Hello from my icy home!
Well, my home isn’t icy. It’s just icy outside of my home (with a sprinkling of snow on top).
I am very thankful it’s not cold inside my house and I feel terrible for all the Texans who have been cold this week.
Incidentally, I looked at the 15 day forecast, and after a few more days in the 30s, the highs all promise to be in the 40s and 50s. So, warmer air is coming.
What I Spent
I spent $117 on groceries, plus I’ll add in $14.83 for our Monday night extra date night.
(Saturday’s date night was our usual takeout date night budget, and the sushi on Sunday night is from the temporary takeout budget we’ve set aside to help support local restaurants right now.)
February Spending
Week 1: $55
Week 2: $287
Week 3: $132
What We Ate
Saturday
Mr. FG and I did our usual takeout date night; I picked Panera this time, partially because we had a gift card to use up.
Sandwiches and savings: two things I love!
(My gift card was from Fetch Rewards; it’s a receipt-scanning app, and it is slow going especially if you don’t buy name-brands. But when you first sign up, you get a dump of points if you use code QG8V2.)
Sunday
We usually try to support a local restaurant by getting takeout once a week, but Sonia being on a low FODMAP diet does make that a challenge.
We realized we could still get sushi, though!
However, there’s not a lot of sushi that Zoe can eat (seafood allergy), so she had a pulled pork sandwich because I’d gotten a free pack of pulled pork in the Butcher Box I ordered last week.
Monday
Mr. FG and I did a belated Valentine’s Day takeout date (the pizza I mentioned in this week’s Five Frugal Things post).
The girls fended for themselves at home.
Tuesday
It was not a great day for me and at this point, I don’t even remember all of the reasons!
But the long and short of it is that we had a rotisserie chicken with gluten-free toast (for Sonia) and clearance-purchased ciabatta (for the rest of us) and a fruit salad.
Wednesday
I tried a buffalo chicken salad recipe from one of the low FODMAP cookbooks I have from the library. It involved coating the chicken breasts pieces in cornstarch before pan-frying them, and that worked great!
I had to sub romaine for the spinach the recipe called for (Sonia has a raw spinach allergy), but honestly, I like romaine better anyway.
Thursday
I made burrito bowls at Zoe’s request. Those are handy because they cover starch, protein, and veggies all in one.
Friday
I need to go put a pot of onion-free broth on the stove so that I can make a pot of tortellini soup (except Sonia’s will have gluten-free rotini in it instead of tortellini).
I’ve never made broth without onions before, but I have a couple of options to give onion flavor; we shall see how this goes.
(For instance, you can saute onions in oil, remove the onions, and then proceed with the recipe, since FODMAPs don’t transfer into the oil.)
Kathryn says
I admire your good attitude about all the dietary needs in your house. It would be easy to get impatient!
Kristen says
Ah, thank you. Sometimes I do get discouraged with how complicated it can get (this low FODMAP thing has been particularly difficult), and then I feel kind of bad about that because man, who am I to complain about preparing this food when I have the privilege of not suffering from allergies.
But. The truth is that it IS hard work to plan around multiple allergies. Meal planning and cooking is hard work as it is, and this just adds another layer of complication.
Becca says
I have been feeling guilty about struggling to keep our weekly grocery spending under 125.00 (which includes our farm share) because I keep thinking I would be spending so much less if I were going to Aldi instead of ordering from Hungry Harvest and the dairy service, but today I spoke to my neighbor who is still going to Aldi and she is reportedly spending upwards of 250.00 every week for a family of four (I’m feeding 5). Obviously we are buying slightly different things, but she’s generally pretty frugal too, so I’ve decided maybe I am being too strict with my covid time budget. It sounds like maybe I would be spending as much or more even if I were shopping in person, so perhaps 150.00 is a more realistic goal to spend on fresh items for now.
