What I Spent
The only grocery spending I did this week was a quick stop at Aldi on Monday to pick up a ham and some toilet paper ($26).
November Spending
Week 1: $60
Week 2: $141
Week 3: $235
Week 4: $26
What We Ate
Saturday
Mr. FG and I had a takeout date night, this time at a pizza place that’s about a half hour from our house. Pizza is not that good after a 30 minute drive home, so we ate it in the car right in the parking lot.
Sunday
For the second week in a row, we got takeout from a local restaurant (trying to help ’em out during this time of increased restrictions).
Last week, we did sushi, and this time around we got wings from a local spot.
Monday
I went into the week with no menu plan, which is highly unusual for me, and is usually problematic.
Mainly, I put off menu planning because I figured I might need to go to the store, and I just did not want to venture into the grocery stores on Thanksgiving week. They’re so crowded!
So by default, I flew by the seat of my pants, which was good for my budget and also for my anti-food-waste efforts.
On Monday, I looked in the fridge and saw that I had bacon and buttermilk to use up, so I made waffles and bacon for dinner.
(I just make a small batch of coconut milk waffles for Sonia, since she can’t handle buttermilk.)
Tuesday
On this day when I poked my head into the fridge, it seemed that a dinner salad would be a good idea.
I cut up a bunch of veggies, brinerated some chicken, cubed some cheese and ham, and cut up a few random bread ends to make croutons for our salads.
Salad meals are a very good way to use up a bunch of random things.
I also made two loaves of French bread, because some fresh bread really helps a salad meal to feel like more of an, “I really did try!” meal.
Wednesday
Sonia had an overnight pet sitting job, which meant I could make something with cheese!
So I made garlic butter French bread pizzas, using a loaf of homemade French bread from the night before. This was the perfect thing for using up the last bit of tomato sauce in the fridge.
I used a Cook’s Country recipe, which I’d tried before with store-bought French bread, as specified in the recipe.
But it was much better with homemade bread! So that is what I will do in the future.
Thursday
It was just Mr. FG, the girls, and me here for Thanksgiving, and most of us are not huge fans of turkey.
So.
We had a ham, two pans of hot-from-the-oven honey-glazed pan rolls (with cinnamon butter), some fruit salad, and some raw veggies.
And just to check off the “holiday pie” box, I made a chocolate chip cookie pie. Because I am not a person prone to making actual pies.
In fact, sometimes at an “everyone bring a pie!” church function, I have made Rice Krispy treats and pressed the mixture into pie plates. Ahem.
If you want fresh-baked yeast bread, I am your girl.
If you want pies, you gotta look elsewhere.
Friday
I have not decided yet, but I do know that today, I am actually going to sit myself down and make a menu plan.
I managed to get through this week without a plan, but I do not trust myself to navigate a second week with no plan!
Ellen says
Lets see if I can remember! not one of the best weeks for me either…
Saturday-ordered in, from an Italian place.
sunday- I think we went to mom/dad, but cant remember what we had!
Monday- ???
Tuesday-Sausage peppers onions potato’s
Wednesday- home made Belgium waffles
Thursday- mom/dads Thanksgiving, turkey, ham, mashed, stuffing, turnip, Broccoli casserole, Lesfe, rye bread. Gravy, Sweet potato casserole. Pie, apple crisp, (which is what I brought)
Friday- Ordered in 5 Guys
Kristen says
Oh, lefse! My mom makes that!
Michelle H says
Your crustless pumpkin pie recipe is my go-to every Thanksgiving! I have to make 2 to be sure we have leftovers, because I am usually too full from dinner to eat pie on Thanksgiving, and like to have mine for breakfast the next morning.
Kristen says
Oh, I am so glad to hear that!
And yes, pumpkin pie makes a great breakfast item.
Vickie Tripp says
Just reading this now – where can I find the crustless pumpkin pie recipe? My husband would love that as he is not a fan of pie crust (I am though!!). Thanks.
Liz says
I love the Rice Krispies “pie” idea!!
I did actually make a real pie this year, a Dutch apple pie from ATK. It was ginormous, and very delicious. We had some with the neighbors for Thanksgiving (no visiting parents for any of us!), and I’ve given more away to coworkers. It was a bit meditative to go through the steps, and has convinced me that pies can be delicious.
