WIS, WWA | in the midst of unrest
I'm not gonna lie; I feel a little silly writing ordinary blog posts in the midst of what's going on in Ukraine.
But like I said on Instagram last night, I have pretty limited power (ok, zero power) to fix problems of this magnitude.
I don't know what the future holds (Are we heading into another world war??), so I am defaulting to what I always do when I feel helpless:
Pray and then keep doing the next right things in my life: make meals, parent children, correct math lessons, do laundry, feed rescue cats, do my A&P homework, and so on.
(Which has kind of been my default mode since the pandemic started as well; I manage what's in my domain and I try to leave the rest in God's hands.)
Anyway. In light of that, here is the rundown of the food situation here this week.
What I Spent
I spent:
- $20 at Safeway
- $20 at Harris Teeter
What We Ate
Saturday
We were here and there and everywhere (I picked up my parents from the airport, Lisey and Zoe were out together doing some birthday shenanigans, etc.), so we all fended for ourselves.
Sunday
I made French bread, baked ziti, and a green salad.
Monday
We had enough leftovers from Sunday to make a repeat dinner on Monday. Easy-peasy!
Tuesday
On Tuesdays, Sonia and Zoe have a class that spans the normal dinner hours, so dinner is a little unusual those nights. We ate some soup from the freezer, but not all at the same time; I am not about eat my dinner at 8:30 pm!
Wednesday
Fish cakes (here's my recipe), baked sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli.
Thursday
A mish-mash because Thursday is another class night for the girls...some of us ate leftover fish cakes, and some of us ate grilled cheese sandwiches. 🙂 Green salad on the side.
Friday
I'm going to try a new recipe for a Thai red curry chicken noodle soup. It's made with rice noodles, coconut milk, and red curry paste, so I am optimistic about how delicious it will be.
I am also happy that it will use up a half-package of rice noodles I have had in my cabinet forever!
In the midst of all the chaos, it's nice to have this blog as a safe and consistent refuge.
- French toast with blueberries and walnuts
- Girl Scout cookies and clementines. Highly recommend this "meal"!
- Salad
- Brown rice with broccoli, walnuts, olive oil, parmesan and pepper. Simple and yummy.
- Plate of veggies: cauliflower, carrots and corn
- Ten Vegetable soup at Panera Bread
- Popcorn and fruit
@MB in MN,
Girl Scout cookies for dinner! That sounds yummy.
Sunday: homemade taco soup, cornbread
Monday:kids and grandkids here for burgers, chips, and pasta salad. Pound cake for dessert.
Tuesday: stuffed peppers, mashed potatoes, green beans
Wednesday: Whataburger ( cooks night off)
Thursday: homemade chicken salad on croissant, strawberry jello salad, chips
Friday: Texas Roadhouse with a gift card
I would also like to add, how, in this day and age, can a country knowingly interrupt peace and start a full-scale WAR? Has history not taught us anything? I do not profess to have a lot of knowledge on world issues, and I may be naive; but I have never understood WHY Putin is doing this. Power? Yes. But I mean, what is HE saying is the reason?
@SandyH, Not addressing the political reasons for this most recent aggression, but human history is, in fact, a history of wars--for land, for resources, for dominance in general. Peace is not a historically common condition for humans. And history has, in the past, rewarded the aggressor in many cases. That's how empires were built.
@SandyH, Whataburger sounds so good right now!
@gina, Whataburger is good any ol time! ❤️
@kristin @ going country, I of course know that. And will never understand it. Why the need for world dominance? Of course I u
Understand the need for retaliation in the face of 9/11, Pearl Harbor, many other historical events. But what drove the first strike? THAT is what I don’t get. Hitler was a madman, is Putin? Kristen I am sorry to go so astray of the original topic. I’m not normally political in any way, shape or form.
@SandyH, This is a REALLY weighty topic, but I suppose my point there is that I would not consider Hitler or Putin to be "madmen" in any historical sense. They actually act the way men in power have throughout human history: deciding what they want, and taking it, without regard for the suffering of those subordinate positions to them.
This reminds me a little of what the experts say about men who abuse their wives; it's sort of easy to say that these men are just crazy. But they are not exactly crazy; they often know what they are doing and they make a choice to continue being abusive.
