Asian Market: Grocery Shopping #11

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to Kansas City on a shopping trip with a large group of international students. Among one of the stops was the 888 International Market which sells predominantly Asian foods and products. I love shopping there when I get a chance because I enjoy trying new foods but they also have so much variety in seasonings and spices and they have a few fruits and vegetables that are also common to the Bahamas that I just can’t find in a typical American store.

• Tamarind w/o seeds
• Frozen seaweed salad
• Sushi ginger (Like $6 online, in-store $2.50)
• Honey long jujube
• Rice vinegar
• Sushi seaweed wraps
• Red spinach
• Vegetarian seaweed soup
• Shiitake mushrooms

I spent about $30. I’ll make a few additional posts on several of these items but from my list you can tell that another attempt at making sushi is going to go down. Also, shiitake mushrooms are fire! I love the flavor they bring to soups, stir-fry, pasta and everything I’ve added them to thus far.

Grocery Shopping #10

Even though it’s been almost two weeks since I’ve gone shopping, I’m still sharing my shopping list from when I returned from my vacation back home.

• Mango Peach Salsa
• Coconut Oil
• Dark Chocolate Red Berry Granola
• Spinach
• Grape Tomatoes (slowly starting dislike)
• Organic Bananas
• Blueberries x 2
• Mushrooms x 2
• Dried Cranberries
• Avocados
• Peaches
• Plums
• Cucumber
• Lg. Pitted Olives
• Tortilla Chips
• Rice & Grain Blend
• Baby Lettuce
• Spanish Olives
• Agave
• Nectarines
• Broccoli Crowns
• Mini Sweet Peppers
• Arizona Green Tea

My total came to around $50.15 and I was happy. The prices back home, particularly in Exuma were starting to kill me, honestly. $12 for a 24-pk of water, yikes! I also stopped in Walmart and picked up a few items there.

• Salted Caramel Dairy-Free Ice Cream
• Bread
• Mangoes
• Almond Milk
• Granola Cereal
• Garbanzo Beans
• Canned Pineapple Juice

My food is going to last a lot longer because I’ve been eating quite a few lunches at dinners at school due to work and simply being too tired to do anything cooking-related. It took me nearly a week to eat 6 pancakes (I eat 2 per meal) because work has just been so busy with new student arrivals and orientation. I’ve got at least another week before I become concerned with grocery shopping again.

Grocery Shopping #10 *Special Edition*

Typically I do most of my grocery shopping in Aldi’s but as I am back home in The Bahamas, Aldi’s is not an option. My fiance lives on a Family Island where cost of living is super expensive and the country’s newest tax (VAT) being added to all goods and services, let just say grocery shopping hasn’t been fun. Before flying to see him I was able to stop over in Nassau, the capital, to get some groceries to pack as checked luggage. All things considered, in Nassau there were some deals and if you’re diligent with reading the papers, a shopper can easily map out shopping at several stores. I purchased all my items from Solomon’s Supercenter which is like Wal-Mart’s Bahamian cousin. I spent a total of $174.77 (VAT included). The goal is for it to last at least two weeks but for this first week I’ve had an additional mouth to feed so we’ll see if I can make it the second week without going to the store. Here’s what I bought:

• Half Gallon Almond Milk
• 16 oz. EVOO
• 2-28 oz. Diced Tomatoes
• 2 cans Garbanzo Beans
• 2 cans Guava Shells
• 2 cans Pineapple Slices in Juice
• 16 oz. Salsa
• 26.5 oz. Iced Tea Mix
• 1 can of Green Pigeon Peas in Coconut Milk
• Hot Sauce
• Sweet Chili Dip
• Bottle Lemon Juice
• Soy Sauce
• Cornbread Stuffing
• 2 pks Tri-Color Pasta
• 16 oz. Lentils
• Yellow Grits
• Cream Crackers
• Jumbo Yams
• Jumbo Sweet Potatoes
• 1.19 lb.  Plums
• 1 Cassava (Yucca Root)
• Fresh Pumpkin
• 4 Zucchini
• 1 Cabbage
• 2 pints Blueberries
• 4 Avocados
• 2 Tomatoes
• 2 Red Bell Peppers
• 2 bunches of Bananas
• 1 bag of pre-cut Kale
• Mushrooms
• Bag of Carrots
• Bag of Onions
• Garlic
• Ginger
• 2 Cucumbers
• 1-3pk Romaine Hearts Lettuce
• Celery

*Sheep Tongue – Must learn how to make even though I won’t eat it (this time).

