What I Spent, What We Ate | Good thing I didn’t go to Costco!

Saturday - Tamale pie casserole and salad. Sunday - my brother barbequed to celebrate some family birthdays. There was grilled chicken thighs and tri-tip, a make-your own salad bar, barbequed baked potatoes and chips and salsa. I brought frosted brownies that were waaaay to sweet. Monday - Leftover tamale pie casserole Tuesday - chicken strips and fries from the freezer Wednesday was the first day of my major plumbing work. Although I had running water in the evening and COULD have cooked, and PLANNED to cook, the kitchen was torn up - all the pots and pans and kitchen ephemera had been removed from the lower cabinets and placed on the floor and dining room table so the plumbers could punch through the cabinet walls to get to the pipes. It did not make me happy to stand in the kitchen and so I chose the easy way out and picked up a pizza. Thursday - left over pizza Friday - I was babysitting until late in the evening so I just picked up a burger on the way home. Things kind of fell apart there at the end of the week but that's OK. At least the plumbing is finally done.

It has been. a strange week and I have a horrible cold. Right now the country is feeling the effects of a polar vortex.In my part of Australia it means wind. Anyway dinner has been pumpkin and sweet potato soup, sausages and mash with tomato and onion gravy and lamb chops and vegetables.

It's still so hot, I don't want to cook, but I managed it somehow.

Sunday was chicken, fried in the Dutch Oven to shorten the frying time, green beans and mashed potatoes. Monday was hot dogs (mine was wrapped in a cassava flour tortilla), crock pot baked beans, and carrot-raisin salad. Tuesday was meatloaf, leftover mashed potatoes, pre-roasted (on Sunday, when I do a lot of prep work) golden beets to which I added a syrup made of apple juice cooked down by about half, with a piece of cinnamon stick and a slice of fresh ginger in it. I strained out the spices and poured it over the beets. It was good. I am already making Fall flavors, trying to hurry up Fall. Wednesday was a steak from the freezer with fries. Thursday was leftover night: Leftovers of chicken, meatloaf, and any vegetables that weren't eaten up first go round. Tonight, who knows? I did better on my grocery bill last weekend, but I was only under budget by about $10, so I've got to try hard again this week. Last month was a killer on the grocery budget.

Not a great cooking week for me because my husband and I have both been sick.

Saturday: I can't recall. Sunday: Hot dogs and baked beans Monday: leftover Spaghetti bolognese Tuesday: Take out Chinese Wednesday: My husband had leftover salmon with homemade baked French Fries while I finished up my Chinese leftovers. We did have fresh roasted zucchini Thursday: Fried egg and cheese sandwiches Friday: Mahi Mahi with leftover zucchini, potatoes, and Caesar salad

That polenta recipe sounds intriguing...this week we ate: Monday - Bacon Chicken Bombers*, steamed carrots Tuesday - Greek Turkey Salads, Strawberry Pie for dessert Wednesday - Lemon Pepper Tilapia, yellow squash Thursday - One Pot Chili Mac, spinach Tonight - Elgin sausage, mashed potatoes, carrots (using up the rest of some veg I already have) Saturday - Pulled pork tacos, chopped salad Sunday - Chinese take out *You basically marinate chunks of chicken breast overnight in a Sprite, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar marinade. Then place a chunk of cream cheese on each chunk of chicken, wrap in bacon, and broil at 375 for about 20 minutes. In two weeks I will only be cooking for two at my house - so weird.