What I Spent, What We Ate | Sunday was a bit of a fail.
This post contains affiliate links, which earn revenue for this site at no extra cost to you.
What I Spent
I spent $144 at the grocery store, plus $25 on my Hungry Harvest.
So, $169 to start out April.
On the upside, some of those ingredients were expensive ones for a paella recipe that I did not end up making.
So that's going to get bumped to next week, which means I can buy a little less food next week.
What We Ate
Saturday
Mr. FG and I had a $20 date night at Panera, Lisey was at work, and Sonia and Zoe spent the night with their cousin.
Sunday
We failed to plan anything for dinner and ended up getting subs at Firehouse. Fortunately, I had a coupon for a free sub, so the meal only cost us $22.
Still, that's a lot more than I'd have spend for a meal at home.
Monday
I tried a pasta recipe from Dinner Illustrated (farfalle with prosciutto). I thought this one was just ok, mainly because I wanted a saucier sauce experience.
(This is the story of my life. MORE SAUCE, I say.)
Tuesday
I wasn't feeling great and I could have sworn I was coming down with something. As it turns out, I just needed a good night's sleep. Phew.
Regardless, I chucked that night's dinner plan and we fended for ourselves. Mr. FG had plans with a friend, Sonia made polenta for herself, and I made myself a grilled cheese.
Lisey took Zoe to dance for me so I could stay home, and the two of them stopped at Chick-Fil-A on the way back.
Having a big sister with a job and a car must be awfully fun. Lucky Zoe!
Wednesday
I made ricotta gnocchi and this time I made a pink sauce and also added some sliced, sauteed Italian chicken sausages.
Zoe hates pink sauce, though, so I made a small dish with regular tomato sauce.
We had cucumber slices, grapes, and fresh corn on the side (not combined!)
Thursday
I tried a new recipe from Dinner Illustrated for chicken tacos with an orange/chipotle/cilantro sauce and it was delicious.
Sonia usually dislikes any and all tacos, but she ate four of these, so I consider that very high praise.
Incidentally, if you've ever wondered how to store a can of chipotle chilies long term in your fridge, this post is for you!
Chipotle chilies are so, so, so delicious and they provide a nice dose of smoky heat to whatever you're making.
AND Aldi carries them now. Yes, indeedy.
Friday
I'm planning to make a pan pizza.
How are you able to keep Panera at $20? I love that place, but it always costs the two of us closer to $30. The tacos sound delicious!
YES! Panera and CFA are places I tend to only enjoy when I am alone and not having to feed the kids... Definitely a treat.. so pricey! I was just craving a broccoli cheese bread bowl soup too! lol
Monday night I did NOT want to cook.. Kids were on their last day of *spring break weekend* and I worked all day.. Oldest got called into work so he took it( not getting many hours due to school musical practice).. I grabbed him a burger and fries before he went and I stuck to my menu plan and we have chipotle bowls of beef, black beans, rice and toppings...
Tuesday-Tossed a beef roast in the crock pot with carrots, served with instant mashed potatoes, veg and fruit...
Weds- track meet for 2 kids... (both took 2nd in their events!!) packed them PBJ and fruit for bus ride.. after we got home the 4 of us ate the last of the frozen chicken tenders and corn dogs in the freezer! Thanks to the 16 year old who was at home and tossed them into the oven! lol
Thursday- oven baked burgers, seasoned rice, canned corn and baked beans... quick supper for all between musical practices...
Friday- they will eat pizza.. I will be out of town.. Maybe panera for me! lol
Weekend... No idea.. I am thinking Turkey Rubens on Sunday though...
I believe we both did a Pick Two deal. And we drank water.
I wonder if Panera's prices vary around the country. Here in metro Boston, it's hard to eat there for less than $12, even without a drink. That being said, it's my go to takeout, as they offer fairly healthy options. Now if they just did away with the calorie count on the bakery items! Definitely no more pecan rolls for me!
ughhh typed it all out and its gone!!!
Oh no, what's happening when you try to comment?
Could you compose your comment in an email window and trying copying and pasting it here? Then if it disappears, you still have what you typed.
The gnocchi looks delicious. Tonight we'll probably have a burrito bowl of pinto beans, rice, plenty of veggies. Thanks for the link on how to store the chilies -- I always have a recipe that calls for only one and then I never know what to do with the rest. Have a great weekend!
Monday : pizza from the freezer with cucumber slices
Tuesday : leftovers with carrots and rice
Wednesday : spinach pasta with red sauce and Italian sausage
Thursday : pizza and cucumbers again
Friday : bratwurst, bell peppers and green beans
It's been a long and crazy week at work which means a lot of overtime and not a lot of time for planning meals.
Saturday: We were traveling a bit and went out for dinner to a fish place for like $20 or so.
Sunday: Cooked a ham that I found in our chest freezer. My wife invited a friend over but she is apparently now not eating much meat so she didn't eat any ham. :-/
Monday: Leftover ham, eggs, leftover baked potatoes turned into hash browns and fruit.
Tuesday: I ate a big salad with some ham cut up in it.The wife and kid ate sandwiches.
Wednesday: My daughter would only eat a peanut butter sandwich. I forget what my wife had. I ate, you guessed it, some more ham.
Thursday: Salad night again for me, spaghetti and meat sauce that was in the freezer for my wife and daughter (I don't eat pasta.)
