What I Spent, What We Ate | It's another birthday week!
Sonia turned 13 yesterday, but we're having her birthday meal tonight.
And now ¾ of my kids are teenagers. Whoa.
But let's talk about my grocery spending before we get to birthday food.
What I Spent
I was babysitting two small people last Friday, so we made a quick stop to buy carrots so we could go feed our neighborhood horse.
I also picked up cheese for making homemade pizza. And English muffins were on a buy 1, get two free sale, so I bought those. I spent $9.97.
And then I made a regular grocery shopping trip and spent $109.50.
(The small feet over there belong to my cousin's baby. He's been kind of stinking it up on the sleep front, so I picked him up and took him grocery shopping so my cousin could nap. 😉 )
It was also a produce box week ($35).
Plus, I stopped at Costco to buy shrimp for Sonia's birthday meal (fried shrimp) and I also bought peppercorns. So, I spent another $37.54 there.
Hoo boy.
I'm at $192.01 for the week.
But it's ok. It's just the first week of the month. I have plenty of time to get back on budget.
What We Ate
Monday
I made a pan of make-ahead chicken enchiladas.
Of course, we had guacamole with those. And some homemade applesauce from the freezer.
Tuesday
I neglected to look at the weather and foolishly scheduled a grilled meal for a rainy night.
So, my windbreaker and I cooked kebabs out in the rain. Oh well.
As usual, I grilled chicken, kielbasa, shrimp, peppers, and onions.
To go with our kebabs, I toasted and buttered slices of homemade whole wheat bread.
I feel like I cut up some sort of fruit too, but my mind is drawing a blank.
Wednesday
This was the night I made the pulled turkey sandwiches.
We also had coleslaw, veggie chips, and cantaloupe.
Thursday
Mr. FG took Sonia out for a special birthday dinner. And the rest of us ate broccoli noodle soup, plus whole wheat rolls.
Friday
Although Sonia's actual birthday was yesterday, we're having her birthday celebration tonight, when a friend comes to sleep over. She's chosen an eclectic menu of fried shrimp, fruit salad, jello, and Cheetos.
The Cheetos really pull the whole thing together. 😉
And for her special birthday breakfast, she's requested overnight cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting.
Your turn!
What's been on your dinner table this week? And how are things going with your March grocery budget so far?
Sonia is a girl after my own heart with that birthday menu!
Monday is ballet night so we have a quick, snack-y dinner. Little Daisy and I had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples and grapes, and yogurt to dip the fruit in. Mr. Daisy threw a chicken patty in the oven when we got home. After bath time, we had some delicious Halo Top ice cream.
Tuesday was goulash and french bread at my grandpa's house.
Wednesday was a Chicken Stroganoff from Cooking Light magazine. This was my new recipe for the week and it was so bland.
Thursday was some homegrown T-bone steaks from my family farm, buttered noodles, roasted carrots and asparagus, and some toasted french bread.
Tonight is venison meatballs and spaghetti!
Monday - I made homemade mac & cheese, applesauce, green beans, garlic bread, and green onions.
Tuesday - I made a large pan of potato soup and also made cornbread.
Wednesday - We had leftovers before church.
Thursday - After variety show dress rehearsal I opted for a quick meal which consisted of tomato soup and open-faced cheese sandwiches.
Friday - Since we will be taking our grandson to see his father, we will be eating out this evening.
Well so far this month I've spent $42. Last month we ended up going over on our budget so we're hoping this month we can do better. Unfortunately the little one is still having issues so while she's not lactose intolerant, the Dr. suggested we switch her to soy milk. Unfortunately that's a bit more expensive.
Anyway for the week we had the following:
Sunday: Shredded chicken tacos
Monday: Leftover shredded chicken with rice and veggies
Tuesday: Waffles that we made a while back and froze along with eggs and fruit.
Wednesday: Took advantage of a sale and picked up some fish dinners at our local grocery store. We're Protestant so we don't do the whole giving stuff up for Lent or no meat thing; we just like fish. Plus it was a treat and
Thursday: Used up some potatoes for mashed potatoes and had some leftover ham we took out of the freezer.
Friday: We're hosting Bible study tonight so the wife is making a pasta dish and I'm making King Arthur Flour's No Fuss Focaccia. It's always a big hit.
