What I Spent, What We Ate | dance week!
What I Spent
I've been busy attending end-of-year dance stuff with Zoe...but I've also been grocery shopping and cooking. 😉
I spent $166 at the grocery store and $25 on my Hungry Harvest box.
So, I'm at $191 for the week.
May Spending
Week 1: $119
Week 2: $191
What We Ate
Saturday
I was at book club, Zoe was with a friend, Lisey was at work, and Mr. FG and Sonia had a sushi/used bookstore outing.
Sunday
Zoe had a dance rehearsal, so we had a late-ish breakfast for dinner meal of bacon, buttermilk pancakes, and OJ.
Monday
Dance rehearsal again for Zoe...before we left, I made some hot open-faced bacon, chicken, and cheese sandwiches. We had fresh fruit with those.
Tuesday
Not to shock you but...we had a dance rehearsal.
So earlier in the day, I made Thai mango chicken salad. That way it would be easy to eat at different times as we trickled in and out of the house.
We ate the chicken salad on croissants (French + Thai, I guess!) and we had fresh fruit on the side, plus cucumber slices.
Wednesday
No dance rehearsal! 😉 I made a garlic shrimp pasta dish with orecchiette (recipe from Cook's Country.)
I know that was only two days ago but I have no idea what we had on the side as far as produce goes.
Thursday
I meant to make a mojo grilled chicken dish but I forgot to thaw and marinate the chicken in the morning. Whoops.
So, I grilled some chicken breasts and made grilled chicken salads with avocados and other veggies. We also had buttered toast to use up the sourdough I'd bought for Monday's sandwiches.
Friday
Tonight is the first of Zoe's two dance recitals and I haven't quite figured out what we are doing for dinner, since she has to be there around dinnertime.
We might do an early dinner of pizza. Or grilled cheese sandwiches.
This week has flown and I can't remember our meals. Most have been quick and easy.I bee wmy grocery budget buy spending over $40 Aus. Went to Costco and topped up our meat supply anda animal food.
Look at Zoe! My goodness--she is adorably growing up. Is this the little girl who wore goggles to bake cookies with sprinkles? I am a long-time fan. Congratulations, Mom.
Haha, yes it is! "I don't want the sprinklies to get me in the eyes, Mommy." That's one of our favorite Zoe memories. 🙂
Wow! When did she grow up so much?! And I love her hair!
These kinds of weeks are the hardest to plan. I usually end up doing a couple of pots of soup and chili and hope for the best.
I don't really know what we ate this week but I wanted to comment on Zoe......... the photos are just amazing . She looks like she enjoys dancing so much, such fun for her and for you. Thanks for sharing the photos with us.
She really does enjoy it, and she's really good at it too (and her parents deserve no credit for this, as neither of us knows how to dance.) I love to watch her dance.
Monday Bunless cheeseburgers, rice, sauteed mushrooms and onion, green beans
Tuesday: Feliz Siete de Mayo! My avocados weren't ripe on Cinco de Mayo, so I waited to make our Mexican feast until they were ready. 🙂 I made Mexican brisket by dumping salsa verde and tomato salsa on the meat, pinto beans, and homemade corn tortillas. First time making homemade corn tortillas, and of course they were way better than the store-bought ones we eat so much of. I'm not going to be making them every time we eat corn tortillas--that would be a bit excessive--but for special occasions I can handle it.
Wednesday: School event catered by the local restaurant, which was flour tortillas with ground beef and pinto beans, plus a bunch of topping options, and both ice cream sandwiches and cake for dessert. My children were thrilled. So was I, because I didn't have to cook OR clean up. Score.
Thursday: Lamb, leftover rice, tacos for the kids with leftover brisket, and steamed carrots
Friday: It's snowing this morning and supposed to be wet and cold all day, so it seems like a good day for beef stew.
Lovely photos!
This week I cooked very simple meals, but we ate at home each night, so I count it as a success!
Sunday: Roasted chicken with carrots, potatoes and parsnips
Monday: chicken salad sandwiches (made from Sunday's leftover chicken), spinach salad
Tuesday: chicken nuggets, spinach salad
Wednesday: grilled cheeseburgers, roasted peppers peppers, oranges
Thursday: chicken salad sandwich, jarred peaches, pickles
Friday: Likely scrambled eggs and avocado toast.
