WIS, WWA | accidentally frugal!
What I Spent
All I spent this week was $33 at Safeway. It was an inadvertently frugal week; I did pull most stuff from the pantry/freezer, but I hadn't even planned for that.
I had an accidental pantry/freezer challenge, I guess.
What We Ate
Saturday
Zoe was at work and I ate a sandwich for dinner (because, of course!)
Sunday
I made some chicken quesadillas, and we had watermelon on the side.
Monday
Zoe was out with a friend, and I made myself a tuna melt.
Chiquita was very, very interested when I opened that tuna can. And she was trying to get at my sandwich until it was gone. 😉
Tuesday
I had toast with fried eggs, and Zoe had mac and cheese when she got back from her late shift.
Wednesday
I grilled burgers and we had some watermelon on the side.
I love watermelon season!
Thursday
Leftover burgers. Because a pound of ground beef makes two meals for Zoe and me. 🙂
Friday
Zoe's having a friend sleepover tonight, so I will see what she'd like to have on the menu for the two of them.
A lot of Zoe's best friends are going off to college in the fall, so I know the days of friend sleepovers are numbered. The end of a long era is coming.
Although...there are still Christmas breaks and summer breaks when the friends will be home. 🙂
I really need to pull my grill out of the garage and get to grilling. Although it is hot here, there's just no other sub for a grill when it comes to burgers! I jumbled the menus around this week, but essentially we ate:
Monday - Lemony Alfredo with grilled chicken, brussels sprouts
Tuesday - Crockpot Korean Ribs, brown rice, green beans (this isn't my favorite crockpot rib recipe as I think it calls for way too much liquid, so I will adjust it next time)
Wednesday - Cafe Rio Chicken bowls with black beans, 50/50 cauli and jasmine rices, and queso fresco
Thursday - Chickpea Pasta with Turkey Bolognese, asparagus
Friday - Crockpot Cowboy Beans (made enough to feed an army so we will eat these alllll weekend)
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed. Today is food prep day in advance of my three day workweek! I haven't eaten lunch out all week, so I am tempted to go get Chik-Fil-A today.
Your tuna melt looked very yum, btw. Happy Last day of May!
Well, it's always a toss-up if your impromptu meals will be a sandwich or stuff+egg. Maybe the ultimate would be an egg sandwich. 🙂
Saturday: Bunless hamburgers, oven fries, roasted asparagus, cucumbers with salt and vinegar, gingersnaps. That last was a cookie request from my eldest. I don't make them a lot because they have no protein in them and I typically make cookies as a snack option, but it's summer now and I can make dessert cookies instead of snack cookies for school snacks. Yet another reason for my children to love summer.
Sunday: My husband brought in a bunch of grape leaves after pruning the grape vines, all excited about making stuffed grape leaves. Which meant that I made stuffed grape leaves, something I had never made or even eaten. I do actually enjoy this type of kitchen challenge, though. They took awhile, and I wasn't so enamored of the final product that I thought it was worth the time, but they definitely made my husband happy and it was a fun experience. Those weren't enough for dinner, though, so we also had lamb steaks, potatoes (slices that I had used on the bottom of the pot of cooking grape leaves to keep them from scorching), tzatziki sauce, and pots de creme for Sunday dessert.
Monday: I had a lot of the meat and rice filling left from the previous day's cooking experiement, which I had cooked in the rest of the lamb broth from cooking the grape leaves. One child was gone fishing and camping with my husband, so the three left at home had that filling plus the first cabbage from the garden (raw, because that's how they like it), and cookies. Chocolate chip/peanut butter this time.
Tuesday: I still had some of the rice and meat filling left, and camoflauged the third day of it by turning it into Spanish rice with salsa, taco spices, and grated cheese. My husband had leftover lamb steak and some of the potatoes that came home with them from their camping trip.
Wednesday: Lamb roast, whipped potatoes (I used my handheld mixer instead of my potato masher to make them very smooth for the child with a sore throat who prefers them that way), cucumbers, roasted asparagus and new garlic, baked custard (also for the one with a sore throat, although of course everyone got some)
Thursday: Fish patties made with one big can of tuna and one can of salmon, leftover whipped potatoes, various raw produce
Friday: I have yet MORE whipped potatoes left, which I will use as the top of a small shepherd's pie today. I'm also baking bread, so maybe I'll make some garlic bread to supplement that. Plus a green salad.
