WIS, WWA | a cheap week (+ a symphony night)
What I Spent
- $15 at Safeway
- $18 at Lidl
- $17 at McDonald's
- $8 at Chick Fil A
Sooo, only $58 for me this week!
What We Ate
Saturday
Lisey had been wanting to go see an orchestra, so I bought tickets and Zoe came along with us too.
We pretended to be fancy people for a night. 😉
And after we left the symphony, we ate chicken sandwiches in the McDonald's parking lot at 10 pm.
We couldn't keep up the fancy facade for long!
Sunday
Zoe and I made Pioneer Woman's chicken enchiladas together.
Monday
I had some chorizo in the freezer, so I thawed that, browned it, and used it to make quesadillas.
I also had some cilantro and tomatoes that needed to be used, so I made some pico de gallo.
And bonus points for me because I used the rest of the chorizo the next morning to make an egg, potato, and chorizo bowl, topped with pico de gallo.
Tuesday
Easy-button night: I made waffles topped with fruit and whipped cream.
Two things about that:
- in case you hadn't ever realized it: whipped cream is way less sugary than syrup. And it feels more decadent to me! Here's how I make my whipped cream.
- I've been using a half milk/half yogurt mixture in place of buttermilk (I just whisk them together) and it works great. Easier than keeping buttermilk on hand, and WAY tastier than the vinegar/milk trick people like to use.
Wednesday
Lisey was out with a friend, so it was just Zoe and me and we got Chick-Fil-A. Zoe is always down for Chick-Fil-A.
I got my sandwich for free because of points in my app, so I only had to pay for Zoe's meal.
Thursday
I made bourbon chicken and broccoli over rice. It was storming so, you get a dark picture:
I used those clearance chicken thighs that I'd deboned and frozen a while back!
Friday
I have some leftover bourbon chicken and rice, so maybe that.
Or, since I spent so little on groceries, we might get some takeout if the girls don't have plans.
Now you're making me want a chicken sandwich. Maybe I'll use some leftover turkey to make a turkey salad sandwich for lunch today.
WIS: 43.94 on pizza, 157.64@ the local health food store (where a half gallon of milk is almost nine dollars...like, whoa...), 220.48 on an order of protein powder, 210.74@ Aldi, 23.31 on more pizza, and 60.80@ the liquor store for a total of 716.91 this week. It was a week I wouldn't like to repeat, but we made it through and it isn't even my highest spending week, so that's something.
Fri: we were supposed to be at my mil's eating my husband's favorite childhood pizza. Instead, my youngest spiked a fever and started vomiting, and I spent 9 and a half hours with him at urgent care. He had an IV, 20 oz of cranberry juice and a bag of oyster crackers. My husband and other kids had take out pizza, and I forced myself to eat a piece of cold pizza before collapsing in bed at about 2:30 AM. None of us had salad, just disappointment. 🙁
Sat: husband made homemade chicken noodle soup. We had it with white rice, bread and applesauce.
Sun: leftover soup and bread, popsicles for dessert.
Mon: breakfast for dinner: salad (just mixed greens and dressing), plain scrambled eggs, bread, bacon, sweet and spicy swiss chard (light on the spicy), and miso soup.
Tue: salad (mixed greens, tomatoes, avocado, sesame seeds, oil and vinegar), roasted bone-in turkey breast, roasted potatoes, carrots and brussel sprouts, turkey gravy.
Wed: I went to my friend's house for a Seder with no children and no responsibility. It was lovely. I ate roasted chicken and potatoes, celery, parsley, charoset, matzo crackers with horseradish, hardboiled eggs, grapes, cheese and crackers, and plenty of wine. At home, my children had ramen soup and grapes. Then my husband had more pizza, secretly, while children slept...
Thu: pasta primavera with egg and frozen peas, shredded parmesan on the side (it would normally be mixed in, but the Dr said no dairy for the youngest while on the antibiotics), watermelon.
Tonight: focaccia is off the menu this week on account of all the cheese, so maybe we'll have ramen again and watermelon. Maybe also some more salad. Or leftovers. Hopefully at least no IV bags.
