WIS, WWA | spring fever
What I Spent
Boyyyyy, am I ready for the semester to be done. Three weeks from today, I will be officially on summer break! It's so close, I can almost touch it.
I spent:
- $30 on a Hungry Harvest box
- $57 at Aldi
- $9 at Safeway
- $3 on a pizza
So, $99.
What We Ate
Saturday
Zoe was closing at work, so I was just feeding myself.
I sautéed some red onion, a red pepper, and some halved grape tomatoes. Then I added some rotisserie chicken and browned it.
I poured some cream in to deglaze the pan, added a few jalapeños, some angel hair pasta, the last of the Parmesan, and some fresh basil.
So good! Definitely one of my best thrown-together meals so far.
Sunday
Zoe was working, and I had another veggie/meat/pasta/heavy cream bowl, this time with Italian sausage as the protein.
Monday
I do not remember what Zoe ate, but when I got home from my clinical shift, I ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich and went to bed. 🙂
Tuesday
I did some poking around in my kitchen for things that needed to be used up; Zoe ate some French toast made with the last few King's Hawaiian rolls.
(I had used part of the package to make those baked ham sandwiches, but the package from Costco has more rolls than fit in my 8x8 pan.)
And I ate the last sweet potato, the last of the pulled pork, and the last of the pico de gallo.
Wednesday
I had a dinner with my divorce support group, and Zoe fended for herself.
Thursday
I was working on end-of-semester projects in the afternoon, and I was notttt feeling it.
So I went out to Starbucks to buy myself a little treat because all drinks were 50% off.
The drink was good, but even after drinking it, I still didn't feel like being responsible and cooking dinner.
Soooo, I redeemed a birthday reward and got a chipotle chicken pizza from a local shop for $3.
I guess the good news is that even when I take a break from being responsible, I know how to do it on a budget. 😉
Friday
I'm goin' to the symphony tonight, and since this one is further away, I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat somewhere once I'm in the city.
That 3 dollar pizza looks really yummy. You are so good at living large with a small price tag!
WIS: 60.79 @Target for mostly expensive cat food plus a few random items like tea, 69.29 on take out Ethiopian food, 192.66 @Aldi, 80.59 on wine, and 15.36 @Little Caesar's for a total of 418.79 this week. This is for two weeks worth of groceries though and it also included some birthday take out, so I'm not too fussed.
WWA:
Fri: salad (this was the salad I described in my comment last week that featured mootube drizzle), turkey bacon and mozzarella focaccia.
Sat: salad (artisan lettuce, carrots, yellow pepper, tomatoes, feta, pepitas and spray dressing), leftovers: focaccia, buttered noodles, rice from chicken and rice, mushroom risotto, egg cups made in muffin tin, and roasted pumpkin seeds.
Sun: carrots and hummus, fried rice using leftover rice, chicken chorizo and fresh pineapple chunks.
Mon: salad (artisan lettuce, purple carrots, orange carrots, yellow peppers, craisins, celery, pepitas and spray dressing), watermelon slices, spaghetti and turkey meatballs, roasted pumpkin seeds.
Tue: husband's birthday, so we had take out Ethiopian food: injera with a variety of vegetarian options (think potatoes, green beans, cabbage, etc but all spicy and saucy and meant to be eaten with the injera) and lentil sambusas. I made a NY cheesecake for dessert with a blueberry sauce to go with it. I foolishly decided to pour the blueberry sauce over top instead of serving it alongside, so we ended up having to scoop the cheesecake out from what my husband called the blueberry moat around the edge of the pan. My family has decided I should open a bakery and call it "delicious messes." 😉
Wed: leftovers: salad from Monday, watermelon, injera and veggies, spaghetti and meatballs and cheesecake.
Thu: salad (spinach, cucumber, carrots, blackberries, feta and spray dressing), Moroccan chicken, chick peas and apricots over jasmine rice.
Tonight: salad and focaccia, of course!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
@Becca, I can see the sign over the bakery door now - Delicious Messes by Becca - and it sounds very appealing!
