WIS, WWA | This is gonna be speedy
I'm writing this post on Christmas night, after a work shift, and I have 26 minutes before I'm supposed to be in bed.
And I still have to shower!
Sooo, I'm gonna speed run this post. Let's go!
What I Spent
I spent:
- $77 at Aldi
- $15 at Safeway
What We Ate
Saturday
I came home from work with no dinner plan, but my sweet neighbors stopped by with a candy cane shaped sausage roll! So that plus a salad was dinner.
Sunday
We had been to the symphony after a late lunch, and I wasn't hungry at dinnertime. I think I just ate some fruit and called it good.
Monday
Umm...blueberry pancakes. 🙂
Tuesday
I had squash soup, plus some fresh whole wheat rolls, plus a green salad.
Wednesday
A repeat of Tuesday night!
Thursday
My first Christmas Day as a nurse! I borrowed some large earrings from Zoe. 🙂
I ate some kale salad and rotisserie chicken when I got home from work. And also some cheddar popcorn, because why not?
Friday
I'm working again today, so it'll be something easy and quick! But I'm OFF tomorrow. 🙂
I actually love the idea of the sausage roll, given that most holiday food gifts are so sugary. And the candy cane shape was a nice touch.
Saturday: I was working through leftovers towards the end of the week, and the last of them was leftover pork butt. I was home with just the three younger children this night, so I re-heated the pork with barbecue sauce for them and they had it in sandwiches. Pickled radishes for a sorta vegetable.
Sunday: This was the first day I stayed out of the kitchen--mostly--because of my injury. My dad, by the way, who has a lot of experience with different injuries, thinks it was a pinched nerve, not a torn muscle. Whatever it was, I couldn't walk or stand up for long. I had my daughter take out a package of pork chops for my husband to cook when he got home. She wanted to make the gingerbread I had been planning on for Sunday dessert, so I perched myself painfully on a chair in the kitchen and walked her through that recipe (Smitten Kitchen) and also had her put some baked potatoes in the oven while it was on for the gingerbread. The only thing remaining for a balanced meal was a vegetable. My husband opened a jar of home-canned pickles for that. Again, sorta a vegetable. 🙂
Monday: My husband made smothered bean and chicharron burritos. There was leftover gingerbread, but no vegetable in sight . . .
Tuesday: We went to our church posada and there was a potluck afterwards. My daughter made our contribution of a double batch of brownies (Smitten Kitchen again, her cocoa brownie recipe).
Wednesday: I could stand! Which meant I was in the kitchen. 🙂 Just in time to make our traditional eggnog to go with the molasses cookies I had thankfully made before I hurt myself. For dinner, I pulled some sausage meat sauce from the freezer and combined that with pasta and grated asadero cheese for the kids. My husband and I had curry from the freezer. Vegetable? Nope.
Thursday: Ham, scalloped potatoes, peas (look! something green!), sauteed mushrooms, and Jacques and Julia's chocolate roulade. Our usual Christmas meal.
Tonight: Not sure yet. My husband is leaving today with the younger two boys for a hunting trip if he gets everything together in time, which means just me and the oldest and youngest. We have a lot of ham left. I'll come up with something.
@kristin @ going country, I am glad you are healing. It is not an easy time of the year to be injured.
@kristin @ going country, I join Bee in being glad that your leg is doing better, and in hopes for full recovery soon.
@kristin @ going country,
Three cheers that you are up!
@kristin@going country,
wow it is inconvenient having an injury during the holidays. I am glad you're mending. As far as veggies go, I add them to breakfast and have a salad EVERY day for lunch because I just can't seem to get them in at dinner. Pickles are definitely a veggie. 🙂
It seems so odd that today is the weekly round up of food shopping and weekly WIA.
Market Basket $77.33 I believe that was all I spent at the grocery store this week.
I need to be better planned as my life is changing as of the first of the year--well actually it changed as of mid-November, or was it last April/May. But I digress.
So Monday I bought food but I really have not been home to eat it.
Last Friday I made pizza and we had that Friday and Saturday.
Sunday, my daughter came over to help me pack up and move some boxes. We had cheese, crackers and fruit for lunch and I had peanut butter and crackers for dinner. DH had cereal. I was too tired and sore to make anything.
Monday, We shared a couple of premade pasta meals.
Tuesday, I had a tuna sandwich and DH had remainder of chicken soup with his tuna sandwich. I was going out to a Christmas Eve Eve service.
Wednesday, I went w/family to a friend's Christmas Eve party.
Thursday, I drove over to another friend's w/family after they had their dinner. They sent me home with dinner.