Have a great Easter weekend to all who celebrate!
@Becca, Oh, sad Friday. I hope your Easter weekend is free of any illness.
@kristin @ going country,
I hope so, too. Today is the last day of antibiotics, so he should be able to enjoy chocolate and other tasty treats on Easter. Fingers crossed!
@Becca, I never heard that about antibiotics and avoiding dairy. Looked it up and ready a couple of articles about it. I wonder how widely known that is? So happy to know it now.
@KJ,
His Dr suggested it bc he was having digestive upset symptoms from the higher dosage. I just hope it's killing off the bacteria in his finger wound as completely as it is clearly killing off the beneficial bacteria in his digestive tract...
@Becca,
Between the kid and the diabetic cat, it has been a pretty crappy week...and I do mean that literally...
@Becca, I knew about the no dairy except I was told to eat plain yogurt everyday to help with diarrhea that could be a side affect of the antibiotic.
Some years ago bil and I had a sinus infection. We were both on the same antibiotic and he had diarrhea and I had none.
I do this every time and so far so good.
Sounds like a fun and tasty week! I love to eat breakfast bowls like that. As we all know, a fried egg makes it all come together! This week at my house:
Monday - Mexican Chicken Breast Bites, twice baked potato, brussels sprouts with carrots
Tuesday - (turkey) Ramen Stir Fry - this made two heaping plates and was wolfed down by Son #2 and myself.
Wednesday - Green Chile Veggie Enchiladas(zucchini and mushroom), rice with corn {grocery night - spent $139 but that included a whole lot of Easter candy and some beer from E. Bunny}
Thursday - Beefy Bean Burritos, salad with tomato and avocado {made refrieds from some pintos I had in the freezer}
Friday - Garlic/Onion/Rosemary Tilapia, kale, corn
Saturday - I'm not cooking all day, but now that you've mentioned Chik-Fil-A, that might be my lunch! For dinner, who knows.
Sunday - I'm going to throw some chicken thighs into the crockpot. season them up, and make shredded chicken for sammies on buns, with pickle and onion, chips on the side. I decided I am too lazy to fix a dessert, though, so I am setting out Dove Easter candies.
Have a great weekend!
https://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/
Saturday: My 9yo daughter chose to make grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup from a kids cookbook. I'm hoping this summer I can have her start helping with dinner a bit more.
Sunday: My husband's birthday! His favorite meal is beef stroganoff, so I always make that on his birthday. We had it with peas and salad. Carrot cake and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Since it was Sunday, though, that was all for lunch! We went out for dinner to a local place that we had a good card for and that offers free meals on your birthday.
Monday: Hamloaf, cauliflower with cheese, and zucchini
Tuesday: Spaghetti, asparagus, and pineapple (eating the asparagus made me so excited for the upcoming garden season!)
Wednesday: Beef stew and biscuits
Thursday: Chili with baked potatoes
Friday: I think burgers and fries or fish filets with some sort of veggies. We're refinishing some hardwood flooring today, so I'm not entirely sure how the day is going to go!
Kristen, your daughter are beautiful (like their momma!) and have grown so much! Thank you for sharing bits of your life in the midst of the WIS/WIA posts!
Dinners this week include:
1. Tofu stir fry with broccoli and rice
2. Swai fish, salad, rice
3. Port roast, roasted potatoes and veggies
4. Lemon chicken, rice and salad
5. Beyond beef burgers and salad
6. I don't remember-lol maybe leftovers
7. Tonight we have 5 of our great nieces visiting; so a large pan of baked ziti, salad and garlic knots is on the menu (as of right now).
78 dollars at Kroger pickup
Monday: leftover potato soup and grilled Turkey and cheese sandwiches
Tuesday: semi homemade bean and cheese enchiladas rice and pepper and cucumber salad
Wednesday: leftovers from Tuesday with air fryer asparagus
Thursday: tuna melts French fries and green bean salad. My hubby makes this salad. His family recipe. So cheap. One can drained green beans. Vinegar. Oil. Salt and lots of pepper. So yummy!
