfood app and have since downloaded it. Their is a grocery store in my city that participates and they happen to be across from my work. I can't wait!
Oh wow. Phenomenal news. I find the items go fast because everyone is looking to save where they can. It's a snap decision to grab one. They often have yogurt, sour cream, bread products. I find it really interesting to follow. Where are you located? I'm in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.
I will be sending more to your channel. I think those who complain that they can't "afford" food right now, just don't know how to cook or be creative with the foods that they do have. You do a great job of sharing with others how to make things. And I think that adding spices for flavor helps us to feel like we are getting more, because food purchased out is SO over flavored. You could dehydrate the lemons and use in tea for something hot. I don't use them often enough for any other suggestion. Enjoy the weekend. Catherine
The spices were really helpful. 100%. I'll be heading to the bulk barn for some more bits and Bob's of spices for week 2. I love trying to figure out what is possible with a bunch of random ingredients. Thanks for the inspiring feedback, Catherine. Have a wonderful weekend.
If you would grate the lemons and oranges and them slice them and put in the freezer so they do not spoil. They are wonderful in food dishes and also in hot tea and lemonade. The potatoes can also be cooked ahead and frozen so they do not spoil. You can do the same thing with rice so it is easy to just warm up or add to soups and casseroles.
22:20 Lately I've been saving chicken, bacon, sausage and other meat greases to use for cooking later, in place of oil or margarine. Very flavorful, and no waste. 😊 Found a cute little Dollarama jar to put in the fridge.
Oh my goodness! You did an amazing job with your meals! You were so excited by the end of the video, and rightfully so. The rice casserole, the vegetable soup, and the spaghetti meals looked delicious. And you have the makings of a pantry. Already! Can't wait to see what is in your grocery basket this coming week.
By mid-week, I really was genuinely excited. It went so much better than I was thinking. The spagetti was so, so good. Spagetti is my absolute favourite and I make it so sparingly because not everyone in the house shares my enthusiasm for it. Lol. I'm looking forward to having it more frequently on this challenge than what I am used to. I'm looking forward to sharing my week 2 groceries. Thanks for watching!
Hello from Ohio! You did a great job with the budget, I think the flash foods box was a great addition. Thx for doing the challenge we know it's a real task that takes alot of time. Happy grocery shopping❤
Another creative week of good meals! I wanted to say that I noticed when watching other grocery challenge videos that they all use quite a few pantry items as well as eggs if the have chickens. I don’t mean they get out entire jars etc to use but they use many condiments and they use butter oil shortening sugar flour etc. and not counted as part of their costs. I think you’d get to eat a lot better. Lol something else that keeps niggling at me is if one were ti do a challenge that included items one would normally get from a food bank. Then add to that with a budget one would have if they were on social assistance disability for example. I bet a lot of seniors would learn what they can do with some of the food bank stuff combined with a few store bought sales. I’m always amazed at how some people even older my age (64) don’t know how to cook from scratch or don’t eat beans etc. when a friend of a friend passed away last year her basement was full of canned black beans, kidney beans, chick peas,canned fruit, and her freezer even had a turkey that was at least 2 years old with a couple of beef roasts etc all things given to her that she didn’t know how to cook. She was 47 and had raised 4 kids! But they ate convenience pre-made foods. She was on assistance and lived practically on French fries , canned gravy and cheese. Anyhow my point is a video that incorporates what a person would receive from a food bank would be helpful to do many. Maybe a future video series for you to do. You would find out what one gets a month from the food bank ( but go to store and buy it so you are not taking advantage ) don’t count it as money spent then add to that by shopping for items to round it out to create meals. Just an idea ! As if you don’t already have great ones! 😂lol
This is an INCREDIBLE idea. Perhaps I'll try to make a connection with a food bank in the spring! This is truly, truly clever and inspiring. I will absolutely attempt to make that happen in the spring!
Most of the challenges I watch use oil, salt and pepper as pantry staples, although I'm sure they have plenty more in their pantry. (Some) fat is necessary for the brain to work... Most of us get plenty! There are other RUclipsrs that show what they get from the food pantry and what can be cooked from what they receive. I've also seen some cooking classes online, I thought it was funny since I wasn't even searching for those, but I loved them anyway. They were in Idaho, I think. Type in food stamp cooking or cooking using food pantry items. A search like that should yield results for you 😊
What to use for lemons - the best soup is Greek Avgolemono soup - rice, egg and lemon juice so delicious. The Avgolemono can also be used for meat ball soup, Youvarlakia - so delicious. Great sauce for seafood too. Hey, for a NS gal where’s the fish and seafood? You even back onto to a lake or ocean. For good health always prioritize protein especially as we get older. Don’t be frugal with meat and eggs.
You could squeeze some lemon in a smoothie with oranges and strawberries. If you can work in chicken next time, make lemon pepper chicken. Great job with the meals. Looking forward to the next video!
Amazing challenge and home cooked meal is always the best! I like how you used all of the ingredients with 0 food waste. You're an inspiration for everyone and can't wait to see what's next.
You did awesome I think you had a pretty good variety and had lots of items left. I can't wait to see what you purchase for week 2. And that flashfood box was very helpful I know you were thinking it wasn't the best use of your money but I think it was a great purchase.
