What I Spent, What We Ate | Not very much!
What I Spent
I got a $25 Hungry Harvest, I spent $44 at a local grocery store, $12.35 on a tiny Aldi run, and $3.74 on a milk/bananas run.
So, I'm at $84.74. Yay me!
Our fridge is looking pretty empty, though. I hear that happens when you don't grocery shop much for a week.
May Spending
Week 1: $132
Week 2: $85
What We Ate
Saturday
This was dance recital night, so we had a fend-for-yourself kind of thing before we had to be there.
Sunday
We had bacon/cheese quesadillas after church, and then at dinnertime I put together a spread of snacky stuff.
Monday
We had chipotle chicken kebabs with cilantro dipping sauce, a green salad, and orange slices.
Tuesday
I made sausage and orzo, using peppers and kale as my veggies this time around.
Wednesday
I pressed the easy button and made lazy crepes along with some local sausage.
Thursday
We had Parmesan-crusted chicken, a green salad, and orange slices.
(an older photo, obviously, because that's not orange slices and a green salad!)
Friday
Guys, I'm almost embarrassed to say this, given that I just had a weekend away for my birthday, but I have an early Mother's Day 24 hour getaway booked, all by myself. Whee!
(using my brother's hotel discount, which makes it super affordable.)
Since my birthday and Mother's Day are so close together, it's a very Kristen-gets-spoiled time of year. 😉
Anyway, my husband and kids are on their own tonight.
What did you eat for dinner this week?
P.S. Sonia's sharing about some really fabulous (and very easy) flower cupcakes she decorated. So beautiful!
I am trying very hard not to be envious of your weekend away, since I just came off week two of solo parenting (at the beginning of baseball season for two of our boys, no less) and to be honest, the only thing I want for Mother's Day this year is a day off from all the mothering tasks. (Not a day off from BEING a mother, though. There's a difference.) But seriously, have such a good time! I hope there's room service involved.
Food this week . . .
Monday: Tuna patties, scrambled eggs, rice, curried cauliflower. This was the first day I started adding things back after three weeks of an elimination diet to try to help my nursing daughter's eczema, and eggs were the very first thing I added back. It was more exciting than I would have believed possible to eat eggs.
Tuesday: Roasted chicken drumsticks and thighs with various roasted vegetables (sweet potatoes, mushrooms, onions, carrots), leftover rice heated in the chicken juices
Wednesday: Curried chicken salad sandwiches, cucumbers with vinegar and salt, carrot sticks with homemade ranch dressing
Thursday: Ribeye steaks, rice cooked in chicken stock, peas, leftover curried cauliflower
Tonight: I have two neck roasts left from our half cow that I think I'm going to slow cook today, as this is the only day this week that's not going to be too hot for such a cooking method. I'll probably use the meat for tacos.
Happy Mother's Day to all, and to all a good night.
What did you learn to be the culprit with the diet elimination for eczema?
I'm still in the re-introduction stage of this, so it will be a couple of weeks before it's all done. I suspect, though, that it will end up being dairy. Not sure if just liquid milk, though, or cheese and all else dairy. More experimentation, I guess.
It's also possible it wasn't anything diet related, as I also started her on a new kind of emollient (a Canadian one called Glaxal Base) and started using prescription-strength cortisone cream. But she was improving before those two things, so I still think there was some food triggering it. We shall see.
We had to stop using all lotions when my kids were younger because the alcohol in them set my kids on fire. I started using a mixture of warm water with oatmeal added to it then some olive oil drizzled in and that seemed to work better than anything.
Enjoy you weekend away!
We have had a crazy week.... Next week looking no better! (soccer tryout, and dh is on the soccer board, so he has to be there!)
Saturday- We were at a cousins Communion, so it was lupper (lunch/dinner) Buffet. Good food, not so great was the 2hrs there and 2 1/2 hours home! I hate driving in NYC, to get to LI!)
sunday-moms/dad she had a ziti in the freezer, so out it came! meatball/sausage! I brought brownies
Monday- Me and DS had homemade Belgium waffles-dd-stopped after soccer practice with BIL and had Wendy's. Dh had a pork roll and cheese when he got home.
