Things to consider:

Coffee taste/quality.  A lot of people complain that Keurig coffee is weak, even using the bold coffees.

Other single cup brewers.  Keurig isn’t the only game in town and it seems that most people on coffee snob forums prefer pod brewers to cup brewers.

Machine durability.  Seems like the Keurig is known to have pump problems?

Cost.  There is a lot of waste with my current method, but my current brand of coffee is Seattle’s best, which I can get for $4-5 per 12 oz bag.  A 12 oz bag gets me about 12 pots of coffee, so that’s about $0.40 per pot.  Turns out k cups are about $0.50 each, at their cheapest and I’d use about 4 per day, so my cost would go up by about 5 times brewing with k-cups.  Pods seem to run more like $0.30, so the cost increase there would be about 3 times more.

Blah.

Options I’m currently considering:

Keurig.  I’m not sure which model, but I would likely be mostly using the “my cup” with my own coffee grounds.  The B70 bundle at Costco looks pretty attractive.

Bunn My Cafe Home Pod Brewer.  Definitely not the only pod system I’d consider, but it’s the one that’s standing out right now.  It accepts pods of any size, so all the Tassimo, Senseo, etc pods will work for this machine.  Plus, this fall they are adding a coffee drawer option that you can just dump your own loose grounds in to.  Gets good reviews on coffee snob forums and is reasonably prices at about $95.

A few other oddball options have popped up, like a cold brew system.  This couls actually work out quite well.  I could make the concentrate on Sunday and then just boil water in my tea kettle to pour over the concentrate during the week.  Someone suggested a Moka pot, which to me looks like a fancy percolator.  There’s also the French press, or the much geekier Aeropress.  And there’s something called a Chemix?

Or I could just keep doing what I’m doing

I’ve been MIA. Mostly because I’ve been busy. It happens sometimes. We have been keeping our dinners pretty clean and baby girl loves to eat with us. One of these days I’ll post her current stats. She’s little like her brother and such a happy baby. We moved her to her crib a couple weeks ago. So far, so good.

We blew the May grocery budget. We had it right at $600, and then decided to do a Costco run and spent another $250. So, healthy food wasn’t the budget buster, baby wipes, paper towels, etc from Costco was. But, in theory, that should reduce our spending for future months because we won’t need any paper products. We’ll see.

Life in general is pretty darn good. I feel like we’re kind of in a sweet spot. The first of the year started a little rough. I’m (still) in a bit of a weird position at work where we don’t have very good coverage $$ wise, but they really want to keep us around. About half of my very small team was laid off. The rest of us are now working 36 hours per week instead of 40. The hit to the paycheck was a little hard, but I started working 9 hour days so that I could take every Friday off. The kids still go to daycare (we’re paying for it, so what the heck, right?) so I spend the day running around like a crazy person trying to get all of our random errands and the laundry done so that we can just relax and enjoy family time over the weekend. I love it. I feel like it’s the perfect schedule. And, a few weeks ago, hubby took a much higher paying job, so now the pay cut is pretty ok too and worth what we’ve gained with what I can do in my extra time home. (Now I brace for someone to tell me that I suck because I send the kids to daycare on my day off)

And bread. Bread is definitely evil. Or so I’ve heard. Seems like everyone is eating Paleo or Primal or whatever. Yet another friend told me they were doing Paleo and it finally got my curiosity up enough to start doing some reading. I’m reading Primal Blueprint right now (it was the first one available at the library) and while the science is way over my head, the philosophy seems to actually kind of make sense. I don’t think I’m going to be following any of this hard core any time soon, but I feel inspired to make meats and veggies more the base of my diet and be more moderate in my consumption of grains.

So, for the rest of this week:

Dinner 1:

Grilled steak pita sandwiches.  Plan is to throw some steak on the grill and cut it into strips.  We’ll each make our pitas how we like them.  Mine will have stuff like cucumber and feta.  Shawn might just have meat and ranch

Dinner 2:

Tosca’s Keep it Tight Tilapia (https://www.eatcleandiet.com/food_and_recipes/clean_recipe/tosca%E2%80%99s_keep-it-tight_tilapia.aspx#)

And just in case we need one more meal, we picked up some tortellini and sauce.