Hawaii Planner says
Let’s see, what were we up to this past week? My parents were in town a bit early (they left before Thanksgiving), so we had a full house:
Sunday – lamb & beef kebabs with rice & a yogurt sauce
Monday – my son made cranberry chicken, couscous & sauteed zucchini
Tuesday – takeout pizza
Wednesday – we finished off the kebabs & rice
Thursday – we are not turkey eaters, so we had steak. I love some of the traditional sides, so we had mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans & a roasted squash salad with it. And, a pumpkin pie from Costco. None of us are huge fans, so it’s not worth making from scratch, IMO.
Friday – I made a chicken enchilada rice dish, to use up sour cream, guac & tortilla chips
Saturday – I made a stuffed acorn squash dish that was really good, but a bit fussy
Tonight – I’m planning to make a keto friendly chili for later in the week, and a one pan butter chicken & asparagus dish.
Julie says
Friday – shredded chicken burritos / blackberry cobbler
Saturday – salad and leftover stirfry
Sunday – rigatoni with collard green pesto, mushrooms, and a leftover chicken breast
Monday – fish tacos (used up leftover rice and beans)
Tuesday – leftover pasta and whole wheat quinoa bread
Wednesday – pizza
Thursday – turkey breast, dressing, roasted brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato pie … All just for the two of us! We are big fans of Thanksgiving food since we don’t often make dressing, cranberry sauce and turkey other times of the year!
Friday – Thanksgiving Part II
Kathryn says
I’ve been struggling a little with what to make. Usually we clean the freezers out during the winter, but I’ve been a little remiss to let our pantry get low on anything. How are y’all handling this?
Our meals:
1. Minestrone, salad and fresh yeast rolls
2. Homemade Miso Soup with bok choy, tofu, carrots and radishes and frozen potstickers
3. Chicken and rice soup with side salads and yeast rolls
4. Roasted fish, broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus on rice
5. Pesto chicken thighs with pasta and steamed broccoli.
6. Thanksgiving: Baked Turkey Tenderloin, creamed Brussels sprouts, baked sweet potato, orange cranberry sauce, yeast rolls, store bought pumpkin pie.
7. Homemade Goat Cheese and swiss chard pizza with stuffed zucchini boats and salads.
I love weeks we get a break from homeschool. Food is my creative outlet.
Jean says
Last Friday my husband bought 1 qt of sauce, meatballs, and sausage from one of our favorite local Italian, long-standing (since the 1960s) “small businesses” in the area of the city where I grew up. They have a small restaurant that is a favorite for many and a small takeout store. And I used some of the noodles I had made.
Being Thanksgiving week, I wanted to clean out the ‘fridge.
Saturday Just a light supper with some of the sauce and more of the noodles.
Sunday Used up the remainder of the noodles and some sauce and hamburgers.
Monday I made pizza, using some more of the sauce and cheese I have in the ‘fridge.
Tuesday Chicken soup that my daughter made from the chicken in our harvest box.
Wednesday After being out all day, I looked in the ‘fridge and found a small amount of baked beans, some pasta, and soup.
Thursday Trader Joe’s Stuffing and Turkey en croute, squash, carrots, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy in individual containers and an apple galette for 2, all kept warm with my hot pack, a thermos of coffee, seltzer. We took them down to Plymouth, which is only a 30-minute drive. We sat in the car overlooking Plymouth Bay in the slashing rain. It was very surprising to see a lot of people out walking the area in that weather. Just my husband and me.
Friday My daughter made a left over casserole from her dinner with her in laws.
Tonight-Saturday My husband and I will have the remaining half from our Thanksgiving dinner.
The Trader Joe turkey roll says it will serve 8; but I would say 4-5. The ends are a lot of puff pastry, lacking meat (tasted good though). I think I have figured out a way to make it. Also they add a small amount of gravy and a small amount of cranberry sauce. They could leave out the sauce and probably the gravy. Buy a package to mix up and a can of cranberry sauce.
