What I Spent, What We Ate | Did I keep it at $75?
What I Spent
Remember how last week, I mentioned that I only had $75 left to spend in April?
This week I spent $79 at Aldi and $7 at another store.
That adds up to $86, so I came in VERY nearly on budget. Woohoo!
As I mentioned yesterday, I skipped my Hungry Harvest box this week because I was getting a backlog of veggies.
I love that Hungry Harvest lets you skip deliveries any time you want. Flexibility is my fave.
April Spending
Week 1: $169
Week 2: $176
Week 3: $181
Week 4: $86
What We Ate
I got sick this week, which meant that meals were kind of fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants.
But the important thing is: everyone got fed.
The second important thing is: we did not get takeout.
(a serious temptation when the chief cook is not at 100%)
ALL THE GOLD STARS FOR US.
Saturday
Mr. FG and I went on the free date night I wrote about earlier this week.
Sunday
This was Easter Sunday, and my in-laws came over for Easter dinner.
(Here are a few photos from Easter morning.)
My mother-in-law brought the ham, and I made:
- scalloped potatoes
- honey-glazed rolls (with cinnamon butter)
- sauteed asparagus
- a fruit salad
And hot fudge pudding cake plus ice cream for dessert.
Monday
Mr. FG and Lisey made buttermilk waffles for dinner since I was feeling under the weather.
Tuesday
I had some homemade French bread in the freezer, so I thawed that and we used it to make ham and cheese panini, using the leftover ham from Easter.
We also sauteed some asparagus.
Related: How to make panini without a panini-maker
Wednesday
We had frozen ravioli topped with jarred sauce. And broccoli topped with shredded cheese.
Fancy, I know.
Thursday
I was starting to feel more like myself, and I made grilled hamburgers and sweet potato cubes for dinner.
And we had clementines on the side.
Friday
I think it's going to be just Mr. FG and me here for dinner, so I will probably do something simple for the two of us.
Since I figured we were nearing the end of the time of year when it's actually enjoyable to have the oven on for several hours I pulled a turkey out of the freezer last week and roasted it on Monday. I also made a big batch of mashed potatoes, some carrots and green beans. I got that turkey on sale after Thanksgiving (it was about $10), and the potatoes and veggies cost about $5 total (5 lb bag of potatoes on sale $1.50, 2 lbs carrots $2, green beans were 0.99/lb, I think I got around 2 lbs). So $16.50 for a week's worth of dinners is pretty good I'd say!
That's VERY good!
This was my pantry challenge week with husband leaving for week of travel...
Sunday was Easter.. I had ham leftovers but that is not a favored main dish for the kids so I divided into 2 bags and froze for future casseroles!
Monday- before I left to watch the track meet I tossed a bag of frozen meatballs in the crock pot with jarred sauce... I boiled a box of pasta elbows and defrosted the garlic bread.. Once we were home I was able to heat noodles, cook bread quickly and we ate supper with leftover fruit salad...SCORE not stopping for takeout on the way home from a HOT and Sweaty event!
Tuesday- the 2nd half of the box of pasta was made into macaroni and cheese on Monday night.. that was served with chicken patties, veggies and fruit...Quick dinner between sports
Wednesday- I found a small beef roast in the freezer so that was tossed into the crock pot and I thickened it when I got home from work.. shredded beef and gravy was served with rice, veggies and a box of red lobster bisquits.
Thurs- I told this kids we would go out for a quick supper (after practice pick up and before work drop off!) I had a coupon for a restaurant and it was wing night so I knew 2 would be thrilled..Service was good.. ended up with a bunch of food issues.. got stuff removed from my bill, got a free meal coupon for next time and had to hit a drive through to pick up nuggets for the kid whose sandwich had to be sent back due to moldy bun.. had to get brother to work on time!
Friday- I just got home from stocking up at Sams Club... I am planning on making a BBQ chicken pizza tonight.. sounds so good!
That's a pretty good weekly menu given the Chief Cook's illness. Yay for you and your family.
Monday: Our neighbor's daughter made and brought over a green chili casserole for us. It was a kind of layered enchilada casserole with corn tortillas, ground pork, green chili sauce, and cheese. It was delicious, but very spicy. Still not a real New Mexican . . .
Tuesday: Beef and sheep stew, sauteed mushrooms. I used half beef stew meat, and half sheep meat. Plus bacon and a lot of garlic. It was good. How can it be otherwise, with bacon and garlic?
Wednesday: Leftovers, because we had another 4-H meeting and didn't get home until dinnertime. And I had a lot of leftovers--green chili casserole, taco meat, and stew--to choose from.
Thursday: Ribeye steaks, boiled potato chunks, frozen green beans
Tonight: I have to bake bread, so I'll almost certainly serve garlic bread at dinner. Plus a salad--with MY LETTUCE, HOORAY--and whatever beef I surface with after freezer-diving in the chest freezer. Probably hamburgers. And roasted sweet potatoes/onions/bell peppers.
