What I Spent, What We Ate | about political ads
Hey, everyone!
A reader from Georgia emailed me yesterday to let me know that she's getting all political ads on my site right now.
So, I just wanted to take a sec and tell you that I don't choose which ads anyone sees. They're all chosen by the ad provider, and they target them based on things like your geographic location.
If you live in Georgia, you'll probably get a whole lot of political ads right now, whereas if you live in Oregon, not so much.
They're also sometimes based on your browser history, so if you've been browsing at Pottery Barn, you'll probably get some Pottery Barn ads.
ANYWAY. I'm not hand-picking ads; they're based on stuff outside of my control. I do not necessarily endorse every ad that runs on my site.
And probably once the run-off elections are done in Georgia, the political ads will stop for all you Georgians.
What I Spent
So, I went to Aldi early on Wednesday morning, thinking that it would be quiet there, as it is on most mornings at opening time.
BUT.
I forgot that Wednesday is the day that Aldi's special buys come out and my word, the shoppers were all lined up to pounce on those, particularly because of the holiday-themed items.
So, I am not going at opening time on Wednesdays anymore.
My string of low spending weeks came to an abrupt end because I spent $235 on groceries this week!
I remembered to scan all my receipts into Fetch, but as usual, I didn't earn many points because I buy so many off brands.
_________
Fetch is kinda like Ibotta; download it with the button below and use the code to get a bonus 2000 points.
(note: at the time of writing, 1,000 points = $1, so that's $2)
_________
November Spending
Week 1: $60
Week 2: $141
Week 3: $235
What We Ate
Saturday
Book club night for me (Tell Me More, by Kelly Corrigan), which meant it was a fend for yourself dinner night.
Sunday
Restaurants here got some fresh restrictions, so we decided to help out a local sushi restaurant by getting takeout from them; this was not frugal, but it was a conscious decision to help a local business.
Zoe is allergic to most sushi (due to her seafood allergy) and she doesn't like sushi anyway. So we got McDonalds for her. 😉
There is zero point in paying for sushi for someone who doesn't even like it!
Monday
I tried a recipe for epis chicken, a Haitian recipe.
The marinade was good, but I used some of that frozen chicken that comes in a bag at Aldi, and man, I just do not think that chicken is great. It seemed kind of watery.
I hear Costco's frozen chicken is good, though, so maybe I will try that. Thoughts?
Tuesday
I made these Korean beef lettuce wraps, which we ate with some frozen Costco wontons.
Wednesday
I was at my cousin's house in the afternoon helping her, so I needed something quick for dinner: grilled BLTs fit the bill.
I cook the bacon on my big griddle and then toast the bread in the leftover bacon grease. That makes for a great sandwich!
We had some fresh produce with our sandwiches.
Thursday
I made spicy pork tinga with rice, which we topped with green onions, cilantro, and sour cream. It's an America's Test Kitchen recipe, I think from a one-pot meal cookbook (I originally found it in a library cookbook).
Applesauce on the side.
On a related note, here's how I blend and store chipotle chilies so that I always have 'em at the ready.
Friday
I plan to make some pizzas.
Here's how to make great homemade pizza and here are five reasons your homemade pizza might be meh.
Last Saturday- absolutely no recollection at the moment
Last Sunday- my sister came over with her toddler and I made mini meatloaves in a muffin tin made with venison my parents had given us, which had been given to them by some Amish friends. We had roasted butternut squash and cut up veggies on the side.
Monday- pizzas made with Aldi naan bread which had been sitting in the freezing for a few months. My kids’ pizza was topped with mini pepperoni, and my husband and I had ours topped with bell peppers and onions. We ate cut up celery and peppers alongside.
Tuesday- I cooked an Aldi chicken (their Never Any! line) in the crockpot, and made gravy with the drippings. We also had mashed potatoes, and green beans which I had frozen as leftovers from a meal a friend brought us.
Wednesday- chicken and dumplings with the leftover chicken meat (used up the last of our bisquick for the dumplings). Steamed broccoli on the side.
Thursday- chicken tacos with the last of the leftover chicken. Used up the last of our one remaining tomato and a half-packet of leftover taco seasoning. Didn’t have any lettuce or guacamole so we did without it. Still yummy! Used plain yogurt instead of getting sour cream, because we always have plain yogurt in the fridge. Sliced cucumbers, bell peppers, and celery on the side. I always feel unoriginal serving raw veg as a side, but my kids prefer them that way!
