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    • I love Harris Teeter’s ExpressLane!

      Posted at 10:41 pm by Rachel, on January 30, 2018

      When this CNBC article popped up in my Google News yesterday morning it reminded me of the draft of a blog post that I wrote several months ago declaring my love for Harris Teeter ExpressLane grocery pick up service. If you have never tried grocery pick up, you are missing out. Just how wonderful is it? A friend of ours loves grocery pick up so much that she wrote about it on her Christmas card; it was my favorite card and left me wishing I had also sent out the good news to everyone we know. ExpressLane is my sanity saver and is 100% worth the annual subscription fee.

      Perhaps the most obvious perk of grocery pick up is that it saves so much time. In about the same amount of time it takes me to write a grocery list, I can do all of my shopping online. I usually put my kids to bed, turn on Netflix, and get my shopping done (without toddler interference). When it’s time to pick up, there is a designated parking spot for ExpressLane at the store, so I don’t have to drive around looking for a parking space. And since the HT shoppers carry my groceries to my car, I don’t even have to take my kids out of their car seats. All of these things add up so I have more time to play with my kids, make dinner, or do literally anything else.

      What I did not expect is how much money ExpressLane saves me. Yes, I can still use my VIC card and eVIC coupons, and there are exclusive ExpressLane savings offers every week too. Yes, I can quickly and easily compare prices and check how much everything in my cart costs. And I definitely do less impulse shopping online versus in the store. But the biggest, most unexpected money saver is that Harris Teeter automatically price matches on substitutions. I did not want any substitutions on my first few orders. I admit that I can be particular about what I buy from the store and that was hard give up some control, but the shoppers really do a great job  – they actually call you when they finish shopping for your order to review substitutions and you can always veto the substituted items. I was also anxious about the price disparity between what I selected and what may be chosen as a substitute. After a few substitutions, however, I learned that when Harris Teeter makes a substitution, they charge you for the less expensive of the two items. Recently I ordered Harris Teeter brand half-and-half, which was on sale for $1.67 for a 32 oz carton. My local store was completely out of stock of this item, but they did have 64 oz cartons of Organic Valley half-and-half. Guys, that Organic Valley costs $7.39! If I were shopping in the store, I would have skipped the half-and-half and bought it elsewhere. So ExpressLane saved me $5.72 and a second shopping trip. These substitutions happen almost every time I shop, and that adds up to a lot of money over the course of a year.

      When I tell people I buy groceries online, they usually ask about the quality of the produce. The produce we get from Harris Teeter is usually very good. We have had some exceptions to this – a rotten pomegranate, mold hidden inside a container of cherry tomatoes, and an expired ham steak. However, Harris Teeter’s customer service is on point. Per the Harris Teeter refund policy, these items are all covered by a double your money back guarantee. When I discovered the moldy tomatoes, an employee literally drove to our house with a new carton and a gift card for more than twice the purchase price. The shoppers want you to be happy and the store will really work to make things right.

      So yes, I have fallen in love with my grocery pick-up service. The $99.95 membership fee is a steep upfront cost, but price matching and produce returns/exchanges have paid at least that amount over the last year. When I was reluctant to sign up and spend that much money, my husband pointed out that it is less than $2 per week, which is less than I paid in tips to baggers at the commissary. Harris Teeter prices are also known for being more expensive and they are if you do not shop the sales. With sale prices though (buy 2, get 3 free, anyone?) they easily match or even beat the commissary on many items. For the items that really are just too expensive at Harris Teeter, I make a trip to the commissary about once a month and that helps keep our grocery bills in check. There are no Harris Teeter stores where we are moving next 😦 so I can only hope that Kroger or Walmart will be equally as amazing.

       

      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments
    • Review: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

      Posted at 2:07 am by Rachel, on October 5, 2017

      I’ve been bemoaning the beginning of fall this year. The cold mornings, the early setting sun, and the falling leaves already have me dreaming of spring. But the food! Fall might have the best food of all the seasons.

      I made this butternut squash soup the other night and wow! I am so glad that I made a double batch. My husband took one bite and declared it to be his favorite soup of all time. It’s a little sweet, but with a bit of a bite, and creamy and filling, but not overwhelmingly rich.

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      Both of my kids ate this and loved it! For the baby, it was helpful to put the cooled soup (without pumpkin seeds) into a reusable food pouch. It was still a mess, but it went better than trying to spoon feed her. And the soup is thick enough that she was able to scoop up most of what fell onto her shirt and high chair tray with her hands.

      A few tips for the recipe itself:

      • Actually weigh the squash at the store. If you don’t buy squash all the time, it might be hard to tell the difference between a “medium” and “large” squash. I only needed 2 large squash to double the recipe.
      • Use a sharp knife. Maybe even sharpen it before you begin prep work.
      • Remember to stick a knife in the squash and feel how soft it is before pulling it out of the oven. (I forgot and had to stick it back in for another 20 minutes. The time it was cooling out of the oven probably added 15-20 minutes to my cook time). If the squash is not soft, you won’t be able to scoop the flesh out of the skin.
      • I used Better than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base (available for less from Thrive Market) for the chicken broth. Instead of preparing the broth and then adding it to the soup, I added all of the water and the bouillon base directly to the soup pot.
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      (1) Squash all prepped for the oven (2) Apples, onions, and sage leaves getting steamy on the stove top (3) Simmering the soup before blending it all together

      This recipe took me about 3 hours start to finish, but it probably would have been a little quicker if I had remembered to test the squash before taking it out of the oven! So it’s not a great one to make on a busy weeknight, but it is a great meal to make ahead and freeze. I will definitely be making this recipe again, and since doubling the recipe really does not add extra work here, I will be making a double batch!

      Get the recipe from Chowhound!

      Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged Dinner, freezer friendly, recipe review, soup
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