Grocery Haul/Menu + Instant Pot Grits

+J.M.J.+

Hello friends! I wanted to give you a quick peek at our grocery haul from this week, and a current favorite breakfast recipe.

We went to Trader Joes for everything except milk, shrimp, and cheddar bunny crackers, which came from Whole Foods.

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I wish I had things laid out a little better, and had a non-blurry photo of the meat, shrimp, and cheese… but I had two kids ready for a nap, so here ya go.

Here is our dinner menu for this week:

Friday ~ Coconut Shrimp, Quinoa and Spinach “Mac” ‘n Cheese, Bell Peppers and Hummus
Saturday ~ Meatloaf, Brocolli, Baked Potatoes, and Baked Beans
Sunday ~ Repeat of Saturday
Monday ~ Quinoa and Italian Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers and Roasted Beets
Tuesday ~ Repeat of Monday
Wednesday ~ White Chicken Chili, Tortilla Chips, and Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Thursday ~ Repeat of Wednesday

As for breakfast…

Ethan is from Savannah, Georgia, so as a Southern boy, grits are his thing. I never even knew what grits were until he ordered them out to breakfast with my parents when I introduced him to them! (I always thought they were some type of potato hash dish that sounded so awful and…. gritty.)

I have seen what store-bought instant grits have to offer, and by the looks of the Quaker Instant Grits: Cheddar Cheese Flavor ingredient list off of their website… it is full of a bunch of unnecessary junk:

SPECIALLY PROCESSED DEGERMINATED WHITE CORN GRITS, CHEESE FLAVOR BLEND (PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, CHEDDAR CHEESE [PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES], SALT, FOOD STARCH – MODIFIED, SODIUM CASEINATE, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SODIUM CITRATE, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, DISODIUM INOSINATE AND DISODIUM GUANYLATE, YELLOW 5 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE), SALT, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, CALCIUM CARBONATE, NONFAT DRY MILK, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SUGAR, REDUCED IRON, NIACIN*, BHT AND CITRIC ACID (AS PRESERVATIVES), THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, FOLIC ACID*” 

Here are my ingredients…

We are really enjoying stone-ground grits out of the Instant Pot these days. Stone-ground grits are essentially what steel-cut oats are to oatmeal… a coarser grind that, in my opinion, has a much better texture and flavor than regular grits.

We get ours from Trader Joes, but click here for an option from Amazon if you can’t find them in a store near you.

To make the grits in the Instant Pot, add 1.5 cups water, a half cup of grits, 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, pepper, onion powder, and salt into the liner.

Set the pot for manual, high pressure, 14 minutes, quick release. (If you don’t have stone-ground and are using regular grits, use 1 minute and a quick pressure release).

 

After they are done I stir in a 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 1 large pat of butter, and if they seem too thick, a splash of milk.

This make enough grits for 3 people eating other breakfast items alongside it. (We always have fruit and eggs, bacon, or sausage on the side).

If you haven’t had grits, or think you don’t like them, I beg and plead with you to try a bowl of this creamy, cheesy deliciousness!

You can certainly make this recipe without the Instant Pot, but it will take a bit longer and require stirring. If you’re interested, here is the Instant Pot I have.

I’d love to know what is on your menu for the coming week!

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