WIS, WWA | catching my breath
What I Spent
As you know, I finished my mental health/med surg class this week, and you guys, I got a 95/100 on my final! And it was literally 100 questions, so that means I managed to choose 95 correct answers. Props to my brain for that. 😉
I finished the class with a 95.95% grade, a number that is either very satisfying (the repeating numbers!) or slightly annoying (so close to a nice round 96%).
But regardless, my hard work paid off, and I am so very, very happy. Yay! Just 1.5 more semesters left to go.
Anyway, these last few weeks have felt like a busy blur. I have a few days before pediatrics starts, so I'm really going to try to get the non-school parts of my life in order.
Be forewarned...I am super duper fuzzy about what we ate this week.
But I can tell you that my grocery spending was: $27 at Safeway.
What We Ate
Saturday
I worked a 12-hour shift and we ate some leftover pizza when I got home.
Sunday
Zoe was out with a friend, and I think I just ate the rest of the leftover pizza.
Monday
I have absolutely, positively no idea. Ha.
Tuesday
Zoe had some canned soup and a grilled cheese, and I had some mashed sweet potatoes topped with a fried egg.
Wednesday
It was the day of my cumulative final. I spent the first half of the day helping my friend study, and then we took our big ol' exam.
And at dinnertime, I made French toast because...easy.
Thursday
I worked another 12-hour shift at the hospital (my second one for this pay period) because I wanted to knock out both of my required shifts before my pediatrics class started.
I came home, ate a ham sandwich, showered, and went almost straight to bed. 😉
Friday
Honestly, perhaps we will get some takeout tonight. I spent very little on groceries this week, and the successful completion of an 8-week class deserves a small celebration, I think. 🙂
Yes, I think you should celebrate! Congratulations on seeing the payoff of all your hard work!
WIS: 184 @Aldi, but this included Halloween candy for trick or treaters and some things from the random crap aisle. Also, 52 on take out.
WWA:
Fri: It was our anniversary, so my husband picked up take out from our favorite Ethiopian restaurant. So yummy!
Sat: Salad and focaccia since we missed it on Friday.
Sun: I made a big pot of turkey and white bean chili using up two big bunches of kale. We also had a salad, of course.
Mon: It was my birthday, so my husband made corn flake crusted chicken breasts, and a fancy Swiss Chard, corn and bacon salad. He also made an apple crisp for dessert.
Tue: leftover chard salad and leftover chili over Fritos, plus homemade rolls and butter.
Wed: leftover chard salad, leftover chili, diced avocado, steamed broccoli, fancy Halloween cheeses and homemade discard crackers.
Thu: arugula and spinach salad, rice and beans in tortillas with slices of smoked cheddar cheese.
Tonight: we're back to the normal schedule of focaccia on Fridays.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
@Becca, A Belated Happy Anniversary! To go with the Belated Happy Birthday! I feel like the White Rabbit. "I'm late! I'm late! For (two) very important Date(s)!"
@JDinNM,
Thank you!
A celebration is definitely in order!
This week we had:
Monday: Canadian Thanksgiving. Turkey, chicken, roasted root vegetables, green beans, salmon, and fruit. Too much food, but all delicious.
Tuesday: Mr. B was working late so I had leftovers and made macaroni and cheese for my daughter, plus sliced cucumbers and strawberries.
Wednesday: I was out for dinner with a friend (very tasty Italian food) and Mr B + daughter had pizza and frozen blueberries.
Thursday: I made butternut squash soup, grilled cheese, and sliced apples. My daughter was mysteriously was very upset by the grilled cheese, so she had a peanut butter sandwich instead.
Friday: Mr. B is making us salmon, challah, and roasted squash.
@Meira@meirathebear, so funny for a kid to be "mysteriously upset" by a grilled cheese sandwich. I hope you can solve the mystery, just for ease of future dinners.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, My nephew once got very upset because the peanut butter on his peanut butter and jelly sandwich was on the top instead of the bottom. I apologized profusely, took the sandwich back to the kitchen "to make it over the right way", waited a respectable amount of time, flipped the sandwich over on the plate and took it back to him. All was well!
@JDinNM, Too funny!
Congratulations! If anyone deserves takeout tonight, it's you.
WIS: $45.22.
