WIS, WWA | that was a lotta greens
What I Spent
This week I stopped in at Lidl and I bought a pretty large container of greens. It weighed twice as much as the smaller container and it was only about a dollar more, so that seemed like a no-brainer to me!
And I am proud to say that I have single-handedly eaten almost the entire container, largely by eating a bowl of greens with my breakfast.
I made a double recipe of the dressing from this strawberry-pear salad, put it into a jar in my fridge, and then shook it up each morning and poured a little over some over greens.
Since the dressing is a little bit sweet, I can handle it for breakfast, and it works great for a side with some scrambled eggs and toast.
Anyway!
This week, I spent:
- $35 at Lidl
- $14 at Safeway
- $11 at Chick Fil A (for a sad reason. Read on.)
So, just $60 this week for Miss Zoe and me.
What We Ate
Saturday
Sadly, Zoe's hamster, Socks, died shortly before she had to go to work.
He was pushing two years old, so he was quite an elderly little hamster, but still, it's always hard to lose a pet.
Zoe and I went together to buy Socks right after Christmas in 2021, and then a few weeks later, we left the family home and moved in with my parents.
So, Socks has been with Zoe through a lot of upheaval, and I think that made it especially hard to say goodbye.
We put him in a little butter box and buried him in our backyard, in the rain (fitting weather, we agreed), and we both cried.
I told Zoe I would buy her whatever she wanted for dinner after work, and she chose her standby, Chick-Fil A.
I think on a day when your hamster dies, you should have whatever dinner you want. <3
Sunday
Pulled pork from the freezer, on buns, with fruit on the side.
Monday
I got a rotisserie chicken (the $3 one I mentioned in this week's Five Frugal Things), and we ate that with sweet potato fries and a fruit salad.
Tuesday
I used leftover chicken to make half of this chicken and biscuits recipe. Halving it worked great for just the two of us! I made a green salad on the side.
Wednesday
We had enough leftovers to make cooking unnecessary, which was handy because I had an evening lab
(Where we learned all about how to insert catheters and administer enemas. Fear not; we have vinyl replicas of those body parts so that we do not have to practice on actual humans for now!)
Thursday
On Wednesday, I made this thin crust pizza dough and put it in the fridge.
I had an open lab from 4:30-5:30, so I just had Zoe turn on the oven for the preheating while I was gone, and then when I came home I made the pizzas.
A note on the recipe: I published that one back in 2009 so it unfortunately does not have a printable version. I'd say something like, "I'll fix that!" but I kinda think I will not get around to things like that until after the semester ends. 🙂
Friday
We have some leftover pizza and also some leftover pulled pork, so I think that's what'll be on the menu.
Pets are part of the family and it is hard to lose them. I hope Zoe is comforted (and you too) by the fact that Socks has been much loved and well taken care of! (Nearly) two years for a hamster is a considerable life span.
It is wonderful that there are vinyl body parts and also vinyl animals available for students to learn skills from disecting to inserting tubes, catheters etc.
I cannot recall many meals this week except that we did cook from scratch as usual and we had ample greens. And yesterday I had over 7 hours of travel for work and ate a boiled egg and a cheese sandwich to sustain me. So pretty pleased about not snacking.
I have noticed that our meals are more interesting if we have some nice dressings and marinades. This weekend I will spend some time prepping them ahead for the coming week.
Also I did a huge order on organic meat that will be delivered early November, for the upcoming holidays. It means I have some time ahead to finish off some odds and ends from our freezer at leasure. And I have time to prepare broth and meal components before Christmas. We have taken to eating vegetarian meals quite regularly but forDecember I decided to splurge on some nice meat cuts. Also for summer soups we prefer vegetable stock but in winter we do like soup with bone broth so I will have that available before winter really kicks in.
Yes, I am amazed at how long and health of a life he had. Lots of our other hamsters started to develop health problems at the end, like wet-tail, or neurological problems that made them do things like repeatedly run in circles.
But Socks just rolled on through to his death without experiencing any illnesses.
His worst experience was when he got out of the cage and Shelley nipped a hole in his ear. I was worried he might die from the stress (hamsters are rather fragile!), but he lived for over a year after that experience.
@Kristen, I was just about to ask how you all managed to keep rodents as pets in a house with cats, and you've just indicated that it did have its moments! Anyway, RIP Socks.
I’m sorry about Socks, so sad to lose a friend.
