WIS, WWA | back-to-school week
What I Spent
Shew! It has been a crazy week here; all of us started back to school, so we are definitely in adjustment mode.
But we all survived, we all got fed, and I think next week will be a little easier as we settle into school life.
I spent:
- $79 at Aldi
- $25 at Safeway
And that's it! A pretty simple week of grocery shopping for me.
What We Ate
Saturday
We did a fend for yourself night, but also: it was Bring Your Own Container to 7-11 day. Basically, you bring whatever food-safe container you want to 7-11 and fill it up with Slurpee for a flat price.
Zoe brought our handy metal pitcher.
And her friend brought a big plastic container.
The two of them finished their entire Slurpees, a feat I found impressive. 😉
Sunday
Lisey was out, Zoe had leftover pizza, and I had my BLT that used up the dry sub roll.
Monday
I made burgers, and we had raw veggies and fruit on the side.
Tuesday
Leftover burgers!
Wednesday
I made a quick dinner of tortellini plus a fruit salad before my evening chemistry class.
Thursday
Leftover tortellini, although Zoe had a closing shift at work, so she had packed some food for herself.
Friday
Well, Zoe passed her driver's test yesterday, so I think she and Lisey and I might get some takeout to celebrate. Yay Zoe!
Yay! Congratsies, Zoe!!!
And happy back to school!
WIS: 0.00, but I am headed to the store tomorrow, so this won't last long.
WWA:
Fri: salad and pepperoni focaccia.
Sat: salad and leftover focaccia.
Sun: salad (with fresh figs), pasta, immediate sauce* and grated parmesan. I think this was also the night we had a dessert of chocolate granola bars I got on sale topped with whipped cream.
Mon: salad, sliced heirloom tomatoes, leftover focaccia and leftover pasta and immediate sauce, grated Parm and sourdough discard crackers.
Tue: salad, pan-fried okra, tofu and pepper stir fry and jasmine rice.
Wed: sliced avocado and sliced heirloom tomatoes, fig and walnut stuffed butternut squash, leftover stir fry and rice.
Thu: sliced heirloom tomatoes, leftover grilled burgers cut into strips, salsa, cheese and sour cream inside both crunchy corn and homemade wheat tortillas to make a homemade version of crunch wraps for "Thaco Thursday."
Tonight: focaccia and maybe some crudites-I'm craving raw veg that isn't tomatoes and we are out of salad greens.
Have an awesome three day weekend, everyone!
*A sauce made from all the vegetables that need to be cooked RIGHT NOW
PS Samosa, if you're reading this, I really hope you post today! I haven't seen a comment from you in ages! I'm hoping you're just busy with your niece, but I was so enjoying hearing about how she liked the unfamiliar foods you were making for her. For instance, what did she think of the the filet-o-fish???
Aww, so nice of you to think of Samosa. I sent her an email to check in on her after I read your comment; hopefully she will pop by.
@Kristen, @Becca, oh my!! thank you for being so good to me and remembering me! my niece is loving the wide variety of food options and it's always surprising to know what she likes and doesn't. Some of it makes no sense - she LOVES sushi but does not like poke. She was not a fan of chipotle (too healthy) but loves choppt salads. She was not a fan of filet-o-fish mostly because she expected "at least lettuce on it". We anticipated that and ordered chicken nuggets to the order as an alternate meal.
My life has been in flux. My spouse started FT grad school as he holds down his FT horticulture job. This is my busiest work season and we are apartment hunting in NYC - have to move by end of the month. So meals are quick bodega sandwiches or me trying to eat down the pantry.
Monday - lemon rice (chitranna), lime pickle, yogurt side dish, and salad
Tuesday - birria tacos bcs $2 taco tuesday deal at a nearby taqueria
Wednesday - fried rice w every (south)east asian condiment I have
Thursday - poori, chana masala (use Eastern masala packet and add a black tea bag for robust colour), salad
Friday - so tired. lots of frozen trader joes appetizers.
@Samosa,
I'm so glad you're well!!!
