WIS, WWA | an incomplete one
Hey everyone! I've been out of town with my blogging mastermind group for part of this week, and Mr. FG has been home with Sonia and Zoe.
airport selfie
So, this is going to be a rather incomplete What I Spent, What We Ate post because I'm a little out of the loop.
I can tell you that before I left, I spent $52 at Trader Joe's for some dinner ingredients for the family and some travel snacks for myself.
But any spending that's happened since I left? Picture me shrugging my shoulders! 😉
What We Ate
Saturday
Mr. FG had a sinus headache, so we reverted to our takeout date night option; I picked up Five Guys and we watched LuLaRich on Amazon.
(I have so many thoughts about that docu-series! If you guys do too and you are dying to talk about it, let me know; I can put my thoughts into a post and we can discuss in the comments.)
Sunday
Sonia had a Panera gift card that she wanted to use and I did as well, so we got carryout for all of us for $0 out of pocket.
Monday
I made a green salad with brineraded chicken and the last of a huge head of Hungry Harvest lettuce.
I made some cloverleaf rolls to go with that (and I posted a time-lapse of me shaping these rolls on Instagram!)
Tuesday
I made an orzo, chicken sausage, and spinach dish, which we ate with raw produce on the side.
Wednesday-now
This is where my dinner information gap starts. I don't know what everyone's been eating at home, but I am getting texts from them, so I do know everyone is still alive and fed. 😉
And I'll be back on the cooking train next week.
Saturday - takeout Italian food
Sunday - leftover takeout
Monday - lasagna rolls
Tuesday - crispy pork stir fry
Wednesday - blue apron shrimp, kale and mushroom gnocchi
Thursday - homemade pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms
Friday - blue apron Spanish-style beef and vegetables with saffron-date rice and lemon aioli
Saturday - bbq
Sunday - pokébowl
Monday - couscous salad
Tuesday - Wiener schnitzel with spinach and potatoes
Wednesday - homemade Chinese
Thursday - pancakes
Friday - pitabread with gyros
I am surprised I remember all the meals...
Saturday: homemade pizzas
Sunday: tacos (using up precooked meats from Saturday, and cheese we shred ourselves)
Monday: sloppy joes (made by a kid)
Tuesday: chicken sandwiches, steamed broccoli
Wednesday: burgers and corn on the cob (made in crockpot)
Thursday: Crockpot lentil soup, leftover chicken
Tonight: egg sandwiches, french fries
We watched the LuLaRich documentary, and I have a lot of things to say about it! We once had a landlord whose daughter-in-law was in LuLaRoe. IIRC, she went on one of their cruises. And I've had 'friends' who tried to recruit me into MLMs. So I have opinions.
@Karen, I have many opinions about MLM too. I try to support none of them.
We spent $69 on food at the grocery store this week, the lowest total in ages. Supper is very flexible at my house: if my work-from-home husband works through lunch, he eats what I cooked for his lunch for his supper. This week I made him chili for his lunches. I had some thin-sliced very sharp cheddar cheese and had cheese & tomato sandwiches with pickles and grapes for my supper.
The coming grocery totals will not be low. We will have to do some stocking up, as our pantry is low on several canned goods we use a lot of and our freezer has nothing in it right now except bread, bagels and a few bits and bobs of frozen veggies and sauces.
Yay! Time with friends/colleagues! I hope you are having a fantastic time.
Saturday: Green chile hamburger stew, garlic bread
Sunday: Beef stir-fry, rice, apple crisp with whipped cream
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Beef ribs with barbecue sauce, egg noodles with butter and garlic powder, raw green beans, zucchini-like calabacitas with tomatoes, onions, and garlic
Wednesday: Meatloaf, leftover pasta, frozen green peas
Thursday: Leftovers and coleslaw for 5/6 of us before the home football game, canned clam chowder for the football player when he got home
Tonight: The annual school play is tonight, so the three boys will have dinner at school before that. The three of us left at home will probably have leftover beef rib meat that I'll simmer with some salsa to soften them some more (I didn't cook them long enough originally) and eat them as taco meat. Although only the child at home will have any tortillas. I have one more calabacita to cook, which I will make with tomatoes, onions, and garlic again, because that's one of my favorite summer things and I make it as often as I can before the garden is done for the fall.
