Last week, it was snowing as I typed the Friday post. And today, it’s sunny and pretty much all the snow and ice has melted.
Also, I saw buds on some plants while we walked this morning. So it really feels like spring is coming!
What I Spent
It was a light-ish week on the grocery front: $116 this time around.
February Spending
Week 1: $55
Week 2: $287
Week 3: $132
Week 4: $116
My spending this month adds up to $590, which is right under my $150/week goal.
So, even though I added in the Butcher Box purchase this month (see week 2!), I’m still on budget. Sweet.
What We Ate
Saturday
Mr. FG and I did a takeout date night (a main dish salad for me from one restaurant, and a cheesesteak for him from a restaurant across the street. I don’t like cheesesteaks, so this worked out great!)
The girls fended for themselves, mostly eating leftovers.
Sunday
Since Sonia’s current diet is so limiting for our support-a-local-restaurant night, we got wings for everyone else and sushi for her.
Monday
I made tortellini soup, with some modifications for Sonia.
(I made chicken broth with no onions, when I started the soup, I sauteed onions in oil, then removed the onions, and I added gluten-free pasta to her portion instead of cheese tortellini.)
We had gluten-free cornbread on the side, but I accidentally used the wrong size cast iron skillet which made the bread super flat. I will try again with the right skillet!
Tuesday
We had breakfast for dinner; gluten-free waffles for Sonia, regular waffles for everyone else, topped with homemade blueberry syrup.
On the side, OJ + bacon from my Butcher Box.
(The Butcher Box bacon was sugar-free and very good. It’s only a 10 ounce package, but it definitely was tasty. They threw one into my box for free when I was in the middle of checking out; otherwise I might not have thought to try it.)
Wednesday
I made a chicken/sweet potato curry with red Thai curry sauce (recipe from Dinner Illustrated) which we ate over rice, topped with green onions, cilantro, and lime wedges.
I didn’t make anything else because I figured we had the main groups covered there.
Thursday
I cooked some sausages (Sonia ate hers with no bun), and we had chips and a plate of cut-up fruit on the side.
Friday
I am planning to make a green salad, topped with chicken, with cornbread on the side. And this time I will use the correct cast iron skillet.
What did you have for dinner this week?
deanna says
Kristen, I’d love a recipe for your gluten free cornbread if possible. We’ve been gluten free (by choice) for 10 years and last year my gf baking mix became unavailable. I have one small bag left, then I’m not sure how I’ll make it. I don’t make it often because it’s high carb, but we love cornbread!!
Kaitlin says
Do you make Sonia’s GF waffles from scratch or box? I’m gluten free, and Brinner is the most disappointing meal as I haven’t found good replacements/recipes for waffles or biscuits, which are two of my favorite Brinner things.
Kathryn says
I’m wheat free and found that of all the gf mixes at the store, the krusteaz gf pancake mix makes amazing pancakes and waffles! Has a super fluffy texture, and isn’t gritty like some of the other ones.
Biscuit wise (well, really everything baking-wise!) I’ve had the best luck with cup4cup gluten free flour. Looking online right now it’s $8.99 at target (vs normally $13.50 at the grocery store). It seriously makes amazing cookies/cakes/biscuits etc and you don’t have to change anything from a ‘normal’ recipe. The one thing I’ll sometimes do is lower the temperature slightly and bake for a little longer. I just made an old cake recipe from my grandma and no one knew it was gluten free! I just need to try baking bread with it next….
Isa says
* lasagna with cheesy garlic bread
* pasta with beans and tomato sauce
* chana masala on basmati rice+broccoli
* shepard’s pie
* beans salad
* vegetarian quinoa chili
deanna says
Vegetarian quinoa chili…do you have a recipe Isa? I love quinoa. I serve our gumbo over quinoa instead of rice. Thanks!
EJS says
Ooh, I second that request, Isa! We have cut back on meat consumption and good recipes to help with that are welcome.
Nora says
We had an odd week of meals because we had take-out twice! Apart from the holidays where the combo of COVID & now-solved medical caused us to order take out, it’s been months since we’ve gotten meals out.
We’re somewhat near the ocean and all the kids love fish so our pandemic local support has been buying more locally sourced fish.
WWS also at $170 for the week which is low for us. My target is $250/wk for our family of 8 including three teen + 1 tween boys. The younger two aren’t small eaters either.
Sat – Green tea poached salmon, veggies
Sun – KFC, had been in the request queue for a long time
Mon – Chili, cornmeal, veggies
Tues – Spaghetti & meatballs, salad
Wed – Bertucci’s (After the KFC order I realized we had a deal for $25 off with any purchase that was expiring in four days. I would have split these into different weeks otherwise.)