Friday: LENT I am making a shrimp sheet pan meal. Couscous. Italian bread garlic toast.
Happy Easter to all who celebrate!
Saturday: Meatloaf made with a mixture of ground beef and bulk breakfast sausage, mashed potatoes, caramelized cabbage
Sunday: I cooked thin slices of sirloin steak in a kind of marinara sauce, then used some of that sauce plus some extra frozen pesto cubes, to sauce spaghetti for the kids. Sauteed zucchini and still-frozen peas for vegetables, and baked custard for dessert. Which I did not overbake. That is . . . not always the case. So yay me!
Monday: Leftover cafeteria hot dogs because SOMEONE (first-born son) had been nibbling away at the leftover meatloaf after I went to bed, leftover mashed potatoes and cheese, sauerkraut, cucumbers with vinegar and salt
Tuesday: Ground beef and bean chili, cornbread. I add a LOT of pureed calabaza (winter squash) to thicken and slightly sweeten the chili, so I consider that the vegetable.
Wednesday: I came home with a bunch of Spanish rice from the school lunch, which I mixed with chili and grated cheese to make a very fast after-work meal. And then, because no one was notably enthused about this, I gave them some home-canned peaches, too.
Thursday: I had two kids home with me while my husband took our two altar servers to serve at the Holy Thursday Mass. One son had chili before they left. My daughter had a cough and was very upset she hadn't been able to go to the Easter party at school, so I made french toast for her and the brother at home. I had two fried eggs with all the cooked vegetables I could find in the freezer, which was sweet potatoes, zucchini, and onions. The church people had split pea soup from the freezer, tortillas and cheese, and a cheese sandwich when they got home.
Tonight: My turn to bring our two altar servers to Mass for Good Friday. It's at 3 p.m. and we probably won't get home until 5:30 p.m. or so. We have a LOT of eggs at the moment, so I think I'll make a spanish tortilla before we leave. That can be eaten at any temperature, which makes it very convenient for days when I'm not sure when we'll be eating and I won't be here in the afternoon to cook.
@kristin @ going country,
We went to a very small church for years and my kids were two of the very few acolytes. It felt as though I had one or both serving in every service and definitely the special services. It can involve some schedule creativity for sure.
@JD, Yes. However small your church is, it's almost a certainty that ours is smaller. It's also quite an elderly congregation, which means a lot of the burden of running the church is on our family. I do wish it were otherwise, but it isn't, and that's just the way it is.
WIS: $9 at Ollie's, $32.50 at Aldi, $18 at Wegmans, and $74.50 at Price Chopper. So I spent more than Kristen this week! (I should add that I was doing some restocking, since I left the larder pretty bare when I went to NYC.)
WIA: Variations on $1.49/lb. spiral-sliced ham and .89/lb. chicken drumsticks, both from Aldi. (So as not to be eating ham-based things till summer, I froze about half the ham and the bone.) I'm still working on the split pea soup I made.
Also, like Becca, I attended a friend's (Dr. Bestest Neighbor's, in my case) Seder on Wednesday night. The main dish was beef brisket (wonderfully tasty and not at all dry), and I contributed a double batch of roasted root vegetables. Another friend made matzoh-ball soup. There were also parsley dipped in salt water (playing the role of the traditional bitter herb), haroseth/charoset (spellings vary, but it's the traditional sweet apple-based "mortar" on the Passover plate), hard-boiled eggs in salt water, horseradish and matzohs (of course), and gefilte fish (I and a few others were permitted to skip this). Dessert was an absolutely delicious leaven-free chocolate cake, contributed by the BNs' friend who cooks at a near-professional level.
@A. Marie, we love to buy cheap ham around the holidays and dice and freeze it. We use it for fried rice, baked potatoes, and casseroles throughout the year.
