What I Spent, What We Ate | It's a new month!
What I Spent
Let's see...here's a small $29.52 trip to Aldi.
I also made an unpictured $43.99 trip to Aldi and a $62 trip to Target, where I stocked up on flour and tea and also bought some groceries for dinner that night.
I definitely could have saved more money by buying some of those Target groceries at Aldi, but it was a day when convenience won out. Target isn't insanely expensive, but it is definitely pricier than Aldi (as are most stores, to be honest.)
Still, I'm in at $135.51 for the week, which isn't too shabby of a start to October.
What We Ate
Monday
I grilled some kebabs and made a pot of Jasmine rice.
Tuesday
We had shrimp and ravioli in pink sauce (except for Zoe, who just had ravioli in pink sauce.)
I am completely blanking on what we had with that, even though I've sat here for a few minutes thinking about it. It must not have been very exciting.
Wednesday
I made bacon and cheese quesadillas, and we also had salsa, guacamole (OF COURSE) and fruit.
Thursday
Sloppy joes. Plus some fresh fruit.
Friday
I'm planning to make pizza, probably just the regular ol' kind again!
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How about you? What was on your dinner table this week?
Monday: Mexican Barnyard Bake (zesty cooked Tex-Mex meat, such as chopped chix or ground beef, in a savory custard and baked till done), guac,
Tuesday: Chick-fil-a after running an important errand (because what other sort of errand is done on a weeknight?)
Wednesday: Shrimp, carrots, homegrown watermelon
Thursday: Stiry Fry Beef & Broccoli, peaches
Friday: I'm on the road! Till Monday! I have no idea what's on the menu!
I hope it's a fun trip and that you get some good eats. 🙂
I expect to. My friends, in addition to their day jobs, raise pigs for meat and chickens for meat and eggs. I packed my plug-in cooler so I can buy some of the Happy Meat goodness home to take home.
Whee! Sounds like a promising weekend.
I tried very hard to take note of what we had this week. And I am struggling now to remember.
We had black beans, rice and salsa with chopped leafy greens on top, since I don't like cilantro.
We had grilled cheese and Waldorf salad one night
We had broiled chicken and two veggies -- I have no clue what they were. Are veggies that forgettable? But I like veggies!
Last night, we had family that was escaping from Hurricane Matthew arrive, and we ended up eating burger take out at 9:00, it was so late by the time we got them settled in. One of the evacuee crew turned out to be allergic to our pets, so we had to borrow a camper to set up in our yard. Luckily, we know a very nice person with a camper, but it took awhile to re-arrange plans and get the camper here and set up.
There is another night in there that I can't remember, except remembering that my husband really liked it. Wonder what that was? My grocery bill was up a bit, from buying poultry from a local, happy farm (I like WilliamB's descriptions), but I hope to keep it under budget next week. I also spent a little more because I'm doing a trial of Thrive Market. It helps to know store prices -- for example, I know for sure I'm saving about five dollars on the brand of mayo I buy. If I can continue to find organic stuff and home goods I normally buy, at better prices than at the food coops and healthier stores, I'll keep using Thrive. As long as I have no Aldi near me, I need to do something.
It's a week for forgetting side dishes, I suppose!
Oooh, those kebabs look awesome! We actually have kebabs on the menu for this weekend, but we'll see if we have time to grill with the renovations!
Here's what we had this week for dinner:
Monday: Asian lettuce wraps. Mmm. Always a crowd-pleaser!
Tuesday: Adobo street tacos. We ate these on mini corn tortillas that Mr. Picky Pincher's mom gave to us, and they were awesome! We only put two chipotle peppers in them this time, so they were much less spicy. 🙂
Wednesday: Hot dogs. So fancy, I know!
Thursday: We got Chikfila because we just couldn't deal with life today.
Friday: The plan was to do stir fry, but Mr. Picky Pincher sounds like he really wants to grab takeout, so that's probably the plan. Boo! We were doing so well with our home-cooked meals!
I spent $70 at Costco and $90 at Meijer. $160 is pretty good for us. Unfortunately I didn't get to the store until last night (I normally go on Sundays), so we haven't had the healthiest or most imaginative menu so far this week.
