WIS, WWA | BLTs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
What I Spent
The first night Carrie got here, we had BLTs for dinner (I love a person who can enjoy a BLT with me!)
The day she left, we had them for lunch.
The next morning, I looked at the last of the bacon and thought, "hmm, I wonder if a BLT for breakfast would be good!"
And it was.
So this week I ate a BLT at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just not on the same day. 😉
(Although I can imagine myself eating that three times in one day!)
This week, I spent:
- $4 at the produce stand (I needed some good tomatoes for BLTs with Carrie)
- $7 at Aldi
- $30 at Safeway
- $15 on gnocchi (see Tuesday)
So, just $56 for me this week.
What We Ate
Saturday
My friend Carrie was still here, and she took me out for dinner as a thank-you for hosting her. 🙂 We went to a local spot that serves crab cakes, since they are kind of a regional specialty.
Sunday
Zoe and I used a Panera gift card to get some free sandwiches.
Monday
I made baked ziti, plus a salad and some garlic bread.
Tuesday
This was my anniversary and as I shared on Instagram, it was a tough day. So, like I did last year, I used my brother's hotel discount to get a cheap night away for myself.
I got some gnocchi at an Italian restaurant, and Zoe fended for herself after her work shift. 🙂
Wednesday
I had some berries and heavy cream that needed to be used, so we had buttermilk waffles with whipped cream and berries.
I know I've mentioned this before but in case you missed it: a 50/50 milk/yogurt mixture works perfectly as a buttermilk substitute, and it's been my saving grace with a small household.
A whole quart of buttermilk is too much for us now, but I always have yogurt and milk on hand, and it's super easy to mix the two together whenever I need buttermilk.
Also: this is definitely cheaper than powdered buttermilk!
Thursday
In my freezer digging, I found several chicken breasts from a Butcher Box I ordered with a promotional price a long time ago. I don't really love Butcher Box chicken, even though it is organic. It's always seemed a little watery and lacking in flavor to me.
I'd rather pay for something like Bell and Evans air-chilled chicken...that's at least worth the high price!
Anyway, you live and learn, and I wanted to use these up.
So I thawed them, patted them dry, let them sit with salt and pepper in the fridge for an hour, sauteed them in a hot pan with a little oil, shredded the meat, and we ate it on buns with BBQ sauce.
And we had fruit on the side.
Friday
Today is Zoe's half-birthday! On her actual birthday, I'd just gotten back from skiing, I was sick with some nasty virus, and I couldn't do a whole lot ot celebrate her.
So, I promised I'd make it up to her on her half birthday, so we will make a cake and do a dinner of her choice. 🙂
I haven't had a BLT in a long time. Bacon is on the short list of things I'm not buying as often. However, I have rediscovered that I like almond butter, and peanut butter, too and that they make a great sammie for breakfast! (: This week:
Monday - kitchen closed - I ate cereal
Tuesday - Pork Chops, green beans and new potatoes
Wednesday - Dr. Martin's Mix
Thursday - Taco Salads (taco meat, romaine, tomato, a few fritos, and cheese I forgot to set out. oops)
Tonight - Tilapia, Knorr garlic cream shells packet, yellow squash
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed, cereal and milk OR a protein shake.
This is day 42 of 100 plus degree days in Central Texas and it kind of takes your apettite away...
@gina, man, we've been skirting right at 100 for what feels like forever, I can't imagine being above that for so many days 🙁
@gina, it really does. Why haven’t I list any weight then?? Lol
104 in Houston yesterday.
@gina, I don't eat bacon anymore but when I did, a bacon and peanut butter sandwich, or english muffin, was one of my absolute favorite things!
@gina, it sure zaps you, I’m in North Texas.
98 spent at Kroger pick up. 19 at a local fruit stand.
Still eating softer foods due to dental work.
Sunday : spaghetti with meat sauce or pesto or both cucumber and tomato salad
Monday: Greek chicken burgers over salad greens with Greek dressing and green beans with pesto and Parm
Tuesday: tuna noodle pasta salad with boiled eggs
Wednesday: smoked sausage sheet pan dinner
Thursday: left overs night
Friday: sams club rotisserie chicken with salad and air fryer potatoes
I LOVE BLTs!
@Stephanie, Greek chicken burgers sounds really tasty. Can you share the recipe please?
@J, they are a limited item at Aldi in the freezer section. We grill them and always eat them bunless over greens. I make the Greek dressing using the Greek seasoning from Trader Joe’s. Olive oil. Red wine vinegar. Dijon mustard and garlic.