WIA: Spinach quiche (with a crust! Take that, all you crustless quiche eaters); Tuscan Butter Mushrooms (from an Epicurious recipe)(a stovetop skillet dish of Baby Bella mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, fresh baby spinach, basil, heavy cream and freshly grated Parmesan); baked salmon, asparagus and roasted smashed potatoes; spinach and mushroom omelet (because lots of leftover spinach and mushrooms).
@JDinNM, hahaha I feel like crust is the whole point of quiche; it's a savoury pie, not a savoury custard! I find that without the insulation of the crust, the crustless quiches that I make always have a weird spongy texture. If I want to avoid crust, I make Chinese-style steamed eggs.
@Meira@meirathebear, You are 1000% correct!
@JDinNM,
Lol, crustless quiche....why bother? 🙂
(Yes, I know, people who need to limit their carbs, etc.etc.....but the crust is the best part!)
@JDinNM, We have 2 boys with celiac disease so no wheat and no crust. Quiche has a couple of tablespoons of gf bisquick of gf pancake mix and tastes great.
@Susan, Happy you found a work around for the boys!
Congratulations! Wishing you a calm and productive weekend before you dive back in again.
Great job on the exam!
I spent nada, but tonight I will spent lotta. (I'm so funny)
WIA:
Leftover lamb shoulder with potatoes and green beans.
Baked pork chop, roasted delicata squash, and tomatoes (I'm still venturing back into tomatoes) I had this twice.
Beef stew made in the crock pot, with fruit on the side. My stew includes bone broth, white-in-color sweet potato (the kind with pale tan skins), celery, carrot, mushroom, garlic and onion. The white sweet potato is less sweet and just looks more like a white potato and freezes better than some white potatoes. I always freeze some of the stew, and one time I used some kind of regular white potato that was utterly horrible when re-heated. I've stuck to sweet potatoes in my stew ever since. I've had this twice.
A ground beef patty with a mix of cauliflower and broccoli served in buttery cheese sauce.
Tonight may be more stew, but may not. It depends on what I find at the store. If I see something yummy on sale, I'll make that instead.
@JD, Delicata squash is my favorite. I haven't seen it in our stores yet but hope it's on the way.
@JD,
First spent nada, then a lotta, but how much did you pay for the delicata?
@Becca, Hello Muddah. Hello Faddah.
@Becca, You're a poet AND you know it!
@JD, whatta lotta nada is the best way I can describe my week of spending and eating. (Thanks for the grin)
@JDinNM, delicatas are easy to grow but like most members of the squash family, sprawl. One year after we grew them, a volunteer plant came up. Interesting looking acorn shaped, green/orange fruit. Made nice decoration as I was not inclined to attempt to eat them.
$79 Market Basket
$28 Aldi
$28 Greek Market
Friday: No clue
Saturday: Rotisserie chicken and roasted cauliflower
Sunday: Leftover rotisserie chicken and vegetables.
Monday: Pecan crusted salmon, asparagus and baked potato
Tuesday: Chicken stew with chicken thighs and bits from the rotisserie chicken
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Turkey burgers and roasted vegetables, rice
Tonight: ???
That pizza photo made me hungry but I am off pizza at the present time.
I went to a new small market (the Greek Market) this past week. I prefer food shopping to clothes shopping. I had not been there before. I picked up my lunch the next day: spanikopita and pasta salad; the remainder was yogurt and Acacia honey. Acacia honey is made by bees that frequent black locust trees. It does have a different, lighter flavor and color than the local farmstand honey. I have also learned of black forest honey that comes from Germany, darker coloring. I will buy that next.
I am working on improving my food intake, so I had a lot of vegetables this week. It's possible tonight could be a vegetable frittata if the chickens have laid some eggs. I have also tried a couple of new desserts that don't use cane sugar. They use maple syrup or maple sugar. Definitely a more expensive way but not so overpowering sweet.
I like a firm yogurt. Has anyone made yogurt with coconut milk and can it be made as a firmer texture? The store bought coconut milk yogurt is very loose.
Kristen: Congratulations on your successful finish to this course.
@JEG, So far the best (thick) coconut yogurt I have found is Cocojune. Kroger here recently started carrying it. The plain is SO good that I have to be careful to not overindulge. They have flavors, too, but I haven't tried those.