Tuesday- Me and DD had breakfast sausage and Pancakes, Dh/Ds stopped for Wendy's after soccer practice and dh at tryouts. (pre cooked the filling for chicken pot pie for tomorrow)
Wednesday- chicken pot pie/ salad, ds has fried mac and cheese, daughter has pastina.
Thursday- dd/ds had grilled cheese/pizza bits, dh and I had chicken cordon blue, mashed, corn, after he got home from running tryouts.
ahhh Friday! DD has a soccer game, so we will grab something afterwards.
See crazy week! and they happen sometimes!! We all managed, bellies are full!
The kebabs look amazing! I'm glad you had fun on your birthday. That's what family is for 😉
I told hubby I don't need anything for Mothers Day, and I mean it. I think I'm over presents and just want to save money for more important things instead.
When I am asked what I want for a holiday, like birthdays and so on, I say I want X umber of hours of labor. Free for the giver and perfect for me---usually my husband is the one asking and he is wonderful at doing chores already, but his priorities and mine are not always the same. Like, he doesn't care if the hinges on the front door are rusting and I am not strong enough to wrestle down the door to properly clean off the hinges. I know it is cosmetic, but it irks me...I keep a running list of minor aggravations that need to be fixed and then trot out the list when he wants to give me a gift. It is frugal and we are both happy! It works for other people, too. My nephew asked what I wanted for my birthday and I told him to have our huge compost pile turned twice during the summer. Free for him and I was in heaven not having to tackle that heavy chore myself. When my grandmother was alive and asked, I asked this retired tailor to alter some outfits for me. No matter who asks, I can always find something for them to do as a gift!! And I have done the same for others, although from my end it is usually baked goods or home made perogies that are requested.
You deserve time away, so don't have too much mom guilt. I think that's what is great about having older kids, they more easily understand that it's good for you to have a little time to yourself. When you get back it will feel extra good when you walk in the door.
Monday- a healthier pizza casserole(recipe somewhere on blog)and a salad
Tuesday- spicy chipotle mustard baked chicken with rice and roasted carrots
Wednesday-crockpot spaghetti, I posted the recipe today if anyone is interested..though it's pretty self-explanatory, lol!
Thursday- Hmmm, kind of a mish mosh of stuff. Polska Keibasa sliced and baked for some...homemade beanie weenies for others....and I made a grilled cheese for somebody...I think everyone snacked on orange slices, too. It was just one of those nights that no one ate at the same time. I never did even get around to eating at all! I stayed busy catching up on housework and next thing I knew..it was bedtime.
Today won't be much better since I am having a yardsale tomorrow, two birthdays to celebrate which means baking two cakes, plus Mother's Day so I have to pick up something for my Mom, a baby shower(got to pick that gift up also), planting flowers with the kids, and then church. Even though it's going to be busy, I going to try to take things in stride and make it enjoyable. Happy Mother's Day to all!
What a great couple of weeks you are having - a good "shot in the arm" for the beginning of summer! I am rushing around trying to figure out what to do for my mother this Mother's Day, but here's what the menus were:
Monday - Marmalade Chicken Salad, Texas Toast, chips
Tuesday - Crockpot Pork and Peppers, rice
Wednesday - Pizza or leftovers
Thursday - (freezer) Lasagna, sauteed squash
Friday - Chicken and Broccoli, Sweet Potato Casserole
Saturday - YOYO
Sunday - Sloppy Joes, tater tots, chopped salad
The Marmalade Chicken was from Pattie at Olla Podrida. One of those recipes I will make often as it was easy to put together and so good! Here is the Pork and Peppers recipe in case you ever decide to bust out a crockpot! (:
http://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/2018/05/pork-and-peppers-crockpot.html
Saturday - All our activities were done mid-afterenoon so we had hamburgers, baked beans, chips, strawberries, and s'mores to try out the new grill. DH really wants to BBQ, but that's an all day affair and we don't have all day during baseball/soccer season.
Sunday - It was a relatively relaxed day as I didn't have to go anywhere. DH took Kid A to three baseball games. We had chicken and garlic with fresh herbs, wild rice with mushrooms, and green beans together.
People were in constant motion during dinner weekdays.
