ground pork

Wowzers! It’s been quite the couple of weeks. When I started my grocery list on the day of the last post put up, I was on day 2 of a doctor recommended detox. I won’t go into all the sh–ty details, however, I believe you get the gist of it. Needless to say I have not done a grocery shop since. My hubby went and grabbed what he needed for food for the road and basically had to take care of himself. I was down for the count!

NOTE TO SELF…NEVER plan to go shopping when at the start of a detox!

So here we are two weeks later. I am doing much better and happy this little detox ‘adventure’ is over for now. Have to do another in a few days, but now I know what to expect and also know when my body says enough, I have to listen and go lay down for a nap….not run the ‘marathon-to-do-list’.

I have comprised my grocery list for today. This will give you an idea of what I shop for and the meals I will be prepping when I get home. My tools are all laying out and ready for my prepping when I get home. So here we go.

MEAT

2 pound ground pork (packed in 2 x one pound portions)

2 pound ground beef

2 whole chickens (I usually get them at 4 to 5 pounds per bird)

1 1/2 pound lean bacon

DAIRY

8 Lt. of milk ( in the States I believe you buy gallon jugs….we have bags)

NOTE: I am not a milk drinker at all. My hubby goes through this and usually more in one week.

Individual yogurts sold in 16 pack ( These are for hubby…easier for keeping in Big Rig fridge…costly though.

1 large container Oikos Greek yogurt, plain

2 dozen eggs (preferably brown and from a farmer…I find brown eggs easier to peel than white ones)

PRODUCE

VEGGIES

1 1/2 pounds Carrots

4 – 6 sweet potatoes

1 head broccoli

1 head cauliflower

2 red peppers, 2 orange peppers

2 zucchini

1 pound mushrooms

FRUIT

Raspberries (on sale) 6 pints

Gala Apples (last time to purchase at grocery store for a while…heading to orchard for a bushel)

3 Oranges

3 Lemons

8 Bananas

1 Pineapple

2 Pears

2 Grapefruit

2 Avocado

NOTE: We already have home made pickled beets put up, green beans and Swiss chard and tomatoes in the freezer from our garden, frozen peas (from the grocery store).

ANOTHER NOTE: If you are budget concious buy veggies and some fruits in bulk and clean, dry well, place in freezer bags and chuck them into the freezer. I do this especially with peppers, onions, squash, pineapple, berries, peaches.

DRY GOODS

Blanched Almonds (from the bulk store…I put mine in a coffee grinder to make a fine almond flour for baking)

Puréed Pumkin (not pumpkin pie filling that has all those bad added ingredients)

4 Cans Coconut Milk

Tortilla Wraps .. Large

NOTE: My pantry inventory usually includes tins of Tomatoes, jars of Tomato Purée, rice, a few cans of Habitant Pea Soup, a container of whey protein powder (for power outage…comes in handy) extra maple syrup, honey, garbanzo beans (chick peas…dried), and so much tea you would think you were visiting China.

The following are the meals I will make from all of the food above.

Roasted chicken and veggies

Chicken Curry

Chicken Stock for Chicken Vegetable Soup and Italian Wedding soup, and chicken pot pie (I will freeze pie filling)

14 Chicken Wraps with fresh raw or cooked veggies, hot sauce and a tiny bit of mayo

Pan full of roasted vegetable

Baked Sweet Potatoes

52 Meatballs in a tomatoe based simmering sauce for the following meals:

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatball Sub Wraps

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs ala on their own with roasted veggies

Homemade sausage patties for our weekend breakfasts…NO fillers : )

6 Hard Boiled Eggs

Also prepping for smoothies, Pumpkin Spice Latte (BET YOU’D LOVE THE RECIPE FOR THAT!)

Okay, so if I missed anything I will add it to my Prepping Post. I am off to the market. I will leave you with my scrumptious Pumpkin Spices Latte Recipe.