I didn’t keep up with what we ate. We don’t really plan ahead. One day we had chicken fried steak with new potatoes and mixed vegetables. For quite awhile I’ve been trying to cook smaller meals. It doesn’t always work so I try to use up the leftovers.
We had steak sandwiches one day. Then I made sausage soup with spicy Italian sausage, vegetable broth(I freeze the water we steam in)and frozen spinach. I added the leftover potatoes, vegetables, and a bit of milk left from last week. We had soup for lunch and dinner. It wasn’t as great as fresh but it was good.
We also had hamburgers. I have been freezing meats in small amounts. In case of the hamburger, it is two small patties. We also had nachos made with a small amount of meat, rotel tomatoes, and beans.
Breakfast is usually grits, cream of wheat, muffins I make and freeze, or eggs now that the price has dropped a bit. Sometimes we will eat a early lunch and skip breakfast.
Snacks have been popcorn, rice cakes with peanut butter, and graham crackers. Eating the graham crackers always makes me think of kindergarten snacks.lol
I'm so sorry about Socks. Losing a pet is so hard, and especially when that pet has been an emotional support animal. Sending you both love.
WIS: 30.74 on Ethiopian food. I also had a salad from Chipotle but I didn't pay for it because a parent from my school works there and she insisted on buying it for me which was so generous of her. It made the salad taste extra special.
WWA:
Fri: focaccia with mozzarella and tomatoes, kale salad, pumpkin cake roll for an early birthday cake dessert.
Sat: it was my birthday, and we had planned to pick up injera from my favorite Ethiopian restaurant on the way home from visiting my parents for lunch, but it was closed and worryingly there was a police car out front. So instead we had burritos with a scrambled egg and black bean mixture, cheddar cheese and broiled shisito peppers, carrots and hummus on the side and baked pears for dessert. This was quite a satisfying last minute dinner.
Sun: an assortment of leftovers: gnocchi, focaccia, peppers and eggs with black beans, assorted leftover salads and carrots and hummus.
Mon: carrots and celery with hummus, colcannon (light on the cabbage because one of our refrigerator cabbage finally bit the dust), and broiled salmon with brown sugar crust.
Tue: carrots and celery with hummus, tofu tacos with salsa, cheddar cheese and guacamole. This was finally the last of a huge container of hummus!
Wed: Halloween shaped pasta with peas, egg and grated Parmesan and topped with sprouts sauteed in browned butter. We all decided this was the best way to have sprouts. We also had apple slices on the side and chocolate cookie wafer rolls for dessert.
Thu: I had a school function to attend and at the last minute our admins said there would be no food for the volunteers and we were on our own to buy dinner, so I had the aforementioned Chipotle salad. My family at home had takeout Ethiopian from our favorite restaurant that is thankfully not permanently closed! I also had some leftovers of it when I got home. Injera...so good!
Tonight: focaccia and some kind of vegetable, not sure what yet.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
So glad your favorite restaurant is not actually closed. Whew!
I've never had injera before, so I googled it and whoa, it looks so foamy. What does it taste like?
@Kristen, sort of like extra sour sourdough, and the texture is pretty spongy. It's delicious!
@Becca, Well ... Here's a [Belated] Happy Birthday! To go along with the [Belated] Happy Anniversary! Next year I'll send [Premature] greetings for both, maybe the first week of October. ;-}
@JDinNM,
Aww, you're so sweet! Thank you!
@Kristen,
Natalie is pretty accurate in describing it. It is a type of sour dough made with teff flour. It's like a soft spongey sour pancake and you tear off pieces and use it to eat the other food which is saucy and spicy and very veggie heavy-it's sort of similar to how you would eat Indian food. However, they also serve the food on another piece of injera so it soaks up the sauces and flavors and gets colored by the spices and veggies (like turmeric, chili powder and beets). It's so delicious! I think you would like it because you like sauce and you like spice. I recommend finding an Ethiopian restaurant and trying it. Supposedly there are 80 to choose from in the DC area! I first had injera over 20 years ago because a parent of one of my students made it for me and now I make a point of telling my Ethiopian families how much I love it because there is seriously nothing better than homemade injera, and they are always so very happy to hear that I know about their food and love it so much. But I am also glad that this restaurant didn't close because it's good for satisfying a craving in a pinch!
@Kristen, I love it for the spring and the sour edge. My mother thought it has the texture of an ace bandage. There's no question that it's best fresh and is really hard to resurrect, even with an air fryer or steamer. To my mind, best of all is the injera used as a plate liner at dinner, when all the incredible sauces have seeped in.
