What I Spent, What We Ate | It was my birthday week.
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What I Spent
I spent $94 at the grocery store, plus $25 on my Hungry Harvest box.
Related: What's Hungry Harvest?
So, I'm starting May off at $119.
Woohoo!
What We Ate
Saturday
It was my official birthday! I turned 41 this year, which feels a little anti-climactic after turning 40.
After Mr. FG and I went on a little hike (it was a beautiful day!), he and I went out on a date night to Cava, which is kind of like Chipotle, except with Mediterranean food.
He would have been willing to take me somewhere much fancier, but Cava is what I wanted. 😉
Sunday
We had a double birthday celebration with my brother (my birthday was Saturday, his was Sunday). I had the very easy job of bringing drinks to this gathering.
Monday
I grilled some kebabs, using peppers, onions, kielbasa, and marinated chicken (I used the marinade from this chipotle chicken kebab recipe.)
To go with these, I made a batch of batter rolls, using my new USA muffin pans, and I have to say, I was very impressed with the nonstick coating.
Batter rolls usually stick like nobody's business, and they came out very easily even with no greasing.
Tuesday
We had quesadillas (filled with bacon and cheese), dipped in sour cream and salsa, with grapefruit halves on the side.
Wednesday
I made one-pan Ramen bowls with chicken and peppers.
Thursday
We had a tough time getting all six of us together for my birthday anywhere near my actual birthday, so we delayed it until Thursday.
We went out to eat at a local restaurant, and then came back home for ice cream cake and present opening.
It was lovely to have all six of us together for an evening. 🙂
Even before Joshua moved out, it had gotten pretty rare for all of us to be together at dinnertime...once teenagers start getting jobs, life changes a whole lot!
Friday
I have book club tomorrow night, so Mr. FG and I will probably do our date night tonight.
So, three nights of no cooking for me this week, but next week's menu plan will likely have me cooking every night. It all balances out.
Happy belated birthday. Nice looking family! My oldest daughter, granddaughter and sister all have upcoming May birthdays. It’s always been one of my favorite months and Mother’s Day too. School ends here before Memorial Day. When do you stop homeschooling or do you do some in the summer also? Is Joshua still in college? My nephew graduates from college later this month- no job snd probably headed for grad school but on his buck as my sis says.
Joshua's still in college, yep! And Lisey graduates high school this spring. She got her work done early, so she's actually already finished with her senior year.
So I just have Sonia and Zoe left to homeschool, and we will be finished with our work by the third week in May, although we'll be done with some subjects before then. Math is always the last subject left, since Saxon math has a lot of lessons to get through!
Happy Birthday! This week we didn't get to eat around the table until last night, because last week our youngest was in the hospital (ruptured appendix) and then when he was home he was recuperating in front of the TV, and I didn't go to the store. Luckily I kind of have a hoarder mentality when shopping, so we were able to eat up from the freezer and pantry quite a bit. The first time I went for a real shopping run (aside from stopping at the store on the way home from the hospital to feed the rest of the family) was yesterday! We had roasted chicken legs, rice, and what I call "white girl's gravy"--i can never make brown, tasty-looking gravy, but it tastes good, I guess? and veggies. Everybody was so grateful for a scratch meal!
Oh my word! I'm so glad that he's ok. Phew.
Oh, he's fine! He's seven and kids that age bounce. Not happy with how long we had to wait to get him into the OR, but the surgeon did a great job and now he'll never have to worry about his appendix! 😀
I gasped when I read ruptured appendix. Glad he's healing well!
Happy belated birthday!
This always takes a bit if thinking because I have a hard time remembering what we ate by the end if the week! My oldest child is allergic to wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and peas and I prefer to eat vegetarian meals (the rest of my family enjoys meat), so our food choices may appear odd.
1) Chickpea noodle soup and a red cabbage and cucumber salad with spicy sweet dressing.
