WIS, WWA | Why I share this instead of a menu plan
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If you're new here, each week I share my grocery totals and also what we ate in the past week.
I do this instead of sharing a menu plan because sharing what we already ate is more real than sharing what we aspire to eat! 😉
And real-ness serves people better, I think.
Real shows what can be done; a show of perfection just discourages people.
What I Spent
I spent $139 at the grocery store this week, and it was my off week for Hungry Harvest. So, that helps balance out last week a little.
July Spending
Week 3: $139
What We Ate
Saturday
I had book club (we read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi).
Joshua came over to watch a movie with Mr. FG and the girls, and they ordered pizza.
Sunday
I made chicken burrito bowls, while Mr. FG made a strawberry rhubarb pie, using the pie cookbook we got him for Father's Day.
And I have to say, even though I generally do not prefer pie, this one was really good! The crust called for a mix of butter and shortening, and I think that made the crust tastier.
(The cookbook we got him is called The Art of the Pie.)
Monday
Mr. FG had the day off (his alternate for the 4th of July), so we spent the day on a biking adventure with Sonia and Zoe.
It was pretty late when we got back, so we ate leftover burrito bowls and leftover pizza.
Tuesday
I made a 3 Cup Chicken stir fry recipe from Cook's Illustrated, plus some fresh fruit (apples and cherries) and frozen potstickers.
Wednesday
It was a heat advisory day here (111°F heat index), so we had chicken salad croissants and watermelon.
Nice and cool for a sweltering day!
Thursday
I made a taco salad with cilantro lime dressing and homemade tortilla strips (which, to be honest, are the main reason my family likes this salad.)
Friday
Mr. FG and I are having a date night but I have NO idea where we are eating. Hopefully somewhere cool because my goodness, it's hot outside.
I pretty much stick to the menu I publish on my blog - it helps keep me straight since I work M-F. Plus, no ugly surprises when I come home tired and hot... This week we ate:
Monday - Bone-in Chicken Thighs with cabbage and carrots
Tuesday - Tuna Salad Un-wiches, cantaloupe
Wednesday - Sausage and Ranch Tater Tot Casserole*, kale salad
Thursday - Root Beer Meatballs (going to do this on stovetop), mashed reds, zucchini
Friday - We are having Buttermilk Chicken Salads (with chicken I cooked in the crockpot)
Saturday - YOYO
Sunday - Calamity Anne's Meatloaf*, (freezer) mac and cheese, green beans
*I'm using the oven a couple of times, breaking my own rule!
Oh my, the heat is going to be ferocious. Y'all stay cool as best you can, and same to everyone in its path.
I used the oven this week, too, but I baked two things at once, so not quite so bad.
Let's see, we had a half-sized meatloaf with English peas and cut up raw veggies
We had home fried chicken tenders with roasted cut up carrots, sweet potatoes and turnips (I didn't like the turnips but my husband did). The meatloaf was cooked with the roasted veggies.
I made a squash, onion and pork casserole. Instead of crushed Ritz crackers on top, I crushed sweet potato chips. My husband never even realized the difference. We had this twice.
We had burgers and salad. I found a quickie gluten-free recipe online that makes one "English muffin" but I just split it and use it as a bun. It cooks in the microwave so I can make one anytime.
And we had cauliflower "rice" cooked with onions, garlic, and spinach in bone broth, topped with gluten-free boom-boom shrimp that I buy frozen at Whole Foods.
My spending on groceries so far this month is horrendous, and I really don't know how I did that. The shrimp is really my only splurge, but it's not uncommon for me to buy it, and my grocery bill usually stays normal when I do. I am going to be going over this thoroughly.
Aren't those stretch silicone covers great? I have one large, two medium and three small, and I could really use more.
We had our 4 year old granddaughter here, so for the majority of the week we defaulted to EZ - do 4 year olds ever get tired???
Sat: Hot dogs, mustard & dill potato salad (chips for granddaughter), watermelon.
Sun: Family party here, so we had chips and guac, then grilled steaks with homemade chimichurri sauce, baked sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus, and, yum, homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Mon: Beach camping, so we had burgers, chips, and watermelon. Plus s'mores of course, which went over BIG with our granddaughter.
Tue: Spaghetti with red sauce, cut fruit. Exhausted after two full days at the beach, so we went simple and quick.
Wed:On my own as grandpa was on a plane with our granddaughter returning her back home, so I had leftover cashew pork stir fry I'd made from earlier in the week.
Thur: Granddaughter gone , so we returned to 'normal' eating- Veggie burgers, roasted sweet potato fries, and salad.
Fri: Concert in the park night, so we're picking up a burrito to share from our favorite local fast casual Mexican food place.