Tonight- venison steaks (also given to us by my parents), mashed potatoes, gravy from the last of the chicken drippings, and cauliflower. Not sure if I’ll steam or roast the cauliflower. Or should I make cauliflower cheese for something different?
Saturday: we ordered our favourite Asian noodles - my silver lining during our lockdown „light“ as they normally don‘t deliver
Sunday: boeuf bourguignon with dumplings and red cabbage
Monday: leftovers and bread
Tuesday: store-bought tortellini with spinach sauce
Wednesday: shakshuka with flat bread
Thursday: leftovers from a pork roast from our freezer with potatoes and red cabbage
Friday: we are going to order pizza
Saturday: Pork roast, roasted potatoes, green salad with ranch dressing
Sunday: Pizza, just one, and I didn't have any asadero cheese, so I used a mixtures of chddars and Parmesan. Also, Rocky mountain oysters, which are lamb testicles. We butchered our ram last week, sot hat's where they came from. He just fried them plain this time, and although the boys ate the piece I gave them, they didn't want any more. My daughter was not a fan. So everyone rounded out their meals with yogurt and maple syrup.
Monday: Breakfast sausage patties, frozen chicken patties, baked beans from a can, rice, tomato salad. Tomato salad made from the tomatoes I picked green before the freeze over a month ago will definitely turn red slowly, but they also definitely do not have the flavor of a truly plant ripened tomato. Alas for real tomatoes. See you in July.
Tuesday: Lamb--the backstrap, otherwise known as a tenderloin, from the ram--marinated in red wine, olive oil, garlic powder and salt, then seared, sliced, and returned to the pan with more wine and the very last cube of garlic scape pesto from the freezer. I really need to make more of that this year. It was so good with meats. I also made garlic bread and frozen peas.
Wednesday: Another piece of the marinated backstrap I hadn't cooked the day before, plus some leftover sausage, leftover rice, and more peas
Thursday: I made pasta with roasted tomato sauce and asadero cheese for my kids, and they also had salad. I added a bunch of stuff to my salad to make it a meal, and my husband ate the leftover lamb with some of the sauce and cheese, plus a potato I nuked for him. This salad was the first in many months made from store-bought lettuce. I do have some lettuce out in the garden, but it's fall-planted and not big enough to harvest yet.
Tonight: I have a bag of bull steaks in the freezer that I think I'm going to try slicing and pounding to see if that tenderizes them enough for frying. And I have a LOT of the pasta left. Lucky for the children I decided to cook the whole bag. 🙂 There's also some broccoli in the refrigerator, so I guess that's the vegetable.
On the Rocky Mountain oysters: I can’t help thinking of that scene from the movie Funny Farm... ever seen it??
BEST movie with SO many memorable gems--we're always saying "cue the deer" around here!
Lol! “ If I was going to Redbud I sure as h311 wouldn’t start from here.” Gets me every time!!
Yup. It was years ago, though, before I moved to the country. I probably should watch it again. Bet I'd have a different perspective now. 🙂
Saturday- This feels like a lifetime ago.. I have no recollection!
Sunday- One kid worked all day, one was at a birthday supper for a friend.. a HUGE storm came through and I was not in the mood to cook so on the choice of remaining child we ordered a pizza special with some chicken, jojo's and a dozen hot wings.
Monday-sausage and potato soup and used a loaf of frozen bread dough to make a fresh loaf of bread.
Tuesday-cheeseburger crescent ring, frozen peas, a bag of parmesan pasta
Wednesday- used meatballs and sauce from the freezer to make a pasta bake with shredded italian cheese blend. made a loaf of no knead bread and cooked a few slices of garlic bread I found in the freezer ( leftover bread makes them eat leftover food for lunch the next day!)
Thursday- FFYS- I was not feeling up to planning or preparing anything.. so there was some oatmeal, an egg sandwich, frozen chinese dumplings and coconut shrimp that were eaten..
Tonight- weather looks good so planning to grill burgers and hot dogs for supper and tomorrows self serve lunch!
Just trying to organize the freezers and use up random things we have floating in them!
Jo-Jo's- are so good! The name is definitely a region thing. Hello from Ohio!
