WIS, WWA | (looks around sheepishly)
It's the first week of December and shew, we sure did make up for some low spending weeks this time around!
Read on...
What I Spent
- $102 at Giant
- $145 at Aldi
- $12 at Weis
- $7 at Safeway
Aaaaand that adds up to $266.
December is off to a ROARING start around here, I guess.
I had not been to Aldi in eons, so we were pretty overdue for some stocking up on things like butter ($1.65/pound!). So I don't expect this $266/week pattern to continue. 😉
What We Ate
Saturday
We actually did go on a date night on a Saturday night! We tried to eat in at a local seafood spot, but when we got there, it had been slow and they'd cleaned all the tables up for the night and were only offering takeout.
So, we had an inadvertent early-pandemic style takeout date night; we ate our food at home and watched Law & Order. 🙂
Sunday
Mr. FG's cooking night! He made orange chipotle chicken tacos from Dinner Illustrated.
Monday
I made chipped beef on toast (I just make a small pot of a milk-free version for Sonia) and we ate raw produce on the side.
Tuesday
Sonia ate a pan of sriracha noodles (using the Budget Bytes recipe) before she went to get bubble tea with a friend. Mr. FG, Zoe, and I had ravioli with tomato sauce, and I made a pan of breadsticks.
Funny thing: Mr. FG picked up the ravioli on his way home, and he accidentally got a gluten-free version of the cheese ravioli. I decided I'd try to cook it and see how it was (it looked normal), but guys, it was inedible, even with tomato sauce.
It had a weird smell and a weird taste and I had to throw the whole thing out.
Luckily, he had also bought a bag of (gluten-full) meat ravioli, so we just ate that instead.
Conclusion: if I ever have to go gluten-free, I will just not eat ravioli at all. Blech.
Wednesday
It's my no-cooking night (I wrote about that here) and we did a range of things:
Zoe and Sonia got $20 worth of fast food, I ate leftover chipped beef on toast, and Mr. FG wasn't that hungry so he had yogurt and buttered seedy whole wheat toast (Aldi's version of Dave's Killer Bread).
Thursday
I knew I would likely not be feeling very energetic (I got my booster shot on Wednesday night), so I had planned ahead to make a super easy BBQ chicken crock-pot recipe from this ATK slow cooker cookbook.
I did not feel lie-in-bed sick, but I definitely was not feeling 100% and I was glad I'd planned to make something easy!
Friday
I think I might use the leftover BBQ chicken to make some BBQ chicken pizzas tonight. It'll depend on how energetic I'm feeling because so far today, I feel pretty tired. Better than yesterday, though!
Saturday - takeout taqueria
Sunday - chicken and sausage orzo
Monday - chicken tacos, rice, corn
Tuesday - potato and ham soup from freezer, crescent rolls
Wednesday - Mexican chicken and rice salad
Thursday - vegetable chow mein
Friday - salad with chicken, buttermilk rolls
Saturday - bbq meatballs, leftover mashed potatoes from thanksgiving and peas & carrots
Sunday -homemade chicken noodle soup
Monday - leftover meatballs, scalloped potatoes
Tuesday - basil chicken coconut curry with rice
Wednesday - Italian sausage/potato/onion/pepper sheet pan dinner
Thursday - roasted Brussel sprouts, rice, pork chops with nando peri peri sauce
Friday - take out!!!
Just 2 comments..
1- That price for butter at Aldi is incredible. Do you remember when it was $4? I pick up some every time I go and freeze it.
2- It's so easy to spend at Aldi right now. Their seasonal products lure me right in. And the smoked Gouda is a favorite for me too...
@Kathy Thomas, the cheapest my Aldi butter has been this season is $2 a pound. I have some in the freezer and plan on stocking up more! And we like the cranberry and goat cheese from Aldi but I should try the smoked Gouda.
I think tonight will be leftover lentil and sausage stew, hubby made carnitas one night, I made apricot chicken and rice last night, and I made Mexican skillet supper earlier this week.
@Kathy Thomas, I live in the same region (Either the same state or one state over) as Kristen and my Aldi was selling butter for $1.99. I stocked up because it is usually $2.99. Her Aldi must be super amazingly low priced!
However English muffins were $0.50 this week at my Aldi! I bought 6 packs because my four kids eat them for snacks all day long. And that is cheaper than I can make them.
We had takeout fish n chips one day and cooked meals of various degrees of sophistication on the other days. All meals contained plenty vegetables and some protein.
The fish n chips did not really agree with me, I do not seem to digest fried foods well any longer
Our eldest will be cooking tonight so I am off the hook 🙂 .
