WIS, WWA | I'm anti-Kodiak mix
What I Spent
I spent:
- $34 at Sam's Club
- $30 on a Hungry Harvest box
So, $64 for me this week; a pretty cheap week!
What We Ate
Saturday
I had gotten some pork tinga out of the freezer to make lunch for a clinical shift.
And for dinner I used it to make a quesadilla along with some queso fresco and the last tortilla from a package. Veggies on the side.
Sunday
Another variation with the pork, this time on some corn tortillas, with sauteed red peppers.
Monday
So, I saw a recipe online for high-protein pancakes, using a Kodiak mix. And I had found some marked-down Kodiak mix at Sam's that day.
The recipe calls for egg whites and Greek yogurt to be added to the mix so I thought it wouldn't be weird. Egg whites and Greek yogurt are normal. Super normal!
I gave the recipe a try and, as is par for the course, the pancakes were rather disappointing.
Even when I added blueberries: meh.
I thought maybe the issue was the egg whites, so I tried the mix according to the package directions and still: disappointing.
I don't understand how this Kodiak mix tastes so lackluster! And surprisingly, when you make the pancakes according to the box directions, the protein content is not higher than my usual homemade whole wheat pancakes.
And my homemade pancakes do actually taste good.
I will definitely not buy this mix again.
Tuesday
I made some baked ham and Swiss sandwiches, and we had grapes and sliced cucumbers on the side.
Wednesday
I randomly thought about apple pfannekuchen and decided to make that for dinner.
But then I realized: I have no pie plates! Apparently I left all of mine at my old house. Whoops.
And this is how we know I don't make pies: I've lived here for almost three years and this is the first time I noticed I don't have a pie pan.
So I made my pfannekuchen with a skillet, which was a viable substitute. But I think I will pick up a glass pie pan from the thrift store; I see them there all the time so this should be super easy to find.
Thursday
A leftover night to use up some main dishes from the fridge. Sauteed broccoli on the side.
Friday
Zoe's off as am I so perhaps we will get a little treat of takeout for ourselves, especially since my spending was nice and low this week. 🙂
I cannot recall anything beyond the mac and cheese my husband made yesterday.
I've been a bit under the weather and my beverages have been mainly sage tea and lemon with hot water. And more hot water, and then more hot water.
Inspired meals need to wait till next week.
How are you today Kristen, did you manage to shake off your bug yet?
I feel improved but not quite 100%. At least I am moving in the right direction tho!
Last Sunday, DH and I made up a big batch of black eye peas and green, fajita steak with pintos and grilled zucchini, shredded barbecue chicken, and a skillet full of chicken breasts. We’ve been eating leftovers all week. Last night, I pureed the leftover grilled zucchini and added it to pasta sauce with those frozen Aldi vegan meatballs. We had that over whole wheat spaghetti with roasted cauliflower and a baguette.
My oldest is now playing lacrosse and DH is very involved in F3 (a free community based workout group) so they are hungry all the time. I’ve been keeping sweet potatoes and cooked chicken breasts on hand so they can add on to dinner as needed.
Thank you for indentifying the yellow tomatoes in the first photo. They looked just like cooked egg yolks to me.
Saturday: I made a chicken/cheese/pasta casserole that also had pureed calabaza and corn in it. And then I took out one of the quart bags of caramelized cabbage from the freezer that I put in there last summer.
Sunday: Meatloaf, made with ground elk, baked potatoes, leftover caramelized cabbage or sauerkraut, chocolate pudding with cream
Monday: First day I was just feeding myself and . . . I cooked anyway. 🙂 I made the chicken soup this day to use up various things in the refrigerator, so that is what I had for dinner. I actually like soup and would eat it more often if certain members of my family either outright dislike it, or need many other things to make it into a meal. So this worked out well for me.