2) The kids had hotdogs, brown rice noodles and veggies. I had leftovers from earlier in the week and my husband had a combination of leftovers and the kids food.
3) Homemade turkey sausage, edamame, roasted sweet potato, and broccoli.
4) I was consumed with a labor intensive garden project I needed to complete, so my husband gave the kids hot dogs and oven fries. They don’t usually have so many hotdog dinners, but my husband doesn’t know how to cook much else. I had leftover chickpea soup and I think my hubby had scrambled eggs.
5) Homemade corn flour tortillas, black beans, guacamole, plus a green salad.
6) Hamburgers, baked beans, roasted gold potatoes, sautéed kale and sweet onions.
7) Leftover black beans and tortillas. My son will surely add any leftover hamburger meat to his tortillas.
Happy Birthday Kristen!
Thank you!
Happy Belated Birthday! It's funny to think how long I've followed your blog and sometimes still think of your kids as being little.
Monday: A bit of a chaotic day because I had to fix my lawnmower and my father and brother stopped by. I ended up just making frozen fish because I was short on time. Better than takeout I guess.
Tuesday: Kid was sick (just a cough and a mild fever) so my wife stayed home with her and made Chicken thighs braised in barbecue sauce. Not gourmet but whatever. It was easy.
Wednesday: A Japanese style curry. My daughter declared it tasted "too curry" and wouldn't eat it. She did try it and I'm not one to force my kid to eat something she tried but didn't like (too many bad memories of dealing with being punished for not liking my mother's cooking) so she had some leftovers from the fridge.
Thursday: Clean out the fridge night!
Friday: Possibly cooking a London Broil but it depends on if it's thawed or not.
Right? And your little one is hardly a baby anymore either. 🙂
"Try it but don't have to eat all of it" seems like a good way to go. Unless you can't afford to provide alternatives, of course. There's a family story about a certain child (not me) who wouldn't eat her breakfast oatmeal...
Now that is a nice looking group! And I know what you mean about how hard it is to get 6 family members in the same place...This week we ate:
Monday - Rosemary Garlic Chicken, smashed reds, Chik-Fil-A Copycat SuperFood Salad
Tuesday - White beans in the crockpot with ham
Wednesday - Tuna Salad on whole wheat, fresh fruit, carrots and celery
Thursday - Pork Ribs in the crockpot, corn on the cob, baked sweet potatoes
Friday - Honey Lime Chicken Soft Tacos (sans cream), taco fixings, beans
Saturday will likely be an easy pasta dish
Sunday - Mom and Dad will pick up burgers
Its weird to meal plan with only three people now...
Happy Birthday! Like you, I also have 4 children, 3 are in their early-mid 20's and 1 teenager, and understand how hard it is now to get together for family events. My heart is full when we are all together but it's a rarity these days.
Happy Birthday!!!
Sunday- mom/dads, my sister and bil made chicken parm, and ravioli.
Monday- cant think of what we had for the life of me.
Tuesday- Chicken Cutlet, pasta w/ oil /garlic, corn.
Wednesday- Hotdogs/ burgers on the grill, with tater tots, baked beans for me.
Thursday- grilled cheese, chips.
Friday- not sure yet, could be breakfast for dinner, might be something else.
As usual, I have to dredge my memory to see what was for dinner.
Sunday - Tyson's Naturals Chix Strips or fried fish fillets, carrots, cukes, fruit salad leftover from a weekend brunch.
Monday - Sloppy Joes from CI, (*I* liked them...), fruit salad again, veggie of choice.
Tuesday - Thin pork chops, broccoli cooked in the juices, smoothies, blackberries.
Wednesday - Mild Italian chix sausage, can't remember what else.
Thursday - I was going to make Tex-Mex Chicken Fingers but came home 100% knackered from the day and could barely do anything but lie on the couch and pet the dog. So I hit the easy button and made pizza.
Friday - Tex-Mex Chicken Fingers, salsa, smoothies.
