WIS, WWA | all new to me!
What I Spent
This is my first time having an actual-factual job since...1998. So I am doing some serious adjusting!
I spent:
- $32 at Trader Joe's
- $6 at Safeway
- $32 at Aldi
And that makes $70 even.
What We Ate
Saturday
I worked my overnight shift the night before, so I was pretty tired at dinnertime. This is when I picked up that free rotisserie chicken, which I ate with some kale salad I'd made previously (mentioned in this week's Five Frugal Things!).
Sunday
Zoe extended her shift until close at work, so it was just me here for dinner. I made a salad with sauteed shrimp as the protein.
Monday
I ate a late lunch after a morning spent at the hospital (more orientation. I am SO oriented now.) and I wasn't hungry at dinnertime.
Zoe was, though, and she ate pizzas made on the mini naan leftover from last week's tikka masala.
Tuesday
Zoe was at work, so after I came home from a 7 am - 7:30 pm shift, I sauteed a sliced red pepper and a tilapia fillet, and ate some cheese ravioli on the side before I showered and went to bed.
I am discovering that there's really not a whole lot of time to do anything after a 12-hour shift, especially if it's followed immediately by another one!
Wednesday
I worked a second 12-hour shift that day. I did such a good job of packing healthy lunches for my back-to-back shifts:
And on Tuesday night when I came home, I did a good job of eating protein and veggies too.
Buuuuuuut by the time I got home on Wednesday, I was all out of energy to make very nutritious choices.
So my tired self ate a bowl of ravioli with tomato sauce, and chased it with two cinnamon rolls. Ha. No produce in sight.
I think what I have learned from my first week is that I should prep both lunch AND dinner before a string of shifts.
But I'm giving myself an A grade for how I navigated the first 70 hours, and I know I'll get better at this the more I do it. 🙂
Thursday
I made some panko-breaded chicken fingers, which we ate on green salads.
Friday
Zoe's gonna be at a birthday party, so I'm only feeding me! I'll poke through my fridge and see what needs to be used up. I have a lot of ripe avocados so maybe some kind of tostada, spread with mashed avocado on the shell?
What did you have for dinner this week?
P.S. On Monday, my friend Katy from The Nonconsumer Advocate agreed to do a Meet a Reader post! 🙂
Following to see which creative solutions you will find for the lunch and dinner prep. 🙂 I'm not working shifts, but have a 9 hours job plus 45 minutes commuting (each direction), so I know how hard it can be to keep oneself nourished in a healthy way. 🙂
@Lina, Me too. My hours changed at work about a year ago from an 8 hour day to a 9 hour day. I get an hour lunch, but it makes for such a long day when one has an hour commute each way. UGH! I meal prep all my breakfasts and vegg/fruit and fill in with leftovers for most of my lunches. I do make about three jarred salads a week as well. And I try to look at the week in advance on Sunday night to see which nights I need to cook (hubby does most of the evening cooking), so I am all prepared with meals. It doesn't always work, but I do try:)
@Jackie, lucky you. I'm the one doing the evening cooking in our household. My husband does breakfasts though. Which is good because I'm not a morning person.
That really is a remarkably balanced and healthy stretch of meals during a busy and tiring week. A+.
Saturday: Tuna/salmon patties (I use one can of each), mashed potatoes, peas, ice cream
Sunday: I leftover pork shoulder, leftover rice, and sauerkraut, so I fried those all together in a skillet with butter. Surprisingly tasty. I also pan-fried some sweet potatoes, and there was more ice cream.
Monday: Boneless leg of lamb, leftover mashed potatoes, sauerkraut
Tuesday: Leftover-leftover pork and rice skillet, pork sandwiches made with the last of the plain leftover pork, coleslaw
Wednesday: Ground bull and bean burritos, kohlrabi sticks with ranch dip
Thursday: Chicken and spaghetti with pesto, carrot sticks with ranch dip
Friday: Today is the hottest day this week. I'm thinking something with eggs. Maybe just fried. I have about four pieces of bacon in the refrigerator that need to be used, so I think I'll use those to make a mustard-based potato salad, too. Leftover coleslaw.
Your salads with shrimp look so good! And I'm glad you're giving yourself grace to figure this out.
Saturday - I cooked double this day, so I'm counting them both. For lunch, I made Kristen's orzo with sausage and asparagus. For dinner, I made cool ranch crunchwraps. We probably had tons of strawberries with them, since this was the day I bought 3 cases.