Tuesday: I had made some meatballs with some of the meatloaf mixture on Sunday. I baked some honey-oat bread to use up milk that was not going to last much longer. I made this instead of your cinnamon bread, Kristen, because I didn't feel like messing around with yeast, and this bread is more like a quick bread. While I had that in the oven, I baked the meatballs in a homemade barbecue sauce, and those two things were my dinner. Oh, recipe for the bread for anyone who's interested:
https://going-country.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-very-handy-recipe.html
Wednesday: A salad with some of the barbecue meatballs in it, to use up the last of some pretty old romaine hearts. And also, again, I like salad. Much like soup.
Thursday: I went to the city to run some errands, which in my case takes all day. The long drive typically means I'm in a rush to get home, so I don't do anything extra in the city. This time, since I wasn't due home for anything, I went to lunch at an old restaurant in the city. There I had two steak and avocado tacos that filled me up so much I wasn't hungry for an actual dinner. So I just had popcorn and a vodka cocktail. And, MBinMN, I'm counting this as one of your popcorn+fruit meals because the vodka was peach-flavored, and I put lemon juice AND lime seltzer in the cocktail. Totally counts as a fruit, right?
Tonight: My family will be home tomorrow, so this is the last night I'll be eating by myself. My tacos yesterday came with a side of potatoes that I definitely did not need to eat. So I brought those home and will fry those with eggs for my meatless Friday meal tonight.
Me over here also cooking when it's just me!
@kristin @ going country, that cocktail totally counts as fruit! Good job.
@kristin @ going country, I have never heard of potatoes being a side dish for tacos. Do you know, is this a regional thing or something that was just an option at the place you went?
@Ruth T, It might just be this place. They're called "papitas" and they're pretty much like home fries.
@kristin @ going country, I enjoy cooking when it's just me--which it isn't very often, but I have been known to make myself a German pancake for lunch on those weekends when DH is visiting his mom, or on a work trip. Or I cook a pot of sushi rice and make onigiri to share with the boys. Something that DH would not consider a meal, but I get a hankering for. 😉
@Karen A., I, too, save the meals my husband is not a fan of for when he is gone. Keeps me inspired to actually cook something. Lots of mushrooms and chicken nuggets happen here.
@kristin @ going country, I also love soup and would eat it more from but the others in my home feel that just soup is not supper!
@MB in MN, if it is a gimlet then it definitely is fruit.
This week I actually remember what I ate!
Sunday: Tacos
Monday: Veggie stir-fry
Tuesday: Veggie chilli
Wednesday: Leftovers with a sweet potato
Thursday: Mushroom omelette with mashed potato
Friday: I'm not sure yet, possibly something with pasta
I find cottage cheese pancakes quite tasty. I don't have a great recipe (the promised 3-ingredient ones always need a bit of added flour to thicken up in my experience) but I never regret making them.
Sunday: Toddler was sick and my parents fed us teriyaki salmon, rice, and vegetables.
Monday: We got a NY strip at our store (long story, but it's hard to find this cut kosher and Mr. B was VERY excited) so we had that with mushrooms and peas.
Tuesday: Mr. B made chicken, squash, broccoli, and frozen French fries.
Wednesday: I was sick, Mr. B worked late. Toddler and I had chicken noodle soup and watched The Many Advetures of Winnie the Pooh.
Thursday: Mr. B took our toddler out for Purim but I rested on the sofa. I had eggs, some greens, and toast, and he grabbed a burger later.
Friday: Mr. B usually cooks but my guess is that he's now getting sick with what I had. So if he's out, we have sausages in the freezer and we can do that with veggie sides. And maybe some chicken broth, since we have that in the freezer, too.
Oh my I can’t believe you never make pies but I don’t think you make cakes or cookies often. I like to bake. I had nothing special to eat last week- I rarely eat out or have take out- so it’s my cooking. I did use 2 Zucchinis and made Zuchinni cakes one day and froze the leftovers. I live alone and have 2 fridges and a small chest freezer so always a meal in the freezer. I have some fresh beets for today. They’re good but imo a pain to clean.
@Nan, I also love to bake! Give me all the pies, cookies, cakes, and cinnamon buns. My kids and I just made soft pretzels yesterday. The day before we made cinnamon buns and cookies for two friends, one who just had a baby and the other for their birthday.
Kristen, I make your apple pancake or ATK’s Dutch apple baby in my cast iron pans. I like them better in the oven at a high heat.