Do four-year-old ever get tired? Not mine. Not my two-year-old, seven-year-old, or nine-year-old either. Anyone know at what age they DO start getting tired? Because I am (at almost forty 🙂
Saturday: pizza and salad
Sunday: ribs, Mac and cheese, more salad
Monday: Italian sausage, mushrooms, broccoli, and avocado
Wednesday: rotisserie chicken with misc. sides
Thursday: pizza, cucumbers, and bell peppers
Friday: I thawed shrimp, but don't have a plan yet. Possibly shrimp scampi with pasta, or a stirfry with veggie fried rice
I love these posts every week. I get new ideas from the post and the comments.
I agree, nice to hear what other people really eat!
On the road again, back home this time . . .
Saturday: Spaghetti with pesto. Middle son's birthday meal request.
Sunday: Pork chops on the beach, potato chunks, sauteed zucchini/garlic scapes/tomatoes, raw broccoli and sugar snap peas with homemade ranch dip
Monday: Tuna or ham sandwiches, because the motel room we stayed in on the first night of our road trip didn't have a microwave, and french fries at McDonald's, where we went to let the kids burn off some energy in the play area
Tuesday: Pork chops, cooked on the beach in New York, frozen, and transported in a cooler to be eaten in a hotel room in Pacific, Missouri.
Wednesday: Leftover pork chops, hot dogs, tortillas and cheese, mini cucumbers and carrots, marshmallows, all cooked (or at least heated) in a fire pit at a lakeside campsite somewhere in Kansas. It was so hot that day, but there was a really good breeze off that lake.
Thursday: Scrambled eggs, rice (easy-to-digest foods for the children whose digestions were rebelling against too much vacation food), and a green salad from my lettuce that survived us being gone for a month SUPER HOORAY! So deliriously happy to be home again.
Tonight: It's going to be almost a hundred degrees today, and I might forego the hamburgers I had planned on in favor of some breakfast sausage links that will cook quicker than the hamburgers. Probably more rice, because I have a lot leftover, and maybe some cooked carrots. Relatively digestible, and we have quite a few in the garden right now that are ready to harvest. YAY!
Last night we aspired to borscht (from the Help! My apartment has a dining room! book), but DC2 begged us for eggplant, which was not on this week's menu plan at all and thus not in our refrigerator. After some discussion, she convinced us to get Chinese takeout from the place near our house that has really good eggplant. How can a parent say no to an almost-7 year old earnestly begging for eggplant of all things? (We did make the borscht though, so will have it for dinner tonight.)
I'm delighted that you liked the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from Art of the Pie!
Aww, Mr. FG and Sonia are delighted that you left a comment! They plan to make many more pies from your book.
This post is definately my mind challenge for the week.
Monday-hamburger steaks that were supposed to be grilled but it was raining so they were made in the oven. These were topped with sautéed green bell peppers and served with cheesy baked potatoes on the side.
Tuesday- polish sausage links over cauliflower rice with GF Mac and cheese.
Wednesday- Salsa baked chicken over cauliflower rice with sweet potatoes on the side. We also had fresh blueberries for dessert.
Thursday-Asiago and garlic chicken thighs with wilted spinach and baked beans.
Friday- No idea yet. I'm cleaning out closets in preparation for school starting back so it could be a cereal night. Like Kristen, I am over the oppressive heat and cereal seems nice and cool.
My husband has missed dinner 4 out of 5 nights this week due to (mostly) work, so I've not put a lot of effort in.
Monday: Hot dogs, watermelon, and asparagus
Tuesday: I had a salad, one kid had chicken nuggets, one kid had plain spaghetti, the baby ate a combo of it all
Wednesday: Hubby was home! I made chicken and asparagus Alfredo.
Thursday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup. It was a homemade tomato soup that I pulled out of the freezer and none of the kids liked it. I think they filled up on grilled cheese and saltine crackers.
Friday: Thinking about tacos. I have meat cooked and in the freezer so it wouldn't be hard and the kids all like it.
I'm trying your ice cream cake recipe this weekend for my soon-to-be 3 year old's birthday. He doesn't like cake but loves ice cream. I'm excited to see how it turns out!
Kristen,
I love it that you change the menu at the last minute, eat leftovers or get a pizza. It makes you seem real. I too have bookclub and don't cook on nights when I am going out. In 3 weeks, my only child is moving 2,000 miles away to college. My husband and I started a list of all the food I would no longer have to buy since my teen will be gone: instant mac n'cheese, soda, Pringles, Chocolate Milk and the list goes on. Cooking for two starts in 3 weeks...this empty nest thing is getting real!
HA! My husband and I play this game called, "If you die, I will never have this food in my house again." (We have both had catastrophic illnesses and nearly lost each other, so our sense of humor can be a bit odd.) If I am left behind, no more bacon, catschup (I can't even spell it right!), cold cereals, or American cheese. If he is left behind, no more eggplant, avocado or guac, fish of any kind ever, any cheese not American. I think he is lying, though, as he detests any vegetable that is not a potato, so it would not just be eggplant that never darkened his door again!