Monday: Lemon chicken with asparagus and potato cubes
Tuesday: Lasagna with chopped salad
Wednesday: Leftover lasagna with stir-fried spinach
Thursday: Pizza night! Mushroom and pepperoni with the remaining spinach on the side.
Friday: Tonight it's chicken in orange sauce probably with noodles and carrots and cucumbers on the side
This takes me back so much. Both of my girls took dance from pre-K to senior year of high school. Recital week is a killer, but I loved to see them dance. Go Zoe!
Let's see what I can remember:
Pork chops two nights, as they come from the farm in six -packs. One night we had fried apples and baked beans, and one night we had candied carrots and sauteed cabbage with them.
Rice pasta with jazzed up jarred sauce -- I added browned ground beef, spinach, and seasoning. Strawberries on the side.
Sloppy joes with baked beans, sliced cucumbers, celery and carrots, and homemade ranch dip.
Steak and salad
Hey, I did it!
Right now I am on budget, but May has five shopping days for me (I shop on Fridays) so it could be an over-budget month. I try not to increase my budget those months, but that doesn't always work.
It IS a lot of dance all at once. And this year Zoe is dancing in both recitals, which meant two back to back rehearsals on Sunday and then one on Monday and Tuesday as well. So this is more than we usually have to do.
We are mostly on track with grocery spending, but I'm nervous that next week will be crazy since we are having a birthday party at our house.
Husband was sick the first half the week and I have been sick since Wednesday, so dinners have not been elaborate.
Friday - Brinner! Pancakes, eggs, mushrooms, maybe some bacon.
Thursday - fish sticks, mashed potatoes, and green beans
Wednesday - McDonald's
Tuesday - salmon with kale salad
Monday - meatballs, noodles, and vegetable stirfry
Sunday - turkey and cheese sandwiches
Saturday - black bean burrito bowls
Oh I remember those days. My daughter danced ballet until about 14 or so. Once she was on pointe, she did 5 -7 hours of class a week, and when a performance was coming every free hour was taken up with class, rehearsals, costume fitting, etc.
I think it would be much easier with homeschooling--the performances tended to coincide with midterms and finals in public school and the pressure on her was enormous. Neither the school nor the ballet program was flexible with the needs of the kids. It was a huge commitment for all of us, not just driving, but helping backstage, fundraising, etc. And it was quite expensive between lessons, leotards, performance fees, photos, and very expensive pointe shoes. It was wonderful for my daughter, but I can't say I miss it.
I hope ballet is wonderful for Zoe and not too hard on the rest of you.
Kudos on managing busy schedules with home meals! We also have some concerts and parties coming up, I feel the squeeze. Luckily my husband is a great cook 🙂
Friday: Veggie quiche with leftover veggies, green salad from garden
Saturday: Pita bread sandwich pockets with full trimmings (falafel, grilled eggplant, tsatsiki etc)
Sunday: Homemade mac n cheese, bratwurst, baked beans from can and broccoli.
Monday: Grilled chicken breasts, steamed eggs ("boiled"), basmati rice and green bean salad.
Tuesday: Family meal at Nando's due to an evening outing. Nice and spontaneous!
Wednesday: Quick 3 min spaghetti with green onions and mozzarella/basil/tomato salad
Thursday: Grilled potatoes, barbecue chicken and beans. Green salad (our garden again!)
Tonight our neighbor is sharing some leftovers with us from her party, and tomorrow we are hosting our kids birthday party with hot dogs and cake.
Is that Nandos of peri-peri chicken?! I WISH I had one near me. I think the closest is in Montreal.....
Yes! It's so good! I like how healthy, fast, and relatively inexpensive it is, but still feels like proper restaurant experience.
Two words summarize this week's dinner: freezer & leftover.
Sunday: Shrimp, andouille, & chicken gumbo (with shrimp stock I had in freezer); rice; sautéed kale
Monday: Mac & cheese (freezer); salad
Tuesday: Italian sausage & spinach soup (leftover)
Wednesday: gumbo & salad (leftover)
Thursday: tuna fish sandwich & popcorn
Friday: clean-out the fridge leftover dinner
Saturday: bratwurst, baked beans, coleslaw (for 50) PORCHFEST!
Super cheap week, grocery bill was around $15, not including Saturday's party which will run us about $70
This is random, but popcorn is my favorite side with tuna salad sandwiches. 🙂