WIS, WWA | Plus a little gratefulness
Last Friday when I wrote the WIS, WWA post, we'd been to the ER twice (once for Sonia's asthma, once for Mr. FG).
We brought our total to three with a very long Friday night/Saturday visit for Mr. FG, who has still been plagued by ear/vertigo problems.
This has been pretty un-fun for everyone involved, but there are some things to be grateful for too.
- We already met our out-of-network deductible this year, so all the ER visits, follow-up doctor visits, and prescriptions will be $0. I already saw a $2700 ER bill come in as $0 for us. Whew.
- Mr. FG and Sonia don't have serious, life-threatening issues. This heavy two weeks of doctor visits will be a merciful anomaly.
- Mr. FG missed a lot of days of work, but he had time off to cover the days.
- Spending several nights trying to doze in an ER chair makes your bed feel like the most luxurious thing in the world.
Happily, both Mr. FG and Sonia are on the mend, and Mr. FG even made it back to work yesterday. Woohoo!
What I Spent
I dropped in at Costco for chicken and bread ($10), a regular grocery store for a few things ($33.50) and then Aldi ($98).
Plus I got my Hungry Harvest ($31).
So, I'm at $172.50.
This is $22.50 over my usual $150/week spend, but whatever. I did a good job of mostly avoiding takeout during a very out-of-routine week, and that is definitely what matters more.
November Spending
Week 3: $172.50
What We Ate
Saturday
Sonia and Mr. FG really wanted chicken nuggets, so I picked up Chick-Fil-A. I just used our date night money for that, since Mr. FG was definitely not up for going out!
I didn't feel like Chick-Fil-A so I had a random plate of things:
Sunday
I made a pot of clam chowder, which we ate with a loaf of bread from the freezer + some raw produce.
Monday
I had leftover cooked chicken, so I made a pan of chicken and biscuits.
I also roasted some butternut squash.
Tuesday
We had chicken katsu (from Dinner Illustrated) which is kind of an all-in-one dish: chicken, rice, and a raw cabbage side.
Wednesday
Breakfast for dinner! I made chocolate chip pancakes (Lisey's request) to use up my buttermilk.
(I used this buttermilk pancake recipe and just stirred in chocolate chips.)
I also blended up some Orange Julius and fried up a package of bacon from the freezer.
Thursday
Sonia really wanted Swedish meatballs over noodles, so I obliged.
Hungry Harvest had sent me some broccoli, so I cooked that and topped it with cheese.
Friday
I think I may cook some chicken sausages and make mashed potatoes. And maybe a salad to use up the spinach I have in my fridge.
Saturday- had a late stint at the food store, it was crazy, didn't feel like cooking when I got home, so we ordered Chinese. (the kids and I share one thing so its not that bad)
Sunday-both kids had a game, at the same time in two different location. When I got back pulled together Chicken Alfredo, and some Brussels sprouts for me.
Monday- taco ring for DH and DS, DD and I had tortellini, with butter and cheese,(I added peas to mine)
Tuesday- (had your Wednesday meal) chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, cut up apple.
Wednesday- Chicken cutlet, noodles, mixed veggies.
Thursday- Pasta, bread
Friday- DD last game of the season, so something quick, hot dogs, tater tots. before we go out to freeze!
It was a good week for chocolate chip pancakes, apparently!
They were sampling them at Costco yesterday - it's everywhere!
Oh man. That's no fun at all. I hope the ER has seen the last of your family for a long, long time.
Saturday: My husband made barbacoa (a Mexican preparation of red meat cooked until shreddable with onions and chilis), but he used the elk, which takes a lot longer to get to the shredding stage. It wasn't yet there at dinnertime, so instead he sliced it and made it into a kind of soup. I made corn tortillas, and we also had mashed squash, canned black beans, and some leftover green peas.
Sunday: I cooked the barbacoa longer to get more tender, and also added some rice because there was a lot of liquid. I made some potato soup for the latest sick child, and we also had bread and butter, cheese, and a tomato and cucumber salad that was very unappealing because it was made with store-bought vegetables, which are never good.
Monday: The third iteration of the barbacoa, this time with the addition of cheese, sliced cucumber with vinegar and salt
Tuesday: Barbecue meatballs, garlic bread, coleslaw
Wednesday: Meatballs with marinara, pasta with marinara, leftover coleslaw
Thursday: Barbecue beef, baked potatoes, frozen peas
Tonight: I took out another big bag of elk to thaw yesterday, so I guess I'll marinate that and then I'll see what I come up with. Don't know yet what else I'll make, but something will come to me.
Kristin...I clicked on the Swedish meatball recipe and the third comment was from a Swedish cook who mentioned the use of elk meat in making meatballs, and I thought of you. If you could grind it, maybe making meatballs is another use for all your elk, and your hunter could even help make them. (Yes, I've been over at your site and enjoy it.)