I traded out 2 of those oranges today. So I feel like it's still being useful in a bit of a different way. HA. I am REALLY happy with the week 2 shop. Yay.
my favorite thing to stretch rice is to make congee or rice porridge what ever you wish to call its quite delicious when you add some chicken broth you can really flavor it how ever you want
Hi Melanie 🤗 You made Congee - it's a type of Asian porridge made with rice. Yummy! Ha! - That was a very cute baby bread loaf 😋 You're so creative Melanie - I knew you would make some great meals. I'm with you on spaghetti and I can eat it 3 or 4 days a week if you let me!LOL. You did an amazing job this week! WooHoo!!! What about toasted bread with some of the jam? I eat toast without butter all the time! LOL my Handsome One thinks I'm nuts but it's fine without it.
I did have some toast with jam yesterday. I just really, really like it also to have butter. Or in my situation, what will need to be margarine to accommodate my budget without a pantry back up. YET!! I am looking forward to more spagetti, that's for sure. I did well with the groceries for week 2. For main meals, there shouldn't be any duplications of week 1. That's quite exciting to me. Variety is really great on a small budget. Congee. I'll have to look that up!. Thanks for the info!!
So happy to see realistic budget in Canadian $$ I have watched this twice over, and get new tips each time. I need you to do a new challenge....this same $23 a week challenge but for a man. Their appetites are bigger. I am trying to help a young man on a seriously starvation budget. I would love to see you do this kind of challenge to help him and other men to visualize what they can accomplish.
The first week was incredibly scarce because I was trying to eat and carry as many items forward as possible. For someone with a bigger appetite, they could always consume more food with less carry forward. I hope you get the opportunity to watch the series. It went really, really well.
@@adventuresingroceryland I have watched the series twice, and rewatching for tips I may have missed that I can pass on to my neighbor. I hope I can get him to watch the series too
Melanie!! Great new challenge! I missed the first one! :) Nice that you raised the amount from $21 A Week Challenge. With the higher grocery prices it might be necessary hey? Good luck to you! :D
Thanks, Jessica. I do find that in the past year and a half, grocery prices have jumped again. So discouraging. This was a good week. I did have some concerns at the beginning. Thankfully, the week ended much better than what I was expecting. I see you're doing a pantry challenge. I was really committed the end of 2023 to reduce the fridge & pantry in prep for the move to the "tiny home". Space is now at a premium here. It's been an adjustment, that's for sure! Have a great week!
Hi, Melanie! I'd be interested to know a few things about this week. 1.) Were you hungry after eating meals? 2.) Did your weight change this week? 3.) What would you do differently if you could recreate the week? I really enjoy these videos!
1. I felt over full most mornings/lunch as I was forcing myself to eat bf, lunch and supper. Normally, I'm just a lunch/supper girl. The day I had the oatmeal for breakfast (which ended up mid morning as I forgot to eat it) I was simply too full to eat lunch. By supper I seemed fine and I found the suppers very filling. No issues on that end. 2. I'm not sure about my weight. I don't pay much attention to that. 3. In a perfect world, I would have been able to get lactose free yogurt. I would have made more smoothies. I enjoy them a lot. But since I didn't, I needed to balance the amount of dairy I was eating. I would try, try, try to eat breakfast as early as possible. I should have used both the soya sauce packets in the fried rice. I liked it but I would have enjoyed it way more if I used both. None of those things are dire. Besides, for the breakfast bars and the mango, all the food I prepared was normal food for me. Thanks so much for watching Nancy.
I decided to go back to the beginning and watch this whole challenge from the start. Really enjoying it. Do you snack at all? I know that people think your portion sizes are small, and they are, but we tend to eat too big of portion sizes, and for the most part.
Excellent job! You exceeded my expectations. There is so much food left over. When you spilled some of the smoothie, I said "lick it up'....and then you said the same thing...lol. I'd zest and squeeze the lemons, and use for lemon loaf. You can also use as a topping for pancakes instead of maple syrup. Just sprinkle pancakes with white sugar then drizzle over lemon juice. Tasty. Can't wait for next installments.
I was very strict at the beginning of the week because I thought I was in trouble after spending $4 on the flash food box that was mostly fruit! By mid week I was full of excitement with how well the week was going. I need to process those lemons into something! My little smoothie maker has bit the dust. Three disaster attempts in a row. I was going to keep trying bit the handsome one vetoed me. It's gone now. 😭 I've completed the shop for week 2 and it went very well!! Stay tuned!
@@adventuresingroceryland I made a reply yesterday...or so i thought. I guess I didn't hit "reply"...lol I was also thinking the rice slurry could be used as a natural thickener for soups...or add to smoothies?
@kathryndockrey1477 You can definitely use the slurry to thicken soups, sauces...etc. The video I discovered it, it was used to get rice milk, used to thicken a cheese sauce and used in cinnamon breakfast bars (hers turned out better than mine!). So I thought, why not try it. I have rice, why not try it. What do I have to lose? I think that is a huge part of success. That willingness to "try".