Sunday: Marinated tuna steaks over sautéed vegetables and rice. The tuna was on sale for $5, and the vegetables came from our garden.
Monday: Kombucha squash roasted in the crockpot, naan from Trader Joe's, and homemade beet hummus.
Tuesday: Burgers with homemade ice cream for dessert.
Wednesday: Peanut noodles and bok choy. This dressing makes for an AMAZING noodle sauce! https://www.budgetbytes.com/peanut-lime-dressing/. It’s also a great way to use up t peanut butter dregs, since your can just make it in the jar.
Thursday: BBQ Mac and cheese (household recipe).
Tonight: Vegetable tikka masala in the crockpot, as we’ve a flaccid eggplant that needs rescued.
Tomorrow: My beefsteak tomato plant is bursting! We’ll have caprese salad for lunch, and I’ll make my favorite tomato soup in the crockpot for dinner and for the freezer.
@N, ooh, what's your favorite tomato soup recipe?
@N,
Flaccid eggplant, hahaha!
@Natalie J, https://www.budgetbytes.com/garden-tomato-soup/. It’s a really forgiving recipe. I use veggie broth or water with a pinch of salt, red peppers, and whatever else needs used up. Rice works as a thickener if you haven’t breadcrumbs handy, and caramelized onions take this soup to the next level. Just throw everything in the crockpot for four hours, bust out the immersion blender, and viola!
@N, thanks!
I prefer a BL but yes, every meal would be great.
I just love a good BLT. I'm like Billy Crystal's character in The Princess Bride movie describing a good mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich in my appreciation of BLTs 😀
This week I spent $60. We ate ham, peaches, plums, homemade bread, cheese, nuts, fresh veggies, homegrown tomatoes, peanut butter sandwiches, rye crackers and protein shakes. Pretty much every day was girl dinner because I've been doing a lot of housework and yardwork.
@Ruby, I love the MLT scene from Princess Bride 🙂
@Ruby, Ha, around here we bust out the "It's so perky, I love it" line for just about anything that is tasty.
A BLT sounds amazing for breakfast right now, especially while tomatoes are so good! I've been on a cottage cheese bowl kick in the mornings lately, with fresh peaches, toasted almonds, vanilla, and honey.
Sunday: A Buddha bowl recipe that was recommended after I asked the FB group how to use up leftovers produce. It was tasty!
Monday: Our favorite grilled Greek salad
Tuesday: Preschooler's choice, she's on a corn dog kick right now
Wednesday: I had to stay late for back to school night, they had hot dogs on the grill
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: They'll be gone on a daddy daughter camping trip, and I am seeing Barbie with friends 🙂
Have a good weekend everyone!
Saturday: Bacon, onion, and cheese omelets, garlic bread, cucumbers with ranch dip. I don't know why I still insist on believing that omelets are a fast dinner for my family. They are not fast for six people. Although they don't require thawing a protein ahead of time, so there's that.
Sunday: Sirloin strips cooked in a marinara sauce, spaghetti with more marinara sauce, green salad with ranch dressing, no-bake cheesecake. Very, very good cheesecake. I had never made a no-bake one before, but it will definitely be a repeat.
Monday: My husband brought back Hofmann's hot dogs from New York (natural casing German franks for those who know about such things) and I saved them to have as our celebratory first day of school dinner. I had made hot dog buns on Saturday when I was baking bread, too, which made it extra special. We also had carrot sticks and chocolate ice cream.
Tuesday: Pizzas--one cheese, one bacon and onion. And I have no learned that three of my four children don't like onion on their pizza. Even though they like it on and in anything else. Weird.
Wednesday: Leftover pizza, taco meat I had made the day before with ground sheep and pinto beans, carrot sticks, chocolate chip-oatmeal-almond cookie bars.
Thursday: Leftover spaghetti with bacon, tuna salad, green salad with vinaigrette
Tonight: I haven't yet dived into the freezer, so I don't know. Today is our hottest day, though, so I might use some of the pressure canned bull meat to make a casserole early in the day that can just be microwaved to re-heat at dinnertime. I need to haul out the food processor anyway to chop more of the excess commodities almonds I use in cookie and granola, anyway, so I can use it to process the meat, too. I also have two full gallons of milk my children were complaining about. One tastes okay, but is separating, which typically gets turned into either yogurt or ricotta cheese. Depends on if it separates completely when I heat it. The other might become a lot of pudding, if it's not too nasty-tasting. If it is, it will go to the chickens. Oh! I ALSO have a half quart of cream that went off, like thick and sour. Need to see if I can salvage that some way. Maybe a sour cream cake or cookies? Big kitchen day, I guess, thanks to iffy dairy. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, The omelets for six reminded me of my dad. When Mom was sick, which was very rare, if Dad was home* he'd make us Western omelets because it was the only thing he knew how to make. I miss you, Dad.