F: foccacia (w cheese, red peppers, onions and olives as toppings); red mustard green salad w feta cheese and apple slices
S: rice and beans w red peppers, topped w cheddar cheese; Asian greens and purple cabbage salad
S: (Valentine’s Day) shredded pork carnitas with corn and fresh lime juice, jasmine rice, salsa and corn tortillas; oven roasted asparagus w lemon zest; pea shoots sautéed in lemon juice with pine nuts
M: Italian sausage and kale soup; yeast rolls; red mustard green salad w feta and avocado
T: roast chicken; leftover rice and beans w Gouda cheese this time; Asian greens salad with feta and trail mix
W: leftover carnitas on sour dough bread; Asian greens salad
T: warm arugula salad; leftover Italian sausage and kale soup on grits
F: foccacia (just cheese this time); red mustard green salad with feta and radish microgreens
S: arugula salad w cucumbers, red peppers and cheddar cheese; variety of clean out the fridge leftovers
Becca says
Oh, wait! I forgot on Wednesday we actually had breakfast for dinner with pancakes and bacon. We had the leftover carnitas for lunch.
Mar says
I spent $157 at Sam’s club that was due to how clear their parking lot was. I twisted my knee so not chancing walking on snow and ice in parking lots.
Garlic cheese bread, tater tots and coconut shrimp
Italian Wedding soup. I used Aldi vegetable broth & their Swiss and Mushroom meatballs. I normally hate pre-made meatballs, 99% of the time I make my own. I used half I made and half Aldi made in the soup and it was delish.
Stuffed pork chops I over-spiced so they were way to salty.
Sweet and Sour chicken thighs, cauliflower with cheese
Beef fried rice & fried bread
Steak Sandwiches
Jerseys Mikes one night so I did not have to cook.
Hawaii Planner says
We are still carrying on with a meal delivery service (x2), with special intro pricing. We will stop once that’s over, but it’s been fun for February.
Here’s what we had, in no particular order, as I can never remember:
-Takeout Chinese, to celebrate my son turning 15
-Sausage & pepper flatbread
-Steak & roasted veggies + rice
-Chicken pita wraps
-Terikayi chicken & rice
-Korean style beef bowls (amazing)
-Leftovers
Nora says
Saturday – spicy pork with noodles, veggies
Sunday – kids had chicken nuggets & spinach salad; adults had takeout for Valentines day
Monday – younger kids had macaroni & cheese with broccoli; adults + eldest had ruebens
Tuesday – beef roast with cheesy cauliflower and all the veggie leftovers that seemed relevant
Wednesday – Scottish Cullen Skink (fish stew)
We flipped Thursday & Friday meals because of the snow. Pressed the easy button for the usual Friday night meal on Thursday. Home all day Friday (it’s been snowing since 3 pm Thursday and still going at 9 pm Friday, though not huge accumulation) so more time for dinner.
Thursday – kids had hot dogs with veggies; adults had homemade pizza
Friday – enchiladas (mostly standard, but a pan with no cheese for the non-cheese eater), Mexican rice, corn
Betta from daVille says
Cullen Skink! I’m jealous.
priskill says
It sounds like you are really accommodating a variety of dietary needs and it all sound delicious — go you!
I spent $104 at VONS this morning, but marched back in when I realized the cash register hadn’t registered all the sales prices. The young man was so nice and I got back just under $6.00 in cash.
Saturday — Can’t remember — some version of salad and protein??
Sunday — Big salad with beef hamburgers
Monday — Homemade cauliflower crust pizza — best yet but still working on drying out the riced cauliflower.
Tuesday — Homemade chicken soup — took some to my daughter who is back in town and quarantining.
Wednesday — Sauteed chicken breast with Mexican spices (meh – my cooking was not inspired) and steamed broccoli and carrots.
Thursday –Broke down and got Pollo Loco with a free Power bowl so dinner for two under $10.00.
Friday –Treat night! Using up the gift cards and combining with coupons at favorite steak house — eating outside and social distancing with my daughter.