@J NL, I love this -- plenty vegetables and some protein -- that is exactly my goal every night!
Turkey leftovers in some form or other all. week. long. haha!
I can barely remember what we had, at this point:
-Steak & roasted acorn squash
-Thanksgiving leftovers x2
-Tacos, x2
-Takeout night for three (my husband was at a work dinner), between a soccer game & dropping one of the kids off for a group project. We got Greek food.
I'm not sure about tonight. We have enough Greek leftovers we can probably add a side dish & stretch it to make enough for another dinner.
Saturday: We were at a family event and had a spread of falafel, kebabs, fried eggplant, and various salads, dips, and pita.
Sunday: Chanukah party! My aunt served salmon, asparagus, salad, and latkes. We contributed a banana cake and some biscotti to the dessert spread.
Monday: Udon soup with tofu and vegetables.
Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs. I made 3 lbs beef into meatballs while my mom watched the baby, and now we have a freezer full of meatballs! I couldn't get fennel seed so I subbed in chopped fennel bulb and it worked perfectly.
Wednesday: We had vegetarian friends over, so I made smittenkitchen's carrot and miso soup, a tofu and vegetable stir-fry, and rice. My brother came over and held the baby while I cooked, and I have him a jar of soup as thanks 🙂
Thursday: Salmon, rice, and miso soup with tofu. Again, my mom watched the baby while I cooked.
Friday: I think we're having company again, and we plan to have chicken (which reminds me, I need to take it out of the freezer). Probably with roasted root vegetables and a salad. I'll use the leftover rice to from the last few days to make fried rice for lunch.
Whew, that was a week of big meals. I think next week will be for restocking the freezer and trying to simplify meal time.
Ok, so, I think it's funny that you had a fennel bulb on hand but not fennel seed!
@Meira@meirathebear, I love seeing how much support you're getting with your baby. I'm thinking back to all the newborn days of trying to cook while dealing with the baby (and, later, multiple toddlers/small children) and thinking how much it would have helped my sleep-addled emotional state to have someone to help. Hooray for your family.
@Kristen, haha I didn't! My mom very kindly ran to the store to buy one!
@kristin @ going country, Oh my goodness, yes. I need it so badly. Having other people around is SO important, and I'm lucky to have family who want to be around. (Much to my dismay, part of my support system is going on vacation to warmer climates soon, which is part of why I know I need to stocj the freezer and simplify our meals.)
@Meira@meirathebear, someone told me once that the biggest thing about cooking with a newborn is knowing that you can always turn off the heat if needs be and come back later. I've had to do it a few times, and it's always been ok 🙂
I am still looking for a good gluten-free pasta. I do like the frozen brand Capellos. It is made with almond flour. However, t is very difficult to find and expensive!
I tried a red lentil pasta last night and I was not crazy about it. Does anyone have a brand that they like?
Sonia tried the Banza rotini when she was on a gluten-free trial, and I think that was tolerable once it was topped with sauce.
We had the best luck when we were using recipes that called for naturally gluten-free pasta, like Thai recipes that use rice noodles.
@Bee, I like the gluten free pasta from Aldi. You have to pay attention to the cook time so you don't overcook it but it's pretty tasty.
@Bee, The best gluten free pasta I've ever tried was 100% corn flour. I can't find it here, but it was all over New York state, even in a store brand. I saw in a New Yorker profile of an all-gluten-free restaurant that they use corn-flour pasta, too. So it wasn't just my opinion. 🙂
@Bee, We like Ronzoni gluten free pasta. The elbows work wonderfully in macaroni and cheese (I only boil them for five minutes, so they don't get mushy at all when baked in the oven). Their penne and spaghetti are excellent too. My family can't tell the difference at all. I have also liked Trader Joe's brown rice fusili, but I don't go to Trader Joe's much anymore, and Ronzoni has a nicer texture, in my opinion.
Bean and lentil pastas are not, in my opinion, worth my time.
Adding in that yes, rice noodles (Taste of Thai) are very good, but work best for Asian recipes, in my experience, or in noodle soups. The Ronzoni does, I think, have corn flour in it, so that may be why it's nicer than the brown rice pasta.
Ronzoni and Banza have been the best alternative I have found. Most tend to get "gloopy" for lack of a better term. Ronzoni is the best "spaghetti" alternative. Banza for the different shaped pasta.
@Bee, Jovial is my favorite GF pasta (the brown rice line)
Thank you everyone. That is a wonderful list. I have not tried some of these, but I will.