In addition to these items, I brought some things in my backpack from Kansas. Just a few minor things such as seasonings which were $1 a piece in CVS, Pita Chips, Organic Quinoa, Granola Bars and Ritz Whole Wheat Crackers.

So altogether I spent closer to $200 which would be about 2 months worth of grocery back in Emporia so I’m really hoping that the food can make it all the way through week 2 and possibly week 3 with one stop for more vegetables. I’ve been here since July 10th so in another post I will share some meals I’ve prepared so far.

All Things Considered

I took a little break from posts because I was compiling data and also enjoying time with my fiancé back home. Although short, I enjoyed the break and it have me a glimpse into what vegan life on this particular island would be like. My initial thought is that it will be more expansive than where I’m living now for several reasons:
1) I’d be cooking for two persons.
2) The cost of living in the Caribbean islands is higher due to heavy importing of foods.
3) My fiancé never has food in the house so I have to buy more basics that I would typically have on hand like seasonings, sauces, rice…

At the start of this trip there were a series of unfortunate events so I wasn’t too heavily concerned with food and sticking to the restrictions. With bare cupboards my first dish was what I thought to be the lesser of two evils: peas soup and dough. I figured, with just one faulty ingredient (meat) it’d be better than 4 or 5 in a fish dinner of peas n rice, fried fish and potato salad.

Once we were able to get to the food store, I was happy enough and just bought a few items for a few days since I was originally only to be there for 7 days instead of 9.

So if you see, the prices aren’t super bad but when you’ve gotten accustomed to paying 99¢ for a jar of spaghetti sauce, it hurts my hungry little heart to pay that much for it. I’ll probably make it from scratch from now on down there.
But anyway…

The variety of produce they have at the main food store in Exuma is fairly decent however as an island girl, being on an island with little to no native fruit growing wild is strange and absurd. In season now are hairy mangoes, sapodilla (aka dilly), and plums while sea grapes and avocados are gearing up to show their greatness. Meanwhile in Exuma, they have mangrove bushes and coco plums. Coco plums are alright but it’s like the only thing that grows! **Insert deep sighs and agonizing groans.**

These are two variety of coco plums.

All things considered, I was still able to make a few neat items and bake several dozens of bread. I’ll share those items in a separate post. The important thing to note is that being vegan on “the island” can be done.
I will be spending about a month home this summer so menu planning will be crucial to success and will include bringing a few items back with me in my luggage!

If you’ve traveled to a Caribbean island before, how was the dining experience for you as a vegan? Let me know if tips about successful vegan dining in the islands would be helpful!

Grocery Shopping # 9

I skipped my last shopping list because I’ve just been busy these past few weeks with graduate assignments, tests and papers. I’m on the last leg of it as everything must be completed this weekend. After that I’ll be a bit more consistent with posts.

For the most part my shopping has been consistent. There are staples I buy every time I go shopping. Mushrooms, avocado, lettuce or some other greens are almost always picked up. On the written list that I take to the store, I never specify fruit because that just depends on what’s cheap and the quality although bananas are usually picked up. I hope that these posts are helpful to persons not sure of what to buy, even if you’re just trying to eat a little bit healthier.

• Oatmeal
• Spicy & Original Chick’n Boca patties
• Ciabatta rolls
• Garbanzo Beans
• Zucchini
• Baby lettuce
• Grape tomatoes
• Blackberries
• Cauliflower
• Sweet potatoes
• Onions
• Bananas
• Almond milk
• Avocados
• Lemons
• Mangoes
• Spaghetti Sauce (mushroom flavor)
• Cucumbers
• Strawberries
• Pita chips
• Whole wheat potato gnocchi
• Mushrooms x 2
• Cashew Halves
• Granola (I got excited when I saw the word Vegan on the box)
• Granola cereal (I don’t know why I bought both)
• Vanilla extract
• Salad dressing

My total came to $54.69 which sorta keeps in with my average spending in the food store every two weeks. I bought burger bread from another store because it doubles as rolls for when I’m eating spaghetti.

