A compelling equation

This is my take for the week's groceries

I have so many things to write about, but I'll limit myself to listing the biggies.

1) WE HAVE FOUND A HOUSE!!! This is huge.  I don't think Karen Mackanos-Long, realtor extraordinaire, quite knew what she was agreeing to when she took us on as clients, but thank goodness she did and thank goodness she extended so much of her time and expertise to us.

2) OUR WEDDING IS IN A MONTH!  PRECISELY 4 WEEKS FROM TODAY!  I've been enjoying reading all of the wonderful notes on the reply cards, and I am so happy that so many people can join us though quite sad about those who can't.  

On a note related to the wedding.... Today I went to get the dress hemmed.  And, well, it needs a liiiiiittle tweaking.  So, as I glibly said to Tom, no more eating except for what's necessary to live.  Which, after it exited my mouth, sounded not so glib and really quite obvious.  And what do I need to live?  Some lean protein, a little fat, and veggies galore.  And wine.  Wine is necessary for life.  Coffee and wine are both good for you, so I will be indulging in them.  I find my logic entirely sound.  Anyway, as the tailor was close to my favorite grocer, I determinedly checked the aisles for the bounty that will get us through the week.  I have steak, chicken and scallops in the freezer, so it was a day for the veggies, cheese and coffee.

Above is a photo of our food.  It should be much more dramatic than it turned out, but I didn't stage things properly as I was rushed and overheated from this abominable Texas heat.  Let me spell it out for you:

The groceries for the week = 32.05< brunch for 2.  That's the compelling equation.

You want more spelling?  Okay, here's what we got: pint o' hummus, 2 heads bok choy, 2 crowns broccoli, 1 lb brussel sprouts, 1 lb carots, 1 head cauliflower, 1 bunch celery, 1 cucumber, 3 eggplants, 2 green peppers, 6 hatch peppers, 2 zucchini, 2 red bell peppers, 5 roma tomatoes, 4 shallots, 2 sweet onions, 1 head garlic, 1 bunch spinach, 2 lbs of coffee, 1 quart buttermilk.  That's alotta food! And alotta coffee given the total!  And here's how it's going to look in meal form:


roasted eggplant and cauliflower soup with homemade ricotta
seared steak with caramelized onions and sauteed hatch peppers
zucchini pizzas
dijon chicken with steamed broccoli
asian-spiced chicken with sesame bok choy
seared scallops with shallots and brussel sprouts
snackage, salads and omelets with the remaining veggies and hummus


So, so much healthier than the buffet.  So, so much deliciousness.  So, so obvious what we need to do.  Yet so gourmet.  Naturally, if I reeeeeally wanted to cut back, I could scour the markets for the cheapest protein/veggie combo possible, but the epicurean in me scoffs at that at this moment.  Once the mortgage bills start rolling in, beans and rice baby.  For now, I'll revel in the munchability of these meals, and I'm betting the leftovers are all I'll need to really make a salad to love during the week!


And, with the money we save, we can buy some great wines.