Monday - I had all six kids to move around. First we dropped Kid B at soccer practice. Then we took Kid D to his baseball game where there thankfully was a playground since we were there about an hour. At 7 we left the baseball game (in progress) to pick up Kid B and drop off Kid A. I went home to make chicken nuggets and green beans for Kids B-E. DH went directly from work to the baseball game. Brought Kid D home and then went to fetch Kid A from his soccer practice. The three of us had homemade pizza late.
Tuesday - I was out from 5-6 to move Kid A and a teammate from their MS baseball game to their LL baseball game. Quick dinner of scrambled eggs and bacon followed for the younger ones. Three of us had take-out Indian.
Wednesday - For the first time in two weeks we were done with weekday activities before dinner! We all ate together: pork tenderloin, pan fried potatoes, salad.
Thursday - Kid A had a late baseball practice. The younger set had a beef roast, rice, and green beans that we'll eat leftovers from for a while. Two had leftover Indian late. I had leftover pork tenderloin.
Friday - Today is another baseball game for Kid A. Pretty sure the younger set will have chicken nuggets with something and the older set will have homemade pizza.
Enjoy your weekend! This has been a long.... tiring week.. Husband traveling and lots of after school, evening events as we are getting out of school early this year....
M- the girl and I had her VB banquet so I left the boys to fend for themselves with the leftovers in the fridge...and play video games.. so they were just fine!
T- still had plenty of leftovers so I heated them up, added a little fresh fruit and we ate that before choir concert....
W- I picked up a pizza hut dinner box after music tryouts and we ate that before academic awards ceremony...
Th- I promised the kids dinner out on a groupon if they helped me after school.. lawn mowed and weeds trimmed... dinner was very unimpressive.. but I did not cook.. won't buy that again!
F- husband should be driving home now... I have already cooked ground beef in the fridge defrosting.. thinking taco night...simple and filling!
My mothers day Sunday will be spent honoring the birth of my 16 year old... SO I need to figure out his birthday dessert and I am all about his desire for a supper of pizza, chicken and roasted potato wedges!
Y'all, I'm not going to lie. My husband doesn't do or purchase anything for me for Mother's Day, because he says I'm not his mother. My kids do (once they were old enough, that is) celebrate Mother's Day with me. I quickly decided the same idea then applied for Father's Day, so I don't do or buy anything for him for that day, which he's fine with. However, our anniversary is this weekend, meaning it often falls around Mother's Day, and for that, at least, we buy or do a little something for each other. It is what it is. It will be 39 years this weekend -- obviously we've managed somehow.
This past week I was under $80 for groceries -- close to $76 or $77 if I remember correctly. I was happy about that, but now my cupboards are bare, so I see a big food bill coming up.
We ate:
Chicken tenders, cole slaw and parsnip/carrot fries
Bacon, corn on the cob, and something I've forgotten
AIP chicken salad and cole slaw. AIP chicken salad uses coconut cream as a base for a garlic "aioli" and has lots of celery, carrots and a little fresh ginger in the chicken salad. I add raisins or chopped apples.
Pressure-cooker roast beef with onions and mushrooms, with a side of green peas. I also tried some boiled new potatoes to see if I can reintroduce them on my diet. The new potatoes came from a sprouted potato out of my kitchen, that I buried in a big pot.
Tonight, we'll see. I always leave Friday open for something good I find on sale, like seafood or steak. If nothing fancy is on sale, it will be burgers or something like that. I can't have pizza yet.
Here is how sappy my husband and I are: no kids but we get Mother's and Father's day cards and treats from our two dogs...Not huge treats but perhaps a favorite candy bar or an expensive designer cupcake from a local bakery.
Aww, I totally see Zoe doing this when she's a grown-up.
Bless you this Mother's Day--May you totally enjoy your break!!
just curious. What kind of milk and bananas did you buy for $3.74? I pay 3.99 for a half gallon of store brand organic milk (and that's the sale price) from Ralph's (owned by Kroger). We don't have any Aldi's in LA. That price doesn't include any organic or nonorganic bananas.
Yay for a weekend away! I hope you get to relax a lot and return home refreshed. 🙂
Those kabobs look absolutely delicious!!
Meals around here this week:
Because I looked after the kids at a community kitchen they made extra meals for me to take home too! 5 big meals for my family and a tray of muffins for $25?! Yes, please!
This also made mealtimes a little more exciting around here:
Monday - turkey pot pie.