Becca, how lucky that you've had homemade injera. What a treat!
Hahah, an Ace bandage. I can imagine that, based on the pictures I saw on Google!
@WilliamB,
Yeah, it does get harder and more brittle if you refrigerate any leftovers, but the bottom injera layer is fine as leftovers because it's all soggy with yumminess. We had that as our salad tonight. 😉
@Becca, Oh, good point. I never knew that, probably because the sauce-infused injera never made it leftovers.
It's good to know that Lidl sells that half and half salad. I was able to buy it at Sam's Club in the past but not recently. Giant had a version but I didn't like the taste of it. I will try the Lidl version. This morning I will finish a one pound container of spring mix.
The big box is such a much better deal than the small one. And bonus: having the greens around usually results in me eating more of them.
@Kristen, I’m sure you already know this lettuce “hack” but I just learned it recently. After you first open the box of lettuce, put paper towel on top of the greens, close lid, and store the box upside down (aka on its top lid). This helps prevent the slimy situation. It doesn’t stop it completely, but I’ve found the greens last longer. 🙂
RIP Socks. He sounds like he was a tough hamster and lived a full life.
WWS: $269 at Kroger, $39 at Chik Fil A. I should start counting the few pantry staples I order through Amazon Subscribe and save--popcorn kernels, xylitol and peanut butter powder, for example, which are cheaper through Amazon. And I can never find pure xylitol at Amazon anyway.
We are doing much better on our grocery spending, by reducing the storebought snacks and sticking to the basics. Either that or some of us are eating less, I don't know. Anyway.
Saturday/Sunday: homemade pizzas
Monday: baked seasoned chicken thighs, roasted broccoli, rice, homemade vanilla pudding (sugar free--made with xylitol)
Tuesday: burgers and salad bar, also homemade popcorn (our chips substitute) because I had to try out the Snappy popcorn I got from Amazon. The Kroger kernels just seemed like they weren't popping well. This popcorn was pretty tasty, and a good deal.
Wednesday: Oldest son made ham and bean soup for the first time, and was astonished to learn one has to get up fairly early to get it started, but he was willing. More people voted for ham and bean soup than hamburger stew this week, which was why he switched.
Thursday: Cat shelter night! DH, the youngest and I went to our local cat shelter to learn the ropes and pet cats, and we brought home Chik Fil A for all four boys. DH and I had leftovers.
Friday: Will be taco night, courtesy of one of the kids.
I'm sorry about Socks. Comforting a grieving child is one of the hardest parts of parenting.
Very sorry for Zoe’s loss! You are a wonderful mom walking through the grief with her and providing comfort dinner.
I'm sorry for your loss 🙁
This week we cooked Curried rice and chicken with cranberries on Sunday, and between that, leftovers from the previous week, and a big batch of chili that the in laws left when they visited, we haven't had to cook basically all week! It's been a nice change of pace.
The one thing we did "cook" was meatball subs last night, with freezer meatballs, store bought hoagie rolls, and Trader Joe's autumn spaghetti sauce. The same sauce is also in the menu for next week. That sauce is one of our favorite things from Trader Joe's, so we enjoy it while it's here!
Have a great weekend everyone!
I'm so sorry for your loss. Pets are part of the family and it's no doubt you are all grieving.
Dinners this week included:
1. Tacos with salad
2. Butternut squash soup and sandwiches or salad
3. Shrimp stir fry with rice and veggies
4. Chicken stuffed peppers with rice and spinach salad
5. Tortilla soup with nacho chips
6. Leftovers (that kind of looked like a Chipotle bowl)
7. Tonight will probably be salmon with rice/veggies, I have no real plan yet.
Its sounds like the both of you had a week - I hope your weekend is stressless. School, mixed with life, is a LOT. This week at my house was a LOT, too. I didn't post today on my blog...But we ate:
Monday - Crockpot Beef Stew - this was with an ancho chile mix and was quite good
Tuesday - Tilapia, fresh green beans with apple dressing (made chicken strips for Son #3 since he's a seafood hater)
Wednesday - Grilled Chicken, leftover green beans, twice baked potato
Thursday - Sausage Beanie Wienie, corn, garlic toast (I forgot to make the corn)
Friday - Bruschetta Meatloaf, brussels sprouts, buttery rice
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed {I work until 8:30 p.m., but there are plenty of leftovers available!}
Haha, well, my final exam for my first 8-week class is today and then on Monday I have my competency test (gotta do a head to toe, g-tube med, vitals, injection med, etc.) So I dunno if I am going to feel very calm this weekend.