Thurs – Pork roast, leftover cauliflower, green beans
Fri – Kids had chicken nuggets & spinach salad; adults had homemade pizza
Addy says
I was wondering if you have ever shopped at Lidl. We have a relatively new one, which I’ve not visited yet, but just wondered if it is on the same line as Aldi? I’ve not seen you mention Lidl, so figured it was either (a) not that great for prices or (b) not in your area.
Randi Froug says
Hello, from Texas! Well, we really got a taste of living in the 19th c. last week, and my frugal skills sure did come in handy. Luckily, we have a fireplace, though I had neglected to buy firewood last summer. Friends brought us some to keep the house warm, but not before I had to burn a lot of the extra cardboard I had stowed from boxes to use for art projects, etc. I was super-happy I had used the free service from the electric company to make the house more energy efficient last year. I was also super-happy that I had a grill and had made sure to buy extra propane (which was in scare supply) to cook food and to boil water, since we were under boil orders. Living frugally really does pay off under emergency circumstances!
Kristen says
I’m glad you have power again now!
Alison R says
M bbq baked chicken, rice, fruit salad
T pot roast, wheat rolls
W seasoned pork loin roast, mashed potatoes, cinnamon apples
Th creamy bean soup, raw vegetables and dip, corn muffins
F tortellini with red sauce, salad, garlic bread
S leftovers planned
Su no idea yet!
theo says
Forgive me if this has been answered in the past. But do you include inedibles in your grocery calculations? We buy cleaning supplies, paper goods, etc., at one local grocery chain, becasue they have the best prices around. But they aren’t food!
Kristen says
Yep, I do include that in my budget, and no worries about asking questions!
Barb says
I feel for Sonia having to explore the gluten free options. I was diagnosed with Celiac three years ago and I remember how discouraging it was at first. It does get easier! I’m also super excited that I’ll be able to use your blog for GF ideas now too, since I read your blog almost every day. I appreciate your combination of humility, hope, and realness. Good luck with your GF journey!
Kristen says
Don’t get TOO excited…this is just a trial to see if it makes a difference for her. If it doesn’t make a difference, back to gluten we will go. lol But if we do stick with it, I will be happy to share what I learn.
So glad you enjoy my blog!
Suzan says
I could write a long story about my meals or lack thereof since Tuesday morning. I have had to have a colonoscopy and after that had to have an iron transfusion. When I was finally allowed to eat the diet depart decided to meddle with my food in a huge way. I am allergic to egg and shellfish, and have certain foods that I don’t eat after following the FODMAP diet, so in their wisdom I was given a gluten free diet and they decided I could have no bread and other like goodies whatsoever ever. I was very hungry person by the time I left hospital as I was given stuff I could not eat. A note was sent to the diet department stating that as an adult I was capable of choosing my own meals!
Sorry for the whine but not being home means I haven’t done the grocery shopping yet. I have saved on three days worth of meals.
Needless to stay I am home and one of the first things I did was to make a bowl of oats with pecans and blueberries. The next how food was clementine.
Becca says
That sounds miserable! I’m so glad you are home and in control of your own meals again!
Kristen says
Oh, that sounds miserable! I was in the hospital once as a teen and they were just giving me IV fluids and no food. I distinctly remember how terribly hungry I got, especially as I smelled the food everyone else around me was getting.
I’m glad you’re home and can feed yourself now!
Jennifer Y. says
We are still going strong with batch meals (one meal for lunch and one meal for dinner)…..
Lunch: vegetable fried rice and roasted peppers
Dinner: Lentil stew and chapati (naan style flat bread)
We get a little variety from easy add-ons. Almonds on top of the fried rice, frozen green beans warmed up with the lentil stew, different fruit on the side.
Dianne in CO says
Sunday – teriyaki pork sliders, sauteed zucchini and carrots, apple slices
Monday – leftovers, garden salad, oranges
Tuesday – homemade pizza (from freezer), garden salad
Wednesday – Frito pie, apple slices
Thursday – breakfast for dinner (blueberry pancakes, bacon, applesauce)
Friday – spaghetti with homemade Bolognese sauce, broccoli, garlic bread
Saturday – baked chicken with something
Amy says
I am enjoying the sunshine too!
Monday- I think we had chicken?
Tuesday- balsamic rosmary porkchops with mashed potatoes
Wednesday- Leftover meatball soup from the weekend
Thursday- Hubby had a meeting so we made a frittata with onion, peppers and mushrooms. Hubby is not a fan of eggs, so this is our go to when he is out.
Friday- Support the local meal- This week was fish dinner. It is that time of they year where a local church has a fish fry. This year it is a drive thru. Deep fried fish is a once a year splurge – we try not to eat too much fried food.
HM says
Monday: steak for him Fish for me
Tuesday: brats with veggies from our garden
Wednesday: grilled ham and cheese
Thursday: spaghetti squash with sausage and feta cheese
Friday: we had our every other week date we got Chipotle and took it to a hiking trail
We live in Southern California and it’s been in the high 70s low 80s. And our spring garden is in full bloom. So many Tomatoes, spinach, kale, greens. Love not having to buy these at the store.