@kristin @ going country,
Stuffed grape leaves are a favorite of mine, but I have never made them. Did you make a vegetarian version or one with meat? What kind of grape leaf do you use?
@Bee, I wrote all about it (with pictures, even!) on my Friday Food post at my blog today, but to answer your questions: I made a filling with meat and I used the leaves from a variety of grape my husband grows called Cartegena. These do not actually make great leaves for rolling up since they have a lot of lobes and thus are not really wide, but I made do. I vaguely followed this recipe for pointers, although "followed" is generous word for what I did with it. 🙂
https://www.themediterraneandish.com/stuffed-grape-leaves-dolmades/
@kristin @ going country,
I will check it out. This is an interesting treat to make’
@kristin @ going country, Your grape leaf challenge sounds like my mulberry pie challenge; I'm glad your husband appreciated your efforts!
Seems like it was an all or nothing at all kind of week. WWA:
Saturday - pasta primavera with sautéed chicken breast
Sunday - DH birthday dinner of focaccia with herbed dipping oil, grilled lamb chops with mint sauce, boiled baby potatoes with butter and chopped herbs, Caesar salad, mocha Bundt cake with ganache frosting, Malbec
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday - fast food (was not worth the price)
Thursday - steelhead trout with sliced lemon and dill baked in foil, steamed rice, steamed broccoli
Friday - planning on making Mediterranean bowls using leftover rice, crispy chickpeas, roasted and fresh veggies, tahini-lime drizzle
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend
86 Kroger pick up. 44 Aldi.
Mon leftover chicken burgers diced up on top of a Greek salad. All leftover burger toppings diced up over greens with chicken on top. Croutons made from leftover buns. So good.
Tues. Summer fave when hubby is out. Greek yogurt parfait. Strawberries and black berries on sale this week. Homemade granola.
Wed. Aldi egg rolls in air fryer. Rice. Fried eggs. Siracha. Soy sauce.
Thurs. Grilled chicken. Corn in air fryer. Tater tots.
Friday: air fryer fish fillets on sandwich buns. Sliced berries. Slaw.
Sat: I plan to make a pasta skillet with Italian sausage and fresh herbs from my garden.
We had chicken on sale at the local farm this month so we stocked up. Due to that this month's spending was outrageously high. But we've stocked up on beef (feb), pork (april), and now chicken... so we are good for awhile.
Sat: takeout-kitchen cleaning meant no cooking but we did order on the TGTG app so it was cheaper and we each got 2 meals from it
Sun: memorial day weekend cookout at my parents. Chicken wings, lobster, ribs, orzo salad, Cole slaw
Mon: burgers and fries
Tues: crostini with ricotta and fava beans; pasta with red sauce and hot sausage
Wed: left over crostini, aspargus, and risotto with shrimp/scallop
Thurs: chicken, sorrel, spinach, orzo, lemon soup w/ bread
Tonight: either pulled pork mac n cheese or kielbasa with loaded potato pierogi
Ha, so the breakfast oatmeal comes with a side of cat hair?
I didn't grocery shop last week, but I sure spent money on eating, and I can't begin to tell you what I spent or even all I ate, since I was traveling early Friday morning through late Tuesday night and we took turns paying for meals.
I know at home I cooked a small chuck roast with mushrooms, carrots and onions in the crockpot, with a side of green beans. I prefer my roast from the pressure cooker or oven, to be honest, but this suited my schedule better. I ate this for a few meals before my trip.
I made tuna salad with shredded veggies with fruit on the side and ate that more than once.
I had bought hot dogs for a quick meal when returning home and I had them, bunless, a couple of times with a stovetop cheater version of baked beans, with additional sides of apples and pickles.
On the road we had Chick-Fil-A and tuna salad. While at our destination, I had a nice chicken parmesan dinner with fresh green beans and corn casserole at the reunion. I had a sheet pan dinner of chicken tenders and roasted veggies (including fresh picked asparagus from our hostess' garden), a rice bowl dinner , a fish basket with fries, and a garlic chicken tender basket with side salad. That's all I can remember.