@Bee, Trader Joe’s GF rotini is great, and most of Barilla’s GF pasta is good, too. I also eat a lot of rice noodles in different widths that I buy in an Asian grocery store (I live in a city with lots of ethnic grocery stores).
@Bee, My Daughter has Celiac and we enjoy Barilla and Ronzoni, Aldi brands.
Saturday: We got a bunch of boxes of Annie's macaroni and cheese through excess commodities delivery to the village, and they were almost inedibly salty. My son made two boxes for lunch, and none of the kids finished theirs. So I added the leftovers to some plain cooked pasta and roasted tomato sauce. The resulting frankenpasta was actually very good and the children enjoyed it a lot. My husband had leftovers from Thanksgiving and I had a salad with some of the turkey.
Sunday: Turkey enchilada casserole, carrot sticks with ranch dip, pureed squash, salad for me, and chocolate chip cookies
Monday: Bunless cheeseburgers, leftover Thanksgiving dressing, fried mushrooms and onions, pureed squash
Tuesday: Ground beef tacos using some of the leftover enchilada sauce in homemade corn tortillas, frozen peas, pureed squash
Wednesday: Beef stir-fry, rice
Thursday: Pizza topped with asadero cheese and the leftover taco meat, to make a sort of cross-cultural melange. It was actually really good. The kids ate raw carrots and dried cranberries before dinner, so I counted that as their vegetable.
My husband also finished off some turkey soup I had made, and I had another salad.
Tonight: Husband and eldest son will be gone (a "discovery flight" at a flight school for the almost-12-year-old, who is very interested in planes and flying--pay no attention to my motherly heart palpitations over here) and will eat dinner somewhere on their drive home. I took out some shredded bull meat for the younger three who will be home with me. I'll combine that with the last of the enchilada sauce to make taco meat for them. If I'm feeling ambitious, I might make flour tortillas for them. If I'm not, store-bought corn tortillas it is. 🙂 And most likely another salad for me. Or maybe leftover stir-fry. We shall see.
This week was a pork loin with roasted broccoli and rice pilaf for a few days and a breakfast casserole for a few days. I am very grateful that my husband loves my cooking and also enjoys leftovers. Friday nights my husband makes himself the only gluten free frozen pizza that's safe for him and I eat tortellini with pesto. Our son is very allergic to tree nuts, but since he's away at college I can again enjoy pesto without worry of cross contamination.
I like the cassava flour pasta from Jovial. I've used brown rice pasta in the past, when re-introducing rice in my diet (rice only works in small amounts for me, sadly) but when I tried to reheat leftover rice pasta, the texture was horrible, like grainy mush.
I pressure cooked cube steak and had it with gravy from the pan, cauliflower and carrots. Pressure cooking it only took right at 35 minutes, starting from the browning before bringing up to pressure, to the finish of cool down.
A locally made mild sausage with okra and cassava flour biscuits.
Maple "Teriyaki" salmon with roasted broccoli and something else I've forgotten.
Leftover meatloaf and.... some vegetables. I didn't cook what was on my menu, so I can't remember.
I brought my husband back to our town to see his primary care doctor, and since I had to drive him back to the assisted living facility over 50 miles away after his appointment got over at 5:30, I got him one of his favorite fast foods, Popeye's shrimp combo. I ate chicken that I pulled the breading off of, and cole slaw.
The last of the local sausage with homemade kraut. Honey-rosemary carrots as a side. I was going to make sweet potato mash, but got lazy.
Tonight is easy - a Mexican restaurant, to celebrate my granddaughter's sweet 16!
I spent $100 and some odd cents at the grocery store this week. That total included $17 in dog dental chews and kitty treats. Our total was that low because we had a $20 store coupon earned by spending at least $60 a week for six consecutive weeks, so that was nice.
People at my house were sick at various times, including myself, and had little appetite this past week. We got some fast food burgers and fries one night when I was laid low by a sinus infection, and chicken, a salad and cheese bread from the deli the day my husband had eye surgery. Then the Norovirus hit our house, and it's been ginger ale, saltines and Gatorade.
For my work lunches this week, I pulled some veggie things from the freezer, added some turkey sausage and sauerkraut, and called it good. Had berries and yogurt on the side and am drinking homemade tea as my beverage. I'm hoping all the probiotics in the kraut and the yogurt will help me not catch that nasty tummy virus.
Oh man, it's been a rough health week at your house! Here's to a healthier upcoming week for you guys.