But AFTER Monday, things will slow down a bit.
RIP Socks!
Saturday- no kids, just parents. COLD rainy weather and no desire to leave the house.. I defrosted a round of kielbasa and sautéed that with a box of mini pierogis.. served with fruit and leftovers eaten by the after work crowd.
Sunday-made a double batch of meat sauce and had that over pasta with a loaf of homemade garlic bread.
Monday- the B/S thighs were not defrosted enough to grill after work so I poached them in the broth I defrosted for noodles and tore them down. Strained the broth and thickened and seasoned it. added in the meat, peas and carrots and served it all with homemade *garlic and cheddar* biscuits.
Tuesday-Turned the leftover meat sauce into a pot of beef and bean chili served with a pan of cornbread.
Husband and I went out for Mexican on Weds to hash out all the work drama (with my coworkers+husbands)
Thursday -Beef roast in the crock pot- served with Stouffers mashed potatoes(great sale deal with Ibotta kickback), loaf of bread from the freezer and veggies
Friday- Fend for yourself!
So sorry for the loss of Zoe's hamster. The worst part of owning a pet is losing it.
We did very good this week eating at home.
Sunday my husband made a batch of spaghetti sauce and I put enough away for 2 more meals.
Monday we were both feeling awful from our shots so it was whatever you could find.
Tuesday my husband had salmon with leftover homefries and green beans. I had a leftover pork chop with some spatzel and green beans.
Wednesday it was grilled chicken greek salads.
Thursday it was the delicious ham, mashed potatoes and green beans (I have quite a bit in the freezer from the summer!)
Tonight will either be ham and bean soup or scalloped potatoes and ham. And then leftovers for tomorrow since I will be out.
Hi Kristen, if I don’t have a food processor, do you think the results would be ok mixing by hand?
Yes, I think so. Just make sure you knead it well; the food processor does a super fast job of kneading, so you'd just need to compensate for that by thorough mixing and kneading.
let us know how it goes!
We remain strained (war affecting our family, ramifications around us, toddler not sleeping, working overtime, job interviews for me, broken dishwasher, neighbour had pests so we had to have an inspection.) It's reflected in our meals, along with everything else. We pray for better days.
Sunday: I was working. My supervisors bought us dinner, and Mr. B and toddler had salmon at my parents' house.
Monday: I think we had sausages, roasted vegetables, and rice. Toddler had two vaccines and was a bit cranky, poor bunny.
Tuesday: Mr. B was working very late. I had salmon from the freezer and buttered peas; toddler was uninterested and had eaten a ton at daycare, so I didn't worry about it. After Mr. B came home, I went to sleep over at my parents house to get a good night's sleep before my interview.
Wednesday: I had my interview and we had frozen pizza for dinner.
Thursday: Pest inspection/dusting, so we had to be out of the apartment. We went out for pizza and pasta across the street.
Friday: I have no ideas! I know I want vegetables. My lunches have been pretty sad, so I want something nice and fresh.
Boo. Losing a pet is a major bummer. I'm sorry for Zoe.
Saturday: I had a pretty big container of leftover chile in the freezer, so I got some Fritos, prepared a bunch of toppings, and we had Frito pie. My sister was still visiting, and Frito pie is something you do not typically see in Florida, so I figured it was appropriate. Also, Fritos are one of her junk food weaknesses.
Sunday: Pizzas--one cheese, one with pepperoni, cooked mushrooms, and cooked onions. Also roasted green beans, sauteed calabacita (like zucchini) and onions, and strawberries and cream for dessert.
Monday: We had yet another sheep die of bloat (yes, we know what caused it, and the problem has been eliminated), so my husband butchered it this day. Then he made stew with some of it. The stew also involved mushrooms, red wine, and parsley, and it was very good. Also very appreciated, since all I had to do when I got home from work was make some rice for the sore throats in the house (two), and then fruit shakes after dinner for the same sick ones.
Tuesday: Elk steaks, marinated in a mustard vinaigrette and then fried, with some of the leftover stew liquid as a sauce for those who wanted it. I also made spaghetti with the last bit of pizza sauce and butter, and there were cucumber spears.