A late-breaking Thankful Thursday note — so thankful my daughter is navigating all the big changes in her life (new job, new coast to live in, ups and downs with boyfriend) with such maturity and aplomb. So proud of her and thankful she is safe and happy. What I wish for all of us– Happy Friday!
priskill says
And thankful she is facing challenges and disappointments with the kind of grace and grit I need to cultivate. Okay — done!
Julie Norman says
It sounds like you are making the best of things with the FODMAP diet. I hope it’s helping Sonia!
Since Sunday was Valentine’s we had a sort-of special meal, but all with stuff I already had here! We had pasta (a spinach pasta that came in a Christmas gift basket from a local Italian place) with a creamy basil sauce (also from a gift basket). We topped that with a crab cake and had a salad and fresh bread. I made a pumpkin/acorn squash pie to use up some stuff in the freezer.
Monday – Leftover vegetable soup, salad, french bread
Tuesday – Turkey burgers roasted veggies, salad
Wednesday – leftover pasta BUT we added mushrooms, onions and capers this time.
Thursday – Homemade pizza and salad
Friday – We’re taking dinner to a friend’s house. They’re moving in today so I made a pie and we’re picking up pizza and salad from a place downtown. I have a “downtown” gift card I can use!
Shannon says
Surprisingly, I didn’t do any grocery shopping in the past 7 days. Our grocery bill for the month has been $330 so far though, so we still spent the usual amount, just with one less trip.
We’ve had a fairly uninspired week, as I’ve been pretty sick for the past 10 days:
Saturday: takeout – sushi
Sunday: freezer pizza + broccoli
Mon: tofu + coleslaw
Tues: chicken + potatoes + carrots
Wed: leftovers
Thurs: leftover chicken, potatoes + green beans
Fri: takeout – burgers
Becca says
Your menu sounds nice to me! I hope you feel better soon!
Stephanie says
I tried a couple of new recipes this week which is fun!
1. Breakfast for dinner
2. Spicy veggie lo mein ( new recipe)
3. Meatloaf and roasted potatoes
4. Black bean quesadillas ( homemade black beans new recipe) and Spanish rice
5. Pork chops. Rice. Green beans
I am trying a take And bake ALDI pizza for the first time tonight!
Angie says
This was an odd week for us to say the least. Knee replacement surgery for my Mom who lives with us has meant that we were fed although there was nothing at all glamorous about it. The fact that she was unable to tolerate the pain meds is a challenge that we had not imagined.
Saturday – Coconut curry Chicken with snow peas and jasmine rice
Sunday – Chicken & Rice Soup
Monday – Leftovers
Tuesday – Mom had surgery & could not eat; we picked up fast food because Mom was quite ill and could not stand the smell of any food in the house.
Wednesday – Beef Stroganoff, peas
Thursday – Hubby took the little one to play with a friend and they had pizza at their house, Mom had leftovers and I did not eat dinner as I was too exhausted and overwhelmed to do so.
Friday – I put a pot roast in the crock pot and will likely serve it with rice as that is easy. Fruit cups, applesauce, and whatever else we can muster.
Saturday & Sunday – I admit that I have no plans whatsoever but I have some quick items in the freezer and leftovers so we will make do while I hope that I am able to catch up housework, laundry, work,…etc, etc.
Blessings to all dealing with the terrible storm, ice and snow. Brighter days are ahead my friends!
Kris says
Angie, that sounds like a tough week for you as well as your mom. I hope you can push the easy button this weekend and rest up.
Jen says
1. Pizza date last night. I have been really careful with social distancing, but also want to get married, so I’m starting to be willing to go on dates here and there.
2. Meatloaf with apricot glaze, mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad.
3. Spaghetti with homemade sauce from the freezer
4. Chicken and vegetable curry over rice
5. Remaining meals were pretty much all leftovers!
My only grocery run this week was $30 last Saturday at Costco and since I am only shopping for myself, only some items there work for me. My fridge is getting pretty bare, so I’m excited to go grocery shopping tomorrow.