I know this is older, but I hope that you go to a food bank if they’re nearby if you ever need more filling food ❤ for example orange slices for lunch just isn’t much. I just hate the thought of anyone not getting enough food. Hope you are well.
@shaunaleessnackidies Hey Shauna. Keep in mind that this was challenge to show on a very small budget you can eat and build a pantry. This was also week 1, which is always a very tight week to purposely save resources to carry over for future weeks. The video is educational. It's an aid to show, if found in dire circumstances, you can thrive. I encourage you to watch the series. It's pretty impactful. 😀
I wanted to go back and watch your entire $23 a week from the beginning. I have the same glasses that you served your smoothie in. My mum’s:”parfait”:glasses. I have never seen anyone else with the same glasses. 🙂 Mine live safely in my china hutch with her dishes, egg cups and my Santa mug. I am so clumsy lately that I am terrified that if I use them I’m going to drop something and break it.
Most of my glasses are singles, and where they originally came from, I can't remember. The little holiday glasses, I had a set of 4 and now down to 3, and one of the 3 has a chip. Soon to be down to 2. Do you find you have a favourite glass? I do!
@@adventuresingroceryland My favourite “glass” is a large plastic tumbler with screwtop and a straw. I wasn’t kidding about being a klutz it’s the only thing I have but I can drop and not worry about breaking or spills. 🤣🤣🤣
Continue watching and you'll come to see, I forget so many things. Call things the wrong names. Forget what I was saying or what I want to say. LOL. Thanks so much for subscribing and watching the videos. I'm glad you are enjoying them.
Great video! So glad I found you! I live in Downeast Maine so we are practically neighbors. My mom was a very frugal cook and one thing she made was rice pudding...I believe there is a lemon version you could make with your lemons. Just a thought! Look forward to watching the whole series. Thank you for the tremendous amount of work you are putting into these very informative videos...I let the adverts run so I hope you are making something from them 🙂
Oh right, the breakfast bars, the bars for breakfast, the bars made specifically to eat at breakfast, orange breakfast bars. Those breakfast bars? Were they good?
Great job Melanie! You got very creative and your rice looked so delicious! I saved my meat drippings in the pan tonight and am making gravy tomorrow. Bet its going to give it so much flavor. I've never thought of that before! I see some smoothies in your future for next week! When I have the time, I mix my eggs with water with the hand beater. It adds volume. I think its so important to show these challenges because its becoming more of a necessity for more and more people. Did you hear that the SuperStore is replacing their 50% off stickers with 30% off instead and not until the best before date? I used to go in and check their breads and meats for half off, but they've become so greedy that it would take something I really need for a great price to get me in the door now. Even our offers aren't as good as the sales anymore. 😑
Thanks, Andrea. I'm always just trying to figure out interesting and good meals with sometimes random ingredients. Let us know how your gravy turns out. I have heard about the loblaws change. I'm saddened about it. I wonder when we will start seeing it in stores.
I'm not sure, but for now maybe you can find some 50% off potatoes, etc. to help get your staples for this challenge. I didn't see many deals this week in the flyers. Maybe little bits from The Bulk Barn are going to be your friend next week?! @@adventuresingroceryland
Some nice creative recipes. Well done. Unfortunately the portion sizes were so small. I would have lost weight, going to bed hungry most nights. I'm a 250lb male and you were cooking for the much smaller you!!! Looking forward to future episodes. Thanks
Great week mel. Maybe a lazy stuffed pepper. ( like a casserole) maybe rice pudding. Lemon loaf or muffins. Or a shepherds pie. Just need a potato. Use ur leftover spaghetti sauce n make a sloppy joe
I think you did an awesome job on your shopping and on the meals you prepared. I know you are on a little budget but since you have the fuel perks I wonder if you could use it to buy heavy whipping cream or something to that nature and make a little butter. Maybe do a little research and see what you could come up with. Great video can't wait to see what you do next week! Thanks so much for sharing. P.S. I was just thinking if you get the heavy whipping cream to make the butter, you could use some to make a cream sauce for spag noodles, and you can make biscuits with it, use in oatmeal or whatever else you can think of :)
Thanks, Mary. I was pleased with the week. I'm really looking forward to next week. It's not my preference, but I'm working hard on margarine to start. Stay tuned for week 2 groceries.
Thanks, Rosemary. I find rice and pasta quite filling. The little bits of protein from the eggs and grou d beef felt satisfying. I don't normally eat breakfast. I found I felt over full in the mornings/lunch but by supper time was good. I did enjoy the omelet! 💜
Bread recipe. 10-12 oz water 1.5 tsp salt 2 tbsp honey 1.5 tbsp butter/margarine 2/3 cup quick/instant oatmeal 3 1/4 cups flour 2 tsp yeast I only made a half loaf, so half of each ingredient. Also I didn't have any butter or margarine. I omitted it and crossed my fingers, hoping for the best. (My loaf was very dry).
I thought I picked up some green lentils in week 2. On a suggestion from a viewer, I checked them again only to confirm they are actually green split peas. Boo. Thankfully, I only purchased $0.17 cents worth. I had a plan for them. That's out the window now! Sigh!!