I did go to the store yesterday but many of the items were stock up. I finally found popcorn kernels at a different Aldi-so I bought 2 bags. We are having a family dinner with my children tomorrow–soups and such.
You say you did not have turkey. My daughter wondered if more turkeys were sold this year with people having individual dinners. I said I saw people had other than turkey, so I wonder if less have been sold. We’ll have to check out the stats on that.
Kristen says
Yeah, I definitely saw a lot of people on social media deciding to skip the traditional foods and do something else, since it was just their households eating together. So I wouldn’t be surprised if fewer turkeys were sold!
Joanne says
I’m in England so our turkeys are still alive at the moment and traditionally being fattened up for the Christmas dinner. However as we are under strict rules regarding Christmas (3 bubbles can mix but only for a 5 day period and recommendation not to travel to see family) turkeys here have been put on diets! The belief being less people around the table needs a smaller bird. Another bizarre effect of COVID!
Beth B says
Hi Joanne, That’s interesting to read about what’s happening in the UK. I think they need to have stricter rules here in the US regarding the holidays. I think the Covid numbers are going to be scary here.
I enjoyed a Thanksgiving picnic with my boyfriend and his Dad. We had a nice walk around the park afterward. I’m in Arizona, so the weather is pretty nice this time of year.
Gina says
I had a menu and a plan and we STILL did our fair share of getting take-out, though mostly for lunches. We love turkey here, but I am looking forward to having a fully cooked and glazed ham for Christmas! This was the menu this week:
Monday – Crockpot Chili Beans
Tuesday – Dr. Martin’s Mix
Wednesday – Take-out pizza
Thursday – Thanksgiving Dinner
Friday – Crockpot Pulled Pork for sammies, potato salad
Saturday – Day trip to somewhere where we will pick up BBQ for lunch
Sunday – Turkey Soup
The menus were purposely simple and no one went go hungry…
Kristen says
Yes, that is the nice thing about ham; no actual cooking required! You can heat it or you can just eat it cold.
J says
Our eldest was working afternoon shifts this week, which usually means more ad hoc meals for all of us. And so it did turn out this week. I made beef stew which lasted us several meals, we had that wit cooked veg and potatoes. No Thanksgiving for us, as we do not celebrate in our country. On Friday we ordered a 4 course takeaway from a very nic restaurant, because we had something to celebrate. My husband went to get the food and I laid the table with best tablecloth, linen napkins etc.; we had a great date night this way.
In our country people are looking how the US are doing on post-Thanksgiving virus spread, to decide how to deal with Christmas (Canada saw an increase). Your Thanksgiving sounds intimate and sensible.
For next week, I am planning a menu otherwise I will end up wasting food. I hate that. step one is to cook soup, great for using up odds and ends!
Angie says
So this week was a bit more spendy than I thought it would be but I can chalk that up to my failure to make a list and do a review of recipes to ensure all ingredients were on hand. Out of pocket we are at about $125. Goodness me we can’t possibly need anything else.
We ate…
Saturday…I spent the day roasting pumpkins for fresh purée so I made a large chicken casserole, steamed broccoli and some steamed rice.
Sunday…I made three fruitcakes plus cleaning house and some other tasks which meant leftovers were for dinner.
Monday…we finished the casserole, veggies and rice. Hooray for no waste and I had time to make broccoli and wild rice casserole & squash casserole to get ahead of Thanksgiving.
Tuesday…easy button..hot dogs, baked beans, corn and tater tots. I made cranberry sauce, cornbread dressing and sweet potato soufflé to get ahead.
Wednesday….easy button again and ordered pizza from a local place we love and are trying to help out. I made four pies from scratch and prepared and bribed the turkey.
Thursday…roasted turkey, ham, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato soufflé, gravy, squash casserole, green beans, collard greens and mustard greens from our garden, yeast rolls cranberry sauce and an assortment of pie…pumpkin, pecan,& apple.
Friday….leftovers.
Saturday…..the best thanksgiving tradition ever….egg rolls made from an assortment of all of our thanksgiving leftovers with a cranberry Siracusa dipping sauce. So yum and perfect to nosh on while we decorate the tree.
Sunday…my birthday and I am planning not to cook. Perhaps I can nudge someone to grill a steak for us.
