What I Spent, What We Ate | and there was a birthday...
I spent $10 on chicken at the organic store, $84.59 at Aldi, $7.38 for a bit of produce at a regular grocery store, $32 on my produce box, and $49.09 on a few other miscellaneous trips.
(If you couldn't tell, it was not the most efficient week of grocery shopping ever.)
Oh, and I also spent $10 on a half bushel of bruised apples, which I turned into 10 quarts of applesauce.
I spent $193.06.
By the way, I realized that I forgot to do year-to-date tally like I normally do at the end of a month.
Whoops.
So, here you go!
Spending Year To Date (avg. $154/week)
January: $681
February: $650
March: $823
April: $623
May: $656
June: $682
July: $706
August: $589
What We Ate
Monday
I made BBQ chicken burrito bowls from Budget Bytes, and they went over pretty well with my crew.
Sonia said it's a weird combination, but it works. 😉
Tuesday
I seasoned some tilapia fillets with Old Bay and sauteed them in butter. I also made potato cubes and a green salad like this one.
Wednesday
I was at the pool all afternoon, so I scrapped my original plan and made chicken bacon wraps.
Thursday
We had Joshua's (17th!) birthday celebration a day early and he picked Chicken Tikka Masala.
We also had naan, a tomato salad, and the orange jello salad that seems to always make an appearance on birthdays!
Plus a German chocolate cake.
Friday
We might switch up our usual weekend date night to tonight, but I gotta chat with Mr. FG about that.
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I went in with zero plan, because every time I plan things come up and we don't end up eating things we need to eat. The two of us wound up eating:
(1) roast beef, carmelized onion, egg, and cheese burritos to use some lunch meat and tortillas
(2) salad (we needed to use the bagged lettuce) with home fries (we needed to use the potatoes) and fried egg on them, the last of a block of cheese, shredded, and lots of random veggies: mine had cucumber, corn, tomato, and beet
(3) naan pizza to use up the last of a bag of shredded mozzarella and some frozen flatbreads, served with Alexia french fries from the freezer
(4) takeout Chinese food, because it's been a tough week at work for both of us. now we have lots of leftovers for the weekend, too!
(5) tonight will be our usual carbonara, probably with a side salad
We've got some baking to do this weekend to take advantage of our found freezer space and use up applesauce, garden squash, and some frozen bananas. I'm seeing lots of muffins/quick breads in our future!
Looks like August was a good month for y'all!
This week we had:
Monday: Slow cooker salsa verde chicken tacos. I thought these were awesome, but they didn't agree with Mr. Picky Pincher.
Tuesday: Spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread. With homemade sauce and meatballs! Hopefully once I get a KitchenAid we can start making our own pasta. 🙂 Mr. Picky Pincher's coworkers were enamored with his leftovers so much that they said they'd buy it in a restaurant!
Wednesday: Tomato bisque soup with grilled cheese. This soup is sooooo freaking tasty. The only issue is that soup has never been very filling for me, so I'm always left hungry. If we make this soup again I think I'll pair it with a big salad. But it was definitely very tasty!
Thursday: We were supposed to make quesadillas, but we got Chik Fil A with my SIL instead, since she's been kind enough to allow us to store our appliances at her home while we close on our house. Woo!
Friday: We're eating sloppy joes, which are one of our freezer meals. Easy!
Did u make the Chili verde sauce from scratch ? Or did u use a store bought jar ?
Are your recipes available on your blog?
Happy 17th birthday.
As usual I haven't kept records and am relying on my memory.
This week we have had chicken pasta created from leftovers, roast pork and vegetables, tandoori chicken with rice, when my vegan daughter visited I made a cauliflower and spinach curry served with brown rice, we had sushi one night, simple leftovers another night and finally fish and chips. There was also a soup made from roasted pumpkin, sweet potato and potato that has resided in the fridge for hungry tummies to eat when they want.
This weekend leaves me with a very full fridge and I think I will have to convert some meats into meals and freeze them.
Sushiiiiiiiii !!!!!!!!! I love sushi!
This is one of our treats as both mum and I eat very little while we are there. It is one thing that is very fussy to make and it isn't worth the time and effort for 2 small bowls of noodle soup and a plate of sushi each. Because I have crustacean allergies it is one way mum can have her beloved crabs etc without me suffering.
Once again this week went by so quickly.....
I am starting to notice that once a week has become a "leftover" night and I like it....it gives me a chance to clean out the refrigerator and also it is one less night to "cook". It gives us more time just to relax and enjoy each others company.