Pretty minimal. Most of the stores I frequent are in the same plaza/parking lot. Park once and walk. The others are within a minute down the road. I drive past all of them every time I go to work (on the way there and again on the way home). 😍 No extra cost to me.
Next time you want to test the blender you could try adding just water in :) But hopefully that doesn't happen again! I'm surprised that soup was a big enough meal, I was thinking you'd have to add rice or a carb to keep you full, I don't think it would be filling enough for me.
Unfortunately, it did happen again. We had to throw it out. 😭 I admit I would have preferred a little more substance in the soup. The soup mix with the rice/lentils/peas did help but double the amount would have been more satisfying. The soup was great as a lunch. Week 1 is always a bit tight! 😍
With the orange peels, did you cut them up and freeze them as you could make a marmalade with them in coming weeks, I realise you've completed 13 weeks thus far, just a thought.
To be honest I've not made it myself yet, but from what I've heard it's similar, you add the peel and liquid in first, to soften the peel before adding the sugar, but that's all I know. But again I've not made it yet myself, also with the lemons a good old lemon curd spread sounds yummy. I would like to make this for myself, as my lemon tree is beginning to ripen here in Australia.
Great video, Melanie! Nothing like an extreme grocery haul to get the creative cooking juices flowing 😋. You did a great job with what you had. There are a few thoughts I have for the lemons. First, you can freeze the juice, and the grated peel can be dried for later use if you wish. You can use it in baked goods (lemon biscuits, scones, or muffins), as part of a dish (eg, lemon chicken, in a fish dish, etc) or you could make a sweet lemon custard to use as a jam like spread or to flavour your yogurt. Lemonade is also an option, but personally I'd rather use it in my cooking or baking when on a tight budget. Hope this helps!
I'm going to try to look up some lemon chicken or lemon pepper chicken recipes. I'm wondering what other ingredients I would need. I think the smart thing to do would be as you suggest. Process the lemons. Grated the peels. Squeeze the juice. Just having them processed will make it way more likely to use them in recipes. Tha KS for the suggestion.
Yes. One night on the first week of the challenge, I had one bowl of soup for supper. I was certainly very frugal with my supplies that week. That was the tightest week. Keep watching. You'll see as each week passes and I accumulate more supplies, that the variety of the meals become much more varied and much more robust. ❤️
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I am so glad I found you Melanie! It is great to find a grocery challenge done in Canada. Many on RUclips from the US, but of course their grocery prices are much less than ours. You did a terrific job! I did not know about the Flashfood app and have since downloaded it. Their is a grocery store in my city that participates and they happen to be across from my work. I can't wait!
Oh wow. Phenomenal news. I find the items go fast because everyone is looking to save where they can. It's a snap decision to grab one. They often have yogurt, sour cream, bread products. I find it really interesting to follow. Where are you located? I'm in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.
I’m so jealous! I wish we had a store that participated in that food app. I think the app said the closest store was 1600 miles.🤣
@@allyrooh3628 We are fortunate.
Great ideas, love Canadian content, makes it more in context with our grocery prices. And love the single person recipes.
Thanks, Deborah. It's really tight for a single person on very small budget. I'm trying to show that it still can be done.
I will be sending more to your channel. I think those who complain that they can't "afford" food right now, just don't know how to cook or be creative with the foods that they do have. You do a great job of sharing with others how to make things. And I think that adding spices for flavor helps us to feel like we are getting more, because food purchased out is SO over flavored. You could dehydrate the lemons and use in tea for something hot. I don't use them often enough for any other suggestion. Enjoy the weekend. Catherine
The spices were really helpful. 100%. I'll be heading to the bulk barn for some more bits and Bob's of spices for week 2. I love trying to figure out what is possible with a bunch of random ingredients. Thanks for the inspiring feedback, Catherine. Have a wonderful weekend.
If you would grate the lemons and oranges and them slice them and put in the freezer so they do not spoil. They are wonderful in food dishes and also in hot tea and lemonade. The potatoes can also be cooked ahead and frozen so they do not spoil. You can do the same thing with rice so it is easy to just warm up or add to soups and casseroles.
@@dorgan96 I like the suggestions about the oranges and the lemons. Thanks so much.
A tip for the citrus. Use the grated zest as well. It has so much flavour. Lemon cupcake with a lemon glaze. Delicious.
Good tip. I have zested citris in the past, but I'm definitely awkward at it.
22:20 Lately I've been saving chicken, bacon, sausage and other meat greases to use for cooking later, in place of oil or margarine. Very flavorful, and no waste. 😊 Found a cute little Dollarama jar to put in the fridge.
100% yes. As soon as I have the opportunity, I'm definitely doing that! 💜
Oh my goodness! You did an amazing job with your meals! You were so excited by the end of the video, and rightfully so. The rice casserole, the vegetable soup, and the spaghetti meals looked delicious. And you have the makings of a pantry. Already! Can't wait to see what is in your grocery basket this coming week.
By mid-week, I really was genuinely excited. It went so much better than I was thinking. The spagetti was so, so good. Spagetti is my absolute favourite and I make it so sparingly because not everyone in the house shares my enthusiasm for it. Lol. I'm looking forward to having it more frequently on this challenge than what I am used to. I'm looking forward to sharing my week 2 groceries. Thanks for watching!
