WIS, WWA | This made me laugh
What I Spent
Well, I got the giggles when I started typing this post up because there were so many receipts and most of them were from stops Mr. FG made.
He is very willing to pop in at multiple stores to get various things, whereas I have zero tolerance for that.
I just really hate running errands, but he doesn't mind at all. So, I am happy to slough that task off onto him as often as possible!
- $44 at BJ's (Mr. FG)
- $3 at Lidl (Mr. FG)
- $19 at Harris Teeter (Mr. FG)
- $3 at Sprouts (Mr. FG)
- $3 at Weis (Mr. FG)
- $9 at Aldi (Sonia)
- $23 at Aldi (me)
- $13 at Trader Joe's (me)
And that all adds up to $117. Which I guess is proof that multiple stops does not always mean overspending will happen.
What We Ate
Saturday
I had book club, so we all did a fend for yourself thing. I personally ate mashed potatoes topped with an egg and some salsa verde.
I highly recommend adding something spicy to your serving of mashed potatoes. It's so good!
Sometimes I mix in ground hot cherry peppers too.
Sunday
Ummmm....we had ham sandwiches.
<looks around sheepishly>
SANDWICHES 4EVERRRRR.
Monday
This was the night I got a rotisserie chicken, which we ate with sweet potato fries and watermelon.
(I mentioned this night in my Five Frugal Things post this week.)
Tuesday
I made a pan of chicken and biscuits (modified to be milk-free for Sonia) and we had raw fruit and veggies on the side.
Also, I'd gotten a bag of frozen green beans from the food pantry we volunteer with (they sometimes give us perishables when they are out of space) and I tried cooking them up.
But when I dumped them into the pan to sauté them, I just could not deal.
I am too used to crunchy, fresh, bright green beans and these ones were sad, limp, and a depressing green color.
Reader, I composted them.
Fresh green beans only for me!
Wednesday
I grilled some burgers and cut up some fresh produce to eat on the side.
I also tried a Cook's Country strawberry rhubarb skillet crisp recipe, which was really good, especially with ice cream.
Kind of like a pie, but waaaay less effort.
And as you know, I dislike pie crust anyway. A crumb topping is way better in my book: easier AND tastier.
Thursday
We had pizza, which is a switch-up from our usual Friday habits!
Friday
Mr. FG and I are going out to eat and the girls will fend for themselves.
We were gifted with 2.5 dozen crabs and bulk bags of lettuce and broccoli on Sunday. Since I couldn't the freeze lettuce, we ate A LOT of salad.
1. Mission BBQ (served at a graduation party)
2. Broccoli/Pork Stir Fry w/Rice
3. Maryland Crab Soup w/Salad
4. Chicken & Crab w/Salad
5. Salmon with, yup you guessed it Salad
6. Leftovers Salad (i.e. Any protein found in the fridge/pantry served atop a bed of lettuce).
7. For tonight, I'm thinking a burger with surprise, Salad!
I love salad, but I'll be glad when all this lettuce is eaten!
Good job finishing up all that lettuce! And ooh, free crabs. What a boon!
Mashed potatoes and melted cheese with a fried egg is one of my very favorite meals.
We didn't have mashed potatoes this week, however, as I am out of potatoes. And many other things.
Saturday: At my parents' house in Tucson, where my mom had spaghetti and meatballs and salad for all the family that were there for my brother-in-law's celebration of life.
Sunday: Salami, cream cheese, crackers, grapes, etc. in the car as we were on our way home and trying to drive out of whatever awful weather system was creating high, hot winds and smoke or dust. We didn't stop to camp until just after the sun had set, at which point the kids had some graham crackers with peanut butter and went to bed. Because it was dark.
Monday: Home again. And EXHAUSTED. My mom sent me home with four pounds of pre-cooked, shredded chicken breast from Costco, so I used that to make chicken tacos with storebought corn tortillas, and heated up some frozen corn.
