Post Punk Kitchen Forum

when i want to print something i plug the printer into my laptop with a usb cable cause for some reason we never got it to work as a wireless printer.

the only thing i can think of is that i know when i print things i have to make sure the correct printer is selected. there are two printers somehow attached to my laptop. one is just "printer" which im assuming is the default and the other one which is the correct one is canon somethingsomething.

but when i print things a little printer thing always pops up. this time nothing popped up and for some reason i cant figure out where to find the printers on my laptop (i will admit that windows comps are way easier in that respect, i can actually find shiitake on a windows computer)

use the magnifying glass in the top right (spotlight) to find anything on a mac.

How many grocery stores do you guys go to per week (assuming you try and do one shopping trip per week)

I buy about 85-90% of my groceries at Sprouts (bulk bins, semi-healthfood, great cheap produce store) but always have to go to a regular grocery store so my omni partner can get his junk (frozen dinners, Yoplait yogurt, chips, soda blah gross). Also, there are some things that are way cheaper at a supermarket like oils, canned tomatoes, certain produce sprouts doesn’t carry etc.

Then about every other week we go to Trader Joe's to stock up on stuff I love there that I can't get anywhere else, or it is super cheap at TJ's compared to supermarket (Tofu, frozen fake meat products, frozen berries, wine etc). Luckily TJ's is close to my partner's work, so sometimes he will stop by for me on the way home if I need stuff.

A coworker recently commented that it was insane that I go to 2-3 stores a week.

Then again, I don't have kids. I would happily take an extra half hour of my disposable time to save a few bucks and go to another store. And I actually kind of like food shopping. Maybe I am just a weirdo.

I used to go to Market Basket (cheapest grocery store around) and Whole Foods for some bulk. Currently, I just go to Market Basket. They've got tofu for $.99 and a few vegan fake meats and a few varieties of vegan cereal and everything else I need. The only thing I need from Whole Foods this week is canned lentils for the Chipotle lentil burgers from AFR. And I may just use regular lentils despite the warnings since I don't feel like stopping at whole foods.

Whole foods is DANGEROUS. go in for one can of lentils. Come out with a $75 bag HALF full of groceries.

aaah! your problem in the first place is needing canned lentils. they're so fast to cook from dry, that it makes no sense to buy canned.

I don't always go to different stores every week, but I do have several stores I visit regularly: two supermarkets (one is kind of expensive, the other is cheaper), a Turkish and an Asian ethnic store and two health food stores. These are all within walking distance of our apartment and I know which products are cheapest at those stores and I have particular products I get from each one. Once every three months we also order a big box of nuts and flours from an online miller's shop.

I have lentils. I'm totally using them. Isa Chandra's dire warnings about the lentils for the Chipotle Lentil burgers scare me though. And I really don't feel like walking out of Whole Foods with stuff I don't need. I'm usually pretty good about that, but still.

That's why I have never made those burgers! I don't buy canned lentils either...

I have no self control in Whole Foods :( I stay away.

I go to different stores when I shop. Not every week, but at least every other week. We do Costco's 2-3x a month, and then we also do Trader Joe's, Safeway and our local grocery co-op for bulk/healthy items that aren't available at the other places. I ususally do TJ's and/or the grocery co-op and Costco in the same day. It's really not that much extra work and helps keep costs down even when you factor in gas and all the stores are right near each other so it's super convenient.

I can't go into Whole Foods. I always get caught up buying more than I mean to even though they sell the same stuff at the grocery co-op. I think they must put something in the air there.

We were looking over our budget and another money sucker is Target. I need to stop going 3 times a week!

i think Target is actually worse than WF for the "go in for one small thing and walk out with $100 worth of stuff" because when you go into WF you KNOW it's expensive. in target you keep throwing crepe in a cart not realizing how it adds up!!!

though i fail at both stores. luckily there is not a WF all that close to me. sometimes i go to one on my lunch break but the trip takes me the full hour

Target is not good. I am going to cut down to once a week. I am tired of going in for Luna Bars, coming out with video games, stickers, makeup and forgetting the bars. :/

That's why I have never made those burgers! I don't buy canned lentils either...

I have no self control in Whole Foods :( I stay away.[/quote]

I have made those burgers with dry lentils; I just added panko until they seemed like they were the right consistency. They worked.

I don't think I've ever seen canned lentils, ever.

I haven't seen canned lentils either. Only the ones in the vacuum package at Trader Joe's, with the tofu and all that stuff.

I have seen that Amy's makes a canned lentil. Like $4 a can though.

I've only seen canned lentils at WF, and the steamed at TJ's (which I love).

The thing that gets me about "It's so easy to make [whatever item] at home!" is that I wind up being totally overwhelmed. Now not only do I have to wash and prep tons of leafy greens (time consuming!) and veggies, as well as cook grains and such, but suddenly I'm making salad dressings, sauces, and hummus, soaking and cooking beans (I realize lentils are quick though), baking bread, pressing tortillas, and AAAH!

This could completely be just a personal defect on my part, but I can't handle making every single thing from scratch. I plan my week like that sometimes, but then I realize I've aimed too high and I wind up failing spectacularly (ordering takeout or eating junk food because I can't deal with all the tasks between me and dinner). At that point buying bottled salad dressing feels downright liberating!

I don't think Amy's makes canned lentils, just lentil soup in a can. Eden makes canned lentils though.

switch to BB&B for your luna bar needs. .66 a piece with the $5/$15 coupon.

I will try to see if I can print the coupons since they come very sporadically in the mail. BB&B is next to Target here. I do not know if they have the ones we eat though. I use the new fiber ones in the morning and my boyfriend likes the Clif Kidz oatmeal. Then for lunch a few times a week I just go for a traditional bar. Target seems cheap for the bars when they are on sale though...

I just wanted to report back: I caved and went to Whole Foods. But they didn't have any canned lentils so I went home (and managed to buy nothing!) and made them with lentils from home. I added a little extra bread crumbs and an 1/8th of a cup of flour. They're still delicate and soggyish, but fine. :)

Sale tags!

Here's a tip....try being the crazy person in a Whole Foods/Target/Kroger who keeps swapping out purchases in their basket to stay under a $20 personal limit, for example. It really makes you think about if you really want that novelty purchase vs. the vegetables and whatnot. Go in with cash to spend and don't pull out the debit card. Even crazier...leave it at home.

Yeah, I do that for the most part with Market Basket & the Farmer's market (and I'm staying WAY under budget, which is super awesome), but Whole Foods is on the way home from work, which is not where I keep the cashy money for groceries. I need to start carrying like $5 for just in case ZOMG I FORGOT THAT ONE INGREDIENT situations. Because I also hate having to go home and then to Market basket (even though it's only 3 blocks away).