@SandyH,
The short answer is Putin believes that Ukraine and its relationship with the West is an existential threat for the country of Russia. There is a long and complicated history. If you would like to read about it, this is a good, simple analysis.
https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2022/02/22/the-digestible-ukraine-explainer-you-ve-been-waiting-for?utm_campaign=mb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew&mid=7fae059b09392c076006a418ac36b1b8
Please note that I am not commenting on the validity of his belief or trying to engage in a debate of any kind. I’m only trying to answer the question that Sandy asked as to why Putin is doing this.
@Bee,
Yes, putin s the product of the Soviet. He is fighting for what he believes to be a NATO take over of Ukraine.
@SandyH,
From what I understand, Putin has been ruminating throughout the whole pandemic on what he should be entitled to, which is the former Soviet Union. He isolated himself to a pathological level because he is deathly afraid of the virus, and seems to have spent the whole time brooding and feeling disgruntled. I'm sure it didn't help that he was dropped from his vaulted position in American politics after the exodus of Trump. So now, still from isolation, he's starting what they say are a series of takeovers of countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union. Perhaps he is not a madman, but unfortunately I think he's utterly sociopathic. 🙁
@SandyH, I have been reading a book "On Desire" by William Irvine. I picked it up from the library because I was interested in knowing more about the Stoics. William (Bill, now, as I have emailed him and he has replied, oooooooo!) wanted to actually live as a Stoic, and that intrigued me (nothing at ALL like I imagined, from what I knew a stoic was. I was so wrong). Anyway, in one of the chapters he talks about the different desires different people have, and references power hungry people like Stalin. I was fussing about the so-called "Freedom Convoy" in Ottawa, and that chapter had me saying HUH?!! a lot. Some folk really don't care if people like them, they WANT people to be afraid of them. To use that lovely evocative phrase, they "Get off on it". Other people are unable to consider any point of view but their own.
I, too, struggle to get my head in their space, however Bill's book has served to provide me with more understanding about what their space is. Nothing and nowhere I want to be, scary and disconcerting - yet I am also settled, a bit, and no longer struggling to understand. Now I am just dealing with all the other thoughts and emotions.
Blessings and peace to all of you, and to our world. Those things are needed, may we have a plenitude of them both.
We ate differently this week because my husband was off work for most of it, so I did very little cooking.
Sunday: My husband made spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach
Monday: My husband made burgers
Tuesday: I was at my parents and my husband got takeout sushi
Wednesday: I made spaghetti and meatballs (sauce and meatballs had both been previously batch-made and frozen
Thursday: I made chicken curry with rice and quick-pickled cucumbers on the side
Friday: We're keeping it easy and having leftovers. I'll probably make a loaf of whole wheat bread and two loaves of challah, though, as we're out of bread.
Thank you Kristen for your words of introduction to today's post - and yes, prayer is what keeps me from going crazy.
Also being able to turn to this friendly place which your blog represents is so nice!
as to the future; "I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future."
We ate the usual home-cooked unfancy dishes, but tonight we are getting some fancy food home delivered because of a birthday in our midst ( and we do not yet feel comfortable eating out without safe distancing etc).
I will probably do some prep cooking over the weekend so our work week is a bit easier. In these restless and worrisome days, "doing things" helps take our minds of the worry. So putting my unrest to advantage and prep-cooking and cleaning.
Have a good weekend Kristen and readers!
Saturday: Tacos with leftover meat, split pea soup for the sick child with a bad throat, fresh bread, ice cream or chocolate milkshake
Sunday: Sound the trumpets, for my husband cooked. He is actually willing to cook, but he knows that I (and most of the children . . .) don't necessarily want to eat what he likes to cook (meat and grease, pretty much). Howeve, he does make good omelets, which everyone will eat, so that's wha he made. I added bread and butter, raw radishes and frozen green beans, last of the ice cream in chocolate milkshakes.
Monday: Turkey and potato soup made with the last container of turkey soup I froze after Thanksgiving, plus some leftover roasted potatoes added in.
Tuesday: Two nuked potatoes sliced and fried with leftover taco meat and shredded cheese, plus some frozen peas. I had to work, and it shows in what we had for dinner.
Wednesday: Tacos with yet MORE of the leftover meat, raw radishes and cucumbers, german chocolate cake my sons' teacher gave him. Work again.