MANGIA!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 Tbsp ground Cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground Ginger ( this is one spice you might want more or less of….try it this way first and seek what you think )

1/4 tsp ground Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Stevia liquid drops (I use NOW* brand)

Place all ingredients into the blender or magic bullet. Can be topped with whipped coconut cream or regular whipped cream for those “just-gotta-go-all-the-way-kinda-days”.

I have tried this warm with a shot of espresso…..OMG! I thought I’d died and gone to Latte heaven.

See you in the kitchen where we will start prepping all this food. You will be so excited and motivated when you see how a couple hours can save you soooooooooo much stress for the rest of the week.

Spring has arrived…tell that to the snow and the wind chill…..DON’T think they got the memo!

More comfort food is in order for the next month. Nothing like cooking up a batch of Potta-Balls. I also love having family and friends walk into the house with the aroma that is just so amazingly appetizing. This recipe will make a substantial amount of balls Eat some, freeze the rest. You can add them to soups, sandwiches, or just eat on their ownzie

Enjoy!

Potta-Balls (also known as Meatballs with sauce

Yields 70 meatballs
1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil or coconut oil (coconut oil does change flavor though)
1 small onion, diced finely
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 pound (110 g) lean ground beef
3 28-oz. (796-mL) tins crushed or diced tomatoes (In the summer I use tomatoes from my garden)
1 (900 ml) bottle tomato puree
3 – 4 5.5 oz (156 ml) tins tomato paste
1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
4 bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 lb. (450 g) ground beef
1 lb. (450 g) ground veal
(or 2 lb ground beef..omit veal)
1 lb. (450 g) ground pork
2 cups ‘cooked’ oatmeal (quick cook or large flakes – I use large flaked as they are not processed like quick cook flakes)
3 eggs
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely grated Parmesan cheese (preferably fresh)
2 tbsp oregano (I prefer dry as the flavor is deep and flavorful)
2 tsp dry basil (optional) or 1/4 cup fresh and chopped
1.2 tsp rubbed sage (optional) or 4-6 fresh sage leaves chopped finely
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1. Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the onion, garlic and lean ground beef until cooked through, 5 minutes. Pour over the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir in the honey and bay leaves, 1 tsp each basil and oregano, then add bottle tomato puree 1 1/2 cups (625 mL) water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, combine the ground beef, veal and pork in a large bowl. Add the COOKED and COOLED oatmeal to meat along with the eggs, cheese and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Combine thoroughly. Rub your hands with a bit of oil, then roll pieces of the meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch (4 cm) meatballs.

3. Put them on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes to firm slightly. Add the meatballs to the simmering tomato sauce and cook gently, without over stirring, partly covered, until soft and light, about 3 hours. Serve with pasta or spaghetti squash and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

These “balls” can be frozen and enjoyed with meals over the next month or two (that’s if you are cooking for two).
Use a different sauce if you like…teriyaki, sweet and sour, bbq…use your imagination. WARNING! If you do use a different sauce, omit half of the basil and half of the oregano in the meatballs mixture. They will affect the flavor of other sauces.

I truly hope you enjoy this recipe which is also a family favorite from my Gramma Lida’s authentic collection of self made recipes. My Aunt Gen passed the recipe on to me to share with one and all.

I wonder………………

….what would Gramma Lida think of meatballs being mass produced and put into cans with precooked pasta and a funky kind of tomato flavored sauce for the shelves lining the grocery store? What about being produced and placed in boxes and kept in the freezer section of the same store?
Oh, and I could just imagine her rolling in her place of after-life-slumber if she new of all the ingredients, fillers and man made crap that is added to said meatballs! She would be Crazy-mortified!

Gramma, this one’s for you ❤
Thank you for teaching the family that food is all about the freshness of ingredients and the love you put into each and every meal!

Buon Appetito!

Suz

NOTE: All photo’s are from Pinterest and are not the property of One Crazy Cook!