What I Spent, What We Ate | takeout x2
What I Spent
I spent $162 on groceries this week between a Hungry Harvest box and the regular grocery store.
August Spending
Week 1: $76
Week 2: $162
What We Ate
Saturday
I had book club, so Mr. FG and I skipped our date night and got Chick Fil A carryout with the girls before club started.
(Still on Zoom, but Zoom is pretty good for book club. Except on the snack front. I miss book club snacks!)
Sunday
I made a big green salad with chicken (brinerated, of course), hard-boiled eggs, and veggies.
And we had buttery bubble bread with the salad, because I think salad meals are much better with some fresh bread.
I made a teeny Instagram Reels video of the shaping/rising/baking process for this bread (that link should work if you are signed into Instagram)
Monday
I thawed a container of slow-cooker sausage ragu and we ate that over pasta.
I have utterly no recollection of what produce we had with that.
How about we pretend I served something very virtuous like Brussels sprouts?
Tuesday
I had an appointment that ran later that expected, so by the time I got home, it was dinnertime.
So...fast food takeout it was. #honesty
Wednesday
I made Swedish meatballs, a request from Sonia. To be truthful, she's mostly here for the sauce and the noodles; the meatballs are just a necessary evil.
We had orange slices on the side because we'd spent the afternoon at my parents' pool and I was low on motivation to do any veggie prepping. #morehonesty
Thursday
I made seafood salad subs and a fruit salad, and then Zoe and I went to do our cat shift.
Friday
I think I'll probably grill some burgers because it is not supposed to be terribly hot.
(Here's the recipe I use for my burgers.)
Our grill sits directly in the sun at dinnertime in the summer, and oof, when it's really hot out, that makes the heat from the grill feel awful.
So, I prefer to grill when we are not in the middle of a heat wave.
What did you eat for dinner this week?
Saturday: Last of the fancy steaks my parents sent for our anniversary, plus garlic/basil butter; garlic bread; roasted sweet potato/bell pepper/onion; roasted green beans
Sunday: Sausage/rice skillet, sauteed calabacita (a squash very much like zucchini when picked small)/green beans/tomato/onion
Monday: Breakfast sausage patties, curried split peas, leftover rice, green beans, and cookies my eldest son took it upon himself to make even though it was almost a hundred degrees that day
Tuesday: Ground beef sandwiches (meat+onion+barbecue sauce), green salad with ranch dressing
Wednesday: Carnitas-style pork, rice, carrot sticks with curry dip
Thursday: Tuna salad for the kids, leftovers for my husband, a saute of various vegetables plus bacon and cheese for me
Tonight: This is the last day of our heat wave, and I forgot to get any meat out to cook overnight or early this morning, So I'm thinking it'll be eggs, because they cook quickly. I'll get some alrady cooked pinto beans out of the freezer, make some rice in the morning, throw some garden vegetables on plates, and call it good.
Busy week at work, so lots of quick foods
1. Grilled chicken salad
2. Shrimp corn chowder, salad and bread (and strawberry trifle!) This was my son's bday request.
3. Fish burritos, rice, salad
4. Leftover Fish, rice and green beans
5. Chicken wraps, capresse salad (twice)
6. Veggie burgers, fruit
7. We'll probably go out this week
Can you tell I cooked up a huge batch of chicken this week? We ate it three times and I'm a bit over it. This is unfortunately, because I have a restaurant coupon that is buy one, get one free chicken entree at our local Mexican restaurant.
Monday I had pulled some steak from the freezer to defrost and grill.. I thought they were individual steaks but when they defrosted they were not, they were HUGE round steaks.. Oh well.. seasoned and grilled ALL THE MEAT up, served with corn on the cob and the last of the baby potatoes I had- seasoned and airfried.