*As a police officer he worked weird hours and often overtime, what with having four kids.
@Rose, Your comment made me smile, Rose! My father is also a retired police officer and eggs were his only option. Was this something they were taught in the academy?! When my mother wasn't home for dinner (which was very rare), he would make us egg sandwiches. This consisted of cooking scrambled eggs in the microwave, putting them between two pieces of white bread, and adding a squirt of ketchup. Still is a favorite of mine and now also his grandchildren. We call them "Pap's sandwiches."
@Rose, This reminded me of my uncle's (by marriage) dad, who was a single father of twin boys and a police officer. He also worked crazy hours, so every week, he would make a HUGE pot of spaghetti sauce with both sausage and ground beef in it, and they would eat that all. week. long. Amazingly, my uncle will still make it for family gatherings. You would think he wouldn't be able to face it after years of it, but it is a good way to feed a crowd. Or hungry boys all week. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, Sure is! I don't think I could get tired of spaghetti.
When Dad wasn't home and Mom was still sick, I pulled together an extremely challenging meal of a box of spaghetti, ground beef and jarred red sauce for my sibs and me. Eventually I got to be a better cook and then I spent a lot of time making moussaka. Weirdly enough, I haven't made moussaka since I was 17 or so. I'm going to jot it down on my list of possible meals for next week. @Becca, I also jotted down "chicken enchilada crescent ring" but I'm worried that Lord and Lady Gourmet will think it's too easy or low class for them. SIGH. We shall see.
@Rose,
You should do it anyway. If they want fancier fare, they can cook. We've added the crescent ring recipes and the slider brioche recipes to the category of "so easy, even our kids could make it." And besides, who doesn't like easy? Sheesh...
@kristin @ going country, I have this great old time chocolate cake recipe that calls for either 2 cups of sour or sweet cream. I’ve even made it with soured 1/2 & 1/2.
Brownstone Front Cake
Mix dry … 6 T cocoa, 2 c sugar, 2 1/2 c flour, 2 t baking soda, 1/8 t salt.
Add … 2 cups cream (sweet or sour) beaten with 4 eggs
Mix and beat until very smooth and pour into a well buttered and floured 9 x 15 pan. Bake at 350. (I’m not sure on the time).
I’ve frosted it with a cooked frosting, buttercream, or just sifted powdered sugar.
It’s delish!
I love a good BLT! It's in the regular rotation at our house when tomatoes are in season.
Sunday: sausage, peppers, and onions over rice
Monday: pepperoni pepper penne
Tuesday: leftover penne
Wednesday: BLTs, chips and fruit
Thursday: didn't have time to cook dinner after visiting a friend so we had Panera flatbread pizza I got BOGO at Publix
Friday: Probably some kind of takeout since I typically close the kitchen on Fridays
BLT's are always awesome, for whichever meal you choose!
I don't have my menu with me, so I'll see what I remember.
If I remember correctly, I had pork chops, with sautéed squash n' okra from the raised bed garden and cranberry sauce. I may have had this twice this week
I made soup from a really meaty soup bone (it was actually tagged by the farm as osso buco but sold to me as a soup bone at the lower price) and had that a couple of times, at least. I included squash from the garden in the soup.
Twice I had farm brats, no buns, with potato salad made with white-colored sweet potatoes, and cabbage-based vegan cole slaw.
I didn't do any special recipes this time. It's been too hot this week to take the effort to follow a new recipe. Next week we are supposed to hang around 100 deg. F for several days again, so who knows if I will follow my menu or not?
WIS: Only $31.30 for groceries. BUT … $65.58 for a Sunday brunch at my niece’s (and my) favorite restaurant for her birthday (one of those birthdays that ends in a “0”) and $49.27 for dinner out with 5 of my best friends of almost 20 years. I put these expenses in my “Friends & Family” budget column rather than “Food” and file them under “Worth Every Penny”.