Sunday - Crock-pot chili mac (a new recipe that everybody loved!) and strawberries
Monday - My husband and son went to the Phillies/Tigers game and ate there. The girls and I had a girls night and they wanted to eat at Panera. While I almost never pay for having the Sip Club, this is one area where it has paid off for them... my kids think Panera is awesome. I had a deal in my email for getting a full strawberry poppyseed salad for $5.99, which is what I was going to order anyways. Yay! My girls both got the bacon mac and cheese. Then we painted our nails and watched the Olympic trials.
Tuesday - My kids stayed over at my parents' house, my husband had a meeting at church that included dinner, and I had the night to myself! I made a tuna melt and since it was so delicious, I then made myself a second one. And that was my dinner.
Wednesday - A second new recipe win: one skillet meaty pizza pasta casserole. We had our first garden zucchini as a side!
Thursday - A new recipe that was not well-received: sloppy joe stuffed french bread. I wasn't excited over how long it took to make (like Kristen, I was too tired and hungry and ate a cookie before dinner...) and the kids were not excited about how it tasted. We had snap peas on the side, then for dessert we had been given a pound cake with a jar of strawberry sauce. We still have lots of strawberries, so I sliced some up and made some whipped cream to go on top. It was all so good!
Friday - Chili cheese dogs, watermelon, and probably more pound cake with strawberries. If I don't think my kids pick and eat enough snap peas from the garden today, I'll throw a veggie in there.
OOh your Friday night meal idea sounds good, and yes, you will get into the groove. Twelve hours shifts require meal planning just like they did when I was feeding a house full of people. If I do about 30 minutes of prepping on Friday mornings, I'm set until Monday night. It takes up a fair amount of space in my fridge, but makes mornings a breeze. This week at my house:
Monday - kitchen closed - I ate my usual ABJ and protein yogurt at work
Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Summer Salads (romaine, chicken, pico, avocado, black beans, lemon dressing)
Wednesday - Ravioli with (homemade!)Marinara, yellow squash
Thursday - Alamo Bowls with Poblano Sausage (rice, corn, sausage, pico, cheese)
Friday - I'm going to throw some chicken drums into the crockpot with some seasonings and a squeeze of lime, then finish up my to do lists for the week! We have potatoes that are sprouting, so I will cook those, too. Maybe also a frozen veggie, we'll see.
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed. ABJ and yogurt for the win.
Happy Weekend!
https://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/2024/06/5-thing-friday-meal-prep-bowl-dinners.html
I think you're on to something with the dinner prepping idea. When I was taking classes that would go all day long (like 8 AM-10 PM), I would pack breakfast, lunch and dinner and just eat whenever I was hungry. When I got home, it was shower and bed.
WIS: only 26 and change @Aldi this week, and 10 of that was for an insulated backpack cooler.
WWA:
Fri: mixed greens, leftover spaghetti and meatballs, leftover turkey burgers, leftover Mac and cheese and frozen peas.
Sat: mixed greens and hand tossed pizza made on the pizza stone I brought on vacation. I do not know what it means to pack light...
Sun: tacos with seasoned ground turkey, homemade refried beans, black beans and canned tomatoes, mixed greens, shredded cheese, guacamole, salsa and sour cream.
Mon: no picture, so it must have been a clean out the fridge of leftovers sort of night, heavily featuring tacos and spaghetti if I remember correctly.
Tue: tilapia filets breaded with shake parm and smoked paprika, frozen french fries, and frozen peas. We also had microwaved s'mores for dessert.
Wed: Home from vacation and it was too hot to cook much, so we had the last of the mixed greens with strawberry poppyseed dressing along with hotdogs on brioche buns made on the little foreman grill.
Thu: It was still so hot and I had lots of random vacation leftover food, so I threw some chicken legs in the crock pot with some leftover chicken broth and a little bit of peach salad dressing. I shredded the meat, sauteed some orange peppers with red onions and had fajitas for dinner using some leftover salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese and tortillas. We also added shredded romaine to our fajitas along with a little bit of the peach salad dressing and some chipotle Cholula sauce. They turned out very good and then I made some chicken bone broth with the bones and skin pieces in the crock pot.
Tonight: I think we will have crispy tofu instead of pizza since it heats up the house less.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
@Becca, Where do you get the strawberry poppyseed salad dressing? I love that dressing!! Aldi used to sell it every summer, but mine hasn't this year and I don't think they did last year either. I haven't been able to find it anywhere else.
@Ruth T,
I got it at Aldi this summer. Maybe check again? It was not with the other salad dressings, but was in the random crap aisle that mainly has food items.
@Ruth T,
If you can’t find it there, many of the larger, more tradition grocery stores carry a few different brands. The Panera poppy seed salad dressing is available in the produce section of many large grocery stores. Briana’s is available at my Target. I use the Primal Kitchen brand which I buy at Whole Foods. There are several recipes on line too.