"At least lettuce!" Hahaha! I think your niece is a girl after my heart. My sandwiches are always like a salad on a bun! Ha! Is she still with you, or has she gone home now?
I hope you find an amazing apartment very soon! And even though you're eating down the pantry, your meals don't disappoint at all! Super impressed.
Sending you love and good apartment hunting luck!
Sounds like you might be cooking a little bit less until the semester gets settled in! This week I ate:
Monday - Burger for one with sliced tomato, cheese, purple onion, fries
Tuesday - Honey Sriracha chicken thighs with a baked sweet potato
Wednesday - Lemon Pepper Chicken ramen bowl with bell pepper, squash, and onion
Thursday - Mole Pork quesadillas with the rest of the brussels sprouts I needed to eat up
Friday - Dinner with my daughter and she's making a homemade pork and bean type thing. I will take the rest of the brownies from this week!
Saturday - Going to a release for "Death by Coconut" beer, and probably grabbing take-out or something from the brewery's food trailer.
Sunday - (freezer) Mandarin Orange Chicken, rice, snow peas
Its supposed to rain here all weekend and that has me dreaming of Fall foods...
Happy Labor Day weekend!
https://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/
Yes. Definitely a survival-mode situation here at the moment while I adjust.
BUT now that Zoe has her license, that will free me up a bit; she can take herself to work and school and some appointments too.
@gina, those honey Sriracha chicken thighs sound good! I made some maple Sriracha snack mix last week and it was delicious, your recipe sounds similar!
Weekend - Chicken noodle soup with lots of veggies. Kind of minestrone with chicken?
Monday- chicken quesadillas, rice and beans
Tuesday- Waffles, bacon, and smoothies
Wednesday- Fettuccine with chicken and roasted cauliflower
Thursday- Frozen pizza
Friday- I think takeout. I passed my first nursing school skills check off!
I have been buying a rotisserie chicken at Costco(only $4.99,and we get multiple meals for my small family) every weekend and using the meat for different recipes (quesadillas and soup this week), and then using the bones and scraps to make broth for soup.
We have started having breakfast for dinner one night every week (we rotate through pancakes, French toast, waffles, oatmeal bar, and omelets), a pasta, something TexMex, and usually a big pot of soup (broth from the Costco chicken) on the weekend. It definitely simplifies meal planning and grocery shopping.
YAY for your skills check off. Cheering you on over here!
@Pam, GREAT IDEAS
I had theme nights when I worked full time and had kids at home. Knowing Mondays were meatless etc helped streamline the process.
We did
Meatless Mondays
Mexican Tuesdays
Breakfast for dinner Wednesdays
Pasta Thursdays
Pizza and salad Fridays.
Saturdays were sandwich fixings sliders or wraps. I usually baked muffins or cookies on Saturdays.
Sundays were good home cooked fixings.
Leftovers were lunches for mom and dad.
Boys are grown now so the
“ pressure” is off.
@Kristen,
Thanks!! I was so worried, but it went really well. They just get harder from here on out, though!
I am really enjoying the classes and my instructors, so that helps a lot.
@Stephanie, meatless Mondays is a good one, too!
We all love to pack leftovers for lunches, so that is plus. My 9 year old kiddo also isn't a huge breakfast food fan, so he will often have a bowl of soup and some fruit for breakfast. Whatever works, right?!
@Pam, yes! My son did not like lunch food so I often packed second breakfast in his lunchbox!!!
Back to school is NO JOKE! Congrats to ZOE!!
M- burgers. Salad. Air fryer potatoes
T and W- egg salad with tuna on brioche buns. Veggies and chips.
TH- tacos and chips and queso
F- frozen pizza and a bag salad. Our frugal version of take out.
I packed a lunch every day.
Congrats to Zoe! Wishing her pleasurable and safe miles ahead!
Other than in the previous weeks, we did not eat any salads but I cannot really recall all meals. We did have pasta, paella, cauliflower & pototato, and beetroot& sausage. O yes and we did have a salad one night 😉 . Tonight I finally will be preparing the sambal telor, over rice.