WIA: A lot of delicious restaurant food and then delicious restaurant leftovers. Crabcakes! And a fried egg on top of a leftover crabcake! With a lot of SAUCE! So delicious. (Kristen will be so jealous.) Roasted Brussel Sprouts. Green Chile Corn Chowder. Catalina Salad*! And a lot of very ripe organic strawberries and blueberries in a race to consume them before they became horribly overripe. Gentle Readers, I won that race.
WIWE (What I Will Eat) Tomorrow: It’s back to the St. James Tearoom for Tea with Mr. Darcy! But I’m not paying for this one because my sister is treating me and her daughters for my aforementioned niece’s birthday (ending in a “0”). And I will think of A. Marie with every bite of every scone. Well … maybe every other bite.
That will make 3 meals out in a single week so I’ll waddle home and take a break from that for a while…
*When I mentioned this “Catalina” avocado and hard boiled egg molded salad many, many posts ago, the Frugal Commentariat bombarded me with “That’s NOT Catalina!” and “WHY would they call that Catalina?!!” so I promised that when I had the chance I would ask the chef “Why, oh why?” So on this most recent visit I cornered the Chef and asked “Why, oh why, is it called Catalina? Inquiring minds want to know!”
And the answer is (drum roll, please) … “Because that’s what my mother called it.”
WIS: Only $31.30 for groceries. BUT … $65.58 for a Sunday brunch at my niece’s (and my) favorite restaurant for her birthday (one of those birthdays that ends in a “0”) and $49.27 for dinner out with 5 of my best friends of almost 20 years. I put these expenses in my “Friends & Family” budget column rather than “Food” and file them under “Worth Every Penny”.
WIA: A lot of delicious restaurant food and then delicious restaurant leftovers. Crabcakes! And a fried egg on top of a leftover crabcake! With a lot of SAUCE! So delicious. (Kristen will be so jealous.) Roasted Brussel Sprouts. Green Chile Corn Chowder. Catalina Salad*! And a lot of very ripe organic strawberries and blueberries in a race to consume them before they became horribly overripe. Gentle Readers, I won that race.
WIWE (What I Will Eat) Tomorrow: It’s back to the St. James Tearoom for Tea with Mr. Darcy! But I’m not paying for this one because my sister is treating me and her daughters for my aforementioned niece’s birthday (ending in a “0”). And I will think of A. Marie with every bite of every scone. Well … maybe every other bite.
That will make 3 meals out in a single week so I’ll waddle home and take a break from that for a while…
*When I mentioned this “Catalina” avocado and hard boiled egg molded salad many, many posts ago, the Frugal Commentariat bombarded me with “That’s NOT Catalina!” and “WHY would they call that Catalina?!!” so I promised that when I had the chance I would ask the chef “Why, oh why?” So on this most recent visit I cornered the Chef and asked “Why, oh why, is it called Catalina? Inquiring minds want to know!”
And the answer is (drum roll, please) … “Because that’s what my mother called it.”
@JDinNM, thank you for the kind thought re: Tea with Mr. Darcy. I'd add only this: Don't neglect the cucumber sandwiches, either!
@JDinNM,
And the chef's answer as to "why do you call it..." is also my answer when people ask me why I call a slice of bread with a hole in the center with an egg cracked into the hole and all fried in butter in a skillet, an "Egyptian Eyewinker."
And it was also my mother's answer.
And it was my grandmother's answer. Too bad no one asked my great-grandmother why she called it that.
So I think I like this chef.
@JDinNM, Possibly it used the new (then) Kraft Catalina salad dressing? I used to love that stuff.
@JD, Me too! And I really like his food.
@A. Marie, and for this month they are (of course) "Jane's Traditional Cucumber Tea Sandwiches"!
This has been a such a crazy week both good and not so good. WWA:
Saturday- still ill so dug out some frozen Chili and cornbread muffins from the freezer
Sunday- Mississippi pot roast, baked potatoes, frozen corn, ice cream bars
Monday- leftover pot roast on toasted buns
Tuesday - dinner out to celebrate a promotion I was offered on Monday (fresh pasta in cream sauce with foraged mushrooms and pine nuts, wine, decadent dessert with gold leaf accent, swoon)
Wednesday - chicken curry and rice from the freezer, naan, papadams
Thursday - chicken tortilla soup using stock, chicken, corn, and tortillas from the freezer (then found out my mom who lives a two-day drive away had to be evacuated from her house due to an out of control forest fire, but she is safe)
Friday- have planned to go out for dinner with a friend and then to see Barbie (will likely still go but will be checking my phone a lot, which my friend will understand)
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend and hoping everything works out for my mom
@kj, Hope your mom is safe and gets back into her home soon.