JEG says
WIS about $45. Chicken was on sale, I found a pack of sirloin strip steaks for 50% off, and frozen stuffed clams that I’ll break up and have some next Friday.
WWA
2/19/21 Fri: Pan fried scallops with lemon butter sauce, potatoes, beans
2/20/21 Sat: Burgers, fried potatoes
2/21/21 Sun: Family dinner. I made the no-knead bread
2/22/21 Mon: Sandwiches. I had several classes this day.
2/23/21 Tues: Sundried tomato turkey burger. Salad. I found 2 crusty rolls in the freezer.
2/23/21 Wed: Cheese omelet from eggs from the backyard chickens & a bit of cheese in the ‘frig, homemade homefries, breakfast sausage from our food box.
2/24/21 Thurs: Just sandwiches, pickles and applesauce. Today is daycare day and yoga night, so dinner has to be quick and light.
2/25/21 Fri: Pecorino & pear ravioli with brandy sauce from our food box, oranges, slice of bread, chocolate mug cake. I liked the ravioli–I think the pear gave a little sweetness to it. The mug cake was okay by me, my husband liked it.
deanna says
JEG, what is the recipe for the mug cake? (I don’t know what the deal is with me today…I’m having a “thing” about recipes!)
Thanks!
Shannon says
We are under $600 for the month; would like to keep it under $500/month going forward.
Mon: freezer pizza + salad
Tues: cabbage roll soup w/crescent rolls
Wed: quiche, bacon + scalloped potatoes
Thurs: pizza from a local place
Fri: leftovers
Tomorrow is my 30th birthday, so we are getting carryout all weekend to celebrate. We aren’t able to do much celebrating this year because of covid, so trying to just make my weekend as easy/stress free as possible.
Becca says
Happy birthday!!!
Shannon says
Thank you
Becca says
I’m giving myself permission to spend a little more now, because as it turns out even when I buy everything I want, I’m only spending a maximum of 200/week and I think that’s not too bad for a family of 5 considering I’m having food delivered (instead of shopping in person) and a lot of it is organic, locally sourced, etc.
Anyway, meals (all with accompanying salads):
F: foccacia (but not the face off of Lancelot and Guinevere. We are doing that tonight!)
S: random leftovers
S: shrimp gumbo over rice
M: porcupine meatballs (using cooked leftover rice this time, so they were more like mini meatloafs, but still very good)
T: steamed broccoli, leftover gumbo with a new pot of rice
W: mushroom, Swiss chard, egg and cheese casserole (kind of like a giant rectangular quiche) sourdough bread and butter
T: oven baked asparagus with lime zest/juice, pasta with roasted red pepper and pine nut sauce (this was really good, and husband says it was from pioneer woman’s blog)
F: the foccacia show down! Toppings will include red peppers, mushrooms, tiny tomatoes and 3 cheeses (mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone).
Gina says
I typed this up, then hit the wrong button and it all disappeared. Jeez. That chonly kitty makes me want one and no way am I getting a cat. Anyhoo! Here’s what we ate:
Monday – the Mole Chicken we didn’t eat last week, made into enchiladas
Tuesday – Stewed Cabbage with carrots, and spiral sliced ham from the freezer
Wednesday -Chik Fil A and a cobb salad, courtesy of Hubby
Thursday – Chicken Meatballs with creamy sauce over rice, kale
Friday – Spaghetti and meat sauce, green beans
Saturday – Grill steaks!
Sunday – Take-out
I finally shopped this week and it was a massive trip that took me an hour to buy, an hour to put away. I wiped down the fridge as I went and now we have food and I feel grateful!
https://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/2021/02/still-with-me.html
Gina says
That was supposed to say chonky. But she is very pretty!
priskill says
A crazy week with my grown up daughter in town to pack up and move . But we managed not to eat out too much — or as much as we might have
Friday — used the last of gift cards plus coupons to feed the three of us at favorite steak place for under $2.00 plus a nice tip. Cannot stress the importance of Using The Gift Cards.
Now it gets hazy but we brought local Mexican takeout one night for the three of us.
We brought big salads and homemade chicken soup to her apartment to share several times
Daughter bought Thai for her dad one night while she and I ate salad and frozen shu mai she needed to use up (and OMG — Trader Joe’s frozen shu mai are wonderful!)
Happy to say I kept eating up the stuff we had on hand and saved a bit of money that way. Husband also ordered Pollo Loco one night using his app so $5 out of pocket for him and yet another Gigantor salad for me.
Having bought all that produce really helped me to stay on track.
Friday treat night — we will go out if we can find truly outdoors seating or bring in.