Hello from Ohio! You did a great job with the budget, I think the flash foods box was a great addition. Thx for doing the challenge we know it's a real task that takes alot of time. Happy grocery shopping❤
Hello Ohio!! I'm glad you are enjoying the challenge so far. I'm happy with my week 2 groceries. More good things to come.
Another creative week of good meals! I wanted to say that I noticed when watching other grocery challenge videos that they all use quite a few pantry items as well as eggs if the have chickens. I don’t mean they get out entire jars etc to use but they use many condiments and they use butter oil shortening sugar flour etc. and not counted as part of their costs. I think you’d get to eat a lot better. Lol something else that keeps niggling at me is if one were ti do a challenge that included items one would normally get from a food bank. Then add to that with a budget one would have if they were on social assistance disability for example. I bet a lot of seniors would learn what they can do with some of the food bank stuff combined with a few store bought sales. I’m always amazed at how some people even older my age (64) don’t know how to cook from scratch or don’t eat beans etc. when a friend of a friend passed away last year her basement was full of canned black beans, kidney beans, chick peas,canned fruit, and her freezer even had a turkey that was at least 2 years old with a couple of beef roasts etc all things given to her that she didn’t know how to cook. She was 47 and had raised 4 kids! But they ate convenience pre-made foods. She was on assistance and lived practically on French fries , canned gravy and cheese. Anyhow my point is a video that incorporates what a person would receive from a food bank would be helpful to do many. Maybe a future video series for you to do. You would find out what one gets a month from the food bank ( but go to store and buy it so you are not taking advantage ) don’t count it as money spent then add to that by shopping for items to round it out to create meals. Just an idea ! As if you don’t already have great ones! 😂lol
This is an INCREDIBLE idea. Perhaps I'll try to make a connection with a food bank in the spring! This is truly, truly clever and inspiring. I will absolutely attempt to make that happen in the spring!
Perhaps the food bank would let you hold a cooking class to teach the recipients so they could make it themselves, too.
Most of the challenges I watch use oil, salt and pepper as pantry staples, although I'm sure they have plenty more in their pantry. (Some) fat is necessary for the brain to work... Most of us get plenty! There are other RUclipsrs that show what they get from the food pantry and what can be cooked from what they receive. I've also seen some cooking classes online, I thought it was funny since I wasn't even searching for those, but I loved them anyway. They were in Idaho, I think. Type in food stamp cooking or cooking using food pantry items. A search like that should yield results for you 😊
What to use for lemons - the best soup is Greek Avgolemono soup - rice, egg and lemon juice so delicious. The Avgolemono can also be used for meat ball soup, Youvarlakia - so delicious. Great sauce for seafood too.
Hey, for a NS gal where’s the fish and seafood? You even back onto to a lake or ocean.
For good health always prioritize protein especially as we get older. Don’t be frugal with meat and eggs.
@engc4953 Week 1 in a challenge is always really tight. Don't worry, the following weeks get better and better as the pantry builds.
@@adventuresingroceryland I’ve just started viewing your videos, great job Melanie. Thank you,
You could squeeze some lemon in a smoothie with oranges and strawberries. If you can work in chicken next time, make lemon pepper chicken. Great job with the meals. Looking forward to the next video!
Have you ever made lemon chicken. I am very interested how to use the lemon to flavour it. I'd love your feedback.
Amazing challenge and home cooked meal is always the best! I like how you used all of the ingredients with 0 food waste. You're an inspiration for everyone and can't wait to see what's next.
Aww. Thanks so much. I'm excited to post Week 2. I got some really good items!
You did awesome I think you had a pretty good variety and had lots of items left. I can't wait to see what you purchase for week 2. And that flashfood box was very helpful I know you were thinking it wasn't the best use of your money but I think it was a great purchase.
I traded out 2 of those oranges today. So I feel like it's still being useful in a bit of a different way. HA.
I am REALLY happy with the week 2 shop. Yay.
@@adventuresingroceryland oh good hope you traded for something to help you out.
my favorite thing to stretch rice is to make congee or rice porridge what ever you wish to call its quite delicious when you add some chicken broth you can really flavor it how ever you want
OK. Good tip. I'll look it up. Thanks for watching.
Hi Melanie 🤗 You made Congee - it's a type of Asian porridge made with rice. Yummy! Ha! - That was a very cute baby bread loaf 😋 You're so creative Melanie - I knew you would make some great meals. I'm with you on spaghetti and I can eat it 3 or 4 days a week if you let me!LOL. You did an amazing job this week! WooHoo!!! What about toasted bread with some of the jam? I eat toast without butter all the time! LOL my Handsome One thinks I'm nuts but it's fine without it.
I did have some toast with jam yesterday. I just really, really like it also to have butter. Or in my situation, what will need to be margarine to accommodate my budget without a pantry back up. YET!! I am looking forward to more spagetti, that's for sure. I did well with the groceries for week 2. For main meals, there shouldn't be any duplications of week 1. That's quite exciting to me. Variety is really great on a small budget. Congee. I'll have to look that up!. Thanks for the info!!