@Becca,
I would *so buy* a Delicious Mess by Becca NY cheesecake with blueberry moat. 🙂
@Liz B.,
*Messes*
@Liz B.,
OK, so now I'm going to humble brag the cost breakdown of said delicious mess because if there was ever a place to do it, it's this blog:
For the crust, I used a handful of honey wheat pretzel twists instead of graham crackers, about four tablespoons of butter and a scant tablespoon of sugar. I estimate the cost of pretzels to be .22 (a tub has 24 servings, costs 5.19 and I used about 1 ounce or 1 serving). I bought butter when it was 1.99/lb and froze it. This was approximately half a stick, so .25 for butter. Maybe .10 worth of sugar? Crust total: 0.57
For cheesecake, I used two 8 oz cream cheese packages (on sale .99 each), 3 eggs (a dozen is about 2.00 at Aldi, so .50 for the eggs) 1 1/2 cups of sugar (I bought sugar on sale for 3.99 for a four lb bag, so maybe 1.00 for sugar? My math is a bit fuzzy on sugar.), the zest and juice from half a lemon (I didn't need all the juice, but used the rest in the blueberry sauce. Lemon are 2.99 for a bag of 8 at Aldi, so .19 for half a lemon), then I substituted plain yogurt for sour cream and only needed a quarter cup (the yogurt was on sale two quarts for 4.00, so this quarter cup cost me about .15), a teaspoon of vanilla (which I make from beans and vodka, so it costs literally pennies, let's say .10 to be generous), and a tablespoon and a half of flour (another .10?). Filling total: 4.02
Now, the blueberry sauce was just a handful of frozen blueberries that had been in my freezer since before lockdown. Let's be generous and say .50 for them. Then the lemon (already accounted for) about a quarter cup of sugar (.20?) and water (.02?). So blueberry moat total: 0.72.
So, cost of ingredients: 5.31.
Another delicious mess in the memory bank: priceless.
@Becca, a restaurant would have charged more than the total cost of your ingredients for a single slice. Nicely done!
I barely cooked this week 🙂 WWA:
Saturday- graduation banquet for DD (B.Ed.) - a nice buffet with roast beef and chicken, veggies, salads, etc
Sunday- baked pork chops, baked sweet potatoes, baked white potatoes, asparagus, crepes with sugared berries and whipped cream
Monday- leftovers
Tuesday- last minute change to grilled steak, oven fries, broccolini
Wednesday - travelling for work - Mediterranean bowl at a restaurant
Thursday - still travelling- restaurant pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage, glass of wine, rum baba
Friday- flying home fairly late so dinner will be whatever is being served in the Maple Leaf lounge
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend
I am ready for it to break 60 here! According to the next 10 days forecast, it isn't happening any time soon, feh.
Mealwise, it's all a blur. Lots of salads, lots of Rice Krispies with berries, and lotsa muffins.
We ate at home all week.
Sunday: spaghetti with sauce made by the hubs
Monday: Grilled Chicken with salads
Tuesday: Threw together some black bean soup
Wednesday: Sweet & spicy pork with rice
Thursday: Tacos
Friday: leftovers - maybe a quesadilla with black bean soup
Tomorrow: Husband's choice as it's his birthday.
WIS: $24 at Trader Joe's, $4.25 at Tops, and -$2.68 at Wegmans. The negative number at Wegmans reflects another trip there where my bottle/can deposit returns exceeded my grocery purchases. 😀
WIA: Nothing exciting, frankly, since I haven't had much appetite because of this @#$%!! bronchitis. (On the bright side, I may end up losing a bit of weight, which I wouldn't regard as any calamity.)
@A. Marie, Nice job at Wegman's!! Our neighbor just gave us a bag of bottles and cans for the kids last night. Sorry it was such a rough health week.
@A. Marie, I hope you're feeling better. Or at least starting to.
@A. Marie, I love your negative Wegmans trip! We inadvertently did the same this week, stopped to pick up a sale item that was out of stock, but fortuitously passed the Coinstar machine with an overflowing return slot (and no one else in sight) and scored $6.05 in change plus a ring that Amazon says is worth $12.99 and a token for a free carwash. 🙂
@Bobi,
Total Coinstar score!
@Bobi, sounds as if you broke the bank at Monte Carlo!
Your dinners this week looked delicious. And I have sweet potatoes topped with pulled pork on the menu for next week - such a yum combo. I have no memory of what I spent, but we ate:
Monday - kitchen closed {for real - I was TIRED. I got take out Chik-Fil-A}
Tuesday - Ravioli with Bolognese, mixed greens salad (I still have half of a huge bag of ravioli in the freezer...)
Wednesday - Spicy Honey Beans with Sausage (two kielbasa from the freezer, one bell pepper, one can of roasted chipotle beans, touch of honey), garlic toast
Thursday - Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas, corn, rice (got two leftover meals from this)
Tonight - Pan Fried Tilapia, Trader Joe's Garlicky Pasta, spinach
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed, but there are leftovers containers for my peeps, and I will also pack leftovers from my lunches at work.
Dessert this week was brown butter chocolate chip cookies - browned butter and toasted nuts added to a chocolate chip cookie mix.
Happy Weekend!
@Gina,
Chicken and cheese enchiladas sound so good....I haven't made enchilads in a long time. I'm thinking next week needs some on the menu. Thanks!