Thanks! I'll keep my eyes out for it. I've seen lots of regular poppyseed dressings, but Aldi is the only one I've found to have strawberry poppyseed. It's so good!!
That shrimp salad looks tasty!
We're on a work trip in a remote village, so I brought all our food for the week with us. We've had:
- Chicken and rice burrito bowls
- Potato soup
- Spagetti
- Teriayaki noodles
- Today is beans and onion sauce over rice
- And the plan for tomorrow is chicken pita wraps
WIS: $15 at an American Legion chicken BBQ, $28 at Price Chopper, $28 at Ollie's, $18 at Trader Joe's, $15 at the Regional Market, and $5.50 at the grocery outlet.
WIA: The American Legion chicken (made with the locally famous marinade recipe developed at Cornell) did not disappoint. Neither did the RFQS kosher chicken I dug out of the freezer and roasted yesterday. (Now that I know I'm getting beef this year from the friends who raise the steer, I need to make some room in the freezer!)
My favorite chicken!!!!! That recipe is sooo good,my late hubby was no chicken lover and even he would eat that.
WIS: $68.04 on groceries, and just slightly more (about $70) on a single dinner at a fabulous farm to table restaurant with a group of friends.
WIA: Kristen’s Chicken Brinerade – Yum! Juicy and flavorful, just as advertised. With rice pilaf and roasted broccoli, and in salads and sandwiches and soups. Thanks, Kristen! And for dinner out, an amazing asparagus soup; Idaho trout with daikon, mushrooms, greens and yuzu; and a scrumptious blackberry sorbet. Worth every penny. Fabulous food enjoyed with fabulous friends in a fabulous farm setting on a relaxing summer evening. Five decidedly non-frugal stars. Highly recommend!
Last night, after a day of horrendous stress: takeout Chinese.
Wednesday, I made Szechuan beef. Oh, it was so good.
Tuesday, grilled hamburgers on pretzel rolls I made myself, and salad.
Monday: penne vodka, salad.
Sunday: um...I'm pretty sure we ate something.
Today: Kinda wanting Cobb salad. Also I'm planning to make and can pickles. Tomorrow, more takeout as it is Son's birthday.
We've also had a little dessert this week. Daughter has been experimenting with ice cream and froyo in our ice cream maker. She doesn't make a ton because none of us have sweet tooths. Last night was strawberry-prosecco and the time before that was Earl Grey.
@Rose,
Ooh... strawberry prosecco ice cream sounds really tasty...
@Rose, Earl Grey ice cream??? Sign me and Jean-Luc Picard up!
Both were really good. My daughter has adored tea since she was tiny.
I could really go for some sorbet. Hmmmm....but what fruit? of course, lemon is hard to top. Maybe with some kind of bitter black tea to offset the sweetness? I'll ask her.
@Rose,
They both sound so yummy.....and sorbet of pretty much any flavor works for me. Cobb salad sounds good, too. I had a scrumptious chopped salad at an Irish pub restaurant a few days ago that had chopped mango, feta cheese, cucumbers, another fruit (maybe blueberries? I forget), roasted fresh corn, and a lemon vinaigrette dressing. It was soooo good.
@Liz B., Nothing rings of the bells of Ireland more than mango!
@A. Marie,
Side note: my DH gave me a Christmas stocking stuffer of a tiny bar of soap with Jean-Luc Picard on it.....it's Earl Grey scented.:-)
@Rose,
Lol! I thought the same thing. This salad was so non-Irish!
@Liz B., I am so jealous right now. That's awesome.
Sat - Sausage and white beans with rice, green beans and cornbread. It was my son in laws birthday so I also baked a cake
Sun - I made a peach sauce with a couple of very ripe peaches and baked them on some chicken thighs, along with baked potatoes, corn and leftover white beans
Mon - My husband grilled burgers and we had chips along side
Tues - My oldest son smoked chicken quarters & I made mashed potatoes, green beans & salad
Wed - Spaghetti, salad & garlic bread
Thurs - I gave my debit card to my kids to go to Wendy's and I made a BLT for myself and my husband ate leftover spaghetti
Fri - Not sure, I have a late dr appt about 40 min. away so I don't think I'll be home until close to 6:00. We'll probably run & pick something up unless my husband decides he wants to grill
Other than the Wendy's run, it was a pretty frugal week. I'd spent $155 at Aldi but I'd stocked up on some meats so this week I'll just need to pick up fresh essentials (bread, milk, a few fresh fruits & veggies, eggs). It's still pretty brutal in the grocery stores these days, even at Aldi.
@kris, I wish my better half would be okay having chips with burgers. In his mind, chips are okay with lunch but for some reason, not with dinner. IMHO, nothing better than a burger/hot dog/brat/Spam (pan fried or grilled) and chips.