Monday- breaded chicken fingers and kale chips
Tuesday- instant pot chicken breast, homemade buns, and salad. I had corn tortillas instead of buns.
Wednesday- I brought home leftover pizza from work that everyone ate but me. I had more chicken, caprese, and air fryer zucchini.
Thursday- takeout for everyone but me. I had chicken and salad! Rest of chicken goes into freezer.
Friday- I have no idea what everyone else is eating... But I'm eating more salad. It's happy hour at a friend's house, and I don't eat gluten so I eat before I go.
We are on week 3 of school here, after a couple of birthdays and visiting family, so we are slowly back into sort of a routine.
Friday - We had take and bake pizzas so I got a break!
Saturday - A one-pan tortellini and sausage dish - it called for marscapone cheese, which I didn't add in the end - any ideas for how to use marscapone cheese? It seems too sweet for a savory dish
Sunday - Pool day at my parents where they grilled brats and hotdogs. I contributed baked beans and cookies.
Monday - Taco night- leftover carnitas from the freezer (Isabel Eats crock pot recipe), and I made curtido slaw from half a bag of cole slaw mix in the back of the fridge
Tuesday - Tried a recipe for Mongolian Beef. It was yummy, even if it did make a bit of a mess in the kitchen. Enough leftover for a few lunches!
Wedndesday - Clean out the fridge leftover night
Thursday - My 9 yo requested that we eat out - we went for Tacos. Yum. Leftovers for lunch today!
Friday - I will make tonight what I had planned for last night - grilled chicken, roasted delicata squash, sauteed kale and the leftover rice from taco night and Mongolian beef night.
Struggling to figure out what my meal plan for next week will be. I am craving chili and soups but the temps are still in the upper 80s/low 90s. Gazpacho maybe?
@Amy, this might not be what you had in mind for your tortellini--but a JASNA friend of mine uses mascarpone to make a faux clotted cream that, IMHO, tastes even better than real clotted cream on scones.
@A. Marie, mmmmm, get that recipe?
whipped marscapone with honey and berries, tiramisu, zabaglione, panna cotta....all so delicious.
@Rose: Alas, no, I did not get the recipe. But Googling "mascarpone clotted cream" or any similar phrase will bring up a generous selection.
@A. Marie, Thank you, yum. Where other people go crazy for chocolate, I go crazy for cream, sigh! Mmmm clotted cream.
I really really love cream too. There are very few foods that are not improved by the addition of cream in some form.
Back to school week is exhausting. I hope it does settle down now for all of you. And congratulations to Zoe (and you!).
Saturday: We had our monthly Saturday Mass, which means we get home after 5 p.m. So I decided to use the leftover chicken nuggets the school cook gave me. I re-heated them by frying them in cast iron skillets with butter, which I suppose improved them a bit, but still . . . leftover chicken nuggets. My children were thrilled, actually. My husband had some of his very spicy posole from the freezer, and there was rice, a cucumber and tomato salad, and Otter Pops.
Sunday: I made some tenderized bottom round steaks Swiss steak style, but with Italian spices, so Italian steaks, I guess. I also made another batch of roasted tomato and garlic sauce, so that went on some spaghetti for the kids. They also had carrot sticks, I roasted some calabacitas, and pots de creme for Sunday dessert.
Monday: The school cook gave me a little over a pound of leftover pork from lunch, so I used that with a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables, some already cooked mushrooms, and frozen peas to make a stir-fry after work. We also had cantaloupe, courtesy of the commodities lady having a bunch of extra this week.
Tuesday: Bunless cheeseburgers, fried onions, boiled potato chunks, sauteed or raw green beans according to preference
Wednesday: I had made some taco meat with some of the ground beef the day before, plus canned black beans, and then found a package of flour tortillas at school someone was giving away, so I made quesadillas for the kids. My husband had more of his posole, and I had a salad with the taco meat. Carrot sticks for a vegetable.
Thursday: I used the leftover rice and pork stir-fry, plus a few eggs, to make fried rice.