I do like to bake, but boy, with such a small household, I find myself baking way less.
The bigger issue is: I don't really like pies. I know that's sacrilege to some people but pie crust is very very low on the list of things I'd like to eat!
@Kristen, I feel exactly the same way about pie crust, unnecessary calories for low taste. When we have holiday pies, made by me or the fresh ones from the Amish store, I eat the filling and leave the crust.
YES. Something with so many calories and almost no nutritional benefit should be...way more delicious.
I have also left the crust untouched so many times! The filling is where it's at.
Now a graham cracker crust? That's different. 🙂
@Kristen, I feel the same way about pies. Sometimes the filling/topping is okay but there are other things I like a lot more.
@Kristen, et al,
Wait, WHAT?!? Pie is crusty deliciousness! Or graham cracker crusty deliciousness! It's my favorite dessert, although fruit crisps/crumbles are a close second. One does not eat pie worrying about the calories and lack of nutrition! Harrumph! (ha ha!)
I think sometimes its just as cheap to pick up a new glass pie pan - I guess it depends on where you thrift shop. So far this week I have spent $ for groceries and that was takeout lunches ... I do need to pick up a few things this morning though. Here's what I ate:
Monday - Chik-Fil-A!
Tuesday - (freezer) Beef Taco filling on corn tortillas, homemade Chuy's Jalapeno Ranch dressing
Wednesday - (freezer) Chicken shredded onto a mixed salad
Thursday - Ramen noodle and green bean soup, made with more of the freezer chicken and some bone broth
Friday - Maple Glazed Salmon Bites with cabbage slaw
Saturday and Sunday are my kitchen closed days, but I have meals in the freezer for work.
Happy Weekend!
@Gina from The Cannary Family,
In my area, it's definitely cheaper to buy a glass/pyrex pie pan at a thrift shop. I realize that may vary, depending on where you live, what thrifts are available, etc.
Once again I am so impressed with your meals!!! Even if I've just eaten the pictures still make me hungry!! Have a great weekend.
Saturday - My in-laws were here and it was a last-minute trip (they came to see the new house we're buying together!) so they offered to buy pizza. Yes, please!
Sunday - Tater tot hot dish and broccoli with cheese
Monday - Taco crescent casserole and oranges
Tuesday - Leftovers, fruits, and veggies
Wednesday - My 11yo's pick - chicken fries and mac and cheese. I think we had a California veggie mix with it.
Thursday - It looked like Kristen's Tuesday - ham and swiss sliders (ours was a freezer meal that I had pulled out the day before), skillet corn, pears, and chips
Friday - It's Pi Day! We're going to be eating in shifts because my 11yo and her friend that's coming over have rehearsal from 5-7 tonight, but I'm making chicken pot pie and apple pie. Chicken pot pie is one of her friend's favorite foods, so that makes me happy. It's always nice when you can make something that a guest kid enjoys!
@Ruth T, I made tater tot hot dish this past week, because I read it on your menu last week and it sounded so good. I loved it! I'm not sure if it's close to the recipe you use (I found some different variations online), but the one I picked was absolutely delicious. I'll be fixing it again soon.
@BJS, Oh nice! Yes, I think it was my plan for last Friday, then I got really tired and it got bumped to Sunday. 😉 My kids get excited about it, which is a huge win! Glad you enjoyed it, too!
Kristen, and now you know why the pancake mix was marked down.
I dunno, other people seem to love it. Are they pretending? Have they just not had a satisfying pancake before? Am I just insufferably picky? WE DON'T KNOW.
@Kristen, I agree, their original mix is pretty lackluster! We do like the blueberry lemon and our kids like the confetti cake. It’s a quick, easy dish our older kids cake make themselves. Nothing beats homemade (esp homemade blueberry pancakes!) but these have gotten us by in a pinch.
I cannot for the life of me figure out how it tastes so solidly "meh". I can imagine blueberry lemon being better! Maybe I should doctor up my remaining mix so I can use it up.