Saturday - takeout Italian food: pastas, salad and the best mozzarella sticks I’ve ever had, so crispy!
Sunday - Swedish meatballs with meatless meatballs for me, steamed carrots and baby corn
Monday - homemade kfc bowls (I think I got the idea from someone’s comment on wis/wia last week) We had some Yukon gold potatoes from the produce box that needed to be used up, so made mashed potatoes with those, cooked a couple chicken pattie’s and diced those up (great northern beans on mine instead of chicken), corn, gravy I made from vegetable stock and shredded cheddar. Really good and easy to make, plus easy to customize, will need to remember this one.
Tuesday - picnic dinner but it was too cloudy and windy to go to the beach so we still ate the picnic but at our dining table. The kids thought it was funny and enjoyed it a lot. The usual pb&j with fruits and veggies for them, I had a spinach, strawberry and walnut salad with a nut and seed butter sandwich
Wednesday - Emeril’s alaphabet soup, with broccoli and small tofu cubes added. A huge hit with my kids, they especially loved the tofu (and husband tolerated it) so a big win for getting us all to eat more veggies. We also had pilsbury crescent rolls with honey
Thursday - I’m meeting some friends for dinner so will make something fast for the kids like chicken nuggets and steamed veggies
Friday - I have book club (an unusually social week for me!) so I will eat there, probably will give the kids some of the leftover soup from Wednesday with breadsticks from the freezer.
My work days are usually 12 hour days counting my commute, so prepping ahead is a life-saver for me. My weekends are the days I normally prep ahead, but of course, one fits it in when it's best for one. Also, repeat meals are my friend. If I'm going to cook, I cook the whole thing and serve it more than once, maybe switching out a side dish or two or thinking of creative ways to make a new meal out of a protein. It took some getting used to when I started my current job, but now it's second nature to me.
WIS: I haven't been to the grocery store in weeks, except for about $25 in bread, milk, some fruit and a miscellaneous thing or two. I had one farm order already placed that I asked to be moved to later, and they agreed, so I haven't paid for it or picked it up yet. The rest of the farm orders and the Azure Standard order I normally would have placed this month and picked up, I just skipped, but I'm getting back to them now.
WIA: Goodness knows. I'm off my menu and off my game, but I did eat, so here's what I can remember:
I cooked brats from the freezer and had them with kraut, cucumbers and sweet potatoes one time and potato salad and cucumbers another. I think.
I cooked a chuck steak from the freezer and ate the potato salad again and.... something. Possibly cucumbers again.
I know last night that I took out tuna, carrots, onion, and homemade pickle relish to make a big tuna salad GF sandwich, with plenty of leftovers. I was out of fresh fruit, which I normally like to have with tuna salad.
My cucumbers are coming on, which has been great for a quick, no-cook side dish or salad.
More than that, I can't remember. Tonight I expect to eat out; my nephew and his wife will be in town for the memorial service tomorrow, and my in-town daughter, her best friend, who is on her way here from Tennessee for the service, and I plan to meet them for a meal this evening.
@JD, it's a miracle that you've been able to cook at all, under the present sad circumstances. Kudos to you. (The first 10 days or so after my DH died, I just sort of floated by on friends' covered dishes and dinner invitations, as I dimly recall.)
@JD, I wish you the best with the memorial service. Continued prayers for you and your families.
Could you do a post about all your sauces (or maybe top 10 sauces)? Or maybe direct me to this if you’ve posted this before? I need some serious inspiration for the “bowls” I’ve been making recently. Thanks!!
You’re in luck! Here you go: https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/8-homemade-sauce-ideas-from-a-sauce-fan/
TGIF and a cool and rainy day. WWA as empty nesters:
Saturday - French onion soup (homemade from the freezer) with leftover baguette and a mozzarella end that needed to be used
Sunday - Mississippi pot roast, baked potatoes, peas, fresh cherries and pear for dessert
Monday - leftover pot roast and a salad
Tuesday - picked up a rotisserie chicken, salad greens, and strawberries on the way home from work
Wednesday - leftovers
Thursday - marinated pork skewers, Greek village salad, bread with spicy dipping oil
Friday - planning on air fryer drumsticks, oven fries, fruit
Wishing everyone a wonderful long weekend
@kj,
What is Greek Village salad?
@Gina,
Also known as horiatiki, I make it with raw red onion (shocked in vinegar and ice water bath for a few minutes), tomatoe wedges, sliced cucumber half moons, green pepper rings, olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, Kalamata olives, and biggish slabs of feta on top. I understand that it is a traditional version of a Greek salad. I prefer this version because of the feta chunks and green pepper rings.