Some of my family is coming over on Sunday, will help me load up and move more stuff. We will exchange gifts. And I will have dinner. I have plenty of food right her to cook up. Thinking ham, cornbread casserole, squash and potatoes.
I'm happy to be through this holiday--It has not been my best one.
Enjoy your Christmas gift to you--the new car.
My nephew had to have his appendix out on Christmas Eve. The nurses were wonderful! A big thank you to you and so many others for working to care for us even on holidays.
The theme this week was "Too Much. "
WIS -- Too much money. My little household of two ballooned to 5 this week.
WIA -- Too much sugar. Too much salt. Too many carbs. Too many calories. Too much of everything!
Saturday - Just DH and me. We fended for ourselves as we prepared for company.
Sunday - Company arrived. Shrimp scampi over rice with salad. Peppermint chocolate ice cream cones for dessert.
Monday - Spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread, and salad. Ice cream for dessert.
Tuesday - Taco Bar. Ice cream for dessert again.
Wednesday - Seafood Gumbo, rice, crusty bread, and salad. Red wine as well as non-alcoholic beverages. An assortment of Christmas cookies for dessert.
Thursday - Lasagna which is my DIL's family tradition. More Christmas cookies. More ice cream. More red wine.
Today/Tonight - Leftover buffet.
Bon appétit! Happy weekend.
@Bee, OK, now I see why your Christmas Eve went "pear-shaped"! I hope your nephew is doing OK.
@Bee, wow I was thinking the same thing about the Christmas foods. We had our traditional Christmas Eve and Christmas Day feasts and I am thinking my DH and I need a detox. This is the first year I am thinking this excess is not good for our health. I will think about this for next year.
We're going on a family hike today which is very much needed.
@karen,
We are also detoxing. I don't eat that eat normally and I feel a bit yucky!
@A. Marie,
That was one reason. Sometimes things do not ho smoothly.
WIS: $148.45 at No Frills grocery store and another $48.01 at the *pricey* food market close to home.
I can only remember some meals:
- Pasta with what is possibly one of the best pasta sauces I have made, it was rotini with tomatoes, black olives and goat cheese. The goat cheese just took it to a whole 'nuther level.
- leftover pasta sauce on roasted potatoes and carrots, broccoli on the side.
- salad for dinner with breaded chicken thighs that I had pre-cooked and just took out of the freezer.
- Christmas day - we had cold cut sandwiches as I was just too busy doing food prep/ getting ready for our family Christmas which is today (Friday, Boxing Day here in Canada).
That being said, my city has issued "a significant weather event" as well as "a winter event" which is issued when more than 5cm of snow is expected. I am not thrilled that we will be driving in this to our family Christmas, hoping to leave before the snow gets really heavy. On a good note we are staying overnight, so that hopefully by Saturday the roads will have been plowed.
Happy weekend everyone.
@Linda in Canada, Hope the roads are clear for you, Linda. Stay safe.
@Linda in Canada, good luck on your journey. We're now supposed to get over 6" in Central NY, and Downstate may get even more than that. JASNA BFF in NYC, who isn't used to snow on this scale, is getting mildly panicky.
WIS: $65.20 at Price Chopper.
WIA: The Xmas Eve dinner of Two Fat Ladies lamb, a salad, and bread machine bread went OK, despite one hiccup: The power went out for about 10 seconds, with about an hour and a half to go on the bread--and my 15-year-old bread machine doesn't seem to understand the concept of picking up where it left off. So I put the dough ball on a cookie sheet (with parchment paper) and put it in the oven alongside the lamb. I managed to scorch the bottom of the ball, but I salvaged enough of the bread for the equivalent of about 2/3 of a loaf. All's well that ends well.
FTF (First Things First): I promised Ruth T and A. Marie a restaurant review and follow up to my last Friday’s WIS-WIA entry predicting a pricey day because “it’s our annual year-end Christmas/Hanukkah/gift-giving lunch at a very ‘fancy’ (a/k/a expensive) restaurant” and I was “vacillating between the wood-grilled Idaho rainbow trout and the Wild Alaska Butterfish. And perhaps a side of carmelized Brussels sprouts or maybe the sweet potato skillet …. Such a dilemma.”
Well, Dear Readers (with apologies to Charlotte Bronte), I opted for the Wild Alaska Butterfish (unbeknownst to me also called sablefish or black cod) and the carmelized Brussels sprouts. It. Was. FABULOUS!
The restaurant (having been alerted in advance that three (3!) of the 6 of us had late December birthdays) treated the whole group to a variety of lovely desserts (key lime pie and turtle cheesecake). And it wouldn’t have been terribly expensive except I opted to add a 30% tip for our amazing waitress who took extraordinarily good care of us, especially since we tied up her table in the only private room for a good 2½ hours. Presents were exchanged among all and we had an absolutely delightful time.