Since I was gone Friday night and all weekend, I'm out of the loop a bit, too. What we had the nights I was home:
Seasoned ground pork patties with cabbage cooked in the pan juices, and applesauce on the side.
A homemade pot pie with cassava flour crust, using cooked chicken from the freezer and thawed homemade stock.
Pot pie leftovers.
Burgers, chips for him, carrot-raisin salad and watermelon.
Tonight is up in the air. I'm grocery shopping this afternoon and will see what's out there that looks good and quick to cook.
I spent $145 @ Costco this week but only about $80 was spent on food, the balance went to dish soap and some other household necessities.
Saturday - I tried a new recipe for steak and potato soup in the crockpot, verdict yum!
Sunday - chicken enchiladas, Mexican rice, & pinto beans all pulled from the freezer for a lovely easy cooking night
Monday - some had leftover enchiladas, some had leftover soup
Tuesday - I made a huge pot of spaghetti sauce and we ate that with noodles & veggies; I froze two dinners worth of sauce for later on
Wednesday - We bought a new car so went to pick it up this evening and got takeout as a treat since we were out
Thursday - This was our very first glorious fall day so we got a pizza and ate it outside to enjoy the glorious weather
Friday - I have a pork roast laid out which we will roast Spanish style with lots of garlic & cilantro. We will have that with salad, rice, & green plantains (tostones)
Saturday & Sunday - batch cooking for sure. I have a new recipe for some gingerbread muffins and I plan to make a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies. We are in for more fall weather so I will likely roast a chicken and then use the leftovers for some white chicken chili.
Happy weekend all!
@Angie,
Would you mind sharing the recipe for the gingerbread muffins? I love gingerbread!
@Gina, I found it on the blog Fork, Knife, Swoon. She calls them One Bowl Spiced Gingerbread Muffins. I am not sure if I am allowed to actually post the recipe as it is hers but I am sure with the title you can search and locate it easily 🙂
@Angie,
Thank you!
@Angie, your menu for the week sounds absolutely delicious. Do you have a recipe for the steak and potato soup? I don't have a crockpot and will try to recreate it without one.
I forgot to mention regarding your comments on the Lula Rich docuseries. I have watched the whole thing and would love to discuss further. I found it to be much more thought provoking then I thought it would be.
Two call outs. It's a very busy time at work for both of us right now. And, we have a large green salad with every dinner
Friday - we went out, to a place we'd been really interested to try. It was "okay", but nothing special/not worth the price.
Saturday - late soccer, so my husband grilled steaks, & made a chimichurri out of garden herbs. I made a caprese salad to use up garden tomatoes & basil.
Sunday - late soccer, so my husband grilled a huge container of chicken tenderloins. We froze the leftovers, for future dinners. I had attempted a salsa verde with our home grown tomatillos & jalapenos. The texture wasn't quite right, so my husband was able to use the salsa verde as a marinade for the chicken. It came out great. Again we had caprese on the side. So many tomatoes
Monday - tacos
Tuesday - chicken
Wednesday - salmon (my husband) & spaghetti & meatballs (everyone else)
Thursday - taco quesadillas (kids), steak & salmon (husband), I had cheese & crackers with a glass of wine by the pool, after a VERY long work day
Friday - I'm planning to bake up chicken from the freezer, and serve it with potstickers.