Friday: Working late so my wife may order a pizza unless she can figure out something on her own.
I kept my grocery bill low last week by stopping my shopping before I was done due to a call from home to come help find the dog. Turns out, the dog was napping soundly under the bed and never heard the calls. ANYWAY...
Sunday we had meatloaf with mashed cauliflower and roasted beets.
Monday, baked seasoned pork chops layered over chunks of onions, celery, and carrots.
Tuesday, bacon and fried corn, with a big salad on the side. My husband puts fresh tomatoes in his fried corn but he hates tomatoes in his salad, so strange.
Wednesday, tuna salad made with finely chopped celery, onion, carrot (hm, a theme here?) and not-chopped raisins, plus strawberries on the side.
Thursday, pork chops, floured and fried this time, with sauteed, not-breaded okra using leftover bacon grease from Tuesday, and the leftover fried corn, so basically a big grease ball of a meal. But it was good.
Tonight -- mystery so far.
Your story about your dog was so funny! I'm glad the dog wasn't actually missing, but it gave me a happy laugh at how animals are so funny sometimes.
This story about the pup is hilarious! But hey, low grocery bill. 😉
Big fail on the cooking front this week. Big win on the family fun nights though. I took my son to the park everyday after school/work and then out for a quick bit to eat.
Monday: Ate out (local diner)
Tuesday: Ate out (Mooyah/Burgers and fries)
Wednesday: Ate out (Pizzeria)
Thursday: Ate out (local bar/grill)
Friday: Home cooked chicken legs over veggie fried rice
I am going to try to prep freezer meals this weekend. I don't want to give up park time to cook.
Besides, eating out is hard on my pocketbook and waistline.
Fast easy sandwiches or wraps with fruit or baby carrots eaten in the park are really great!
Thanks for the suggestion Marge! A little prep can go a long way.
What is pink sauce? I'm picturing adding cream to red sauce.
Yep, that's exactly what it is! Sort of like alfredo sauce meets tomato sauce.
I'm glad you asked. It looked delicious and I was wondering the same thing.
Monday: Pork sirloin chops--why are these so cheap all the time? I find it a bit alarming--cut into chunks and pan-fried in leftover duck fat with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Plus rice, a microwaved sweet potato, and frozen green beans.
Tuesday: Bunless cheeseburgers, garlic bread because again I was baking bread right before dinner (this seems to be my new schedule) and it's beloved by my sons, and a green salad
Wednesday: Steaks--both ribeye and sirloin. Steak combinations like this in the quantities we eat are only possible when buying a whole cow. Well, or maybe if you're willing to spend a LOT on meat. Anyway. We also had leftover rice and another salad. My lettuce is alllllmost ready for harvesting and I will be SO happy to not have to buy lettuce for awhile. Especially since the good lettuce (read: anything other than bagged romaine hearts or iceberg) is only available 90 miles away.
Thursday: Tacos with avocados my parents brought with them from Tucson. They didn't come to bring me avocados, but it was a nice side benefit to their visit. 🙂 Also roasted sweet potatoes/broccoli/onion/bell pepper.
Tonight: Guests=sourdough pizza. Still Lent, so there will be one cheese pizza, one with lots of vegetables, and no pepperoni for the raging carnivore.
Monday was vegetable lasagna with spinach and carrots on the side. I felt a little virtuous having lots of veggies.
Tuesday we had chicken and peppers in a honey mustard sauce with mashed potatoes and the last of the spinach.
Wednesday was the leftover chicken and peppers with roasted potatoes and carrots.
Thursday is pizza night and I added some steamed cauliflower on the side.
Tonight is a new recipe featuring chicken and green beans in a mushroom sauce. I'm another lots of sauce fan.
My parents were here all week so my mom and sister cooked. It was awesome! Your pasta dishes always look so good! Makes me miss gluten.
Monday: Fish tacos
Tuesday: Beef stroganoff and peas. This is my husband's birthday dinner every year. This year we made it with venison steaks and it was good! And we had carrot cake with ice cream for dessert. 🙂
Wednesday: A new recipe... Spicy baked linguine. Only half of my crew liked it and the recipe made a 9x13 pan, so we have lots leftover. We had salad with it.
Thursday: Chicken thighs, roasted carrots and sweet potatoes, and pineapple
Friday: The plan was black bean and rice enchiladas, but I got pork chops for less than half price at Aldi this morning so we're going to make those instead. We'll have cantaloupe and an undecided side with them.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday- homemade pesto baked chicken thighs with wild rice, spinach, and mushrooms
Thursday and Friday- chicken pot pie
Spent $26 on groceries this week because we had a lot in the freezer/pantry. Brought home a large pan of baked ziti from a work party today, which will be my husband's lunches all week next week. Score!
More sauce all the time!
Also, so glad Sonia could enjoy some tacos. I can't understand not liking one of the best foods mankind has ever come up with!
now what we ate: (brace yourself for boring. 😉 )
Monday - Pasta with homemade tomato sauce and salad
Tuesday - Turkey Soup
Wednesday - Rice with Deer Steak and steamed veggies
Thursday - Leftover sauce over rice with salad
Friday - Rice Deer Steak and steamed veggies.
Not liking tacos is unimaginable to me as well!
The gnocchi looks amazing. I can't remember all that we had this week.