Thanks for the idea, Shirley. We don't have a meat grinder, unfortunately, but meatballs are a good use for game meat, because they're highly seasoned.
If you have a pretty good food processor and watch how fine it gets, it works decently for grinding meats where the texture isn't the most critical feature. For us, it works OK for meatballs, but I've only tried it with venison and beef, so I'm not sure how your mileage may vary with elk. 🙂
Actually, I would think the elk would be even better, as the larger pieces of meat mean less connective tissue and junk to get in the blade. I was thinking I might try making kibbeh in the food processor with the elk, as that calls for almost a meat paste. Gross to make, but good to eat. 🙂
Saturday - Mozarella sticks & spinach dip w/tortilla chips
Sunday - Homemade pizzas (BBQ chicken & a pepperoni)
Monday - American Goulash & buttered bread
Tuesday - Hamburgers & tater tots
Wednesday - I made a bunch of shredded, taco seasoned chicken breast in the Instant Pot. My husband made himself chicken nachos, the kids made chicken tacos, and I made a chicken quesadilla.
Thursday - Kielbasa, green beans, sliced potatoes, & pierogies
Friday - I had soup & sandwiches on the menu but don't know if I feel like that. It's my husband's Reserve weekend so it's just myself & the kids - we may end up with take out from somewhere!
Great job of cooking at home in the midst of so much chaos!
I'm so sorry to hear about Mr. FG. I have dealt with vertigo myself and it is NO FUN. Glad to hear he's on the mend.
Hope you can enjoy and quiet and uneventful weekend!
Yes, all the nurses were saying how vertigo is incredibly miserable. It's kind of shocking how awful it can be to be unstoppably dizzy!
Acupuncture significantly helped my vertigo....thought I'd mention it in case anyone's still struggling 🙂
Since we all read your blog for your frugality, I think mentioning receiving acupuncture at Community Acupuncture Clinics is relevant! You can try acupuncture for the vertigo at amazing prices by being treated in a community setting!!
And, I'm impressed you cooked so much this week!
I'm about your age and have suffered a terrible bout of vertigo, couldn't drive or anything. It came on for no reason, it was crystals rolling in ear drums and lasted 2 months. I've had shorter bouts since. It brings on depression, but hopefully your husband won't suffer from that. The depression is from the constant nausea and being unable to do anything because of dizziness. I'll be praying for you.
Mon- we were travelling home from Pennsylvania, so we ordered a pizza when we got home. I was waaaaay too worn out to even look at my refrigerator.
Tues- random leftovers. We all ate something different.
Wed- skillet sliders fried in onion and garlic, with roasted root vegetables (carrots, turnips, and potatoes) that were getting gross in the crisper drawer
Thurs- leftover sliders and root veggies for some; pan fried chicken sausages with sautéed cauliflower and cherry tomatoes for the rest. (Definitely trying to use up vegetables!)
Fri- “Homemade” pepperoni naan pizza (store bought naan) with whatever veggies come in our produce box later today. 🙂 I do like the surprise element.
I don’t generally plan meals on weekends. But I’m hoping to make potato soup this weekend, or a roast chicken with mashed potatoes.
Sorry about all those ER visits... so stressful. 🙁 Hopefully you’ve seen the end of it.
I hope that everyone is well on the way to being healthy again.
Isn’t it funny (ironic not haha) how a brief stint of bad times leaves you feeling even more grateful for everything. My dad was in a horrible wreck. We all rushed to the hospital and it turned out he was miraculously “ok” and we all just sat in that ER as happy and as grateful as can be. There was loooooootttttttsssssssss of “not fun” afterwards but that was honestly one of my favorite memories. The peace of gratefulness that we all felt just being together and ok......in an ER at Midnight on a random Thursday.
I'm glad to hear everyone is improving. ER visits are kind of nightmarish.
I got hit hard with a cold this week and missed work Thursday, being home with a fever, and felt really too bad Wednesday night to want to do much of anything.
So we had:
1. Pork chops with mashed cauliflower and Rosemary carrots (it's obvious this is now my favorite way to cook carrots)
2. Steak with potato fries for the husband, some other kind of veggie for me that I can't remember.
3. Leftover pork chops with leftover carrots and sauteed okra. This was actually on Wednesday and I was grateful to have the leftovers available.
4. Ground beef over pasta for him, zucchini spirals for me.
5. Tuna salad made with veggies and avocado/garlic "mayo" and fruit. To my surprise, my husband liked the "mayo".
6. Pot pie for him, tuna salad for me
7. Thursday night I was still in my pj's feeling bad, and put a frozen pizza in the oven for him. I had a cup of broth, as I wasn't hungry.
I'm back at work today, thanks to Zicam , Sambucol and a day of rest. Tonight will still be something easy -- I don't feel THAT good yet!
