WIS, WWA | ice cubes for $0.99!
Breaking news: the much ballyhooed ice cubes at Aldi have been marked down again.
There were only three boxes left, and I opted to leave them for someone else. 😉
I kinda wish I'd bought a box, though, just so I could try them and give you a review!
What I Spent
I spent:
- $45 at Aldi
- $34 at Giant
- $24 at Panera
So, $103.
What We Ate
Saturday
You know how I often have a 24-hour exhaustion hangover after a string of shifts? That was me last Saturday, so we got sandwiches from Panera.
Sunday
Zoe wasn't here, so I made myself a quick tuna sandwich, which I ate with cucumbers and hummus.
Monday
I thawed my previously-frozen stuffed shells (thanks, Kristen-from-the-past!) and baked them for dinner. I also made a big bowl of kale salad.
Tuesday
Shift one of three. I had carrot cake overnight oats for breakfast, and stuffed shells + kale salad for lunch.
But I ate the kale salad before I took a photo!
Wednesday
Shift #2! More overnight oats, more stuffed shells and kale salad.
After work: a bowl of plain shredded wheat with fruit.
Thursday
Shift 3! Overnight oats for breakfast, more kale salad at lunch, but this time my protein was cottage cheese with tomatoes and basil.
And I ate more shredded wheat after work, with a banana.
Friday
I'm off today, which is good because MY WORD, my body is tired.
I have absolutely no idea what my plans are for dinner, but I will figure out something easy.
It all looks delicious!
A little while ago, I tried the kale salad recipe that you use and it was a confusing recipe to me! The "dressing" was so dry because the small amount of liquid it called for evaporated so quickly! I ended up adding more vinegar, which made it perfect for me but far too acidic for everyone else. Have you encountered this? If so, how do you modify the dressing?
I saw those weird ice cubes in my Aldi too. I stood there with my cart, looking down into the freezer case, trying to puzzle them out. I passed as well. LOL! Aldi is usually basic, no-frills but this one took the cake!
Saturday: I was still feeling a bit yucky after my stomach bug so I just had scrambled egg on toast.
Sunday: I travelled that evening. I still wasn't feeling very hungry so I took a sandwich to the airport and bought a packet of crisps (chips).
Monday: Aubergine, garlic and mushroom in a tomato sauce with cheese over pasta.
Tuesday: I started the great deep clean of the oven and ordered pizza.
Wednesday: Mushroom omelette with some crisps and salad on the side.
Thursday: Kitchen was still a disaster area and I ended up ordering Indian food.
Friday: No idea but the oven is cleaned out now and the stove is useable, so I'll figure something out - possibly pasta again.
You started the week like Kristen of Yore, with all those sandwiches. 🙂
Saturday: Very fast burritos, with ground beef, canned pinto beans and salsa in flour tortillas. Plus leftover coleslaw.
Sunday: I had some ground beef I hadn't used the day before, so I made it into sloppy joe meat, with the addition of the last of the commodities American cheese. Carrots and ranch dip, as well, plus ice cream.
Monday: I put together the leftover burrito filling with rice, salsa, and cheese to make something like Spanish rice. Cucumbers with ranch dip.
Tuesday: I had to bake bread, so while the oven was on, I roasted chicken thighs and potatoes. We also had green salad with vinaigrette, and then the kids had fresh bread with butter before bed.
Wednesday: I meant to make barbecue meatballs, but the meat mixture was so soft, they ended up more like patties. I also made mashed potatoes, and then there were pickled radishes. And more ice cream.
Thursday: I used the soft not-meatballs plus their sauce to flavor a quart of pinto beans I had thawed, to make something like baked beans with ground beef, I guess. Served over rice cooked in the chicken stock I had made from the chicken thigh bones. Various raw vegetables. I had made buckeye brownies to enter into the county fair that started this day, so my kids got to have the extras of those, much to their delight.
Tonight: Another day of the county fair, another day of very tired kids (and mom). Because every day of the county fair is like that. I still have like nine dozen eggs, so I think I'll cook some potatoes this morning and use those plus eggs, salsa, and cheese, to make a breakfast burrito filling. And whatever vegetables I find, raw or pickled.
My youngest and I have been watching those ice cubes at Aldi too - it just seemed like a mismatch for their usual products. My store (northern Virginia) has a few more than 3 boxes left but they’re down to $.99 too. Did not add to my cart.
Friday – Sunday meals were vacation meals. Monday – Thursday meals were what I could pull together from the groceries my husband bought while my son and I were out of town. He’s a really good cook so I had some great options to work from.