I spent the week at my mom's as she is not feeling well. I cooked meals while I was there, but I ran to the grocery for her and their local store had organic tinned tomatoes on clearance for .70/can (for the very large can of whole tomatoes). I bought about $40 worth of tomatoes because they were good through 2026 and are normally about $5/can. I also stocked up on ears of corn while I was there (5 for $1 at their produce market...I bought $30). We processed it and froze it. AND I bought $30 worth of mini cucumbers and then canned pickles with them when I got home.
So, in the end I spent about $100 which is about my norm for the week.
At her house we at a lot of chicken, soups, stew, fruit, homemade bread, and pasta. Keeping it pretty bland for her right now and she has NO appetite. We supplemented with some protein shakes when she could stomach them.
I give our cats the tuna water I drain from the can.
@Katy, me too. My first cat used to come running if she heard the sound of the can opener (It was before those pull-tops became the norm.)
@Katy, We do the same, and funnily enough our cat turns his nose up at fish bits, but will slurp up the water. He actually wants to try everything from a can; today I was opening a can of baby corn and he begged until I poured a little of the ?brine? into a dish for him, and he DRANK it. He does the same for beans.
@Katy,
Me too. One evening I had pulled a whole fish from the oven for our family dinner and had placed it on the dinner table. Had to leave the room for a moment...when I came back our kitty had jumped to the table, bitten into the fish and pulled it across the carpet.
My son graduated last Friday so it was a weekend of family being at my house and a big party on Sunday. Here's our menu:
**Friday (pre-graduation), I cooked some chicken breast in the crock-pot because it was a busy day, then shredded them for pulled bbq chicken sandwiches, coleslaw, baked beans and chips.
**Saturday - Mayo & breadcrumb chicken with mac & cheese, green beans and leftover baked beans and slaw.
**Sunday (Party day) I made 5 pans of Baked Ziti, a huuuuge salad, garlic toast, watermelon, cupcakes, brownies and boiled peanuts.
**Monday - Leftovers
**Tuesday - Taco Bowls
**Wednesday - Leftovers again
**Thursday - Grilled Burgers and (leftover) Mac & Cheese
**Friday (tonight) - Split chicken wings with some kind of rice side and a vegetable
All the company left Tuesday morning so that's why meals got super easy and leftovers eaten up after that, lol.
What I Made and What I Actually Ate = 2 different things. I saw what I thought was a promising recipe in NY Times Cooking for "Spicy Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Peanuts." I like what I think of as "spicy", but NY Times has a different metric. I should have realized from the amount of red pepper flakes and the resulting chile oil that this might be on the outer limits of the "pants on fire!" spicy range, especially when the last note in the recipe was the parenthetical "(If you don't use all of the chile oil, you can store it in the refrigerator for 2 weeks in an airtight container)" -- apparently to keep it from exploding at room temperature.
So ... I made it but what I actually ate were hamburgers and tuna salad. :-{
@JDinNM,
That chicken dish sounds like it's right up my ally...must check that out and try it.
Bummer that you couldn't eat it.
I admit I laughed about the chili oil exploding so you get credit for my first chuckle of the day.
Good luck! Keep a fire extinguisher handy...
Hahah, how many red pepper flakes did it call for?
@Kristen, Let's just say it was measured not in flakes, or even teaspoons, but TABLESPOONS...
GEEZ. That is a lot of red pepper flakes!
WIS: $57 @ scratch & dent store (stocked up on GF pasta, coffee, gourmet chocolate for baking, fruit) $34 @ Costco
WWA: Sunday: hosted big family dinner
Monday: Stroganoff, mashed potatoes, asparagus, kale salad
Tuesday: steaks on grill, green salad, more asparagus
Wed: leftover steak, green salad, broccoli salad
Th: Breakfast for dinner
Fri: Chicken dinner, mashed potatoes, gravy, coleslaw & corn casserole
Sat: Chicken salad sandwiches, veggies and ranch
Sunday = family dinner, I'm not hosting! Will make some sort of GF dessert
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!
