Week 2 Grocery Bill

Groceries Purchased:

• Arnold Multigrain Bread: $2.99
• Jiffy Reduced Fat Peanut Butter: $3.19
• Granny Smith Apples: $6.87
• Spinach: $3.99
• Red Grapes: $6.64
• Sliced Mushrooms: $2.49
• Orange Pepper: $1.76
• Plum Tomato: $.85
• Kalamata Olives: $3.26
• Shelled Soybeans: $3.89
• Lemons: $1.60
• 1% Milk: $3.59

Groceries Purchased Weeks Ago and Still Being Used:

• $10.81

Total Expenditure for Week 2: $51.93

Total Expenditure to Date (Monthly): $147.65

SNAP Snacking Budget Remaining: $46.35

It's very clear that I will go over budget this month. I'll have to make changes to the diet and the grocery shopping to get there next month. Looking at this week's bill and last week's bill, I know I'll have to cut out the maple syrup. I can do without that. Where to find the other savings though? I don't know.

The Meal Plan

This week I stuck to eating the same thing every day. I found this method of eating to make it much easier to plan meals on a limited budget. And, despite eating the same thing, it was a varied diet in that I consumed different types of food (fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, etc.).

Anyway, for the first part of the week I documented every meal. This was time consuming and I don't want to do it anymore. So I'm compiling and documenting the meals I eat here so I won't have to type them up any longer on a daily basis. If I eat anything else, however, I will document it on the blog both in terms of how much it cost me and also the nutritional values.

The following satisfies the SNAP Snacking Experiment^*:

Breakfast

Ingredients:

• Plum Tomato: .5 cup
• Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms: .5 cup
• Spinach: 1 cups
• Red Pepper: .125 cups
• Olive Oil: 1 tbsp
• Egg Whites: 7.5 tbsp
• Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss Cheese Wedge: 1 wedge
• Tabasco Original Hot Sauce: 1 tsp
• Natural Psyllium Fiber: 1 tsp

Satisfactions of USDA's Dietary Guidelines:

• Fruit Servings:
• Tomatoes: .5 cups/1.5 cups remaining
• Vegetables:
• Mushrooms:.5 cups/2 cups remaining
• Spinach: 1 cup/1 cup remaining
• Red Pepper: .125 cups/.75 cups remaining
• Oils:
• Olive Oil: 15 grams/7 grams remaining
• Dairy:
• Cheese: .25 cup/3.75 cups remaining
• Protein Foods:
• Egg Whites: 4 ounces/2.5 ounces remaining
• Grains:
• Bread: 1.5 ounces/5 ounces remaining
• Calories: 305/2087 remaining

Morning Snack

Ingredients:

• Granny Smith Apple: 1 cup
• Kalamata Olives: .25 cups (1o olives)
• Red Grapes: 1 cup (20 grapes)
• Jiffy Reduced Fat Peanut Butter: 2 tbsp 

Updated Satisfactions of USDA's Dietary Guidelines:

• Fruit Servings:
• Tomatoes: .5 cups/1.5 cups remaining
• Apple: 1 cup / .5 cups remaining
• Olives: .25 cups / .25 cups remaining
• Grapes: 1 cup / Fruit satisfied.
• Vegetables:
• Mushrooms:.5 cups/2 cups remaining
• Spinach: 1 cup/1 cup remaining
• Red Pepper: .125 cups/.75 cups remaining
• Oils:
• Olive Oil: 15 grams/7 grams remaining
• Dairy:
• Cheese: .25 cup/3.75 cups remaining
• Protein Foods:
• Egg Whites: 4 ounces/2.5 ounces remaining
• Peanut Butter: 1.25 oz / 1.25 remaining
• Grains:
• Bread: 1.5 ounces/5 ounces remaining
• Calories: 305/ 1782 remaining

Afternoon Snack

Ingredients:

• Multigrain Cheerios: 1 cup
• 1% Milk: 1 cup

Updated Satisfactions of USDA's Dietary Guidelines:

• Fruit Servings:
• Tomatoes: .5 cups/1.5 cups remaining
• Apple: 1 cup / .5 cups remaining
• Olives: .25 cups / .25 cups remaining
• Grapes: 1 cup / Fruit satisfied.
• Vegetables:
• Mushrooms:.5 cups/2 cups remaining
• Spinach: 1 cup/1 cup remaining
• Red Pepper: .125 cups/.75 cups remaining
• Oils:
• Olive Oil: 15 grams/7 grams remaining
• Dairy:
• Cheese: .25 cup/3.75 cups remaining
• Milk: 1 cup / 2.75 cups remaining
• Protein Foods:
• Egg Whites: 4 ounces/2.5 ounces remaining
• Peanut Butter: 1.25 oz / 1.25 remaining
• Grains:
• Bread: 1.5 ounces/5 ounces remaining
• Cheerios: 1 oz / 4 oz remaining
• Calories: 220/ 1459 remaining