I had this thought yesterday but hesitated to share it. In your thankful Thursday edition yesterday someone had said that she had actually tried new crafts and opened an ETSY store as a result of hanging around the house during COVID — something she said she would never have done otherwise. Could not remember if you had already done this but I wondered if that would make an interesting post — some positives that occurred as a result of lock-down, so much time at home, etc. But after such a horrible year and so much loss, maybe it would be too painful for folks? Just not sure
Anyway, Happy Friday to all!
Becca says
I would be game for a “silver lining post.” I think it’s important for mental health and healing to look for the good even while acknowledging the unimaginable and overwhelming tragedies. As Amanda Gorman put it in her poem read at the inauguration, “even as we grieved, we grew.”
Kris says
I also like this idea. I think it’s helpful to “look for the opportunity” in difficult situations. I’m sure many of us have re-examined our lives and priorities during the past year.
Kristen says
I’m certainly open! Maybe we can squeeze that in next week.
Nan says
We all love sushi but at least here, it’s pretty expensive. Son-in-law actually took a class to learn how to make it but you could do the same with you tube. I was thinking since Sonia can eat it she should learn how to make it. My grandsons are having fun making it too. I’m thinking about doing it myself- that and cannolis! I can make the filling but have always purchased the shells.
priskill says
Mmmm – cannolis! The ones here on the west coast just do not measure up
Sarah G says
Saturday- blueberry waffles, eggs, bacon
Sunday- chicken tacos with the last of some leftover poached chicken breast
Monday- I had plans so the hubby and kids ate frozen Aldi pizzas. Not super proud (in an ideal world I would have left them a fully prepared meal to eat) but at least we didn’t spend money on takeout.
Tuesday- chuck roast in the crockpot, potatoes, carrots, and green beans
Wednesday- It was national tortilla chip day, so we got some chips, salsa and queso from our local tex-mex place. We rounded it out with some other stuff and made a nacho bar. Been trying to do some fun little things like that to mix it up a bit. My kids are so cooped up and missing regular life and it’s taking a toll.
Thursday- leftover roast and veggies
Friday- Tonight we’re having a nacho bar encore because it was a huge hit and we have more stuff left
Becca says
There’s no shame at all in a frozen pizza night! I bet your kids love frozen pizza-mine do, and Aldi has some pretty tasty and affordable pizza options.
Sarah G says
True! Their organic three cheese pizza is amazingly tasty!
N says
I won’t bore you with our menu (variations to use up a GIANT vat of homemade chili), but I will say I tried Butcher Box because of your link last week! In addition to the $30 off and free bacon, we also received for free two NY strip steaks, lobster, and another free package of bacon for signing up on President’s Day. I’d started to sign up for Butcher Box then stopped, hoping for an email offer to sweeten the deal, and sure enough! Along came the President’s Day promotion. Our box arrived yesterday. Between the freebies and the $30 discount, I’m pretty pleased with our haul, though we remain undecided about whether we’ll order again. If so, it will have to be MUCH later in the year–we’ve A LOT to work through!
Re: Gluten free options for Sonia, Rudi’s brand makes extraordinarily good gluten free products. As in, I’m not GF but would purchase and recommend several of their items, anyway, because they’re that good. When I worked part-time at a grocery store, staff were encouraged to take write-off/day-of products (there was always more than the food pantry could handle, even with us claiming our share), and Rudi’s was far and away the best brand I tried. Their bagels and cookies were especially tasty.
Liz B. says
Respectfully, do you mean Udi’s brand? (I have a few friends who are gluten free due to having celiac disease, and they always recommend that brand).
N says
Oh my gosh, yes, I meant Udi’s!!! Thank you so much for catching my brain hiccup! The store carried Rudi’s GF breads, too, but I just googled the bagels specifically, and they were definitely Udi’s brand. Thank you, thank you!
Kaitlin says
Thanks for the Udi’s recommendations. I am the only GF eater in my home, and I am always looking for some recommendations for GF products to make our simple dinners easy for me to eat something.
Battra92 says
Saturday: Wife and daughter weren’t home. I ate a salad.
Sunday: Barbecue chicken. I can’t grill outside but at least I can sort of pretend to invoke those flavors inside.
Monday: Lasagna and salads
Tuesday: Bacon, hash browns, fruit and some pancakes I found in the freezer.
Wednesday: Collection of leftovers from the fridge. This seems to be a regular event despite my wife not having the insane overtime she used to have. It’s just taking time to adjust.
Thursday: It was a whatever night of sorts. My daughter had lasagna. My wife had some macaroni and cheese she found leftover from a weekday lunch. I ate the last of Sunday’s chicken.
Friday: We’re doing wings and pizza because we discovered pizza dough and wings in our chest freezer and the date on the wings was a bit of a while ago.
Also, I feel like I need to do a real dive into my cookbooks to try some new recipes. We’re kind of stuck in a rut of food choices and I’d like to switch things up a bit.