Good on you for all the planning! It’s tough balancing work and home stuff, but you’ll stick the landing with more practice 🙂
It’s been a great normal week here, finally!
WIS: $80 at Trader Joe’s
Monday: bbq chicken, baked beans, roasted carrots and potatoes
Tuesday: turkey chili with rice, corn bread, cheese and avocado
Wednesday: a hectic day so we did tuna fish sandwiches, tomato soup, salad and various fresh cut up raw vegetables and dips
Thursday: Asian stir fry with tofu and rice
Friday: not sure! We usually do takeout on Fridays but I’m doing a grocery pickup over lunch, so I think I’m going to try to whip up something tasty
I prep lunch and dinner for the work week (even if just the protein is prepped), as I usually go to gym after work a few days a week, makes it so much easier to grab healthier choices after a long day!
Kristen, I usually cook something like a roast with veg for us to eat on day 1 of working (I cook it in the crockpot before my work days begin) then another night , shred it and add bbq to eat as sandwich's with cubed potatoes or some fresh fruit. Also I do chili one night (from my trusty crockpot) the chili dogs or load baked potatoes the next night. I can cook taco meat ahead and have my lettuce etc ready to go in zip lock bags in the frig. Of course fresh fruit always cut up to go. I usually prep like two lunches and have them set aside in the frig. (I put mine in gallon bags bc my husband will eat it if I don't !!)
It takes a lot of planning! And a lot of rotisserie chicken that I debone to make salads pasta and stir fried quick
Yes, I am discovering that some planning is definitely necessary!
Woof. I feel you.
Like others here I mean prep, batch cook, double up on recipes and my crock pots are my kitchen bff's. Sunday afternoons are spent in the kitchen. Simple meals are key.
Spent around $85.00.
This week we ate:
Sunday - Chicken salad on greens, grapes, strawberries, bread.
Monday - Veggie stir fry, rice, strawberries.
Tuesday - Crockpot refried beans topped with cheese, onions, peppers and Sriracha. Fritos scoops to go with.
Wendsday - Bean burritos topped with avocado and salsa.
Thursday - Grilled up some steak and potato skewers, grilled pineapple and bread.
Friday - Put some broth from the freezer to heat up in the crockpot and I have a bunch of rando veggies and some steak so I'm thinking ramen bowls to use everything up.
Saturday - Shopping day so something simple like breakfast for dinner most likely.
Happy weekend everyone!
Saturday - better half made himself a pizza. I had skillet of leftover steak with potatoes, mushrooms, red peppers and homegrown garlic. Mushrooms and peppers also used on the pizza.
Sunday - Mexican dine out. Leftovers became a lunch and part of Tuesday dinner
Monday - friends brought us HM mostaccioli w/meat sauce
Tuesday - ribs with leftover rice and beans
Wednesday - sushi
Thursday - leftover ribs, coleslaw, better half had salmon and leftover rice and beans
Friday - not sure what the cook has planned.
Tilapia with potatoes, red peppers, bacon, onions, and homegrown zucchini and garlic.
I don’t work 12 hour shifts, but once you add in commute time and getting my son to and from practice, dinner time gets really tight at our house. On those days I lean heavily on my slow cooker (I usually prep the night before), giant salads (again, prepped the night before), and soup/sandwich. Having pre-cooked, frozen protein on hand is also a time saver. I love when rotisserie chicken is on sale – I’ll shred the chicken, portion it out, and pop it in the freezer for future use.
Friday: Double date night with my parents! We tried a new-to-us restaurant with tasty burgers.
Saturday: I was on my own so I roasted some cauliflower, defrosted a piece of naan, and made a quick white sauce. I also pulled some hummus and pickled beets out of the fridge to round out my homemade Naf Naf Grill dinner.
Sunday: Low Country Boil packets – I talked my son into helping assemble these. Since his cooking class last week, he is eager to help in the kitchen.
Monday: Oven Tandoori Chicken, Lentils and Rice, Naan. My son helped prep the marinade.
Tuesday: Instant Pot Baked Ziti with Spinach, watermelon. I also made last minute buttered noodles for my son. He took a soccer ball to the face and had a bloody lip so I wanted to make something that was low acid so dinner wasn’t painful for him.
Wednesday: I made French Dip sandwiches in the slow cooker but I got a last minute invite to bingo at a local bar with friends. I opted for social time and had nachos at the bar (but I didn’t play bingo, I was there for moral support) and my husband had a French Dip when he got home from work.
Thursday: Beef Enchiladas (I included veggie odds and ends in the fridge), Mexican Rice.
@Geneva, what are low country boil packets? Tia
I would love for you to post your meal prep strategies!