Susan - Same situation here but my only child moved out this month to a rented house 26 miles away to start university there. Granted I have already changed my shopping habits ("Oh yeah, I don't need to buy that now) but I have the opportunity to still pick up food that she would like (vegetarian/vegan) as she works full-time a few miles from home so stops by often.
As she was moving out, it was a strange experience to go through the panty, freezer & fridge to make sure she would take items that we wouldn't use or were her favorites - like an industrial sized flavored coffee creamer, non-meat hotdogs/hamburgers, quinoa, vegetarian refried beans, her favorite cold cereal, dark chocolate kisses, vegan cheese, fruit/nut salad topping, etc. The down side is that I have been finishing items that she used to like but no longer does like pizza rolls. 🙂
Pizza rolls almost don't sound like a downside lol
Shannon - You're right, I'd forgotten how tasty pizza rolls are. I don't want to think about how many bags I purchased over the years. Unfortunately, these were from DD's pre-healthy eating transition period, so had a lot of ice & freezer burn. 🙁
Homegoing is one of the most powerful novels I’ve ever read. For months, I couldn’t stop telling people about it, and
the effects it had on me and my world view. SO glad your book club got to experience the novel!
Saturday - Tacos
Sunday - I remember I was going to make chicken but didn't. Can't remember what I had instead.
Monday/Tuesday - chicken, stuffing and artichokes.
Wednesday - chicken fingers and fries from the freezer, half an apple.
Thursday - I felt like a sub sandwich and remembered I had a coupon from a local sub shop for a free one for my birthday (which was last week). Delicious and frugal! Win. Win.
Tonight - whatever I can scrounge up. I did a poor job planning last week. Meal planning makes such a difference. Every time I skip it, I regret it.
Saturday: grilled swordfish with salsa verde, grilled corn & giant salad
Sunday: grilled lamb burgers in pita (epicurious.com), dolmas, tzatziki & giant salad
Monday: Asian-influenced succotash (we used edamame instead of lima beans and it has a light soy/lime/ginger/gochujang dressing, Trader Joe's gyoza, sliced cucumbers from the garden
Tuesday: Persian stewed eggplant, lentil-rice, tzatziki
Wednesday: out to dinner with colleague
Thursday: My students, colleague and I cooked a historic dinner:
Course 1: poached oysters, herb salad served on a slapjack, watercress buttermilk (recipes from 1661 & 1796)
Course 2: fresh pea soup with spinach & mint; garnished with veal forcemeat (recipes from 1747 & 1803)
Course 3: pike with lobster, mushrooms and truffles in a velouté sauce (recipe from 1893)
Course 4: hotdogs, turkey dog, duck dog (1939)
Friday: leftovers from Mom's fridge
Saturday: ice, perhaps?
Betta: I love that historically-influenced dinner you made. Must have been a place in history with a lot of seafood. New England, maybe? I bet it took a really long time to make it all, and I'm guessing you didn't start with, like, a haunch of veal that had to be broken down, or cook it all on a woodstove. Makes you appreciate the skill of cooks before there were modern conveniences.
I teach at a culinary college in the Hudson Valley (I teach history), but yes to starting with a haunch of veal, but not on a wood-fired stove. My grandmother, who passed around 2000, did cook on the wood stove until her last day.....
I want to take your class.
My neighbors here in New Mexico--all women over 80--still cook on woodburning stoves. It's pretty common here, because electricity didn't arrive until something like the 1960s in the villages, and who knows when out on the ranches.
What's the plastic-looking thing over the end of the watermelon in the first picture? It kind of looks like it stretches to cover whatever it is put on tightly. It looks like something I didn't know existed, but now that I do, I desperately need.
It's a silicone cover! I have a post all about it coming this week. 🙂
I am loving our winter right now. At the beginning of the week I took a quick stock take and wrote out 26 meals to cook over the next few weeks. I am trying to avoid food waste and want to save a little by using up what we have. This week we have had roast lamb and vegetables that made three meals and the bone was turned into broth and that was five serves, the there were chicken sausages with mashed potato, vegetables add tomato and onion gravy and finally we had some lovely steak with vegetables.
Sunday drove into town from vacation at suppertime so we stopped and got sandwiches at a local restaurant!
Monday- pulled a pack of frozen ribs out of the freezer and cooked in the crock pot all day.. I pulled all the meat off and we had it as sandwiches.. with fresh fruit and a pan of roasted broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
Tuesday- grilled chicken breasts, alfredo noodles and steamed broccoli
Weds-chicken and noodles with carrots....
Thursday- Salsa chicken from the crock-pot, brown rice and black beans
Friday- made a batch of buffalo chicken pasta at lunch and everyone ate when they wanted it!
So obviously I bought chicken at the store Monday... and I think we ate it all.. which was not my intention.. but it was the easiest meals this week!