Thursday: Breakfast sausage links, rice, cucumber slices, last of the cake. Work again-again. Last day, hooray!
Friday: If we cut up the ram today, we'll probably eat the backstrap (tenderloin). I have a lot of potatoes, so something potato-y. And a salad, because lots of lettuce right now, too.
My husband gives a monthly donation to Doctors Without Borders, and I am going to check with him about adding a gift to the international Red Cross to aid relief efforts for Ukraine. That and prayer are all we can do from here.
For my WIS, we're still struggling to deal with food inflation. I spent $101 on food at the grocery store, which included $12 on manager's special beef that I wish I had not bought. It had no fat whatsoever and cooked up very dry. With the addition of some gravy and being sliced very thin, it was palatable, but there were plenty of leftovers for my work lunches next week. Good think I'll power through almost any leftovers.
Our grocery spending for the week was a bit high for what we bought because I bought both peanut and olive oil. Cooking oil is like liquid gold these days.
Outside of the grocery store trip, I ordered seven jars of Bonne Maman jam from Vitacost to restock our pantry. It was actually cheaper, aside from the modest shipping fee, to do this than to pay the in-store prices and the selection was a lot better. This is the only jam my husband will eat, so it saves me aggravation to just stock up.
@Ruby, I love your idea of gifting a donation to the international Red Cross to aid relief efforts in the Ukraine. I'm going to do that as well since it feels like all I can do from here.
@Ruby, I bought a roast a few weeks ago on special. It was like shoe leather. I made veggie beef soup out of it because I couldn’t chew it.
I also struggling to determine what my food budget should be, but I did well this week!
@Ruby, Yes! I agree that donations are a good idea and good way to try and help those suffering. There have been a few different organizations I've seen mentioned that are specifically trying to help the Ukrainian people. My husband and I were going to choose one or two to donate to tonight.
This week has been a mish mash due to the fact that we move next week and the majority of my household is packed into cardboard boxes. We all managed to eat and that is what counts.
I spent $156 at Sam's this week most of which was on paper products, coffee creamer and some fresh items.
Sunday - Pizza was ordered as this was a heavy day of packing
Monday - Baked porkchops, rice, and green peas
Tuesday - Beef Stroganoff made in the crockpot with leftover green peas
Wednesday - Leftovers, corn on the cob, rolls, and green grapes
Thursday - Leftovers for some and my husband and I had dinner out while running errands
Friday - Clean out the fridge to use up the remaining leftovers
Happy Weekend everyone!
Let's see...
Sunday was leftover turkey and rice soup from the freezer.
Monday was pizza with mushrooms, pepperoni and onions, plus salad
Tuesday was pasta with turkey Italian sausage and veggies. Salad on the side.
Wednesday we had brown rice with stir-fry veggies, eggrolls, and freezer fish. It wasn't my best stir fry but we ate and we have leftovers!
Thursday night we had roasted chicken with sweet potato fries and salad. This was a confusing dinner night for me as I almost overcooked the chicken and half-burnt the fries. Oh well. It was still good and we are still fed!
Friday - I think tonight we'll probably have either leftover pasta or leftover stir fry with chicken from last night.
I made a Sam's trip yesterday but that was my only shopping excursion for the week.
I feel the same helplessness you do and am horrified to be updated on the news, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop moving forward in my life. Like you, it brings me some peace to focus on home and family. This week I ate:
Monday - Crockpot lima beans with ham bone (SO GOOD)
Tuesday - Coconut Shrimp, side salad, corn {early a.m. doc appt}
Wednesday - Chinese Lettuce Wraps, Spicy white bean dip with wonton chips, {Virtual cooking class at 7 p.m.} This was very meh.
Thursday - Mini freezer pizza with side salad because I forgot to thaw dinner. {probating the estate today}
Friday - Salmon, green beans, buttery brown rice {on call}
Saturday - Homemade Mushroom Burger for one, chips and salsa {on call}
Sunday - Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs, twice baked potatoes, salad {on call}
I'm cleaning out the fridge this morning, making containers of leftovers for future meals, and heading out of my house to the store. Bad news makes me want to cocoon in the extreme. But I know that is not mentally healthy, so off I go!
I also feel uneasy even a little afraid.
Like so many, I pray for all involved and go on with my life. I can’t do anything else right now. None of ever knows what tomorrow will bring.