@A. Marie, This is the first year I have managed not to buy a ham. Usually I see ham on sale and I buy it and then as soon as I take my first bite I remember, "Oh, yeah, you don't really like ham or bacon." Neither does the husband (ham only, he loves bacon) and it turns out that in 40 years we each ate it thinking the other one really liked it so we would make the best of it. So it is Easter tacos from now on.
@Lindsey, I chuckled over your Easter tacos--not only for the idea itself, but because in Dr. BN's Haggadah, one of the rabbis who sits around shooting the breeze over how many plagues and how many miracles were involved in the original Passover is called Rabbi Jose. I always say that Rabbi Jose must have been the inventor of the matzoh taco.
Well, we spent about $395 this week, but $50 of that was the ham my husband got for Easter. He likes to get a REALLY big ham for leftovers. And it was bone-in, so probably sometime in the next week or two I'll be making ham and bean soup.
Saturday/Sunday: homemade pizzas
Monday: Deli chicken, chips.
Tuesday: burgers, chicken nuggets, fries, onion rings (we had lots of these still in the freezer from last week that we didn't use), raw veggies.
Wednesday: Lasagna; I'm back to making three pans since our oldest is home again.
Thursday: Taco night, as usual. Son #3 likes to make dinner on Thursday after he's done with his online classes for the week.
Tonight: Crockpot ham and bean soup and cornbread muffins, which everyone voted for, but I didn't ask DH to get a ham steak or anything, since it seemed silly to get one of those when we are going to be having a HUGE ham on Sunday. So I threw some deli-sliced smoked ham in there, and will add some Liquid Smoke and hope everyone likes it. There may be leftover lasagna as well, but maybe not after lunch! I'll probably have to make the youngest some mac and cheese, as he hates soup and stew in any form.
Kristen, do you have a good bourbon chicken recipe you like to use? I searched the blog and didn't see anything.
I always appreciate your weekly report.
I live alone and am still trying to figure how to spend less and eat better.
Did I miss Thankful Thursday?
Happy Easter!
@Kathy Mayin, here's the link to yesterday's Thankful Thursday
https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/thankful-thursday-12/
Saturday - my parents hosted a surprise birthday party for my cousin and per usual, overbought on food so we ate there and took plenty of leftovers for the week ahead. There was bbq tri tip and chicken, chili, Mac n cheese, Au gratin potatoes, salad, rolls, and lots of desserts.
Sunday - leftover meat from the party, Trader Joe’s vegan spinach and cashew ravioli with jarred sauce, steamed veggies. Ravioli was a big hit, kids just thought it was cheese, the cashew filling was very creamy.
Monday - baked ziti
Tuesday - more leftover meat from the party, leftover Kraft for the kids, steamed broccoli and carrots (from leftover veggie tray from party), biscuits from the freezer
Wednesday - ground turkey and mushroom stroganoff, raw carrots, snap peas, celery and mini bell peppers with yogurt ranch dressing for dipping
Thursday - impossible burgers and elote chopped salad kit for adults, leftover sloppy joes from the freezer and mashed potatoes for kids, steamed carrots and baby corn for all (the different meals for adults and kids are usually to use up leftovers, not so much because my kids are picky although they definitely prefer mashed potatoes to salad)
Friday - Trader Joe’s orange chicken and Japanese fried rice, an easy night to end the week!
@LB, how do you like the elote salad kit?
@Natalie J, I thought it was delicious! (Trader Joe’s) But I’ve really been enjoying every chopped salad kit I try lately!
Kudos to you, Kristen, for raising a kid that wants to go to the symphony. I used to go with my grandfather; it is one of my fondest memories.
@Steph, Sometimes people ask "What's the first (live) concert you went to?" meaning, really, pop music/boy band kind of music. My first concert was Arthur Rubenstein with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. My father took me.
No shopping last week. This week I will be grocery shopping with all those last minute Easter shoppers. That was not good planning on my part.
My daughter and son-in-law have declared they will purchase a meal for Easter so no one is trying to cook around the Easter service. I still may buy a ham for the freezer if I can find a good sale. So far sales have been underwhelming. Whole Foods just had an ad stating that their spiral sliced ham is ONLY $5.39/pound if you have Prime membership with Amazon. Hahahahahahahah.