Kris says
I’ve been trying new recipes lately. This time of year can make me feel uninspired at the best of times and switching up my menu seems to help with the midwinter blahs.
Andrea says
Saturday: Takeout from a Thai restaurant for my niece’s birthday. This was her pick, which I think is especially awesome since she is only turning 3!
Sunday: I made a one-pot spaghetti with ground turkey and shredded veggies
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: beautiful weather so Husband grilled some sausages and zucchini that we had with sweet potato fries
Wednesday: taco salads with leftover fajita meat and toppings from a Mexican restaurant
Thursday: buffalo chicken, zucchini, and some French Fries
Friday is restaurant night (we are still doing takeout only) and Husband picked a place that is known for their onion rings
Joni says
Sunday-Fresh caught ling cod, oven fries and coleslaw from last cabbage from winter garden
Monday-Enchiladas w/beans and frozen corn from the garden
Tuesday-homemade pizza = 1 gf and one regular
Wednesday-steak salad
Thursday-Chicken Alfredo to use up veggies in crisper
Friday-will be patty melts with deviled eggs and 3 bean salad
Saturday- will be cross rib roast
EngineerMom says
We had a really Mexican-heavy week!
I’ve been eating relatively low-carb since November, hence the modifications listed:
Saturday:
DH and I celebrated 15 years of dating! We always celebrate our dating anniversary instead of Valentine’s Day (it’s just a couple of days later), which means we are always able to gift another couple with free babysitting to celebrate that day. They retuned the favor by taking our kids Saturday night. We ordered out from a local BBQ place, played a “Escape Room in a Box”, and had some amazing conversations courtesy of the Gottman Card Deck app.
Sunday:
My mom got my daughter a Harry Potter cookbook, and they’ve been making something virtually together from it every month. This time they made Rock Cakes and Sausage Rolls, and I made some roasted brussel sprouts to have as a side (since they frequently talk about making sprouts in the books!)
Monday:
Chili and cornbread, nice and easy start to the week. I made the chili in the afternoon to simmer, as I was working from home, then my husband made the cornbread so I could finish some work tasks before dinner.
Tuesday
I was supposed to make Chicken Tikka with cauliflower, but I forgot to add cauliflower to the list my husband used for grocery shopping on Saturday. So instead I made Chicken Enchilada filling, and we all ate it like a dip – everyone else mostly used chips, I mostly used celery.
EngineerMom says
System wouldn’t let me post the whole thing as a single comment, here’s the rest:
Wednesday
My one New Years resolution this year is to have a weekly game night with our quarantine family, who live across the street. We’ve been trading off who hosts. They come over around 5:30 or so, and everyone leaves by 7:30 so we have time to get kids ready for bed. It’s been amazing – the kids go play board games or Legos together, and us adults play card games (usually Oh Hell! occasionally euchre, but since there are 5 adults unless Grandma Kathy chooses to stay at their house for a quiet night in, we typically end up with Oh Hell!)
They’re gluten-free and mostly dairy-free, so we made tacos with both ground beef and leftover chicken enchilada filling (I had left out any dairy from the chicken specifically for this purpose). My husband had bought 5 large avocados, so he made about 4 or 5 cups of guacamole!
Thursday
LO night! The easiest night of the week. Just heat up whatever is left from previous dinners. I had chili.
Friday
Pizza and movie night! This is a tradition my kids ADORE, so we will always have pizza on Friday nights. My son especially feels really off-kilter if we change things up on Fridays.
I can’t eat pizza (too many carbs), so I usually make myself a warm kale salad or something similar. I think tonight I’m going to roast the green beans that I still haven’t cooked from last weekend’s shop, and top them with some goat cheese and balsalmic.
I honestly don’t really miss pizza. I thought I would, and for the first few weeks of eating low-carb I kept trying to make low-carb pizza substitutes, but since nothing can really replicate that super-crisp ultra-thin white flour crust that I adore, I stopped trying and just made other tasty non-pizza food that fits into my diet. I taught my husband how to make my family’s homemade pizza recipe years ago, so now he just makes the pizza for himself and the kids, and I handle my own food on Fridays. Happy it all works out!
priskill says
ooo I hear you on the low carb downside! We have been working on cauliflower crust using Chef Buck’s recipe and tweaking it. Tasty, but not a crispy thin crust. But it tastes like pizza
EngineerMom says
Yeah, my problem is I really only like super-crispy thin crusts, and there aren’t any low-carb crusts out there that actually achieve that well!
So I make that kind of pizza very rarely when I can immediately go on an intense bike ride or a really long walk to burn through the carbs without spiking my blood sugar.
Ruth T says
A Harry Potter cookbook sounds fun!
EngineerMom says
My mom is a total HP fan, as is my daughter, so it’s been a fun way for them to connect. My parents live about 8 hours away from us. Normally we see them several times a year (they take my kids for a week in the summer, for spring break, and usually a couple of other visits scattered throughout the year). Because of Covid, we haven’t seen them in person since August 2019.