I finally had a week that I came in under budget! Woot! Woot! This week I spent approximately $65 on groceries and one lunch out. I used many items that I had on hand and have been too busy gardening to fuss with dinner. It’s spring in North Florida, and there is a lot to be done.
Saturday - Leftover chicken and rice with salad.
Sunday - hamburgers and salad
Monday - Egg roll in a bowl
Tuesday - I had a fundraiser to attend. DH fended for himself.
Wednesday - Burrito bowls with spicy chicken, black beans, roasted corn, tomatoes, cheese, spinach and avocado
Thursday - A leftover burrito bowl for me and stuffed baked potatoes for DH.
Friday - I would like to have sushi.
A friend of mine had a fun, sweet Ukrainian exchange student a few years ago. He is exactly the right age to be fighting now. So many prayers are needed for so many places - and people - in this world; here, there and truly, everywhere.
And yet, here we are, carrying on with this WWA. Being able to do this normal weekly exercise is a gift, and I appreciate this post as well as the way you expressed your concerns, Kristen.
Pulled pork from the freezer, sweet potato salad and green salad
A rare treat of eggs and bacon, with a salad on the side
Slow-cooked heart, with leftover sweet potato salad and fruit
Tuna salad, no bread or crackers, made, as always, with shredded veggies in it, plus fruit
Fried boneless chicken thighs with mashed celeriac. I was going to have broccoli, too, but I was tired, and that's all I managed.
Grilled bacon and cheese on cassava flour tortillas, applesauce and raw carrots
The rest of the tuna salad, with fruit again.
As this season of Lent approaches for those of us who observe it, I'm thinking there is no better time for it. Solemnity, fasting and prayer seem to be the right thing to do these days.
@JD, "Slow-cooked heart" made me smile, both because of the casual way you dropped that in there, and the fact that I'm not the only one who eats things like hearts. (Although truthfully, I usually give hearts to the dogs. But then, we ate a sheep's head, which is way more gruesome.)
@kristin @ going country, I have several friends & family members who like hearts - chicken, pork, beef. Haven't had the opportunity to try lamb yet.
@kristin @ going country,
I have always liked heart, since I was little. A sheep's head might give me pause, though.
@WilliamB,
Honestly, I'll bet lamb or goat heart would be good!
@JD, one of my two 18th-century English parson boyfriends (the Rev. James Woodforde of Weston Longville in Norfolk, who faithfully recorded most of his dinners in his diaries over several decades) once casually referred to stuffing a sheep's heart into his pocket for a snack on a road trip. I wouldn't have wanted to be his laundress after that one!
@A. Marie, This reminds me of when we raised chickens for meat and had a chicken processing day assembly line. One child caught the chicken, husband chopped off the head, I dipped the carcass into the boiling water for a few seconds and our friend, who raised them with us, pulled off the feathers. That was on a weekend and I did not do laundry until the next weekend, when I discovered that the child who was too young to have been assigned a position on the assembly line had been helping by gathering chicken heads and stuffing them into his pants and shirt pockets...where they had been festering for a week.
@Lindsey, oh, dear, that story is funny/awful! I can only imagine what week-old chicken heads must have smelled like.
And, for the record, I'm as appalled as most of us here by this week's events in Ukraine. A lifetime ago, I had a boyfriend whose parents (wonderful people whom I loved dearly) had come of age in Estonia and Lithuania in that brief period between the World Wars when the Baltics were enjoying a taste of independence. You can probably guess better than most what they would have thought about what's happening now.
@A. Marie,
"one of my two 18th-century English parson boyfriends"
LOVE. Of course my boyfriend is George Orwell, or it would be if he'd stop coughing, but I also have William Morris and Charles Rennie Mackintosh as boyfriends as well as George Gordon, Lord Byron, who actually is mad, bad and dangerous to know. (Frankly, Topsy and Toshie create a problem for me when it's time for society softball signups. <-- no one but me finds that funny
Kristen I couldn’t agree more about controlling what we can control. Yesterday my daughter and I were talking about what is going on in the Ukraine and she reminded me that one of her peers at the small private college she graduated from in 2020 was from there and had to return home as soon as he could (pandemic made it hard for international students to leave the US and this particular college has a very high percentage of international students so the college was communicating with local parents asking for assistance in housing/feeding them). He had to return to join the military because this conflict was anticipated at that time. I spent the rest of yesterday with thoughts of this young man I never met flitting in and out of my head and each time, I tried to remind myself that worry is a reminder to pray…I was semi-successful.
