Well, I’ve been to the shops and I have food. Which is always a nice outcome for anyone, I think.

I’m rather annoyed, because I’ve just realised that I don’t have a receipt from the greengrocer’s. So I won’t be able to break it all down for you. However, the vegetables cost me $12.50.

Here they are:

There is:

• a bag of onions,
• half a bunch of celery,
• some bok choy,
• a few Brussels sprouts (The Boy loves them),
• 3 zucchini,
• a corn on the cob,
• an eggplant,
• half a cabbage,
• 4 small red capsicum, and
• a handful of button mushrooms.

Total = $12.50

There’s also a few leaves of Cavolo Nero or Tuscan Kale, given to me by someone at the Community Garden, and a few lemons given to me by a complete stranger at the laundromat. As they do…

In Aldi, I bought:

• 1 x 3 litre tin Extra Virgin Olive Oil                    $17.99
• 1 pkt wholemeal tortilla wraps                            $1.99
• 2 x 500g blocks unsalted butter                           $5.18
• 500g shredded Mozzarella Cheese                     $4.49
• 700g shredded Tasty Cheese                                 $5.49
• 500g frozen stir fry mix                                            $2.19
• 500g streaky bacon                                                   $5.99
• 1kg Pork Mince                                                           $9.98
• 1 kg Plain Flour                                                           $0.75
• 1 kg SR Flour                                                                $0.75
• 3 x 1l UHT Full Cream Milk @$0.95                     $2.85
• 1 kg Jasmine Rice                                                      $2.29
• 2 x 400g tins diced tomatoes @$0.99               $1.98
• 2 x 400g tins kidney beans @$0.75                    $1.50
• 1 x 800g tin apple pie filling                                  $2.99

Total – $66.41

At Woolworths, I bought:

• 1 x pkt Gow Gee Pastry (Won Ton wrappers) $2.60
• 1kg Arborio rice                                                           $3.20
• 500g desiccated coconut                                        $2.99
• 2 x 250g choc chips 2 for                                          $5.00
• 1 Dozen free range eggs                                           $6.49

Total -$20.28

Which makes a Grand Total of $99.19.

I have no idea what possessed me to buy the rice and coconut at Woolworths. I can only think it was because I was there for the eggs and remembered I needed more. ‘Mistakes were made,’ as The Boy would say.

Now don’t imagine for a minute that I expect to use all that oil in the next few weeks.

That will last us 6 months or more. I decided to restock as I had just finished our last tin of it by refilling our smaller bottle on the counter and making that litre of Chilli oil for my Step-father.

I had decided it was going to be a “stock up” type of shop. I don’t need more flours, but I got them anyway. They are now filling containers in the pantry, along with the chocolate chips (which I only ever buy if there is a ‘twofer’).

The multiple cartons of milk will happily sit in the pantry until I have a visitor who takes milk in their coffee, or I want to cook something that needs it.

The bacon will be divided into 2 rasher parcels and frozen that way. I use it to add a punch of flavour to anything I think might need it.

We buy shredded/grated cheeses as a rule. It prevents grated knuckles, saves washing up and reduces waste. Cheese in this household is considered a condiment or garnish, not a major player.

There are three containers in the refrigerator, two labelled “Pizza” and “Tasty,” and one that obviously holds parmesan cheese and doesn’t need a label. About a cup’s worth of cheese goes into each of these containers and the rest goes in the freezer until the containers are empty. This amount of cheese will last us several months. (Unless I go on a major pizza-making binge.)

The butter will last quite a long time if refrigerated correctly. I like to use butter in my baking and had none at all to hand.

The Gow Gee wrappers are because I want to try making some gyoza for snacks and to freeze for later (snacks). This is the destination of half the pork mince.

The other half of the mince will be used for some meatballs that I will also freeze for a dinner shortcut in the future – although I’m quite tempted to explore other options.

I have a piece of Pork Belly and a Marinated Beef Roast currently in the freezer – along with the rest of last shop’s frozen beef mince and chicken pieces. So, one of those will form a major meal at some stage this fortnight and appear in different guises following that.

The cans of tomatoes and kidney beans are currently being used, along with one package of the frozen beef mince, to make a crockpot full of the most delicious-smelling Chilli con Carne.

This is what it looked like when I walked away from it a few hours ago. The kidney beans will be added about 30 mins before serving just to heat them through.

Leftovers may form calzone fillings, quesadilla fillings, pasta sauce or I might turn it into a cobbler. Then again, they might just be frozen until inspiration strikes.

I’ll post the recipe some time later this week.

I’m thinking the next time I go shopping it will be mostly for meat to restock the freezer. There’s only so many times in a row that one can eat beef mince, quite frankly.

But for now…I’m hungry!