Kris says
I was thinking about how our experiences affect our perspective. We are looking forward to warming up to the 30s (maybe 40) next week while Kristen is excited about temperatures 10-20 degrees above that! Meanwhile, prayers for all you folks hard hit with unusual winter weather. It’s hard to deal with if that’s not your usual weather pattern. Much of our life in the midwest is centered around the fact of wintry weather and we are prepared for it. I can’t imagine having, say, a hurricane hit my area and I wouldn’t know where to start (well, maybe with Google …. ).
Food. Let’s talk about food. Pizza for tonight, got my midwest-retro-gal on last night and had tuna noodle casserole, Wednesday was Mexican skillet supper, Tuesday was venison stew and oatmeal bread, Monday was turkey kielbasa sheet pan supper.
Stephanie says
Tuna noodle casserole is my number one comfort food!
Kris says
I read your meal plan for the week. Like you, trying new recipes is fun, but sometimes good ole fashioned comfort food hits the spot. BTW, we tried the take and bake Aldi pizza a few weeks ago and really liked it.
Profesora H-B says
I really appreciate how open you are about cooking for allergies and food sensitivities. I have a really bizarre constellation of oral allergy triggers and it is a nightmare sometimes to figure out how to accommodate everything. Some of the sensitivities come and go, some depend on the food’s state (ripe/unripe) or preparation (cooked/uncooked). It is so nice to see an open discussion of how you cope with the needs and preferences of your family members.
Ruby says
We spent $55 on groceries, which were mainly produce, hot cocoa mix, nuts, ham, almond milk, yogurt, and cheeses. I mostly ate yogurt and canned peaches for supper, having finally eaten up the giant bag of frozen blueberries. Last night I had some potato soup. My husband ate ham sandwiches with fresh produce, nuts and cheese every night that he didn’t eat leftover chicken.
This week’s grocery shop will be huge, as I’ve been putting off buying anything but absolute necessities due to terrible weather and general tiredness. Work has been a beast this week.
LDA says
I spent $114.19 at Kroger & $27 on Misfits produce box. I’m at $304.05 for the month, which includes non-food items. We ate:
Sat – chili
Sun – steak, king crab legs, baked potato & salad
Mon – pork chops, Mac & cheese, sautéed mushrooms, broccoli & cornbread
Tue – chicken tortilla soup, beer bread
Wed – DH had sushi, I had cereal
Thu – cheese coneys
Fri – fried fish, sweet potato fries, cole slaw, hush puppies
Betta from daVille says
WWS: $120 Abattoir, $72 Market Basket, $15 Fishmonger. WWA:
Sat: fried rice & leftovers
Sun: gyros, pita, “The best crispy roast potatoes ever recipe” tzatziki (gyro, tzatziki & potato recipes from Serious Eats; pita recipe from King Arthur). Because it was Valentine’s Day and we LOVE gyros.
Mon: Sheet pan salmon & Brussel sprouts in citrus soy (NYTimes); rice; avocado & cucumbers. Super yummy, super easy recipe – you can find it on the website if you don’t have NYT access.
Tues: BLT & potato wedges
Wedn: deconstructed eggplant parm (we don’t bake the eggplant in the sauce, but serve it over it, so that it stays crispy. Just broil the cheese on top of eggplant first); salad
Thurs: crab cakes with remoulade; sautéed zucchini & peppers; roasted potato peels
Fri: Slovenian goulash on polenta; buttered & broiled cabbage (perfect for today’s snow storm!)
Jody S. says
I keep thinking that someday I’ll remember what we ate in a week, but it’s just not this week. I would also be interested in a FODMAP post.
CrunchyCake says
Tonight: Younger daughter wants In n Out so we’ll head over there early to beat the rush
Thursday: Homemade pizza & fruit
Wednesday: Buttered noodles with parmesan, carrots, apples, blackberries, and corn
Tuesday: Tostadas (almost had tears from the 2nd grader bc it wasn’t taquito Tuesday), sugar snap peas, cantaloupe
Monday: Ramen bowls with spinach, carrots, etc. with some sort of fruit on the side
Sunday: Fried salmon rice with raspberries and strawberries. I shaped the rice into hearts – that’s Valentines-y, right?