Things we ate:
Friday- pizza night
Saturday- Leftovers from previous week meals
Sunday- Loaded nachos and chicken tostadas
Monday- sweet and sour chicken with fried rice
Tuesday- dinner out with a friend for her birthday (we ate from the Happy Hour menu at Yardhouse and it was delicious and cheap because we aren’t drinkers so our drink was iced tea)
Wednesday- Asian chicken salad for husband and I, chicken Caesar salad for daughter
Thursday- grilled steaks, mushrooms and onions, wedge salad
I overspent my February grocery budget so I’m going to meal plan for March this weekend to try to get it back under control. We are going on vacation for a week in late March to the Oregon coast but we are staying in a rented house and will be making our meals so I will plan that week as well but leave off the main dishes because we will purchase fresh seafood.
I really hate to be this way but, it's not that I no longer care about things going on in other countries but I have lost the ability to really process it. I no longer watch the news (all lies and propaganda anyway) nor do I read beyond the local section of my local newspaper. Maybe I'm burying my head in the sand but in general I just try to avoid the narrative of how everything is terrible for my own mental health.
Anyway, this is my dinner for the past week:
Saturday: Snow cancelled an excursion I had planned (first thing for me in months) so we ate up some random leftovers and things.
Sunday: In-laws are visiting so we went to Red Robin.
Monday: I bought a small pork shoulder roast for 77 cents a lb on sale and slow roasted it all day via a recipe from Serious Eats.
Tuesday: My wife and daughter were out with my in-laws so I ate leftovers by myself.
Wednesday: Pork roast leftovers and what wasn't eaten went into the freezer for use as sandwiches some other time.
Thursday: Wife and daughter were out again. I worked late. Random stuff for me again.
Friday: I'm not entirely sure. I think we are doing some form of chicken but I'm not sure.
@Battra92, I know what you mean about being burned out re world events. It's funny, we disagree on so many things but it seems we have fundamentally compatible world views.
FG, I appreciate your acknowledging world events. I think it helps to create space to talk about it, if not on this blog then elsewhere.
I appreciate your words about the crisis in Ukraine. It's so difficult to process all my emotions about the potential for WWIII. Like you, I am trying to focus on my family and what is within my control at this time.
This week I had less energy and enthusiasm to cook than usual after our son's medical emergency last week.
Saturday - picked up pizza from a local restaurant
Sunday - leftover pizza
Monday - homemade sub sandwiches and berries
Tuesday - baked stuffed chicken breast, green beans and sweet potatoes
Wednesday - "fend for yourself" night; I had a peanut butter sandwich and berries
Thursday - lettuce wraps
Friday - No idea hahaha
I've teach European history, including Holodomor and WW2, and cannot believe this is happening in 2022. For those who are interested, this is a really good video to learn more about the 20th c. relationship between Russia and Ukraine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK0ovXIiU9M&fbclid=IwAR28_UW8vDIP6zst6bLmiWJgzoPURyST6HAi5TksN_urxrYWk8GXuYDh840
WWS: $65 (including $15 in cat food, because we could find the preferred brand/flavor of our very discerning cats...)
WWA:
Sat: Out to eat with friends: Detroit pizza
Sun: homemade fish & chips (leftover chips); cabbage salad
Mon: cottage pie. I added some lentils to stretch the meat (and to make it a tiny bit more sustainable) and the topping was a mix of potato and cauliflower.
Tues: I had leftover cottage pie. Partner made himself turkey sausage, kidney bean & spinach soup.
Wed: homemade turkey & black bean empanadas; Mexican rice; salad
Thurs: homemade steak & cheese
Fri: chicken provençal (themodernproper.com); over farro? barley? polenta?; salad and baguette. Perfect for the snowy day that is in the northeast today!
Sometimes, I want to say to Putin, "Excuse me, are you from the past?"
What kind of behavior is this to display in 2022??
@bettafrmdaville,
Thank you for the video reference!
@Kristen, To be honest, it's not like the US hasn't invaded/fought etc other countries in the past 20 or so years. We felt justified, he feels justified.