Way to go getting through your first shift!
WWS: Ook. $526.27. In my slight defense, I was stocking up on low-sodium pantry needs, like more vinegars and seasonings. I don't expect to be doing that every week. And I'll ration my no-salt-added tuna, not making it a daily lunch thing.
Saturday and Sunday, homemade pizzas.
Monday: Youngest kiddo learned to build a campfire and cooked himself some hot dogs, the rest of us had burgers. Chips and fruit.
Tuesday: Chicken Shawarma in the crockpot, basmati rice, salad.
Wednesday: Um. There was so much leftover that those who wanted that, had it, those who didn't want it, had some baked salmon filet. I got some waffle fries on sale, too.
Thursday: Taco night! Yum.
Tonight: Sub sandwiches or salmon, kind of a short-order night.
This week has been one of recovery. I have had a hubby recovering from foot surgery plus I hosted a baby shower for 60 people last Saturday.
There was zero meal plan & very little cooking this week. A baby shower for 60 is no joke my friends and it wore me out.
We have eaten left over egg salad, pimento cheese, chicken salad, raw veggies, fruit, & charcuterie board items pretty much all week long. There have also been some scrambled eggs, soup from the pantry, watermelon wedges, and peanut butter toast.
Last night was the only cooking I have done and it was beef stroganoff and egg noodles with mixed veggies.
Very low key, very boring but all were fed and we wasted as little food as we possibly could.
Next week is a new week 🙂
I am following a set meal plan for my weight loss efforts. I know from my research ( The Hungry Brain is a must read) that people who have been obese before have most success battling a messed up brain chemistry by following a bland repetitive diet.
This is basically what I have been eating for the week. Although it is repetitive and blandish I am really enjoying it.
breakfast: homemade yogurt, almonds, homemade blackberry lavendar jam ( to die for - the brand is The Home Pantry and you can order it on line.) A T. is 15 calories.
lunch: Dr. Greger's groat bowl made with veggie broth in an instapot with two eggs on top.
Dinner: Wholly veggie frozen dinner ( grocery outlet 1.49)
I added a green smoothie and a little beef jerky. Cheap, filling and has saved me from sugar cravings.
@mary ann, "people who have been obese before have most success battling a messed up brain chemistry by following a bland repetitive diet."
Why is that? Because curry, chili, kimchi etc stimulates the brain?
@Rose, I just finished reading "Mindless Eating" and one of the points of discussion was how variety and more choices actually makes us eat more.
@Karen A., Interesting. I'd like to see the mechanism for that. Off to explore med journals.
@Rose, The book Mindless Eating is more about the psychological effect of what we see affecting how we eat. They did a lot of experiments where they offered, say, a bowl of mixed M&Ms vs sorted M&Ms, or M&Ms of only one color. Those offered a mixed bowl, IIRC, ate significantly more than those offered sorted ones or only one color.
It's a pretty neat book!
What kind of sauce/dressing did you use on your shrimp this week, Kristen?
I put jalapenos, cilantro, sour cream, and some salt and pepper in my food processor, blended it up, and called it good!
Twelve hour shifts are E X H A U S T I N G. I've often wondered why the medical professions expects its people to be able to function well in those conditions. Maybe it has to do with continuity of care, because maybe shift changes are too disruptive. . . but dang.
It is kind of wild to be on your feet, doing a physical job for that many hours in a row. I am always VERY happy to sit down for a bit on my lunch break!
WIS: About $24, all at Food Lion.
WWA: Cool things, temperature wise: sandwiches, garden veggies, fresh fruit, cheese, peanut butter on English muffins, Popsicles, some leftover homemade bread and brownies. I did get myself together and assemble a half-dozen vegetarian heat and eat bowls to store in the freezer. They make a meal for me in 3 minutes.
Saturday: Veggie stir-fry
Sunday: Sweet potato with something...maybe pita bread?
Monday: Another sweet potato!
Tuesday: Chilli mac and cheese
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Takeout pizza
Friday: Aubergine with pasta. I think I'll make some garlic bread as well.
Well done!! I’m pretty sure I would have eaten so well if I were In Your shoes!
This post encourages me so much, I’m looking at going back into the workforce soon and being along side you as you document this really gives me so much more courage to jump back in. Or more likely dip my toes in slowly lol 🙂 thanks for taking me along with you.
Aww, I'm glad me sharing is helping you!
I used to love cooking. Now, if I had a magic wand, I would use to provide a personal chef to cook delicious meals for my family. This, too, shall pass…right?