Yes, celebrate! Kudos on your exam score, too!
We’ve had salad with chicken on top for every dinner this week. We love salads and I don’t have to think too much in preparation of them. This Sunday is my 70 th birthday and we have a party tomorrow at an Italian restaurant. I’m sure we’ll have leftovers from that on Sunday.
I love the idea of your sweet potato with fried egg. I don’t know why I don’t think to make that for some of our meals. But I will!!
@Martha O., Happy Birthday!
Great job, Kristen! Congrats on your final AND for cooking this week! Cooking takes planning and you rocked it!
Dinners this week and in the future will depend on what I have, what's on sale and what's on clearance. With that said, here was the menu:
- Beef enchilada casserole (layering it is easier than making single enchiladas)
- Turkey burgers (I found clearance buns and used frozen hatch chiles for kick)
- Hamburgers (I did buy 1/4 cow and requested lots of ground beef)
- Baked ziti with homemade no knead bread (our stores are not baking bread anymore)
- Soup and crackers (had to be canned so not as tasty but oh well)
Conga rats!
I think tonight is butter chicken. Last night was cottage pie with leeks, parsnips and carrots. Delia Smith's recipe, so good.
Wednesday was Buffalo chicken pizza. I was going to make cottage pie but the cleaning lady threw out the baked potatoes I planned to use. And salad.
Tuesday, steak and frites. "Frites" sounds much classier than "Ore-Ida fries in the air fryer." Also salad.
Monday, roast chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and green beans.
Anything before that is lost in the mists of time.
Congratulations!! Enjoy your celebration.
Yay! for Kristen's brain! Throwing a little dinner party for that grade is a nice reward.
WIS: A number that makes me wince: $202.69, divided up between Food Lion, Aldi and Ollie's Outlet. I did some stocking up for winter, so right now the pantry is crammed full, and then there's the 4 times the normal price for gluten-free items.
WWA: Lots of chili. Chicken with quinoa and white beans. Red beans with ground beef, spinach and cherry tomatoes. Gluten-free pumpkin-walnut muffins. The occasional veggie burger for me. Italian meatloaf, fresh veggies and gluten-free flatbread for my husband. Tangerines, apples and the last of the season's peaches as snacks. Lots of rather inferior decaffeinated iced tea that became palatable with the addition of some lemonade mix.
Congratulations! Well deserved 95.95%.
I think you are doing a fabulous job juggling school, life,work, kids,cats, etc! KUDOS TO YOU! I hope you have a nice weekend!!!!!!!
Hurray for you! Former psych major here, that is tough material.
Saturday/Sunday: Homemade pizzas, and I'm proud to say the Selective Eater now uses the homemade pizza sauce without a fuss. It helped that I did not put out any storebought sauce, so it was either have pizza with the homemade stuff or no pizza at all. Ha!
Monday: DH had the day off, so he made mackerel burgers for dinner and they were delicious. I forget what we had for sides, I think chips and raw veggies? And we put leftovers out as well.
Tuesday: Chicken shawarma, the last meal made in the electronic crockpot, or as I started to call it, "Old Yeller." Because it was loud.
Wednesday: Mexican night. So tasty. I graciously let DS#3 use the new, silent crockpot for its inaugural job of keeping the taco meat warm.
Thursday: Beef burgers, corn on the cob.
Tonight is hamburger stew, and mac and cheese for the Selective Eater.
Yay for a fabulous grade! Yay for all you juggle day in and day out. Time for a little celebration and a big relaxation. You deserve a special dinner out (or from out) at the very least for the heroic efforts to keep frugal during all of this stress! Splash out 🙂
Well done on your exam! I love that you helped a friend study right before, I'm sure a last minute refresher helped you both!
Friday: Last minute date night to what may be the last “patio on a lake” dinner of the year.
Saturday: Double date night with friends.
Sunday: Baked cod with poblano cream sauce, baked barley, roasted veggies.
Monday: Slow cooker beef in tomato sauce over baked potatoes.
Tuesday: Chicken Posole.
Wednesday: Pork tenderloin with roasted potatoes and spinach.
Thursday: Leftovers!
Ended up with a lot of takeout this week which is unusual for us, I am 4 weeks into a new job though so time management has become more challenging!