Gina says
What a weird and stressful week it has been for Central Texas. Homes and roads aren’t built for all this nonsense here! We have been in our warm house with water for the while week. I realize there is ZERO for me to complain about. We ate:
Monday – Chili in the crockpot with fritos and cheese (I made the pintos in the crock some time back)
Tuesday – Dr. Martin’s Mix (sausage and rice with veggies)
Wednesday – Turkey Spaghetti, peas
Thursday – Shrimp and sauteed squash and bell pepper over garlic rice
Friday – I have no idea – maybe we will see if a local restaurant is open
Saturday – Likely take-out
Sunday – Another take-out night, and hopefully I can buy groceries
We are out of just about everything because we had my Firstborn and his GF here and I hadn’t planned for Snowpocalpse!
Julia says
I forget what we ate when but highlights:
Meatball sandwiches with salad
Chicken veggie casserole topped with mashed potatoes, fruit
Chicken Alfredo with salad
Fried rice
And tonight roast beef, vegetable and mashed potatoes with gravy.
Darlene H says
Monday is the farthest back I remember clearly. :}
Monday—breakfast for dinner (potatoes, sausage, eggs in the hole sheet pan cooked in the toaster oven)
Tuesday—pulled pork from Butcher Box on brioche buns. DD had leftover tomato, cucumber, & white bean salad.
Ash Wednesday—cauliflower steaks with salsa verde (ATK Vegan) so good!
Thursday—spaghetti & meatballs (mine was eaten surreptitiously while in a Zoom training class)
Friday—either quinoa, lemon, & feta cakes or cauliflower tacos
Trying to balance meals for a healthy but meat loving husband and a mostly vegan daughter can be a little challenging. Sometimes our daughter eats something separately from us, but we all try to sit down together. It’s a work in progress.
CrunchyCake says
we have different diets at our house too and it’s a challenge sometimes for sure. A suggestion: use build your own meals – so burrito bowls or tacos can have ground beef/turkey and also refried or black beans. All the other toppings can be the same (lettuce, salsa, guac, onions, olives). Same idea with pasta and sauces – meat sauce or marinara. Or ramen bowls (eggs and pork for the meat eaters, veggie toppings like green onions, spinach, corn, shredded carrots for the vegan and anybody else who wants). I’ve also pulled out a portion before adding the protein in fried rice. The other thing that works for us is I’ll make chili but instead of ground beef, I bulk it up with kidney beans and vegan crumbles.
Ruth T says
We got another light layer of snow last night (maybe an inch?) and it’s so delightfully sparkly today!! The sun is out and everything looks beautiful. This week we ate:
Sunday: Pork chops, sweet potatoes, peas, and pineapple
Monday: Crunchwraps with a layered nacho dip
Tuesday: One Pot Veggie & Ham Pasta with Oreos for dessert to celebrate a lost tooth!
Wednesday: Chili and cornbread with ice cream for dessert to celebrate another lost tooth! (Big time hallelujah for them both coming out on their own without needing to get pulled. I’m totally ok with using ice cream as bribery to work on getting them out!)
Thursday: Tuna melts and tomato soup
Friday: Tater tot hot dish and broccoli with cheese
Battra92 says
As someone who has an onion allergy (related to the enzymes apparently) I can tell you that making broth without onions isn’t really all that bad. We usually have garlic in it but that’s not an option with FODMAP if my web searches are correct. Apparently Trader Joe’s Savory Chicken Broth concentrate is FODMAP compatible but obviously do your own research.
Also, there’s no shame in a rotisserie chicken. I enjoy them quite a bit (my wife isn’t a huge fan but will eat them)
Anyway, what did I eat?
Saturday: Wife made a beef stew that is popular in her family and they came over to eat some with her. My daughter and I don’t care for it so we had something else.