Wednesday: Daughter's birthday request was sausage, buttery rice, carrot sticks and curry dip (sweet yellow curry powder in mayonnaise) and a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. I used the last packages of the Gianelli sweet Italian sausage my husband brought back from New York this summer, the rice was left over, and I made the cake the day before, so it was a very easy after-work meal.
Thursday: The younger three kids were on a field trip to see "The Lion King" musical in Albuquerque. As we do not actually live close to Albuquerque, they were gone until 10 p.m. and had breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the road. This meant it was just my husband and eldest son at home. Poor kid has been stuck in his room all week with the wonky foot and all, so we had a little party. I let him put music on and I made guacamole with some avocados my sister had brought, which we had with tortilla chips and, in the case of the adults, Sidecar cocktails. They also had some pizza later.
Tonight: Not sure. I have pork, beef, chicken, elk, and sheep meat to choose from, though, so maybe I should roll the dice for a protein and go from there. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, I'm glad your daughter takes after you in liking Gianelli!
Socks took care of Zoe as much as you all took care of him during a most difficult transition. Sorry for the loss of a dear pet, as they all are, big or small.
I'm so sorry about Socks. It's hard to lose a little family member.
My mother was in nursing school while I was in high school. I remember her being so fascinated by every aspect of it, and some pretty gross conversations over dinner!
Rest in peace, little Socks. My condolences to you both. Tears are good. After working with a grief counselor after my Dad's death in August, I have learned that tears shed in grief are special and helpful to us. They even have different properties from tears shed for other reasons like happiness or anger. How amazing our bodies are.
I agree, you should get to choose your dinner on a day your pet dies.
WIS: Nothing, since I shop every two weeks.
WIA: "Finally, some cooler weather" edition
I made a recipe of AIP pumpkin "chili" and it makes a pot full, so I ate that several times at lunch and at night. A good thing about this "chili" is that it has plenty of vegetables in it so I can still get my veggies in.
I cooked a small piece of steak from the freezer and cooked broccoli and cauliflower in the same skillet after the steak was done.
I didn't put the entire package of ground beef in the chili, so I had a hamburger with store-bought plantain chips and fruit.
Last night I had a lot to do and it was one of my getting home later nights, so I made a fried egg sandwich on GF bread and had carrots sticks and homemade ranch dressing on the side.
I'm grocery shopping today and will try to make a menu at lunchtime. Sometimes I just make a menu as I walk the stores, trying to get ideas. Also, I also need to check prices to help make a menu - pork roast might be on advertised sale this week but the non-sale chicken thighs might still be priced lower than the pork - or might not be - so I might change up my meal plan once I see the prices in the store.
I hate to think up a menu, but it takes so much stress off of me during the week when I make one!
Random responses:
1. Losing a pet is terrible; living without pets is worse, a steady sadness rather than a big hit of sadness.
2. We extend the life of boxed greens by transferring to a ziplock, inserting a paper towel, and squeezing all the air out of the bag.
3. I imagine there must be an awful lot of laughter when inserting various devices into vinyl body parts.
4. In "The Glucose Revolution" by Jessie Inchauspé, her main tip in keeping glucose levels from spiking is to start every meal with fiber/vegetables/greens. So, I'm guessing your A1C is a very good number!
5. Those sweet potato fries look delectable; are they from the frozen section?
I had a hamster when I was a little girl. I named him Mr. Chips, because I loved that book so much and because his cage was lined with cedar chips. So yes, when he died, I had to say Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
And Kristen's green eggs (no ham) has inspired me to do the same. But I put a half cup of pre-cooked spinach into the egg, and eat that on a piece of multigrain toast. Very efficient! Protein, healthy grain and spinach all in one. Thanks, Kristen!
A wee pet living as long as Socks did means your daughter was an excellent pet parent. But their passing isn’t any easier for it. (My daughter was still devastated after her very old beta fish passed.) WWA:
Saturday - roast chicken and potatoe salad from the deli section (had a concert to go to and no time to cook)
Sunday - roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, acorn squash, individual (purchased) dessert cups
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - gnocchi alla Sorrentina (using purchased gnocchi), baked Italian sausages, green salad
Wednesday- DH was out and DD has a cold so I just made chicken soup from a package and I also had toast
Thursday - Kristen’s bourbon chicken. It is a very good recipe. (DH loved it.) I will make it again.
