food & drink . lifestyle

Grocery Haul & Menu

On February 27, 2021 by
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Chula Vista Grocery Outlet Haul & Menu

If you know me at all, you know I’m always talking about how amazing I think Grocery Outlet is. I’m usually rambling about how great it is for things like wine and cheese, but Cara Leyva is taking it to the next level with her store: Chula Vista Grocery Outlet. Not only is her store the biggest one I’ve ever been to, but it has a huge section dedicated to NOSH. NOSH stands for: Natural, Organic, Specialty, and Healthy. The dedication to filling her store with these quality items is what really sets it apart from the rest. My mission with this post is to show you some of the awesome items you can find there and what exactly you can do with them at home to create elevated experiences for less.

“I spent $111.29 and SAVED $155.32!!”

Some of the great products and savings at Chula Vista Grocery Outlet! Click to enlarge.

A little bit about Grocery Outlet

You’ve probably seen or shopped at a Grocery Outlet before, but have never really known much about how they’re actually run. Cara filled me in on how it works and how she runs her store in particular. Each Grocery Outlet location is independently owned and sources product specifically for their neighborhood. At the Chula Vista store Cara focuses on keeping the store stocked with organic (also known at grocery outlet as NOSH – Natural, Organic, Specialty, Healthy) items. She recognizes that in Chula Vista there are not many options for affordable organics, and she wants to make sure that no matter what budget a family might be on, they have the opportunity to buy these items. Grocery outlet does deals with different companies to buy: close out items that may not be available to other retailers due to packaging changes, overstocked items that didn’t sell as quickly as a company may like, or seasonal inventory changes. Nothing in the store is ever expired or damaged merchandise. They are constantly doing deals and getting new merchandise, so every time you come in you will see something different. “Here today gone tomorrow” is a slogan they live by; encouraging their customers to purchase items when they see them because there’s a chance it won’t be there next time. Every time you shop, you’ll see your (massive) savings at the bottom of your receipt. Happy shopping!

My Groceries

I love grocery shopping and deciding what meals I’m going to make with the ingredients. I wanted to show you how much you could get for around $100 (I ended up $111 total) and all the different meals you could make from it. I was able to get 30 different items for that amount… including quality organic foods and alcohol! Also notable, every single thing I bought was gluten free. Below is a list of everything I purchased:

ProductPriceNotes
Grocery aisles
Pitted kalamata olives$2.99GF
Coconut lime curry sauce $2.49GF, vegan, plant based, non-gmo
Dark chocolate covered almonds$3.99GF
Gluten free BIG pretzels $0.99GF
Harvest pilaf$1.99GF, non-gmo, 8g protein, 5g fiber
Honey with honeycomb $6.99GF, raw, all natural, artisan
Black rice crackers$1.99GF, non-gmo, top 8 allergen free, whole grain, FODMAP friendly
Medjool dates$3.99GF, non-gmo, kosher
Coconut milk$0.99GF
Sweet potato chips$0.99GF
White jasmine rice (x2)$1.49(2) = $2.98 GF, organic, ready to eat
Chocolate fruit dip$2.99GF
Produce
Yellow onion$0.34 GF
Baby bella mushrooms$2.29GF
Caesar salad kit$1.99GF* (w/o croutons); You can’t even get lettuce for this cheap!
Strawberries $3.99GF
Frozen
Wild caught cod$5.99GF, wild-caught, skinless
Asparagus spears$0.99GF, organic
Udi’s supreme pizza$3.99GF, 14g protein/serving, no artificial dyes or flavors
Meat & Dairy
Aged gouda$2.49GF
Applegate Sunday bacon $7.99 (for 2 pack)GF, no antibiotics ever, humanely raised
Goat cheese$2.99GF
Grated parmesan$2.49GF
Columbus dry salami$6.99GF, hormone free
Garlic jack cheese$3.08GF
Wheel of brie cheese$2.99GF
Wine
Cavaliere prosecco$5.99
Elisabeta prosecco$6.99
Clos d’ Argentine Cabernet$5.9991 Reserve points
Spirits
Rosa aperitivo rosé$7.99
$108.93
$2.36
$111.29		Sub total
Tax
Grand total
$155.32Total Savings

With my $111 grocery haul I was able to make all of the following:

Three course date night meal & Prosecco

Quick and easy weeknight curry

Happy hour featuring an impressive charcuterie board & a Prosecco and rosé aperitivo cocktail

Gluten free pizza and wine night

The Recipes

I would have to say that one of my favorite parts of cooking is the menu planning. It was important to me to make relatively simple recipes that used quality ingredients. I focused on buying ingredients that could be used in multiple recipes so that you get the most bang for your buck. I don’t like buying something that has one very limited and specific use because that often leads to waste. You will see a lot of crossover between ingredients in these meals and maybe some unique uses you’ve never thought of before.

With my $111 grocery haul I was able to make an upscale date night three course meal with Prosecco, an easy weeknight dinner, a pizza and wine night, and an awesome happy hour complete with a sparkling pink cocktail.

Upscale Date Night

This one was super fun to come up with. It’s an entire three course meal and a bottle of Prosecco, which will definitely impress your boo thang. But the wow factor and the effort level don’t match up; it’s so easy and inexpensive.

