WIS, WWA | This week was a fog
You know how sometimes when you are sick, it's not just your body that feels bad, but also your brain?
I felt that this last week!
You'd have thought with all the couch/bed time I had that I might have read a bunch of books, done puzzles, or written blog posts, but nope; even watching TV seemed unappealing. I did a lot of just flat-out nothing.
I did try to do some reading, but man, even my brain was tired.
I feel like I came out of the fog on Wednesday of this week, so that's where I'll pick up my WIS, WWA report.
The days before Wednesday can just remain in the misty past. 😉
What I Spent
I spent:
- $50 on a Sam's Club membership
- $104 on food at Sam's Club
- $24 at Safeway
So, $178 for this week, but obviously the $50 membership fee isn't going to be recurring each week.
My current house is just not at all close to any other warehouse club, so I figured I should give Sam's Club a try! I haven't been a member since maybe the early 2000s, so it will be interesting to see what I think of their selection and prices.
What We Ate
Tuesday
As it turns out, I actually do remember what I ate on Tuesday; I got a rotisserie chicken from Safeway and I also boiled some small potatoes and dressed them with some garlic and butter.
Wednesday
A few weeks ago, I'd frozen some extra burgers I'd made, so I thawed and cooked those on Wednesday night. Yay for past Kristen!
We just had some fruit on the side.
Thursday
I made the King's Hawaiian baked ham/Swiss sliders, and we had a green salad on the side.
Friday
I might make some pizza!
WIS: $15 at the Regional Market, $6 at the bakery outlet, $23 at the adjacent grocery outlet, $10 at Aldi, $12 at Trader Joe's, $20 at Price Chopper, and $32 at Wegmans. (I did more shopping than usual last weekend, in preparation for both my dental implant and my planned low-spend February.)
Bargains included $2 for a Reduced for Quick Sale gallon of milk at Price Chopper; a digital coupon for $2 off a 2# bag of frozen tilapia at Wegmans, bringing the bag to $10; and $1.50 each for four loaves of Arnold whole wheat bread at the bakery outlet.
WIA: As you already know, my meals since Tuesday haven't been very exciting! But I did pull a quart of squash and red lentil soup (made last fall) out of the freezer for dinner the evening after the implant was done; I made a small stock yesterday with poultry bones from the freezer plus saved veggie scraps, and will be making a chicken noodle soup with this; and the next soup after that will be a split pea with a saved ham bone. I'll be sharing the chicken noodle and the split pea with the Bestest Neighbors, who had me over last night for an easy-to-chew dinner of chicken and Brussels sprouts.
@A. Marie, praying your implant heals quickly and well! I know that process...
Your sliders look delicious!!
We have a Sam's Club membership now and I'm not sure if we like it quite as much as when we had a Costco membership, but we were also in a different stage of life then. I hope that it's helpful for you! If nothing else, you can enjoy some brownie sundaes from their food court for very little money.
Saturday: My kids were finishing their weekend at Grammy's, so it was just me and my husband. I made chicken legs in the air fryer (SO GOOD!), green beans, and a salad.
Sunday: Pizza
Monday: We had FG baked potato soup. We had to eat in shifts, but I was able to make 90% of the soup in the afternoon and that was perfect. Our sour cream went bad so my husband added cream cheese in its place at the end. It worked!
Tuesday: Sheet pan dinner (brats, broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, potatoes) and cantaloupe
Wednesday: The kids and I had tacos at church. I think my husband had leftover soup.
Thursday: Fish sticks, peas, and pineapple
Friday: Chili and baked potatoes
Enjoy your weekend of being healthy again!
@Ruth T, ooh, we'll have to try a brownie sundae next time we're there!
Kudos to you for making dinner when you were feeling so crummy! I'm glad you're in the mend now!
WIS: oh, man...brace yourself...122.04@ Safeway, 52.74@ Aldi, 31.10@ Hungry Harvest, 19.52@ the liquor store, 159.48 on an order of protein powders for my husband, and 1362.00 on (52) farm shares for a grand total of 1746.88 and this was an off week!!! Yikes! It especially feels so expensive right now because I won't get any of the delicious farm share goodies until May, but I know I will be glad to have the fresh local vegetables then.
WWA:
Fri: salad (mixed greens, blueberries, almonds, honey nut crispy Os, and a cotton candy flavored mootube as dressing), homemade strombolis (filled with roasted red peppers, mushrooms, cheese and deli ham)
Sat: salad (mixed greens, almonds, raspberries, and a melonberry mootube this time), assorted leftovers: broccoli potato soup, rice, strombolis, rice and beans with chorizo topped with sour cream.
