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