I'm also glad you identified the tomatoes, since you so frequently top things with eggs and I also thought those were yolks. I couldn't imagine, with current egg prices, why you would use so many!
WIS: $157 and change. I paid for two farm orders and store-bought groceries, but this is for two weeks. I'm still eating pork from the freezer, too.
WIA: A skillet dish of ground lamb with a ton of garlic and onion, served over rice, topped with lots of fresh cucumber. This made a couple of lunches as well.
A grilled cheese sandwich on GF bread with cut up colorful fresh sweet peppers on the side; an easy button night.
At the at-risk youth party, I had a brat with mashed potatoes and some shepherd's pie - we were sort of having an early St. Patrick's day party. I don't pick the menus for these, but still, it's what I ate, even if I didn't plan it.
Turkey gizzard (one was enough - they are huge) with green peas and honey-lemon carrots, the carrots being from my garden.
Roasted pork chop, roasted okra, and a bowl of cherries from the freezer. I need to eat down some of the fruit, as fresh fruit season is coming. I had this twice.
Last Friday I ended up eating random leftovers, to help clean out my refrigerator. I don't remember what they were, but suffice it to say, I was fed.
Hehe, that would be such an expensive tuna melt!
WIS: $20 at Aldi. (A very cheap week. Because I'm participating in "No-Spend March" over at the NCA, I'm concentrating on eating things I have on hand.)
WIA, week's highlight: I made a stew, using this recipe (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/236988/chef-johns-irish-pork-stew/) as my jumping-off point. I omitted the Brussels sprouts (none on hand), added a large potato to the stew instead of using mashed, and also added some spinach and a few mushrooms that needed to be used. But I'm proud to say that I used another bottle of Guinness from the 6-pack I found on someone's curb last year! (I don't like to drink it, but I sure like to cook with it.)
Isn't a soup wonderful for using up odds and ends??
WIS: $70-ish, all at Food Lion
WWA: Ham. Salads. Frozen pizza. Cottage cheese with fruit and shelled sunflower seeds. Cheese and fruit. Peanut butter sandwiches with sides of oranges or apples. This was a minimal cooking week because we did a lot of yard work, but I did bake gluten-free Anzac Biscuits (coconut-oatmeal cookies) as a treat.
@Ruby,
I love Anzac biscuits!
WIS: $68.53 for groceries. $0 eating out because a friend kindly treated. So $150.19 for groceries for the first two weeks of March, and $0 eating out (which will change next week because there’s another lunch on the schedule).
WIA: Tuscan Butter Mushrooms; Baja Seasoned Shrimp and Tomatoes; beef and chicken fajitas to use up a petite sirloin steak from the freezer, some shredded rotisserie chicken, and some peppers and onions. Oatmeal, craisin and walnut bars for dessert. Croque Monsieur with a side of fruits (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, grapes) for lunch out (and leftovers for dinner the same day).
I've had good luck just adding protein powder to my regular pancake recipe.
The quality of the crust makes or breaks a pie imho. My grandmother was not a great cook but her wild Saskatoon-berry pies were spectacular. WWA:
Saturday - slow cooker beef stew
Sunday - DH made chicken curry, rice, naan, papadams with chutney and lime pickle
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday- leftovers
Wednesday - sheet pan smokies baked with fresh pineapple spears, red pepper strips, and sliced red onion on toasted buns with garlic mayo
Thursday- air fryer drumsticks, baked french fries, cucumber and tomatoe salad
Friday - planning on farmer sausage and pierogies
Wishing everyone a calm week ahead
I occasionally use Kodiak pancake mix. I always add some vanilla and a a small amount of brown sugar to add s0me flavor. Otherwise, it's too bland.
@Tina Lopez, I came to say this too. I add vanilla if I make pancakes with Kodiak cake mix. Makes it a little better.
Friday: Another school concert, another pizza. I was ready to make stir fry but my husband picked pizza up on the way home so I didn’t have to cook and clean up so late.
Saturday: Ramen stir fry – great way to clean out the veggie drawer!
Sunday: Sheet pan pork tenderloin with baby potatoes and spinach. My parents stayed for dinner so I just added a couple of sweet potatoes to the pan and defrosted a loaf of bread.