Happy Birthday! I grew up in a family in which birthdays were "movable feasts" due to crazy schedules, so having the celebration on another day never bothers me. In fact, since I was born on Feb. 29, having it on another day is a requirement for me three out of every four years. 🙂
Our week started out with Kristen's Spatchcocked chicken, only cooked on top of onions, mushrooms, carrots and celery after browning the chicken.
Another day, I made chicken salad of some of that chicken, and served it with fruit.
We had bacon, corn sauteed in some bacon fat, and cabbage for one meal.
We had a big stir-fry with bits of the same chicken added to it after the vegetables were done cooking.
We were supposed to eat with another couple last night, and they had to cancel at the last minute, so I cooked a frozen Amy's pot pie for my husband - he loves them, but I usually avoid wheat flour - and I used the opportunity to cook some bok choy that needed to be cooked, and put that with some other leftovers for me.
Monday and Tuesday- broccoli, cauliflower, and pork peanut butter curry over brown rice
Wednesday and Thursday- meatball subs on homemade rolls with steamed mixed vegetables
Friday- leftover mixed vegetables with brown rice, sesame seeds, and soy sauce
Happy birthday!! Hope your week was great!
I was able to work from home all week (normally I work 3-4 days out of state and stay in my studio apartment), so we had proper meals. Sadly, our over has been broken since before Easter, so we've had to be creative with the stovetop, grill, and a borrowed crockpot.
Sunday: Flounder (from Aldi's, and it was good!) piccata with jasmine rice; sautéed zucchini and kale, beet salad with goat cheese
Monday: Herby pappardelle with garlic and olives (https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/herby-pasta-with-garlic-and-green-olives) to which I added cannellini beans. Served with grilled broccoli and wild ramps
Tuesday: Turkey sausage soup; tartines with goat cheese, sautéed leeks and sun-dried tomatoes
Wednesday: Steamed gyoza (Trader Joe's); sautéed snow peas, green beans; Asian slaw
Thursday: Turkey sausage soup; grilled cheese sandwiches
Friday: Pork carnitas tacos (made in crock pot) with all the fixings; stovetop apple crisp with first-of-the-season rhubarb
I went to Cava at an airport earlier this year (I think SFO? I saw two women with delicious looking food and when I asked, they directed me to a long but fast-moving line.) It was so good! I wish we had one in town.
Must have been DC. I completely forgot I was in DC last semester.
I know they do have some locations on the west coast as well!
Happy Belated Birthday!
Monday: Stir-fried beef and green beans with mashed potatoes. One of my favorites because the recipe makes lots of sauce.
Tuesday: Chicken and pasta casserole which used all the odd bits of vegetables in the refrigerator.
Wednesday: Left over casserole--because the recipe made more than I expected--and some delicious spring spinach.
Thursday: Pizza! This time it was cheese, bacon and more yummy spinach.
Friday: Pork chops with leeks and apples and probably potato cubes.
Happy birthday! Not that I know you or your kids at all, but if I may channel my inner old lady: They've grown so much!
Okay, food.
Monday: Pot roast with potatoes and carrots, roasted beets
Tuesday: Beef and vegetable soup made with the leftover pot roast (plus a bunch of other things, obviously, otherwise it would just be pot roast soup :-), pan fried lamb that had been marinated in basically a vinaigrette, and leftover vegetables for those that didn't eat the soup
Wednesday: Meatballs baked in marinara sauce, fresh garlic bread because I again had to bake bread for dinner--my bread-baking schedule is definitely getting much more frequent--and green salad from MY LETTUCE HOORAY (still excited, yes)
Thursday: Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, salsa verde, and cheese for the adults; fried egg sandwiches and apple slices for the kids, who got to eat on the floor for a dinner picnic thanks to Daddy's large immovable paper-sorting work on the table that couldn't be cleared for dinner. They thought this was swell.