I had to do some googling when I saw that this morning! I had never heard of those before.
Yes! We are in Ohio and we love jojos! Although honestly I had never heard of them before a couple years ago, when we started ordering them from our new favourite pizza place, which happens to have them as a menu item.
"frozen chicken that comes in a bag at Aldi, and man, I just do not think that chicken is great. It seemed kind of watery"
I have the impression that all pre-frozen chicken is that way. It's a commodity item which, as I understand it, is known to be used overwhelmingly by highly cost-conscious buyers, which leads the producers to cut a lot of corners to keep the product cheap.
My preference is to buy fresh chicken and freeze it myself. My mail store now sells mass-market organic chicken parts, wrapped in trays and well sealed. All I have to do is put that in the freezer.
I do the same thing. Used to buy frozen chicken breasts, and then realized I was paying a premium for the “convenience.” Now I buy fresh, throw in freezer, and bake straight from frozen.
Not the greatest week, but we all where fed.
Saturday- DD had a soccer tourney, on the way back we hit up cracker barrel for a early dinner,
Sunday- dd soccer tourney then to mom/dads, pork roast, mashed, carrots, red cabbage. cookie bars. I gave the pork roast.
Monday- after work After grocery shopping, we ordered Chinese.
Tuesday- oh it was kind of a fend for your self. me and DD had pork roll sandwiches...
Wednesday- chicken parm, pasta (cutlets where from the freezer)
thursday- DS state semi final soccer game for school, we picked up a pizza.(game was to start at 5, didn't start til after 6)
Friday- its suppose to be 60 today, so think hot dogs on the grill. and not sure on side yet.
I think all of the bagged chickens contain water. I like to use them for shredded chicken in recipes but if I’m grilling a chicken breast, fresh works better.
I buy the fresh chicken at Costco that is sealed into separate vacuum sealed packages. The separate packs contain about 4 chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs (they have bone in packs too but I buy them less) and their are 6 packs to one package. I freeze those, and it is easy to pull them out for defrosting because they are sealed up so well that nothing leaks. The prices are good compared to my local national grocery chains (Albertsons/Jewel and Kroger/Marianos). I also like that the chicken breasts are not the 2 lbs huge breasts that I find in the grocery store frequently. They are more normal serving sizes.
I rarely notice the ads I get and I don't remember ever getting an online political ad, though maybe I just never noticed. I did make an effort to look at the ones on here today and Google clearly hasn't figured me out. I had a series of Starbucks ads (never been there, don't drink coffee) and two for Marathon gas. The closest Marathon station is probably 300 miles from here (if I remember correctly from my last road trip, she says wistfully.)
I spent quite a bit this week - I don't have an exact total but I believe I am somewhere in the neighborhood of $240. I stocked up on a lot of holiday sale items & we are preparing to provide groceries for a local family in need. We are well stocked for both holiday meals so I hope that the expense will average out over the next several weeks.
Saturday - I put a pork shoulder in the crockpot Friday and I pulled the meat, added BBQ sauce and we had pulled pork sandwiches and homemade baked beans.
Sunday - we ate leftover BBQ, plus some fruit & of course the baked beans.
Monday - I took the remaining pulled pork and warmed it in the oven with homemade peach salsa that I canned fresh this past summer. I made quesadillas with the meat, onions, cilantro, and cheese. Everyone was happy.
Tuesday - I had errands to run so dinner was a cheeseburger on the go.
Wednesday - beef stroganoff over egg noodles, corn, mustard greens from the garden, and homemade cheese biscuits.
Thursday - leftovers.
Friday - we will finish the leftovers tonight. Normally I would add something to go along with it but I am trying to keep the fridge clean and pretty empty in preparation for the upcoming holiday.
I've tried Fetch and didn't work for me as I also buy off brands. I downloaded Receipt Pal app. I get rewarded for all qualifying receipts as long as there's a store name & address etc, Just my opinion
Saturday - chicken enchiladas, brown rice, Southwestern potato/corn chowder
Sunday - take-out from Five Guys
Monday - Green chili chicken bowls, clementines
Tuesday - Fried cabbage and bacon, rice leftovers, clementines, naan
Wednesday - More fried cabbage and bacon, etc.