Ha, Clark is right there if we open a can of tuna, but all he wants is the liquid from it. He won't eat the actual tuna. Or any meats, unless it's in kibble or those squeezy tube treats. He will, however, eat turkey lunchmeat and garbanzo beans, as well as nori seaweed sheets. He goes bonkers for those.
WWS: 386 at Kroger unless I'm miscalculating. Going more frequently seems to be paying off, as we're more aware of what we have and are just getting what we need.
Saturday/Sunday: Homemade pizzas. I am so enjoying the VioLife vegan mozzarella, which was on sale at Kroger. Daiya is just as good, but the VioLife is a leetle bit different. We also had a mulberry pie!
Monday: I had a hankering for red lentil and cauliflower soup, and i had a cauliflower languishing in the fridge, so that's what I made, along with a Stouffer's mac and cheese and some burgers. Pretty random, but aside from the mac and cheese it was mostly stuff we had on hand. We're prioritizing protein for DS#1 and the lentil soup is not his favorite, so the burgers were a must have. I grabbed an on sale watermelon and we had that as well.
Tuesday: DH made tuna burgers with some of the huge stock of tuna we had in our pantry. Clark turned his nose up at this tuna, though, as it was packed in oil and he prefers it packed in water, as do I. We also had fries and leftover lentil soup.
Wednesday: DS had his wound closure procedure today, and we had no way of knowing how long we'd be at the hospital. (They'd called and asked him to come in at 6:30 am, rather than 7:50, but he ended up not having the procedure until 11 anyway; that's how it goes sometimes!) We were home by lunchtime and later DH picked up Chick Fil A and we also had some leftover tuna burgers.
Thursday: Cat shelter night, so DS#3, who is allergic to all cats except Clark (seriously) stayed home and made a delicious taco bar, and we had the other half of the watermelon.
Tonight: DH and I are fasting for First Saturday, but DS#2 will be making baked salmon and crockpot fried rice for everyone else.
@Karen A., my cat used to eat a few foods (cheese, eggs), but for about a year now the only item he eats is mayo. If he hears you open the mayo jar....he comes running for his little bit. Weird cat.
@Marlena, I used to have one that would come running for a dried noodle. I would yell Noodle! and he would be right there, crunching them. Crazy cat. His name was Q.
@Kathleen in Kansas, I keep joking we should have named him Sushi, the way he loves nori sheets. He will sit there and eat little bits right out of my hand.
@Marlena, Clark used to beg for black beans from the can (and eat them), then he decided he only liked garbanzo beans. He thought black olives sounded lovely, but only ate one. He still comes begging every time the can opener is going, though!
Maybe the sleepovers will just take a break for a while. I’m in my 40s and still have sleepovers with a few friends. They take more planning but are so much fun!
Friday: Thai take out
Saturday: Leftover pizza (from my husband’s office), buffalo cauliflower, craft cocktails. I made Elderflower Margaritas and my husband made Blackberry Bourbon Smash.
Sunday: Smash Burger Tacos and Mango Jicama Slaw
Monday: Air Fryer Salmon Nuggets, leftover slaw, white cheddar mac. I’m trying to get my son in the kitchen more so I had him make the mac and cheese.
Tuesday: Turkey Unstuffed Pepper Bowls
Wednesday: Sandwiches, chips, and strawberries. My original plan was to picnic after my son’s game but his dad was able to take him so I didn’t have to leave work early or fight traffic. My husband and I decided to stick with the planned sandwiches just to make life easier.
Thursday: Sandwiches, carrots, cucumbers, and strawberries after my son’s game. My husband grabbed dinner at a different sporting event he was attending.
It was a weird week, as we had two nights in a row with late school events.
Saturday - DH & I went on a date night, & shared a salad & a French dip sandwich.
Sunday - we got home late from a day trip, and had leftovers
Monday - DH grilled hot dogs, & I made peach, basil & mozzarella salad. One of our faves.
Tuesday - Asian beef rice dish (from the freezer)
Wednesday - we were out late at senior awards night. I can't remember what I had when I got home, but it was uninspiring. Maybe cold mac & cheese?
Thursday - we were at the tennis banquet, and had street tacos & homemade rice that one of the parents made. The rice was incredible.