Sunday: For Vamlumtimes Day my wife and I had our usual tradition of having a steak dinner. We had steak, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots etc. Also, I should point out that Instant Pot mashed potatoes are quickly becoming my favorite way to prepare them.
Monday: Honestly, I’m drawing a blank here. I think it may have been a mishmash of stuff.
Tuesday: Chicken with rice pilaf and various vegetables.
Wednesday: Ham from the freezer that we had cooked a month or so ago. It’s nice to have dinner with minimal effort.
Thursday: Leftovers from the fridge. I personally had a big salad with some ham in it. My daughter just had ham and rice pilaf and brocolli. I think my wife had rice and potatoes.
Friday: I don’t know. Part of me wants fish but I think we may end up getting a pizza.
Nora says
Honestly I would own my Instant Pot just for mashed potatoes. But I also make rice, hard boiled eggs, and stock in it. I haven’t found any meals I actually like.
LB says
Love my Instant Pot for mashed potatoes, hard boiled eggs, steel cut oatmeal and ribs!
Cindy says
I’d be interested in a post on the FODMAP diet – not sure if others would. I looked it up and the information I found totally contradicted itself – one article (or even paragraph) saying something was bad and the next saying it was good. I’m wondering if some of it might be helpful for me but am just not sure officially what are the recommended and not recommended items.
Sarah G says
We had one trip to our local grocery store for $48 plus one stop for fruit and milk for $14.
Saturday- impromptu visit to see my husband’s 92-year-old grandma. By the time we left her house it was long past dinner time so we picked up Chick-Fil-A for the kids. The hubby and I waited and made ourselves tuna melts after the kids went to bed. Chick-Fil-A = yummy but homemade tuna melts = yummier.
Sunday- dinner at my parents’. We brought a heart-shaped strawberry cake for Valentine’s Day.
Monday- belated Valentine’s Day date night… local tex-mex. Yum!
Tuesday- my grandma’s goulash recipe <3
Wednesday- lasagna, green beans
Thursday- leftover lasagna, broccoli for the kiddos, kale-spinach-chickpea mixture for husband and me.
Friday- homemade pizza night (When I say homemade I'm referring to cheese and toppings only! Lol…I think I'll always be a store-bought crust kind of gal.)
Ellen says
Lets see how this goes, shopping for me is Sunday.
and lets just say I am over the Snow!
Saturday- mom/dads bil/sister did sausage peppers onion potatoes, chicken cutlets pasta for those that do not do sausage. I brought a cake
Sunday- Valentines day, we did take out from a local Italian place, and dairy Queen.
Monday-hot dogs, French fries before DD practice
Tuesday-Chicken cord on blu, mashed, carrots ( got the kids Wendy’s )
Wednesday-fish sticks and mac and cheese
Thursday-BBQ chicken cutlets in the oven, butter noodles, mixed veggies
Friday- mom/dads, going to have pierogi’s, just have to figure out for DD since he is a PITA!!
BarbG says
Saturday-egg salad on crackers, chips, mandarin, brownie
Sunday-hamburger gravy over rice, carrots, butter beans, applesauce
Monday-leftovers
Tuesday-roast beef, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green beans
Wednesday-leftovers
Thursday-baked potato, salad
Friday-not sure yet
JD says
Kristen, good luck with the low FODMAP cooking, but most of all, I hope you can pinpoint the issues for Sonia so she can know for sure what to eat and what not to eat.
I shopped for about 11 days of cooking last Friday, since today I will leave work early to go back home and get my vaccine, and I normally shop in the town where I work, not where I live. My bill was not too bad, but again, thinking for a menu for that long is a pain! I tried to think of 14 days’ menus, and just gave up and went with 11. It is what it is.
What we ate, in random order:
Butternut squash soup. I’m not a butternut fan, but this recipe included some sweet potato and apple to be pureed with the squash. I think the apple made it a little too sweet, but otherwise, I could eat this again. My husband — not so much.