Monday: French dip sandwiches with zucchini fries.
Tuesday: Chicken souvlaki on homemade naan.
Wednesday: White chicken chili -I snuck in some extra peppers and a zucchini.
Thursday: Slow cooker turkey zucchini meatballs cooked in red sauce over pasta.
Since today is Pi Day I'm trying to figure out what type of "pie" to make for dinner - pizza, cottage, spaghetti???
Kodiak cake mix: I can’t say it makes my favorite pancakes, but they taste tolerable with plenty of butter and maple syrup. The big plus is my young kids can mix it up on their own. It’s a way to make pancakes part of our weekday breakfast rotation. I do want to try your whole wheat recipe! If I can mix up a larger batch of the dry ingredients and store it in my pantry, I think I’ll be a convert. If anyone has done that with Kristen’s recipe, please let me know how successful it was!
Monday: baked coconut curry meatballs and rice
Tuesday: cod with lemon orzo and peas
Wednesday: we hosted our midweek Bible study, so this was a meal for a crowd of 20ish people. I made a huge pot of chicken taco soup and someone brought toppings like cilantro and sour cream. Others contributed rolls and dessert.
Thursday: Our sweet middle child had a hankering to eat out. She had a stomach bug last week, and her appetite has returned with a vengeance so we had a fun takeout dinner on the sunny deck.
Friday: pizza/movie night! Though I might mix it up by making pizza rolls/pockets or Stromboli.
I scored two Kodiak freebies awhile back, a box of their frozen waffles and a single serve microwave muffin cup. Both were disgusting and pitched after a few bites. Just yuck!
@Bobi, I don’t like Kodiak anything either. Total yuck
Everytime I buy these mixes they disappoint. The pancakes are dense and tasteless. The muffins are dense and have a weird taste. Right now we are doing a rotation of bag dinners, soup and fake take out. Hopefully we will be done soon.
Is pie more a guy thing? I would get marriage proposals when I’d take a lemon meringue pie to get togethers. I baked a lot until my celiac diagnosis, but never liked any gluten free stuff I made so I quit.
I’ve been eating a lot of fruit lately for some reason. Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, that and chopped salads and I try to throw in some protein here and there. The eclipse was pretty boring last night, the moon looked so tiny. One of the scratch and dent grocery stores I explored recently had some truffle salt Marcona almonds that were so good I want more. They were past best by date but were crunchy and fresh. I feel very edgy risky going back for black market almonds.
I don't know, but I do know pie is not a Kristen thing. Ha.
@Kristen, I'm a woman and I love pie! I haven't tried making it though.
@Kristen,
Have you tried Key Lime Pie? You use a graham cracker crust, lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and a couple of egg yolks (I cheat and use one large egg), top with whipped cream (I know you have cream!) and it bakes for maybe 15 minutes. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill. Fast and easy.
@JD, I do the same and use lemon juice. And it's still a good pie. I love to use Meyer lemons when they are in season.
@Sophie in Denmark,
Hello, fellow woman pie lover! 🙂 I have made pies, including making my own crust. The crust is still a work in progress, but homemade pies beat store-bought by a landslide.
@Tiana,
Yes, the eclipse was no big deal here in Little Rock area, either. We never saw it turn red so maybe we had to wait longer? We were outside for more than an hour til it got to the full coverage. Other friends on the area said they didn't see red, either.
@Joyce from Arkansas,
Down here in Texas, we had too much cloud cover to see much of anything. Around midnight I saw half the moon, in its regular color, and then it got cloudy. Some time later, I went out again and saw nothing much. So I went to bed.
I will happily peruse the photographs people take of the sky events, and be satisfied with that.
@Liz B., my grandma taught me to make pie crust. She added an egg and some vinegar and it always turned out flaky and delicious. There are recipes online like hers.
All your meals look delicious, Kristen! I hope you're feeling better.