Two things before my menu:
1. I appreciate how you are making great meals for yourself when it's just you. My brain is still in the "feed many mouths" stage and so it's hard to mentally feel the same way when it comes to dinners (I'm much more excited to have a night off of cooking), but I did just realize that I do something similar for lunches. I make really good salads for lunch that have a lot of pieces to them and take some time. I appreciate the example you are setting of making healthy choices.
2. I had a couple of hours to myself yesterday afternoon and also treated myself to half off at Starbucks! So fun to know that you were doing that in a different part of the country. 🙂
Now to meals...
Saturday - My husband and I were on our way back from our anniversary trip and drove through the city where my brother lives. We met up with him at Panera and it was delicious.
Sunday - My mom's birthday party! She wanted it to be easy and this was a year where I needed to say ok to that plan. She asked that we order pizza, so we got pizza from a local place.
Monday - Spaghetti, garlic bread, and asparagus (because my garden is already producing!! Yay!!)
Tuesday - ABC chicken nuggets, pineapple, and Kristen's banana chocolate chip muffins
Wednesday - Salad and pizza at church
Thursday - Tater tot hot dish, blackberries, and applesauce
Friday - I just learned that my husband has to work tonight (schedules are intense right now and it's a lot to keep straight) but I think I'm going to stick with my plan of burrito bowls and a layered taco dip.
Saturday: We were in Santa Fe picking up my new (old) car, and we ate a very late lunch/early dinner at a Chinese restaurant. And then of course everyone was still hungry when we got home around 7:30 p.m. They ate random combinations of yogurt, salami, peanut butter before I sent them to bed.
Sunday: Two pizzas--one cheese, one with bacon--green salad with ranch dressing, strawberry/rhubarb pie with whipped cream. Rhubarb from the garden yay! Strawberries . . . not. Strawberries do not appreciate our climate.
Monday: Leftover pizza, leftover pinto beans with ham, cucumber, cookies and cream ice cream. For anyone who needs a gallon of ice cream--whether you have a big family like mine that will eat more than half a gallon at a time, or for a party or something--the Walmart brand ice cream is actual ice cream (not the lower-fat "dairy desserts") and is good. They only have a few flavors, but it's such a good deal.
Tuesday: Lamb steaks, roasted potatoes, raw radishes, pureed calabaza (winter squash--from last year's garden and in the freezer), and roasted asparagus (from the garden yay!)
Wednesday: I had made chili the day before so it would be ready to go for Frito pies. We mostly had Frito pies (a pile of Fritos with chili and toppings on them) because I found that Walmart has a store brand version of Fritos that are half the price, and I wanted to try them. No difference that I can tell, so I can shill for the Great Value corn chips as well. I guess I should have called these Generic Corn Chip Pies.
Thursday: Our shearer came in the afternoon, and I knew I would be very tired after shearing. So I made a bull enchilada casserole in the morning, cut up some carrot sticks while it baked, and that was it.
Friday: We have casserole, and lamb, so those will be the options, filled in with bread and butter and salad as needed. I have leftover chili, too, but that will be frozen for a future Generic Corn Chip meal.
@kristin @ going country, I JUST yesterday asked someone if they knew anything about Walmart's great value gallons of ice cream! We have a church function tomorrow afternoon with ice cream sundaes as the refreshments, so this really good to know!
@kristin @ going country, and, I saw a New Mexico license plate yesterday way over here in PA! That's pretty rare.
@JP, Oh good, I'm glad it was helpful for you! Our Walmart only has chocolate, vanilla, cookies and cream, and Neopolitan in the gallon size, but those would be perfect for ice cream sundae options.
@kristin @ going country, Count me as one of the people needing to buy a gallon of ice cream this week! Thanks for the tip. My oldest is in the spring musical at school next week and they're selling root beer floats.
@kristin @ going country, I just spent $48.60 at my little Neighborhood Walmart this morning (but $14.97 was for a beautiful potted plant for my dining room table), and because I read your post before I shopped I got a 48 ounce container of Walmart's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for $2.78 (about 5 1/2 cents per ounce), compared to the Haagen-Daz $6/"pint" (only 14, not 16, ounces) (about 43 cents per ounce). I'll do my taste test later, but there would have to be a remarkable distinction to justify that price discrepancy. So thanks for the tip!
Saturday - got takeout pizza. Two kids were at a birthday party where they also had pizza
Sunday - leftovers! We had a lot of chuck roast left from earlier the previous week.
Monday - oven baked macaroni and cheese, ham, broccoli
Tuesday - grilled chicken, rice, salad
Wednesday - baked ziti, fresh bread, salad
Thursday - Reubens for half of us grilled cheese for the other half, chips, pickles, salad
Tonight - either leftovers as is, or leftover grilled chicken repurposed into another dish
I think I can remember WWA....