These are women I’ve known for more than 20 years and we really cherish one another and our times together. Our most senior (by far) member of the group will be 90 (!) this coming February and to honor the occasion her family has rented a hotel to accommodate an expected attendance of almost 200 people. But at our lunch she announced that she has asked to be seated with us instead of her family members.
WIS: Oh, who cares about money?! Well, I do. And aside from the one (1!) pricey lunch I only spent $22.20 on groceries for the week. Mostly for marked down cans of pumpkin (I think the store was clearing out the Thanksgiving stock of pumpkin, cranberries and dressing) and a lot of apples (surprisingly expensive when priced per pound, but surprisingly delicious).
WIA: Well, obviously, Wild Alaska Butterfish, carmelized Brussels sprouts and Key Lime pie. Not once but three (3) times (except for the pie) because the leftovers reheated very nicely over the weekend. And then, alas, back to earth with tuna salad, chicken and cheese quesadillas, spinach and mushroom omelets. (Sniff.) And apples!
@JDinNM, That Wild Alaska Butterfish sounds amazing!
@Beth B., It was! And also ... buttery!
@Beth B., if she's talking about Seasons 52, it is outstanding. Everything I've had there is good. The desserts are in little tall shot glasses, my favorite size for dessert, just a couple bites.
@JDinNM, this was fun to read. And I love your generous tip.
@BJS, She earned every penny of it! She struck that perfect balance between attentive and nonintrusive, if you catch my drift.
@JDinNM, thanks for the detailed account of your wonderful dinner. Wish I'd been there!
@A. Marie, You were there in spirit! I was paying attention to everything knowing I would have to provide a review. Which kinda turned into a book report. Lots of pressure! Like cramming for midterms....
@JDinNM,
Your fancy-pants lunch sounds amazing! I *think* I've seen "sablefish" on a menu somewhere, but I've never tried it. I also have a group of good friends (who are really extended family) that I've known for 30-ish years, and eventually, I'll be the first one to turn 90....better start saving for the rental at a hotel! Lol!
@Liz B., I, personally, am not sure I could come up with the names of 200 people I'd be able (or want) to invite! But this lovely friend has an enormous Italian family living from coast to coast, so children who have children (grandchildren) who have children (great-grandchildren). Not to mention her (still living) sister, who has children who have children.... And so it goes. But she was also a very successful businesswoman with an enormous customer base, and an awful lot of them have been invited as well. And I've yet to see anyone decline the invitation. It's gonna be a hoot!
Meals:
Some greens, potatoes and meatball
Salad and smoke fish
Brussels sprouts and sausage
Butternut lentil soup
Beef stew with salad and fries
And today slowcooked red cabbage with oven cooked pork belly, and potato puree.
Friday to be decided, Saturday more soup, salad on Sunday.
Overall: too much chocolate, but then: no alcohol.
@JNL,
What is this concept, "too much chocolate"? 🙂
@Liz B., No comprendo.
I made chocolate bark with pistachios, cranberries, desiccated coconut and edible gold dust. So good with a coffee!
I hope today is a good day for everyone! For those who celebrate Christmas, I hope today is a “put your feet up” kind of day.
WIS: nothing at grocery stores but $116 with a farmer.
WIA: I am changing my schedule for my menu and I am a little mixed up on which week I ate what, as I plan for two week periods. But I know I ate:
Arroz con Pollo at a Mexican restaurant on Christmas Eve, as has become a tradition.
Beef cubed steak with garden greens and peas. I was in the mood for green vegetables I guess.
The last of the pork curry.
Christmas night was a ham sandwich because our big meal was lunch- ham, sweet potato praline casserole, roasted asparagus, green salad with feta, homemade macaroni and cheese, and homemade sourdough dinner rolls. Not to mention 3 platters of appetizers, divinity and Lane cake. ( Note to A. Marie, this cake recipe takes 1.5 cups of sugar!). I provided the ham, rolls, cake and divinity. Oh, and lemonade using lemon juice from my tree.
I ate to clean out the refrigerator the other times, whatever that entailed.
Merry Xmas to all!
We ate split pea soup, made with ham bone that was discovered in the freezer; cabbage salad with ramen noodles and pepper dressing; hot dogs; turkey sandwiches; way too many Xmas cookies; steamed broccoli with cheesy dressing; roast turkey and mashed potatoes; apples, oranges, bananas, peanuts, and cookies. Xmas bread with butter. Did I mention cookies, a seasonal food group?