Roasted pork chops, mashed celeriac, and roasted beets.
Roasted chicken, beets again, and green peas.
Hog jowl, peas, sliced cucumbers, applesauce
Pancakes and bacon for Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday
Steak with lots of sautéed mushrooms and onions, plus sliced cucumbers.
Tonight will be either the rest of the pork chops that I cooked the other night, or homemade chicken pot pie. I’m guessing the pork chops, with some of the vegetables that just arrived in my Misfits box.
Jennifer says
I have a question about Sonia’s situation. Does it bother her that she can’t eat what everyone else eats? I would be whiny about it, but something tells me she is more mature and knows how bad she would feel if she wants something she wasn’t supposed to eat.
Kristen says
It does definitely bother her some; I think the hardest dietary restriction has been no cheese (which was a pre-FODMAP issue anyway).
I try my hardest to provide good options for her, but there’s only so much one can do.
And yeah, she does want to feel better! So that is motivating even when cheese looks very inviting.
Jen says
Can I ask what her symptoms are? My youngest has been dealing with stomachaches, intermittent vomiting for no known reason, constipation etc. for years. We have seen so many Drs and have gotten no solutions or ideas. So hard and frustrating!
Kristen says
For her, it’s mainly that her stomach hurts and she feels nauseous after eating. We can’t quite figure out which foods are triggering the problem, and this process is supposed to help us figure that out.
Jennifer says
This is totally unrelated, but dh takes meds that make him terribly constipated. We tried still softeners, laxatives, enemas and nothing worked consistently. I asked our small town mountain pharmacist and recommendation? Drink as much water as you can. I rolled my eyes once I turned my head, but dh does drink much more water now and rarely has an issue anymore. I hope you can find out what is bothering your daughter.
Engineermom says
So, I stopped putting anything but chicken bones/scraps in my broth about a year ago, and other than a slight color difference, it’s been completely fine!
I used to put in onion peels, carrot ends, celery ends, etc., but then one time I didn’t have any of those things, just bones/scraps from 2 roast chickens, and I desperately wanted some homemade stock.
Since I couldn’t tell the difference, I just stopped adding the veggie scraps! (We compost through our garbage collector, so it all goes to the same place.)
Sarah G says
Same here, I don’t usually add anything but the bones and scraps. Serves it purpose!
Julia says
I make chicken broth all the time and I never use anything but just chicken and bones. I’ve never noticed it tasting differently. I do usually tend to put onions in the soup later though.
Kristen says
Yeah, I’m thinking the soup is going to be missing a little something without any onion at all. So somewhere along the way, I will sauté onions in some type of fat and then remove the onions.
kristin @ going country says
Friday: Leftovers from the bight before’s birthday feast: meatballs, shrimp, rice, frozen green beans, and I made a soup with some of the leftover meatballs for myself as I woke up with a cold
Saturday: Fried bull meat–one and a half of the quarts of meat I pressure-canned–bread and butter, frozen peas
Sunday: My husband made a stew of pigs’ feet, pork neck pieces, lots of garlic and onion, and way more hot roasted green chilis than I would have ever contemplated using. This is why he doesn’t cook for the family much.
I made a stew with the rest of the canned bull meat, beef stock, carrots, mild green chilis, frozen corn, canned kidney beans, and sour cream. The boys mixed mostly my stew with a little of their father’s spicy broth and very much enjoyed the result.
Monday: Beef pot roast, roasted potatoes, frozen peas
Tuesday: Carnitas-style pork, garlic bread, cucumbers with salt and vinegar
Wednesday: My eldest son made the “creamy” tomato soup from his ATK kids’ cookbook (the creaminess actually comes from white bread, not dairy), which the kids ate with grilled cheese sandwiches (bread overload), and my husband and I had scrambled eggs with cream cheese.
Thursday: Carnitas tacos with the leftover pork. And we actually had avocados, which is always exciting for us.
Tonight: Meatless Fridays are here again. Probably tuna patties, mashed potatoes, and green salad.