Friday - I have the day off so will be making spaghetti and meatballs (with extra meatballs to be frozen for future quick dinners) and a green salad
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend
WIS: $46 at Ollie's and $38 at Wegmans. The Wegmans tab includes 10+ lbs. of RFQS boneless/skinless chicken thighs at $1.74/lb., as well as a pair of +2.5 reading glasses that are supposed to tide me over from just after my second cataract surgery till I can be fitted for new postsurgical glasses. (I've chosen not to go with the fancy lens replacements that Medicare doesn't cover, since I've worn glasses since age 7 and would feel naked without them anyway.)
WIA: This week's frugal and culinary highlight at Chez A. Marie was a soup made from a butternut squash that I managed to grow (in spite of the deer) last year, and that was decorating my dining room table in fine condition till last Monday. I added various other veg that needed to be used (two ears of late corn, a potato, half a yellow tomato, 1.5 carrots, etc.). With ginger and a pinch of cayenne, this was fabulous (as the Bestest Neighbors and my next-door neighbor agreed).
And I had mine with a Panera sourdough boule that was part of my bread haul back at the Triple Birthday Celebration in August from the TBC co-celebrator who works at a Panera. I was in a hurry and probably thawed it too quickly, but I found that unwrapping it and letting it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, followed by first 3 minutes and then 2 minutes on "time defrost" in the microwave, worked fine for a very hungry person. I have, however, been taking notes on various methods of reheating bread as described in earlier posts this week.
@A. Marie, glad your surgery went well. had mine 12 years ago. had glasses since age 2 and a half. i don't need them except sun glasses for outside. am thrilled about not needing them.
@A. Marie,
I love the expression ear of corn 🙂
I'm so sorry about Socks. I think we give a little bit of our hearts to our pets. Fortunately for us serial pet owners, they give us heart as well or we'd have nothing left.
When I buy a lot of greens in a bag or box, I layer it with dry paper towel. The paper towel both absorbs the moisture that the greens accumulate. By holding it, helps keep the greens moist but not wet, and so they last longer.
WIS: $224 @ Publix
WWA:
Saturday: We were still camping and the pack made everyone spaghetti and meatballs; cookies for dessert.
Sunday: Home from camping and my oh my we were tired! I made a chicken & stuffing casserole with some boneless, skinless chicken breast and a package of cornbread dressing in the pantry. We ate green peas, baked sweet potatoes & cranberry sauce on the side.
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Homemade chicken noodle soup and crackers
Wednesday: Chickfila takeout for some, wings for some
Thursday: Turkey Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green peas
Friday: I have a ton of errands to run today so leftovers will be on the menu & I will likely grab something out while running
I’m so sorry about Zoe’s hamster 🙁 losing a pet is never fun. <3
I'm sorry about Socks. I didn't realize hamsters had such a short life span.
It's been pretty frugal around my house lately, as my husband's work is pretty slow. So of course, the kitchen is the first place that get's the frugal 'cuts' lol
**Sat - Chicken Parm with Spaghetti Noodles and Salad
**Sun - My son smoked Ribs (he bought) and a chicken (I'd bought) and he also made a medley of potatoes, asparagus and zucchini on the grill.
**Mon - Chicken Parm Sliders and oven fries. I had some leftover slider rolls and used leftover sauce from Sat. night and leftover chicken from Sunday night.
**Tues - Thin Pork Chops and fried cubed potatoes, topped with a fried egg and biscuits
**Wed - Grilled Cheeseburgers and oven fries
**Thurs - Ranch Chicken Pasta with Salad
**Tonight - Make Your Own Takeout, lol. I'm making an Orange Chicken in the crockpot, however I don't have any orange marmalade but I did have a half jar of Apricot Preserves and about a quarter jar of Apple Jelly, so I'm using those in place of the orange marm. I've got a half a bag of Trader Joes Fried Rice and a couple of egg rolls in the freezer. I'm also going to use the rest of the asparagus before it goes bad.
Pets bring so much happiness to our lives & is so sad when they leave us. As members of our family they get so much love from us & will be dearly missed. May the memories continue to make you smile.
Sam's Club $24.22 was the only the only grocery shopping--had vehicle repairs instead.
What we ate this week---
We ate a lot of chicken this week!