Tuesday kids made steak quesadillas for work and lunch.. I was overheated from the temps and exhausted from work so I tossed breaded chicken tenders into the airfryer and we ate those with or on salad.. and fruit
Weds- kids got pizza, husband and I went out for our anniversary and it was a night full of bad! 1st restaurant had a HORRIBLE sewer thing going on and we walked out due to the smell THROUGH our masks... where we ended up served us iced tea that tasted like bleach... she said it was fountain tea.. we exchanged beverages... both ended up ill that night from supper.. #20yearsin2020
Thursday- I left pulled pork from the freezer and buns out- I had to work... I see they are that and all the watermelon up...
Friday- Still supposed to be HOT!
I have chicken frozen in italian dressing defrosting for tonights grill.. Will be served with salad that needs eaten...and some other veg...and fruit...
It is eye-opening to realize that most masks can only filter out large particles, right? Not air, smells, or smoke, or viruses! Just the large stuff, and since the corona virus often rides on bigger mucus molecules, that’s why they work for lessening infection transmission. I have noticed that my CPAP machine mask does seem to filter out odors, interestingly!
Happy twentieth anniversary!
bit of a crazy week.
Saturday-Chicken on the grill, potatoes, I brought corn on the cob from the farmers market, oh my was it good! Mom made Chocolate zucchini cake with home made icing....
Sunday- over mom/dad, hamburgers/hot dogs, kielbasa, French fries, cucumber oil/vinegar baked bean (mom makes the best) leftover zucchini chocolate cake. everyone contributed with this meal, as we usually do. I brought the hamburgers/ cucumbers.
Monday- ordered a pizza, (kids had eaten at their friends and not the hungry!)
Tuesday- BBQ chicken on the grill, pasta in oil/garlic, corn
Wednesday- DH birthday, his choice, local burger joint (car picnic style! ) went for cold stone (had a buy one get one coupon!)
Thursday- hot dogs, mac and cheese, before dd soccer game.
Friday- Kids are sleeping over MIL, so it will just be us. so not too sure what we are going to do.
I haven't grilled much this week. I really don't like my grill to be honest as it's hard to keep temperature in it.
But let's see what I made this week.
Monday: I made a stir fry.
Tuesday: Pancakes, bacon, fruit etc. My daughter fell asleep and would not wake up some most went into the fridge/freezer as leftovers.
Wednesday: My wife made chicken, gnocci, vegetables etc.
Thursday: BLTs, baked potatoes and salads. Wife had a migraine so most ended up in the fridge as leftovers.
Friday: Since we have so many leftovers we're just going to eat those.
Leftover night is very useful for one's budget and anti-waste efforts.
It's also good as it's less work for me.
Sunday: random things from the fridge and scrambled eggs
Monday: jambalaya and green beans
Tuesday: spaghetti and peas
Wednesday: leftover spaghetti and peas
Thursday: shredded pork tacos and green beans
Friday: leftover shredded pork tacos is the plan. With black beans to stretch the meat
WWS: $98 WWA:
Saturday: eggplant cutlets; pasta with blistered tomatoes, golden zucchini, herbs and capers; Caprese salad
Sunday: Bratwurst; cucumber with dill; Greek pasta salad (rejiggered from Sat. night)
Monday: white bean ragout with sofrito, blistered cherry tomatoes, golden zucchini & prosciutto; salad
Tuesday: grilled salmon with shallots and capers; green beans, salad
Wednesday: Andalusian gazpacho; tortilla española; salad
Thursday: pork and zucchini larb in lettuce wraps, Ippudo cucumbers and red peppers, rice
Friday: homemade pizza and salad
*the tomatoes, zucchini & cucumbers are prolific from the garden these days!
Your "How about we pretend I served something very virtuous like Brussels sprouts?" made my morning!
Let's see if I can remember what we had this week!
Sunday - BLTs using tomatoes from our CSA delivery, fruit and chips
Monday - more BLTs - with just two of us, needed to use up those tomatoes before they spoiled, can't remember what sides we had!