God bless the freezer, which is where the ingredients for most of our meals came from this week!
Enjoy your lettuce tonight!
This has been a crummy week for me, food wise. Mostly because I was feeling sick myself but just a lack of any decent planning.
Monday: Leftover Easter ham, eggs, potatoes(made into home fries) and fruit.
Tuesday: Pork chops baked with a copycat Shake and Bake recipe (we do things classy here too!) Also had rice and vegeatbles.
Wednesday: My wife found a corned beef that had been in the freezer since ... well, I'm ashamed to admit it. So we cooked that up and ate that for dinner.
Thursday: I was sick with a bad headache so we cleaned out the fridge. I made hash with leftover potatoes and corned beef. My wife and kid had an Alfredo dish.
Friday: We're doing fish tonight. I need to get some potatoes and some other items at the grocery store tonight so that will dictate what sides we have with the fish.
That was me too...sick, with no plan in hand.
Feel better this week!
I'm sorry you're having a crummy week. I note that, crummy week or not, you succeeded in not eating out - that's not a small thing.
That is 100% true. High five to you, Battra!
Saturday- Easter dinner with the In laws- since nephew had to go back to collage on Sunday.(it worked out)
ham-mac and cheese, veggie, salad, I brought dessert. homemade pound cake and brownies.
Sunday- 2nd Easter at mom/dads, ham again, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes casserole, green beans, brown sugar glazed carrots, rye bread. My sister and I cooked, cheese cake, for dessert.
Monday- chicken alfredo, Brussels sprouts for me.
Tuesday- Dd had soccer try outs, she and I stopped at Panera (she wasn't feeling well) i did the 2/2 soup and 1/2 sandwich. DH/DD fended for themselves after his practice.
Wednesday- BBQ chicken on the grill, buttered noodles, mixed veggies.
Thursday- DD soccer practices, we had pork roll ,egg, cheese on hard rolls, ds had scrambled eggs (he had some ortho work done and mouth was a bit sore)
Friday- last night I boiled up some sausage, so I think sausage/peppers/onions/potatoes, just need to figure out the kids since they do not eat this.
Need to get the crock pot going with the sauce (or gravy) which ever you call it, so I can get some in the freezer for quick meals.
Ooooooooooo, that chocolate cake looks so good! I saved the recipe and will make it for my brother, the World's No. 1 Chocoholic.
We have been eating Easter leftovers this week; ham, green beans, rye bread, and my husband made me egg salad, YUM! Last night we opted for sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly for me and tuna for him. He's out with friends tonight so I will have more leftover ham, maybe with a scrambled egg and a simple salad. Scrambled eggs are our favorite simple supper, quick, easy to add to, and satisfying.
We put our house up for sale this week, so it was quite hectic. But, we still only spent $60 on groceries and another $30 on dinner out for all 4 of us.
Sunday- Easter dinner of pasta bake, baked ham, homemade scalloped potatoes, rolls, and salad (my husband ate all the leftovers for lunch during the week)
Monday- homemade hamburger helper lasagna
Tuesday- homemade hamburger helper lasagna
Wednesday- lasagna with steamed broccoli
Thursday- my dad's birthday- he passed 3 years ago, but we still celebrate it every year- went to his favorite diner and then got ice cream
Friday- Breakfast for dinner
What a lovely way to remember your Dad!
I love how you remember your dad...what a beautiful tradition.
We do something like this, too, to honor our loved ones who are no longer here with us- either we make their favorite foods at home, or go our for something that reminds us of them. It kind of makes for joyful memories type of day, instead of just mournful. Or we do a favorite activity in memory fo past good times. Well, actually, we do this for all birthdays or special days for the living, too. Special days are great!
We have made his favorite meal, for dinner, in the past also. We usually visit his brick at our local Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, and bring his favorite dessert, but it was a little too chilly this past week.
I twisted my ankle Sunday night, so the whole week had been a mess. Going backwards:
Friday: probably something from the freezer - I know we have one of the specialty pizzas from Aldi in there.
Thursday: curried lentils and coconut rice (both recipes from budget bytes)
Wednesday: meatballs, mushrooms, sauteed bell peppers and pasta with red sauce
Tuesday: fish sticks, broccoli, and green beans
Monday: leftover bratwurst and broccoli
Sunday: we ordered pizza for our last day on vacation in New York - it was fantastic
Saturday: we stopped at a food court in between seeing 2 plays - husband had tacos and I had a grilled lamb sandwich
I often write these posts backwards because somehow it jogs my memory better! If I start with Thursday and go backwards, I can usually end up remembering what I made on Monday.
We had what I call beefaroni... think spaghetti but with elbow macaroni .
Yesterday I made vegetable beef soup since it was chilly and raining all day.
