Sunday, January 29, 2017

Saturday: More Grocery Shopping and Uppuma

Another sunny, relatively warm day, today.  I slept in (didn't fall asleep till past 3:30 a.m.) and woke up with a slight headache that persisted for most of the day.  Spent a quiet rest of the morning, but went grocery shopping in the afternoon, mostly to pick up the coffee that my daughter wanted.  I also bought a box of cream of wheat because I had been wanting some the other morning and I didn't have any on hand.


January 28 Groceries

I bought:
2 packets of coffee @$4.99 = $9.98
1 cream of wheat = $4.49
Total = $14.47

January 28 Receipt


January grocery budget = $75
Spent to date = $5.12 + $4.39 + $5.25 + $6.28 + $14.47 = $35.51
Balance remaining = $39.49

There was a limit of two on the coffee, with the store loyalty card, and I didn't ask if I could purchase two more as a separate transaction, the same day.  I will go back to the store tomorrow and see if I can purchase two more.  According to my daughter, the lowest price she has seen for this coffee up where she is has been $6.99.

Since it was such a nice afternoon, after I came home and put away the groceries, I went for a walk around my block and the next block.  Then, I rested and watched a TV program. 

Although I had eaten the last half of the bread roll sandwiched with some of the fried chicken around 2:00 p.m., before I went grocery shopping, by the time I had returned from my walk and had rested a bit, around 5:00 p.m., I began to feel the need to eat again.  I wasn't feeling hungry, as such, but I could feel the beginnings of the shakiness, which I am learning is a sign of low blood sugar, for me.  So, I ate most of the mango I had in the fridge and then, I made myself some "uppuma" with the cream of wheat.

Uppuma is an Indian dish, made with semolina (although I have always made it with cream of wheat) and eaten mostly as a breakfast food.  I had been wanting some the other day, which is why I bought the box of cream of wheat today.  There are many recipe variations to make uppuma, but basically, one dry roasts the semolina/cream of wheat in a saute pan (I used about 1/3 cup) until golden brown, adds sauted onions, chilies, mustard seeds, salt, etc. and water (I added about 1 cup), and stirs until the water gets absorbed:

Uppuma Made with Cream of Wheat

 I also roasted some cashew nuts and sprinkled on the top of my serving:

My Serving of Uppuma

One could add sauted vegetables to it, as well, but I didn't.  I ate the uppuma and drank a cup of tea.  Then, I watched the evening news and took a nap on the sofa!

I woke up at 7:30 p.m., when one of my friends called.  After I got off the phone with her, I did a load of laundry, just so I could say I was productive!  My daughter called while I was hanging up the laundry and I've been video chatting with her most of the evening.

I wasn't very hungry for dinner (the uppuma filled me up), but I opened a can of garbanzo beans and sauted the contents with some onions, mustard seeds, etc. and had a serving for my dinner, followed by a banana.



Today, I am grateful for:

- People who have shown they care
- A hopeful heart
- Sunshine after the rain
- My daughter
- Being alive




14 comments:

  1. I've never heard of that dish before, it sounds delicious, thank you.

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    1. Hi, Thrift Deluxe, my pleasure. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.

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  2. That uppuma sounds utterly delicious. I wish I could tell you how much I miss semolina (gluten!) and hearing the recipe made me want it more but I still could imagine the flavours and sort of mentally enjoy it, so I'm happy. That price on the coffee sounds good as well. I buy shedloads whenever I see a deal like that. x

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    1. Oops! Sorry about that, Lyssa! One can substitute coarsely ground rice flour for semolina in this particular dish, but you might have to grind the rice (or pound it with a mortar and pestle) at home, yourself.

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  3. I always find your food really interesting to read about because it's so different to what I make. I think your cream of wheat could be the equivalent of our readybrek which I absolutely love with a spoonful of sugar sprinkled over.

    Headaches that just won't go are a nuisance. I sometimes get them where my head just feels heavy. I put it down to the weather, when it's muggy so is my head.

    Hope you have a lovely week. Does DD have any plans for a visit soon? xx

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    1. It is interesting to read about other people's food, isn't it? Sometimes, I read about a certain dish and think I'd like to try that; other times, I'm not sure if I'd like to!

      I think yesterday's headache was caused by a sinus pressure. I'm thankful it is gone, today.

      My daughter is planning to visit at the end of February/beginning of March. Looking forward to her visit.

      Hope you have a lovely week, too, Suzanne.

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  4. Bless, I'll be happy to mail you Starbucks coffee coupons if I ever get them, as I don't use that coffee. Let me know :) It was a really good deal, though, I don't think I've ever seen Starbucks coffee for less than $7.99 here.

    Glad your headache is gone. I was worried Greg would get one of his migraines this morning because it rained all night and all morning, but the colder temperature must have helped because he didn't get one. Yay.

    The Uppuma sounds delicious to me as lunch or dinner but to be honest there is no way I could ever stomach it for breakfast, unless breakfast was at 11 a.m., ha.

    I hope you had a great Sunday!

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    1. Nathalie, thank you for the offer to mail coffee coupons. I admit to thinking you'd probably have coupons for it and would likely turn it into a money maker! :D

      Glad Greg didn't get a migraine. I used to get migraines a long time ago, but not anymore.

      I'm not an early morning breakfast person, either. I usually eat breakfast later in the morning or have brunch, depending on what time I get up in the morning. When I go to the office, I usually take something with me for breakfast as well as for lunch.

      I had a good day, thank you. Hope you did, too.

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  5. Your dish sounds so interesting.. Love hearing about the things you cook.
    Know your looking forward to daughters visit..
    Hope your headache stays gone.. and you have a good Monday.

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    1. Thanks, Judy. Yes, definitely looking forward to her visit. :) Hope all is well with you, too, and you have a good start to your week, tomorrow.

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  6. I will look at Cream of Wheat with new respect now! Your Uppuma sounds delicious, and topping it with the cashews was good. I sometimes get "the shakes" and my doctor said that eating protein at meals would help to keep the blood sugar from falling. I felt shaky just before going out today and I grabbed a spoonful of peanut butter which was always my instinctive response to that feeling.

    Bushlady

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    1. Peanut butter is a good source of protein. I must remember that. Thanks, Bushlady. :)

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  7. Oh that does sound good! Thank you for sharing how you make it. :)

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