Sarahbeth says
Monday- I used a box of battered cod fillets from Aldi which were sitting forlornly in the freezer, along with some tater tots which made my kids very happy because we rarely have tater tots. I also steamed some green beans and corn. It had been a frustrating day and I was glad such easy items were in the freezer waiting to be used.
Tuesday- creamy beef and shells made with coconut milk (soooooooo good!!), along with some steamed fresh broccoli.
Wednesday- leftovers
Thursday- our thanksgiving gathering with my parents had to be postponed at the 11th hour due to my dad getting sick. So we switched things up and celebrated at my sister’s house with just her tiny family of three. Deciding not to buy a turkey at the last minute (my mom always cooks the bird) we bought a pre-cooked antibiotic free frozen ham which made the day so easy and delicious! I also brought homemade cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, homemade pumpkin pie, and homemade winter sangria.
Today- we got our Christmas tree (we splurged on a 7-footer: bigger than usual) and the hubby was kind enough to make french toast bake with the frozen bread ends in the freezer. I skipped lunch today so I wasn’t feeling well at dinner time. Thank God for a helpful and willing spouse.
Kristen says
I feel you on your Monday meal! It’s nice to hit the easy button sometimes.
Lindsey says
Saturday: pancakes and eggs, apple slices
Sunday: egg drop soup, toasted cheese sandwiches made on homemade garlic cheddar bread, apples
Monday: BLTs, fruit compote of small baggies of summer berries we harvested.
Tuesday: Iowa loose meat sandwiches from Cook’s Country, made with moose instead of beef, salad, grapefruit slices
Wednesday: I make our turkey stuffing the night before to reduce stress and also let the flavors blend. It is a sausage/mushroom/onions/half cheddar garlic and half light rye bread stuffing. I make a ton and our ritual is to eat stuffing for our meal the night before Thanksgiving Also a salad to, you know, make us feel less guilty about a meal of stuffing (at least we don’t use gravy on it!).
Thursday: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry/apple/orange sauce, gravy. Years ago we stopped serving vegetables at Thanksgiving because we only ate them out of obligation before we could get to what we really wanted to eat.
Today: We are having turkey sandwiches and roasted Brussels sprouts, plus the pie we did not eat yesterday—half cheesecake and half pumpkin pie. This is the first time I made it and since we had a piece for breakfast, I know it is a keeper recipe.
Kristen says
Thanksgiving desserts make very good breakfasts!
Ruth T says
Spending was high… Again. After learning over the weekend that my husband might get contact traced into quarantine (which he did) I did a lengthy menu plan and big shopping trip like I haven’t done since spring. To make up for it, my weekend project is to plan as much of December as I can with what we have in our house so I’m prepared to spend less next month.
Monday: Haluski with smoked sausage, side of corn
Tuesday: Sloppy joes, broccoli with cheese, pineapple, baked beans
Wednesday: Little Caesars for the kids, Chipotle for the adults
Thursday: Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn casserole, cranberry apple sauce, pumpkin pie. We had this for both lunch and dinner and aside from turkey, the 5 of us are almost everything!!!
Friday: Turkey pot pie
betta from daVille says
Happy Thanksgiving, all!
WWS: $0; WWA:
Saturday: Thai coconut, broccoli, and coriander soup (Epicurious), skillet flatbread (King Arthur)
Sunday 11/22: duck crackling moo shu with hoisin-sesame, cabbage, red pepper & cilantro. I made the pancakes for this which was a fascinating process!
Monday 11/23: lemongrass pulled pork Bahn mi (taste.com.au, using the carnitas from the freezer and mixed with the spices), on homemade Vietnamese baguette; cabbage salad; chips
Tuesday 11/24: leftovers
Wednesday 11/25: tofu with Brussel sprouts (Yotam Ottolenghi recipe from The Guardian, which was delicious! Used Valentina hot sauce for the chilli sauce) I didn’t have mushrooms, so I used zucchini & served it over forbidden rice
Thursday 11/26: duck liver paté on a homemade baguette; duck confit with rhubarb sauce; farro, roasted acorn squash, and sauteéd kale; apple, blueberry & rhubarb crisp
Friday 11/27: I have no idea! Maybe the leftover duck confit with black bean arepas?
jessica says
My goal this week was to use up stuff we had in the house and make a little freezer room!