I’m just glad my kids are old enough to really connect over video chats.
Nicole says
I noticed that you often make 2 dinners – one for Sonia and one for the rest of the family. I’m amazed that you can do that. How do you manage to make 2 meals and keep the foods separate? Do you make a ton of dirty dishes? Does it take you a long time? Do your kids help make meals?
My child has severe food allergies. I can only make 1 version of dinner a night. It may be that I work full time out of the house or that my kids are younger (ranging from ages 2-10). The whole family eats the same dinner, even if it would cost less money to make 2 meals. It’s not worth the extra time in meal prep and dishes to me.
Kristen says
I try to keep it to a minimum as much as possible; for instance, with the soup, I only separated Sonia’s portion of the soup out at the last step, so it was very little extra work.
Or when we had sausages, it was easy to serve Sonia’s without a bun.
I prefer cornbread made with flour, but we all just eat the 100% cornmeal version because I don’t feel like making two pans of cornbread.
For the waffles, it is sort of annoying to make two batches of batter, but waffle batter is pretty easy. And I am motivated because I don’t really want to eat the gluten-free ones; it would be easier to feed everyone the gluten-free ones, obviously!
One other thing that helps for me is that the food allergies here are not severe, which means I do not have to be super duper careful about cross contamination.
If I were more pressed for time, then yeah, I’d probably pick more things that don’t need to be modified or separated. I think the way you are handling your situation sounds just fine!
Darlene H says
Hi!
Friday—Lemon, Feta, & Quinoa cakes
Saturday—my family wasn’t too hungry so I made sun-dried tomato white bean hummus which was eaten with pita chips while watching a movie on tv. It was a hit!
Sunday—Daughter’s birthday. She and I ate frozen potstickers from our favorite Japanese market and my husband ate lasagna. Everyone was happy.
Monday—grilled corn and vegan pepper jack quesadillas
Tuesday—halibut w/red potatoes, corn, and andouille (ATK Toaster Oven cookbook). Can’t remember what our daughter made for herself.
Wednesday—easy button due to working 2 classes, baked potatoes & broccoli, cheeses & sourcream for those who wanted it
Thursday—cauliflower tacos soo good!
Friday—cheese enchiladas with green sauce
Side salads with almost every meal.
Happy Friday!!
SandyH says
Spent right at $100 this week.
Monday: Spinach manicotti, Caesar salad, homemade rolls.
Tuesday: roast chicken ( whole in the air fryer),
Twice-baked potatoes, green beans with onions and tomatoes.
Wednesday: takeout chicken
Thursday: cold dinner of homemade chicken salad using leftover chicken from Tuesday, pasta salad, and raw veggies. “Do Nothing Cake” for dessert. Don’t know why it’s called that, I certainly had to make it, and that’s doing something! Lol
Friday: using a gift card to go to Cheesecake Factory
JD says
Re: pizza night, cauliflower crusts are good, I hear, and I make a cassava crust that’s pretty good, from a recipe I found online. Not the same as yummy yeasty pizza crust, but pretty good.
We had pork chops, squash n’ onions, steamed broccoli
Chicken pot pie with cassava crust and using up the leftover steamed broccoli along with some other veggies
Tacos, with lettuce from my garden. I did cassava tortillas, no salsa or tomatoes, for me
Burgers (no bun for me) and cabbage slaw
Mild pork farm sausage, cabbage n’ onions, little crunchy carrots from our garden
Leftover hot dogs from my husband’s birthday celebration (no bun for me), with leftover slaw and chips – I ate something besides chips, but can’t remember what
Although I only planned for 11 meals because my brain gave out, I managed to find enough more meals to go two weeks without shopping again. This week, back to the store. I think I’ll be under budget this month! Having said that, I will probably go over now.
BJS says
JD, have a happy birthday weekend! I think 2/29 is the neatest birthday there is.
Stephanie says
Good stuff this week!
Monday: burrito bowls with all the fixings. Guacamole too
Tuesday: flatbread pizza and slaw I have been really into red cabbage lately
Wednesday: Big Mac inspired salad
Thursday: kale salad from ALDI in the bag. Sooo good. Jambalaya
Friday: busy night. Frozen pizza with fresh fruit
Sat: local pickup
Ruby says
I spent $128, but only about $90 of that was for food, as we were out of some non-food items. Due to COVID, I’m still confining all my shopping to one store, our local Food Lion, because it’s doing such a great job of making sure people wear masks and that carts are wiped down.
We spent $17 and some change on an extra-large carry out pizza for my husband’s birthday. Our son is the king of the pizza coupon and got us a big discount. I made a chocolate bundt cake with a vanilla coconut glaze as the birthday cake and we really enjoyed the birthday meal.