2 months
Rotavirus
DTaP

3 months
PCV
Hib

4 months
Rotavirus (second dose)
DTaP (second dose)

5 months
PCV (second dose)
Hib (second dose)

6 months
Rotavirus (third dose)
DTaP (third dose)

7 months
PCV (third dose)
Hib (third dose)

9 months
Polio

12 months
Polio (second dose)
Flu

13.5 months
Flu (second dose)

15 months
Hib (fourth dose)

17 months
PCV (fourth dose)

18 months
DTaP (fourth dose)

22 months
MMR (first dose)

2 years
Hep A (first dose)
Flu

26 months
Polio (third dose)

Future shots

2.5 years
Hep A (second dose)

Not sure where to put them…
DTaP (fifth dose)
Polio (fourth dose)
MMR (second dose)
Varicella (2 doses)
Hep B (3 doses)

Chicken on the grill, brown rice, grilled zucchini, corn on the cob

Dinner 2:

Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw (https://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/05/buffalo-turkey-burgers-with-blue-cheese.html)

We’ll maybe throw some potatoes (either white or sweet) on the grill to go with this as well.

1 1/2 cups broccoli slaw
1/4 cup skinny blue cheese dressing
1.25 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
2/3 cup grated carrots (grate in food processor)
1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tbsp red onion, grated
1/4 cup Franks Hot Sauce
salt and fresh pepper
oil spray
5 slices reduced fat cheddar
5 whole wheat burger buns (I used Martin’s 100 calorie Potato Whole Wheat Buns)

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine broccoli slaw and skinny blue cheese dressing. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, carrots, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Makes 5 equal patties, 5.5 oz each.

Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, lightly spray the oil.

Add burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cook on one side until browned 4-5 minutes, then flip. Cook another 4 minutes or until burgers are cooked all the way through (keep heat medium-low to prevent burning); top with cheese and place on a toasted burger buns topped with broccoli slaw.

If grilling, clean grill well before cooking and spray with oil spray to prevent sticking.

Freezer Tip: To freeze raw, place them on a baking sheet with wax paper in between, when frozen transfer to ziplock bags.

To freeze cooked, you can fully cook them, then freeze in ziplock bags for quick meals; to re-heat you can microwave or thaw first then place on a skillet.

Dinner 3:

Baked Chicken Parmesan (https://iowagirleats.com/2010/11/28/moms-easy-baked-chicken-parmesan/)

Ingredients (serves 2)

6 chicken tenders (or 2-3 chicken breasts)
salt & pepper
1 jar marinara sauce
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
2 servings cooked pasta

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour marinara sauce in an oven-safe baking dish.
Add the parmesan cheese and basil to the sauce, then stir to combine.
Lightly season chicken with salt & pepper, then nestle it into the sauce mixture, covering it completely with sauce.
Top with mozzarella cheese and cover loosely with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve on top of cooked pasta.

Dinner 4:

Grilled steak pita sandwiches.  Plan is to throw some steak on the grill and cut it into strips.  We’ll each make our pitas how we like them.  Mine will have stuff like cucumber and feta.  Shawn might just have meat and ranch

Dinner 5:

Tosca’s Keep it Tight Tilapia (https://www.eatcleandiet.com/food_and_recipes/clean_recipe/tosca%E2%80%99s_keep-it-tight_tilapia.aspx#)

We’ll probably have salad and maybe some brown rice on the side

YIELD: 4 servings
PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• ¼ cup / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tsp / 5 ml paprika
• 1 tsp / 5 ml ginger
• 1 tsp / 5 ml fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp / 5 ml dried mustard
• 1 tsp / 5 ml oregano
• 1 tsp / 5 ml chili powder
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 4 tilapia filets, thawed

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400ºF/ 205ºC. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium-sized bowl combine olive oil, garlic and seasonings.
Dip each filet into the seasoning and place it on the baking sheet.
Pour any remaining seasoning over the filets on the sheet and place the baking sheet in the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes.

We planned more meals than usual this time, so we’ll probably overflow into next week.  I’m kind of excited about what I’m eating for lunch this week too:

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Quinoa (https://www.chesapeaketaste.com/index.php/blogs/fresh-vegetarian/entry/strawberry-spinach-salad-with-quinoa)

Dressing ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon real maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon shallot, finely chopped

Salad ingredients:

• 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, warmed
• 2 to 3 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
• black pepper and sea salt, to taste
• 2/3 cup strawberries, chopped
• 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons pecan pieces

Instructions:

1. Cook the quinoa: Note that 1 cup of dry quinoa yields over 3 cups cooked quinoa. Rinse the quinoa well in a mesh colander, then combine the rinsed quinoa with twice as much water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed, remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
2. Make the dressing: In a small jar, combine the ingredients listed below. Either use a fork to whisk the ingredients well or screw a lid on the jar and give it a few good shakes. Taste the dressing and adjust the flavors if necessary (add vinegar for a more tart dressing, or maple syrup for a sweeter dressing). Set the dressing aside.
3. Toast the pecans: In a small pan over medium heat, toast your pecan pieces until they are fragrant and golden (stir often). This should take around five minutes.
4. In a bowl, mix together 3/4 cup or more of warm quinoa with the goat cheese, salt and pepper. Mix in the strawberries and spinach, drizzle with as much dressing as desired, and mix well. Top with pecan pieces. Enjoy!