Tuesday: Chicken taco meat layered with corn tortillas and cheese to make a casserole. I discovered that the sun is strong enough here to warm things like that up if it's in my (black) cast iron dutch oven with a glass lid in full sun. The simplest possible solar oven, which I really wish I had. Had some clouds not appeared to lessen the sun, I think it would have worked all the way. We could have eaten it as it was, but I did stick it under the broiler for a minute just to get the cheese all the way melted.
Wednesday: Another package of that chicken, which was unseasoned. So I added to it bacon, onion, green garlic puree from the freezer, olive oil, and the very last bag of frozen roasted tomato sauce from last year. The kids had that in pasta with butter and cream cheese; my husband and I had the chicken with Parmesan and Romano. And we all had frozen peas.
Thursday: The last of the meat my mom sent with me was pre-cooked barbacoa. So we had tacos again.
Friday: Well, I'm FINALLY finished with the Costco meat. 🙂 It's hot, so I'm thinking quick-cooking eggs would be a good idea. Plus rice, pinto beans, and a salad from the lettuce that is still hanging on despite our 95+ temps every day.
What a nice thing for your mom to send you home with!
I've never had rhubarb - maybe I should expand my horizons. Also, the way you feel about frozen veggies is the way I feel about canned veggies! We all have our standards... This week:
Monday - Grilled Chicken with Lemony Basil Arugula Salad
Tuesday - Salmon Burgers with Chile Lime Mayo, sliced Persian cucumbers, sweet potato fries
Wednesday - Carne Asada Stuffed Peppers, green chile mac and cheese
Thursday - Hot Dogs with dill pickle mustard, BBQ beans
Tonight - Pineapple BBQ Chicken Thighs, roasted red potatoes, watermelon wine!
Saturday - Eat Out
Sunday - Potluck lunch, wine club pick-up, no idea what dinner is
Happy Weekend!
@Gina, I'm with you on canned veggies. We can do canned corn, but green beans and peas from a can look sad. We've had better luck than Kristen did with frozen green beans, so we do eat those occasionally in the off-season.
@Ruth T, frozen green beans make a squeaky feeling in my teeth but I will eat entire can of no salt canned ones with a ton of white vinegar
Oh man, I can't do the canned ones either! Something about the texture and color does me in.
I guess I am an extremely picky green bean eater.
We are going on vacation in less than a week, and getting our kitchen renovated in about a month or so, so it's "eat up everything in the fridge/freezer" time. We got our final pre-Vaca/Reno produce box this week and I used it mostly up so far. All meat/protein pulled from the freezer.
-frozen fish sticks, homemade Mac and cheese (to use up cheese in the fridge), and broccoli
-burrito bowls (instant pot) - ground beef, peppers, onion, corn and salsa cooked with rice and seasoning. Topped with cheese and mashed avocado.
-BBQ chicken, baby potatoes, and carrots.
Next week is going to be kind of crazy, I'm sure we will be fed but I'm hoping it's not too much junk (so I can save those calories for vacation food!)
I might have missed this, but have you talked about how you meal plan/make grocery lists? I am asking because it doesn’t seem like you assign meals to days before you shop. I have tried that so many times and it just does NOT work with my brain and our life! I like to stock up on staples and then just see what works for that day. I’m curious if you do something similar!
So, if I have my stuff together and I plan out a week of meals, I do usually assign them to a night. This is mostly because I might think something like, "Hmm, I will be out for all of Tuesday afternoon, so I'd better choose a quick meal to plan for Tuesday night." Or, "The weather will be really cool on Thursday; that would be a good day to heat up the oven and make pizza."
But there are plenty of weeks where I fly by the seat of my pants too. I don't really prefer that, though!
Your receipts with who all stopped made me giggle, too!
Saturday - I was with a kiddo at a birthday party all afternoon, so my husband made breakfast for dinner.