- Minestrone soup (twice)
- Baked potato and broccoli
- Salad (twice)
- Veggie-tofu stir fry
- Popcorn and fruit
Saturday: Crab Rangoon and Gen. Tso's Chicken takeout, Edamame made at home
Sunday: Caramelized Zucchini Butter Pasta, salad with homemade vinaigrette
Monday: Tomato Pie—the kind that’s in a pie dish with a crust and cheddar/mayo/sour cream browned topping), salad with homemade Ranch dressing
Tuesday: Five Guys takeout—a bowl for me, burger for DH; milkshakes for both of us
Wednesday: Leftover Zucchini Butter Pasta, watermelon and sliced pears
Thursday: Leftover Tomato Pie, carrot and celery sticks, sliced peaches
Friday: BLATs planned, fresh fruit on the side (to take advantage of fruit from local farms while they last!)
Pizza (Boxed and Cooked at home)
Tofu/Veggie Stir Fry w/Rice
Minestrone Soup w/Butternut Squash
Black Bean Tacos
Salad w/Squash, Couscous and Fruit
Vegetable Lasagna
I spent $135 this week. This feeds 2 people for 3 meals a day as well as a few extra for dinner this week. Lunches consisted of leftovers from the night before. Breakfast and coffee are always enjoyed at home. Groceries are certainly getting more expensive.I really noticed it when shopping this week. This week’s dinner menu
Saturday - Grilled out chicken and shrimp kebabs. Dinner for 5 while watching football.
Sunday - DH cooked hamburgers, sweet potato fries, salad. My burger was bunless.
Monday - sheet pan fajitas with a side of street corn and beans
Tuesday - Dinner out for our anniversary. We used a gift card given to us. The food was terrible, but the company was good.
Wednesday - $5 roasted chicken. My local market offers whole free range chickens for just $5 on Wednesdays. It one of my favorite treats. I also made rice and A veggie combo made with leftovers
Thursday - salad with roast chicken, apples, feta and candied hazelnuts. Baked sweet potatoes
Friday -? There is a neighborhood event tonight with live music and food trucks. We may eat there or eat what’s on hand. We'll see!
Have a happy weekend!
I'm happy for you that you get to be with your blogging mastermind group!
Saturday - Grilled individual pizzas
Sunday - We celebrated my dad's birthday. My mom made venison steaks, salmon, and a number of sides. I contributed a pumpkin pie.
Monday - Turkey tacos
Tuesday - Turkey noodle soup (same as chicken noodle soup, but with turkey) and FG french bread
Wednesday - Turkey pot pie
Thursday - Chicken sandwiches, curly fries, pineapple
Friday - We're going to eat dinner in the van and avoid getting takeout, so this afternoon I'll be looking around for snack-y stuff that won't make a mess.
Have also watched LuLa Rich and would enjoy seeing a post and others comments on it. Went on vacation so didn't cook this week - we usually stay at a hotel that offers breakfast, do a late lunch/early supper and try and find a local ice cream place.
Saturday-chicken in barbecue sauce, potato salad, green beans
Sunday-stuffed pepper, roasted zucchini, toasted baguette
Monday-fried egg, toasted mini bagels, sausage, mandarin
Tuesday-leftover chicken, etc.
Wednesday-waffles, sausage, breakfast potatoes
Thursday-leftover stuffed pepper, etc.
Friday-vegetable soup, toasted Italian bread, salad
Sat/Sunday: chicken enchiladas
Monday/Tuesday: chili
Wednesday/Thursday: leek potato cream soup
Friday: It snowed three inches last night so I am making a hearty beef stew. It is our traditional "winter is here" meal every year. The only time I make beef stew as I really don't care for it that much but the husband loves it and he is the one out there right now shoveling off the driveway.
LuLaRich is on my to-watch list. I'm having trouble getting to it, because I already feel sorry for people who fall for MLM and other Get Rich Quick schemes. Not sorry enough to buy the overpriced crap, erm, products they're peddling...
Yeah, I'm sure there will be a lot to talk about.
I haven't seen LuLaRich but have read reviews and remember the whole nightmare. Would love to discuss here.
Um.....how about a weekly TV/movie discussion?
@Rose, Or monthly if that's easier. Or FORTNIGHTLY.
WIS
About $100 for groceries at Walmart.