Sun: salad (green lettuce, red, orange and yellow peppers, raisins, pepitas and a guacamole cup as dressing), chicken and waffles. The chicken was breaded with cornflakes and then air fried.
Mon: applesauce, egg noodles, sweet Italian sausages, and sauteed red and yellow peppers and onions.
Tue: salad (red lettuce, a sliced purple radish, a sliced baby cucumber, feta cheese crumbles and balsamic drizzle), brown rice, tofu and pink bean chili topped with sour cream.
Wed: salad (mixed greens, sliced tomatoes, peanuts, raisins and ranch dressing), chicken and swiss chard goldfish cracker gratin, rose cones from Aldi for dessert.
Thu: salad (mixed greens, cucumber slices, walnuts, craisins and a blueberry mootube for dressing), a bag of frozen elote corn from Aldi (adults thought it was not great, but the kids liked it), short grain white rice, potato crusted salmon filets.
Tonight: hmm, not sure if we'll have focaccia, stromboli again, or maybe a cheese take and bake that I tossed into the freezer, but we will definitely have salad!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
@Becca, what's a mootube?
@Natalie J, I think a go gurt from Aldi?
@Jenny, All these names are so funny. Mootube, gogurt. Made me giggle.
@Natalie J, That was my (unposted!) question. Google first told me it was a dog treat made from cattle windpipes. Oooo-kay. But subsequent search results suggest it is a yogurt treat for kids sold at Aldi (which we don't have here and I've never been to).
@Natalie J,
Yes, it's a yogurt tube (go-gurt) from Aldi. Ours sells an 8-pack for $1.55. Pretty sweet deal! I've never tried them in place of salad dressing, though, and am very intrigued by this idea.
@Ruth T,
Yup! Mootubes are the cheapie Aldi brand of gogurt and they make excellent lazy salad dressing! My kids LOVE them! If you just snip a tiny corner of the tube like you would for piping icing, you can get a pretty drizzle effect.
@JDinNM,
Hahahaha! Oh my goodness...that would NOT be good in a salad...
@Becca, Or really, anywhere ... But my dog might disagree.
@JDinNM, My son absolutely delights in buying the most utterly repulsive dried animal bits as dog treats, just to gross me out. On one hand, I figure, it's good everything gets used or eaten. On the other, I do not need to hear my son exclaim, "Who's been a good dog? Who wants an ESOPHAGUS???" while my two dogs dance around the house.
@inwp, Nice tying, Rose. IDK. But it's me.
@inwp,
Does "inwp" stand for "I'm not wearing pants?"
We joined Sam’s Club about eight years ago for the same reason as you, Kristen. At the time we joined, we had kids in diapers and we bought all of those there. Now, my favorite things to buy there are staples like frozen blueberries, almond butter, Rao’s marinara, avocados, cheese and other dairy, bacon, and sometimes other meat when the prices are good. The Sam’s where I live has reliably good and reasonably priced produce in winter, too, but I don’t know if that’s standard.
We did Costco and Sam's both for a year due to introductory offers and other stuff. Sam's won out since it's en route to the office and easier to pick up a rotisserie chicken after a crazy day.
I definitely have my staples from there, but don't get everything there since I still shop lost leaders from the local chains.
Currently on my Sam's "cheapest in town" prices that we use like crazy include peanut butter, brown sugar, raisins, cheese (most of the time), spices, peanuts, cocoa, chocolate chips, hot cocoa, Mac and cheese, and breakfast sandwiches. Plus watching their sale cycle is valuable for me. We just stocked up on shredded mini wheat for my boys at $1.60/lb.
@Dorinda, I like Sam’s rotisserie chickens, too!
I missed three days of work this week and like you, got nothing done but finishing a book. And I don't feel particularly rested. I hate wasting days off! Glad you are better. You must have needed the rest, I'd say. This week:
Monday - Roast Chicken Thighs, El Dorado Rice (rice, green chilies, corn, cilantro, green onion) {dropped off my car to get repairs done}
Tuesday - Taco Salad {Happy Heavenly Birthday to Hubby, put a crockpot of pintos on overnight}
Wednesday - Crockpot Stew (with potato, carrot, green bean) using the second half of a mini roast (this was cooked by candlelight on my gas stove as I went without electricity for 12 1/2 hours, but it was delish!)
Thursday - Tilapia made into a taco, salad greens, Frijoles Charritos, (pintos, bacon, jalapenos, onion, tomato)
Friday - freezer leftovers which will likely be Ham Balls, mashed, peas and carrots. This does not jazz me, but I gave myself $13 over my budget for groceries so I need to eat in.