● chicken with mashed sweet potatoes & croissants
● Rigatoni with garlic ground pork & garlic croissants
● corn dogs & Arby's curly fries
● Rotisserie chicken with garlic mashed potatoes & leftover croissants & pumpkin pie
● Pancakes with smoky links
● pork chops with mashed sweet potatoes & pumpkin pie
Does anyone know if greek plain yogurt really works to help dogs with yeast problem? Our rescue dogs (Schitzoo) seem to have yeast (groomer said ear but scratching on backside & biting on feet) & to use vinegar wash for ears. I'm not good about how to do that but read online that plain greek yogurt helps for dogs with yeast. We buy Blue Buffalo dog food (& did with last (same) dogs) & they get real food also. So good food for them.
@Regina,
We had a rescue chow mix that developed yeast and was itching miserably and losing hair in a patch on his behind. I used a product I got first from a pet "health food" store, then online, called Nzymes. The vet was surprised to see the hair growing back and told me to keep doing what I was doing. The dog ended up healed after some time. It requires effort, like bathing them once a week, but it worked for him. I'm unaffiliated with them in any way, except as a customer. Unfortunately, they aren't cheap.
https://www.nzymes.com/
Sorry to hear about Socks. It's amazing how such a little being with no ability to speak to humans can have such an impact. It sounds like he was truly loved.
@CrunchyCake, My hamster Mr. Chips spoke to us. He would stand up on his hind feet and rattle the bars on his cage like a little bear until we fed him pieces of our breakfast toast. "Feed me!!!" No mistaking that message.
Aw, I'm sorry about Socks. That's so sad and hard. I hope you have both been able to get some good comfort snuggles from your kitties this week.
Saturday: My husband and youngest two kiddos were at Sam's Club and ate dinner there. My oldest daughter and I had shells and cheese, salad (for me), and popcorn while watching a movie.
Sunday: Leftover Jet's Pizza from a meeting my husband had at lunch. Jet's is SO good! Then we made pretzel bites with cheese to snack on while playing Mario Party on N64. 🙂 It had been a long time since we had played any video games and we're still working on everyone being a good sport! Ha.
Monday: Stir fry
Tuesday: Tacos and fruit
Wednesday: Turkey noodle soup and bread
Thursday: Spaghetti with meat sauce
Friday: Meatloaf, mac and cheese (because I know my kids will not give the meatloaf the appreciation it deserves), sweet potato fries (added to our menu after seeing your picture, Kristen!), and hopefully something green.
So very sorry to hear about Zoe's hamster. They take a bit of your heart when they pass.
Just out of curiosity (not meaning in any way to come across as judging) do you ask your kids to assist with meal or assign chores of any sort? Maybe you've already covered this in a different post and I missed it. Just like to know how people prepare their children for life on their own.
So, it's just Zoe and me here at this point in life; she does her laundry, cleans her bathroom, cleans the downstairs den, cleans her room, and takes care of Shelley's litter/food/water situation.
And I do the analogous tasks upstairs!
When my kids were all at home, I did definitely assign chores to all of them. But at this point, Zoe and I just kinda split things. She's a very neat and tidy person, so she is intrinsically motivated to keep her spaces clean, and so am I. It all works out. 🙂
@Kristen, your adult children that have "launched" are doing great on their own, so I knew you must have taught them chores. Just wondered how you handled it. Thank you for responding!
No problem. 🙂 I'm a big supporter of chores for kids; it does eventually lighten the workload on the parents, but more important, it teaches them useful skills for adulting.
This was a good dinner week! since my husband retired i have been encouraging him to cook on the nights that i work. Since he was raised as the little prince by his mother, he lacks skills. He has learned basic cooking but isn’t so good at the planning meals or making something based on what we have in the freezer. So last Sunday we sat down and planned 3 meals for him to cook this week, which worked great.
Monday: Mini meatloaves with roasted potatoes and broccoli
Tuesday: Pork and vegetable stir fry with brown rice
Wednesday: Spaghetti (leftover homemade sauce that I made last weekend for zucchini lasagne) with salad
Thursday: Leftovers (planned)
Friday: i ‘m back on cooking rotation and will be making salmon with dill sauce, roasted potatoes and either a salad or whatever veg needs to be used up in the fridge.
Bonus: I had leftovers for lunch so did not eat out any days.
We did spend about $250 on groceries but it was most of what we will spend this month and a big stock-up on staples. Plus some special foods for a family birthday dinner last weekend.
@Jenn,
He may well join the chorus of retired gentlemen who decide to take cooking classes for men, ending up preparing five course meals with wine arrangements, but leave the dishes to others as not in scope for the chef!
