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Brigette’s $69 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

The 2 Books I Read the Past 2 Weeks

Welcome to my weekly Book-ish post where I share what I've been reading and watching recently. If you missed it, you can see my Reading Goals for 2018 and 44 Books I Plan to Read This Year.
(Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, and we will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking through our links. Read our disclosure policy here.)

I didn’t get a chance to post a book post last week because were in India, but I’m excited to tell you about these two books I finished the past two weeks.

The first book was Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. If you’ve gone to India, lived in India, or plan to visit India, I think this will be a very insightful and interesting book.

Honestly, it gave me such helpful perspective as I prepared to head to India for the second time. It was sad, intriguing, and yet it gave me hope, too.

I think it’s so easy for those of us who live in the Western world to feel like we have better answers to how to help or fix poverty. But as this book clearly shows, we don’t really understand at all what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes.

Because I had experienced some of what this book talks about and been to some of the areas the book refers to, it made the story come alive in a really vibrant way. It’s hard for me to put into words how it impacted me, but it’s one of those books I’ll be mulling on for a long time to come.

Note: There is a lot of crass language and mature topics discussed in this book. It’s real and raw and doesn’t sugar-coat anything. The author went to great lengths to present the story as accurately as possible and, there wasn’t anything she said that was refuted by people I met in India.

A big thank you to Leigh Kramer for telling me about this book and highly encouraging me to read it.

I’m a big fan of Katie Ganshert and have been wanting to read Wildflowers from Winter for awhile. I think it was her first book and I feel like the depth of her writing and character development has improved quite a bit in her subsequent books, but I still enjoyed this novel and definitely wanted to keep reading it even when I really needed to put it down and go do other things.

When I Find Time to Read
People are always asking me how I find time to read. Honestly, it's because I love to read, because I've chosen to prioritize it, because I don't have a lot of other hobbies, and because I can't not read. Also, when you love something, you usually can find ways to get creative to find time to fit it in — even if it's in the little nooks and crannies of life.
I wrote a post on 3 ways to find more time to read — even when life is busy. And here are 7 more ways to find time to read.

What did you read and watch this past week? Any books or movies or shows you really think I need to read or watch?

Brigette’s $69 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Aldi

1 large canister Quick Oats – $2.39

2 16-oz bags Shredded Cheddar Cheese – $4.30

3 8-oz blocks Mozzarella Cheese – $2.97

1 pkg String Cheese – $1.65

1 pkg Sliced Pepperoni – $1.95

2 64-oz cartons Orange Juice – $3.38

1 gallon Whole Milk – $1.34

1 32-oz tub Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt – $3.29

1 large jar Unsweetened Applesauce – $1.89

1 head Cabbage – $1.29

2 bags Frozen Riced Cauliflower – $3.78

1 large Butternut Squash (3.61lbs @ $0.39/lb) – $1.41

1 head Cauliflower – $1.89

1 bag Envy Apples (1.80lbs @ $0.99/lb) – $1.78

1 bag Gala and Granny Smith Apples (3.50lbs @ $0.25/lb) – $0.87

1 carton Grape Tomatoes – $1.39

1 bunch Bananas (2.66lbs @ $0.38/lb) – $1.01

1 16-oz bag Mini Cucumbers – $1.69

2 large cans Chicken Breast – $3.10

1 bag Baby Carrots – $0.85

1 large tub Organic Spring Mix – $3.99

1 bag Pretzels – $0.79

1 box Crispy Rice Cereal – $1.15

1 box Honey Crunch Oats – $1.29

1 box Honey Nut Oats – $1.15

1 16-oz box Butter Quarters – $2.04

3 dozen Eggs – $3.33

2 bags Rice Cakes – $2.30

1 pkg Flour Tortillas – $0.65

1 loaf Bread – $0.65

2 boxes Macaroni and Cheese – $0.50

1 24-oz jar Honey – $4.69

1 pkg Fresh Chicken Leg Quarters (5.65lbs @ $0.89/lb) – $5.03

Total: $69.43

Weekly Menu Plan
Breakfasts
Everyone is responsible for making/cleaning up their own breakfasts. Choices include:
Cereal, Oatmeal, Smoothies, Fruit, Scrambled/Boiled/Fried Eggs, Veggie Omelets, Toast, Yogurt
Lunches
Cheese Quesadillas, Carrots, Apples x 2
Pretzels, String Cheese, Bananas, Cucumbers x 2
Leftovers x 3
Dinners
Hamburger Vegetable Soup (using venison vs beef), Easy Homemade Flatbread Crackers
15-Minute Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice, Strawberry Muffins, Applesauce
Venison Roast in the Crockpot, Tossed Salad, Simple Roasted Butternut Squash, Homemade Biscuits
Upside-Down Pizza (using pepperoni vs ground beef), Green Beans
Date Night (for my husband and me!), Macaroni and Cheese, Applesauce, Green Beans for the Kids
Thanksgiving Dinner: (Our plans are still up in the air – since I’m still not sure if I’m hosting and how many I’m hosting :), I didn’t buy any ingredients for this meal. I will definitely be making another trip to the store once I finalize what’s happening. We’ll for sure have Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Make-Ahead Butterhorns, Green Beans, and Pumpkin Pie. I always try to add in a few interesting side dishes and another kind of pie. Does anyone have any “must-make” suggestions for me?)
Chicken Soup with Homemade Noodles, Tossed Salad, Italian Breadsticks