Grocery Shopping #8

This is what $55 worth of grocery looks like:

Water
Green bean medley
Dark chocolate (is cocoa butter vegan)
Infused EVOO
Cashew halves
Whole almonds
Sweet potatoes
Cucumber
Lemon
Avocados
Raspberries
Blackberries
Multi color peppers
Mushrooms
Bananas
Mangoes
Canned beets
Canned green beans
Salad dressing (some ginger lime vinaigrette scenario)
Refried beans
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Pineapple
Baby lettuce
Spinach
Zucchini
Cantaloupe
Dried basil leaves
Garlic powder

Grocery Shopping #7

We’re going to pretend that I went shopping this Friday and not on Monday to get rid of that shopper’s guilt. One thing that shopping for one week did show me was that I am capable of sticking to the budget. I went to Aldi’s and spent $23.72! I feel like a winner. I also went to Walmart to get some more soyrizo but overall I think I did well. Today I went to food store nearby to get some almond milk because the coconut milk was taking over everything I put it in. So here’s what I bought at Aldi:

• Dried cranberries
• Pizza crust (love my veggie pizzas)
• Baby lettuce (I eat a whole head when I make salad)
• Grapefruit
• Mango salsa
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Canned pumpkin
• Baby bela mushrooms
• Vegetable broth
• Coconut milk
• Diced tomatoes w/ green chili
• French Style green beans
• Bananas

Grocery Shopping #6

This one is a little late but better late than never. In addition to shopping at Aldi’s, I went to Walmart and I ordered a few items from a vegan website.

Vegan Essentials:

• “Cream cheese”
• “Mozzarella”
• “BBQ wings”
• Marshmallows
• Egg replacers (for baking)

These items were a bit pricey but I really wanted to try out some new stuff. I’m always on the quest to find a GOOD cheese substitute. I’ll write another post on the use and taste of those items.

Walmart

• Vegan Bologna
• Firm Tofu
• Teddy Graham Crackers
• Pita chips
• Flax seeds

Aldi

• Grape Tomatoes
• Mushrooms
• Old fashioned oats
• Edamame
• Roasted Peppers
• Black berries
• Kiwis
• Limes
• Avocadoes
• Tortilla chips
• Mango Salsa
• EVOO
• Garbanzo Beans
• Kidney Beans
• Quinoa
• Green Smoothie
• Carrots
• Baby Lettuce
• Banana
• Granola Cereal
• Lemons
• Sweet Potatoes
• Syrup

I did spend more than typical because of the extra online purchases. My Aldi’s spending was right in line with my goals at $51.53 so not bad. I also purchased some Japanese seaweed salad online (to-go snacks).

Grocery Shopping #5

I feel like I’ve been shopping too many time for the year but then I think about the fact that some people go grocery shopping EVERY week and I’m trying to avoid that. This weekend I spent about $60.

• Mushrooms x 2
• Bell peppers
• Bananas
• Pineapple
• Black berries
• Grape tomatoes
• Red seedless grapes
• Artisan lettuce
• Almond milk
• Baby kale
• Mango salsa
• Green Smoothie juice x 2
• Pizza crust
• Original couscous
• Spaghetti sauce
• Spaghetti pasta
• Raspberry jam
• Mini whole wheat bagels
• Salad dressing
• Veggie burger
• Black bean veggie burger
• Sandwich skinnys (bread)
• Dark chocolate
• Fruit rollups

So this trip I purchased more breads, I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I usually don’t eat a lot of bread and I still have tortilla wraps from weeks ago. The bagels and raspberry jam are going to be for breakfast because I’m pretty much out of cereal. Now that I’m thinking I’m not sure the jam is completely vegan because there may or may not be some gelatin situations in there. Oh well.

Of course I picked up some chocolate because they’re dirt cheap now that Valentine’s Day is over. Score! It’s 70% dark chocolate and I made sure there was no milk or milk derivatives in it from what I can tell from the ingredient list. The fruit rollups were an ode to my candy induced childhood because I spent way too much money on candy.

In terms of spending, I think I did an okay job this time. My goal is still to get down to about $40-50 per trip. I know that there are certain foods I buy that will last a while such as the pastas, rices and other grains and perishables like fruits and vegetables I will have to buy each trip. To me, items like tofu and the veggie burgers are specialty items that I’m just curious about and make this vegan journey a little interesting.

Grocery Shopping #4

I went shopping last week, I know but I didn’t have enough fruits and vegetables to last another week so I went to Aldi’s. I spent about $50 which is good. My goal is to get that to around $40 every two weeks.

Here’s what I got:

• Mushrooms x 2
• Anjou pears
• Baking Cocoa
• Almond Milk
• Pumpkin Flax Granola
• Spinach
• Blackberries
• Bell peppers
• Baby Lettuce
• Enchilada seasoning (contains milk and cheese, was not paying attention)
• Red Potatoes
• Mangoes
• Grape Tomatoes
• Garbanzo Beans
• Black Beans
• Can of Diced Tomatoes
• Asparagus
• Zucchini
• Mango Salsa
• Strawberries

I’m already excited about this week’s meals which I will post when I take decent pictures.