We got home from vacation Monday night so it was eating out until …
Tues - box of tomato soup, bag salad, grocery store French bread (kids got covid shots, one had a hard time emotionally with getting the shot so I was glad I planned easy so I could give him extra love!)
Wed - ma po eggplant with pork and rice
Thurs - chicken salad on clearance rolls with havarti melted on it, and a bag of salad
Fri - we fly out for my father-in-law’s memorial, I’m packing sandwiches for the plane and there will be food at my mother-in-law’s when we get in if anyone is still hungry.
Week one of shopping and cooking for just me, myself, and I - first time in 37 years*. I bought groceries that should last me a couple of weeks. I ate:
Monday - Leftover Day after Turkey Soup
Tuesday - Stuffed salmon portion, brussels sprouts
Wednesday - Ate Taco Soup at my daughter's apartment
Thursday - Flatbread Pizza with side salad
Tonight - Coconut shrimp and some sir fry veggies, maybe rice
Saturday - probably take-out
Sunday - Chicken Strips and chopped salad with my daughter
*My daughter and I are eating together two nights a week, so I'm only cooking for one for a few meals, not all of them. I'm doing the same thing I have always done with lunches - leftovers, or tuna salad, or the hospital cafeteria!
Aww, I'm so glad that you and your daughter are eating together a couple of times a week. Excellent.
Wow, Mr. FG is killing it with his dinners. They look delicious!
Dinners this week (in no particular order)
1. Curry Chickpea Stir Fry
2. White bean, cabbage and rice dish (honestly this was just using up all the leftovers in the fridge)
3. Went to a friend's home and dined on pizza, meatball subs and salad-yum!
4. Lentil Soup
5. Turkey Leftovers
6. Veggie Burgers/Beyond Beef Burgers, Fries and Brussel Sprouts
7. Tonight-Minestrone Soup w/Crusty Bread
Saturday: We repurposed leftovers for the kids and used the rest of a birthday gift certificate to a local Mexican place for us. We were all very happy with this arrangement because the kids don't seem to like Mexican and we don't like paying for food the kids complain about.
Sunday: Wendy's take out on the way back to the city.
Monday: I left a venison roast in the crockpot for my husband to eat on while I was out of town for work a few days. He made stove top mac and cheese with tuna and peas for the kids.
Tuesday: Roasted chicken breast, which was probably served with a veggie and a starch side.
Wednesday: My husband made meatloaf in the crockpot and served rice and string beans on the side. I know because it smelled divine when I got home late that night!
Thursday: Leftovers from all that meat roasting.
Friday: I bought a half-off turkey at Aldi on Sunday. I never cook the turkey for Thanksgiving, so I never have the days of leftovers that others enjoy (or don't enjoy). So I am roasting my own turkey this afternoon and expect my carnivorous children will have licked it clean by Sunday night. Anything left over I'll make into soup.
You made it back to Aldi! Yay! I'm also planning on stocking up on butter... This month I want to get enough to last me until they put it on sale again at Easter.
Saturday - We watched my friends' 3 kids all day (total of 6 kids ages 2-7 in our house! It was a lot of fun!) and they offered to buy pizza for dinner
Sunday - We had leftover pizza and used a coupon for free parmesan bites from Domino's. Then white cheddar popcorn while watching a Christmas movie after decorating our tree!
Monday - Spaghetti
Tuesday - Tater tot hot dish and a broccoli/cauliflower mix
Wednesday - Chicken enchiladas, refried beans I made in the IP (I'm happy with how they turned out), and kiwi
Thursday - Hot dogs and brats, corn, fruit, and a bag of chips that my husband brought home
Friday - IP mac and cheese with sliced cheddar brats for those who want some meat and I'll probably grab a bag of peas out of the freezer
- Cream of vegetable soup (broccoli, onions, carrots)
- Eggplant lasagna
- Zucchini boats filled with quinoa mixture
- Bang bang cauliflower (leftover from restaurant lunch)
- Plate of veggies: sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini
- Popcorn and fruit
This week at my house has been an episode of sinus infections for us all. Hooray for winter in GA and all the viral junk that comes with it. Everyone has been on some kind of steroid for some portion of this past week so meals have been very un-fancy. Thankfully no COVid!
I spent $58 at Kroger this week and most of that went to OJ, Milk and other such staples.
Saturday - We were out of town handling some things at my Aunt's house so 3 of us ate at Panera which was sadly terrible and my Mom had a sandwich from Jersey Mike's.
Sunday - Thanksgiving leftovers for the last night & any remaining items went to the freezer.