Thursday - Ravioli, roasted carrots and parsnips
Friday - Chicken cacciatore
Monday: Wife made spaghetti and meat sauce for her and the daughter. I don't eat pasta so I had a salad and some chicken that was left in the fridge.
Tuesday: Wife and kid were out late due to some family stuff going on. I ate some eggs and toast.
Wednesday: Pork chops, Rice Pilaf
Thursday: Wife and kid were again out late due to another appointment. They grabbed something via drive thru. I had tomato soup and some rye toast.
Friday: Steak, small potatoes (from the garden) and some sort of vegetables.
I spent extra this week because cases are so bad here that I actually broke down and used Instacart delivery. Boy do you give up some control with that! Still, we have plenty of food, it's (mostly) what was on the list, and there will be Thanksgiving. I kept better track of what we ate this week:
Saturday - Buttercup squash and Parmesan bisque with warm chicken, mushroom, and swiss sandwiches, and roasted broccoli
Sunday - grilled salmon, roasted potatoes, salad
Monday - pizza and salad
Tuesday - chicken tenders, baked potatoes, salad
Wednesday - fish tacos
Thursday - eggrolls and stirfry with leftover brown rice and quinoa, the last of some slaw mix, shrimp, and some frozen broccoli
Friday - a friend in our bubble will be here for the evening and it's his birthday...so I'm putting some chicken in the crockpot that we'll use either for bbq sandwiches or Mexican. Also making a cobbler with a bag of blackberries and a bag of peaches that I found hidden in the freezer.
Sat - enchilada quinoa bake
Sun- roasted red bell pepper and tomato soup with grilled cheese made from French bread
Mon - spaghetti with garlic bread (using the rest of the French bread from Sunday) and broccoli
Tues - leftovers
Wed - pancakes with a side of yogurt and oranges
Thurs - pizza delivery from iFratelli
Fri - plan to make macaroni and cheese with Greek salad
I usually buy chickens from a farm, but I get some from the store that are air chilled and seem to be nice and "dry" when I open the package. Now, what brand is that? I have no idea.
Grocery shopping hit the Not Too Expensive But Not Inexpensive Either mark. I was hoping to spend less, but it sure is hard these days.
What we ate:
Shrimp from the freezer, with a salad.
Cassava pasta (just hit our shelves!) with meat and spaghetti sauce from the freezer for him, pesto, garlic and onion for me, with cucumber slices on the side.
Roasted baby turnips and sautéed turnip greens, roasted beets and pork roast with gravy made from the pan drippings.
Fish that was given to us, rolled in cassava flour and seasoning and fried in a skillet, potato salad, and cabbage slaw.
The rest of the shrimp with leftover potato salad and slaw.
Pork roast leftovers, roasted acorn squash, more roasted beets
Easy button night last night-- tuna salad made with carrot, onion, celery and raisins, and cut up cucumbers with homemade ranch dip. I got home a little late, and I needed to make the cranberry sauce for our Saturday Thanksgiving meal, too.
Tonight will be something very easy, because tonight is for making the pumpkin pie, after working 7 hours then grocery shopping then driving 55 miles home.
Highly recommend the costco chicken. I use it exclusively. And one pack has two HUGE breasts so its enough for my family of 4 (normally with leftovers) depending on what I make with it.
Love the orange tabbies! WWS: $38 Aldi (guess how much more butter!); $120 Market Basket (included 2 whole ducks); $16 fish monger. WWA:
Saturday: chicken braised with acorn squash and mustard greens (we used kale) [epicurious]; rice
Sunday: caraway salmon with rye berry (we used barley) and beet salad with dill-horseradish yogurt [food and wine]
Monday: toad in a hole (English style) with onion gravy [Marco Pierre White]; mashed cauliflower; salad
Tuesday: haluski
Wednesday: baked macaroni and cheese; green salad
Thursday: old school turkey tacos; sautéed zucchini
Friday: Greek buddha bowls with grilled shrimp, roasted chickpeas with sumac, marinated tomatoes-feta-pepper salad
Saturday: Mac&Cheese. Delivered some to my sister-in-law.
Sunday: Beef bourginon that I made Saturday
Monday: Leftover beef bourginon and potatoes
Tuesday: Burgers, leftover baked beans, and oven fries.
Wednesday: Dinner was delivered by the town police department. They put on an annual free Thanksgiving for seniors but 2020 is different. This year instead of them cooking the whole dinner, the college in town did the cooking and the department delivered the dinners.