Most of the soup I portioned and froze for lunches.
Tonight I'm making bacon wrapped chicken. Not sure what I want to go with it yet.
I so agree that dinner on the table is better than take-out or no dinner at all!
Our meals this week:
Monday - leftover something.... probably rice. 😛
Tuesday - Deer steak, rice and greek salad
Wednesday - Ground turkey with rice and pesto and broccolli
Thursday - Black bean pasta with ground turkey in a creamy tomato sauce with broccolli
Friday - Salmon with rice and zucchini and spinach salad
Yay for staying on budget!
I managed to stick to my grocery budget this week, but numerous unexpected car repairs are taking a toll on other spending categories. I’m glad for savings accounts!
Sunday- we had our church family over for Easter lunch. We provided the ham, deviled eggs, and dessert. Everyone else brought sides, and a couple of ladies planned activities for everyone. Such a fun day!
Monday- leftovers.
Tuesday- the easy route of boxed macaroni and cheese. I always add canned tuna and frozen peas to mine. My husband thinks I’m nuts.
Wednesday- we spent a long afternoon building shelving in my husband’s new workspace, so carryout pizza for the win!
Thursday- ham and pinto beans cooked in the pressure cooker. I made a huge pot, so half of it is in the freezer for a later meal.
Friday- I have a few corn tortillas to use up and some discount chicken thighs, so I’m thinking tortilla soup!
Friends with food allergies: What kind of quick/easy meals do you keep on hand for when you're sick or the schedule gets crazy? We are dairy free, and this week the doctor added gluten the the prohibited list and encouraged a low FODMAP diet, and the adjustment is difficult.
Hi Kaitlin when I was very sick with ulcerative colitis and went on a restricted diet (abit like FODMOPs) my go to easy dinner was tomato rice soup.
It’s easy one can/carton of passata plus a handful of rice and add some finely diced carrots (peeled) if you like - heat until rice is tender; I ate it with cheese but it would be pretty nice with shredded chicken.
Or for something more substantial I make fish (baked with some lemon, salt and oil wrapped in foil) with rice and carrots. I just buy plain frozen cod/haddock as that’s what cheap and nice here in UK and can be cooked straight from the freezer).
I am our families cook, so if I have a relapse we all eat rice, white fish (no oily fish or meat as that’s much harder to digest) and carrots ALOT. Luckily it’s one of my sons favourite meals....
I make fried rice with whatever veggies we have on hand. I keep gluten free soy sauce around.
I also keep a box/bag of gluten free noodles around. Throw that together with jarred sauce and on the side, a bag of frozen broccoli or can of green beans.
Curried chickpeas over rice (not sure how well that fits with FODMAP though).
Aside from Easter I had a lazy (and not super nutritious) food week.
Easter Sunday - ham, asparagus, potatoes au gratin and corn bread.
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - Didn't feel like cooking so grazing for the win - I had more of the leftover potatoes, an apple and cottage cheese.
Wednesday - My car was in the shop and when I showed up after work to pick it up, they had found another unexpected problem and it wasn't ready until 6:00. I was stressed out and tired and just picked up a burger for dinner.
Thursday - Had to run errands after work so got home late and tired (I'm sensing a pattern here) and just made a hot dog and oven fries.
Friday - Hit Costco after work and got home later than I wanted to. Made a chicken sandwich with a chicken patty from the freezer and a hot dog bun. Had some cherry tomatoes with it.
I'd like to say next week I will do better but I will be on vacation in Las Vegas so no promises.
Working from home this week, which helps greatly for mealtime.
Sunday: baked ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and salad. Family-guests brought apps and dessert.
Monday: Bob's Red Mill "Beans and Grains" soup made with ham bone, leeks, carrots, cabbage and homemade chicken stock. Served with mustard & cheddar tartine.
Tuesday: Had to go out of town for a wake. Mom & Dad bought dinner.
Wednesday: Grilled chicken thighs, grilled mushrooms, sautéed left-over green beans (from Sunday), salad
Thursday: Grilled skirt steak with grilled green beans with miso dressing, grilled mushrooms, Asian slaw, and jasmine rice
Friday: zucchini fritters with lemon-garlic yogurt
Tonight: going to taco party and bringing kale salad.
This is a really silly question, but how do you make your French bread to be able to make paninis like that? I feel like either I slice it perpendicular to the load and get iitty bitty slices or I have to cut the load in half where you get the dome shape on one piece. Would love to be able to make it to use for paninis! I haven’t tried in a while because we could t figure out how to use it for sandwiches well!
They do end up being fairly small panini when we slice the French bread, but it helps a bit to slice it on the diagonal. That makes longer pieces, at least.
If I want to cut the loaf in half like you mentioned, I purposely make a pretty flat loaf of bread, but for slicing the other way, I try to make a taller, rounder loaf. 🙂