What I spent: just under $40 at Tom Thumb
What I ate: I can't remember much except that for several days in a row I had refried beans, "cheesy" rice, and tomatoes on corn tortillas. I added a little oil, salt, and nutritional yeast to the rice to give it a cheesy flavor. Last night I made a turkey sandwich. No idea what I ate last weekend, however. Tonight I'm planning to make Mexican rice and have that with beans and tortillas.
@Elizabeth M, Oh, I remember last Sunday now. I had hot dogs and tater tots (actually "tater puffs" from the store brand.) I had the rest of the package of hot dogs for lunches this week.
I got sick after eating homemade blackberry pie when I was little. It's the last time I've ever had pie. As a general rule, I don't like cooked fruit.
This week for dinner we had:
-Grilled burgers (x2)
-Chicken stir fry (x2)
-Power was out on Wednesday, so we had Greek takeout, and there was enough that we had that for dinner last night as well.
As for tonight, I still have enough leftover Greek takeout that I can make it into a Greek salad. The key to making leftovers last is to order an extra side of protein. It also makes the meal more filling.
Feeling soooo some tired this week.Waiting for a hip surgery..someo days are harder than others so sent husband out for $7 burritos. They are huge and one feeds me twice.Husband eats a whole oneWe get beans,rice,pico in a whole wheat tortilla. Fruit ont he side.
Spaghetti and sauted red peppers and mushrooms with sauce from freezer
Chickpeas masala homemade with side of palak paneer fomr fromTJ, 1 pkg feed 2 of us, all of it over brown rice made in my rice cooker.Applesauce (Homemade) on the side.
Hot honey chicken skillet meal, vegs and potaotes all made in same pan.Fed us twice.
Today I made a big pot of lentil stew for supper and used up a sweet potato that was languishing on counter. Also made some tuna for our lunch on rye bread which I got on sale for $2.60 vs. 5 dollar full price (day old) . Pickles on the side.
Don't give up on the Kodiak pancake mix just yet. I agree the mix is horrible when made as pancake! The box I have has a muffin recipe on the back. I modified that recipe to add 1/4 cup peanut butter and some smashed banana. Sorry I eye balled the banana measurements. It makes a tasty snack muffin that my daughter loves. She eats them after swim practice. I like because it has the protein from the peanut butter and the mix.
I've never tried the Kodiak mixes. I keep seeing them pop up in frugal videos though. Are they really inexpensive or something?
WIS: 16 @my local health food store and 41 on a quickity Aldi fill in trip, so 57ish this week.
WWA:
Fri: salad and focaccia plus some apple slices tossed in cinnamon and sugar.
Sat: roasted potatoes, salmon croquettes, quick pickles and tatsoi salad.
Sun: leftover salmon croquettes, potatoes, waffles and tatsoi.
Mon: pasta carbonara with turkey bacon, Parmesan and peas, pea shoots salad.
Tue: steamed broccolini, younger son made pizza bagels-half were cheddar and salsa and the other half had only ricotta and mozzarella on them.
Wed: older son helped make bibimbap bowls which included jasmine rice, romaine lettuce, sautéed peppers and onions, grilled salmon and grilled sausages, plus lime juice and gojuchang sauce.
Thu: salad, older son made canellini beans with fennel, Parmesan and spinach served with a crusty sourdough baguette.
Tonight: salad and focaccia, but there is talk of making it more “pie like” in honor of pi day.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
A really big box at Sam's was on sale for $8.92, so pretty affordable.
I'm guessing my homemade ones would be cheaper, though. AND THEY TASTE GOOD.
@Kristen,
Hmm, yeah. My husband bought a big bag of pancake mix (krusteez, I think) at Costco and at first I was thinking it was a really frugal option because you can make it with just water which makes it cheaper than most standard recipes that use eggs and milk. It tastes ok with just water, but then eczema boy* had a flair up and I’m thinking it could have been the mix because it has a lot of extra ingredients. Sigh…
*not actually his given name…
I do not recall purchasing any menu items this week, except I did get a Misfits box on Saturday for $56.
