Skip to Content

WIS, WWA | a cheap week (+ a symphony night)

What I Spent

fried eggs and potatoes.

  • $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.

Kristen and Lisey.

We pretended to be fancy people for a night. 😉

Kristen and Zoe.

And after we left the symphony, we ate chicken sandwiches in the McDonald’s parking lot at 10 pm.

three mcdonalds cups.

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.

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.

chorizo bowl.

Tuesday

Easy-button night: I made waffles topped with fruit and whipped cream.

waffles with berries 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:

bourbon chicken in pan.

I used those clearance chicken thighs that I’d deboned and frozen a while back!

marked-down chicken.

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.

What did you eat for dinner this week?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Abi

Saturday 29th of April 2023

Hi Kristen! Do you have a recipe for your bourbon chicken?

Nora8

Monday 10th of April 2023

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.

WilliamB

Sunday 9th of April 2023

I find buttermilk powder works well in baked goods and lasts forever in the fridge once opened.

Gail

Saturday 8th of April 2023

Kristin, Would you please share your recipe for Bourbon Chicken and Broccoli?

Kristen

Saturday 8th of April 2023

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.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.