Suppers all week were every man for himself. Everyone gets home at a different time, so the only family meal tends to happen on Sunday evening, and that was the birthday meal this week.
Angie says
Kristen I LOVE the photos of your sweet kitty! I had three kitties for over 15 years and I miss having a cat in my home. We have a dog that I dearly love but she isn’t as snuggly and lap friendly as my kitties were. She is a Boxer so this is certainly not her fault
This week was all about getting everyone fed and there was not much fanfare to it.
Saturday – Baked potatoes, leftover pot roast, leftover beef stroganoff for the little one. Peas.
Sunday – Roasted chicken, okra & tomatoes, Rice. Homemade oatmeal scotchies.
Monday – Leftovers
Tuesday – Sister brought us Mexican from a local family owned spot – carne asada tacos, empanadas, salsa & chips. Yum!
Wednesday – a take on Fried rice made with leftover rice, kielbasa, green peppers, onions, eggs, cilantro and leftover corn. A little odd – everyone loved it.
Thursday – tired Mama. Takeout burgers for some, a sandwich from Jersey Mikes for my Mom. Total spent $31…worth every cent.
Friday – Baked Flounder. Some kind of potato dish as I have a ton of potatoes that I need to use. Veggies – Probably broccoli or green beans.
Happy Weekend everyone!
Kim S. says
Sweet Shelly Kitty. She is so beautiful, and she has made my day happier by seeing her. Thank you!
Ellen says
last Sunday shopping I spent about 216.00 for two weeks.
Saturday- kids went with my sister for my nephew birthday out dinner, (we all couldn’t go as a table limit is 6) So dh and I went out to a Italian place. I had seafood risotto. he had steak! we went early!
Sunday- over mom/dads, sister/bil made ziti, salad for Nephew actual birthday, cheese cake and ice cream cake.
Monday- Sausage peppers onions, potatoes. kids had leftover pizza .
Tuesday-BBQ chicken in the oven, yellow rice, corn
Wednesday- Pot roast, potatoes, carrots. YUM>(started this yesterday, then it cooked an additional 6 hrs today!)
Thursday- kind of of fend for yourself, I had a pork roll sandwich, dd has cereal, dd/ds picked up something after his practice.
Friday- Ravioli with sauce, salad, sauce is in the crock pot now.
Pam says
Sunday – sausage, potatoes, and veggies sheet pan meal
Monday – Split pea soup and beer bread
Tuesday – BBQ biscuit cups, roasted asparagus
Wednesday – frozen pizza (It was Cub Scouts night, and mama had a migraine. We keep frozen pizzas on hand for “emergencies.”)
Thursday – chicken fajita bowls
Friday – Takeout from a local restaurant
Kristen W says
I wasn’t feeling super inspired for dinners this week so we got take out out more than normal
Sunday: spaghetti with garlic breadsticks and steamed broccoli. Also made a chocolate chip red velvet cake we ate throughout the week
Monday: pizza delivery from iFratelli’s
Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: take out from Raising Cane’s
Thursday: enchilada quinoa bake with tortilla chips
Friday: Greek avocado chicken with whole wheat pita and basmati rice and zucchini
kristin @ going country says
Friday: Tuna patties, mashed potatoes, green salad with vinaigrette
Saturday: Bunless cheeseburgers, bread and butter, steamed carrots and broccoli
Sunday: Roasted chicken, garlic bread, frozen peas, fake banana ice cream
Monday: Bunless cheeseburgers, bread and butter, green salad. Yes, we had cheeseburgers just a couple of nights before, but we ran out of eggs, so I couldn’t make meatballs or meatloaf like I had planned.
Tuesday: Boneless ram ribs from when my husband cut the rib meat off the ram we butchered in November, because the ribs with bones are really awkward to wrap and store in the freezer. I cooked those in a covered Dutch oven in the oven for a few hours. They got tender and then fried in their own copious fat. They tasted pretty good, although I let the kids eat theirs with ketchup, which is the best way to ensure they will eat any suspect meat. I also made baked potatoes and steamed broccoli and carrots.
Wednesday: I had made a pot of soup the day before with a pound of ground beef that had been hanging out in the refrigerator, plus onion, garlic, carrots, celery, roasted green chilis, shredded calabacita (like zucchini, which my kids don’t like, but they don’t notice it in soup if it’s shredded), frozen peas, and sour cream. I had made a few extra baked potatoes the night before, too, which I chopped up and added to the kids’ bowls of soup to make it more filling for them.
Thursday: Pork goulash with carrots, mashed potatoes, caramelized cabbage, custard for the sick child
Friday: Cheese pizza for the kids, scrambled eggs for the adults, green salad for all. Meatless Fridays during Lent are no penance for my children. They get to have things I would not usually make–grilled cheese sandwiches or pizza–and which they certainly prefer to the meat we otherwise always have at meals.