Tonight: I have an entire box of bone-in beef ribs in the freezer, so I took a bunch of those out. I'll pressure-cook them, pull off the meat and do something with that. I also need to make more tomato sauce today, and I have some leftover cooked spaghetti in the refrigerator, so the two will be combined for yet more spaghetti and tomato sauce. 'Tis the season. Maybe more carrot sticks. Maybe more raw or cooked green beans. We shall see.
Congratulations, Zoe! Best wishes and prayers for you Kristen as you continue on your nursing studies.
Kristen, I went back to college in my late 40s to get my BSN. I was a diploma grad, working part-time in the operating room. Our children were 12, 14, 16 when I started. Those semesters when I had multiple classes and labs were crazy but I always told myself that I could do anything for a semester. And our family not only survived but thrived in many ways. I graduated when our oldest was a freshman in college after much work and felt so good about how our family worked together. Hang in there. Thrown together meals still nourish.
Aldi has Cosmic Crisp apples.yay.
I wonder why costco is the only place you can buy organic silk almond milk. I put it in a big mason jar with cocoa powder and shake. Won't be long till hot cocoa time. Its not even cool yet and I want soup, the angle of the sun? And cheerios. Someone filled my freezer with popsicles? ew.
Congratulations to Zoey. I made a massive pot of tortellini Alfredo yesterday. We spent a small fortune this week though as I'm off work and have all family for weekend.
WIS: $96.17 at Aldi, which included $15.78 of fresh chicken, a $12.49 tub of unsalted cashews (yum!) and $9.75 of fresh red cherries. Those items alone were about a third of the total. I also spent $43.47 after 15 % off coupon on protein shakes from Vitacost. One of these at 3 p.m. keeps me from being hangry.
WWA: Sunday evening I cooked the above-mentioned chicken thighs and drumsticks, along with baked apples, corn on the cob, and mac and cheese. This is a fave meal of my family. This created a lot of leftover chicken for my husband to heat up during the week and eat with a side of fresh sweet peppers, fruit and cashews. For my suppers, I had fruit salad dotted with cashews -- yum! Or a cheese and tomato sandwich with a side of carrots and pickled beets, all from stuff bought in previous weeks.
You look great in that picture.
@Marinell Crippen, my immediate thought was ˢʰᵉ'ˢ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵍᵒᶦⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ˢᵗᵃʸ ˢᶦⁿᵍˡᵉ ᶠᵒʳᵉᵛᵉʳ.
@Rose, that’s so funny! That was my first thought as well….
Haha, you guys are cracking me up. Thanks for the compliments. 😉
Saturday - takeout from a brewery
Sunday - I was going to make burgers but the buns had gone moldy, so we just had chicken Pattie’s, fries and corn on the cob
Monday - skillet chicken cordon bleu, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and green beans
Tuesday - taco salad
Wednesday - penne alla vodka and brownies for dessert
Thursday - kids were spending the night at grandmas so we went out to dinner for Italian food
Friday - unplanned so far, I have to go pickup the kids and wasn’t sure how late I’d get back. Probably my trusty pasta, jarred sauce and frozen meatballs, very easy and a favorite meal here.
As far as the theme this week, just imagine Ross in your head yelling "Pivot!"
Sunday: We were supposed to have grilled chicken and slaw, but my husband wasn't feeling well (he's the grill guy), so we pivoted to tacos (which were supposed to be on Thursday)
Monday: We were going to make Sunday's grilled chicken, but realized the chicken was still frozen....so we made Italian chicken in the crock pot (pulled from the plan for a different night - are you sensing a theme here?)
Tuesday: Grilled chicken actually happened, it was thawed and everything. Plus the slaw was already made, so it had to be served eventually haha
Wednesday: Mac and cheese (toddler's request)
Thursday: Leftovers, and a giant Armenian cucumber from a coworkers garden. My daughter started munching on it on our way home from the sitters, it was as long as her arm!