@kj, best wishes to your mom. But, also, congratulations on the promotion!
WIS: $6 at the Regional Market, $3 at Ollie's, and $15 at Price Chopper.
WIA: Since one of Kristen's themes this week is the BLT, I thought I'd mention the variation of this I made last night, the BKT (bacon, kale, and tomato). I've actually come to prefer the BKT, since I find that the bacon wilts the kale slightly and the flavors work well together.
Also, I grow the kale myself; it's one of the few remaining vegetables I do grow, along with bunching onions and garlic, since the deer don't like it. (They'll eat it in the dead of winter when there's nothing else available, but not till then.) This year's kale variety is an heirloom called Marrowstem that I got from Seed Savers Exchange, and it's a monster: About a quarter of a leaf was more than enough for the sandwich!
I don't eat pork, but on the rare occasion that I've had beef-bacon (we call it beef fry) on a BLT...wow, it's a perfect dish. Turkey bacon, imo, is not worth eating.
We had a ton of veggies to work through this week and I'm proud to say that we just have some mint and watermelon to use.
Sunday: We hosted my parents and aunt and uncle who are visiting from Israel, and we rolled out the red carpet! We had steak and yellow squash cooked on the bbq, tabbouleh, and fruit, with one serving of salmon and plainer tabbouleh for the pescatarian who doesn't like cilantro.
Monday: leftover steak made into fajitas, with corn/herb salad and pico de gallo.
Tuesday: Pasta with leftover tomato sauce and half a bag of green beans
Wednesday: I used up many of the leftover herbs and made ginger/herb tilapia with brown rice and the other half-bag of green beans.
Thursday: I rescued some kale with Kristen's soaking trick and sauteed it. We had this with scrambled eggs and miso soup.
Friday: Mr. B will make salmon with sides TBD. We have 3/4 of a watermelon that's a little mealy, so I think I'll puree it into watermelon juice for tonight.
It's the last week before school starts (Monday), and our teens are living their best lives, out with friends a lot. This means that knowing how many we will serve at dinner is unpredictable & we often have a lot of leftovers.
We had:
Grilled chicken & Persian rice x2
Ground beef tacos x2
Grilled burgers & potato salad x2
As for tonight, the power company let us know we'd have no power from 9-5, which means no early dinner prep. There are still leftovers in the fridge, so I'm guessing that I'll be making taco quesadillas for the teens (great way to use up leftover meat, cheese & tortillas, without it feeling quite as much like a third night of leftovers), I'll be having the chicken & rice, and my husband will be eating salmon. I will also slice up a giant bowl of fresh tomatoes & strawberries (separately, of course) from the garden.
It's a different kind of week for my family - my 3 kids aren't around for most of it. It's not something I'm ready to get used to just yet, but it's a nice break from having to cook big meals. Especially during the hot summer - I extremely dislike cooking during the hot weather.
Sunday - I was working and my family ate whatever they could find in the fridge. I call that FFY - Fend For Yourself.
Monday - DD, who was leaving for college the next day, asked to eat at a local ice cream stand. We had a mix of burgers, chicken, onion rings, fries, and ice cream.
Tuesday - DD left for college and Youngest Son left for a week long scout trip to Sea Base. I was at a HIIT class during the dinner hour, and husband came home late from work. Another FFY.
Wednesday - DH asked for ice cream sundaes for dinner. It was a fun break from the routine. I was tempted to take photos and send them to my kids, so as to joke about what we do when they're not around, but was so busy enjoying my ice cream that I forgot to take any.
Thursday - Baked Salmon, rice, leftover fries + onion rings, watermelon
Friday - Something from the freezer that I will grill. We have a fair amount of beef to use up from the 1/2 cow we bought several months ago.
Saturday - Oldest Son is in town for the night, and we are in the middle of three house projects. It will surely be something easy!
As I'm typing this I am realizing that I didn't even menu plan this week. It's so unusual for me not to do that, and I'm feeling out of sorts lol. We have a few more days coming up of meals without kids, so I will probably make things they don't like to eat.
