What I Spent, What We Ate | It's the shortest day of the year!
When I got up this morning and got out the devotional that Mr. FG and I read together, I looked and the date and realized, OOH! Today is the shortest day of the year!
That in itself is not cause for rejoicing, exactly, because I hate dark days.
But what it means is that longer days are coming. Every day from here on out will get longer and longer until warm weather is here.
So. That is a cheerful thought for me.
More light is on its way!
What I Spent
I spent $167 at the store this week. Plus there was my $25 Hungry Harvest.
Which means I spent $192. I'm having an expensive grocery month!
But it's ok because my overall yearly spending was actually coming up a little below budget.
December Spending
Week 1: $131
Week 2: $182
Week 3: $192
What We Ate
Saturday
We had a packed day where we were barely home. We picked up Chick Fil A for Sonia and Zoe on our way home at dinnertime.
And Mr. FG and I went out for a burger at Five Guys at 9 pm.
Sunday
I made naan pizzas, to use up the mozzarella from my freezer challenge.
Monday
I made baked potato soup and we had sauteed asparagus on the side.
Tuesday
We had BLTs, and inspired by a magazine article I saw, we added shrimp to ours. But I gotta say, it seemed like kind of a waste of shrimp because the bacon really overpowers the flavor of the shrimp.
Wednesday
I made Japanese pork ramen.
We had some pot-stickers alongside that (frozen, from Costco), and the rest of the asparagus.
Thursday
I made naan pizzas again. The frozen mozzarella is all used up!
Friday
I have exactly zero ideas for dinner tonight. But you know, it's 8:30 am as I write this. I have time to think. 😉
What did you have for dinner this week?
Monday: Tacos, steamed broccoli, pan-fried sweet potatoes
Tuesday: FFA (Future Farmers of America) fundraiser and the school Christmas program. They fed us ham, rice with water chestnuts and mushrooms, Chinese cabbage salad, green beans with bacon and some kind of Nilla wafer dessert with lemon cream
Wednesday: Spaghetti, chicken with marinara sauce and Romano cheese, fried peppers and onions, green peas
Thursday: Spaghetti casserole with the leftover spaghetti and chicken (casseroles=just add cheese and bake), steamed carrots and broccoli
Tonight: We're getting our whole cow today, but it's frozen solid and I don't know if I can thaw any of it in time for dinner. Depends on what time my husband returns from the butcher. If I can, we'll probably have fajitas or something else from a very thin cut that will thaw quickly. If I can't, eggs for everyone.
I love Chik Fil A! We have one across the street from our office, and I'm always so tempted to eat there. But I need to stay on budget, so I only eat it on special occasions like when I got pregnant and had a craving for fried chicken! Maybe I'll go there again if I get a bonus for this year hehe.
The part about the longer days coming cheered me - so thank you for that! Here's what we ate at Chez Cannary:
Monday - planned omelettes, but ate turkey soup - still have another batch in the freezer, then Thanksgiving will be officially gone...
Tuesday - Smothered Pork Loin Chops, rice, green beans
Wednesday - Cafe Rio Chicken Tacos, borracho beans
Thursday - Spaghetti and Meatsauce with bell peppers and onions, salad
Friday - We will eat leftovers
Saturday - yoyo We have a coupon for free BBQ, though...
Sunday - Grilled Gouda and Smoked Turkey sandwiches, split pea soup
I started Imperfect Produce this week and I am jazzed about it - going to set up a blender on my counter and start enjoying smoothies for breakfast instead of eating eggs every day...(:
I had the same thought about the winter solstice. I know it's going to be colder but there will be more daylight. Something to celebrate.
I don't understand why Chik-fil-A and Five Guys aren't added into your weekly food spending.
Might be in a different category. Kristin, I can tell you are a good cook but I wonder what you like about Five Guys? Their hamburgers are so easy to copy at home. When I eat out, it's never for a burger but each to his/her own. I also can make a pretty good fried chicken sandwich or tenders that only take a few minutes. You do have to fry it in oil though.
Yep, different category in the budget! We have a date night budget that we usually spend on Saturdays, and that covered Chick Fil A and our two burgers.
I do like the burgers I make at home, but sometimes when I want a quick meal out, a Five Guys burger hits the spot. Plus, you can get fries, which I am not into making at home because of the mess of frying.
I guess maybe there's two kinds of eating out: one, where you're wanting to get a culinary experience you can't easily get at home, and two, where you're basically wanting a functional meal because you are out of time/energy to make one at home. Our Saturday night eating was more the second than the first!
Kristen - I'm with you on the frying. My "Fry Grandpa" (I think smaller than a "Fry Daddy") from the 80s was routed to my sibling's garage sale many moons ago. Have you ever tried making baked fries? I've made these for years & they can bake along with fish fillets & go great together:
Cheese Potato Sticks
6 med. potatoes
2-3 T. butter
garlic powder
season salt
1/2 C. parmesan cheese, grated
Peel potatoes and cut into strips. Melt butter in bowl large enough to hold all potato strips. Stir potatoes in butter until all are evenly coated. Place in single layer on greased baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients. Bake at 425 degrees for 30". Serve hot. (You may substitute garlic salt for garlic powder for a saltier flavor.)
Still barely staying under budget for my groceries.
I really can't remember much of what we had. Last night was our company dinner at a nice restaurant and we could choose off of the menu, so I had lamb with salad and root vegetables, all for free. Yum. My husband had one of his favorites at home, fish sticks. Really, he loves them. He was invited to come, but he didn't want to drive himself to the town where I work, 50 miles away, at night; plus, he's a homebody.
I know we had meatloaf one night, hamburgers one night, and taco soup one night, because I thawed out a big pack of ground beef.
I cooked boom-boom shrimp ( if came frozen and was gluten-free) and we had salad with that.
This coming week will see a Christmas ham, so I strongly suspect we'll have ham a couple of times at least. The ham I bought on sale at Thanksgiving, and it's been in my freezer till now.
Happy Holidays!
just a question about "what you spent." Does that money include toilet paper and Tide? or just food products?
Yep, it includes toiletries/cleaning products. I bought a big pack of toilet paper this week, actually.
Yay for the shortest day: that means it's almost Summer, break out the flip flops haha 😀
I'd been hoping to get signed up for Hungry Harvest after reading about it here on your blog, but they aren't available where I live (Northern California). But I stumbled on a similar version, Imperfect Produce, and signed up. Only 1 box so far, but it looks like it should be a good option for us to get some extra veggies for a good price.
Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday- sesame chicken, broccoli, and brown rice
Wednesday and Thursday- vegetarian pizzas with homemade pesto and homemade pizza crusts
Friday- stuffed shells and vegetarian lasagna that was given to us after having our baby recently
Not sure what our grocery bill was this week, as my husband did the shopping, but we usually spend $50-$75 for food and household needs.
Kristen, gorgeous photos of the sun on the water at the top of post!
We had tacos, spaghetti with meatballs, and a bunch of freezer leftovers before we headed out on vacation. This week will be: two nights of eating with the family at Christmas, salmon, more spaghetti with meatballs, tacos, & a baguette stuffed with chicken (a family favorite)