@Kristina, "way too many Xmas cookies"?! There. Is. No. Such. Thing.
I spent $0 at the grocery store this week after a big stock-up trip last week.
What I ate: mostly quick and easy dinners like pasta or frozen burritos because between my parents and me, the kitchen was always in a mess from baking various treats.
For Christmas dinner I had ham, corn muffins, candied yams, and iced sugar cookies. Today and the next couple of days will be leftovers.
I worked yesterday, too! But I was able to come home to a bubbling crockpot and a house full of my peeps (: It was lovely. I spent $54.40 at HEB this week and ate:
Monday - I had burger patty and I forget what else. Salad?
Tuesday - ate a big lunch {had a chicken sammie at McD's because its right close to the tire place where I had another flat tire repaired ):} I think I had a small bowl of cereal for dinner.
Wednesday - ate tamales, beans, queso, salad at daughter's place then went to church, then straight to bed!
Thursday - Worked 630 to noon, came home to Beef Stew, rolls, Walnut Raisin Pie, and Cranberry Bars.
Friday - I am sick of cooking - just cannot do it. I got the house straightened up and laundry done, so I think I will get take-out for lunch and save half for dinner. Some weeks are just that way.
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed, but I have plenty of freezer meals!
Whew! I'm not sad that we are almost to New Year's Day!
We’re in the ER today. Complications of new Lyme infection.
Our nurse said she worked 5 Christmas days in a row. Was finally off yesterday.
She’s lovely and calming and laughs at my attempts to lighten the mood. Hard to see my healthy, fit husband unable to stand.
But also glad nobody sick with flu. Doc saw 27 patients in 9 hours!!
Merry Christmas, Kristen! Enjoy Christmastide! 12 days of Christmas just started yesterday!!
@April, "new Lyme infection"? Argh--especially given your description of your husband "unable to stand." Sounds serious. (I had Lyme myself several years ago, but was lucky enough to break out immediately in a bull's eye rash that had the folks at urgent care falling all over themselves to get it treated.) My best wishes to you and your DH.
WIS: $164 @ Costco, $33 @ restaurant supply, $36 @ WinCo
Sun - fish fry
Mon - fish tacos
Tues - beefy vegetable soup, salad & bread
Wed - appetizers, salads, oyster stew
Thurs - ham, prime rib, duck, braised Brussels sprouts, salads, butternut squash, green beans, scalloped potatoes, so many pies and a birthday cake
Fri - breakfast casserole and fruit salad. Ham Leftovers.
Saturday - French dip sandwiches
Sunday - wood fired pizza party
I spent way below my norm all month, but made up for it this week. I spent about $300, but I bought about $200 of prime rib that was on sale and cut it into steaks for the freezer. We recently at the last of the steaks from the prime rib that was on sale at Easter so I was glad to restock the freezer. I also spent $80 on a tenderloin for Christmas day.
Saturday we went to my parents' house for my dad's birthday lunch. Mom made taco salad and soup for those that didn't like taco salad.
Sunday I used up leftover ham and made croque madame with salad on the side
Monday we had turkey tenderloin with mashed potatoes and asparagus
Tuesday my son and DIL came and we had baked ziti and salad
Wednesday: we always do appetizers after Christmas eve service and watch movies. We did fried shrimp, crab rangoon, cheese ball, breadsticks and crackers, and cookies/candy tray.
Christmas: tenderloin, baked potatoes, broccoli casserole, mac&cheese, rolls, multiple desserts
today: leftovers. I don't plan to cook til probably Monday haha.
Saturday: chicken salad sandwich
Sunday: chicken salad sandwich, artichoke dip
Monday: pizza, homemade, from the freezer
Tuesday: chicken vegetable soup
Wednesday: lo mein, egg roll
Thursday: prime rib, potato, carrots, green beans, rolls
Friday: I expect I will have a grilled cheese sandwich and leftover veggies
What I spent: $0! Two of the above meals were at my son's house, and the rest drawn from my pantry and freezer.
We moved to Portugal this year and our lovely neighbors invited us to Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas lunch. We ate bacalhau (cod) with potatoes and greens for dinner. For lunch we had cabrito (baby goat), leitão (suckling pig) and carabineros (shrimp) with rice and potatoes.
Not only were these new foods to us (and quite yummy), but our amazing neighbors invited us despite us not speaking much Portuguese (yet) and the only guests who spoke English were the hosts son and grand-daughter. We felt so welcome and included and it was such a memorable week.
Savory holiday treats rock. Your neighbor is very thoughtful!