I'm making a homemade lemon chiffon cake with strawberries and whipped cream for Easter dessert, but I already have what I need for that.
WIA:
Pulled pork from the freezer served on GF bread with pickled cabbage and an apple.
A small seasoned shoulder roast cooked in the pressure cooker with lots of onions and mushrooms, roasted garlicky asparagus on the side. I had that twice, plus lunch.
Pumpkin chili, which I'd portioned up and frozen.
Omelet with finely cut fresh collard, onions and mushrooms, an orange for dessert.
Chicken-cheese quesadilla on cassava tortilla, salad based on homegrown lettuce and a homegrown carrot.
Soup based on broth from two chicken backs, with carrot, onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic and diced sale-priced avocado. I'd never tried avocado pieces in soup until I ate a frozen AIP meal (white chicken chili) that had diced avocado in it. I found I like it.
Tonight totally depends on what I find at the store. If all else fails, I have some sale-purchased bacon in the refrigerator with which I can invent a meal.
@JD, Your Easter dessert sounds perfect to offset all the chocolate in the baskets. I am now tempted to make an angel food or chiffon cake. I don't know if I'll have the motivation for that after doing all the church lady stuff for our early service, plus the egg hunt and baskets and all, but I do have a ton of eggs. Maybe I could make it Saturday. Thanks for the idea!
@JD, Homemade lemon chiffon cake? With strawberries?!! AND whipped cream?!!! I'm going to have a picture of that in my head all weekend. At least...
@kristin @ going country,
My recipe for chiffon cake only takes 4 eggs :).
@JD, The King Arthur recipe uses seven. I'm going with that one. 🙂
That's a lot of pepper on those eggs in the first picture. Was your brother over for breakfast? Or is that your version of "I like pepper but not as much as he does"? I think I need to go drink a glass of water ...
WIS: $83.30 at Sprouts and Albertsons for health food like avocados, organic asparagus, kefir and dark chocolate covered blueberries. Because dark chocolate is good for you, and blueberries are good for you, so dark chocolate covered blueberries are a superfood. And about $40 (including tip) for dinner out with friends, which was worth every penny.
WIA: Pan-grilled rainbow trout, seared shrimp and fresh green beans with almonds (restaurant meal with enormous portions that made 4 meals altogether); garlic butter steak bites with organic asparagus (3X); and some (OK, several ounces of) dark chocolate covered blueberries. Je ne regrette rien.
@JDinNM, those chocolate covered blueberries sound delicious!
@Natalie J, Yes, they certainly were. Oops. I mean, they certainly are ...
Ha, that's browned chorizo crumbles! Oh, wait, wait, the first picture. No, that's my level of pepper. If my brother was here, you'd barely be able to see the eggs. 😉
@Kristen, Hah! Maybe for your brother pepper is its own food group. Dairy, meat, starch ... and PEPPER!!!
For sure!
@Kristen, your egg yolks look RAW! You would hate the way I fry an egg—deliberately break the yolk and then make sure it is thoroughly cooked.
Oh yeah, I do prefer my yolks to be a bit runny. I am mad at myself if I break a yolk!
@Central Calif. Artist, In England they call that a "jammy yolk" and I love those. Gosh, I need to have some softboiled eggs soon. And to remember how I used to cook them to a perfect jammy yolk stage....
@Central Calif. Artist, I do that, too, and that's how my children like them too, because of me. Drives my MiL crazy. She's firmly in the runny yolk category.
@kristin @ going country, @Kristen, @Karen A., even the term "jammy yolk" makes me feel a bit squeamish. What a wuss, eh?
Friday – I tried last week’s ‘Greek yogurt and flour’ pizza dough (which was amazing) with whole wheat flour (which was less than amazing but edible).
Saturday – I took my husband out for Japanese for a birthday date.
Sunday – Birthday dinner request: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts with bacon vinaigrette, cheddar biscuits, and mini bundt cakes for dessert.