I really hope there's a coup in Russia. Not extremely likely, but there is some hope.
@Kristen, as a matter of fact, he is. (Trying not to get into the political discussion because I'll go deep and y'all will have to restrain me.)
NPR had an article about how to help Ukraine: https://www.npr.org/2022/02/25/1082992947/ukraine-support-help
@bettafrmdaville,
I watched it that video, thank you. It was heartbreaking.
@bettafrmdaville,
Thanks for sharing the video link
Even though it may feel silly to write about food right now, I appreciate the normalcy it provides (much as I appreciated your consistent blogging in the height of the pandemic).
On a positive note, I'm excited that I can say I'm under budget for February!! I know it's a short month, but it is a big birthday month and that usually cancels out anything I gain from having fewer days. I'm currently set to be enough under to almost offset everything I went over in December and January. (Though my husband wants to go to Sam's Club tomorrow. It'll be on him if we go over. Ha!) Big thanks to everyone for submitting frugal meals a couple of weeks ago. I've been able to use some and have some planned for future weeks. I'm feeling good heading into March.
Saturday: Our final birthday celebration for my oldest child. She requested quesadillas, layered taco dip, queso, Cheetos Paws, carrots, green peppers, and fruit (blueberries, raspberries, and pineapple that she shaped to look like a cat face). Rice krispie treats and ice cream for dessert.
Sunday: My brother's birthday celebration! He wanted fajitas and we had a huge spread, but I didn't have to bring anything. I just helped make the food because it's not a dish my mom has made very often.
Monday: Cheeseburgers, asparagus, tater tots
Tuesday: Burritos and chips with guacamole and queso
Wednesday: Chili and baked potatoes
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Tonight my church is hosting a dinner for everyone who volunteers in one way or another (my husband helps run sound and I help with the kiddos). I've gone to one of these before and it's super nice that they do this. I'm really looking forward to it!!! I'll make some chicken nuggets for my kids before we go.
We have the potential for a lot of food waste this week and I'm hoping not and trying to get on top of it but it's a chemo week and it's hard. I mentioned that someone had been sending us Hello Fresh boxes, 3 meals per week for the past couple of months (just an incredibly generous gift from an anonymous donor that has been a source of fun and learning for my 15 yo who has really embraced cooking finally!). Anyways, a couple of weeks ago they stopped coming and so I prepared this chemo week assuming no more would arrive. Well, a box did indeed arrive on Tuesday when the fridge was stocked to get us through the week and was now doubly stocked. Add to that, my daughter was too busy with school work and hockey and riding to have time to cook the Hello Fresh. So now we are hoping they will be fresh enough to use the next three nights.
So we ate -
Sunday - roast beef, gravy, roast potatoes, carrots and turnip and green beans (cooked enough to have leftovers)
Monday - chicken souvlaki, tatziki, rice, greek salad (more leftovers)
Tuesday - leftover roast beef dinner for kids (dd#1 was home for reading week) and I had soup and yogurt
Wednesday - leftover chicken souvlaki dinner
Thursday - Chinese dumplings and cut up veggies on the side
Friday, Saturday, Sunday - hopefully all 3 hello fresh meals! Will substitute out wilted veggies and use them for soup, packaged meat is not past Best before dates.
I know I shouldn't complain about too much food but it did stress me out because I am so focused on no waste ever!
As for Putin, I do think he's mentally unbalanced and that's why I'm really afraid.
@Leann,
All I can offer is a prayer for strength and comfort
AND a really big hug!!
Oh friend, big hugs to you. I hope that this chemo round is as easy on you as possible.
Chicken noodle soup, egg salad sandwiches, big chef salad, chili and cornbread, chili over baked potatoes with salad and chicken stir fry over rice!
I love chili!
(I am heartbroken over UKRAINE! Military mom! )
My very best wishes for you and your child, from a military daughter, wife, and auntie.
@Stephanie,
Wishing you love and strength. Thank you for the sacrifices that your family has made for our country.