Hi Again. One more thought about the BLT's. I was at a Farmer's Market and saw a vendor selling MLT sandwiches - thick slices of mozzarella, lettuce, and tomato. They looked so delicious that I made them at home the next night, along with BLT's so the fam could choose one or the other. Interestingly enough, the kids chose to combine the two sandwiches to make BMLT sandwiches. I never expected that - Smart kids 😀
Saturday - we were almost at the end of our covid isolation period, we decided to try a new (to us) Hawaiian bbq place for takeout, it was really good.
Sunday - beyond burgers for the adults, hot dogs for the kids, corn on the cob
Monday - we live a half mile from the beach with a walking trail directly to it right outside our back fence. I took my daughter there and she was so happy, I realized we really don’t go that much even with living so close. So I have started picnic mondays where we will go to the beach and eat a picnic dinner there and play for a couple hours. Both kids loved it ! It’ll end when the sun starts setting earlier but we will enjoy while it lasts.
Tuesday - blue apron mishap, I had a gift card so I reactivated my account to use it a few weeks ago. Apparently I never canceled after, I just skipped the next couple shipments so I didn’t know I was still subscribed. So I received 2 more meals from them this week. I still had a $10 credit but it cost way more than that and definitely would not have wanted another shipment. Plus, since I didn’t know I was receiving shipment, I hadn’t gone in and chosen the meals. Oh well, it’s canceled now. We had the first meal on this night, crispy prosciutto lemon-pesto pasta with broccoli. It was mostly good, I can never get prosciutto to not clump together and then it becomes way to salty in a large clump like that.
Wednesday - my oldest’s first day of kindergarten! He had a great first day. I made his favorite for dinner, spaghetti and meatballs
Thursday - made the second blue apron meal, seared chicken and goat cheese sauce with mashed potato’s and carrot and pepper agrodolce. This one was good because of the goat cheese sauce, anything would have tasted good covered in that sauce!
Friday - I have my book club and will be snacking there, will probably make Mac n cheese with lil smokies for the kids
I grow Cherokee Purple tomatoes at home and the 2 plants had a good year. So a lot of BLTs. I told my husband last night was our last one. Actually can't believe I am saying this but I am kind of glad.
Kristen, I'm really glad you did something nice for yourself on your anniversary. I think I've shared that I do the same, only with massage rather than a hotel room. (Maybe I should do both this year. Hm....it's really been a tough year for me.)
I don't usually check IG, but I did just now and my heart is very full with what you're going through. I think I join with all your regular commenters/friends in saying that we all admire your strength and grace through all this and are proud of you for well you're transforming your life in difficult circumstance.
Mmm, blts sound tasty. Maybe I'll request them this week.
WIS: 82.25 @Giant, 256.34 @Aldi, 20.42 on box wine and then 10.66 @Aldi for a total of 369.67 this week.
WWA:
Fri: we did indeed have focaccia, but we didn't have any cherry tomatoes, so we used a can of tomato sauce instead along with a can of mushrooms, and our normal mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni as toppings. It was delicious, and we had carrot sticks and celery sticks with ranch dressing instead of salad.
Sat: grocery shopping day! We had a cheese take and bake pizza, a salad of spinach and arugula topped with feta cheese, pecans and balsamic dressing, then vanilla milk chocolate almond premium ice cream bars for dessert.
Sun: salad (mixed greens, cucumber, carrots, red pepper, Parmesan cheese, and Italian dressing), chicken enchilada crescent ring (basically you mix canned chicken with salsa, cheese and spices, and then you wrap it in crescent dough to make a ring shape and bake it.) Mint chocolate cookie ice cream sandwiches for dessert.
Mon: salad (just mixed greens and Italian dressing), chicken and rice with red peppers and eggplant.
Tue: salad (mixed greens and balsamic dressing), leftovers of crescent ring and chicken and rice.
Wed: salad (mixed greens and balsamic dressing), corn on the cob, colcannon (mashed potatoes with cabbage and Irish butter), and broiled fish (tilapia fillets with old bay seasoning)
Thu: salad (spinach and arugula and Italian dressing), battered and air fried okra, baked slider sandwiches (brioche dinner rolls with ham and Gouda cheese slices topped with a mixture of butter, honey mustard dressing, garlic and poppy seeds and broiled until delicious)
Tonight: but of course it shall be focaccia...and whatever salad I can get children or my husband to make because I have a raging migraine. 🙁
Have a good weekend, everyone!
@Becca, Oh! I'm so sorry! Migraines are terrible. Feel better soon.
I live in a major city and I don't know if our food costs are overall higher than where you live. I've always wanted to know: Do the numbers for each week include ALL the meals for that week (understanding that some are from the freezer)?