So happy to see realistic budget in Canadian $$ I have watched this twice over, and get new tips each time. I need you to do a new challenge....this same $23 a week challenge but for a man. Their appetites are bigger. I am trying to help a young man on a seriously starvation budget. I would love to see you do this kind of challenge to help him and other men to visualize what they can accomplish.
The first week was incredibly scarce because I was trying to eat and carry as many items forward as possible. For someone with a bigger appetite, they could always consume more food with less carry forward. I hope you get the opportunity to watch the series. It went really, really well.
@@adventuresingroceryland I have watched the series twice, and rewatching for tips I may have missed that I can pass on to my neighbor. I hope I can get him to watch the series too
I'm so glad you are finding Value in the series. ❤️
Melanie!! Great new challenge! I missed the first one! :) Nice that you raised the amount from $21 A Week Challenge. With the higher grocery prices it might be necessary hey? Good luck to you! :D
Thanks, Jessica. I do find that in the past year and a half, grocery prices have jumped again. So discouraging. This was a good week. I did have some concerns at the beginning. Thankfully, the week ended much better than what I was expecting. I see you're doing a pantry challenge. I was really committed the end of 2023 to reduce the fridge & pantry in prep for the move to the "tiny home". Space is now at a premium here. It's been an adjustment, that's for sure! Have a great week!
Hi, Melanie! I'd be interested to know a few things about this week. 1.) Were you hungry after eating meals? 2.) Did your weight change this week? 3.) What would you do differently if you could recreate the week? I really enjoy these videos!
1. I felt over full most mornings/lunch as I was forcing myself to eat bf, lunch and supper. Normally, I'm just a lunch/supper girl. The day I had the oatmeal for breakfast (which ended up mid morning as I forgot to eat it) I was simply too full to eat lunch. By supper I seemed fine and I found the suppers very filling. No issues on that end.
2. I'm not sure about my weight. I don't pay much attention to that.
3. In a perfect world, I would have been able to get lactose free yogurt. I would have made more smoothies. I enjoy them a lot. But since I didn't, I needed to balance the amount of dairy I was eating. I would try, try, try to eat breakfast as early as possible. I should have used both the soya sauce packets in the fried rice. I liked it but I would have enjoyed it way more if I used both.
None of those things are dire. Besides, for the breakfast bars and the mango, all the food I prepared was normal food for me. Thanks so much for watching Nancy.
Buy dried lentils. Cook some to add to your hamburger to make it stretch. Dried beans and lentils are super cheap and super healthy
I enjoy bulking up some of my creations with lentils! ❤️ I like the green ones best!
Oats too!
Here’s the recipe for the meat ball Avgolemono soup. ruclips.net/video/hASCNAoP3yk/видео.htmlsi=dfo6RJphU2AfNew3
I decided to go back to the beginning and watch this whole challenge from the start. Really enjoying it. Do you snack at all? I know that people think your portion sizes are small, and they are, but we tend to eat too big of portion sizes, and for the most part.
I rarely video the snacks because it's just the same old food. Lol.
Excellent job! You exceeded my expectations. There is so much food left over. When you spilled some of the smoothie, I said "lick it up'....and then you said the same thing...lol.
I'd zest and squeeze the lemons, and use for lemon loaf. You can also use as a topping for pancakes instead of maple syrup. Just sprinkle pancakes with white sugar then drizzle over lemon juice. Tasty. Can't wait for next installments.
I was very strict at the beginning of the week because I thought I was in trouble after spending $4 on the flash food box that was mostly fruit! By mid week I was full of excitement with how well the week was going. I need to process those lemons into something!
My little smoothie maker has bit the dust. Three disaster attempts in a row. I was going to keep trying bit the handsome one vetoed me. It's gone now. 😭 I've completed the shop for week 2 and it went very well!! Stay tuned!
@@adventuresingroceryland I made a reply yesterday...or so i thought. I guess I didn't hit "reply"...lol
I was also thinking the rice slurry could be used as a natural thickener for soups...or add to smoothies?
@kathryndockrey1477 You can definitely use the slurry to thicken soups, sauces...etc. The video I discovered it, it was used to get rice milk, used to thicken a cheese sauce and used in cinnamon breakfast bars (hers turned out better than mine!). So I thought, why not try it. I have rice, why not try it. What do I have to lose? I think that is a huge part of success. That willingness to "try".
I know this is older, but I hope that you go to a food bank if they’re nearby if you ever need more filling food ❤ for example orange slices for lunch just isn’t much. I just hate the thought of anyone not getting enough food. Hope you are well.
@shaunaleessnackidies Hey Shauna. Keep in mind that this was challenge to show on a very small budget you can eat and build a pantry. This was also week 1, which is always a very tight week to purposely save resources to carry over for future weeks. The video is educational. It's an aid to show, if found in dire circumstances, you can thrive. I encourage you to watch the series. It's pretty impactful. 😀
I know this is an old video but you can make curd out of any citrus fruit you want. :) It's wonderful on toast.
That sounds interesting.