As for tonight, we have leftover hot dogs that need to be used up, so that's on the menu.
WIS: This was a stock up week $186 @ Kroger and $286 @ Walmart for a total of $472. Thank you inflation!
Saturday: Cannot remember what the heck we ate but I know we were fed.
Sunday: We spent the day by the pool. I grilled chicken, burgers and hotdogs when I got home and we had baked beans and grilled corn as sides. When I fire up the grill I like to take advantage of the charcoal and cook several proteins if I can.
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: More leftovers
Wednesday: Chicken Tacos
Thursday: Hotdogs
Friday: Trying a recipe I saw on Instagram for chicken meatballs & orzo. It is a one pot meal and I can't think of something more lovely for a Friday night when I least feel like cooking.
Cheers to the weekend!
WIS
Around 43$ at WinCo, 62(ish) at Walmart but that includes household items.
This week we ate:
Sunday-Beef tips and gravy with mashed potatoes, carrots and snow peas.
Monday-Leftovers
Tuesday-BLT with cob corn.
Wendsday-Spicy mango chicken with rice, sweet and sour peppers.
Thursday-Leftovers from wendsday as well as some strawberries and grape tomatoes.
Friday-Have some odds and ends in the fridge and chicken broth in the freezer so I'm thinking ramen bowls...might pick up a angel food or coconut cake to help finish off the strawberries.
Happy weekend!
Saturday - 4th birthday party for my daughter! We ordered pizza for the party so had that for dinner (and leftovers for days after, overordered a bit!)
Sunday - my daughter’s actual birthday, we had the grandparents over for dinner. She requested hot dogs roasted over the fire pit so everyone roasted their own hot dogs and we had corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese from Costco and a fruit platter. An ice cream cake from baskin Robbins for dessert (which was really good, haven’t had one of their cakes since I was a kid and really enjoyed it)
Monday - leftover macaroni and cheese and corn on the cob from the party, I also made some Cole slaw and some chicken nuggets for the kids.
Tuesday - our beach picnic night, the usual pb&j and raw veggies and fruit for the kids, leftover coleslaw with a black bean chopped up on top for me.
Wednesday - my mom had asked if she could take the kids to McDonald’s at about 4:00 so I knew they wouldn’t be very hungry for dinner. Big salads for husband and me, with chicken on his and a black bean burger on mine, kids had some chopped up fruit, veggies and cheese and their remaining nuggets from McDonald’s, plus pilsbury breadsticks for everyone.
Thursday - my husband needed a ride to go pick up his car that was done being repaired (which meant all 4 of us would need to go) It was about 30 minutes away so we decided to eat dinner out after we picked it up, we rarely dine out and only get takeout on weekends so it was fun to do something different during the week.
Friday - I have my book club, so will make Trader Joe’s orange chicken and steamed broccoli for everyone before I go, and will likely eat snacks at book club for my dinner.
Saturday: Takeout pizza while prepping for Sunday's meal
Sunday: Braised short rib stew over rice, cooked carrots.
Monday: Pasta with with homemade Romanesco sauce for which we had grilled the peppers, so yummy.
Tuesday: BBQ steaks, tofu, fries and a grilled corn salad
Wednesday: Cheddar cheesy grits and tomato bean sauce with leftover corn salad mixed in.
Thursday: Leftover grits fried up polenta-style with ground beef gravy and leftover tomato sauce, green salad from the garden.
Friday: Could go for pasta again as it's easy to combine veggies with it.
Winco $329, Aldi $49 and no don't-want-to-know weekly trip by husband to local market. The high number feels alarming until I look at the calendar and see it has been 6-7 weeks since the last big stock-up. I continue to ignore my husband's weekly local runs for produce and whatever else strikes his fancy. . . hands over ears, eyes squinched, LALALALALA.
I must have eaten something because my clothes aren't falling off. But nothing was memorable, and certainly nothing is like a NYTimes or Instagram recipe or a stuffed grape leaf or a roast or a crockpot or air fryer or Instapot meal. I am so impressed by the efforts made by the Commentariat to feed themselves and their families! (Maybe the quiet folks are like me on Fridays. . . just "hunh?")