Three meals a day even for one person for 7 days amounts to $70 or more (excluding paper and cleaning products). Some weeks the produce alone is close to $30 to $40.
I realize that what you spend in one week doesn't necessarily reflect all that is eaten in that particular week, but even $400 a month in total for 3 meals a day for two people seems low especially as you do eat meat as part of your menus.
My other question is how you keep fruit/vegetable costs low? and do you always have a fruit and/or a vegetable with each meal, as well as a protein in one form or another?
Thank you.
Also, as part of not wasting food and using it up ASAP before it expires (but cannot be frozen), do you wait to buy some things only on sale? Or have other tricks to minimize costs and get best value?
It's BLT season! We are having them at least once weekly.
I just started doing Keto- Carnivore and so no bread or sugar for me for a while. I will be eating a little differently for the next month. The BLTs and accompanying photos made me very envious, b/c BLT is my favorite "sammich"! I've had a lot of eggs this week, in different forms. Still allowing myself a few non-starchy veggies and coffee (got to have a few treats!)
Kristen, did your doctored-up chicken breasts taste good as pulled chicken sandwiches?
I really wish I liked raw tomatoes because BLTs always look amazing. Usually, I swap an avocado for the tomato, so really just an avocado toast sandwich.
I am successfully using CSA veggies in every meal! I am freezing what we don’t get to (try as I might I can’t use six green bell peppers in one week) but we have officially reached the time of year when I start giving away the corn.
Friday: Black Bean and Green Pepper Enchiladas with cilantro rice.
Saturday: We took a short road trip to visit my parents. Their neighbor was hosting a grand opening for their new business so we went to support them and then we took my parents out for dinner at a local restaurant.
Sunday: Philly Cheesesteaks, tater tots, garden salad
Monday: Chicken and Corn Chowder, sourdough bread
Tuesday: Asian Beef and Green Bean Stir Fry over brown rice
Wednesday: Potato and Poblano Gratin, Air Fryer Porkchops, Caesar Salad
Thursday: Leftover night
I have a firm policy that if you fry an egg and put it on top of something, it becomes breakfast food. I also highly recommend putting an egg on a BLT. It's basically a breakfast plate in one.
I have no idea how much I spent this week because the farmstand has heirloom cherry tomatoes and if I drove by them, I had to get some. And would proceed to eat the whole thing practically as I drove home.
Sunday- steak frites (I had found some steaks in the freezer and we just got an air fryer so ofc I HAD to make fries....what a difference from the oven!!)
Monday: rice bowls with homemade rice paper dumplings (so much easier than regular dumpling skins!)
Tuesday: ravioli w/ broccolini and grilled chicken breast
Wednesday: I stood on one leg (barefoot!!) at PT, so my husband picked up sushi to celebrate.
Thursday: chicken tortilla/ pozole-ish stew in the instant pot. It used up a lot of old pantry items
Friday: I am still obsessed with the cherry tomatoes so probably just a massive batch of bruschetta and I will pick up a baguette
Saturday- we are hosting my BIL and his family for his 30th birthday. I offered to make pasta bolognese (Marcella Hazan's recipe is gorgeous) and probably some kind of salad and dessert.
@Heather,
I had a fried egg BLT at a restaurant once, and it was so good! Amazing. I had never thought of it or heard of it before seeing it on the menu there.
BLTs, yum. We only use turkey bacon but I remember BLTs with turkey bacon are delicious as well, so I may have to make a BLT salad.
Saturday and Sunday here were homemade pizzas, as always. I top mine with thin sliced raw broccoli and red pepper flakes. Sometimes sausage. Everybody else majors in beef, turkey bacon, ham and pepperoni.
Monday: Ham and bean soup. Inspired by Kristen to clean out the freezer, I used the last of a ham butt (when DH bought that instead of a ham steak for soup because it was more economical) to make ham and bean soup. Boxed mac and cheese for the one kid who dislikes all forms of soup and stews.
Tuesday: Burgers and salad bar. A big hit these days. Weaning the family off of chips and fries is going very well!
Wednesday: Hamburger stew, courtesy of oldest son. Again, mac and cheese for the non-soup eater in the house, with a side of broccoli.
Thursday: The three oldest had taco night, while DH, myself and the youngest went down to the big city to volunteer at the cat shelter. We usually treat ourselves to gyros afterwards, so $30 eating out.
Friday, tonight, is tuna burgers and shrimp courtesy of DH.