Monday: Chicken Stir-fry with Rice
Tuesday: Cheddar Cheese Burgers on the grill with grilled Red Onions. Pickles & Chips on the side.
Wednesday: London Broil, Mashed Potatoes & Spinach
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: No concrete plans at this point, it might just might be Grilled Cheese or English Muffin Pizzas
$118 at Meijer and $4 at Family Fare (quick trip on the way home from work for a forgotten ingredient)=$122
Monday: It was my late night, so I made a batch of squash soup before leaving. My husband served it with French bread before heading out to our son's Pre-K open house.
Tuesday: We had another open house, so another quick meal was definitely required. Spaghetti with meat sauce and green beans.
Wednesday: My husband's late night and our traditional "breakfast for dinner" night. The boy child has been requesting waffles for a few weeks, so I made homemade Belgian waffles with a quick strawberry sauce and whipped cream. The kiddos also requested sausage.
Thursday: Beef stroganoff with broccoli.
Friday: We were planning on black bean burgers, but my sister is taking the big kids to a baseball game so I think my husband and I might get some takeout once our toddler is asleep.
Wow 17 already?! He's really looking like a clone of his father, at least in the pictures you posted.
Dinner at my house was kind of
Monday: Cheated and ate hot dogs and tossed salad. The hot dogs were left over from a party we had (never had been cooked) so we needed to use them up.
Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner so bacon, eggs, biscuits etc. We also cooked up some summer squash that I grew in the garden. I'm an adult and I've tried it several times. I've cooked it myself and I've even grown it myself and I still think it tastes like grass.
Wednesday: Thanks to me working out of state and my wife having a headache we just pretty much did a leftovers and clean out the fridge type night.
Thursday: BLTs and veggies. The daughter was a bit fussy so this worked for us as we could eat in shifts while dealing with her.
Friday: Chicken and rice and green beans from the garden. No idea what type of chicken recipe but I'll think of something.
Kind of crazy I meant. Oh well.
He does look a lot like Mr. FG, and you'd especially think so if you saw photos of Mr. FG at that age! He's got the same cheekbones for sure.
I'm with you on the summer squash. The best I can do is tolerate it.
My favorite way to eat summer squash is in a quick bread with white chocolate chips. That, or made like the hibachi vegetables you get at a Japanese restaurant, cut into sticks with the seeds removed.
http://www.kitchentreaty.com/white-chocolate-chip-summer-squash-bread/
Love his choice in birthday cakes! That's my favorite flavor too
Happy Birthday to Joshua!
We went out of town last weekend, and ate out the whole time. Also, I lost my wallet last week (with my debit card and ID inside), so grocery shopping has been problematic this week. Mostly, my hubby has been picking up fast food for us. I'll post a menu for the coming week, though, as it seems to motivate me 🙂
Saturday: Burgers w/ FG's fluffy hamburger buns (these are excellent, even with whole wheat flour!)
Sunday: Mexican hamburgers
Monday: Chicken salads
Tuesday: Thai noodles w/ Chicken
Wednesday: Shrimp tacos with pico and corn salsa
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Pizza (homemade maybe? Frozen if I'm not feeling ambitious)
Crazy week but was still able to avoid eating out so I'm happy about that.
Sunday: Meatball Pasta bake (recipe from Pioneer Woman) & steamed carrots
Monday: same as Sunday (recipe made a ton)
Tuesday: Crockpot Tequila Lime Turkey Chili with rice & toppings(recipe from ATK)
Wednesday: Crockpot Harissa Chicken Tacos (recipe from skinnytaste)
Thursday: Honey Cashew Chicken over rice (recipe from Cooking Light)
Friday: Date night
Saturday: Pizza with a green salad
I'm amazed I stayed on schedule especially since one kid had commitments both Tuesday and Thursday that went until 6 to 7 pm. Plus, I had to go to the ER with my Dad one day and that took 4 hours of my time. In the past I would have caved and not made dinner. But this time I really thought it through and prep some of the ingredients before hand like the chopping of vegetables, etc.. The prep definitely helped and having a plan with all the ingredients on hand.
This week was :
- Rice/chicken/veggies with a red curry sauce
- Beef+cubed potatoes+brocoli
- Meat and veggies sauce + penne
- Pizza pita (Pitas covered with pizza sauce, veggies and cheese, in the oven for 20 min)
And I made crabapple jelly and apple sauce (twice)!