Thursday: My daughter cooked the London broil from our harvest basket and I cooked some chicken, potatoes, mixed vegetables and homemade cranberry sauce. (My 6-year-old grandson likes canned.)
We will be doing our shopping today.
As to ads. I even see ads for items that we may have discussed over dinner. Pinterest pops up things we have "talked about" in the house. We don't have Alexa, etc. but we do have cell phones, computers, and TV.
Yes! the phones are listening -- it is a little creepy!
My doctor told me the same thing. After he and his family talk about something, suddenly the ads appear on his phone. Very unsettling!
This past Wednesday morning at Aldi was indeed bonkers. I thankfully was only there for groceries and was able to keep to the perimeter and get to the check out before everyone else!
As soon as we realized the Georgia Senate races were going to be decided by a special election, I felt sorry for all the Georgia residents. A long election season got longer and crazier.
I know! For most of us, the ads are over, and the signs are coming down. But poor Georgia has to hang in there for a little while longer.
Sunday: Refrigerator cleanup (air fried brussel sprouts, flat bread, fruit, rice, chana masala)
Monday: Salmon and rice, fruits on the side for kids, Beyond burgers over greens for parents
Tuesday: Taquitos, roasted broccoli and blistered shishito peppers
Wednesday: Cauliflower rice risotto and more peppers for parents, buttered noodles and fruit for the kids
Thursday: Tofu fried rice + pomegranate from my parents' yard
Friday: Probably naan pizzas
Saturday: I want to use up some pantry items so probably something with lentils and quinoa.
I feel like we're spending a lot on groceries these days. We've become somewhat price insensitive since we've been using instacart since March. Long term it's not so good but I'm still pretty confident we're spending less on food than we did pre-COVID since we're not eating out and stopping by places for treats and iced teas.
That is a very fair point. It takes a LOT of grocery spending to compete with takeout/restaurant spending!
I buy the package of cooked , deskinned ,rotisserie chicken breasts from Costco ($12.95) . cut it up into portions and then freeze!
I do not like the Costco frozen chicken. Has no flavor, a little on the rubbery side and they do not have thin cut cutlets. And a lot more fat and veins than other chicken. I bought Tyson frozen thin cut cutlets from Walmart, so we shall see how those go. Maybe I'm just picky, but I do not like Costco chicken. My husband seems to like the boneless thighs, but I am not a dark meat person.
I am marinating some of those Tyson frozen chicken cutlets as we will grill them tonight with veggies and yellow rice.
This was my first turkey-filled week. I thought my $4.11 turkey would give us 4 meals worth of meat, but we have enough left for meal #5! So I will probably be changing my menu plan for tomorrow to use up the rest of the turkey. What a wonderful problem to have. 🙂
Monday: Turkey, peas, mashed potatoes and gravy
Tuesday: Turkey fajitas, grapes
Wednesday: Turkey broccoli alfredo
Thursday: A turkey/mixed vegetable/egg noodle dish made up on the fly. I originally planned for turkey and dumplings, but didn't put the work in to find a recipe I liked and it's not a dish I've made more than once or twice. Maybe I'll try it on the next turkey.
Friday: Taking a quick break from turkey to have brats, hot dogs, pasta salad, and pineapple
I usually like the Kirkland chicken frozen. For some reason right now, all I have been able to see in stock is individually wrapped in plastic portions. I really don't like them with all the plastic inside other plastic! Also, Tyson is cheaper right now at our Costco. They are huge, but I get 2 or 3 servings out of each breast.
Ugh, yes, I hate when they package fish like that. Like, seriously, is one layer of plastic not enough??
When I look at your site today I get ads for Norwegian cell phone providers and children's clothes. I live in Norway. 🙂 I freely admit that I was browsing children's clothes online earlier today so there's the connection.
On the subject of ads...
I am located in Europe, and thanks to the GDPR law, I get to know EXACTLY which companies advertise via The Frugal Girl. By law, I also have the right to opt out! It’s pretty awesome.
Every website I go to (again, by law) gives me the option of opting out. Unfortunately, The Frugal Girl Not only doesn’t give me an option to “Deny All” (I have to opt out of each individual ad provider), it makes me do that every. single. time.