Lunch

Ingredients:

• Old Fashioned Quaker Oats Oatmeal: 1 cup
• Maple Syrup: 2 tbsp
• Cinnamon: pinch
• Natural Psyllium Fiber: 1 tsp

Updated Satisfactions of USDA's Dietary Guidelines:

• Fruit Servings:
• Tomatoes: .5 cups/1.5 cups remaining
• Apple: 1 cup / .5 cups remaining
• Olives: .25 cups / .25 cups remaining
• Grapes: 1 cup / Fruit satisfied.
• Vegetables:
• Mushrooms:.5 cups/2 cups remaining
• Spinach: 1 cup/1 cup remaining
• Red Pepper: .125 cups/.75 cups remaining
• Oils:
• Olive Oil: 15 grams/7 grams remaining
• Dairy:
• Cheese: .25 cup/3.75 cups remaining
• Milk: 1 cup / 2.75 cups remaining
• Protein Foods:
• Egg Whites: 4 ounces/2.5 ounces remaining
• Peanut Butter: 1.25 oz / 1.25 remaining
• Grains:
• Bread: 1.5 ounces/5 ounces remaining
• Cheerios: 1 oz / 4 oz remaining
• Oatmeal: 1 oz / 3 oz remaining
• Calories: 425/ 1034 remaining

Dinner

Ingredients:

• V8 Original Low Sodium Vegetable Juice: 1 cup
• Petite Potatoes: .5 cups
• Organic Shelled Soybeans: .5 cups
• Quinoa: .25 cups
• Diced Tomatoes: .5 cups
• Mixed Vegetables: 1 cup
• Baby Carrots: .375 cups
• Olive Oil: 1 tbsp
• 1% Milk: 2 cups
• Multigrain Bread: 1 slice

Updated Satisfactions of USDA's Dietary Guidelines:

• Fruit Servings:
• Tomatoes: .5 cups/1.5 cups remaining
• Apple: 1 cup / .5 cups remaining
• Olives: .25 cups / .25 cups remaining
• Grapes: 1 cup / Fruit satisfied.
• Diced Tomatoes: .5 cups / already satisfied
• Vegetables:
• Mushrooms:.5 cups/2 cups remaining
• Spinach: 1 cup/1 cup remaining
• Red Pepper: .125 cups/.75 cups remaining
• V8: 1 cup / Satisfied
• Mixed Vegetables: 1 cup / already satisfied
• Baby Carrots: .375 cups / already satisfied
• Oils:
• Olive Oil: 15 grams/7 grams remaining
• Olive Oil: 15 grams/1 gram remaining
• Dairy:
• Cheese: .25 cup/3.75 cups remaining
• Milk: 1 cup / 2.75 cups remaining
• Milk: 2 cups / .75 cups remaining
• Protein Foods:
• Egg Whites: 4 ounces/2.5 ounces remaining
• Peanut Butter: 1.25 oz / 1.25 remaining
• Soybeans: 3.5 ounces / protein foods satisfied
• Grains:
• Bread: 1.5 ounces/5 ounces remaining
• Cheerios: 1 oz / 4 oz remaining
• Quinoa: 1.625 ounces / 1.375 ounces remaining
• Multigrain Bread: 1.5 ounces/ Grains Satisfied
• Calories: 994/ 40 remaining

_________________________________

* This meal plan actually shorts the USDA's Dietary Guidelines by 1 gram of oil and .75 cups of dairy. So maybe once a week I'll add those into the meal somehow. 

Weekly Weigh-In (06.14.15-06.20.15)

Weight last week: 283 pounds
Weight today: 280 pounds.

Three pounds. I thought I'd lose more. I certainly felt hungry enough to justify that thought. Who knows? Maybe I'll lose more next week. Still, it's an improvement. I'll take anything. I'm a fat bastard.

Afternoon Snacks - 06.16.15

I had to attend a "graduation party" for my three year old son this morning so I skipped a meal and combined them here. 