Saturday - Chicken alfredo with spinach (freeze any extra for work lunch)
Sunday - the Enchiladas con Carne I did not actually make last week, rest of the Frijoles Charritos. Picking up groceries today: $63 and change since I added in a few pantry staples.
Happy weekend - warmer days are ahead!
https://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/
So glad you're feeling better! I've had Covid twice too, the first time I barely felt sick (only tested because my sister in law was positive), but the second time knocked me flat for sure. At one point I fell asleep on my bedroom floor because making it to my bed was too hard haha.
Also, we have a Sam's club membership because it's the closest option and my husband somehow got us the membership for $6 for the first year. It's not my favorite, but for $6 it was worth an experiment!
Sunday: Buffalo chicken meatloaf with roasted carrots. This tasted good, but the texture threw me and my husband off.
Monday: Stir fry with ramen noodles, easy and quick!
Tuesday: Sandwiches. I tried the egg salad from Jen Hatmaker's new cookbook, the other two people did variations with peanut butter.
Wednesday: Preschooler's choice, which has meant "Mac and cheese, apples, and popsicles!" for months now haha.
Thursday: Sheet pan gnocchi with sausage and peppers, one of my husband's favorites.
Friday/Saturday: Leftovers
Have a great week, everyone!
Ooh, I hear you on that exhaustion. At times it felt like too much effort to sit up to eat or drink!
@Natalie J, we joined Sam's last year to try it out for I think $8. It was some special of points for the superbowl. It was worth that to give it a try, but ultimately it just is out of the way for us, so we aren't renewing.
With our refrigerator out of service for over 2 weeks not, I've tried to only use what we had (and quickly). This resulted in us ignoring the dry goods and trying to eat all produce + meat before they went bad. Thankfully, we've had freezing temps, which meant we were able to store a lot of food outside in coolers.
1. Shrimp Stir Fry
2. Shrimp & Salad
3. Curry Chicken
4. Chicken & Salad
5. Bean Soup & Salad
6. Sick day (sandwiches for those who ate)
7. Hopefully our fridge is finally working and I can go grocery shopping tonight. But if not, I'm thinking carryout.
I think we get beg savings at Sam's Club with the gas. It's consistently many cents cheaper than all the others.
It's amazing you felt like cooking at all. Covid sucks all the energy out of a person. So glad you are better!
WIS: $70 and some odd cents at Food Lion, where we mainly bought fresh produce, cheese, crackers, canned goods, peanut butter and frozen veggies. $7.50 at Dollar Tree for things like Saco baking cocoa, Ocean Spray dried cranberries, and those big milk chocolate bars made in Poland that are so delicious.
WEA: Angel hair pasta with marinara sauce jazzed up with sweet peppers from the freezer. Homemade lentil-veggie-chicken soup that used half a bag of roasted meat cut off chicken drumsticks, also from the freezer. Homemade bran muffins that used up two jars of fruit baby food we bought by accident instead of baby food pumpkin for the dog. Iced tea flavored with some leftover citrus fruit drink mix. Mac and cheese and applesauce on clean out the fridge night.
@Ruby, you used baby food to bake?? That is remarkably resourceful! I never heard of buying baby food for a dog, but maybe he is old and can't chew anymore.
@Central Calif. Artist, pureed pumpkin is good for dogs of all ages - good for digestion from one end to the other.
@Central Calif. Artist,
When I had a surplus of baby food in the house, my husband would use the fruit ones to make crepes.
@Central Calif. Artist, pureed pumpkin is a cure-all for digestive problems with dogs. Our dogs are small and the baby food size is perfect for them.
Our middle dog takes a lot of pills for her heart condition and we discovered she does so happily if they are buried in a spoonful of chilled beef baby food. One pill per bite of baby food and she snarfs it right down.
@Ruby, thank you for answering. I wonder what cats would do with pumpkin. . . no dogs in my life, just endless curiosity. I learn so many interesting things on this blog!
Friday: We were headed up to the mountains so we packed sandwiches to eat while we sat in traffic.
Saturday: Takeout pizza after a day of skiing.
Sunday: Taco Bell while we sat in traffic heading home.
Monday: Spinach ravioli with marinara and a salad - kids informed us the prefer pesto. (Eye roll, kids these days)
Tuesday: Blacked fish salad with creamy avocado dressing from 100 Days of Real Food - it was delicious!
Wednesday: Instant Pot lentil soup with a bit of leftover chicken apple sausage, clearance French bread.