Friday: Cupbop for date night
Saturday: Cleaning out the fridge
@Natalie J,
I had to look up cupbop. Korean barbecue sounds really yummy! Hope you have an awesome date night!
@Becca, thanks, it was fun! We love cupbop, and my husband and I are able to split an entree and both walk away full, which is always nice 🙂
WIS: $8 at the Regional Market, $3 at the bakery outlet, and $9 at the grocery outlet next to the bakery outlet.
WIA: This was the most interesting thing: I had a lot of rice left over from my birthday meal of Indian takeout, so I mixed it with a can of black beans, the kernels from a leftover ear of corn, and some of the leftover Indian sauce. (Another of my Evening at the Improv efforts.) It was pretty good--especially after I sauteed some shrimp and added that!
Congratulations Zoe, and Kristen, you are FREE! Getting the last one into the driver's seat is an amazing feeling of freedom for the parents.
Last week I spent $103 for two weeks, and that included two farm orders. That won't happen again for a long time, but I am enjoying it right now.
What I ate:
I got home after 8 one night and was just wiped out, still recovering from my cold. I had farm-made cottage cheese and mandarin oranges, period.
I cooked a pack of pork chops with a big mixed veggie medley using the same chop skillet, and had that for two nights.
I cooked kielbasa and had summer squash and okra on the sides, both from my raised beds.
I made a green pea salad that I'd been craving and had that two nights with burgers on "bread", with grapes or applesauce.
I baked a meatloaf and had it with steamed spinach and watermelon. I get grass-fed ground beef from an organic farmer in 1.5 to 1.75 pound packs that are already frozen, so when I thaw one out, I eat ground beef for several meals, as you can see.
Tonight may well be more meatloaf, with different sides, but I'm not sure.
This week was a doozie in our house! We are in our 4th week of school and although we have adjusted to the schedule we are still adjusting to other things.
WWS: $12 at Kroger on coffee creamer because priorities. Mom must have coffee.
Saturday: I was cleaning house so we ate hotdogs. Our veggie was pickle relish. Very boring with a side of Mom guilt. Oh well. We were fed.
Sunday: We ran some errands and then worked on house projects but I cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot and we had chicken tacos with all the fixings, homemade guac & salsa, pinto beans, Spanish rice, & cheese dip. Yum.
Monday: One of just a few days in the last four weeks that my son did not have a note sent home from school. We celebrated with take out pizza.
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Takeout BBQ at a local joint because all of my energy was gone after a talk with the assistant principal.
Thursday: corned beef hash with rice, carrots with ginger & rosemary; I baked 4 loaves of banana bread so some folks had that as a bedtime snack
Friday: clean out the fridge
Happy 3 day weekend!!!
@Angie,
I hear you on the behavior at school issue. Mine have behavior issues at school too, and they're homeschooled...sigh. This parenting business is real. Anyway, I just wanted to say that it's good to celebrate the day he had no note sent home. Speaking as a teacher, the only thing that really works to change behavior is celebrating the small wins.
Good for Zoe! My sister rather notoriously failed her driving test three times (although New York's was, maybe still is, pretty tough). I finally mailed her a Valium and she passed.
This week: blueberry pancakes with bacon, chicken fried steak, takeout Indian (my vindaloo was to die for), barbecued chicken, and steak kebabs. Thinking about pulled pork sliders with slaw tonight.
@Rose, I did not learn to drive until my mid-20s. I failed my driving test three times, too, and the last time my tester suggested I take a driving course. I hired a driving instructor and he fired me and suggested I see an eye doctor. It turned out I had terrible peripheral vision, which somehow had not been discovered even though I wore Coke-bottle glasses from almost birth. I finally learned how to compensate so that I stopped driving in the middle of the road because I always think I am about to fall off the side of the road. But not all that well, actually, as I have had one roll over (thank you seat belts and a roll bar on my pick up for keeping me safe) and another where I simply drove off into a ditch. I have always hated driving!
@Lindsey, aw, I'm sorry, that really stinks. In the US, if you can't drive, or, as a shockingly large number of people I know, won't drive on highways, etc, it is so limiting.