Sunday - Tacos and cherries
Monday - Chicken broccoli alfredo... there was something else... Maybe strawberries and grapes?
Tuesday - Aldi red bag chicken sandwiches, plus chicken nuggets for those who prefer them over red bag chicken, potato cubes with everything bagel seasoning, and cherries
Wednesday - Tuna noodle casserole and corn
Thursday - Cheeseburgers (except for me because my dog snatched my 7yo's cheeseburger when she got up to grab something *cue the tears*, so I gave her my burger and just had a toasted bun with butter), watermelon, zucchini, and asparagus
Friday- Plan A was haluski with sausages, but my daughter is going to another birthday party this evening and I know they're having pizza... Pizza sounds really good to me, so I may make it for those of us at home.
I spent $133 at Kroger and $125 at Costco this week. I was out of vegetable oil, olive oil, flour, Splenda, & several other items so this was a stock up trip and not a normal event in my budget week over week.
Saturday...this was a date night for my husband and I. We splurged on a lovely dinner INSIDE a locally owned restaurant and it.was.bliss. Our little one enjoyed pizza and Legos at home.
Sunday...pan seared pork chops with a lemon garlic pan sauce, leftover mashed potatoes, & cucumbers from the garden.
Monday...a play on Joanna Gaines recipe for Fatayer which is basically a meat pie (sounds meh but these were delicious), , cucumber and tomato salad with parsley & basil, sauteed green beans & yellow squash, and fresh corn. Kristen I am with you on the yuck frozen green beans - the only store bought I use are from Costco otherwise we grow and freeze our own which improves the taste about a million percent!
Tuesday...leftovers for the adults with oven fries & sweet potato fries using the last from the freezer and my son wanted a peanut butter sandwich and a yogurt.
Wednesday...I roasted some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and we had rice, steamed broccoli and fresh pineapple to go with it.
Thursday....leftover chicken breast was diced and mixed with mayo, dijon, red onion, dill, garlic, & green grapes. We ate the chicken salad on wheat bread with leftover veggies and fruit.
Friday...I never know what dinner Fridays will bring but I know I will think of something. Perhaps a veggie fried rice to use up leftover odds and ends and take advantage of the garden harvest.
Have a great weekend everyone!
When my husband used to pick up items at the store for me, he also came home with things like candied pecans, pickled jalapeno peppers, and bags of weirdly flavored chips. No way would he have walked out of any store for $3. I'm better off budget-wise now that I do all the shopping.
We had a weird week of food, because he was low-residue last week and started clear liquids on Sunday, then went to the hospital on Tuesday for his procedure. He gets home today, and his helpful caregiver is picking him up for me. It's a 2-hour drive each way.
I made a goat meat meatloaf on Sunday with roasted asparagus on the side and something else I forget . I ate after my husband went to bed (he went to bed early), as he was only allowed clear liquids.
I had it again, this time with beets and something else I forget, and he had clear liquids again.
He had an unrelated appointment in the doctors' offices at the hospital then was admitted for his procedure and I had such a late lunch after waiting hours for a room to open up for him in the hospital, that I just snacked on some fruit that night.
I cooked chicken organs - I'm actually encouraged to eat organ meat by my doctor -- and had roasted plantains and cut up fresh cucumbers with it.
I made a white "chili" using ground turkey, chicken broth, onions, garlic, celery, parsley, and zucchini, with some ganthoda powder to spice it up a bit. I actually had some of it for breakfast, too.
I hope to shop for two weeks today. Planning menus is so hard when I just don't know if I'm going to find prices I don't mind paying. I will do much of my planning as I shop. If I don't plan, it's a certainty that I will have all I need to make a dish, except for that one important ingredient that I would have bought, had I planned the dish ahead.
WWS: 110 (yikes!); WWA:
Sat: pork carnitas over salad?
