Day 78

Bread Making – Round 2.  I tried it again today and it went much better but still didn’t rise like it usually does. I don’t understand! Could it be that the weather is so much colder than when I made it before? Maybe. I don’t know. At least I ended up with two loaves of bread and that meant toast with jelly (that I found in Omaha) for breakfast today! I’m thinking about making broccoli soup in the next couple days and I’m going to try to use some of the bread for homemade croutons. Doesn’t that sound yummy? Yes it does - especially with this crazy cold weather we’re having. I didn’t get chicken and dumplings made yesterday, we opted for chili instead. So I’ll make a double batch tonight and take some in to Jess and Brad’s so she doesn’t have to think about making supper on top of everything else.

After a quick stop at the store yesterday, I’ve decided that grocery shopping is a pain in the drain. Especially at Walmart! I swear – I do not know where all those people come from. After all, it was a Thursday at noon – and the place was packed! I literally stood in line to check out for almost 25 minutes! Of course the lady in front of me had trouble with a price… I caught me telling myself to stay calm, it wasn’t her fault. Deep breaths…. J Maybe that will be my goal after my 100 days, to plan an entire week’s menu and go grocery shopping ONCE a week. No exceptions! That sounds like a good plan!

Back to the shopping – After 78 days, I’m finding grocery shopping a little easier but I have to admit, it’s still time consuming especially because I’m analyzing the labels of everything I look at. But I have to in order to know what’s in it! And yes, it’s worth it to me. Buying beans yesterday for our chili I found myself a little frustrated when nearly every can I picked up had calcium chloride(the same thing that is used for dust control on roads and as a deicing agent for planes!) in it. I thought to myself, “I went through this before! Where are the ones I got last time?”  I finally found a couple that worked but not without a few grumbles. (Can you tell how much I enjoyed the shopping trip? J)

I’ve also been craving pasta and pizza (which I have a freezer full of crust for now) so I went on a search for sauce. Obviously with the events of the last few weeks, making my own sauce hasn’t been an option. I stopped at a health food store and found a jar that I can live with. I hope it’s good ‘because it was kind of pricey. When I was as Walmart I also searched for sauce just out of curiosity and actually found a couple. They both have 7-8 ingredients but I may have to ‘bend’ the rules. Three of the ingredients are basil, garlic, and parsley so if I have to, I can live with breaking the “5 ingredient” rule in this case. Hopefully I’ll be able to make my own sauce soon. I’ve also found that the off brand, in this case, Great Value, has far fewer ingredients than the more expensive brand names. I find that interesting. Most consumers think that the big brand names are automatically ‘better’ for you but I’m finding they have a lot more preservatives and additives in them. Ok – it’s off to start another day. Hope yours is a good one! Be conscious of what you eat today! J