WIS, WWA | Hello, Chiquita
Chiquita was watching me through the curtains while I blogged. 😉
What I Spent
I spent:
- $8 at Giant
- $19 at Aldi
That makes $27 for me, which is pretty dang low.
What We Ate
Saturday
I worked, and I ate my chili/rice lunch.
Sunday
I came down with a cold, so Zoe picked up some Panera for us after her work shift, using one of my credit card gift cards.
I realize that looks mainly like a bagel, but it's their asiago steak bagel sandwich, which is super good!
Monday
I cooked the rest of my clearance thin-sliced beef and ate that with some sweet potatoes (sriracha mayo on top of the potatoes and beef) and some red peppers with Greek yogurt dipping sauce.
Tuesday
I thawed some chicken and used this quick chipotle marinade on them. I also made a cilantro-lime sauce, and used it as salad dressing.
Zoe had an evening class, so after she left, I took my serving to the park. 🙂
I packaged up two lunch servings as well, since I had Wednesday and Thursday work shifts this week.
Wednesday
I ate my chicken salad at lunch.
And I had some yogurt and fruit after work.
Thursday
More chicken salad for lunch at work.
And then I had some shredded wheat after work.
Friday
I'm off today (the only Friday in September I'm not working!), and for a day of fun, I'm getting my tuberculosis test spot-checked (you have to have it looked at 48-72 hours after the injection), and I'm also doing my drug test.
I know how to spend a Friday, that's for sure. I have not decided on dinner, but maybe I deserve a cookie for all the background check testing I did this week. 😉
WIS: $65 at Food Lion and $10 at Dollar Tree.
WWA: DH ate sandwiches with fresh garden produce and plums. I had leftover chicken spaghetti with garden veggies a couple of days, a mini frozen cheese pizza with canned peaches, and we had a meal out that I brought leftovers home from to eat a second day. Last night DS was home, so I made French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage and applesauce for our supper. Did not make a dessert this week.
Happy Friday, everyone! We spent $87 at Trader Joe's over two trips.
-- Chipotle burrito bowl (THREE nights in a row - from the same original bowl!)
-- Neighborhood bonfire/potluck
-- Omelet (spinach, mushroom and goat cheese) left over from a restaurant meal
-- Salad (greens, corn, black beans, tomatoes, cukes) with avocado ranch dressing left over from a restaurant meal
-- Noodles and homemade marinara sauce with kalamata olive rosemary bread from the Farmers' Market
Saturday - We had pizza and breadsticks while watching a movie. This was the second week that I made a gluten-free pizza for myself (I made myself a GF breadsticks, too!) I've suspected for a few years and confirmed recently, that my body is much happier without gluten. Heavy sigh. I'm happy to feel so much better (and amazed at my lack of eczema right now), but sad to have to say no to so many things I love to eat. On the bright side, it's not too much per pizza for a bag of King Arthur GF pizza flour and the dough tastes pretty good.
Sunday - I made FG enchiladas - a triple batch! Most of them went to our life group meeting (I made a small pan with corn tortillas. I prefer flour, but it was fine.) Then one pan went in our freezer.
Monday - Spaghetti (spaghetti squash for me) with meat sauce
Tuesday - Burgers... and sides that I can't remember
Wednesday - Everyone was kind of on their own. One kid went to a friend's house. One kid had an away volleyball game and she and my husband had Culver's after. My son redeemed his Pizza Hut Book-It pizza. I had leftover spaghetti squash.
Thursday - Salmon, pears, corn, shells and cheese
Friday - We have an early (4:00) home football game, so I'm going to make chili in a crock-pot so it's ready to eat as soon as everyone gets home.
Ruth -- my body is also happier without gluten ... though I am wish it werent the case. Another King Arthur GF consolation -- the baking mix makes outstanding waffles, better than any gluten-full version I've ever made. They are crispy and light and don't feel like a gut buster. I am trying out the KA GF bread flour recipe today.