Tuesday - while I was at a wedding, my hubby made black bean casserole and he served it with a salad
Wednesday - leftover black bean casserole with a salad
Thursday - maple Dijon chicken, rice and fried okra (strange combo but again needed to use up the produce before it spoiled)
Friday - usually my day off from cooking so we get takeout
I love kittens. Just seeing them makes me smile. I have a 13 year old male tuxedo cat who likes to worry our dog by snuggling and licking on her one minutes, slapping her the next. It's the cat's idea of entertainment.
Last week was my off week for shopping, so I think I spent about $5. I'll make up for it today, though.
What we ate:
Tacos with visiting kids and grandkids. I used cut up fruit instead of tomatoes and tomato salsa on mine.
Sliced kielbasa with lots of shredded cabbage and onions.
Pressure cooker stew, made with sweet potatoes, beef, celery, onion, mushroom and carrots, all cooked in homemade bone broth. Had it another night as leftovers.
Bacon, honey-rosemary carrots, and okra from the garden.
Burgers with fries, fruit. I tried a form of "bread" made from cauliflower I found at the food co-op and tried that for my bun. It was different, but it wasn't bad at all. It would be acceptable as a bread/bun substitute, but I need to figure out how to make it on my own or get it very rarely. I got it for less than 1/2 price on sale, but at full price, it's a dollar a slice!
Still no kitchen, so the parade of low touch meals continues:
-Prepped fresh burger patties (quite good, purchased at Costco), grilled & served with brioche buns & salad
-Ground chicken burgers (also from Costco), in wheat pitas, with tomatoes & cheese.
-Orange chicken with cauliflower rice
-Frozen lasagna + salad
I need to figure out what I can make for the last week without a kitchen. Or, maybe I shouldn't jinx myself, but hopefully we're in the home stretch.
Want help? This is my favorite kind of challenge! What equipment do you have available?
I am so happy to see the kittens. Looks like momma and babies came in together? That's great if so! Babies need their mommas!
Tuxedo kittens! SOOOOO cute!!! Good job to you and Zoe for helping out at the animal shelter this week. You make a positive difference!
This week I went to a Restaurant Supply Store. I bought 5# cheese, 25# sugar, 25# rolled oats, 2 qts raspberry syrup. I spent $110 of my $120 August food budget.
Saturday takeout pizza with my two daughters and their boyfriends
Sunday roast chicken thighs with roast potatoes, some vegetable
Monday chicken pesto lasagna using the leftover roast chicken meat
Tuesday slow cooker enchilada casserole, sauteed kale
Wednesday grocery story fried chicken, grocery store mashed potatoes, ratatouille
Thursday penne rosa with chicken (oodles of chicken this week! Sheesh)
Friday leftovers to start clearing out the fridge
I'm feeling really good about my July and August grocery spending to far. Part of me wonders if that's because the first few months of pandemic shopping were so expensive that normal spending feels amazing.
Monday - This was our first full day back from camping and we went to my parents' house to pick up our dog. My mom offered that we could stay for dinner... Absolutely, yes! Especially since I hadn't been to the store yet.
Tuesday - Burrito bowls and grapes
Wednesday - Spaghetti (the sauce had a lot of veggies in it) and green beans from our garden. My kids like to eat the green beans raw right after they're picked, but I cooked these in butter to make my husband happy.
Thursday - BBQ pork sandwiches, grilled summer squash, watermelon, and corn on the cob. (I got about 80 ears of corn for $4, so we'll be having a lot of corn! And there will be a lot of corn in my freezer.)
Friday - The plan is crunchwraps and blueberries, but I'm not sure that I have the right size of tortillas for crunchwraps. Plan B will be a grilled sheet pan dinner, corn on the cob, and watermelon. I have a lot of produce right now. 🙂
I feel faint reading your price for corn! Here it is $1.25 per ear!! We end up eating frozen corn even during the summer, except for the 4th of July.
$1.25/ear would be tough!