I'm so sorry about Socks. Losing a furry family member is hard, no matter what, but they give us so much during their all-too-short lives. I'm glad he was there to see you and Zoe through this challenging time.
Our meals this week were nothing to write home about....hubby and I have been cobbling together whatever doesn't take much time or effort. I'm scheduled for a total knee replacement in November, and can't stand for very long without significant pain, plus I'm exhausted by the time I get home from work (which requires a fair amount of walking). Hubby's job has been more demanding than usual, too, so we've had things like bean burritos, rotisserie chicken/frozen vegs, and other meals that must not be very memorable. 🙂 I also haven't kept track of what we've spent, but would estimate about $120 this week on groceries (which also includes toilet paper, some personal care items, and 2 furnace filters that were on sale).
Kristen, reading about you learning to insert catheters and give enemas only reinforces my admiration for those of you you chose nursing as a profession. 🙂
I'm sad to hear about Zoe's hamster Socks. It's always hard to lose a pet.
WIA:
* Braised winter cabbage and potatoes, a new to me recipe, I loved it: made it with Rainbow trout fillet.
* home-made Felafel and tahini sauce on salad.
* Split chicken wings, oven roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli and carrots.
* Tuna sandwich for HB: for me I made a Tuna Melt on a bagel.
* home-made fish and chips: veg of some sort.
* take-out pizza
* Today Friday: Leftover fish. +++ I haven't decided yet.
Dismal lunch fail for today: I had 2 slices of take out pizza in the toaster oven to crisp up, They both cooked well, I took one out to eat and turned the knob to "warm" for the other slice. Ten minutes later and my smoke alarm is blaring. I look at my pizza slice in the toaster oven on "warm" - yup, not! I had accidently turned the knob to broil. So my now blackened pizza slice is the worse for wear; Only me, ce la vie, such is life.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend!
@Linda in Canada, my teen warms up leftover pizza by putting in cast iron pan (oven or stove with lid) & crisps up crust nicely. Plus stays warm in pan after turning off. Our toaster/toaster oven only allows to reheat 1 slice at time.
I don't like vinegar-based dressings so my favorite DIY dressing is: equal parts light olive oil and lemon juice with a sprinkle of oregano. Shake and pour.
Oooh, that does sound good! I usually go light on the vinegar because the amount recipes call for is usually too strong for me.
Sorry to hear about Socks, I had a very similar experience, I had my hamster for 2 years through jr high which were very tough years for me, so it was especially emotional when she passed.
Saturday - we went to a Halloween movie viewing party for my 5 year old and his former preschool classmates. The hosting family served Costco pizza for dinner.
Sunday - I made a batch of pasta sauce of with ground beef (a treat for my husband since I normally use ground turkey for everything) and Italian sausages, served over spaghetti.
Monday - chicken tacos, corn
Tuesday - we did our picnic night but instead of going to the beach we walked to a a brand new playground near our house! There was a playground there before but it was very sad, old and not much to do at it. It’s now a brand new full size play structure go a very welcome surprise. We ate pb&j and sliced fruit and veggies at a picnic table there.
Wednesday - I had planned to make chicken and sausage orzo but I forgot to defrost some of the key ingredients and then my son had a horrible tantrum while my mom was watching him and she didn’t know what to do (I guess forgot all her experience with us as kids haha) so she had me on the phone while I was at work, and I could hear him screaming and her ineffectively dealing with it so by the time I got home, I was mega stressed and made a frozen pizza!
Thursday - on a girls trip with friends, much needed after this week! We just had cheese and crackers and snacks since it was the night of our arrival.
Friday - we are going out to dinner tonight!
I’m sorry Zoe lost her pet hamster. I still think about the last cat I had over 24 years ago, Annie. I miss her. My husband and one son are allergic to cats, so I won’t be getting another cat, sadly.
I am so very sorry about Socks. I had no idea that hamsters had such short lives. Big hugs to both of you.
So sorry to hear about Zoe’s hamster. My daughter’s horse is getting on in years and yesterday she found out that he may have a heart problem. He has helped her through some difficult times, so we are hoping that he will be around for longer.
I am so sorry to hear that little Socks passed away. That is a tough week! He was such a cute little guy and no doubt such a sweet friend especially for Zoe. Thinking of your family this week!
Yes! They're frozen ones from Trader Joe's. I think those are the best ones I've tried yet.
I don't know what my A1C is but at a recent lab, my blood sugar was 111 after I'd eaten, so that's pretty good!