I also am much happier in my gut and joints with out gluten. So. Sad.
I’ll try thr KAF gluten free pizza flour! I’ve always wondered by have never tried it.
Saturday: I made taco meat with ground beef and canned beans, which I used to make toasted burritos. And I had leftover coleslaw.
Sunday: I cooked two of the roosters we butchered last week, just in my pressure cooker. After stripping off the meat, I used it and some of the broth to make a chicken and rice dish with caramelized onions, from Smitten Kitchen. I still have a lot of caramelized onions in the freezer from when I had like 70 pounds of onions, which makes it much simpler to make this dish. I would not be making it much if I had to caramelize the onions every time. We also had frozen peas, and I made mini hand pies with pie dough and some of my sister's plum butter for Sunday dessert.
Monday: Pork shoulder, butter-swim biscuits from The Kitchn, green salad with ranch dressing, rice pudding. Still a little too hot for this meal, but my daughter requested the biscuits, and the pork was the only meat I had that reasonably went with those. And if the oven is on for the pork shoulder, I pretty much always make baked rice pudding.
Tuesday: Leftover pork fried in its own rendered lard, not-baked beans made with two cans of pork and beans from commodities, rice cooked in the pork braising liquid, and a cucumber salad that used the last of the ranch dressing from the previous night.
Wednesday: It finally started to cool down, so I used the rest of the pork liquid to make chili. And then I made cornbread.
Thursday: Cheeseburgers on homemade buns, leftover not-baked beans, pickles, the strawberry-rhubarb crisp I had made at the same time as the mini hand pies and didn't serve until this night.
Tonight: We're trying again with our kids' passport appointments at the post office 100 miles away. It was canceled last time the morning of (welcome to New Mexico, land of enchantment and highly inefficient bureaucracy), and this is the first Friday since then we've had a chance to try again. No one is excited about the drive after a long week of school and on an already-busy weekend, so we will certainly be bribing them with Sonic milkshakes. I'm hoping it won't be so late that they will need to eat dinner there, too, and we can come home and have vegetarian fried rice with the leftover rice. However, in the interests of everyone's emotional well-being, including my own, I reserve the right to just buy them dinner in town before starting our drive home. We'll see how it goes.
Butter swim biscuits have me thinking that they'd work well with biscuits and sausage gravy.
Since I am pretty much the biscuits-n-sausage gravy eater, do these biscuits freeze well?
This is a busy month for us, with all the Jewish holidays and multiple family birthdays--nine in all. I joke that the end of December is kind of boring if you're Jewish. Cough cough.
Friday: Rosh HaShanah dinner #1, we went to my parents' for apples and honey and challah, then chicken soup with matzah balls, chicken, fish, roasted vegetables, roasted potatoes, salad, and then fruit and honey cake. My contribution was our family's honey cake. It's my great great aunt's recipe; an old-world style with fennel, anise, ginger, allspice, and cloves instead of the more typical cinnamon-based pumpkin spice blend.
Saturday: Rosh HaShanah dinner #2, we had pumpkin challah, chicken, rice, and broccoli, then pomegranate seeds and honey cake for dessert.
Sunday: The baby and I napped through dinner; Mr. B made pasta and peas.
Monday: Pancakes, eggs, fruit.
Tuesday: Mr. B was working late. My daughter had plain pasta, I had pasta with "baked" beans from the freezer and cheese. Kind of weird, but it tasted fine.
Wednesday: Takeout sushi. I simply Could Not.
Thursday: My little bee is five! Her birthday dinner request was chicken schnitzel (which I prep ready-to-bake in big batches,) broccoli, and French fries. Dessert was a Japanese candy kit (something she requested) but the candy tasted horrible, so we had Oreos (another specially-requested birthday item.)
Friday: To my parents' for Shabbat with my brother, SIL, and nephew.
Shana Tova!
Thank you!
The spices for the honey cake sound very tasty!
Thanks! Even when I was a kid who disliked any hint of licorice I loved this cake. It's a really unusual flavor, but it's great.