Sunday: We had pizza, salad and cake at an afternoon retirement party, so at dinnertime we weren't really hungry. Hubby had something (i can't remember) and I had air popped popcorn with butter and salt
Monday: Parmesan crusted chicken, baked sweet potatoes and chicken flavored noodles
Tuesday: homemade hamburger helper and garlic toast
Wednesday: tacos
Thursday: spaghetti and meatballs and italian bread at a friend's house after we helped fix their electric fence for their cows
Friday: tonight is to be decided...
Stock up from Sam’s. Once a month. 241 dollars. I love the scan and go option and we love the frozen salmon and bags of raw nuts. I make a lot of granola.
Monday: bangers from the grill and mash with steamed peas
Tuesday: sandwiches and chips and salsa
Wed: breakfast for dinner Granola yogurt fresh fruit options nuts ( granola bar!)
Thurs: chorizo tacos with cilantro rice
Fri: frozen pizza and bagged salad. I am tired!
* Vegetarian cashew chili
* What was supposed to be Cauliflower parmesan steaks turned into cauliflower casserole after the cauliflower fell apart after removing the core
* Portobello mushrooms on toast
* Salads on the other nights (greens topped with bleu cheese crumbles, sunflower seeds, raisins, cannellini beans, black pepper, and spritzed with olive oil and rice vinegar)
It's nice to have treats when you're feeling demotivated! Over here, it's Passover, so our meals look a little different.
Monday: We were at my parents' for the first seder; we had salad and hardboiled eggs, then chicken soup with matzah balls, brisket, salmon, potato kugel, roasted vegetables, asparagus, then fruit and a dessert of cakes and cookies. I made the soup, brisket, and kugel.
Tuesday: We were at my in-laws for the second seder; they gave us vegetable soup, turkey with cranberry sauce, fish, matzah kugel, meatballs, salad, roasted vegetables, gefilte fish, and hardboiled eggs. And matzah, of course. And a dessert of several different cakes and cookies.
Wednesday: Mr. B was working late, so the little one and I had a nice, simple meal of hardboiled eggs, sliced cucumbers, matzah buns, and dried fruit.
Thursday: I made a sheet pan of chicken and butternut squash, plus sauteed the end of two bags of greens.
Friday: We'll do Mediterranean-style tilapia, roasted butternut squash, green beans, and mashed potatoes. And matzah--no challah for Shabbat today!
Saturday - takeout cheesesteaks
Sunday - it was such a nice warm day, we decided to roast hot dogs outside which is always a hit. My husband also got corn on the cob and we sliced a watermelon we had so it felt very summery! Plus root beer floats for dessert.
Monday - I made Spanish cauliflower rice with black beans mixed in for me, also made some lime crema to go with it. Chicken tacos for everyone else, with assorted raw veggies on the side such as bell peppers, cucumbers, avocado.
Tuesday - I also made a thrown together pasta using what we had, with rainbow chard, broccoli and chicken sausage, and Olive oil, pasta water and Parmesan cheese for the sauce. It was a huge hit, my son ate 3 servings when he often doesn’t even finish one serving of his dinner. I’ll have to do this more!
Wednesday - chicken burger for husband, black bean burger on salad for me, chicken nuggets for kids, butter pasta, steamed broccoli
Thursday - I was at a team offsite so I was getting home later than usual and then we had to go straight to open house at my son’s school. Husband fed the kids Mac n cheese beforehand and I ate leftover soup when we got home.
Friday - I have book club tonight so I’ll be enjoying snacks and drinks there for dinner! Will make something simple for the kids before I go, maybe spaghetti with jarred sauce
As always, I struggle to remember exactly what we ate!
-I know the teens were unexpectedly home for dinner on a Friday night (that never happens). I was very tempted to order takeout, but instead opted to run to the store & pick up a few things so we could have tacos. We had those 2x, and one teen had a taco quesadilla another night, and I had taco salads for 2 lunches. And, I froze additional leftovers for another taco dinner some other time.
-DH grilled hot dogs & we had that with salad one night, using up buns from the freezer, which is always a win.
-I made an Asian themed beef & rice dish, which had edamame & carrots & green beans. None of us loved it. I froze 1/2 & then had the leftovers for an additional dinner + a few lunches.
-I made spaghetti & meatballs + garlic bread for dinner last night (bread from the freezer), which went over well.
For tonight, I'm planning to phone it in. I'll be shocked if the teens are home, but sometimes they are (see the first dinner note) & then there isn't enough food, so we shall see. I'm thinking tonight will be spring rolls & wings (both from the freezer) + salad.
I join you as you look toward the finish of the school year. For me though it is the Grand Poopa finish line of retirement - 35 years of a successful career.