Tonight: Rib eye steaks, rice, and probably frozen green beans. Maybe another salad, if I feel like sharing my precious lettuce with my ungrateful children. 🙂
I think you should stay excited about your lettuce for as long as possible.
It'll get too hot out there to grow in in a little while anyway, right? RIDE THE WAVE.
Happy Birthday, FG!
Monday - I had leftover pizza from the night before, my husband had swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy
Tuesday - We switched and he had the leftover pizza and I had the leftover swedish meatballs
Wednesday - My husband went out for all-you-can-eat perch with a friend. I made chicken fajitas with some frozen chicken wings that had been in my freezer for awhile and topped the fajitas with avocado.
Thursday - My husband had chili from the freezer. I had purchased some fancy refrigerated ravioli that would've normally been really expensive. However, with a Manager's Special + coupon I got it for $2. I was really excited but once I made it I was disappointed that they had hardly any filling. I told my husband that I guess the rich don't eat that well, afterall.
Friday - Tonight we are going to a pizza place to celebrate my cousin's graduation.
I’m loving all the kids’ great haircuts, especially Lisey’s bangs!
Happy Birthday!
Happy belated birthday! You're exactly one day younger than my husband 🙂
Well, happy birthday to him too!
Happy birthday from me as well, Kristen!
Our meals:
Saturday: Oven grilled potato halves, lentil salad, some steak.
Sunday: Rice and Indian chickpea/ground beef gravy (separate for the in-house vegetarians). Roasted cauliflower on the side.
Monday: Penne pasta with a salad of beet greens from our own garden, with tomatoes and mozzarella.
Tuesday: Birthday dinner of tacos and ice cream cake.
Wednesday: Used the leftover penne pasta in a baked pasta dish with either lentils or ground beef; grilled asparagus on the side.
Thursday: Pureed soup made from roasted carrots and other veggies, homemade bread
Friday: Not sure yet, but tomorrow we are making pizzas.
Happy birthday week!
Friday - date night - we are going to a burger place
Thursday - fish sticks, mashed potatoes and cucumbers
Wednesday - bratwurst, baked potato wedges, mushrooms
Tuesday - chicken, zucchini and boiled carrots
Monday - bratwurst and veggie stirfry
I’ve been reading your blog for years, but I don’t think I’ve ever commented before. I just wanted to thank you for recommending Dinner Illustrated. I took it out of the library a few weeks ago because you kept mentioning it, and like you, I loved it. I just ordered a copy from Amazon (and I made sure to go through your link so you hopefully get some payment for the referral). I was feeling stuck for dinner tonight (as my new cookbook hasn’t arrived yet and the library needed its copy back!) - I was just browsing around your site and decided to try the chipotle chicken recipe you’ve posted. Thanks for helping motivate me to eat at home rather than buy take out - as a full-time working mom with a three year old it can be hard to make myself cook, but I’m always glad when I do! I hope you have a good weekend!
Woohoo! I hope you love the cookbook.
And I hear you on the cooking. I'm a work at home mom, but I still feel the tempting pull of takeout, and Dinner Illustrated definitely helps me.
Happy Birthday!
Meals this week were:
Sunday- full Sunday roast dinner - chicken, roast potatoes, carrots and runner beans with gravy
Monday - pulled pork burgers with herby garlic oven cooked fries, green salad and homemade red cabbage coleslaw (very pretty even though I say so myself!
Tuesday- chicken fajitas
Wednesday - full English Breakfast for dinner - fabulous frugal win with this meal, I was out of mushrooms so stopped at the local ‘one stop’ - basically a very small convenience store with a small fresh food selection. As I picked up the mushrooms and my eye was drawn to the yellow ‘reduced’ stickers adorning a pizza, usual price £3.00 markdown price 33p!! I brought 5 and stashed them in the freezer, yay!
Thursday- homemade beef meatballs with a jar tomato sauce over spaghetti
Tonight - 33p pizza!
NB I’m in the UK and google says that 33p equals $0.44!!