Happy Rosh Hashana and commencement of the Days of Awe! I hope I phrased that correctly!
Thank you! Yes, that's correct 🙂 Since my husband and I got engaged during the Days of Awe, we sometimes call them the Days of Awwwww (because it's cute.)
I love that!
Fennel - is it ground or whole seed?
Meira would you consider sharing your recipe?
My grandmother made a honey cake when I was a child. I’ve missed its taste all these years. She immigrated at the beginning of the last century to Canada.
Friday: Tater Tot Hotdish – I set aside two servings in the freezer when we made freezer meals for the in-laws a couple months ago
Saturday: Birthday Dinner! My husband took me out for a birthday date night at a delicious Vietnamese restaurant
Sunday: Husband smoked a variety of chicken wings and a pan of mac and cheese. We had a side of brussels sprouts to add a little green.
Monday: Leek and potato soup, Italian grinder sliders
Tuesday: Mexican chicken stuffed peppers
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Cuban sandwich inspired calzone, pepperoni pizza
I have plans to make tater tot hot dish, too! I'd like to make a few pans this weekend to put in the freezer. What all do you put in yours?
Happy Birthday! Have a wonderful birthday season!
Happy birthday, Geneva!
WIS: $43 Aldi, $27 Walgreens
This week I was still taking antibiotics and not feeling like cooking. My eating was very much hit or miss. I had peanut butter sandwiches, sausage gravy on sourdough, granola, tuna salad sandwiches, and nachos -- that I remember. I'll try to do better job keeping track now that I'm off the meds and regaining my strength.
Today I'm in the process of concocting a soup that will use up the sausage gravy, some peppers, cheese, and penne. That will be my main meal. Hoping it will turn out well.
I hope this week is better for you!
You definitely deserve a reward of some kind. For consideration, when I was growing up, my grandmother would give us a Dairy Queen token (good for an ice cream) whenever we had a shot. 😉
It was not a very exciting week, but hey, everyone was fed.
-Sheet pan cabbage & sausage bake - x2
-Burger patties (on a bun for DS20) with caprese salad - x2
-Grilled chicken & rice - x2
As for tonight, it will be a real "use it up" type of day, as we head to Utah for hiking, and then finish it off with a weekend in Las Vegas before we fly home. The Utah portion will be easy meals, likely picked up from Costco. The Las Vegas portion will be much nicer & restaurant meals.
The use-it-up pressure from traveling is real!
Still at the beach this morning.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone's thoughts and prayers. I know this too will pass.
Mary Ann, may the beach provide you with what you need right now.
Saturday - We met some friends for lunch out so didn’t do our usual takeout Saturday, I had some chili from the freezer, the kids had butter pasta with cheese.
Sunday - I had planned to cook but came down with a bad cold and we had a busy day so I didn’t really get to rest much (as has been discussed before being sick with young kids is the worst, not the same as my prekid days when I just laid in bed all day when I got sick!) I was feeling sorry for myself so I picked up my favorite tofu banh mi and vegan Thai iced tea and then ordered Chinese food for everyone else.
Monday - Discovered head lice on my daughter in the morning (had checked because it was going around her class) so we all went to the head lice clinic and all of us had it. We got treated and then had to wash and clean the entire house, so my cold got worse as there was still no rest and extra exertion! I can’t even remember what I made the kids, probably bean burritos or something. I had cauliflower soup and a toasted bagel with hummus from the freezer.
Tuesday - I went to work (why I don’t know, I was off Monday because of the lice, I should have taken a second sick day for the cold) and it ended up being a busy work day, then I got off work late so my mom needed to take the kids to my daughters soccer practice and I met her there to pick them up. I ate more freezer soup and bagel when I got home.
Wednesday - Finally where this week turns around for the better! I stayed home and laid on the couch and drank tea all morning (kids were at school so finally a rest!) Our usual Wednesday playdate was canceled because the other kids were sick. I made the kids bean burritos, rice and corn and I had my toasted corn tortillas with homemade black bean spread, with avocado and mango salsa on top.