Aww, I hope you are 100% soon.
And you would know all about how difficult hospital visits are. You've had way more than your share of late!
I read the bit about Mr. FG having vertigo and I have to tell you - I was diagnosed with Meniere's disease a couple of years ago and have had three BIG vertigo episodes which are awful. One of them yesterday at work! Not fun. I also have hearing loss and constant tinnitus. I plan to go on living my life, though. Everyone has a cross to bear and this one is mine. UGH. Anyway, I didn't make out menus this week since I am doing a freezer clean-out and fixing food we already have. I think I have done fairly well on it! However, I had a fairly large order at HEB on pre-Thanksgiving shopping. We are wasting zero food, so there's that!
Hoping for healthier days for your peeps!
Do you get the nausea and vomiting with yours? That's happened whenever he's had a big episode, and that seems to seriously increase the misery.
I'm so sorry that your condition is ongoing, but I LOVE the way that you are living life anyway. <3
Gina, I hear you on the tinnitus. I've had it for years. It really bothered me at first, then my brain slowly learned to tune it out. Now it only bothers me when I'm stressed out or when it's really quiet. You're right, we all have our issues!
Have you been evaluated recently by a TMJ specialist? Meniers disease is often actually caused by some other underlying problem that goes undiagnosed (many people just have dizziness, not jaw symptoms from TMJ)—but treating TMJ can cure the dizziness, hearing loss, tinnitus, and everything else. There are some groups on Facebook for Meniers and TMJ that have some good information about this stuff.
Kristin-my father in law has suffered from debilitating Meneire's since he's early 30's. He gets very nauseated during episodes. I have an aunt who also had it during her 40's but is in remission from it (not had any recurrences since her late 40's and is now mid 60's). Hers was mild. My father in laws was and still is severe. Tinnitis and a feeling of fullness in the ear are typical of Meneire's as well as the vertigo. If all those are present-it's worth looking into. I would also encourage you to find any underlying things that might be contributing (TMJ, immune stuff, possible virus, dietary things) and also to be very watchful of sodium intake as fluctuations in sodium intake has been known to make it worse. Take a look at suggested dietary guidelines and see if that helps. Hopefully it is just a virus or something. Supporting the immune system may be helpful.
My husband was diagnosed with vertigo and we spent months doing various tests and treatments to deal with it. It turned out to be something much worse, though similar symptoms. I guess I would just say that I wish he had complained more and that I would have asked more questions when it didn’t get better. I hope everyone feels better ASAP!
I'm so sorry his was more serious.
We are lucky that the ER we went to took it really seriously right away, doing x-rays, EKG, cat scan, etc. all to rule out more serious causes of vertigo. That seems like the sensible thing to do when there's a possibility that it's not just an ear problem.
Glad to hear Mr. FG is feeling better!
Monday we drove our daughter back to school--two hours each way. I had planned ahead because I knew I wouldn't feel like cooking so I'd already made beef and bok choy. All I had to do was cook some noodles.
Tuesday my husband made his turkey and tomatoes with the turkey fillets I got on sale last month. We had mashed potatoes and sliced cucumber and tomatoes on the side.
Wednesday we finished the turkey.
Thursday's pizza was pepperoni and the last of the cucumber and tomatoes.
Tonight we're having my favorite steak and potato casserole.
About the Meniere's Disease - I recently discovered the magnitude of havoc it can wreck. My DS (sister) has had it for years but has managed with medication for occasional flare ups without significant impact on her life. My DN (neighbor) had a sudden, unrelenting development of the disease that has been nearly completely disabling over the last 6 months.
Here's to hoping & praying that Mr. FG has a mild form that will not cause a major impact on the quality of his life. With his relatively quick rebound & return to work, this certainly seems to be the case!
Love the gratitude insert. Thanks for sharing.
Saturday - Sloppy joes with peas and pineapple
Sunday - We had a potluck at church for lunch and they sent a bunch of the leftover fried chicken home with us, so we had that with baked beans and grapes.
Monday - Chicken broccoli alfredo with peas (the extra from Saturday)
Tuesday - My mom brought McDonald's. It was the first of two playoff games for the team my husband coaches and I wasn't together enough to get everything ready AND make dinner.
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - Leftover sloppy joes. Then we had 2.5-3 hours in the gym for our final match of the year where my kids were able to load up on all kinds of snacks and ANYTHING that would keep them happy and contained in the bleachers for that amount of time. About halfway through they learned for the very first time that Mommy's phone plays movies just like Grammy's does. 🙂
Friday - Our first day without volleyball! I'm going to make a real meal!! Planning on meatloaf, corn casserole, and cranberry/apple sauce.
1. Twice baked potato. (a meal in itself)
2. Tortellini with garden grown basil pesto & garlic bread
3. Shrimp Florentine
4. leftover from a party meatballs and home canned oven-roasted tomato sauce over macaroni pasta.