Monday: I worked until 8 and my husband made a frozen pizza for the kids. Our 18-month-old has a pretty bad cold right now, so he's needed a lot of attention. Only one parent home+sick baby=frozen pizza.
Tuesday: Panera Bread. We have soccer from 5-7:15 on Tuesdays, so we've decided to get some form of takeout/fast food once a week. It'd be more economical to make something in the crock pot or freeze something ahead of time, but I'm so busy at work right now the extra money spent is definitely worth it to have a little bit more time.
Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner. This week was boring ol' eggs, but it was tasty.
Thursday: Smoked turkey sausage with tortellini in a tomato cream sauce. And green beans. Any pasta meal just seems to need green beans in our house.
Friday: Homemade pizza night!
I have been super awful at planning this week.
Monday - I honestly don't remember.
Tuesday - Chicken pot pie, without the pie. The kids were not excited about that one.
Wednesday - Mostacolli and salad... Wednesday nights we eat at church before our Awana program. I am super thankful that I don't need to plan dinner that night and then shuffle everyone out the door!
Thursday - I took some leftover chicken breast, sliced it, dipped it in egg and rolled it in seasoned breadcrumbs. It was pretty passable as chicken strips. The 3 year old was uninterested, but the 1 year old ate them up and had some fries.
Friday - Bratwurst!
Saturday - make your own pizza if it doesn't rain. My oven is out, so it'll have to be on the grill.
I'll be checking back on the comments here to help me plan better for the next few weeks!
"My oven is out"
Oof! You have my sympathies. That can't be easy.
FYI, Chicken pot pie without the pie = chicken stew.
I wondered what that would be called.
Unfortunately, my oven went out as we're in the planning stages of a kitchen remodel so we're not jumping to replace it. We're not sure exactly what't making it not function, but it's not any of the easily replaceable parts, so I'll be using my toaster oven a lot in the coming months. I'm seriously bummed that it went out right as the baking weather was starting.
A couple years ago, my oven went out the day before Christmas, as I was baking the pumpkin pie. I was able to leave the pie in the warm oven and let it finish baking, but the turkey had to go back in the freezer. We ran to the grocery store at the last minute and found some ham steaks that we fried on the stovetop. I fixed the rolls 4 at a time in the toaster oven. And skipped everything else that required baking. It was a very pared-down menu: ham, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, rolls, green beans & broccoli.
Not one of my best weeks meal wise but that happens sometimes!
Monday: Spaghetti & Meatballs with a Tossed Salad and Garlic Bread
Tuesday: Used a Groupon that I purchased awhile back for a local eatery....Hot Dogs/Cheesesteak Sandwiches with sides of Chili Cheese Fries and Onion Rings.
Wednesday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Slices
Thursday: Chili with Cheddar Cheese and Jalepeno Bisquits
Friday: Nobody will be home so it just might be a Peanut Butter Sandwich
We have been sick this week with strep throat so dinners were super simple with no sides (except for Monday before things got bad).
Monday - Pork chops with a white wine sauce, rice pilaf, and broccoli
Tuesday - Lentil and sausage soup
Wednesday - Spaghetti and meatballs
Thursday - Homemade pizza
Friday - My husband is leaving for the weekend to help his brother with some projects so the kids and I will probably have waffles.
Monday: Our fridge died over the weekend and we had to get a new one this day, so we got a Hot N Ready pizza.
Tuesday: Our new fridge was delivered this day, so I pulled some ravioli out of our deep freezer and we had a salad with it.
Wednesday: Pork chops with apples and onions (I need to make this more often), mashed potatoes, salad, and corn muffins.
Thursday: Macaroni and cheese with broccoli and tuna, salad, pineapple, and grapes.
Friday: I was going to make tacos, but I have a sick kiddo, so I think we will do grilled cheese and tomato soup instead.
Lots of food around here with a final garden harvest push here in northern New England! Still it seems my grocery hasn't decreased as so much of the harvest is stored "for later". We've been eating pretty well around here at least.
