handmade something: the things we eat

Mark and I have recently come to a realization. That is, we have been over-shopping when it comes to groceries! We started to put more effort into grocery shopping, meal planning and meal preparation when we came home from Texas after Christmas (upset with the weight we had gained and tired of eating out after four days on the road). Initially, it was easy to justify an inflated grocery bill because we weren't eating out! But somehow, now, we know it's time to cut back.

our freezer isn't huge. but, we're blessed it's full (and well-organized).

To do this, we've been doing our best to eat out of our freezer and pantry. To take a source of protein (like a whole chicken on sale at $.99/lb) and make it stretch for several meals (like roasted chicken one night, spinach salads with chicken for several lunches, and chicken enchiladas). But as we have been increasing our fruit and vegetable intake, we have not been able to make a dent in our grocery bill. Has anyone else noticed, maybe, how expensive it is to eat well? And maybe, the cost of food is rising?

that mango sorbet from Trader Joe's? DIVINE.

We try not to eat a diet full of processed foods, but Mark does like his cereal, and I will occasionally buy Weight Watchers mini bars or ice cream on sale. Even still, I think it may be time to start making more of our own. With our juicer, we use even more produce (and after a week, I am convinced that there is something we should be doing with our fruit pulp besides composting).

This will be a challenge for awhile, but in the meantime, here are some of the things we've been doing with our freezer foods.