In my sister's case, she was too nervous and kept screwing up, and again, New York has people parallel park, unlike many states, etc etc etc.
It was a long slog of a week here too (needed to step in and rescue a work project that was going sideways). Relied on pre-cooked freezer food and the efforts of others. Gonna revel in this long weekend. WWA:
Saturday - went to a restaurant for a family member’s birthday dinner, food was okay, the sangria was lovely
Sunday - partner made bbq steak & potatoes, yellow beans, no dessert
Monday - red beans & rice from the freezer
Tuesday - partner cooked his special chicken curry with rice, naan, & papadams
Wednesday - left over something
Thursday - peanut butter ramen with steamed veggies
Friday - planning to get takeout fish and chips
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend
This is our last week of summer vacation before we start school back up (for those not in college!). My spending stayed pretty steady, $337 at Kroger, a small portion of which was for our church's food pantry. I do not count supplements or cleaning products in my food bill.
Monday was chicken stew in the crockpot.
Tuesday is always tacos. Ground beef, refried beans, rice, taco shells, very basic.
Wednesday was chicken and rice casserole.
Thursday was hamburger stew, made by a kid and cleaned up by the other kids as the adults had somewhere to be that evening.
Tonight will be salmon burgers, corn on the cob (crockpot) and probably the last watermelon of the season. I hope it's a good one!
Congratulations to Zoe on getting her driver’s license! Getting back into the swing of things when school starts is hard but it sounds like you are doing it. Things we ate for dinner this week:
Chicken sausage with peppers and onions, cucumber and tomato salad, baked sweet potatoes, melon
Chicken salad, toasted baguette, Caesar salad, melon
Rotisserie chicken, wedge salad, melon
Pickety bits platter with salami, cheeses, crackers, veggies, dips, fruit
Takeout from Buffalo Wild Wings that lasted for a couple of meals
Our weather has been hot (at or near 100 degrees) and is expected to stay there for the next few days plus it is smoky from forest fires so I think the next few days will be chicken enchiladas (I bought 2 rotisserie chickens this week because I had signed up to take chicken enchiladas to a family member who had surgery and she messaged me the day before and asked me to not bring food because they had too many leftovers), gazpacho, another pickety bits platter, and salads with meat….I’m ready for fall weather and fall food.
I got a cookbook from Amazon that I’ve had my eye on for awhile- Heirloom Beans by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington- I used gift cards accumulated from Swagbucks so it was free. I also ordered some beans from Rancho Gordo that I didn’t have and they will arrive tomorrow. I love all the varieties they offer and I’m planning to incorporate more bean dishes into our diet so we can reduce our meat consumption. As soon as it cools down, I will get back to making bread also- it’s been way too hot to turn the oven on here.
@Beth,
So I'm part of an heirloom bean club. If you are into different varieties maybe take a look. It isn't as frugal as just regular bulk beans but if you are like me and get sick of just black and garbanzo beans then it might be worth it. Rancho Gordo is one of the brands they carry. It's from Foodocracy, $40 includes shipping and you get 2 beans (1 lb each) and a grain. Or there is bigger box option for a larger family (there are just 2 of us).
Anyway, it has gotten us to eat beans that we have never even heard of and heirloom varieties are really good. I hardly ever buy canned beans anymore.
@Jaime,
Thank you so much! I’ve never heard of this but I’m going to check it out. We love trying new foods and I see other items on the website I’d like to try. As for beans, I hope to get my husband to agree to rely less on meats and more on beans and vegetables.
I have never had to go through the first week of school as a working mom, so props to you on getting everyone fed. I am contemplating going back to school (short term) for my SANE/SART certification, but I don't think I have the energy for another degree.
Sunday: rice bowl with avocado and broccoli. and In n Out fries in Reno at 11pm bc of course
Monday: took the longest, most intense transport of my career (which turned by 24 hours shift into a 38 hour shift). I got Chipotle bowl after we ropped the pt off bc I hadn't eaten in 2o hours.