5. Taco Salad
6. Dinner at a friends house Tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches
7. Asian Chicken Salad
Monday: lentil stew with wheat bread
Tuesday: fish tacos
Wednesday: sausage mushroom and brown rice stir fry and boiled/mushy peas (my favorite way to eat peas)
Thursday: ham and cheese panini, side of oranges
Friday: chicken legs, spinach salad (I baked the chicken legs this morning)
I love how often you cooked things because your kids wanted it. 🙂 Our oldest is nine, so I am just getting to experience this magic--you know, other than the candy they wanted for dinner as toddlers.
It's nice to be able to do a little something that brightens their days! When kids are little, it sort of feels like you are constantly running around fulfilling their requests/meeting their needs, but as kids get older, there are fewer of those. So, I like to take advantage of them when they pop up. 🙂
I hope the health issues ease up before Christmas! You’ve reminded me to be thankful that I don’t have to pay for treatment and I get sick pay if I’m unwell.
I hope that doesn’t sound like bragging. I’m truly feeling grateful for that given how awful I’m feeling at the moment!
Mr. FG's current company lumps all time off pay into one category. So if you used to get 10 days of vacation and 10 days sick time, you just get 20 days of PTO now.
Which is kind of nice, because if you don't get sick, then you just have extra vacation days. That's usually how it has worked out for him in the past, as he's rarely needed to take sick days.
What a rough week for you all. It's hard on the person who feels ill, and it's almost as hard for the loved ones to watch them go through it. I'm amazed you pulled off any home cooked meals at all.
I do feel like Mr. FG and Sonia had it harder than me, since I wasn't sick! But taking care of sick people is a special kind of exhausting for sure.
It's been a random week here too. I haven't felt hungry all week so I haven't cooked much.
Saturday: Michael had leftover bbq chicken from the night before, and Chris and I cooked bacon and eggs for us and Rhiannon.
Sunday: Turkey mince chow mein.
Monday: I know I cooked eggs in nests for Rhiannon but I can't remember what everyone else had.
Tuesday: KFC
Wednesday: sausage sandwiches, and more egg in nests.
Thursday: Rhiannon's birthday and the bush dance. She and I had sausage sandwiches there and Michael ate 2 pies that I bought at lunchtime.
Friday: I cooked chicken couscous that only I ate. Rhiannon went to Hungry Jacks before the movie in the park, Chris ate a 7-11 sandwich that a visitor brought over and leftover coleslaw.
This week I spent zero on groceries!!! Total pantry and freezer week.
Saturday: A plethora of leftovers.
Sunday: Venison chili
Monday: Marinated venison steaks with loaded baked potatoes and corn.
Tuesday: Everything bagel egg and cheese sandwiches.
Wednesday: Orange Ginger marinated venison kabobs with brown rice and homemade garlic cheese bread.
Thursday: Pancakes flavored with homemade vanilla that is finally ready and sausage links. Real maple syrup, of course.
Friday: As of this post we are on the road to visit our middle daughter who lives over two hours away. She and her significant other are taking us out for dinner when we get there.
Fri - my husband and I went out for Italian. I had Eggplant Parm and he had Lasagna
Sat - Pork Tenderloin and I think I made rice with it. And a vegetable.
Sun - Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and gravy, corn, rolls and Pasta Salad. It was Family Night and my 13 year old wanted potatoes and pasta salad lol. For dessert we had Monkey Bread.
Mon - Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes and Green Abrams
Tues - Chicken Enchiladas and I also made a few White Bean and Spinach Enchiladas for me. I use the green sauce for mine bc I don’t like red sauce. And Mexican Rice
Wed- Leftovers
Thurs - Chicken Parmesan Pasta, Salad and Italian Bread
Curious mind: what is a Green Abrams?
Typo! lol It should have been Green Beans 🙂
Sunday: spaghetti bolognese
Monday: fresh bread wirh walnuts with cheese and cold cuts
Tuesday: red lentil soup
Wednesday: chicken tikka masala
Thursday: Bread rolls with cheese and salami
Friday: We went to see a musical and ate local specialties at a brewery afterwards: steak tatar an dark bread with fresh onions, egg yolk, smoked fish and capers; „heaven and earth“: mashed potatoes, apple sauce, roasted blood sausage and fried onions.
Your Monday dinner sounds fantastic. Bread or crackers with cheese is just so good!
I am so glad to hear your family is doing well and the hospital visits are over! And yay for managing to juggle that with making dinners. What a relief medical coverage is -- it's dizzying to see what they would actually charge you without the deductible paid. It sounds like an exhausting week -- hope the next one is better!
I love that you can reflect on all those trips to the ER with gratitude! It’s so easy to see the bad stuff but so utterly enlightening to focus on the good!