I wanted to go back and watch your entire $23 a week from the beginning. I have the same glasses that you served your smoothie in. My mum’s:”parfait”:glasses. I have never seen anyone else with the same glasses. 🙂 Mine live safely in my china hutch with her dishes, egg cups and my Santa mug. I am so clumsy lately that I am terrified that if I use them I’m going to drop something and break it.
Most of my glasses are singles, and where they originally came from, I can't remember. The little holiday glasses, I had a set of 4 and now down to 3, and one of the 3 has a chip. Soon to be down to 2. Do you find you have a favourite glass? I do!
@@adventuresingroceryland My favourite “glass” is a large plastic tumbler with screwtop and a straw. I wasn’t kidding about being a klutz it’s the only thing I have but I can drop and not worry about breaking or spills. 🤣🤣🤣
Here’s the recipe for Avgolemono soup, I always add more lemon.
ruclips.net/video/WLitZq6uhhQ/видео.htmlsi=ETyohYDoABPuSJB3
The ice does look just like it’s from a Chinese food restaurant🎉🎉🎉
The fried rice was good. I was hoping I would have found a reduced bag of sprouts. That would have elevated the fried rice!
If you do a no knead yeast recipe, you only need 1/4 tsp of yeast, no matter the size of loaf.
I think I've made one of those before. I'll have to look back through my notes.
Oh wow! So glad I was recommended this! (hits subscribe)
You forgot one tiny leftover: 1/3 mango you froze. 🥭
Continue watching and you'll come to see, I forget so many things. Call things the wrong names. Forget what I was saying or what I want to say. LOL. Thanks so much for subscribing and watching the videos. I'm glad you are enjoying them.
Great video! So glad I found you! I live in Downeast Maine so we are practically neighbors. My mom was a very frugal cook and one thing she made was rice pudding...I believe there is a lemon version you could make with your lemons. Just a thought! Look forward to watching the whole series. Thank you for the tremendous amount of work you are putting into these very informative videos...I let the adverts run so I hope you are making something from them 🙂
Thanks for watching Laura. Do you have a recipe for a lemon rice pudding. I'm curious.
Oh right, the breakfast bars,
the bars for breakfast,
the bars made specifically to eat at breakfast,
orange breakfast bars.
Those breakfast bars?
Were they good?
@@J_Isak They were OK. They fulfilled the need.
Great job Melanie! You got very creative and your rice looked so delicious! I saved my meat drippings in the pan tonight and am making gravy tomorrow. Bet its going to give it so much flavor. I've never thought of that before! I see some smoothies in your future for next week! When I have the time, I mix my eggs with water with the hand beater. It adds volume.
I think its so important to show these challenges because its becoming more of a necessity for more and more people. Did you hear that the SuperStore is replacing their 50% off stickers with 30% off instead and not until the best before date? I used to go in and check their breads and meats for half off, but they've become so greedy that it would take something I really need for a great price to get me in the door now. Even our offers aren't as good as the sales anymore. 😑
Thanks, Andrea. I'm always just trying to figure out interesting and good meals with sometimes random ingredients. Let us know how your gravy turns out.
I have heard about the loblaws change. I'm saddened about it. I wonder when we will start seeing it in stores.
I'm not sure, but for now maybe you can find some 50% off potatoes, etc. to help get your staples for this challenge. I didn't see many deals this week in the flyers. Maybe little bits from The Bulk Barn are going to be your friend next week?! @@adventuresingroceryland
@@andreahickey2016 Potatoes are definitely a top priority on my list.
Some nice creative recipes. Well done. Unfortunately the portion sizes were so small. I would have lost weight, going to bed hungry most nights. I'm a 250lb male and you were cooking for the much smaller you!!! Looking forward to future episodes. Thanks
Thanks for watching, Steve. Week 1 was definitely the tightest week. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series.
Thank you for another great video. I’ll see today what I can get for $23.00 😊❤
Let us all know. I feel like it took me way too long to choose my items. Lol.
I love mangoes. That is a big seed in there😮
I will😊. Hamburger soup looks good.
Great week mel. Maybe a lazy stuffed pepper. ( like a casserole) maybe rice pudding. Lemon loaf or muffins. Or a shepherds pie. Just need a potato. Use ur leftover spaghetti sauce n make a sloppy joe
Thanks, Jodie. Casseroles really are an easy way to use bits and pieces. I NEED POTATOES!!!!! Thanks for watching.
I think you did an awesome job on your shopping and on the meals you prepared. I know you are on a little budget but since you have the fuel perks I wonder if you could use it to buy heavy whipping cream or something to that nature and make a little butter. Maybe do a little research and see what you could come up with. Great video can't wait to see what you do next week! Thanks so much for sharing. P.S. I was just thinking if you get the heavy whipping cream to make the butter, you could use some to make a cream sauce for spag noodles, and you can make biscuits with it, use in oatmeal or whatever else you can think of :)
Thanks, Mary. I was pleased with the week. I'm really looking forward to next week. It's not my preference, but I'm working hard on margarine to start. Stay tuned for week 2 groceries.
You could make lemonade or lemon squares❤😊
I do like the idea as a flavouring.