Sun: no idea! I was deep in conference mode
Mon: no ideal! I was deep in conference mode
Tues: cucumber buttermilk yogurt soup
Wedn: cheese steak sandwiches; salad
Thur: grilled chicken thighs on big green salad
Fri: dinner for friends: cucumbers with chili crisp & steamed edamame; grilled ribs with gochujang bbq sauce (epicurious), sweet potato hash browns, Napa cabbage slaw; grilled peaches with yogurt and birch syrup.
Kristen: Your limp green beans remind me of a time when I was faced with the same dilemma, well before composting was on our radar. I whirled up the beans in the food processor with a little of this and a little of that to make green bean pate which we spread on crostini and crackers. It was so good that I now make it on purpose!
This week's lineup included:
- wild rice pancakes (leftover wild rice mixed with egg, onion, dill, nutmeg, bit of flour, salt and pepper) topped with chutney and sour cream
- vegetable hand pies (pie dough recipe, rolled out and cut into circles using a small bowl; stuffed with sauteed onions, mushrooms, spinach and parmesan cheese)
- vegetarian meatloaf (using Beyond Meat)
- pizza tonight at the local winery
Oops, I should mention that I cooked the green beans with some onion before dumping into the food processor.
I give you such credit for seeing potential in limp green beans!
@MB in MN, That is an ingenious use of green beans!!!
I spent $90 at Aldi, and $50 at Kroger. A bit over budget!
Monday: King Ranch Chicken, Mexican rice, skillet corn with cotija cheese and jalapeño
Tuesday: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, cauliflower with cheese, marinated cucumbers and onions
Wednesday: cook’s night off! Takeout Whataburgers!
Thursday: Chicken and rice, peas, homemade pound cake ( made in the air fryer in a loaf pan, because my oven was already busy)
Tonight: out to eat
We spent $90 at the grocery store, which was right on budget for us. This week I am on vacation from work but my work from home husband is not. I have done a huge amount of deep cleaning, decluttering and weed pulling and enjoyed every minute of the peace of being home.
We have fallen into our hot weather at home pattern of eating a late lunch and having a light snack of fruit or nuts in the evening, so no dinner cooking for me. On Sunday, in preparation for returning to work, I will make a big pot of spaghetti and sauce for quick dinners for a few days.
I look and pick the at the weekly "specials" but if I don't feel like going out I may forego the purchase and not go to the store. I eat yogurt and fresh fruit (or frozen if out of season) each morning so I do need that.
Last week shaved steak was on sale, so I did go out.
Friday: Pizza, salad (with a few leftover pieces for lunch).
Saturday: Salmon
Sunday: Shaved steak
Monday: Chicken marsala
Tuesday: Take-out to support a local fundraiser.
Wednesday: Leftover marsala (quick and easy before a meeting. We have returned to in person meetings for the present time.)
Thursday: Take-out again. Picked up on my way home from my day with the grandson.
There is a great sale on ground beef and ground turkey this week. So tonight I think we will have Greek turkey burgers. I have some seasoned feta cheese from our farm box in the 'frig. I will use that in the turkey burger this time. And I do like your recipe for burgers, so I will make up several to have at the ready in the freezer.
@JEG, what's your recipe for Greek turkey burgers? I've been eyeing this one, but haven't tried it yet.
https://www.budgetbytes.com/greek-turkey-burgers/
Saturday-chicken noodle casserole, watermelon
Sunday-last of the stuffed pepper casserole, green beans
Monday-leftovers, peaches
Tuesday-hamburger, roasted potatoes, watermelon
Tuesday-spaghetti, butter beans, french bread
Thursday-French toast with blueberries, hashbrowns
Friday-salad, baked potato
I haven't been grocery shopping in forever, so this week was eating up what was there
Saturday leftover frozen meatballs and spaghetti. I'm trying to use last year's garden canned sauce before this crop ripens
Sunday- takeout pho from a local place. I was in the garden all day and had no energy to cook
Monday- make your own burrito bowls with whatever needed to get used up
Tuesday- sweet potato and veggie hash w/fried eggs
Weds- zucchini and tomato flatbread w/ leftover chicken sausage
Thursday- turkey chili verde
Fri- roasted Brussel sprout carbonara if I am not too tired to cook after the house deep clean
I didn't know you feel that way about pie crusts but I feel the same way (and I love crisps). My family thinks I'm crazy to not appreciate pie but it is what it is.