Thursday: Was going to make a veggie curry, but forgot to run to Trader Joe’s for my favorite curry simmer sauce SO I sautéed up some brats from the freezer with a head of cabbage and onion, and roasted carrots.
Tonight: husband has poker night with buddies, so I think I’ll make pizza for me and the kids - maybe a pesto pizza.
@mkmitch, what's your favorite simmer sauce? I'm stopping by Trader Joe's this weekend!
@Natalie J, I'm a huge fan of Trader Joes's simmer sauces, especially Masala and Green Thai Curry. I'm overdue for a trip there!
It's just the two of us so we have started having leftovers for dinner instead of taking them for lunch, so you'll see repeats in our WWA
WWA:
Saturday: Burritos from local restaurant
Sunday: Potato dill soup
Monday: Meatloaf, roasted carrots, and mashed potatoes
Tuesday: Potato dill soup
Wednesday: Meatloaf, green beans, and mashed potatoes
Thursday: BBQ baked chicken and sweet potatoes
Friday: Happy hour snacks for me, DH is on his own
WIS: $145 @ Costco
WWA:
Saturday: Burgers on whole wheat buns with caramelized onions & homemade sweet potato fries
Sunday: Whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce
Monday: Leftovers for some; I had yogurt with blueberries & pumpkin seeds
Tuesday: Chicken tacos with low carb tortillas, avocado, cilantro, lettuce, cheese & sriracha cream
Wednesday: Leftovers for some & my hubby and I went out for a rare meal together
Thursday: Turkey Chili & greek yogurt dinner rolls
Friday: Leftovers for everyone
Cheers to the weekend ahead!
Past me, who was solo parenting last week, shopped on Saturday for this week so my husband, who was coming back from a long trip, wouldn't have to go shopping until the end of this week. Spent 250 on food. Not too bad!
Saturday was homemade pizzas, as was Sunday dinner. This is always easy, we get the toppings all ready ahead of time and then it's just everyone assembling their own, and the work is done for Sunday. I'm sure some kids/families would get tired of this every week, but we never are.
Monday: I stayed up verrrrry late on Sunday night as my husband's train got in around 3 am, so both of us were zonked. Second-oldest son to the rescue, who made burgers and tater tots for dinner while I succumbed to a sleep-deprivation-induced coma.
Tuesday: Feeling better, made lentil soup in the crockpot and a pan of cornbread.
Wednesday: Oldest son made hamburger stew. He likes to use up leftover beef in this, and he kindly makes two burgers for the youngest, who doesn't like stew.
Thursday: Taco night. Another son made this. We watched Groundhog Day and husband and I slipped out for confession.
Tonight: probably rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, as we're getting ready for a trip this weekend.
@Karen A.,
From one Catholic to another, congratulations on getting a trip to Confession! I hope it was a good one. God bless.
@Karen A., you are rearing some sons to be excellent husbands!
@Karen A., And congratulations on raising an oldest son who not only cooks for the family but is so thoughtful about a younger sibling. Good job, Mom!
@JDinNM, Aw, thanks!
@Central Calif. Artist, Or at least be able to feed themselves something besides fast food when they're on their own, ha! We have a family rule that whoever doesn't cook dinner helps clean up afterward, and so getting a night off of KP duty is a good incentive.
@st, It was! We try to go for First Saturday devotion once a month, and my
"favorite" priest was on duty, so that was nice. God bless you. 🙂
Saturday: Beef and bean soft tacos, carrot sticks
Sunday: Sirloin steaks, rice cooked in chicken stock, raw green beans, sauteed green beans and onion, cookies
Monday: I had made a hamburger-vegetable soup the day before for my work lunches, and that's what my husband and I ate, him with rye crisps and cheese. My children had leftover steak and rice.
Tuesday: Chili from the freezer, tortillas and cheese
Wednesday: Scrambled eggs, bacon, bread and butter, raw green beans
Thursday: Meatloaf, baked potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, raw broccoli, roasted green beans, oatmeal-raisin cookies
Tonight: Dunno, but I will be home to cook (rather than at work, like Mondays and Wednesdays, or at a basketball game, like most Saturdays lately), so I'd better take advantage. 🙂
I have a Sam's membership as well and their scan is go feature is my favorite! It's super easy once you download the app and link a card to it you can just scan your items as you shop and hit pay when you are done, no more standing in the long check out lines! around us their gas is the cheapest as well which is nice since I'm already going there.