Monday – Halal cart style chicken with roasted cauliflower
Tuesday – Dinner with a friend for me, Costco Ramen kit for the boys
Wednesday – Creamy mushroom chicken with leftover mashed potatoes and salad
Thursday – Taco Salad
Sunday: Curried chicken and rice with cranberries. We forgot to buy the coconut water needed to cook the rice, so we subbed half coconut milk and half water. It sort of worked, but you could tell there was a difference from what it normally tastes like. Whoops!
Monday: Cobb salad with honey mustard ranch from the Cravings cookbook. Super good, we'll definitely repeat this one!
Tuesday: Lots of leftovers, so we scrapped plans and ate leftovers instead.
Wednesday: Preschooler's choice, and she didn't choose mac and cheese! She branched out to ramen, served with a bunch of different topping options.
Thursday: We had lots of random cheese types in the fridge, so we shredded a few together and made grilled cheese sandwiches with soup.
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Potluck at the church. We'll be bringing Sriracha snack mix. Not super traditional, but tasty and uses up some stuff from the pantry!
@Natalie J, It never occurred to me to cook rice in coconut water. Definitely gonna try that.
I can tell you are a kick @$$ mom of teens and that is no small feat. Giving you kudos in case they don’t tell you how great you are doing.
Aww, thank you, Lisa. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that.
Saturday: Sandwiches and fruit
Sunday: homemade pizza
Monday: Frozen Trader Joe's Kung Pao chicken and rice
Tuesday: Chicken divan and rolls
Wednesday: Leftover Chicken Divan and rolls
Thursday: steak tips and roasted carrots and potatoes
Friday: weekly happy hour with BFF - a variety of cheeses, crackers, nuts, and fruit and a cocktail of course!
WIS: Around $120 at the grocery store, after four months of keeping the weekly budget super low. We were starting to run out of spendy odds and ends like mayo, butter, peanut butter, etc.
WEA: Salads, fish, fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, homemade salad dressing, olives, ham, the occasional egg, homemade bread. On Thursday we ate lunch out and got fish and chips. Brought enough leftovers back to make two more meals.
A side note: We stocked up on pet food and cat litter at Tractor Supply and spent $141. It was an expensive week.
@Ruby, So ... More $ for pets than people? Been there. Done that.
@JDinNM, yep, but it will last them longer. We actually spend less than we used to. Our middle dog who passed away of a heart condition in February also had a poultry allergy, so we used to spend $300 a month. Now the surviving dogs can eat foods with chicken and turkey and that drops the price.
@Ruby, Years and years ago I had a dog that developed liver disease (hepatitis) at a very young age, and for about 8 years I had to buy human hepatitis medication for about $80/month. Not to mention the vet bills. But I loved him more than words can say, and was absolutely devastated when he died.
Love your symphony/McDonalds outing…Flaunting the conventional is just so satisfying :). WWA:
Saturday - beef and stout stew over spaetzle
Sunday - spatchcocked chicken, waffles, sautéed red cabbage, apple crisp
Monday- leftovers
Tuesday - burrito bowls with the last of the chicken
Wednesday - everyone was on their own, I had a bowl of cereal
Thursday - sheet pan sausages with sweet potato, broccoli, red bell pepper
Friday - travelling to visit family, so packed snacks/airport food
Wishing everyone a wonderful long weekend
We tried a meal delivery service, because I was super burned out of meal planning & cooking, especially because each day, it's hard to know who will be home at any given time. It was a nice break, but not something we will do again. Our food is better.
My husband grilled chicken & made rice over the weekend, so we also had that.
Spaghetti & meatballs + garlic bread
A combo of delivery service meals (I liked the beef poblano bowl best)
Tonight will likely be something at the airport, or I may have lunch at Panera & call that a day. I really like their chicken & wild rice soup, & haven't been feeling great. We're heading out on our first college tour this weekend.
The bourbon chicken looks delicious! We ate lots of soup and easy meals because I’ve had a killer cold for almost 2 weeks. I haven’t had a cold in at least 4 years so I guess it was my turn.