Saturday—rice and beans
Sunday-Raman and carrots/hummus (vacation food)
Monday- crackers/hummus and various other snacks (vacation day 2)
Tuesday—chicken, mashed potatoes, peas and salad
Wednesday-kids had a giant Meal-snack at 3:30 after swimming, so we skipped dinner and had popcorn instead.
Thursday-I had an event with Girl Scouts so I sampled some appetizers served there.
Not sure what I’m going to do for tonight. It’s just me. So probably scrounging.
I'm gonna say yes to your question, based on my experience. I was in a serious cooking funk for a while, but the dust has settled, the smoke has cleared, and I'm doing better on that front now.
Hang in there!
$129 at Aldi because of post-vacation fridge/pantry recovery.
Saturday only girls for dinner so eggs with spinach, tortilla chips, salsa, fruit & veggies 🙂
Sunday quesadillas & melon
Monday turkey & veggie sandwiches, fresh fruit
Tuesday spinach salads & fresh fruit
Wednesday turkey burgers, melon
Thursday chicken, cacio e pape, green beans, fresh fruit
Friday veggie soup, fresh fruit, toast
I keep frozen soups & chilis on hand so there's always a dinner backup plan, and they make great lunches. During the school year, I repack my lunch bag when I get home with a frozen soup, apple, & nuts, and put it in the fridge. The next day, the soup is still mostly frozen so acts as an icepack until I'm ready to eat.
Oh, that's smart to use the soup as an ice pack!
My first time joining in!
On Sunday we had roast chicken, sausage meat stuffing, roast potatoes and roast parsnips.
Monday's dinner was a chicken and broccoli bake with mashed potatoes and carrots.
Tuesday's main meal was sticky oven-baked lamb chops with rice.
On Wednesday we ate vegetable soup and poached eggs on toast.
Last night we ate chicken Kiev with baked potato and salad.
Tonight my husband had prawns with salad, and I ate ravioli with a tomato sauce.
Welcome, welcome! So glad to have you joining in. 🙂
Since I know you like eggs - my 2 favorite things when I have avocados and eggs:
1) avocado mash on toast with eggs over easy on top
2) mix scrambled eggs with about 1/2 an avocado (I prefer 1/2 avocado to 2 eggs) and make sort-of a health egg salad
We’ve had salad with chicken on top for all our dinners this week. I’m trying to use up last bit of chicken and some veggies, so tonight it’s chicken pot pie.
I’m hoping we can do Mezeh for one of our weekend meals.
I love how healthy most of your meals are, Kristen, even when you’re overly tired. But if you can’t do totally healthy, cinnamon rolls are the way to go ( in my opinion)!
The litmus test for healthy eating is whether or not there’s something green on your plate, and generally you do extremely well. You could always use food color in the frosting for the cinnamon buns.
I could have had a side salad with my cinnamon buns. lol
Yay for A KATY post. Wooooo! I am excited.
Great job on knocking out all of those hours.
I am moving “up north” for the summer so I spent no money this week and am using up random odds and ends.
I will have to spend a lot when I get “ up north” to stock our little cottage 700 sq feet til October. Not on water. But 20 mins from Lake Superior and 400 yards from a great paved 13 mile walking/ biking trail.
I left 95 degrees and it is currently 57 degrees here. lol.
Did I pack sweats? NO I DID NOT.
TWO BACK TO BACK 12 HOUR SHIFTS? That's 24 hours straight of not sleeping How can that be possible-- After about 15 hours, I need sleep-- It must be quite a change after not working an onsite job in 25 years. My gosh what a change
Oh, no, no, no, I meant on two consecutive days! lol I worked 12 hours, went home and slept, and then came back for 12 more hours.
I'm a 12 hr night shifter. I typically prep my 3 dinners the morning of my first night shift and can grab and go for the rest. I usually have a Fairlife protein shake with some cold brew concentrate on my way to work, pack some raw veggies as my snack (around 9:30 pm), eat my main meal between 0100 and 0200, then bring either a yogurt, a slice of baked oatmeal, cottage cheese and fruit or something like it to have either just before heading home, or most usually, on the drive home. That leaves me getting home not needing to eat, plus having a little digestion time before sleep. I also try to pop a crockpot meal in either that first day or sometimes on the second for my guy. If you are day shift, that crockpot meal could be ready when you get home, with leftovers for the week. I feel like I pretty much nap-work-sleep-work-sleep-work nap during my stretch, so I prefer to use any extra time I might have to run an errand, do a household chore or something else rather than meal prepping.
Woo-hoo! So looking forward to reading about Katy. I started with her blog this winter and read it all the way through. Then, from her blog I came to yours and am making my way through your posts. So much inspiration and information from both your blogs. Grateful.