Date NightIngredients
Bacon wrapped datesBacon, goat cheese, dates, honey
Bacon wrapped cod with harvest pilaf & asparagusBacon, cod, harvest pilaf, asparagus spears, Parmesan cheese (optional)
Chocolate covered strawberriesChocolate melts, strawberries
Prosecco

The first course is goat cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon and drizzled with honey. The first step is to remove the pits from your dates. Cut a slit in one side and scoop the pit out. Next you’re going to stuff goat cheese into the opening. Now wrap half of a slice of bacon around each date. You can secure them with a toothpick. I always keep fresh thyme around so I threw a few sprigs on top of the dates and cooked at 375F until bacon was fully cooked. Plate and drizzle with honey.

The main course is bacon wrapped cod, asparagus, and harvest pilaf topped with a parmesan crisp. Wrap each piece of defrosted cod in two pieces of bacon and baked at 375F until bacon is cooked through. Follow package instructions for asparagus and pilaf. The asparagus literally goes in the microwave in the bag and it’s done, and the pilaf is added to boiling water and then covered. So easy it’s kind of ridiculous. To make the parmesan crisps just spread a teaspoon of grated parmesan into a circle on a parchment lined baking sheet. Put in a 350F oven for between 3-5 minutes. When they cool they will be crispy and delicious, and they just make the dish feel a little fancier.

This chocolate sauce is ridiculously good. You will probably want to just eat it by the spoonful. All you have to do is microwave in 30 second increments and stir until it’s at the right consistency. Dip your strawberries and set them on parchment paper to harden. These are the perfect end to a date night meal, and you don’t have to worry about making some elaborate dessert. They also pair amazingly with Prosecco.

Easy Weeknight Dinner

Easy Dinner Ingredients
Curry with wild cod & riceCurry simmer sauce, cod, jasmine rice, coconut milk, mushroom, onion

It really doesn’t get much easier than this meal. I sautéed onions and mushrooms in coconut oil. Once those cooked down for a few minutes, I added the curry simmer sauce and coconut milk. Then I nestled the (already defrosted) cod into the sauce and popped it into the oven at 375F. Depending on your oven, it should take about 15 minutes to cook. I like to finish just about everything in the broiler, so I finished the curry in there for a little golden brown color. The rice was already cooked so I just transferred to a bowl to quickly microwave.

Curry is such a great dish because it is so versatile. You can use any veggies that you have on hand, or easily switch out the protein to make this completely vegan. I feel like I never make the same curry twice. Get creative with it! I sprinkled a little curry powder on the fish (before the oven), and garnished with sriracha and green onions… all of which are cooking staples I always have on hand. If you don’t want to use your oven, you could easily make this in a skillet with a lid! It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Pizza & Wine Night

Pizza NightIngredients
Pizza & saladUdi’s gluten free pizza, caesar salad kit, Parmesan cheese
Clos d’ Argentine Cab Sauv
Add bacon bits, salami or dollops of goat cheese to your pizza.
Hack: use leftovers from your other meals to make this meal even better. We love a crossover.Use leftover cheese, salami, olives and rice crackers (they taste like croutons) to add to your salad.
Try drizzling honey on your pizza. It sounds weird but it’s so good!
How insane is it that you can have a supreme pizza, caesar salad, and wine for well under $15!? This would probably just be dinner for my boyfriend and I, but could easily be a snack and glass of wine for up to 4 people.

I just need to start by drawing attention to the fact that you can literally get a gluten free pizza, caesar salad and a nice bottle of wine for $12. Twelve freaking dollars. That’s actually insane. Anyways, you could make this meal just as it is and it would be great. However, I wanted to use some leftovers from the other meals throughout the week to make this arguably the best pizza and salad ever.

The pizza got jazzed up with leftover goat cheese, salami, bacon, parmesan, (olives if you want) and then drizzled with honey after it was done cooking. To the salad I added all three cheeses from the charcuterie board, sliced up salami, crumbled bacon, sliced kalamata olives, parmesan cheese, and black rice crackers in place of the croutons (to make it completely gluten free).

My two favorite additions are undoubtedly the goat cheese and honey!

Happy Hour

Happy HourIngredients
Charcuterie boardBrie, garlic jack, aged gouda, salami, olives, chocolate covered almonds, honey, black rice crackers, sweet potato chips, gluten free pretzels, strawberries
Italian kissAperitivo rosé, prosecco, strawberries (for garnish)
Another way to enjoy the aperitivo is with soda water and lime! And of course, feel free to drink Prosecco by itself.

I love a good charcuterie board and a signature cocktail. This board is loaded with all kinds of goodies. Brie, garlic jack, aged gouda, salami, olives, honeycomb, chocolate covered almonds, black rice crackers, sweet potato chips, gluten free pretzels, strawberries, leftover goat cheese stuffed dates, and chocolate covered bacon (I just used the leftover chocolate sauce, from the strawberries, and leftover bacon). I like adding rosemary to my charcuterie boards because it smells amazing and I always have it growing in the backyard. For the cocktail I filled a large wine glass with ice, added two ounces of rosé aperitivo, topped with Prosecco, and sliced strawberries. I also threw in some basil leaves from the garden… one of my fave things to go with strawberries!

This is a happy hour that is sure to live up to its name, and make everyone enjoying it very happy lol. Cheers!

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