Monday - Beef tips and gravy, mashed potatoes, sauteed carrots with rosemary & ginger
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - We had our annual Christmas worship even at church and got pizza at a local spot beforehand with some friends
Thursday - Chicken fried rice & a wonton soup both loaded with veggies; hot tea and early bedtimes for us all; pass the cough syrup. Ugh.
Friday - Leftovers & prayers that next week will be much improved.
Happy weekend everyone!
Kristen, I'm also back in school (and will be transferring to a 4 year next fall when my youngest homeschooled kid has graduated) and my class schedule has made cooking so difficult that I also made one night a no-cook night. I chose Friday because that's my grocery day, so even though there's no dinner, there's plenty of fresh food! I love how much you're sharing your journey because it parallels mine so much. 🙂
Friday: Leftover Thanksgiving Food.
Saturday: Leftover Thanksgiving Food. I always cook like I'm singlehandedly responsible for making Thanksgiving dinner for about a million people. We sent food home with everyone and had it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner Friday and Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday.
Sunday: Dinner was Chinese takeout for me and pizza for hubby.
Monday: Mexican Lasagna.
Tuesday: Egg & Cheese Sandwiches.
Wednesday: Creamy Chicken Tacos & Cowboy Caviar.
Thursday: Leftover Creamy Chicken Tacos & Cowboy Caviar.
I have no idea about tonight! I was thinking about making pizza. I have premade crust, so it's quick and easy. But, my booster shot is tomorrow evening, so after you're post I'm thinking I may want to make a big batch of something so we have leftovers.
It is awesome that everyone is taking turns making dinner -- they all sound delish!
I know I spent a LOT on various groceries and stock up stuff this week, along with the usual items. As for WWA, best I can recollect:
Saturday -- Pollo Loco fast food chicken.
Sunday -- Rotisserie chicken plus salad or broccoli
Monday -- Rotisserie redux in big salad.
Tuesday --Lovely grassfed hamburgers (have been picking up the organic grassfed stuff on sale) and steamed broccoli
Wednesday -- Pasta Bolognese (last half of the grassfed beef) -- whole wheat pasta for husband; edamame pasta for me. Husband prepared it and it was dee-licious 🙂
Thursday -- Pizza, using up last of the Bolognese sauce, some mozzarella that needed to be used and frozen cauliflower crusts. Again, yummy, even though I forgot to pre-cook the crusts before adding toppings -- oops. So we ate with forks. With big salads.
Tonight -- something quick and cheap for treat night.
Happy Friday to all!
I made a big pot of stock from the turkey carcass and used it to make a delicious soup with some leftover turkey, veggies and farro. I also made a big pot of red beans and rice with some andouille sausage I found in the freezer. Hubby didn't want soup so he had some gyro meat sandwiches. I just did the grocery shopping today-I also went to Aldi. I p planned on getting a pizza but much to my surprise they had neither plain nor supreme. So I grabbed a package of carnitas and an avocado ranch chopped salad and we had tacos. I was very impressed by how good the meat was! And ready in 3 minutes, woohoo. The avocado ranch dressing was good on the tacos too. Spent a bit more at Aldi than usual but I got a few gifts and stocking stuffers and bought 5 boxes of cereal for the school food drive.
I wish we had an Aldi!
Tonight we had lots of snacky appetizers after golf at a friend's house, so that was dinner. We contributed a "Santa Fe" trail mix with walnuts, cashews, peanuts and pretzels.
Last night we had pan roasted chicken, leftover risotto, roasted broccoli
Wednesday night we were camping and made breakfast burritos and a salad
Tuesday we had pulled pork sandwiches with some leftover pork roast from the freeser. Also roasted potatoes and slaw
Monday risotto with ... Crab cakes and roasted broccoli.
Sunday we made a salad and finished off Thanksgiving leftovers.
Tomorrow we have friends coming. I'm making pizzas and salad.
Very very busy week. Planned ahead.
Made spicy ranch oyster crackers and a huge pot of hamburger vegetable soup. We had this Monday Tuesday and Wednesday. We had tortellini and butter and sage sauce with cabbage slaw on Thursday. We had fish sandwiches and oven fried potatoes today. Tomorrow we are having split pea and ham soup with cornbread.
It's so hard to go gluten free when one's used to all the yummy gluten-filled goodies! Glad that's not a problem you need to worry about.
Sunday: Sang paneer
Monday: A Greek pork and leek recipe
Tuesday: Shrimp and potatoes and corn tossed with chaat masala and lots of lime. An improv, but it turned out tasty!
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Spinach and artichoke grilled cheese
Friday/Saturday: Leftovers