This last stretch is bittersweet and rough. I had to initiate suicide protocol again on a 16 year old student ( far too many times this has happened the last few years.) I have been focusing on teambuilding and socialization for one Junior class that has forgotten how to interact with each other in a healthy manner. This means instead of researching the Harlem Renaissance, Vietnam, and the Spanish American War, we were playing Uno, Giant Jenga, and indoor volleyball with a beach ball. With every win we shouted each others names and cheered. Lots of energy on my part but successful. Today we are back to content. Just like a doctor, I triage for the most important needs first. I am beat.
So I spent nothing on food this week. Ta Daaa! I met my 200 dollar food budget for the month last week. Super proud. If I live like I did this month, I should be able to save about $400 a month of my future pension for fun things. This is my goal and will allow me to continue to grow my 403B until I am 67. This will make a big difference going forward as inflation eats away at the pension.
I still had some money left in the restaurant/ entertainment budget which looks to be about $150. I bought bakery cupcakes for Mom's bday to bring her rather than cooking them. I just don't have time. Entertainment for us is usually eating out with friends or a matinee. separating it from food budget works well for me.
@mary ann, kudos to you for being a good, caring teacher and for making it to the finish line!
@mary ann, I so appreciate teachers like you so much who take the time to figure out what their students REALLY need instead of blindly following curriculum. Congratulations on your well-earned retirement.
You sound like a VERY wonderful teacher. <3
@mary ann,
I know exactly what you mean about triaging. I teach prek, not high school, but it's honestly not that different. I was telling a coworker just the other day that I feel like I teach nothing but social emotional skills this year and she was like "well, if it's what they need..." It is. It really is.
WIS: About $85 on groceries. $28 on an online coffee order -- took advantage of a clearance sale at San Francisco Bay Coffee. About $28 on cat kibble and dog treats.
WWA: Chili and homemade flat bread. Roasted chicken and baked potatoes. Veggie taco bowls. Protein-berry smoothies. Fresh veggies, oranges, cheese, nuts and crackers. Last night was every man for himself and I had an Atkins Cheese and Chicken Risotto frozen meal, which was actually quite good. The risotto in it is cauliflower rice.
WWS, WWA, the Hospital Survival Edition. I will include some updates on DS for those who are wondering. I really appreciate all the prayers and goodwill here in the Kind Commentariat. It's nice to know there are online spaces where others only wish other human beings well. You are all great.
Saturday/Sunday: Oldest got sprung from the hospital after the Botched Surgery (though we didn't know it was botched at the time), and he was told he could go on a normal diet, but he was already hiccuping like mad and feeling nauseated. The other guys had homemade pizzas.
Monday: DS was feeling like he could possibly eat, so I made him some tofu cubes, one of his favorite foods, and he started anticipating the rice and baked chicken I was making for dinner. Alas, it was not to be. The others had rice, baked chicken and broccoli. He tried nibbling on crackers. Not to gross anyone out too much, but nothing stayed down and there was a lot of "Wow, that is a weird color..."
Tuesday: It was eminently clear that DS was getting worse, so he called his doctor and they said he should go to the ER. He was admitted promptly and by that evening was being told he had to have a second surgery to fix whatever had gone wrong (and a big thing had gone wrong, as it turned out and I am NOT OVER IT). DH made fish burgers for the other kids at home while DS#2 and I hung out waiting until DS came out of surgery around midnight. I ate leftovers like a foraging raccoon when I got home around 2 am.
Wednesday: Hmm...leftovers? DS's first day after surgery and I think I just came home that night late and again became a raccoon. DH did the shopping that day.
Thursday: DS#3 made tacos, DH relieved DS#2 at the hospital and then I went in around 3 to relieve DH so they could all go have tacos together and watch a movie and DS#2 could do laundry. I packed some leftover chicken, tofu cubes and a snack bag of coconut chunks to nibble on while DS slept. Then DH came to spend the night at the hospital and I went home and had a very late second dinner of leftover pasta.
Friday: DS is doing well! He's getting out of bed on his own, ambulating pretty well, and his tachycardia is slooowly trending downward. His next goal is to get the NG tube out so he can actually drink a glass of water. Tonight we're just starting homemade pizza weekend early.
and on that note I'd better get to prepping those things, and catching up on household stuff before heading back to see DS! There is a chance his NG tube might come out today, so prayers for that to go well would be great. 🙂
I should also mention that along with the normal food I have been stress eating those weird but oddly delicious Veggie Straw snack things. THIS IS HOW I COPE, by taking my anger out on crunchy foods with no nutritional value. Though I did eat a carrot at one point. I'm patting myself on the back for not falling to the siren song of the vending machines and Starbucks at the hospital.