Interestingly, I find myself spacing out my visits to the site so that I don’t have the tedious chore of opting out through a long list of providers every day. Talk about perverse incentives...
Oh, interesting! Hmm. I wonder why it doesn't save your preferences.
I can see why it won't save preferences, because you are telling the cookies not to remember you. But you shouldn't have to do it for each ad company that one website uses as that doesn't comply with the GDPR (European Data Protection Law). They also shouldn't be pre-ticked for you giving your consent to cookies.
What you will often have is one row of tick boxes for different types of cookies labelled consent, and one row labelled legitimate interests. For reasons you absolutely won't be interested in a website can pre tick the legitimate interest boxes but legally should not pre-tick the consent ones.
What is both annoying and hilarious is that the whole Pottery Barn family of companies refuses to allow Europeans to access the websites. There's literally one page that says sorry Europe, we can't be bothered to comply with your law. It's hilarious because the statement says that they can't keep up with the "fast pace" of European law. But the law they're referring to, GDPR, became law in 2016 and was implemented in 2018. It's like, seriously, nobody in your whole company can figure out something in 4 years?!
I shall get off my soap box now
I liked the kitty pictures
I have bought frozen chicken breasts at VONs and they are okay in a pinch but not as good as the ones I buy and freeze myself. And the ads don't bug me 🙂
Saturday -- Big Salad with Rotisserie chicken ($4.99 at VON)
Sunday - Homemade multi-bean soup with chicken sausage
Monday - Big Everything salad with last of rotisserie chicken
Tuesday - Bean soup redux
Wednesday -- Big salad and, yup, bean soup.
Thursday -- Big salad and canned salmon -- we each had our own little can -- B made his into a sandwich and I ate it classily out of the can. Kind of like a cat.
Tonight -- cheap treat night! Happy weekend@
Your pizza always looks so delicious!
I may be outvoted here, but we do not like Costco chicken. I have found it to be of uneven quality and not flavorful. It's very slimy coming out of the package and there is frequent bruising on the meat, which is sad. I have instead been buying chicken at our local butcher shop lately and find that the quality and freshness of the meat is SO much better. Our whole family notices the difference and it is not much more expensive. I also like buying local, especially in these difficult times.
It is the start of holiday and birthday season in our house. We usually let the birthday person pick what they want for dinner, so I am starting to look for a few special items at the store and buying now vs later because who knows if we will be venturing out to a store in two weeks.
Monday: Maybe pork chops? I can't remember.
Tuesday: Brinner- biscuits and gravy
Wednesday: Kielbasa and homemade spätzle. Spätzle is so easy to make, you just need a block of time to do it.
Thursday: Mexican- our weekly commitment to supporting a local restaurant
Friday: Pizza - Hubby is making a special request for chicken cordon blue pizza.
I need to start writing down what we had each day because the days blend together working from home.
I try to make most week's meals on the weekend so it's not a stress issue during the week. It is just my husband and I now so I have to learn to down size on how much I make.
I made a Crockpot Venison BBQ Pulled Roast. We have been eating that for a couple of days.
Chicken Parmesan (soooo goooood) I make my own marinara/spaghetti sauce with crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and spices all from Aldi. I used that to fry (using GF flour) some boneless skinless chicken thighs in a bag from Aldi. Kristen, they can be watery but I usually take them out and drain them on a jelly roll pan lined in paper towel to help with that.
I had to use up some vegetables so I made a big salad earlier in the week to eat for snack/lunch during the week.
As a side dish we have been using up canned green beans that I made homemade garlic butter (Aldi again) and my homemade apple sauce.
I have been trying to clear out my freezer so with next week's feast coming up, we will be eating freezer meals. Some will be Mystery Meals as Mr. Ray frequently doesn't label the bags. Goodtimes!
Kate, that is cool about your ads! Busy week.
Monday- homemade pea soup, biscuits
Tuesday- pork chops, vegetables
Wednesday- sandwiches
Thursday- potatoes,roasted and chicken thighs,sheet pan meal. We made a large pan of Mac and cheese for daughter-in-law to take home.
Friday- left overs, your choice
Shopping about $30, picking up a few things for Thanksgiving. Plus milk,bread,and ice cream. We had to buy chicken as we where all out. That is good freezer news.