Things we ate:
Panera takeout
Broccoli & cauliflower soup with bacon and bread
Tomato bisque soup with grilled cheese sandwiches
Chinese takeout
Beef chili with tortillas
Grilled bratwurst with sauerkraut and German potato salad
Tonight might be pizza or ?? Daughter is working a night shift and we aren’t as committed to Friday pizza night as she is.
Your bourbon chicken looks delicious!!
Sunday-homemade chicken tenders, mac & cheese, salad greens
Monday-takeout
Tuesday-mushroom stroganoff, broccoli, salad greens, apple slices
Wednesday-green chili chicken bowl
Thursday-ground pork & peanut dragon noodles, salad greens, oranges
Friday-leftovers, zucchini, garden salad
Saturday-maybe breakfast for dinner
We just returned from a spring break trip to Texas where we ate out several times, so it was back to basics the last couple of nights:
WIA:
Tuesday (the night we returned home) - quesadillas and cereal (for one of the kids)
Wednesday - ground turkey + rice stuffed peppers with spinach salad
Thursday was a kid-cooking night, so we had chicken strips, steamed broccoli, and instant mashed potatoes. 🙂
For the kid-cooking nights, we are trying something new where we empower each of our 3 kids to dream up and make a meal for the whole family one night a week. This week was more of a "what do we have in the freezer/pantry" week (since we'd been traveling), but in the coming week's we hope to sit down and make a grocery list as a family. We'll see how it goes! The goal is by the time our 3 boys, who are now 12 (twins) and 13, leave the house that they can fully cook for themselves and/or their roommates.
WIS: $67 at Grocery Outlet
@Lindsey, my parents did that when we were kids and I loved it! I still love grocery shopping and cooking. My sister not so much, but she did learn how to get the job done. She still leans towards the "bare minimum" side of cooking, but she has the skills!
No shopping week. Ate meals at home. Eating broccoli, beets, lettuce, chard & kale out of the garden. Asparagus is starting to show (squee!)
Pulled rotisserie chicken carcass out of freezer, made huge batch of broth and meat. Turned into Creamy Chicken Vegetable to eat now and a standard Chicken noodle veg soup for freezer and sharing. Ate that for 2 days with lettuce salads & fruit for dessert.
Tuesday: Grilled burgers, homemade onion rings
Wednesday: O Bone roast, mashed potatoes, garlic green beans
Thursday: Beef and noodles, green salad
Friday: ham slices from the freezer, crispy potato patties, coleslaw & corn
Saturday: Spaghetti dinner w/homemade french bread, caesar salad.
Sunday: Dinner with cousins potluck. I'm taking bacon ranch potatoes & mandarin orange salad & cheesecake bars.
About the symphony -- I've been attending the symphony in Muskegon (yes, we have a symphony!) for years. Just like buying local products, find local entertainment! Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's not so great. Anyway (and the reason I'm commenting about it) is that I used to think of my fellow attendees as the "Blue Hairs" because they were elderly. Now that I'm a Blue Hair myself, I love to see younger people in attendance, because if we don't show up, the symphony will disappear. PS I am still more excited by the Pops selections than the Classical ones. We can buy either/or yearly tickets, or all, as we choose.
Well, Lisey and Zoe were the green hair and purple hair. lol
Do you have the recipe for the bourbon chicken? Did you use real alcohol?
I use a Cook's Country recipe and yep, real alcohol! Obviously the alcohol evaporates during cooking.
Your concert and McDonald’s snack revived memories for me. My parents frequently took all six of us kids to Naval Academy Band concerts. The concerts were free ( not sure if they still are) but on the way home, Dad would always stop at McDonald’s to get each of us a milkshake.
What we ate this week:
Monday-Chick-fil-A
Tuesday-Green salad with baked chicken on top
Wednesday-Couscous salad and baked salmon
Thursday-Chicken soup
Tonight-Chicken soup
Saturday-Turkey, green beans, sauerkraut, stuffing and gravy
Easter Sunday-not sure… gathering with our son and his wife at her parents’ house for a meal. We’ll bring fruit salad and rugalach to add to the table.