Good Morning,
I read your blog all the time. My first time commenting. I'm just wondering how you keep everyone feed with what you purchase. I have two boys 13 & 8 who I just can't fill up. We don't buy/eat a lot of snack or junk food. I just don't buy it and if we do have a dessert, it's usually something I make home made. I shop at Aldi's almost exclusively but buy meat and a few name brand items (peanut butter!) at Shop n Save. My problem is I spend about $150 weekly and by Friday it's slim pickings. We eat a ton of fruits and veggies and I will typically make two veggies for dinner instead of a starch. We really try to stay away from anything processed. My kids just eat so much fruit, nuts and raisins which I'm glad for. However, it's both expensive and difficult to keep fresh fruit & veggies in the house, in enough supply that I only go shopping once per week (more trips to the store, the more likely I am to spend). Just curious if this is something you experience or have difficulty managing? Thanks!
My kids aren't the super hungry sort, and they're also all of a pretty slim build. I'm not feeding any linebackers here! So, if you have hungrier kids than I do, you're just going to end up spending more than I do, and I don't think you should feel guilty about that.
I posted a list of some filling snack ideas the other day that might be helpful. Here's the link in case you missed it. https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2017/02/10-frugal-and-filling-snack-ideas/
It sounds like you are already doing a great job of keeping your kids full of healthy food! One suggestion...I'm not sure what your reasons are for shying away from starches, but if your kids are eating plenty of produce and nuts already, I wouldn't see a problem with adding some starches into your kids' diets. Potatoes, rice, quinoa, and oatmeal could all help supplement the produce that you serve them and might help your kids to fill up a bit faster.
Also, this is in the list I linked you to above, but what about eggs? Do your kids eat hard-boiled eggs? Scrambled? Fried? Eggs are super cheap and provide a fair amount of fat and protein.
We're still receiving meals following my husband's death, though I think it's tapering off.
Monday: I didn't know we were going to receive a meal, so I made chicken stirfry and brown rice. We got a meal later in the evening, and I saved it...
Tuesday: We received Chinese food. Yum!
Wednesday: We had the chicken parmesan that had been delivered Monday
Thursday: We had leftover Chinese food
Friday: going out.
Sat: back to the real world of cooking, but I do still have some freezer meals saved up.
So much love to you and your family. I'm really happy that people have been blessing you with food.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your husband. I'm so glad you're being taken care of. <3 thinking of you!
I'm so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family.
The food at your house always sounds so good! This week, I was really planning to eat what we have and only go to Wal-mart for air filters, light bulbs, and odds and ends. But $194 later...We did however, eat a lot of things we already had. Last night was cheese enchiladas, a big salad, and some pintos I cooked in the crock with two leftover pork chops added for flavor. Wednesday we had Spagetti casserole - using up some sketti and some ricotta, along with freezer marinara and the last of the meatballs, green beans on the side. Tuesday I was home sick ): I think I made Honey Mustard chicken in the crock with some instant masheds and a veg. Monday we had tilapia with some crushed chips on top, carrots, and leftover broccoli cheese rice casserole from Sunday. Sunday was pork chops, brocc cheese rice casserole, and I forget what else. Whew! Tonight is Teriyaki Chicken Bowls with crab puffs from the Chinese restaurant. It's going to rain tomorrow, so it looks like our burgers will either be done inside, or I will start the crock with a beef stew I have in the freezer. Lunch today is leftover sketti and that will pretty much empty the fridge!
Ahhh, there's nothing like rainy-day kebabs. 😉 And yum! Nothing like jello and Cheetos for your birthday! Happy birthday, Sonia! We have quite a few March birthday girls in our family (4!) this month, so there's a lot of celebrating to do.
This week we ate:
Monday: Sausage and pepper pasta
Tuesday: Chicken club sandwiches
Wednesday: Freezer night. I had orange chicken and Mr. Picky Pincher had fideo.
Thursday: Beef tostadas.
Friday: Tonight Mr. Picky Pincher's parents are coming in from out of town, so we'll grill hamburgers for everyone. Easy peasy!
We spent around $1000 on food and dining last month because we bought meat in bulk to last for 4-5 months. So we are trying to cut back this month and only buy produce as needed and our budget is $200 for that. Rice is the staple of my family household so everything below was eaten with rice.
Monday – Eggplant curry, braised soy sauce chicken
Tuesday – Shrimp curry, stir fried mixed veggies (cabbage, carrots, greenbeans)
Wednesday – Thai style spicy mixed veggies sour soup (Broccoli Rabe, potato, eggplant, greenbeans), braised pork with Kimchi
Thursday – Vietnamese style air dry crispy roasted whole chicken with stir fried Chinese broccoli.
Friday – Vietnamese noodle and lettuce bowl with shrimp.
Monday: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, coleslaw
Tuesday: chicken in a creamy sauce with sun dried tomatoes, rice pilaf and zucchini casserole
Wednesday: leftovers from Tuesday
Thursday: Crock pot Cowboy Casserole that I thought was just okay, although hubby liked it. Salad and corn muffins alongside.