I spent $86 this week, which is more than usual for me. I had spent very little for most of the month to save up the biggest part of my grocery budget for this week because I need more convenience food this week and next, as I won't have time to cook.
I had baked beans and hot dogs and cornbread for dinner Sunday through Wednesday. A package of hot dogs lasts a while when you're the only one eating them. Last night I had cereal and a spoonful of Sunbutter for dinner, with cookies for dessert. Not sure about tonight, maybe a sandwich.
Some of our cats have enjoyed the water from the tuna can as a treat. We called it “tuna juice.” One would come running as soon as the can was opened
Whenever I open a can of tuna, I drain the "tuna water" and put it in a bowl for my cat. He loves it!
Saturday - We roasted hot dogs and smoked sausages over a fire pit and had chips, corn on the cob, and oranges with them.
Sunday - We went to my parents' house for dinner since my brother was in town for the weekend. But we went there after going to three graduation parties, so we weren't very hungry. A couple of my kids just had fruit. There were also burgers, brats, chips... and there may have been more, but we just weren't very hungry!
Monday - Two of my kids got a Bluey cookbook and they made "Bluey Pizza" - which is just like our regular pizza, but the toppings go under the cheese instead of on top. And one entire pizza was just cheese because the cooks like cheese pizza.
Tuesday - Tortellini and meat sauce with broccoli on the side.
Wednesday - Chicken fajitas and strawberries
Thursday - Burgers, chips, watermelon, and asparagus (a true summer menu!)
Friday - I have no idea. Today was a half day of school and the last day of school. I know that we're going out for ice cream tonight. My fridge is not very full. I'll see what I can find that it somewhat small and healthy. I think I have stir fry veggies in the freezer, so maybe we will do that.
I was wondering if the liquid from people-tuna is too salty for cats, but maybe not?
@Kristen, I can't tell you the last time we bought tuna in a can - no matter if packed in oil or water. In our opinion, the packets taste so-much-better. We typically mix a packet of plain tuna with a packet of seasoned tuna. A packet of seasoned tuna on its own is a bit too intense for the better half so this is a happy medium. And the little cat comes running when I open the packet.
@Kristen, I dilute it for the cats. Goes further that way too.
We were also a bit more accidentally frugal, mostly because I did a lot of the cooking and I make cheap food haha
Monday: Tofu and squash curry with rice
Tuesday: Leftovers/hard boiled eggs, cheese, bread, cucumbers
Wednesday: Mr. B worked late, but my mom and my friend came over. We had veggie burritos.
Thursday: Our toddler was sick so Mr. B got hot food from the grocery counter.
Friday: I'm at a union meeting and will be fed. Toddler will have whatever her poor tummy can handle. Mr. B will fend for himself.
I'm late to the party again, since Grad School BFF and I left home before the post went up for an antique show about 30 miles east of here. Enormous fun was had, and several bargains were scored. Details to come.
But meanwhile, WIS: $36 at Wegmans, $39 at Price Chopper, and $25 at Tops.
WWA: Nothing too memorable in the first part of the week. Since BFF's plane was a late afternoon arrival on Wednesday, I made a quick sheet-pan dinner of chicken thighs (Reduced for Quick Sale at Tops) and sweet potatoes after we got home; because BFF comes from Chicagoland, this was ready at about her natural dinnertime. On Thursday, I made hamburgers, which went with a potato salad I'd made on Tuesday. For most of the rest of her visit, either she's being taken out to dinner by other friends of hers, or we are being wined and dined by mutual friends.
Oh, hey! We had tuna melts this week, too!
WIS: 111.30 @ our local family restaurant, 20 on wine, and 217 and change @Aldi.
WWA:
Fri: salad (mixed greens, yellow peppers, pepitas, ranch dressing), and bacon and mozzarella focaccia.
Sat: salad (kale, apples, apple cider vinegar, mustard and honey dressing), leftover focaccia and leftover crispy tofu over rice.
Sun: salad (lettuce, yellow pepper, red pepper, raisins, ranch dressing), sauteed turnip greens, turkey bacon, fried eggs, toast with butter and jam.