Really creative use of your ingredients. I think I'd have been hungry though and would have eaten the proteins like the hamburger and eggs.
Thanks, Rosemary. I find rice and pasta quite filling. The little bits of protein from the eggs and grou d beef felt satisfying. I don't normally eat breakfast. I found I felt over full in the mornings/lunch but by supper time was good. I did enjoy the omelet! 💜
I think I am a bit of a greedy guts! @@adventuresingroceryland 🍗🍗🍕🍕🥓🥓🥚🥚🍳🍳
make lemon curd for your homemade bread
Is it easy to make from scratch. I wonder what other ingredients I would need. Thanks for the suggestion.
Great ideas! Can you post your bread recipe 😊
Bread recipe.
10-12 oz water
1.5 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
1.5 tbsp butter/margarine
2/3 cup quick/instant oatmeal
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp yeast
I only made a half loaf, so half of each ingredient. Also I didn't have any butter or margarine. I omitted it and crossed my fingers, hoping for the best. (My loaf was very dry).
If you were to choose to cook your ground beef separately at one point, you would have the fat rendered from that. Just a thought.
Good idea!
I think you could buy brown lentils and really stretch your budget
I thought I picked up some green lentils in week 2. On a suggestion from a viewer, I checked them again only to confirm they are actually green split peas. Boo. Thankfully, I only purchased $0.17 cents worth. I had a plan for them. That's out the window now! Sigh!!
I wonder if you could make an egg drop soup using the rice slurry as a thickener!
I'm very interested in the versatility of that slurry. I'm going to try it in another recipe tonight. Thanks for watching.
It would be interesting to see how much gas you spend on going to all the different locations to save money .
Pretty minimal. Most of the stores I frequent are in the same plaza/parking lot. Park once and walk. The others are within a minute down the road. I drive past all of them every time I go to work (on the way there and again on the way home). 😍 No extra cost to me.
Next time you want to test the blender you could try adding just water in :) But hopefully that doesn't happen again! I'm surprised that soup was a big enough meal, I was thinking you'd have to add rice or a carb to keep you full, I don't think it would be filling enough for me.
Oh I see now you are having it with bread that seems better!
Unfortunately, it did happen again. We had to throw it out. 😭
I admit I would have preferred a little more substance in the soup. The soup mix with the rice/lentils/peas did help but double the amount would have been more satisfying. The soup was great as a lunch. Week 1 is always a bit tight! 😍
I think the oranges in the flashfood box were actually tangeloes. Normally pretty pricey 😊
Oh, really. Interesting. It's so hard to know this time of year. Out of the packaging, they look so similar. Thanks for watching
Its a mix, so its already got the fat in it? Love being creative in the kitchen!
Creativity is a frugal budgets best hidden skill.
You should have used the oatmeal, eggs, milk and fruits to make baked oatmeal. You could have ate it for a week and still had oatmeal left.
I do really enjoy oatmeal.
If you search online for oat and lentil recipes, you'll be overwhelmed by the things you can make!
With the orange peels, did you cut them up and freeze them as you could make a marmalade with them in coming weeks, I realise you've completed 13 weeks thus far, just a thought.
I've never made marmalade. How does it differ from jam in the cooking process?
To be honest I've not made it myself yet, but from what I've heard it's similar, you add the peel and liquid in first, to soften the peel before adding the sugar, but that's all I know. But again I've not made it yet myself, also with the lemons a good old lemon curd spread sounds yummy. I would like to make this for myself, as my lemon tree is beginning to ripen here in Australia.
You could have jam on the bread.
So silly I don't think of that. My mind is filled with the loss of butter. Thanks for the reminder. I did that today.
Great video, Melanie! Nothing like an extreme grocery haul to get the creative cooking juices flowing 😋. You did a great job with what you had.
There are a few thoughts I have for the lemons. First, you can freeze the juice, and the grated peel can be dried for later use if you wish. You can use it in baked goods (lemon biscuits, scones, or muffins), as part of a dish (eg, lemon chicken, in a fish dish, etc) or you could make a sweet lemon custard to use as a jam like spread or to flavour your yogurt. Lemonade is also an option, but personally I'd rather use it in my cooking or baking when on a tight budget. Hope this helps!
I'm going to try to look up some lemon chicken or lemon pepper chicken recipes. I'm wondering what other ingredients I would need. I think the smart thing to do would be as you suggest. Process the lemons. Grated the peels. Squeeze the juice. Just having them processed will make it way more likely to use them in recipes. Tha KS for the suggestion.
Add 1/2 c yogurt to your oatmeal for protein! How many pounds did you lose in this week? lol
None. My weight has stayed steady.
Your video is good but what is your husband eating and how much is he spending
House supplies (don't worry..we have a very substantial pantry) and some minimal grocery items per his specific request to supplement.
I cup of soup for supper? I really feel this is not a realistic way to eat. You need certain amounts of fruit, veggies etc to prevent health isdues.
Yes. One night on the first week of the challenge, I had one bowl of soup for supper. I was certainly very frugal with my supplies that week. That was the tightest week. Keep watching. You'll see as each week passes and I accumulate more supplies, that the variety of the meals become much more varied and much more robust. ❤️