Friday: Chinese takeout probably.
P.S. Happy Birthday Sonia!
Monday. Last week at Aldi I couldn't resist a jar of tikka marsala sauce when I saw it. I love Indian food, but I don't tend to cook things with complicated spices if I have to do the mixing. For supper I browned chicken thighs, then added chopped cauliflower and covered it with the sauce. I let it all simmer together for a half hour and added frozen peas at the end. We had it over rice. Fantastic!
Tuesday. Our youngest came down with a fever, and the week slowly deteriorated from then on. We had sandwiches made of things in the fridge and I made a batch of baked mac and cheese because I had some half and half past the expiration date.
Wednesday. Leftovers and more sandwiches. It did finally occur to me that our picky little boys won't touch a lot of cooked vegetables, but happily munch on raw veggies. I bought broccoli and carrots this week just to chop and add to the three-year-old's lunch and have around in the evening for him to snack on. What a little veggie king he has been this week.
Thursday. Kind of a combo of sandwiches, a quesadilla with the last of the tortillas, salads of things pieced together in fridge.
Friday. Everyone is now well. We will have our usual, yep, sandwiches and chips on the way to the weekend house. Our boys actually prefer sandwiches to any other kind of meal. And they are cheap, easy, delicious, and healthy (if you make them of the right things).
That sauce is great! I also like their Jalfrezi sauce (also over chicken, chick peas or any sort of veggie). I add a bit of plain yogurt since it's too spicy for my taste.
Happy Birthday Sonia! Jello & Cheetos yummy!
Came in at $120.07 for the week, so not too shabby considering what it's been lately....
Last Saturday I had a toothache & couldn't eat much so I had mini beef ravioli (soft enough), hubby had grilled cheese sandwiches & youngest daughter had soup & a sandwich. Oldest daughter had pizza with her friends before a dance.
Sunday - we worked a function for our fire department, so we ate there; girls were with my parents & ate dinner at their house.
Monday - I made that spicy sausage noodle dish Kristen posted & it was fabulous! The whole family loved it! Served with cheddar biscuits.
Tuesday - chicken salads
Wednesday - spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread
Thursday - the three of them had pancakes (i worked late). I had leftover spaghetti with a salad
Tonight - we are volunteering at church for a fish dinner so we'll eat there
Happy birthday to Sonia! Enjoy your special day!
Monday: Leftover quinoa mixed with leftover chicken, tossed with peppers, asparagus, and zucchini. A side of buttercup squash, which was not a big hit in our house.
Tuesday: Someone gave us 2 free meals from Hello Fresh and they arrived on Tuesday. (Yay! Fun and free food!) The first was basically fancy spaghetti, but I really liked the flavor so I'm saving the recipe to make again with ingredients that I'll buy from Aldi.
Wednesday: Planned on meatloaf but didn't get the meat out in time so I pulled some chicken patties out of the freezer for sandwiches and we had asparagus.
Thursday: Hello Fresh meal #2 was pork, sweet potatoes, and green beans all drizzled with a glaze. Since my dad was coming over and wants to vomit at the sight of green beans (I don't get it) I made zucchini instead but let the glaze off the zucchini.
Friday: I have a pork roast in the crock pot, will make the green beans I didn't make last night, and probably do garlic mashed potatoes.
Monday - assorted subs.
Tuesday - ate out.
Wednesday - shrimp, leftover meatball sub, tomatoes, carrots, strawberries.
Thursday - steak, mushrooms, spinach, banana/strawberry/yogurt smoothies. That's the last of the bananas, and none were wasted.
Friday - being taken out.
Saturday - fundraiser dinner, so technically doesn't come from the food budget, right?
Monday – leftover spinach pizza
Tuesday Dash chicken, rice, broccoli casserole that my husband made. I also had it for breakfast a few times.
Wednesday went out for fish
Thursday husband made sausage and potatoes
Friday out for Mexican with a friend
The line about babysitting your cousin's son may be the sweetest thing I've ever read on your blog. As a mom of four kids four and under, I cannot think of a great act of service. That would be a dream come true on the hard sleep weeks around here. Thank you for being such a thoughtful person! 🙂
Happy Birthday, Sonia! Breakfast meals were one of the ways my mom made us feel super special on birthdays even though finances were tight. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized lots of kids have a party every single birthday. Birthday meals are the ultimate frugal celebration; you have to eat anyway so let the birthday kid dictate! I'm anxious to start this tradition with my kids, my eldest is 4 and insisted she just wanted cake. Lol, maybe next year!