Oh my brain just remembered, Wednesday DH got Chik Fil A for DS#2 and myself at the hospital, and for our youngest, and DH and DS#3 had leftovers.
@Karen A., glad your son is finally doing well!
@Karen A., If Veggie Straws are your coping food, I'd say you're doing pretty well. Given the circumstances, actually extremely well. Continuing prayers for your son and all of you that the worst is behind you and things steadily improve from now on.
Woohooo for good progress! Yay! And may it continue.
@Karen A., I think you should sue the doctors. Or at least threaten to sue to get a settlement. They shouldn't be allowed to skate away from botched surgery without consequences.
@Karen A., Good job avoiding the vending machines and Starbucks at the hospital! Due to some family health issues we have spent a LOTTTT of time at hospitals the past few years and I know how tempting it can be to spend that money on a quick snack or drink there. Prayers going up for your son's healing after these surgeries!
@Karen A.,
Such good news! Once your son gets that NG out, he'll feel even better. So glad things are headed in the right direction for him.
I'm a stress eater, too, but I tens to go for sweets when I'm stressed. Veggie Straws are good, though!
@Rose,
I agree. Or if suing them is not something you want to do, Karen A., file a complaint with the hospital ombudsman/patient representative or similar. The hospital needs to know what happened, as well as the way your family was treated by the hospital staff.
This week was such a blurrrrr. It was a no spend week, but I'll make up for that (*probably) as it is storming too much to have fun working outside - so I planned a fun day for Mom, friend and I to visit some fancy garden centers, a new to us scratch & dent store and an estate sale or two along the way.
I was not the successful bidder on the tractor, the bidding got really aggressive last night, it closed 2 hours ago and I am thinking the universe was sending me a message.
This experience has given me anxiety. When my hubby was alive, we did this all the time for needed equipment. I'm not a mechanic, so more anxiety. I also received in the mail a notice that I am receiving some kind of life insurance payout for my brother's estate. I gave the paperwork to my accountant and she is going to figure it out next week. Who knows, this may be an answer to all of my prayers! I have been doing the slow slog of working on ranch projects myself, hiring day helpers (mostly family) when I need an extra hand.
Sunday: Family dinner: Fresh sea bass and crab. I made 4 loaves of french bread, 2 sheet pans of oven fries, green salad and fruit salad for dessert w/white almond brownies.
M: Fish tacos
T: Bean soup, cornbread & green salad
W: more bean soup, cornbread & green salad
Th: work party day - Grilled burgers, tater tots & oatmeal crispies for the crew to take home
F: I have made a GF pizza that will slowly rise in the fridge while we are off having fun today, then I'll bake it off and serve with a green salad.
S: Pork roast, use up the last winter squash, broccoli salad I have invited all of the nurses and their families that live on my road (6 families - about
Here's a price shocker: This year our Cancer Eat Out event was held at our local pizza joint, last year you could buy a large 2 topping pizza for $30. This year's event was a 2 topping for $48. Geez oh! I decided to not participate and will donate to a local family fighting cancer, to help pay for gas for their 6 hour round trip drives to receive treatments.
Sat - My son smoked Ribs and we all just stood around the island, eating those ribs, lol. No sides, no seats - just us & the ribs. They were pretty fabulous.
Sun - Homemade pizzas
Mon - Arroz con pollo
Tues - Grilled chicken sandwiches & fries
Wed - Tacos
Thurs - Leftovers. The tacos were converted into taco salad and the Arroz con pollo, I put some steamed veggies on top, topped with Sweet Baby Rays Buffalo Chicken Sauce
Fri - I'm fixing Chicken Parmesan
Saturday: dinner at good friends' house
Sunday: can't remember
Monday: homemade lentil soup and grilled cheese
Tuesday: pasta with tomatoes, feta and olives
Wednesday: spiced chickpeas and rice
Thursday: dinner out with colleagues
Friday: leftovers supplemented with homemade cheeseburgers
@K, in my mind, you cannot go wrong with cheeseburgers.
Friday: I flew home and was in no mood to cook anything after a heavy work week. My husband remembered we had frozen enchiladas in the freezer and made sure to defrost them so I could just pop them in the oven. He was also thinking ahead and picked up some Spanish rice for a side.
Saturday: We had lots of veggies to use so I decided to make Shepherds Pie with a side salad
Sunday: Spicy Beef Sandwiches (slow cooker), tater tots, fresh veggies with homemade ranch dip
Monday: Sausage and Pepper Calzones with kale salad
Tuesday: Tomato Soup (slow cooker) with grilled cheese
Wednesday: My husband got an email that our favorite restaurant would be closing at the end of May. He quickly made reservations and we are hoping to get in at least 1-2 more times before they officially close. We indulged in the best Italian food in our metro area.