We're about to have our second fajitas meal of the week because the first one was so delicious and I need all the comfort I can get right now. I feel angry and miserable most of the time lately. I can't seem to please anyone--well, my manager at work loves me. The kitten is scared of the dogs, the dogs are annoyed that I stay in a room with the kitten, my daughter needs things from me I can't give, and my mother and son ditto. My bank account is currently negative and I had to ream out both my lawyer and my propane company, who keep complaining to me that they're trying to deliver to the rental but the fence is locked, and I said I KNOW, I DON'T HAVE A KEY EITHER, and they can't seem to understand to just stop it.
OK, so! Fajitas!
Tomorrow planning to make Nando's peri-peri chicken.
After that, I have zero idea! Maybe I'll be a bunch of nuclear ash by then, who knows.
sorry folks.
Big hugs to you, Rose. It's so hard when things pile up on top of each other.
I think you should eat as many fajitas as you need in order to get through this tough time.
This situation breaks my heart as my extended family is from that region, and also just knowing that others are suffering needlessly because of what is being done to them is upsetting. We are going to support reputable organizations that will provide aid.
Sunday: Broiled pork chops, leftover mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts
Monday: Whole grain pasta with shrimp and spinach, baguette, leftover Brussels sprouts
Tuesday: London broil, leftover baked potato, green beans
Wednesday: Ordered in Mexican, saved half for lunch the next day.
Thursday: Baked chicken thighs, leftover stuffing, more green beans.
Friday: Leftover baked chicken, leftover stuffing, side salad and bread
Saturday: Ham, roasted root vegetables, spinach.
That kitty sure is cute! Such a sweet face!
Kristen, please post the soup recipe if it turns out well! I have red curry paste in the freezer and leftover rice noodles and I’d like to use them up on something delicious!
I will keep you posted!
Kristen, thank you for acknowledging upsetting situations. Your approach of validating concerns, controlling what can be controlled and giving the rest up to God is similar to mine (imperfect as I am in my attempts). Finding a way forward involves mundane but important things like nourishing ourselves and our families.
Food .... we ate out at a local Italian eatery Monday, which was tasty AND addressed some of my cabin fever issues. Tuesday I served leftover soup and Kristen's biscuits (yes, I know, they are from ATK!). Wednesday was a Thai chicken curry recipe. Last night I made pizza. Tonight--maybe chili mac?
WIS: 38.24 local health coop, 15.00 farm share, 140.85 Aldi, 28.44 Hungry Harvest, total: 222.53 So still high but getting better.
WWA:
Sat: beyond burgers on pretzel buns, salad and fruit salad
Sun: spaghetti with spicy Italian pork sausage, broccoli and salad
Mon: leek and potato soup, salad
Tue: beyond burgers on sourdough bread, sweet potato fries and salad
Wed: leftovers (clean out fridge) and salad
Thu: refried pinto beans, queso, whole wheat tortillas and Spanish rice, salad
Fri: focaccia tonight plus salad and since I was home today for a doctor's appointment for my son, my husband made fish and chips for lunch using tilapia that was on sale and sweet potatoes for the fries. So yummy and makes me happy that we might actually eat the sweet potatoes from the summer farm shares this year. Usually they sit forgotten in a bowl in the dining room until I end up planting a few for a viney look in my window boxes in the spring after they've started sprouting. I think they get neglected because they store best with all the dirt still on them, so they never seem appealing to me when I'm thinking about what to ask him to make for dinner.
Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend.
Saturday - takeout pizza
Sunday - My mom, sister, my kids and myself stayed one night at a hotel with an indoor pool as a little getaway. We ordered room service, although we’d been snacking all day so we just ordered 2 meals for the 5 of us to share.
Monday - my husband made pulled pork on his smoker, we had pulled pork sandwiches, pickles, and corn muffins from the freezer
Tuesday - leftover pulled pork sandwiches with steamed broccoli and green beans
Wednesday - chicken and sausage orzo
Thursday - Parmesan chicken with pearl couscous and steamed broccoli and green beans
Friday - homemade mushroom and sausage pizza
This news feels so heavy. Thanks for not ignoring it. Yesterday I went to a student's house to see their new grand piano and nothing was mentioned at all over a two hour visit and that felt so strange. I agree, there's not a lot we can do, so just putting one foot in front of the other is important. I do listen to a lot of news though, because I feel compelled to be a witness. When my children were small I couldn't take in any news, I completely buried my head in the sand because of the anxiety it provoked. It seems now I'm making up for lost time, and have spent the last six years listening compulsively. It's a scary state of the world these days.