Note: Quinoa is gluten free, so this is a gluten-free dish!

I made some minor modifications.  I already had feta for the pita sandwiches so I’m using that instead of goat cheese.  I didn’t toast the pecans.  Just didn’t feel like it

Dinner 1:

Pancakes and bacon cooked by Shawn for Mother’s Day.

Dinner 2:

Grilled chicken and potatoes with cucumber sticks

Dinner 3:

Mini Baked Beef Burritos (https://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/12/mini-baked-beef-burritos.html)

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound lean ground beef (80/10)
1/4 cup water
10 flour tortillas (6 inch diameter)
shredded iceberg lettuce
sour cream + more for serving
cheddar cheese
diced tomatoes
salsa for serving
guacamole for serving

Combine the spices above in a small bowl and mix together. Store in an airtight container.

Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat and drain off fat. Add water and 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20-25 minutes. If mixture gets too thick before cooking is complete, add a small amount of water to thin.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spread a little sour cream on one side of each flour tortilla. On the bottom third of the tortilla, leaving a flap at the bottom, fill each tortilla with a tablespoon of seasoned, cooked ground beef and remaining fillings as desired. Fold the bottom edge up over the filling and fold the sides of the tortilla in towards the middle. Beginning at the bottom, roll the tortilla up. Place the burritos seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining flour tortillas.

Lightly spray the tops of the burrito with cooking spray and place burritos in the preheated oven to bake for 5-10 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven and serve hot with your choice of condiments (salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc).

We only planned 3 meals for this week and I made meal 3 tonight, so I’m not sure what we’ll be eating after that.  I have plenty of fruits, veggies, salad fixings and meat for the grill so I’m sure we’ll come up with something.  Steak and salad?

The mini baked burritos were quite good and pretty simple.  Gwyn’s doing well with all the food.  In fact I think she ate more burrito than Gavin did

We are having an interesting problem with sleep in the early evenings.  Gwyn has been waking up wanting to nurse again 45 minutes or so after I put her down which is making it tough to do things like pack my lunch and pump bag.  I suspect it’s a problem with being overtired.  I’ve fallen into the rushed evening trap where no one is home until 5:45 and we rush around like crazy people getting dinner on the table.  Gwyn really needs to be in bed by 6:30 (meaning bedtime started around 6), but on a good night we’re walking up the stairs at 6:45 and sometimes she’s not in bed until 8 (and a total grump).  Our evenings are generally complete chaos!

BBQ courtesy of my parents.  Hamburgers, waffle fries, cold pea salad, cherry pie and ice cream.  Baby got to eat cucumber sticks while the rest of us ate the unhealthy goodness.  Nearly wiped out my weekly Weight Watchers points!

Dinner 2:

Steak on the grill along with fajita fixings – sauteed bell peppers and onion, tortilla, cheese, guacamole.  This is leftover from last week as we didn’t quite make it through the whole weekly plan (we usually don’t).

Dinner 3:

This is an old standby.  Individual mini pizzas.  We make them on whole wheat pita bread and we each pick our own ingredients.  My pizza will have grilled chicken, wilted spinach, sauteed onion, possibly roasted garlic along with sauce and cheese.  Shawn’s pizza will have sauce, cheese and pepperoni.  Gavin will have some combo.  We’ll probably give Gwyn some pita bread, chicken and some kind of fruit or veggie to munch on.

Dinner 4:

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells (https://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/05/pesto-chicken-stuffed-shells.html)
12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

Pear core:

Cucumber:

Pasta:

Bell pepper:

She’s also had banana, cooked carrot and some of our dinner that consisted of brown rice, beans, green chiles and cheese. Pretty varied diet for a 6 month old!

Gwyn’s first food was banana, which was quickly followed by pear core (and all the rest). Really, with BLW, you tend to worry less about the “first” food. The goal is to give them the opportunity to explore a wide variety of healthy foods. You definitely want to stay away from foods that are high in salt or highly processed, so your own diet may need to be altered a bit so that baby can have bits of what’s on your own plate. Food should be cut into shapes that are easy for baby to grab. Stick shapes are good and each stick should be at least 2 inches long so that when their fist clamps around it there is still a bit poking out for baby to chew on.

Some tidbits from Rapley’s book:

Vegetables that are hard when raw should be cut into a stick or finger shape (rather than round slices) and cooked (without salt) so that they are soft but not soggy (“al dente” may be fine for you but remember that your baby doesn’t have much in the way of teeth!) Boiling or steaming is good, but a tasty alternative is to roast sticks of vegetables in the oven. This gives them a slightly crisp coating and makes them easier to grip (bear in mind that some vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips, shrink when roasted, so cut extra-wide finger shapes). Sticks of softer vegetables, such as cucumber, can be offered raw.