Tuesday: stuffed baked potato with cheese and leftover veggies
Wednesday: tomato and zucchini flatbread with some chicken sausages that had to be used
Thursday: The heat wave has started at it was 107F at my house. I couldn't stomach turning on the stove, so we ordered sushi from a local place.
Friday: I am canning salsa verde today (yay for free tomatillos from my partner's garden), so I will probably hit the easy button and do migas or ravioli in the fridge
Saturday: My husband and I are seeing John Williams conduct at the Hollywood Bowl (so stoked!) and we are bringing a picnic dinner to eat at our seats.
I need to do a freezer challenge soon but I am lacking the motivation.
@Heather, I'm envious about the John Williams concert. I hope he conducts the suite he put together from his Emmy-winning score for the often overlooked 1970 film of Jane Eyre (with George C. Scott and Susannah York). I recall his once saying in an interview that the one score of his he wished people knew better was the JE score.
Ya, back to school season is so hectic. Thankfully, it's been somewhat tame for us here compared to previous years but man...I'm tired.
Today: Not sure yet but I have a couple avocados to use up so maybe some sushi rolls?
Thursday: Cheesy Zucchini bake, baby bok choy salad, and corn on the cob (cleaning out the refrigerator before trash day!)
Wednesday: Take out pizza. It was back to school night so I didn't get home until 7:20; husband was in charge of dinner
Tuesday: Taquito Tuesday!
Monday: In n out for them, roasted tomato and white beans for me (thanks to a couple of the readers who mentioned it earlier - I followed smitten kitchen's recipe and it was easy and delicious!)
Sunday: Pasta
Saturday: Grilled teriyaki tofu and creamy sesame noodle salad
It's crazy hot here in southern california so I'm craving cold fruit all day everyday. I need a watermelon STAT.
I remember feeling like it was a huge milestone when both kids could get in and out of the car by themselves (no more buckling them in and out of carseats) - it must be MONUMENTAL that all your kids can drive! Congrats to Zoe. And to you for freeing up another area of responsibility and time = new opportunities.
Yes, this is the first time since 1999 that I have not been responsible for driving someone else around!
Congratulations, Zoe! That is great news.
Monday: Beef stew with potatoes and carrots. It had a LOT of carrots because all the carrots were about to go bad.
Tuesday: Leftover stew.
Wednesday: Shakshuka with eggplant and mushrooms, with homemade bread. I was working from home and had some empty spots in my schedule, so I made four loaves of bread. And watermelon.
Thursday: Take-out sushi from the market kiosk, and watermelon. I meant to make chicken stir-fry but got stuck working very late.
Friday: I'm on call tonight, so I'm getting lentil soup takeout and brought a bagel and an apple to round out dinner. My husband bought another watermelon, so I'm sure that baby will have watermelon with dinner 🙂
That reminds me; I need to get another watermelon before the season is over. I haven't had one in a while.
Eggs, so many quail and chicken eggs here that we had egg based meals almost every night. Quiche two nights, egg strata two nights to use up not just eggs but bread cubes that collect in the fridge when I chop up bread about to go stale, eggs Benedict (my favorite!), egg drop soup, and tonight: poached eggs, moose sausage and brioche I made yesterday that used up six eggs.
I also have two friends who had birthdays this week and I made each of them a brioche and gave them a dozen of my chicken eggs as my gift.
@Lindsey, P.S. It is amazing how well an ear of corn does as a side dish for any egg meal! Or just plain for lunch. One morning I had a leftover ear for breakfast.
@Lindsey, just curious: How do quail eggs compare to chicken eggs in terms of cholesterol levels and so on? An occasional vendor at our Regional Market has quail eggs, so I might be interested in trying those.
And as usual, I rely on you and @kristin @ going country for my regular delight at such fare as moose sausage and bull meat. I swear that one of these days, I'm going to trap a woodchuck and use the recipe in my mother's 1943 wedding present copy of The Joy of Cooking for preparing same. It's supposed to be a lot like pork, once you remove some vital stink glands.