Thursday: Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice (slow cooker). I was disappointed with this recipe and I won’t be making it again.
Your symphony outings sound really lovely! Good for you taking some time for yourself to recharge (divorce support group get together included too, of course!) your batteries during a busy season of life.
happy birthday. my son's bar mitzvah is in two days. he is very excited. his suit still fits yay. as i make my way through gossip girl they showed a snippet of the donna reed show. but no johnny angel song. that is my favorite song in the whole world. my kids 13 and 15 know the words. i felt that way about a guy in high school and it turns out he was gay. in a later episode the song was in the background and i was really happy.
@Anita Isaac, I remember Johnny Angel thanks to my mom. I also enjoyed Shelley on the series Coach.
Kristen, your Saturday meal sounded/ looked scrumptious!!
We’ve had salads for all our dinners last weekend and throughout this week. I had wanted to roast some vegetables when I baked chicken Monday night but decided to just add chicken to salad. And that was the dinner menu all week. I just change up which veggies to incorporate with the spinach /kale base. However, I bought a bunch of strawberries on sale on Monday so made some pound cake and served that with strawberries and whipped cream for a few nights’ desserts. Tomorrow we may have a guest join us to go dancing so we may eat out before dancing.
Your grocery bill surely doesn’t include paper products, cleaners, etc.?
We call those concoctions with leftover chicken "chicken glop". We are not white meat fans so if we buy a whole roasted chicken (when on sale, cheaper than a raw chicken you roast yourself and it doesn't mess up the oven!) we chop up the white meat and make chicken glop with whatever we have on hand. We get 3 or more meals out of a rotisserie chicken, so it's pretty frugal for our family.
We also buy packs of wings on sale, and use those to make broth (along with chicken carcasses when we do have a whole chicken). We pick the meat off the bones after making broth in our electric pressure cooker, and that becomes chicken glop, too, or sometimes chicken pot pie.
Happy birthday, Kristen! 🙂 Hope you have a lovely weekend!
I love your some of your looks. So funny.
Good for you for treating yourself well, even on a budget!
I'm impressed that you got a pizza for $3, that's hard to do these days, even with a discount.
WIS: $73 at Walmart
WIA: Saturday - gluten free pasta with black beans mixed into the sauce and dairy free cheese melted into it.
Sunday - hot dogs and black beans and homemade biscuits with margarine and maple syrup
Monday - pasta with broccoli and sliced hot dogs, berry cobbler from the freezer for dessert
Tuesday - mashed potatoes made with leftover chicken broth, hot dogs on the side
Wednesday - pinto beans and cornbread and a hot dog
Thursday - same as Wednesday
Friday - beans and cornbread, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert
Lots of repetition this week, but I didn't mind. In cooking for one, it helps to make things I don't mind eating several days in a row.
Hello,
Spent around 60 dollars this week but that includes laundry soap and cat food sooo...around 42 ish. Not to terrible.
Sunday - Bean and bacon soup in the crockpot (double batch because it freezes well) bread rolls and cheese.
Monday - Discovered three enormous chicken breasts in the freezer so I stretched em into a couple of meals. This night I made copy cat chicken soft taco supremes, refried beans and rice on the side.
Tuesday - Leftover refried beans and rice with roasted yams.
Wendsday - Spicy peanut chicken and soba noodles with peppers and more roasted yams.
Thursday - Pancakes with strawberries and banana slices, and husband had a fried egg on the side....he's with you on the fried eggs make everything better opinion.
Friday - Made chicken salad with random diced veggies which we ate on top of greens, last of the rolls to go with...oh and the last of the grapes to.
Saturday - I think I'll make crockpot chili and crockpot baked potatoes with random assorted toppings and, since I'm a animal that breaks all the chili should be eaten with cornbread or crackers rule (according to husband that is) I'll probably sprig for a bag of Frito scoops to eat my chili with.
Everyone stay safe out there and happy weekend.
Saturday - honestly cannot remember.
Sunday dine out Mexican
Monday last of the pre-cooked frozen shrimp sauteed in butter/garlic, unsure of side dish
Tuesday - Tilapia w/chili con carne, frijoles, y left over arroz
Wednesday - stuffed pork w/taters and carrots
Thursday - burgers with leftover chorizo as a "fixin"
Friday - a roll and a couple slices of pizza. Dinner out with my old man, better half ate most of the said pizza. The few leftover pieces will be a (not for me) snack this weekend.
WIA
Monday - chili and cornbread muffins from freezer and rice. I was returning from vacation and was happy to have the easy button available
Tuesday - turkey, ramen, and vegetable stir fry
Wednesday - bbq chicken from crockpot with rice and salad
Thursday - I tried a Thai coconut curry chicken and chickpea recipe that was just okay
Friday - we do takeout because I’m beat and it usually gives us a chance to spend the evening putzing in the yard together.