Friday: Trader Joe’s snacky dinner at the Airbnb – frozen appetizers, fruit, veggies, crackers with dip
Saturday: Chicken Sandwich at a local restaurant
Sunday: Costco food court pizza – we needed a fast/easy dinner so we stopped while filling up the rental car with gas. One pizza fed two adults and two teenage boys for far less than anything that we could have gotten at the airport.
Monday: Smoked chicken sandwiches, Caesar salad, fresh melon
Tuesday: Buffalo chicken melts, baked potato/cauliflower soup
Wednesday: Pork ramen stir fry
Thursday: Sullied Josephs (Sloppy Joes), squash bites (zucchini fries recipe but using chunked yellow squash), corn on the cob, fresh melon. The puppy was thrilled because I scrambled the leftover eggs from breading the squash bites so he could have a treat.
We had stuffed shells last night! After seeing your post about them recently I realized I hadn't made them in ages. They were a big hit and the teens asked me to make them again soon.
I’m so excited for you that your reduced hour life is right around the corner ☺️
Saturday - we were at my parents house, and DH grilled chicken. We paired that with pita, & the fixings for gyros + Greek salad.
Sunday - we flew home & were tired, so DH picked up Costco's street tacos
Monday - I made pasta & meatballs (freezer)
Tuesday - DH made rice & I defrosted chicken curry from previous me
Wednesday - I cut up a rotisserie chicken & turned that + some of the leftover Costco street tacos & pantry/freezer items into a chicken/rice skillet dish that was good
Thursday - had leftovers from Wednesday
Friday - I think I'll pick up a bag of the peanut crunchy slaw from TJs & pair that with TJs meatballs (freezer),the soyaki sauce (pantry) & rice (leftovers in the fridge).
WIS: Approximately $120, at all four stores on the main road, but mostly at Food Lion.
WWA: Sandwiches, mostly ham, with cheese, fresh sweet peppers, carrots, pickles, and plums on the side for DH. I mostly had protein smoothies with peanut butter toast and cantaloupe or an orange on the side. One night I had an egg and cheese sandwich, which was so very yummy, and last night I had the last of the hamburger-veggie soup from the freezer with crackers. The burger in it was half ground turkey and half ground pork, which was delicious.
I spent $171 this week which is high for me, but I should only need a few small things this coming week. I also stocked up on some good deals I came across on various meats. We had a family dinner one night with the grown kids for DH's birthday so that added cost (not near as much as if we had gone out though)
Saturday: DH's birthday - grilled pizzas and a cheese board with salad
Sunday: bbq sandwiches with slaw
Monday: meatball subs with salad
Tuesday: breakfast - french toast/scrambled eggs/sausage
Wednesday: Spaghetti with the leftover meatballs from Monday/salad
Thursday: chicken with tortellini/salad
Friday: leftovers to clean out the fridge
Happy Friday, everyone! We spent $88 ($52 at Target and $36 at Trader Joe's).
-- Salad (leftovers from restaurant lunch)
-- Quinoa salad
-- Guac, tortilla chips, grapes and a peach
-- Salad
-- National Night Out neighborhood gathering. I brought a Mediterranean orzo salad that used up the jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil that I had on hand. I ate that along with potato chips, fruit, cheese and crackers, and chocolate-covered raisins
-- Leftover orzo salad
-- Toast with peanut butter and a peach
WIS: $35 Aldi
My main meals this week involved eggs, ham and cheese. I made an egg scramble one day with leftover hash browns, peppers and onions. On another day I had two eggs over easy with sourdough toast and applesauce. For two days I had ham and Swiss cheese sliders on dinner rolls, and yesterday I made a Monte Cristo sandwich. Today I may make another one. It was so good, and I still have the ingredients.
WIS: $34 at Wegmans, $13 at Aldi, and $41.50 at Price Chopper.
WIA: The week's highlight was a chicken and cucumber salad, made with a pound of 50% off chicken tenderloins from Aldi (I poached these, and they came out very well and not at all dry), plus a large cucumber from Dr. Bestest Neighbor and a couple of leftover picklers. For dressing, I used the rest of the tzatziki and feta dip I bought a while back, plus dill and a green onion from my gardens. I think this one might even have impressed Martha Stewart.
BTW, Martha turned 85 on August 3. According to Hello! magazine, she celebrated the occasion by (a) posing for a photo in her new hot tub, and (b) beating up in public one more time on her ex, Andy Stewart. Obviously, Martha has decided not to grow old gracefully. 😛