Fetch has worked well for me and I'm so happy you mentioned it last year. I've made $60 in gift cards for a few minutes of work in each week, or about a buck a week. This mostly goes to pay for my e-books, since I buy only when really good things show up as a BookBub or Kindle deal in the $2.99 and under range.
This week I made a large and very yummy meatloaf using a pound of mild Italian ground sausage purchased on sale with a store coupon and a pound of ground beef. I'd been saving bread heels in the freezer for the two cups of crumbs called for in my favorite 1959 Farm Journal cookbook recipe. We had several nice dinners with it as the entree and a couple of sandwiches of thinly sliced meatloaf with spicy brown mustard. I used up some surplus and aging apples to make a nice apple crisp.
I love meatloaf sandwiches! Alas, no one here likes meatloaf so I haven't had a meatloaf sandwich in ages.
Have you tried making the turkey meatloaf with Stovetop stuffing? I think its a SparkPeople recipe - ground turkey, box of stovetop stuffing, an egg and some water. My family claims not to like meatloaf but there are rarely any leftovers for sandwiches the next day.
It's funny that they love meatballs but not meatloaf, which is just a giant meatball. 🙂 A well-made meatloaf is such a delicious thing.
An "eat the eggs" week.
Saturday: French toast made with homemade challah. Fruit.
Sunday: Sausage and mushroom and cheese strata, so more eggs down the hatch. Salad and fruit.
Monday: Sourdough pancakes, using extra eggs in it to make them fluffier. Tomato salad and fruit.
Tuesday: egg drop soup with spinach in it. Fruit but this time in the form of apple pie.
Wednesday: perogies, no eggs to be seen. Salad and fruit
Thursday: tacos, no eggs thank heavens. Fruit.
Tonight: 15 below and rising Covid rates so no Filet 'o Fish today. Poached salmon with mango salsa, hassleback (sp?) potatoes, spinach salad with warm bacon/mustard dressing. Remains of the apple pie. (Someone has been eating it for breakfast!)
Apple pie totally works for breakfast!
1. My neighbor lady and I go thrifting. Lately we like taco bell. 2. Found a place that repairs lamps. 3. Found a place that repairs old clocks...vintage radios and phonograph machines...record players. 4. Taking cabbage cassarole to Turkey day 5. Bought a chinese brush painting original well framed for six dollars
I love these posts plus the comments. I get good meal planning ideas!
Saturday: cannot remember
Sunday: large pot lentil soup
Mon: leftover soup
Tues: hubby working evenings so he made a sandwich to take and I ate soup
Wednesday: ditto
Thursday: creamy pork chops, roast potatoes and a green bean salad to use up leftover green beans, cherry tomatoes and a lemon for the dressing
Friday: date night takeout, we got buffalo chicken salads
Creamy pork chips, please share
Tonight: kielbasa and steamed broccoli
Thursday: rice, baked marinated chicken and peas
Wednesday: takeout Indian food
Tuesday: leftovers of all sorts
Monday: I can't remember. I always forget at least one day.
Sunday: birthday sushi and homemade chocolate cake
Saturday: jambalaya at a friend's house...she's a greatcook!
When I was in college I always bought the Costco frozen chicken. I haven’t tried it in years. I’m sure it is still good.
Sunday: Beef and Broccoli with Brown rice
Monday: Halibut fish Florentine over a bed of spinach
Tuesday: Greek chicken tacos
Wednesday: Turkey meatball soup
Thursday: take-out from boudin
Friday: pork stroganoff (from cook’s country— very good)
Saturday: leftovers...
Roasted whole chicken Tuesday. Had slices of breast with baked potatoes and green salad. Lunch Wednesday , chicken noodle soup with broth from chicken. Chicken pot pie for dinner Wednesday, lunch( sliced apples) and dinner Thursday. Peaches on Wednesday, green salad on Thursday. Chicken salad sandwiches for lunch on Thursday and Friday. Tonight will be Cajun chicken pasta. 8 meals for 2 out of one chicken that cost $5.59. It was .79 a pound.
That is impressive! My partner and I clearly need better portion control.
Funny. I see ads for my area's lottery and for Beautycounter (which I love). I am obviously getting a better deal!!
Because I don't eat that much chicken( maybe 2-3 times a month), I only buy organic. Frozen chicken breasts are pumped fill of water/salt.