Happy half birthday to Zoe! I'm curious about the Bell and Evans chicken. Do you really order it from Amazon?? Looks like our local Earth Fare doesn't carry it, but I'm wondering if it comes properly chilled/packaged/etc. from Amazon?
@Julia, It's the only kind I'll buy. But it's available widely here in New York. Sometimes my son opts for D'Artagnan instead, which are chickens that are walked on leashes by PhDs. (Or so you'd think by the price.)
@Rose, your comment about D'Artagnan (a) made me LOL and (b) explains why I almost wet myself when I found those D'Artagnan duck legs Reduced for Quick Sale (almost half price) at Wegmans a while back.
@A. Marie, Ha! Son would nag me into cassoulet with those. Also reminds me of dear Betty Macdonald in Onions in the Stew:
The stores of Vashon have nothing in common with the early day, "hay, bacon, gasoline and soft drinks" country store. Our stores are modern, well stocked and obliging—if they don't have it they will get it. Only occasionally do they show signs of naïveté. Once when we first moved here I sent Don to get me some wild rice purposely forgetting to tell him it was $2.25 a package. He came home with eight boxes and after I had stopped screaming he explained defensively, "I only had one but the woman at the checking counter said that as long as they were two for a quarter why didn't I take a couple more, so I did. We can use it, can't we? She said 'Wild rice don't go good in Vashon. It's a slow-mover.'"
Continuing in my refusal to turn on my oven in 100+ degree heat, here’s What We Ate:
Monday: Taco salad in tortilla shell bowls ( homemade)
Tuesday: Chicken breast in mushroom wine gravy, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable I cannot recall
Wednesday: Cooks night off-takeout Chinese
Thursday: Tuna Salad sandwiches on toast, fruit salad, chips; no-bake layered strawberry dessert
Tonight: Mexican
BLT’s are so satisfying! We eat the sandwich version a lot but also as a salad… croutons cover the toast element.
Monday- BLT sandwiches
Tuesday- sausage, sweet potatoes and coleslaw
Wednesday- BLT salad
Thursday- steak, couscous with some onion, leftover squash and red pepper mixed in
Friday- tonight will be a green salad with sautéed chicken on top
Not sure what the weekend will hold…
The only things I bought this week were 2
1 lb jars of Peter Pan PB for 55cents each and gave to my PBJ addict kid. I’m going to make a Whole Foods trip to get some of their store brands. I like the marinara, ranch, taqueria salsa, canned beans, and gluten free chicken nuggets. I’m surprised how reasonably priced their 365 brand is. I’m trying to avoid the little grocer that has such good buys but the 77 cent organic celery and 1.27 head of cauliflower taunt me. Then a week later I’m still trying to finish it off. I’ve been enjoying bean, beet, broccoli and avocado bowls for some reason. My freezer has bags of broccoli I eat daily, chopped rotisserie chicken, salmon, sliced squash, gluten free bread, my hidden stash of gluten free powder sugar donuts and Twinkies, blueberries and grapes. My fridge has carrots, red onions, blueberries, beets, strawberries, eggs, green pepper, 2 sweet potatoes, almond milk, Kalamata olives, wild blueberry preserves, almond butter,green tomato chow chow, chicken dippin sauce and horsey sauce. My cabinets have some gluten free baking stuff, olive oil, vinegars, spices, green tea and a few canned goods. And avocados on the counter.
Oh and there is a stash of Ghirardelli 86% chocolates I add to almond milk for hot cocoa.
WWA: It's tomato season!!! We had 5 days in a row of triple digits. It is small itty bitty heatwave compared to our Southern cousins! We do not have a/c through out the house, so we ate light.
Sunday: BBQ ribs, potato salad, cucumber/onion/tomato salad and cut up the second of the 3 watermelon.
Monday: BLT's, potato salad & watermelon
Tuesday: Taco salads and fresh peaches
Wednesday: Salad w/hot bacon dressing, watermelon
Thursday: fajita's, pico de gallo, plums for dessert
Friday: green salad with fajita's leftovers on the side, watermelon
Saturday: Family reunion - making yummy dessert treats
Kirsten, I too, have eaten many BLT's for breakfast! I used to make them with cornbread waffles as the bread for my girl's weekend at the beach. Always a hit!
good comment making buttermilk, thanks
I think that’s the green goddess sandwich from Panera? If so, just chiming in to say it’s my new favorite at Panera these days! So yummy!