Large fruits such as melon and papaya can be cut into stick shapes or wedges, while smaller ones (such as grapes) should be cut in half lengthwise, so that they are easier to handle and move around the mouth safely. Fruits such as apples, pears, and nectarines can be offered whole. Softer apples are better than firm ones as they are easier to gnaw and less likely to snap into large pieces. It’s best to leave some of the skin on most fruit and vegetables to make them easier to hold—at least until your baby is able to bite pieces off. Apples, pears, avocados, mangos and potatoes all work well with some skin left on. Your baby will soon work out how to hold the skin and scrape the flesh with his teeth (or gnaw it with his gums). Many parents offer bananas with some skin on too: wash the skin first (in case it gets chewed), then trim it so there is an inch or so of banana sticking out and it looks like an ice-cream cone. Once your baby is more skilled, let him try the banana skinless, to work out how much pressure he can use before he squishes it completely!

Large fruits such as melon and papaya can be cut into stick shapes or wedges, while smaller ones (such as grapes) should be cut in half lengthwise, so that they are easier to handle and move around the mouth safely. Fruits such as apples, pears, and nectarines can be offered whole. Softer apples are better than firm ones as they are easier to gnaw and less likely to snap into large pieces. It’s best to leave some of the skin on most fruit and vegetables to make them easier to hold—at least until your baby is able to bite pieces off. Apples, pears, avocados, mangos and potatoes all work well with some skin left on. Your baby will soon work out how to hold the skin and scrape the flesh with his teeth (or gnaw it with his gums). Many parents offer bananas with some skin on too: wash the skin first (in case it gets chewed), then trim it so there is an inch or so of banana sticking out and it looks like an ice-cream cone. Once your baby is more skilled, let him try the banana skinless, to work out how much pressure he can use before he squishes it completely!

EASY FIRST FINGER FOODS FOR BABIES

• steamed (or lightly boiled) whole vegetables, such as green beans, baby corn, and sugar-snap peas

• steamed (or lightly boiled) florets of cauliflower and broccoli

• steamed, roasted or stir-fried vegetable sticks, such as carrot, potato, egg plant, sweet potato, parsnip, pumpkin, and zucchini

• raw sticks of cucumber (tip: keep some of these ready prepared in the fridge for babies who are teething—the coolness is soothing for their gums)

• thick slices of avocado (not too ripe or it will be very squishy)

• chicken (as a strip of meat or on a leg bone)—warm (i.e., freshly cooked) or cold • thin strips of beef, lamb or pork—warm (i.e., freshly cooked) or cold

• fruit, such as pear, apple, banana, peach, nectarine, mango—either whole or as sticks

• sticks of firm cheese, such as cheddar or Gloucester

• breadsticks

• rice cakes or toast “fingers”—on their own or with a homemade spread, such as hummus and tomato, or cottage cheese

Rapley, Gill; Murkett, Tracey (2010-10-05). Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods—and Helping Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater (pp. 109-110). Workman Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Dinner 1 (made tonight):

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake (https://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/cheesy-chicken-and-rice-bake/)

Ingredients

2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 cups Cooked Brown Rice
¾ cups Frozen Corn
15 ounces, fluid Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis
½ cups Salsa
1 cup Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping
2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro For Garnish

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Dinner 2:

Tilapia Baked in Couscous (https://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/dinner-recipes/tilapia-baked-in-couscous)

Ingredients

1 10 ounce box  couscous
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus 1 lemon, thinly sliced
4 8 ounces tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . In a large bowl, combine the couscous, almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and cumin and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the 1/4 cup olive oil and the lemon juice.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the tilapia fillets in a single layer in the dish, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cover the fish with the couscous mixture and arrange the lemon slices on top. Pour 21/2 cups water around the fish, cover with foil and bake until tender, about 25 minutes. Top with the parsley.

Dinner 3:

This one has no recipe.  Whole wheat pasta with ground chicken and marinara.  Pretty simple.  We’ll season the meat with garlic and italian blend seasoning.

Dinner 4:

Steak on the grill with peppers and onions (kind of like fajitas).  I bought some tortillas and guacamole to go with.  We might need to figure out the seasoning/marinade for the steak.

As for budget?  We’re big cheaters and bought all the meat (except the ground chicken, which I had a coupon for) a few weeks ago when it was buy 1 get 2 free at Albertson’s, so we managed to get all of our groceries for this week for an even $67.  Groceries consisted of the missing ingredients for these meals as well as fruit (pears and bananas), salad ingredients, tons of yogurt and big boy underwear.  OMG!  Can’t believe we’re at this point already.