Thursday - Felt much better on this day, I made shrimp and veggie dumplings for the kids and heated a cauliflower, kale veggie sausage soup along with toasted beet bread with peanut butter for myself.
Friday - No idea at all, I have the morning to figure it out and then I’m going to Safeway on my lunch break! Just happy to have made it through this week!
What a week!! Oh my!
Head lice - no fond memories from me and hoping you have nipped it in the bud. Kudos that you knew, however you did, it was going around.
WIS: $275 @ Costco, $57 @ restaurant supply, $24 @ scratch and dent
In the garden we have our fall harvest of zucchini, broccoli, napa cabbage, cauliflower and butter lettuce. In another week I will plant more broccoli, bok choy, romaine.
Sunday family dinner- fried halibut and home made zucchini tots, coleslaw, corn on the cob, black berry pies.
Monday blts, leftover zucchini tots
Tues - yard sauce over zoodles, green salad
Wed - chix pot pie, Apple cab coleslaw, corn
Thurs - dinner salad with chicken thighs, apples and grapes from the garden
Fri - navy beans, garden salad & cornbread waffles
Saturday - tailgate party
I cannot quite recall what we ate every day, but we definitely did not spend much on shopping. We ate from our freezer, fridge and cupboard all week.
Sun: pulled pork
Mon: no idea
Tue: potatoes, meatballs and red beetroot
Wed: sandwiches
Thu: chips, peperonata and creamy leek/peas
Fri: salmon
Sat: to be determined
From the freezer: the pork, meatballs and salmons, and the peas
You eat such healthy food! One problem with being frugal is that some of the inexpensive foods are very unhealthy, so I try to look at the nutrition-to-cost ratio and make good decisions.
Lynn, that's a smart approach!
WIS: $55 at Wegmans and $40 at Ollie's (much of which wasn't for food).
WIA: The week's highlight was a whole Empire kosher chicken (Reduced for Quick Sale at Wegmans after Rosh HaShanah), which I roasted on my upright roaster with tender loving care, and which proved to be the best whole chicken I've ever made--succulent and juicy, even the white meat. Nom nom nom!
You DEFINITELY deserve a treat after your medical tests for work!! (And I think maybe something a bit more robust than a cookie is called for, like a slice of cake. But that's just me!) 🙂 Thanks for being a wonderful nurse.
Hi Chiquita!
This week's eats:
Saturday: I can't remember for the life of me. Possibly a burrito bowl.
Sunday: Pitta wraps with lemon-roasted tofu and salad
Monday: I went to the cinema after work so I quickly made pasta with onion, garlic, cream cheese and spinach
Tuesday: Chilli mac and cheese
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Potato frittata with salad on the side
Friday: I went out after work and had a crepe with goat's cheese, honey, walnuts and salad
I bent over to retrieve a empty water bottle from the floor (gotta get that 10 cent deposit) and the cat (Mr Mittens) JUMPED on my back. He's crazy but very lovable
Sun: Toasted ravioli and roasted broccoli
Mon: Sandwiches-busy evening with kids activities starting at 5; my son and I had lemonades at a local coffee shop while his sister had choir and we were waiting for his to start
Tues: Enchiladas that I made with ground turkey since beef is so expensive. It wasn't as good but still delicious
Wed: Salmon & rice bowls for me and son; leftovers for daughters who don't like salmon
Thur: Chick patty sandwiches (Aldi RBC), leftover fruit from the week
Fri: Skillet of onions, peppers, and chicken sausage--it was just me
Sat: Leftover sausage, pepper, and onions mixed with leftover over roasted cauliflower and roasted sweet potatoes from earlier in the week--it was just me
I did really good using up fruit and veggies this week. Leftover wise, I have a chicken patty sandwich tomorrow for lunch. I will either freeze the leftover enchiladas or my daughter and I will have them for dinner (just the 2 of us tonight).