Sunday I pleased the guys by heating up a few cans of Skyline chili and served with spaghetti noodles and hot dogs.
Monday I defrosted some sticks of city chicken and quickly browned them when I got off work. I made a roux from the drippings and let the meat stew in the gravy until supper. Served with rice and frozen veggies.
Tuesday was taco night. For those who did not want tacos it was grilled cheese, the last of the cottage cheese and fresh apples.
Weds- I made homemade pizza from frozen bread dough and random stuff to be used up.
Thursday- went pretty traditional for 6 of us. My goal was to NOT cook the rest of the weekend!! I am on a good path! oven roasted Turkey, mashed sweet potatoes, heated up bob evans mashed potatoes, corn casserole, green bean casserole, noodles and gravy. I bought bread and baked some pumpkin and pecan pies. I even treated the Thanksgiving hater with homemade buffalo wings and brownies!
So Friday/Sat I am NOT doing anything but preparing my own meals!
cathy says
Any chance you’re in Ohio? We lived in Louisville for several years and, as I recall, Skyline chili over spaghetti noodles was an Ohio classic.
kristin @ going country says
I am not a pie person, either. And yet, I made a pie with my son. And then I had to chronicle the whole ridiculous process on my blog, because it really got pretty out of hand.
What we ate (besides the pie):
Saturday: Bull and potato skillet, green salad with ranch dressing
Sunday: Bull tacos, strawberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream
Monday: Bull and vegetable soup, leftover dessert
Tuesday: Frozen pre-cooked hamburgers the school gave to everyone because we’re doing online school after Thanksgiving and the school cook had a bunch of stuff she wasn’t going to use and didn’t want to waste. The hamburgers were, as you might expect, pretty gross, but my kids ate them anyway. We also had rice and steamed carrots and broccoli.
Wednesday: Bull tacos using some of the jars that didn’t seal when I pressure canned some of the bull meat. I was annoyed that only half my jars sealed, but the pressure canning–which also pressure cooks the meat in the jars–did indeed make the meat very tender, so that was handy.
Thursday: The whole turkey shebang–turkey and gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, green salad with ranch dressing, and the infamous pumpkin pie. No cranberry sauce, because my husband forgot to buy cranberries for me, even though it was on the list AND underlined.
Tonight: There’s a cold going around our house, so it’s convenient I was making turkey stock anyway. I’ll make turkey and rice soup for the sick children, and everyone else can have whatever turkey dinner leftovers they want.
Kristen says
Pies are just so much work for something that I don’t love that much to begin with.
Bobi says
I was so disappointed at your way-too-normal thanksgiving meal (seriously, where were the elk appetizers?) that I scooted over and read your hilarious pie saga. Your son’s pie looked awesome but exactly what does mold taste like? (That should get you some more reads!
)
kristin @ going country says
Kristen: Yes, exactly.
Bobi: This is the first year ever that I have even made a way-too-normal Thanksgiving meal, because I’m not a huge fan, so I was a little disappointed too.
Although I did use my own green beans that I froze this summer, made the stuffing with my own sourdough bread, and stuffed the turkey cavity with both our own garlic and green tomatoes while it was roasting, so I guess there was at least some classic Kristin @ Going Country cooking there.
Mold tastes exactly like it smells. I can’t explain it any better than that, but it permeates EVERYTHING, and was definitely a deal-breaker on using that squash.
Ruby says
For this actual week, I made a flying trip to Food Lion Wednesday after work for butter, frozen rolls, celery and a bottle of wine. Spent $14. The store was crazy crowded and had all registers open.
Previous to that, I spent $112 on a trip that included full groceries, lots of paper goods and cat food. Our suppers this week were leftovers followed by a beef dish with a spicy corn and rice side dish, which also made leftovers. And we have some but not a lot of leftovers from our Thanksgiving meal of roast chicken, veggies, dressing, mac and cheese, homemade applesauce, and homemade cake. (We don’t care for turkey and are hammed out.)