WWA
Sat - Chicken Patties w. veggies & fruit.
Sun - Leftovers maybe. Can’t remember.
Mon - Leftovers maybe.
Tues - Pizza w. carrots & olives
Wed - Pasta w. sliced French bread, carrots & peaches
Thurs - BLTs w. carrots
Fri - TBD
Have fun with your group! I bet you’ll have a blast 🙂
Do I have a recipe for the orzo dish?
I don't! I found the ingredients list on Instagram with no directions and just kind of winged it.
Yes I would like to hear your thoughts on LulaRich! I really enjoyed your post about Young Living.
Oh my gosh, I watched LuLaRich and I have SO MANY THOUGHTS! Would love to hear yours-I really hope you post about it!
PS-love you blog and hope you are having a great time on your trip 🙂
Interesting you brought up Luluroe. I was at our local thrift store today and they had two huge racks of Luluroe clothes brand new at $1 a piece. It wasn't selling at higher prices the cashier told me, even at a thrift store. I know very little about it and avoid MLMs like crazy but I found that interesting.
Watching the Lularoe series right now. Part of me wants to say this can’t be real, and the other part of me who knows someone heavily involved in an MLM knows it is! But also sad that this is what women resort to in America in order to be stay at home moms. Love to hear your thoughts.
Back to doing simple dinners around here!
Monday - Dr. Martin's Mix (full of carrot, onion, celery so no side veg. Plus my daughter had a dinner meeting and I was tired, so I ate in front of the TV and went to bed when she got home!)
Tuesday - 5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Legs, baked sweet potato, peas
Wednesday - Salmon Patties, baked potato, salad
Thursday - Crockpot Stew for Two, garlic cheese toast with the last ciabatta roll
Friday - Grilled Chicken, Tuscan chopped salad with a chopped avocado
Saturday - TBD {going to do yard work today** so maybe we will eat a burger!}
Sunday - haven't decided, but I will dig around in the freezer. We still have a lasagna in there from shortly after Hubby passing.
**The weather is beautiful and we are going to spend time outside breathing fresh air as much as possible, so I'm sure my daughter and I will have a big appetite!
Sunday I made lentil soup and ate that through the week for supper.
On Tuesday Gent grilled venison sausage for us to munch on thru the week (I snack on it and have it for breakfast sometimes).
On Wednesday night we had date night at a tapas place.
On Friday night I shared fast food take out with a friend (she paid) & had grilled venison sausage when I got home.
Since hamburger is so expensive at the store, I decided to get a hamburger fix, and NOT COOK, by sending my grandson to get the “family bundle” with a coupon at Burger King. The receipt listed each item in the bundle, showing 50 cents (extra) after each whopper, but no other additional prices, except the cost of the offer, of course. The coupon sheet was for several months, but still, that’s a new one to me to amend the offer like that. Has anyone else seen this sort of thing?
You look adorable in that pic!
Aww, thank you!
I binged lularich and it was fascinating!! Would love a post with your thought!
Monday: homemade lentil tomato soup with sourdough bread
Tuesday: leftovers from Monday. The soup just got thicker and better!
Wednesday: Mandarin orange stir fry over brown rice side of pineapple
Thursday: kale chopped salad with feta sunflower seeds cucumbers red onions and thin slices of deli Turkey with boiled eggs
Friday: frozen pizza and smoothies
Saturday: baked potatoes with bacon sour cream butter and green onions with cucumber salad. DELISH
Spent: 83 dollars at Kroger pickup and 14 dollars at ALDI
Oh, good you were w mastermind group.
the time-lapse was Great, way fun. thanks for that!
Sunday: Spanish rice & Chicken sausage with onions and carrots
Monday: Sunday Leftovers
Tuesday: Sweet Garlicky Chicken Thighs & Sweet potato Kale salad
Wednesday: Tuesday Leftovers
Thursday: Tuna melts and chips
Friday: Steak and Shake Burger & Fries (1 day a week eat out day)
Saturday: Taco Bowls