Hmmm.....
Sunday--mushroom/gruyere bread pudding with steaks.
Monday: cacio e pepe
Tuesday: elote soup with corn muffins
Wednesday: chicken with mustard-tarragon cream sauce
Thursday: Chinese takeout
Friday: MY BIRTHDAY! Takeout from favorite restaurant and Tom Cruise cake
Saturday: Leftovers? No idea. Spa day all day.
Sunday: Easter brunch with mother, sister, brother and ass't kids
@Rose, Happy Birthday! I'm afraid to ask what a "Tom Cruise cake" is. And enjoy that spa day, all day. So jealous.
@Rose, Happy Birthday, Rose, and many happy returns. Please tell us all about the spa day and enjoy! I’m not afraid to ask: what is a Tom Cruise cake?
@Erika JS, Tom Cruise is famous for sending his friends and colleagues a white chocolate coconut bundt cake for Christmas, hundreds of them, from a well known LA bakery. I found a copycat recipe to try, and it is truly amazing.
https://www.plainchicken.com/tom-cruise-cake/
@Rose,
Happy (belated at this point) birthday! I hope the party is still going strong!
@Rose, happy birthday! I was hoping you were referring to the coconut cake. My husband is a huge coconut fan and now I can surprise him with a new dessert. Thanks for the link!
The few times I attended a symphony, I had to fight to not fall asleep. Pretty embarrassing.
@Central Calif. Artist, Just as long as you didn't snore ... audibly.
@JDinNM, no snoring, but my neck couldn't hold my head upright.
Saturday: We were celebrating our anniversary so we went out for Italian food.
Sunday: Chicken katsu and cucumber salad.
Monday: Leftover chicken katsu, udon noodle soup.
Tuesday: Pasta with tomato sauce.
Wednesday: We were at my aunt's for the first seder. We had eggs and raw veggies, matzah ball soup, brisket, steak, green beans, roasted veg, kugel, fish, fruit and cookies and clementine cake.
Thursday: We were at my in-laws for the second seder. They made a spread of soup, turkey, meatballs, fish, kugel, tzimmes, salad, gefilte fish, eggs, and lots of dessert.
Tonight: Lentil soup, roasted carrots, sauteed kale, matzah buns. We have company coming and they'll bring almond cookies.
You said you went to the symphony but you didn’t say what the orchestra played!
@Sheila, maybe Kristen did my symphony trick and fell asleep.
Oh, I'm so sorry, I thought I responded to this! A Brahms symphony, a Prokofiev violin concerto, and some modern piece that was like orchestral yelling. The Brahms and Prokofiev were way better in my opinion. 🙂
Your girls are really lucky to have you. The food you post always looks amazing! 🙂
The first piece was a new one, written by an Iranian composer, and I hated it. It was like the orchestra was just yelling at us the whole time! I told the girls that piece sounded a lot like the orchestra sounds when it's warming up. Ha.
But that was followed by a Prokofiev violin concerto and a Brahms symphony, and those two were lovely.
Kristin, Would you please share your recipe for Bourbon Chicken and Broccoli?
I find buttermilk powder works well in baked goods and lasts forever in the fridge once opened.
Late to report, but I spent $58 at the farm stand, $192 at Wegman's, and $195 at Stop & Shop for a total of $445 last week. Not so bad, but a continuous reminder of how much groceries have gone up the past few years.
WWE: Chicken fajitas; salmon with green salad and brown rice; gumbo with rice, cornbread, and carrot sticks; chicken nuggets/homemade pizza; mac & cheese/tuna noodle casserole. Evening activities took over the end of the week (this is just the beginning of crazy season).
I enjoyed reading about Maureen's pantry because it is such the opposite of ours. It's not that I'm trying to stockpile, but with so many kids and so many activities we have to be ready for a little bit of everything. I do make weekly menus and shop to them, but I have to be able to change on the fly frequently which means I need some easy non-takeout options readily available.
Hi Kristen! Do you have a recipe for your bourbon chicken?