Julie says
Lately we’ve been saving leftovers for dinner. Like, instead of thinking, “Oh there’s leftover pasta…I’ll eat that for lunch” we’re making second dinners out of it. It’s great because it saves me from having to come up with new dinner ideas all the time.
Saturday night we had pasta with tomato sauce, mushrooms, etc., and some salad
Sunday was grilled salmon, roasted veggies, salad
Monday was a frittata to use up odds and ends: the last of some mushrooms, spinach that was wilting, I used some Italian sub meats from the freezer, etc.
Tuesday was leftover pasta from Saturday
Wednesday was popcorn shrimp tacos with rice and beans
Thursday was grilled chicken, roasted potatoes and salad
Tonight we’ll make some other sort of Mexican dish with leftover rice and beans.
Ruth T says
Does the current diet mean that Friday night pizza is on hold at your house?
We had…
Saturday: Celebrated my 7yo’s birthday with my parents and brother. She asked for cheeseburgers, shells and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, strawberries and bananas, and carrots with ranch. (It was a lot of food.) Cake and ice cream to finish.
Sunday: Celebrated my brother’s birthday. He picked fajitas with blueberry pie and cherry pie for dessert.
Monday: Venison roast, leftover shells and cheese, and cooked carrots
Tuesday: Tacos and pineapple
Wednesday: Sloppy joes, the last of the mashed potatoes and gravy, and peas
Thursday: A friend tried Hello Fresh and decided it wasn’t for her, but not before she could cancel her next box. So she gave us 3 Hello Fresh meals!!! We had firehouse cheeseburgers and garlic potato wedges.
Friday: HF meal #2: Sweet and smoky pork tenderloin with apple carrot slaw, mashed potatoes, and cherry sauce
Ruth T says
Oh! And I was $28 under budget for February! Hooray!
Kristen says
Yeah, I have given up on pizza for Sonia at the moment. It was one thing when she couldn’t have cheese, but since she can’t have gluten OR cheese, I don’t think it’s really worth it to try making pizza! You can disguise a gluten-free crust if you can have cheese, or you can make a decent no-cheese pizza with a gluten crust, but if you take both things out, that’s tough.
Beth says
We had mostly salads with chicken or pork tenderloin on top. I love getting chopped salad kits and adding meat to make it a meal. Our wedding anniversary was Monday so we got salmon and shrimp and my husband grilled it- it was amazing and I know for sure it wouldn’t have been tastier in a restaurant. I found some plums called “lemon plums” at the grocery store and bought a few- they start out yellow and turn pinkish orange as they ripen- they were delicious and one night I added one to a spinach salad along with a homemade nut and seed topping and blue cheese- absolutely delicious. This time of year we like to get unusual fruit and try it- it breaks up the monotony a bit.
Kristen says
Happy anniversary!!
Beverly says
Saturday – sandwiches, chips and pineapple
Sunday – homemade pizza
Monday – chicken curry with sweet potatoes and rice
Tuesday – Brats, onion rings, and pineapples
Wednesday – Cowboy casserole
Thursday – I was not feeling well so I had rice and hubby had leftovers
Friday – beef kabobs
Kris says
I will give everyone a good laugh and confess that when I made chicken taco bowls for dinner last night, somehow I confused cayenne pepper with chili pepper. Ack!!! I suppose I was the entertainment for the evening. I’ll make mac and cheese tonight. Don’t think I will mess that up! We also had a chicken and biscuit casserole this week, soup and bread, and sloppy joes.
Kristen says
Oh wow! Those must have been some SPICY bowls.
I remember one time a reader here said she accidentally put an entire can of chipotle chilies into a recipe; that would also have been a seriously spicy experience.
Ruby says
I have a somewhat low tolerance for hot spice and am always very wary of recipes that call for canned hot peppers. I’ll always add a small amount, taste, and try to decide how a normal person would perceive the level of hotness. My husband loves stuff the hotter the better, but I figure he can always slosh on Tabasco if it’s not hot enough for him.
Kris says
I can’t for the life of me figure out where my brain was when I was preparing dinner. My family ate most of it, surprisingly. I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it ….
Sarah G says
One time I was making chili at my parents’ house and they had a container of ground pure red chilis, which I mistook for chili powder. So I added 2 tablespoons of this stuff. The chili was soooooooo hot even my dad could hardly eat it. The only way I could eat it was if I waited 5 minutes between bites. Lol My family has never forgotten that one.
Hawaii Planner says
We’re wrapping up the last of our meal deliveries (currently have both Hello Fresh & Blue Apron, because they both had really good deals this month):
-Tacos
-Spicy meatballs with roasted carrots & rice
-Chicken shawarma bowls
-Taco slaw
-Salmon with cauliflower rice
-Leftovers
-Tonight will be chicken with roasted cauliflower & quinoa