The produce place I go to has sold it for this cheap the last 3 years. (It's as much as you can fit in a bag for $1. Limit 4.) I don't even bother trying to grow it in my garden anymore!
Or gardens are still going strong, so I've been taking different kinds of salads to work every day.
Here's what we ate for dinner this week.
Saturday - Stuffed shells, salad and garlic cheese bread.
Sunday - Dressed chicken patties, french fries and applesauce. Substituted a vegeburger for Michaela.
Monday - Leftover stuffed shells.
Tuesday - Michaela and I had barre fitness class so it was a quick PB&J sandwich night made with some of our homemade blackberry jam. Sliced cucumber on the side.
Wednesday - Michaela had her basic lifesaving course to take before going back to college, so the hubby and I made a date night of it. We dined outside at a local restaurant and then went for a walk along the lake. We got ice cream and watched the sunset in the park; then laid on the grass and watched the meteor shower.
Thursday - Buttermilk french toast using buttermilk leftover from making butter earlier in the week.
Friday - Not a clue!!! I'll figure it our before I get home from work.
Saturday-mac and cheese, green peas, peaches
Sunday-ham, white beans, broccoli, cornbread
Monday-hamburger, chips, applesauce
Tuesday-bean soup, cornbread
Wednesday-leftover mac and cheese, peas, grapefruit
Thursday-hamburger, chips, watermelon
Friday-probably nothing. I had a big lunch: barbecue pork sandwich, baked beans, slaw
In no particular order:
- Microwave ramen vegie chilli noodle soup
- Fettucine (cooked in chicken stock) with baby peas, pepper, parsley, & parmesan
- Grilled lamb chop with steamed mixed veg
- Store bought frozen thai chicken pie
- Baked bean/ cheese/spinach toastie
- homemade microwave mac n cheese
- Raisin Toast
- just realised in the fettucine I meant fresh ground pepper the spice
ohh I could go some raisin toast now...emails c u in a bit...:)
...munch munch..so good; I don't know who invented raisin toast but they were a genius
Last week I spent a bit extra. When I went to the dentist, I stopped in at Trader Joe's, which is right down the street. And I picked up the 3-day items at a local store and my yogurt at Aldi.
I asked my neighbors over for a social evening. We had not seen each other. The weather was lovely to sit outside. I made a taco dip/casserole with my last pound of ground beef. My husband and I had the leftovers for lunches.
Sunday. We had BLTs to use up bacon I bought Beef bourginon, which I made for Monday and Tuesday dinners I had potatoes left from potato salad the week before and squash from the garden. It was quite yummy.
Wednesday we did lunch take out from a small local Italian lunch place near where I gre up. Meatball subs. They have not changed the recipe in the 60ish years that they have been open. We ate that for lunch and supper because I had a zoom board meeting that evening.
Thursday night we had come pan cooked chicken with salad. Tomatoes are ripening on a daily basis now.
Friday I made zucchini "pizza" rounds--slice of zucchini with a dab of sauce, some grated cheese, and a piece of pepperoni. It really was quite filling.
Today I went to the local store for the 3-day items. I found a few items that will work nicely to get food on the table for next week.
We got hit by the derecho that went through Iowa and Illinois on Monday. We were lucky—our power was only out for three days, and our home and trees survived the straight line winds of 80-100 mph. We ate nothing but takeout from restaurants that we could find that still had power for those three days, and had to pitch pretty much everything in our fridge, fridge freezer, and chest freezer. Since I tend to buy in bulk when meat is on sale and both freezers were full that’s a good chunk of money in the trash. However, I feel super grateful that my family is all ok, and we still have a roof over our heads, which a lot of people don’t right have right now. Heck of a way to participate in a freezer challenge though! 🙂
So glad everyone is safe. So scary!
A generator became a huge priority for us after the 2011 Illinois derecho! We are able to assist 2 neighbors if needed, and since I always had a lot of meat in my freezer, it seemed like an economical purchase. Sorry that happened to you.