Saturday - we stopped at a taqueria on the way home from a pumpkin patch
Sunday - we were at a family reunion all day and got home around dinner time, I think I just made a variety of things, chicken nuggets for the kids, baked squash with beans for me
Monday - took the kids for vaccines and my 4 year old had a horrible experience (a lot of anxiety) so I let her choose dinner after and she wanted shrimp so we got takeout seafood, shrimp for her, chicken strips for the 6 year old, shrimp and avocado salad for me and fish n chips for husband.
Tuesday - I made dinner for my son’s classmates family, as the mom is going through cancer treatments. I was originally going to make a double batch and have the same for dinner but decided to just make something simpler for us after I dropped off their dinner. I made baked tofu, butter and Parmesan noodles and steam broccoli.
Wednesday - had to work late and my mom was with the kids so I picked up food from the taqueria for all of us
Thursday - I’m out of town for a much needed long weekend trip with friends! We had a snack dinner upon our arrival last night with cheese, bread, spinach dip etc
Friday - going out a fancy dinner tonight!
Congratulations of the test score! Not that there was any doubt! Lol!
Congratulations!!! That's fantastic news.
Good job on your classes thus far! And, what is leftover pizza two nights in a row? I don't think that has ever happened at my house, ha ha. My goal this week was to add more protein so I will feel full for longer. Its a process...
Monday - kitchen closed, but I had some meatballs, basmati rice, and green beans from the freezer and I can't believe I remembered that!
Tuesday - Taco Bowl (freezer taco meat) over romaine with small tomatoes, red onion, avocado
Wednesday - (freezer) Coconut Shrimp, 1/2 bag of chopped salad {my daughter brought me her old air fryer so I had to try it out!}
Thursday - Ordered out - I got Asian Eggplant and crab rangoon and it made two perfect sized meals. One will be my lunch at work on Sunday.
Friday - Cheese Enchiladas using up the rest of the monterrey jack and corn tortillas in my fridge, along with some homemade enchilada sauce, with the rest of the chopped salad {made two small portions of enchiladas as well, and my future work self will thank me}
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed, but I have meals ready to roll
Happy Weekend and have a great dinner tonight!
Kristen, did you have an inkling of the questions you missed while you were taking the test? And do you get to see which ones they are and find the right answers? It used to really bug me (prolly before you were born) when I didn't get to see the correct answers, because how else can one learn??
Enjoy your weekend of letting your brain rest! 🙂
Friday – better half baked cod, boiled baked potatoes and carrots, I ate leftover steak pan fried with boiled potatoes and red peppers. Leftover green beans sauteed with bacon and home grown garlic for both of us.
Saturday - dine out burgers/fries. Burger/custard chain (not Culver's). Reminds me of what Steak-n-Shake used to be
Sunday - dine out Mexican
Monday - take out sushi
Tuesday - meatloaf, baked potatoes (purchased at farmer's market)
Wednesday - eggs, fried potatoes, toast, piece of leftover Spam from freezer/strip of bacon for each of use.
Thursday - grilled cheeseburgers, potato salad, and asparagus
Friday - better half made himself a pizza. Score at the grocery store - Angus Delmonico ribeyes - each a bit over 12 ounces, mark down to $29 and change (were almost $50). I had one tonight (froze half) with potato salad, other two went into the freezer for later.
Congratulations on getting such a good grade! You definitely deserve a celebration.
What I spent: $51 at Walmart
What I ate:
Friday - scrambled eggs with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor, mandarin orange slices afterward
Saturday - I made a gluten free chicken pot pie with a biscuit topping. First time I've made this since going gluten free, and it was very good.
Sunday - gluten free dino chicken nuggets and potato smiles, with part of a mint dark chocolate bar for dessert
Monday - ditto
Tuesday - canned chili (Great Value brand, surprisingly good for the price) with Daiya brand gluten free, dairy free mac and cheese
Wednesday - I just had a sunbutter and raisin sandwich on gf bread
Thursday - dino nuggets and potato smiles again
Friday - lentil soup served over mashed potatoes
Sunday: beef roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots
Monday: chicken noodle soup, bread
Tuesday: Chinese food
Wednesday: taco spaghetti skillet, garlic bread
Thursday: pizza
Friday: subs
Yeah, Kristen!
Congratulations!!!