Pie crust always seems to me like it doesn't go with the filling; this salty part doesn't match the sweet part!
I'm with Mr. FG. Sometimes I like to just stop and grab a few things. It gives me something to do and makes me feel useful. I'm not a true "third space" but it's a place I'm more or less in control of things and be myself, if that makes sense.
But let's see. I'm on "vacation" (not that it's a real vacation as I'm not exactly relaxing all the time.)
Monday: Cracker Barrel. I know it's a chain but I really enjoy it.
Tuesday: We were with my wife's family and they made some fish.
Wednesday: My wife and I went to a local place and had a date night: just the two of us. It was alright but overpriced. I didn't feel good about spending the money. :-/
Thursday: Just odds and ends really.
Friday: I am not sure. I think we're making homemade pizza, I guess.
If you're going to cook (most) frozen veggies, then your best bet is almost always to roast them, or roast them before however else you're going to cook them. That will go a long way toward de-sogging them.
When I asked my husband what he wanted for Father’s Day, he gave me a list of what he*might* want, so I just bought all of it. That pretty much make the whole week’s menu. (Which is a total win for me because deciding the week’s menu sometimes stresses me out)
Monday-tacos
Tuesday-impromptu date night
Wednesday-chicken gnocchi soup
Thursday-Hawaiian bread mini sandwiches
Friday-lose meat meatloaf sandwiches
PS-he decided on sausage tortellini soup for Father’s Day Sunday
Happy Friday everyone!
Hey, Father's Day for a week is a great idea!
I grew up on canned green beans, so the first time I had fresh I thought they were so gross! I've come around to appreciating them though. Here's what we had this week:
S: Drove home from the lake that day, so we had pineapple coconut chicken curry from the freezer over rice.
M: Farro with crispy sausage and collard greens. This was a new recipe from a library cookbook, and it was just meh.
T: Sausage, peppers, and onions on the grill.
W: Leftovers
R: Husband had a work dinner, so my daughter and I had all the seafood he won't eat haha. Miso salmon and shrimp cocktail, with corn on the cob.
F: We had some friends over for dinner, and we tried a French dip crescent ring with some misfits melon on the side. It was really good!
S: We had our traditional Saturday morning breakfast burritos to use up leftover veggies, and we're going to have leftovers tonight too.
Can you share the recipe for the chicken and biscuits with the dairy free mods? I have two sons with milk allergies. Also, I’d be curious to see the rhubarb skillet recipe. Thanks!
So, I follow my usual chicken and biscuit recipe, and instead of the called-for milk, I use a combo of chicken broth and heavy cream. Sonia tolerates heavy cream, and when it's thinned, it tends to behave kind of like milk.
My mods are milk free, but not dairy free.
I wonder if some sort of creamy non-dairy milk would work; something with a mild flavor that melds well with chicken.
https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/how-to-make-chicken-and-biscuits-a-casserole/
Saturday - takeout night, we got pizza
Sunday - white chicken lasagna
Monday - pulled pork, corn on the cob, broccoli
Tuesday - crispy Parmesan chicken, pearl couscous, roast carrots
Wednesday - salmon, zucchini, biscuits
Thursday - Tomato and sausage risotto
Friday - Trader Joe’s orange chicken and shrimp gyoza
I agree with you on the "crisp" 100%. I baked strawberry rhubarb crisp 3 or 4 times already this year. I wish I could cut back on the sugar in the recipe though.