@A. Marie, From what I have read, quail eggs have slightly more protein, fats and nutrients. Because they have a larger yolk to white proportion, they are richer. It takes about 5 quail eggs to make one chicken egg. The average chicken egg is 50 grams.
When I lived up north on the coast of the Bering sea, we occasionally ate whale, walrus and seal when a hunter would pass some on to us, but they are not available in the interior areas unless someone mails it to you or brings it as a gift when they fly down. I did not have a gift for fixing any of those in any way other than soup. It is funny what you get used to because when I read about her bull meat I think, "Ick." (In fairness, I also think that about head cheese and there was a giant slab of that quivering on our fridge shelf every day of my childhood. I would rather eat beans, which I detest, every day for the rest of my life than ever look at or eat even a sliver of headcheese again.)
@Lindsey, Just a tangential note: I think beans are vile in every form, though especially cold ones.
Though I admire the thought of the Heirloom Bean Club that Jamie wrote about above.
Monday- I tried a new recipe for baked tomato slices topped with spinach, feta, mozzarella, fresh basil, salt and pepper.
So good!!
Tuesday- salad with baked chicken
Wednesday-salad with bacon
Thursday-egg sandwiches and fruit
Tonight-sesame chicken, peas and rice
Congrats to Zoe on passing her driving test!
1. Paying a bunch extra on our truck- to try to get it paid off by Christmas. Merry Christmas to us- only the mortgage left after that!
2. Avoided Sam's as I always spend too much. Was able to get what I needed at Sav- a lot.
3. Packing breakfast and lunches.
4. Renewing my dump dues- way cheaper than pick up and I have to go there for recycling anyway. No such thing as curbside recycling (GRRRRRR) and garbage company not reliable! Works out to 2$ a week.
5. Got a cute new to me Halloween shirt and pair of capris at thrift.
Pizza and cake at a birthday party
Chicken parmesan, sweet corn, and carrots
Culvers for burgers
BLTs, street corn salad, and cucumber salad
7 layer salad
Ramen noodles with spicy chili butter, broccoli, pickled radishes, and a fried egg
Tonight we are having random leftovers
This isn't a WWA post but I wanted to share anyway---
I mustered up my courage and emailed a Wall Street bigshot I know personally, who leads one of the biggest firms on the Street, and is a household name, and worth tens of billions, and asked him for help with my son's job search. I know his firm doesn't take first years but I summoned every ounce of charm I had to ask for his help and he replied that he is going to do the best he can.
BOO YEAH!
I'm a techie girl from way back and have actually danced with Bill Gates at parties a zillion years ago from before he was married (NB: I am much taller than him), etc etc, so money doesn't faze me, but Wall Street is a game I don't know well so I am intimidated. Still: anything for my boy.
@Rose, Good for you!!!
@Rose, good luck. i hope he comes through for you.
I was babysitting my two grandsons in Waco.
Monday- special request Chicken & Rice, peas, and carrots/hummus
Tuesday- turkey tacos, salsa & chips
Wednesday- breakfast for supper- bacon, sausage, eggs, and biscuits
Thursday- trip home, so easy skillet browned wieners with chili and cheese
Friday- cauliflower rice+ Buffalo chicken casserole and green beans
Busy week. Love being with my boys, but nice to be home too. Those boys wear you out!
A big week in the FG household!
WWS: $4. FlashFoods (trying for the first time, but I'm EXCITED!) If anyone else wants to try the app, you can use code BETH3WPYM for $8 back if you spend $10 (I would get the same - Kristen, please remove if not allowed).
WWA:
Sat: Balkan dinner party: cevap, ajvar, lepinja, shopska salada, lemon semifreddo with rhubarb currant sauce
Sun: chicken shawarma with leftover sides from Sat. I used this recipe which was so easy & good, but I used only 1 tsp of cayenne and it was still REALLY spicy... also, make sure it is kosher salt, or it will also be too spicy. https://www.nadiyahussain.com/recipe/shawarma/
Mon: tacos
Tue-Fri: leftovers or random food from the freezer.