We got a tree cut down and the wood chip pile has replaced magnatiles as the hottest toy of the moment haha
WIS: $69 Market Basket $63 Aldi
Even though I am saving money making my own smoothies, I can save more on the frozen fruit at Aldi compared to Market Basket. It was difficult to check prices at MB the other day because many were blacked out--price changing. A 40 oz bag of frozen "tropical fruit" (it has a lot of cranberries, which I think more of being grown in the bogs around where I live or in Oregon) $8.99 + $4.69 (price has increased) plain yogurt to make smoothies to drink or eat with a spoon (maybe will need 2 yogurt per bag of fruit) is a money saver. (Aldi frozen fruit $5-$5.99 depending on weight + $3.89 yogurt). Although I am not one who goes daily to the local smoothie shop or the local coffee shop.
For the person shopping at MB the other day and on a budget, one may have to price check a lot in their cart to determine if they could afford to buy all they wanted that day.
I'll have to make sure I double up the order at Aldi.
Friday I don't remember. I worked that day.
Saturday I had been to a baby shower earlier in the day, had some pasta with leftover sauce.
Sunday: Eggs, bacon and toast. Eggs from my daughter's chickens.
Monday: Burgers (free rolls in freezer), asparagus
Tuesday: Turkey feta burgers (again free rolls in freezer), asparagus
Wednesday: Stuffed peppers and lasagna rolls
Thursday: There were 2 chicken patties in the freezer and 1 stuffed pepper left--so we ate them up.
When there is no input into mealtime, there are times I lack creative motivation. I do need to get better. To do this, I think I am going to have to go to the grocery store more often--pick an item I want to make and shop for what I don't have to complete it. Double up so I will be ready again in a couple of weeks.
For budgeting purposes, Aldi is more affordable, Market Basket next which obviously has a lot more to offer, then we have 5 other markets in our area. One in town and the others in the surrounding towns.
Your French toast looks good. Maybe I'll have that tonight. I have picked up some bread at the Sr. Center. The local market (which is even more expensive than any of the markets in the area) donates their excess bakery products to the Sr. Center daily.
Was out of town in Morro Bay for work so here goes...
Sun: 8.5 hr work day so McD on the road, $10.99, a delicious mushroom burger from Sylvester’s w fried zucchini ($24.00 for all but been dying to try them).
Mon: free hotel breakfast ( oatmeal, eggs, sausage, bacon, apple). Had to pickup some grocery items for workshop so just grabbed a deli sandwich ($7.99) for dinner plus exhausted from drive and set up for 80 guests.
Tues: No time for free brkfast as they don’t start til 700 and I had to be at event by 630. Lunch was a pair of carne asada street tacos a coworker treated me. We had an Icebreaker that night and I got a French dip to take home as guests ate up over $400.00+ of appetizers so I got 1 lonely ckn wing. Dip was 18.00.
Wed: Still no breakfast but I splurged and got a blended cafe mocha and a tri tip breakfast burrito from a tiny coffee place I’d been wanting to try. Set me back $17.00 (!) but I needed a treat. No time for lunch. Dinner was leftover Fr dip and fruit.
Thurs: A quick bowl of oatmeal and a bagel. No lunch again. Dinner was some nachos from a place I’d been wanting to try ($14.00).
Fri: 8.5 hrs to get home. Breakfast was a bagel and sausage patty from hotel while driving home. Lunch was a Subway sandwich while driving ($8.99).
Grand total was ab $101.00 for the week; I’ve been to Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo before many times so I’ve seen and eaten at all the places I’ve wanted to try. Plus I had to bail out the dog from the kennel so that set me back $220.00 so I was trying to watch what I spent. Stomach wasn’t feeling into clam chowder or fish at the time either. Back to eating healthy now!
@Kalena, Morro Bay is on my shortlist of places I would live if I ever moved. Sounds like you were way too busy to enjoy it. If you go back and have a bit more time, there is a good cafe in Cayucos (Sea Shanty with an ice cream pie to die for) and some great restaurants in. Cambria, a little farther north. (Linn’s and Robin’s are the ones I remember because I am now too frugal to eat out!)
Hi Kristen!
Sending some encouragement and positive thoughts as you continue your education and become a nurse! I went back to school later in life after being home with my children and got a bachelors degree and then a master’s in counseling psychology. I am now a licensed marriage and family therapist in practice for the last 14 years. It was a long road and difficult at times but so glad I did it . Life changing in so many ways ! I know you will be a great nurse with a long career!
P.S. Love you blog - relatively new reader and I am enjoying it!