Ingredients:

• Granny Smith Apple: 1 cup
• Kalamata Olives: .25 cups (1o olives)
• Red Grapes: 1 cup (20 grapes)
• Jiffy Reduced Fat Peanut Butter: 2 tbsp 
• Multigrain Cheerios: 1 cup
• 1% Milk: 1 cup

Updated Satisfactions of USDA's Dietary Guidelines:

• Fruit Servings:
• Tomatoes: .5 cups/1.5 cups remaining
• Apple: 1 cup / .5 cups remaining
• Olives: .25 cups / .25 cups remaining
• Grapes: 1 cup / Fruit satisfied.
• Vegetables:
• Mushrooms:.5 cups/2 cups remaining
• Spinach: 1 cup/1 cup remaining
• Red Pepper: .125 cups/.75 cups remaining
• Oils:
• Olive Oil: 15 grams/7 grams remaining
• Dairy:
• Cheese: .25 cup/3.75 cups remaining
• Milk: 1 cup / 2.75 cups remaining
• Protein Foods:
• Egg Whites: 4 ounces/2.5 ounces remaining
• Peanut Butter: 1.25 oz / 1.25 remaining
• Grains:
• Bread: 1.5 ounces/5 ounces remaining
• Cheerios: 1 oz / 4 oz remaining
• Calories: 220/ 1459 remaining

Breakfast - 06.16.15

Ingredients:

• Plum Tomato: .5 cup
• Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms: .5 cup
• Spinach: 1 cups
• Red Pepper: .125 cups
• Olive Oil: 1 tbsp
• Egg Whites: 7.5 tbsp
• Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss Cheese Wedge: 1 wedge
• Tabasco Original Hot Sauce: 1 tsp
• Natural Psyllium Fiber: 1 tsp

Satisfactions of USDA's Dietary Guidelines:

• Fruit Servings:
• Tomatoes: .5 cups/1.5 cups remaining
• Vegetables:
• Mushrooms:.5 cups/2 cups remaining
• Spinach: 1 cup/1 cup remaining
• Red Pepper: .125 cups/.75 cups remaining
• Oils:
• Olive Oil: 15 grams/7 grams remaining
• Dairy:
• Cheese: .25 cup/3.75 cups remaining
• Protein Foods:
• Egg Whites: 4 ounces/2.5 ounces remaining
• Grains:
• Bread: 1.5 ounces/5 ounces remaining
• Calories: 305/2087 remaining

Day in Review - 06.15.15

I definitely felt more hungry today than I did yesterday. I suppose it's because I'm accustomed to eating so much and now I'm restricting myself to merely 2,400 calories. I feel full now, however. The dinner meal I eat is fantastic and really does a good job filling up the belly.

I ended the day forty calories short of my goal, .75 cups short of dairy and 1 gram short of oil. That's probably a de minimis though.

Dinner - 06.15.15

Ingredients:

• V8 Original Low Sodium Vegetable Juice: 1 cup
• Petite Potatoes: .5 cups
• Organic Shelled Soybeans: .5 cups
• Quinoa: .25 cups
• Diced Tomatoes: .5 cups
• Mixed Vegetables: 1 cup
• Baby Carrots: .375 cups
• Olive Oil: 1 tbsp
• 1% Milk: 2 cups
• Multigrain Bread: 1 slice

Updated Satisfactions of USDA's Dietary Guidelines:

• Fruit Servings:
• Tomatoes: .5 cups/1.5 cups remaining
• Apple: 1 cup / .5 cups remaining
• Olives: .25 cups / .25 cups remaining
• Grapes: 1 cup / Fruit satisfied.
• Diced Tomatoes: .5 cups / already satisfied
• Vegetables:
• Mushrooms:.5 cups/2 cups remaining
• Spinach: 1 cup/1 cup remaining
• Red Pepper: .125 cups/.75 cups remaining
• V8: 1 cup / Satisfied
• Mixed Vegetables: 1 cup / already satisfied
• Baby Carrots: .375 cups / already satisfied
• Oils:
• Olive Oil: 15 grams/7 grams remaining
• Olive Oil: 15 grams/1 gram remaining
• Dairy:
• Cheese: .25 cup/3.75 cups remaining
• Milk: 1 cup / 2.75 cups remaining
• Milk: 2 cups / .75 cups remaining
• Protein Foods:
• Egg Whites: 4 ounces/2.5 ounces remaining
• Peanut Butter: 1.25 oz / 1.25 remaining
• Soybeans: 3.5 ounces / protein foods satisfied
• Grains:
• Bread: 1.5 ounces/5 ounces remaining
• Cheerios: 1 oz / 4 oz remaining
• Quinoa: 1.625 ounces / 1.375 ounces remaining
• Multigrain Bread: 1.5 ounces/ Grains Satisfied
• Calories: 994/ 40 remaining