What I Spent
I went to Aldi this week because I needed…everything.
And one of my bags, which is quite an old one from an in-store Athleta purchase, ripped as I unloaded my groceries.
When a bag is mendable, I will always take the time to do a repair. But this one was made of some kind of material that just disintegrated over time.
So, into the trash it went.
I spent:
- $156 at Aldi
- $6 at Safeway
Soo, $162. That’s more than usual for sure, but I was out of a lotta stuff.
What We Ate
Saturday
We had French toast, bacon, and grapefruit for dinner.
Sunday
I was not particularly hungry at dinnertime, so I just had some butternut squash soup and some sauteed broccoli.
The soup is actually…butternut/acorn squash soup, because I had gotten both in my Hungry Harvest box.
Luckily, squash soup is very forgiving, so it all worked out fine.
Monday
A simple sandwich, made with buffalo chicken lunch meat from Aldi.
I’d never bought this before, and it wasn’t bad, but it was giving only faint buffalo chicken vibes.
It was buffalo chicken flavored in the same way that sparkling water is fruit-flavored: BARELY. Like you gotta close your eyes and use your imagination a little.
Tuesday
Frozen cheese ravioli, jarred sauce, and a kale salad on the side.
I know I have said this a million times but seriously, try Gimme Some Oven’s kale salad. It’s such an easy way for me to get a huge bunch of kale eaten all on my own, and it keeps nicely for several days in the fridge.
Wednesday
I was on the phone with Lisey around dinnertime, and she mentioned recently making pancakes.
So then I obviously had to make them for dinner. 😉
Thursday
BLTs! With fruit on the side.
Friday
I am working overnight tonight (and I also worked overnight Monday night and Thursday night this week! Sadly, my unit had some gaps in night shift coverage and I got scheduled to fill them. BOOOO.)
Anyway: I will probably just eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich before I go in tonight.
Night Shift Kristen does the bare minimum in the kitchen.
Happily, I’m back on days for the next two weeks. Whew.
Mary
Saturday 22nd of November 2025
Over the years whenever I saw a LL Bean or Lands End tote bag at garage sales, I grabbed them. I now have a collection of about 10, medium to large. They are indestructible and my Aldi bags.
Ashley B
Saturday 22nd of November 2025
Sadly, this is as far back as I remember for food... my food just isnt that memorable
Friday: Bacon and egg for breakfast. Chicken, stuffing, corn for dinner. Saturday: Bacon and egg for breakfast. Surprise Chinese food from a coworker. Later tonight, party at my friend's house. Food included.
Biker Liz
Saturday 22nd of November 2025
I am fully in cold-weather mode, so we had:
Sunday: roast chicken with mashed potatoes & gravy, plus steamed broccoli
Monday: I worked (which means I don’t get home until 8) andMy older child has tech for theater (so doesn’t get home until 8:15! All week) so the husband and the younger child had leftovers. I also had leftovers when I got home.
Tuesday: I worked again, but this time husband and second child decided to make chicken nachos :). That sounded so good when I got home, I made the same.
Wednesday: Zuppa Toscana! With homemade stock from the chicken bones. The real reason I made roasted chicken - chicken stock for this dish! I was really excited to make it because it was my first time using frozen kale I’d harvested from my garden and stored. I matter it without potatoes because I’m diabetic, and extra sausage and kale. I also made high-protein breadsticks (Greek yogurt & self-rising flour).
Thursday: more leftovers in various forms, and no one complained. One reason I like cooking in te winter - eat leftover nights! Cold-weather food does better as leftovers.
Friday: I’m at a conference in downtown Chicago, and drove here after a 12-hour shift. I live/work about an hour away, so not too bad, but I was TIRED. Fortunately, my very last harvest of kale last weekend I’d made up into a balsamic-dressing salad on Tuesday, and kale only improves with time in dressing. I had packed that topped with leftover chicken, goat cheese, and pomegranate seeds, plus some toasted chopped pecans to put on at the last minute.
It was delicious, all cozied up in my hotel room by myself (iykyk, married with kids, how nice it is to be in a hotel room alone sometimes!), and it meant I had a quick dinner at the end of a long day, that didn’t spike my blood sugar, and didn’t cost $40+ (the hotel sells a kale salad that comes with candied pecans and other carb-focused toppings, and is at least that much with tax/tip!).
Tomorrow there’s a group dinner (I’m here with other people from my community), so something out at a restaurant.
Selena
Saturday 22nd of November 2025
@Biker Liz, so either you are on the IL side (I-90 all the way) or the IN side. I'm a bit more than an hour from the IL side. Chicago is a great town IMHO,
Becca
Saturday 22nd of November 2025
WTS: (I have to change it to “what they spent” since I am temporarily avoiding the grocery store while on chemo.) about 200 bucks on specialty meats at Whole Foods, things like additive-free turkey pepperoni, kielbasa and bacon.
WWA:
Fri: salad and focaccia
Sat: salad, fettuccine with pasta sauce and shake parm.
Sun: tacos with chorizo and beans and lots of random veg toppings.
Mon: buttered noodles, sautéed red cabbage and sausage, boiled white potatoes.
Tue: salad and rice cake pizzas (why, yes it was the 11-year-old’s night to cook. How could you tell?)
Wed: salad, pasta fazool, sourdough brie bread ring.
Thu: salad and homemade ramen bowls.
Fri: salad and focaccia.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Madeline
Friday 21st of November 2025
Dinners have been:
A crock pot of white bean soup which later in the week I turned into a stroganoff over rice to stretch the leftover portion of it.Cornbread on the side and an orange,both times.
Beef Bourgainneau (spelling??) I had gotten a chuck roast ton sale,defrosted it, had potatoes and mushrooms to use up.Had regular onions, no little pearl spcialty onions,so in they went.Splurged on a $4 bottle of red wine at TJ.. some to use in cooking,some to drink with dinner!! Cooked this in the crock pot.. yummy smell!
Large BLT salad and fruit plate one night.
Angel hair pasta with sausage (we eat very little sausage,so I make one large link and cut it into slices, that serves 2 of us ,tossed with the pasta.Homemade sauce,defrosted.Greek salad on side.