I second the thanks given by others for your blog, which is a place of safety and comfort, while not ignoring the realities of the world. It's exactly what I need.
Here's what you can do from this blog!
Ask your readers: who knows people in Ukraine and the surrounding areas and how we can pray for them? I did this in my group, and within ten people, I have requests from specific orphanages and churches who are helping their communities.
Your blog is the only one I follow. We are not even frugal people. (Well, i tend to be, but my husband is definitely not.) I read your blog because you seem to live by my mantra: In a world where you can be anything, be kind. Thank you for being kind, being real, and sharing your family with us. Best wishes from Michigan.
Aww, that is such an encouraging thing to hear! Thank you for taking the time to tell me.
And now I am curious; how did you find my blog, since you were not looking for anything frugal?
I have to agree that this situation is beyond crazy and there is little to do but pray.
This week I have spent a fortune on groceries. I stopped counting at the $300 (AUS) mark. I have added butter and chickens to the freezer. I bought plenty of fresh vegetable and fruit. Meals have been simple. Lamb stew, roast chicken, burritos and so on with a rotation of left overs. Breakfast are yogurt and home stead fruit or oats and blue berries.
I was trying to find your crab cake recipe because I do like crab cakes. Although it may be as affordable for me to buy the two pack for me at the grocery store. About $5. This week I will get the clam chowder that we like, which is an inexpensive dinner for 2 at $8. Even if I fancy things up, it can be dinner for two under $20.
I am estimating my spending for the month at $350-$375. A bit of that is coffee I buy from a local roaster so it can be a little more expensive but I don't buy coffee at a coffee shop. I make mine and fill my thermal cup.
Last Saturday we were to have the annual birthday dinner for my older daughter and me. Usually we celebrate the 3 birthdays together or we celebrate my husband when Superbowl Sunday falls near his b'day. But his celebration dinner was earlier in the month. My older daughter could not come because she realized as she was preparing her portion (the main course) of the dinner at her home, that she could not smell the garlic and onions cooking. It then occurred to her that she had contracted the virus. That was a little concerning because I had been there Thursday. Daughter #2 quickly pulled together a dinner of chicken parmesan.
Sunday: Burgers
Monday: I had 1 pork chop from the Harvest Box. As I was coming home from the g'daughter's soccer game, I stopped at the store to get bread and found a box of Uncle Ben's Stir Fry rice. I cooked that up and I sauted the chop and several vegetables and that became dinner.
Tuesday: Chicken patty sandwiches and leftover fried rice.
Wednesday: Soup. It was the offering for taking care of my g'son while g'daughter went to soccer.
Thursday: Instant pot short ribs with carrots and onions over garlic mashed potatoes. I had a package of 2 short ribs from our Harvest Box. The only thing I needed was potatoes and some red wine. I did some pre-snowstorm errands and found a quiet grocery store to get the potatoes. (At one local'ish store, the parking lot was insane.) I had learned that day about a wine produced in my town, so I gave it a try. Who knew in my town where there are no vineyards that someone could make a good wine. His story about how wine production came about is very interesting. Short ribs are expensive for the cut of meat it is, but at least these were very meaty. This was perfect for 2 in lieu of making a larger pot roast.
The sale price for meats is usually for 3+ lbs. I will have them cut the roast in 2 for us to have 2 dinners--not the same dinner all week.
Friday: Chicken pot pie from my daughter. We did not venture out because we did not need to. It was slick on the roads. Just stayed home. I had made pizza dough, which I will use for Saturday night.
So, I don't think I've ever actually posted the crab cake recipe I use! But the fish cake recipe I've posted is exactly like my crab cake one, except you'd use a pound of steamed crab meat in place of the pound of cooked fish. 🙂
Homemade Fish Cakes
It's hard not to feel hopeless right now. I'm focused on being kind, donating where I can, and doing all of the things I need to do to support our family.
We were skiing this week, so it was a bit of grab & go at our condo.
-Spaghetti & meatballs + garlic bread
-Costco street tacos (leftovers shells & cheese used for breakfast burritos the following day)
-Frozen pizza (x2)
-Nachos & beer (soda for the kids) apres ski one day
-Tacos
-Chicken & pasta
-Leftovers
I am grateful for your blog as a refuge during these very difficult times.