Weekend: Homemade pizzas while I tried not to be anxious about my upcoming exam.
Monday: DS#1 has the week off work, so he made burgers and baked potatoes. We nuked some frozen veggies to use them up.
Tuesday: DS#2 and I both had our nurse aide certification exams this evening (spoiler alert, we both passed with flying colors and are certified nurse aides in our state!), and we came home tired and very grateful for the taco bowls DS#3 had made.
Wednesday: DS#2 made chili.
Thursday: Christmas Day DH roasted the biggest turkey I've seen in a while, 25 pounds. He also made homemade gravy and a pot of mashed potatoes. My contribution was a winter slaw and Brazilian cheese rolls, and some Normandy blend vegetables. Everything was delicious.
Friday: Tonight will be leftover turkey, obviously!
@Karen A., Congratulations! On passing the certification exams AND picking a husband who will roast a 25 pound turkey AND make the potatoes and gravy. Winner, winner, turkey dinner!
WIS: honestly do not remember because it included paper plates, gift cards, and cat food.
WWA: Leftover pork ribs with carrots. Chili with pork sausage. Holiday meal of ham, peas, savory sweet potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce, mac and cheese, and a homemade cherry pie. Some of the ham I chopped up and froze for white bean soup and potato soup. Lotta pork this week.
WIS: $198 at Aldi (would've been $174 but they had wild caught salmon 1/2 off so I bought 4 packages of it).
WEA: roast pork w/macs n cheese & butternut squash; pasta w/meatsauce & spinach salad; salmon, rice, & spinach; big dinner: roast chicken, ham, mashed potatoes w homemade gravy, green beans, corn, baguette; hot sandwiches from same; and desserts! cookies, carrot cake, pumpkin pie
Happy Christmas everyone!
thank you for posting this. my zoe is in hospital. she is getting great care. but i wish you were her nurse. get some rest and some sleep and some fun in your civic. am still on cloud 9 for you. i would gotten a red one though;)
At the moment I have no idea what i spent. There were many small trips to the grocery store for last minute things due to poor planning on my part, I guess. I just had so many things on my mind thanks to the holidays!
Saturday - went to the local sub shop to pick up some last minute gift cards. Since I was there I got a sandwich and ate half for lunch and half for dinner.
Sunday - hamburger steak, half a baked potato and green beans
Monday- loaded baked potato soup made with potatoes i baked the day before, the last of the costco sized bag of bacon crumbles from the freezer, miscellaneous bits of cheese from the fridge and a partial can of evaporated milk from fudge making This was a great use-it-up meal! Served with previously frozen leftover corn muffins.
Tuesday-repeat of Monday
Wednesday- for Christmas Eve I made Pioneer Woman's pear and blue cheese flatbread, which was delicious and a mixed green salad with dried cranberries, pecans and more blue cheese.
Christmas- charcuterie, trip tip, potatoes au gratin, roasted mixed veggies and mocha cheesecake for dessert. We ate early so later I had Christmas cookies before bed.
Friday - probably leftover flatbread and salad.
GORGEOUS Christmas buffet—ITALIAN FOOD MY FAVORITE< at the home of some loved ones, with many friends and some family. Heartwarming day.
Now,back to “reality.”
I know how much your care and presence meant to all your patients yesterday as you spent your holiday with them! When I worked in L and D on Christmas Day way back when, we would put little santa hats on the babies..it was soo festive.And we spoiled “our Moms’ to the nth degree while we could.. it was the days we kept women 3 whole days after childbirth and they got a little bit of rest and pampering..the good ole days!
As you get ready to enter the NEW YEAR as a REGISTERED NURSE and healer , I send you ALL GOOD WISHES and thanks!! We all need more nurses like you!!
I finally found your blog, so I am leaving you a comment even though you live right across the street and I could just very well tell you in person. I'm so glad you liked the candy cane shaped sausage roll. Never expected it to be a feature on your website, otherwise I would have wrapped it better.
Peace and Joy,
Donna
Hehe, well, hi neighbor!!
Yesterday was childhood Thanksgiving redux. A 16 pound Turkey for two was embarrassingly excessive and I did an ok job of carving. I think we will be roasting turkey breast in the future. Roasting the turkey required a $11.22 roasting pan and a last minute trip to the store.
Next year starts my wife's retirement, and if she wants to stay retired she is going to need to become more frugal minded
oh I love that candy cane sausage roll!!! I might have to borrow that idea for next year. Or think of a way to make a sausage roll in a shape for another occasion.
That candy cane sausage roll is so cute! What a random and fun Christmas gift offering by your neighbors. And so perfect for your night! Yum. How very thoughtful.