Rice, beans, green beans and chicken nuggets
Pizza and salad
Chicken tacos
Sandwiches and sweet potato chips
Leftovers
You did a great job, with such a busy week!
I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying your job, even if it is tiring - I'm excited to start down the path of more nursing stuff (still working through my pre-reqs right now), but a little nervous about the actual physically-taxing working part. 41 is a little different than 24! (The age I was when I last worked as a nursing assistant).
It sounds like you're finding good tips/tricks, though, and being a SAHM of littles probably gave you some ideas for ways to put together a quick meal for yourself! You have so many skills, and you'll get there with the prep!
This is precisely what is helping motivate me to keep up with my workouts. I'm lifting weights so I can lift patients. 😉
(Though of course I am using draw sheets and mechanical lifts and all that...but still some personal muscle is required.)
Kristin, love that you use the stainless steel tiffin boxes. I have many but hesitate to take em as you cannot reheat the food. How do you navigate this?
@Samosa,
Well, maybe you could pack a plate and dump all the containers onto it before reheating? Also, I'm so happy to see you back posting! I miss hearing about your meals!
I just use them for cold items! And I use Pyrex for stuff I want to heat up.
This week was an odd one, I came back after close to 2 months travel across the country. He eats mostly meat and carbs, I eat mostly vegetarian now. We are still learning our routine.
Monday I had quesadillas with cheese & teriyaki tofu.
Tuesday we had venison bowls - ground venison with harissa sauce, pinto beans, wilted salad greens (using up before they go bad!), fried egg & corn dip.
Wednesday husband had a game night out, I had a friend over and we had vegetarian enchiladas, salad, GF strawberry shortcake w/homemade whipped cream.
Thursday I had a bad migraine and didn’t eat supper, husband had grilled burgers and ate that.
Friday I had leftovers & husband had a big lunch, wasn’t hungry after softball game.
Today I’ll have leftovers (husband didn’t like Mexican or harissa so I’m working my way through that).
Still learning to menu plan meals when hubs hasn’t been real honest about what he does/doesn’t like & what he actually wants to eat. He usually works 12-14 hour shifts & isn’t hungry when he gets home. I commend you for cooking & meal prepping after a long day!
Oh wow, two months of travel. Good for you!
Kristen, you did well for your first huge work week! I find Quinoa is my secret weapon in keeping me full for the big workdays. I use it as a base for marinated salad topper, I make high protein granola bars (Oats, nuts, quinoa and a bit of dark chocolate), greek yogurt w/fresh fruit - this week is blueberries, pie cherries, strawberries. I always have baggies of nuts and home dried fruits and leathers in my backpack and extra veggie sticks in my lunch cooler. I start my work day with a peanut butter & honey sandwich and coffee for the commute (65 miles). Thankfully I have a commute buddy and he insists on driving. We have been working Fri, Sat, Sun off, Mondays or Sat, Sun & Mondays for 2 years. We work in the Trauma ICU unit and Rapid Response team 1 week a month. The days fly by and are never boring.
WIS; $80 @ Costco, $27 @ Restaurant Supply,
$43 @ Grocery Outlet* coupons edition 1 coupon $5 off $25 & $5 off $15
Sun - Family dinner for 17 - BBQ turkey legs, chicken legs, marinated veggie salad,
slab GF cheesecake w/homemade cherry pie filling. Sun tea & iced coffees
M - chicken fried elk steak, bake potato, sauteed broccoli and cauliflower
T - Asian cabbage salad w/leftover chicken fried steak,
sweet cherries from the garden for dessert
W - stir fry w/rest of Chicken fried steak, broccoli, cabbage, onions, kale, cauliflower,
carrots, broccoli & red peppers everything from the garden except red peppers.
Th - grilled steelhead, green salad, blueberry/strawberry muffins for dessert
F - Chicken salad sammies, veggie sticks & ranch, cookies
first concert in the park (free) for the summer season.
Sat - appetizer party at work - taking hummus w/veggies, smoked salmon & khol rabi
w/fruit tea concentrates over shaved ice.
Oh, that is a good idea to incorporate quinoa. Noted!
Perhaps some crock pot meals? An easy one is boneless chicken breasts, salsa, black beans, corn and fresh cilantro
It can be served in tacos, over rice, or solo with a side salad.
Another idea is to make a big batch of a veggie heavy pasta salad. Great as an entree, then as lunch or a side with a protein
Also slow cooked bbq pork shoulder/ pork loin. Shred and freeze half. So many options with this as well
Now I finally know what the metal container with latches that I found on top of a garbage can at Market of Choice (an upscale supermarket where I worked at the time) is called!! And I'm needing to change up what I eat (less gluten), so it will be great to pack a little salad in.
Ohhhh, that would be a very nice find!