Tuesday - Cheeseburger pie! I added some zucchini and salad.
Wednesday - Taco salad!!!
Thursday - Leftover cheeseburger pie with broccoli and red peppers.
Spoil yourself!! 🙂
This week we ate:
Monday: McDonald's. Oh the shame! We picked up the car for a repair and it took 1.5 hours right after work. We were famished and just got takeout.
Tuesday: Chicken bacon ranch flatbreads. Mmm.
Wednesday: Out! It was our third wedding anniversary, so we treated ourselves to happy hour sushi.
Thursday: Fend for yourself night (we call it "DIY" night). Hubs had chicken wings and I made breakfast for dinner.
Friday: Tonight we're cooking posole, which is a type of stew. 🙂
I too have been going to macca's a bit lately - mainly for the bacon n egg mcmuffin for a late brekky run - I ask for it sans the cheese so it's not as rich & I can feel a bit better - but I still let them talk me into a hash brown the other day....
Enjoy your night away!
I spent a month living in another state with my 3 kids with someone I didn't know well. The trip involved one ER visit and two hospital stays. When I got back, my husband urged me to take a full 24 off somewhere away from the house. My first night away from kids, since...kids, but I only got 16 hours in and 1/2 of a lonestar pieced before I missed the chaos. It was such a great time, and much needed, as I'm looking at another 2 weeks solo parenting here shortly.
What we ate this week:
Sunday-Jamaican Jerk with mashed potatoes, steamed veggies and salad
Monday-"veggie pasta" (from Daniel Tiger, pasta served with veggies and marinara) and meatballs and salad and a hot pink princess Elsa carrot cake for my daughter's birthday dinner
Tuesday-leftovers
Wednesday-beef stroganoff with steamed vegetables and salad
Thursday-Quesadillas, guacamole, steamed vegetables and salad
Friday-pulled pork and sides with our friends; should be a blast!
Ooh, that sounds like a crazy month!
Happy Mother's Day to you. I am not a mother yet, unless you count being a Dog Mom 🙂
Sunday - I went to lunch with 2 ladies I used to work with, so I wasn't overly hungry for dinner. I had a handful of popcorn, string cheese, and 1 pop tart.
Monday - I had purchased a new dressing (Lemon Chia or something like that) on clearance so I used it as chicken marinade for the grill. We both had rice pilaf and my husband had broccoli and I had an onion/carrot mix.
Tuesday - My Blue Apron box arrived! I ended up getting a box after promotions for around $18-19 for 3 meals. This night we had foil packet chicken which was serviced with rice and broccoli.
Wednesday - Blue Apron again - sort of a Philly Cheesesteak type thing with roasted potatoes as a side.
Thursday - We had an event at a local brewery but we brought our own food. I had a coupon for a free entree at Noodles & Co so I got myself a salad and I got my husband a sub from Jersey Mike's with a $2 off coupon. Obviously we paired this with beer!
Friday - Tonight we have several options. Our 3rd wedding anniversary is on Wednesday so we were planning on picnicking tomorrow at the park where we got our wedding pics done. However, it is supposed to rain tomorrow! So we may flip flop it and celebrate tonight and be productive around the house tomorrow. If we stay in, I have our last Blue Apron meal to eat which is a chicken & pea pod stir fry.
That's a great deal for Blue Apron!
Remember that you can do lazy omelettes too 😉
Monday- Bourbon chicken, baked potatoes, and green beans
Tuesday- Lettuce salad with black olives, green peppers and grated cheddar cheese, chicken noodle soup
Wednesday- French toast and fruit
Thursday- Chicken salad sandwiches, applesauce and lettuce salad
Friday- Baked potato with grated cheese and black olives
Yeah, I have not planned meals for a couple of weeks now - mainly relied on frozen meals & takeaway & had a particularly lazy day yesterday that included an apricot danish & some steamed dim sims. I am packing to move at present & my days are chockablock so I've decided if it's hot & tasty I really don't care - I have to say though for future emergencies I have discovered a new brand of frozen meals that are truly delicious & even look like the packet picture including a chicken pad thai & last night a lentil/chickpea/vegie dahl thing that even came with a chapati & they were all on sale for $3.50 each which here is a bargain.