Sunday night I made egg roll in a bowl and white rice. I used the Asian salad mix and the bok choy from the Misfits box as a base. Bulk pork sausage I'd gotten a couple of weeks ago, cut into three chunks and frozen. Used one chunk and some bacon in this. This makes more than I can eat (and enjoy), so I sent two servings home w my niece. I also prepped the last of the head of iceberg lettuce and spinach and other salad fixings.
Monday night I fixed a quesadilla with deli turkey (Aldi), gruyere shredded cheese (Aldi), some green onion and my favorite local onion vinaigrette. It. was a delicious odd combo.
Tuesday: A couple of weeks ago I picked up some Banquet pot pies for a dollar apiece remembering the pot pies of my younger years. Sadly, the chicken pot pie was not remotely like way back then. The crust was not bad, but there was much less filling and the chicken was, uh, pressed meat. I should have known. Plus, I had been spoiled on Schwan's chicken pot pies in the interim from younger years to now and they were the best on the market, hands down. Alas, they are no longer in business.
Wednesday: eggroll in a bowl and rice.
Thursday: since I canceled weekend plans d/t not feeling well, my niece brought me a Sonic (the big one) cherry limeade and some cheddar bites w ranch after she got off of work. I didn't eat them all. Later, I had a chef salad with deli turkey and Lebanon bologna. I'd had cottage cheese for lunch and then the cheddar bites and knew I needed some roughage.
Tonight: I may have salad again. I sure have enjoyed it. Since I am not/did not go out of town as planned, I may order Dominoes for Pi day. I have several points and I think I have a free "pi" in my account.
As for the tuna melt with the yellow tomatoes, I was also taken aback with "What is that? what did she use six egg whites for? So thank you for explaining. Plus, I have several cans of tuna and appreciate the reminder of tuna melts as a menu idea. I have also had a hankering for pimiento cheese spread.
@Chrissy,
Although we prefer the Marie Callender (sp?) pot pies, I do keep so.e banquet ones on hand for those nights when I do t know what to make. I usually serve with rice and a veggie. Nothing fancy, but it's a meal.
@Joyce from Arkansas, our local butcher shop sells frozen ready to bake chicken pot pie. They are quite good and quite filling. However they do take a while to bake from frozen.
WIS: New Season’s - 12.14; Costco - 80.00; Grocery Outlet - 84.90; Winco - 62.25; Fred Meyer = 91.84 for a Total of $331.13
I still need to make a quick trip to Safeway for a few more things. We have family (6 people, including teens) arriving today and will have a family dinner (16 - 17 people, including teens!) tomorrow. We’re having a taco/burrito bar for the family dinner. Our out-of-town family is staying 5 days, so there was a lot to get. I’ve been working on the freezer since January and have only bought one package of meat that went in the freezer. Yesterday at Fred Meyer, I couldn’t resist! I got some marked down ground turkey 3# @ $2/lb, 4 pkgs of marked down ground pork @ $1/lb plus 2 whole fryers on sale & corned beef. I also did a bit of stocking the pantry, but most of what I bought is for company. It’s all worth it! I feel like my garage refrigerator is Fort Knox with eggs, and all the extra food.
WWA:
M - Leftover roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, onions, & gravy
T - Leftover sausage, fried potatoes, peppers & onions
My motto is cook once, eat twice as much as possible!
W - out to dinner with friends
H - Because of all my shopping, I ended up getting a store-roasted chicken and a package of broccoli slaw at Fred Meyer. Chickens are $5 on Thursday. That was a quick dinner!
F - Tonight will be lasagna soup with bread, salad, and cookies
S - Family dinner with a taco/burrito bar
S - Rice bowls with all the leftovers from the taco bar
@PNW Casey,
Did you see the cartoon online? It showed a vault full of cartons of eggs and the caption read, "What they found when they went into Fort Knox."
@Fru-gal Lisa, I did not, but got a good image in my head!! Years ago, my Grandma served asparagus at a family dinner. She went on about the high cost of the asparagus. When my great uncle asked for the asparagus, he said, “pass the gold.”
My retired husband does the shopping and cooking (Yes, I'm keeping him!!!) so I mostly make my own breakfasts lunches, plus cook the occasional dinner on a weekend as I'm still working 60+ hours a week.