Homemade pizza and Caesar salad tonight
Last night turkey burgers, dogs and sausages, roasted blue potatoes, cole slaw and caprese salad with LO pineapple cake for dessert
Wednesday was turkey and bean tacos and salad
Tuesday was DHs birthday so pork snitzel, pan fried potatoes, caprese salad and broccoli with pineapple cake
Monday was tomato soup with tortellini and melon
Sunday was chicken pot pie and applesauce
Saturday we ate chicken satay with coconut rice and steamed broccoli and cauliflower with extra coconut peanut sauce, dessert was canned peaches (my kids adore these!)
Seeing my menu written out alleviates any guilt I've had about the spending amount at least. For September we came in at $820 for the four of us plus $210 for a fall CSA which starts in November and another $50 for two bushels of local corn that I froze.
My surgery has made cooking a bit of a nightmare. Mum and Pip have eaten out a lot. I have had lots of simple foods like rice, chicken breast, fruits, salads etc.
This week was crazy. My younger daughter got sent home early on Monday, because she whacked her head on the pavement during recess. My older daughter had a half day on Wednesday and the younger one had a half day today. At dinner time tonight it became clear thar both kids were giving in to a cold, and by bedtime they were both a sobbing mess.
Monday - rice and beans with leftover kale and broccoli
Tuesday - pasta with tomato and fennel sauce, green beans, sardines with scallions
Wednesday - taco night - beans, guac, lemony chopped arugula, chopped tomatoes, greek yogurt
Thursday - chicken soup with rice
Friday - pasta with tomato sauce, chick pea salad
Saturday the 1st: Breakfast for Dinner (scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown)
Sunday: Baked Chicken with macaroni and cheese and green beans
Monday: We call it "Everyman" night... Every man (or woman) for themselves. I had soup, hubby had a frozen pizza and daughter had fish sticks, cottage cheese and peas.
Tuesday: Steak, mashed potatoes, corn
Wednesday: Taco Night
Thursday: Fried Chicken, Baked Rice and Broccoli
Friday: Pizza Night (sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, black olive)
Tomorrow, we are having Chicken Alfredo and Sunday we are having grilled pork chops, fried potatoes and peas.
Monday : I had a baby boy! This is my third chiks and I have pre-planned meals like it's my job. I ate dinner in the hospital. My husband went home to help my mother-in-law with our big kids at bedtime. They all had chicken pot pie I had frozen last month.
Tuesday: takeout pizza with a $10 coupon for those eating at home.
Wednesday: first day home from the hospital and we ate a variety of delicious leftovers.
Thursday: Chili with cornbread I froze last month plus apple slices.
Friday: Leftover chili and macaroni and cheese with homemade sauce I froze earlier.
Oops - third child. 🙂
Wow, congratulations, mama!!
Monday: Free pizza at the gym! Not so great for the workout, but it was free. 🙂
Tuesday: Cheese and Veggie Omelettes.
Wed.: Chicken Tenders and Veggies.
Thurs.: Cheeseburgers. No sides, but we did eat chips and dip later. 😉
Fri.: Pasta with hamburger meat, tomato sauce and lots of onion, garlic and other spices.
I have started to shop mostly at Aldi as well. This week they had the small pieces of dried salami, yum! We added it to our salads we took to work, it was delicious.
Kristen, your pictures are beautiful!
We tried out a new, healthy, premade meal delivery. It's certainly not as frugal as cooking, but my hands are about 50% paralyzed at this point. Fortunately, my husband is a terrific cook. When his work eases up a little, will have more home-cooked meals.
Monday- BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, chips and raw veggies.
Tuesday- Chicken pot pie. It turned out so pretty I actually took a picture of it!
Wednesday- Brinner: Waffles and sausage links
Thursday- Free Birthday burger at Red Robin (Yum!)
Friday- Chicken Parmesan over spaghetti with some raw veggies. Our family is more likely to eat a veggie if it is a simple plate of cut up veggies.. easy and quick in my book!
I love Aldi! You can save so much more shopping there instead of other places. I read online that some of the products they sell are actually the same name-brand products you would find in other stores, just under a different label. Unfortunately, we don't have any around us where we currently live. 🙁