We ate out a couple of times (I'm really trying to improve in that area) but mostly stayed home. When we did eat out, I almost instantly regretted the cost as well as the food wasn't as good as homemade.
I did get a Blue Apron box for $10 this week and we made our first meal last night, me and my spouse. It was pleasant to cook together, to eat at the table (instead of in front of the tv) together, and to clean up together. After, we took a walk and came home and did yoga. I think if I could have that experience by spending the $60 a week on Blue Apron every night instead of eating out, that would be wonderful progress.
I also learned three new recipes for my meal of Salmon with Sauce Gribiche, Summer Beans, and Mashed Potatoes. (The potatoes were dairy and egg free-- which I like as I am a clandestine vegan-- they were just smashed with some olive oil, fresh tarragon, and shallots that had soaked in some white wine vinegar!)
I love this website & all that it entails! I especially like the Friday accountability post with spending & meals. Keeps me motivated! Thanks for all the work you do, FG!!
Monday we grilled a pork tenderloin served with baked potatoes for the girls & baked sweet potatoes for hubby & i & cucumbers & tomatoes.
Tuesday was grilled bbq chicken tenderloin pieces with rice, cottage cheese & cucumbers with tomatoes (using up from our garden).
Wednesday we had spaghetti with meat sauce & a salad.
Thursday was oven baked stuffed pork chops, parsley potatoes (because we didn't have milk for mashed), gravy, french green beans.
Today's plan is taco flavored chicken quesadillas.
Saturday we're having my dad over for his 65th birthday & we plan on smoking ribs and a pork roast in our smoker along with coleslaw and whatever else i decide. i think i'll make pistachio dessert.
Sunday we are taking banana split dessert to a picnic.
oh yeah, i forgot to add my weekly total of $117. I did awesome for August....only $327.44 which is way under budget of my normal $600/month I've been spending. i'm ecstatic about this!!!
Wow! Way to go on reducing your grocery expenses. Yay you!!
We had to use up chicken this week, so meals included baked chicken, chicken/cheese/tortilla/green salsa bake, and chicken and corn chowder. Served with various combinations of rolls, salad, broccoli, and fruit (we're still working on a watermelon, even though it was a small one). And one night was grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Happy Birthday Joshua! He's all grown up, when did that happen??
Monday: cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot. Had sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce with it. Plenty of leftover chicken for lunches and dinner Thursday night.
Tuesday: lasagna, salad, and garlic bread.
Wednesday: it's our fend for yourself night, and I'm pretty sure we had ribs leftover from the weekend.
Thursday: chicken and dressing casserole, using the leftover chicken from Monday; fried okra from a co-workers garden; and pound cake for dessert.
Tonight- Hubby mentioned eating out, but our a/c is out ( please pity me, I live in Houston) so depending upon: when the repairman shows up, and how much the repair costs, we may not only NOT be eating out, we may be eating beans and rice for the foreseeable future.
Let's see - it was a crazy week, as I was out of town all weekend at an adventure relay, & flew back late on Sunday. Because of that, it was much more hit or miss than usual.
Monday - rice, kebabs & yogurt sauce
Tuesday - out, for a teacher/parent fundraiser dinner
Wednesday - pasta with meatballs
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - oven baked chicken risotto
Saturday - date night! The kids had chicken nuggets & pasta
Sunday - at a potluck. I brought a pasta salad & lemon bread. Both made from ingredients around the house
Our house is down to three adults from a family of five (sigh)...
Monday: sausages with peppers, onions, and mushrooms plus garden cucumber salad , steamed kale, and freezer coconut cake
Tuesday: my birthday so DH got takeout ( chicken pontalba on cheese grits) and a pint of chocolate ice cream with a candle
Wednesday: vegetarian chili and chicken-pimiento cheese quesadillas with avocado
Thursday: pizza, plums, and homemade yogurt
Friday: leftover veggie chili burritos with goat cheese , guacamole, sour cream, rice and kale salad
Saturday: roasted garden veggies, watermelon/tomato salad with feta cheese, cold shrimp
Sunday: leftover-loaded baked potatoes, garlic kale, peaches, biscuits
Chicken Tikka Masala = Yum!
Would you share the recipe you use? Ours is just so-so; we're always looking for ways to tweak it to kick it up a notch.
Thanks!
I'd never made it before, but I used a recipe from Cook's Illustrated (my default. Ha.)