I make a grain free high protein pancake recipe but it's keto so not low calorie. It uses some coconut flour, Greek yogurt, and whole eggs. No pancake mix. It's not going to have the same texture as regular pancakes, but delicious to me. I make a batch on the weekend and freeze 3-4 pancakes (they are small) per serving for a quick breakfast during the week.
I discovered how to make perfect "jammy eggs" in my electric pressure cooker last weekend (3 minutes at high pressure, immediate release, 5 minute ice bath), and I ate them with some tahini and Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. Yummy! We've been buying Costco eggs because they are less than 1/2 the price of other stores right now. I normally don't mind paying more for eggs from "pastured" hens, but $12+ a dozen right now is NOT in the budget. I hate Costco's plastic egg cartons, though.
Most of my lunches are leftovers from our dinners, I use stainless steel or glass containers and I have a kitchen with a full fridge and microwave at work with real dishes and flatware at the office, so it's easy to store and heat my food.
I haven't been "going out for coffee" for years, but I was really craving some coffee drinks. My daughter got herself a Nespresso coffee maker (she's single and has a huge salary). I'm trying not to be judgmental, but the coffee maker and the pods are very expensive and then the pods have to be disposed of--they can be mailed back to the company for recycling, but most people toss them. I just can't see doing that myself. So I bought an Aeropress coffee maker to make my own espresso-like (decaf) coffee with milk, and once you learn how to use it correctly the coffee is REALLY good--I like it better than what I've tasted from my daughter's machine. The only waste is the spent coffee grounds and paper filter--we compost both. Some people reuse the filters 2-3 times to reduce wasting those, or get a reusable metal mesh filter (but I prefer paper).
What I spent: $55 at Kroger
$28 at Edward's Cash Saver
(most of this money was for 3 bottles of prune juice which is more than $2 cheaper a bottle than Kroger)
What we ate:
Monday -- homemade split pea and ham soup, ham and cheese sandwiches.
Tuesday -- more split pea soup, shrimp, veggie stir fry with rice
Wednesday -- pork roast made in crockpot then browned in the oven, acorn squash, leftover corn casserole from Sunday.
Thursday -- BBQ pork sandwiches made from left over pork roast, green salad, tater tots.
Friday --hubby went out for heavy lunch with a buddy. I may make frozen chicken cordon blues from Sam's and a veggie instead of meatloaf, potatoes and veggie I was going to make and have meatloaf, etc. tomorrow.
I did the same thing with a Kodiak mix once. I boosted it by adding ground flax, chia, and hemp. When that wasn't enough, I started mixing it with half wheat flour, a little baking soda, and the ingredients listed above. I added a little oil, made it really thick, and used it for waffles. When the large package was used up, I went back to making my own from scratch.
Add cinnamon to the Kodiak pancake mix.
I make pumpkin pancakes from the mix by adding pumpkin puree and some cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, along with regular ingredients. It definitely elevates the pancakes!
Sat - no recollection
Sun - dine out Mexican
Mon - pork-n-beans with leftover hotdogs
Tue - beef stew
Wed - fish sandwich/cheese burger and fries non-Mickey D fast food
Thu - stuffed pork pinwheels w/potatoes (what can I say, I like potatoes), asparagus, carrots
Fri - HM egg rolls, white chicken chili, focaccia bread
Kristen,
I tried Kodiak mix one time, and I felt the same way as you did. Very lackluster tasting, and more expensive than regular mix or homemade mix, which makes it more disappointing in a way.
I'm glad you explained what the yellow things on the tuna melt were. When I saw the picture, I thought they looked like egg yolks.
Most people likely don’t use whole wheat flour when making homemade pancakes, so that likely explains why the Kodiak mix is higher for them. I’ve had this mix, and honestly- it will likely never taste as good as your homemade, whole wheat version. I don’t think the eggs or Greek yogurt would have helped the taste. Whst made the Kodiak mix more palatable for me was adding vanilla and a bit of grated lemon peel/ lemon juice along with the blueberries!
I find the pancakes/waffles made with Kodiak mix to be too heavy. They're not all that pleasant to eat.