Mon: salad (lettuce, carrots, cucumber, apples,branch dressing), peppers stuffed with meatballs, Jarred pasta sauce and Italian cheese.
Tue: salad (lettuce, cucumber, dried apricots,spray dressing), angel hair pasta and meatballs with jarred sauce and shredded Italian cheese.
Wed: salad (romaine, apples, walnuts, mootube drizzle), tuna melt sandwiches on brioche sliders.
Thu: salad (romaine, cucumber, Asian trail mix, spray dressing), rice and beans in flour tortillas or slices of habanero jack cheese and topped with shredded Colby jack.
Tonight: salad and focaccia.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
My tuna melt was inspired because I needed to meet the protein goal set by my online personal trainer. Sooo, I put a whole can on tuna on my piece of bread!
Kristen, I'd love to hear if you have any go-to recipes for feeding kids at sleepovers! I'm just entering that season of life now. I'd love to come up with something easy that can become a tradition!
Well, my most-used go to is for breakfast the next morning: Pioneer Woman's overnight French toast casserole. https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a8921/cinnamon-baked-french-toast/
I'll make a batch tonight for the girls' breakfast tomorrow morning!
Ooh I never make quesadillas- must try them, as we do love Mexican in our house.
WIS- $151 from Aldi
WIA - Sunday - Honey mustard chicken drumsticks with crispy roast potatoes
Monday- Beef tacos & salad
Tuesday - had my parents visit so we did Roast Lamb with roast veggies
Wednesday - Aldi frozen spanakopita with salad
Thursday - baked Chicken fingers with spicy Mayo, pickles, cheese and salad
Friday - Made a green salad with tomato, avocado, cucumber and feta to bring to a friends house for dinner.
Saturday- not sure yet? Maybe baked fish? I have a nice garlic, olive oil and lemon recipe.
WIS: About $150, which required trips to three grocery stores and Dollar Tree (Bell black olives, Lucky Leaf unsweetened applesauce, Pennysticks pretzels, Saco baking cocoa, and Gold Medal English muffins -- all highly recommended).
WWA: Leftover pork roast with carrots and onions. Roasted chicken thighs and drumsticks. Green salad with shredded provolone cheese and the season's first cucumber from the container garden. Baked potatoes. BBQ stuffed baked potato made with meatless crumbles and topped with provolone cheese. Leftovers from our son's birthday meal out.
Saturday - dine out burgers and fries - not as frugal as the local deal but combined with using a rebate for some shopping. Almost nailed the shopping, only had to pony up $1.29 at the checkout.
Sunday - dine out Mexican
Monday - steak (me), salmon (better half), salad and maybe a side - can't remember
Tuesday - an edible but don't do it again chicken Marsala
Wednesday - dine out fish sandwiches and fries after a budgeted purchase
Thursday - yep, burgers again and side of repurposed pasta leftovers from Tuesday
Friday - tilapia and left over dirty rice (read: more protein) from the freezer
This week was hectic. I did my best but things were a bit slapdash
Monday - salmon, rice, salad
Tuesday - roasted sausage, potato, vegetables, salad
Wednesday - cheese ravioli with meatballs from the freezer, salad, garlic bread
Thursday - I took out meat to defrost but didn’t stick the landing. Chick-fil-A for dinner - added salad and fruit
Friday - turkey stir fry with rice
We did a good job of using up stuff we had and everyone was fed, another successful week of eating in the books
Penne pasta with sliced sauted red peppers onions and small amt. of sausage and a salad
Baked fish and orzo salad and brussels' sprouts
Curried chickpeas over rice and spinach salad
A large cobb salad from Salad N Go (One salad feeds 2 of us!!)
A frozen trader joe pizza with cruciferous slaw on the side.
We fasted one day.We do an “Apple fast” sometimes for 1-2 days just to clear our digestion and ease up a bit.SO we did a ONE day apple fast this week. Just eat an apple when hungry plus apple sauce (homemade from freezer) . It felt so good, we decided we may try to fast one day a week from now on (right after we get back from vacay..)
Saturday: labneh, sourdough bread
Sunday: split pea soup
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: pinto beans and rice, strawberry shortcake
Wednesday: fried rice
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: burritos