I spent $35 at Aldi for fruits, veggies and peanut butter pretzels and another $11 for milk, creamer and sausage at Meijer.
Monday -Sweet and Sour chicken with veggies
Tuesday -Lasagna, rolls and mixed veggies
Wed -salad & leftover lasagna
Thurs - Alfredo noodles and chicken & peas
Friday -Applebees with our kids and my daughter-in-law's parents. We go at 9 for their 1/2 off appetizers. At least it is kind of frugal! They are all super fun to hang around with!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONIA!! You are a beautiful young lady!!
Happy happy happy happy birthday Sonia! Yes to Cheetos!!
Happy Birthday to a beautiful young lady . I spent 70.00 on meat to stock my freezer. 50 lbs of chicken and 10 lbs pork loin. We spent less than 50.00 for milk, eggs ,fruit and coupon deals. My income is down 50 % so meal planning and careful shopping are a must. Honestly, we really arent hurting and have most of what we want. It makes me wonder how much was just not necessary in the past.
Happy Birthday to Sonia! Wow-three teenagers!!
We had a pretty basic week, but I did manage to try a new recipe for mini turkey meatloaves.
Saturday: homemade white broccoli and sausage pizza
Sunday: chicken won ton soup and salad
Monday: chicken teriyaki
Tuesday : turkey meatloaves and potatoes (we tried a new recipe and I loved it!)
Wednesday: leftover turkey meatloaves
Thursday: takeout pizza
Friday :salmon and rice
I've been reading your blog for almost four years now and I can't believe three of them are teenagers and you're doing a great job raising them. Belated Happy Birthday to Sonia!
Monday: BLT sandwiches and tortilla chips
Tuesday: Lasagna and garlic bread sticks
Wednesday: waffles and sausage
Thursday: left over lasagna, lettuce salad with strawberries and garlic bread sticks
Friday: Veggie pizza with red sauce which included tomatoes, black olives, green peppers, and onions
Monday was jambalaya with shrimp in a recipe which I got from the SNAP cookbook.
Tuesday was MY birthday and Mardi Gras so we had pancakes and sausage. We had homemade blackberry syrup, maple syrup, sliced fruit and whipped cream. Actually my birthday is the 29th but I'll accept the 28th.
Wednesday my husband requested the rest of the jambalaya.
Thursday was my home corned beef and it turned out great!
Tonight is not so good. My husband came down with something that has him pretty sick. I'm busy with him so I had a corned beef sandwich.
My spending will be high this weekend. I am filling my freezer again and have a pork order that will probably be $150. I will find out once they weigh and package it.
Happy birthday to Sonia!
Happy Birthday to Sonia! Cheetos round out any meal.
My budget for February was $205. I went slightly over, coming in at $216.72.
This past weeks menu:
Saturday- Asparagus and a baked potato.
Sunday - Cream cheese crock pot mexican chicken with tortillas- this week's incarnation of taco night.
Monday - chicken chili
Tuesday - Coconut lentil soup and a side of asparagus.
Wednesday - cottage cheese and fruit
Thursday - take out pizza
Friday - Um, I inhaled a few chicken fingers from the grocery store deli in the car while running errands after work. Some nights are just like that, I guess.
I made 3 new recipes this week:
Chicken Skillet Fajitas from the Carlsbad Cravings blog. This was yummy but had a few too many ingredients. I will make a simpler fajita recipe next time.
Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken from The Recipe Critic blog. This was good but a little too strong. A little lightened up version would be better.
Black Beans and Sausage from Martha Stewart online. We loved this. Served with Pioneer Woman's Zesty Lime Rice (with Cilantro) and Sweet Cornbread (Life in the Lofthouse blog). Topped with fage yogurt. Delicious meal and a little different than regular chili.
Whoa, three! Gold stars for you.
Sunday - Tried a new recipe and had Chicken Cordon Bleu with rice and Roasted Green Beans.
Monday - Chicken Rolltini with whole wheat spaghetti and steam carrots
Tuesday - Pull pork sandwiches with coleslaw & fruit salad (I was able to freeze extra pork for a sandwich later)
Wednesday - Black bean chicken tacos in the crockpot
Thursday - Spicy Pasta recipe from ATK
Friday - Out for Sushi
Saturday - out for a fundraiser -- The fundraiser served us salad with nuts and feta cheese, garlic bread, chicken in onions, roasted vegetables, brisket of beef, mashed potatoes, and bundt cake for dessert. It was good but not worth the price we paid. LOL...
All of our meals are leftovers for lunch so no real leftover night this week. My husband isn't really a sandwich person. I also eat leftovers as well.
I also made a batch of breakfast burritos, Sweet Potato Oatmeal and Granola.