I joined Sam's Club for the first time a year ago when they were having a deal that made it almost free. I have loved it! We don't have any other warehouse clubs in my town, so I can't say how it compares to others, though. If you end up liking it, I will say that upgrading to the Plus membership is really worth it. You earn 2% cash back, so I have found that at my level of spending at Sam's Club, I actually SAVE money by paying for the Plus membership. The cash back I earned last year paid for my membership and then some. You also get free curbside pickup and free shipping on the Sam's website. There are extra pharmacy and optical discounts with Plus also. The best deal I have found at Sam's Club is the Member's Mark brand allergy nose spray. It is like half the cost of the Wal-Mart store brand!
I waffled yesterday about the Plus membership! I worried that maybe with having only three people in my household, I wouldn't spend enough to make it worth the upgrade. I'd have to spend roughly $200/month to make it pay for itself, which would be easy to do if I had a huge family.
@Kristen, I dropped my Costco membership from Executive to regular and then altogether for that reason: food (especially fruits/vegetables/salads that can't really be frozen) in huge quantities and packaging that I just couldn't get through before it spoiled; could not really take advantage of many membership benefits (cars/insurance/etc.); don't do enough driving to make a few cents/gallon on gas to be worth it; and on and on. I think it's great for people with big families/hungry teenagers or small businesses that are buying lots of office equipment or supplies or stocking an employee kitchen. Just not for me. And, of course, too much tempting stuff I didn't need arrayed on the path to checkout! Not only was I not recouping my membership fee but I was spending money I didn't need to spend. Not very frugal!
@JDinNM,
I rejoined Costco this past fall and have seen my food bill drop dramatically. We do not have many low cost options where I live. Trader Joe’s is the cheapest nearby store. My other choices are Publix, Fresh Market and Whole Foods. Aldi, Costco and Sam’s are 15 miles and 45 minutes away in hair raising traffic
I agree that Costco is filled with tempting options that aren’t budget friendly, but I’m learning to navigate the store as an empty nester. I started shopping differently. I breakdown large quantities to freeze or share with my sister. For example, I’ll buy two dozen eggs for $7 and give 1/2 of them to my sister. This way we are each paying $3.50 a dozen which is much less than the local market. I bought 4lbs of applewood smoked bacon for $17. That is 1/2 of the cost of the same type of bacon at TJ’s where it is $7 for 12 ounces. I split it up into 5 packages and frozen it It will last 3 months or so. Coffee is a huge savings as is Gluten Free oatmeal, GF bread, rice and nuts.
There are some things I could never eat in time, however. I love spinach but a 2lb bag is just too much. I bought a huge package of mushrooms and ended up eating them every single day for a week. So I probably won’t buy those again. Anyway, I’m just trying to figure out how to make it work for me.
@Bee, FYI- you can saute mushrooms and freeze them.
@JoAnna, I had not thought of that .That is a wonderful idea. Perfect for pork chops or on burgers. Thank you!!!
I’m glad you’re feeling better! Things we ate this week:
Saturday- chicken corn chowder, fruit, garlic bread
Sunday- chicken quesadillas with pinto beans and fruit
Monday- Bacon wrapped chicken, rice, salad, fruit
Tuesday- leftover night
Wednesday- daughter & I went to dinner with friend and husband fended for himself
Thursday- chicken sausage with black beans & rice, watermelon radish salad w/walnuts, oranges, and goat cheese (delicious!)
Friday- husband and I are going to a concert at a dinner club with friends and will have dinner there
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
@Beth,
I loooove watermelon radishes....that salad sounds yummy!
This week, I was too tired to do food prep before bed. It definitely made a difference, in that I felt happier and more rested, but our eating seemed less organized and we spent more--didn't meet the goal of $150 USD. The store we went to on the weekend didn't have fresh meat on the day that we went, so we also had just use what was in the freezer.
Monday: We had meatloaf from the freezer and sauteed gai lan on the side. I learned that none of us are crazy about gai lan!
Tuesday: I was on call, so I had takeout (partially paid for with gift-card) and Mr. B and toddler had chicken nuggets.
Wednesday: We had pasta with herbs, peas, and parmesan, Mr. B also had hard-boiled eggs. I had made farmer's cheese but I overheated the milk and it came out too firm for pasta.
Thursday: Mr. B made cod, potatoes, and roasted carrots.
Friday: ARGH I have no idea. I asked Mr. B to make pasta sauce so I guess we'll have ravioli, salmon, and maybe a cucumber/herb salad...because I have a bad feeling that the huge bag of carrots I bought are all rotten. Sigh. Better luck next week!
I love seeing pictures of your kitty lying on you.
I finally am able to participate in this, as I actually wrote down what my meals were!
WIS: $55.97 at my budget grocery store, No Frills. This may seem fairly inexpensive but the week prior was a whopper of a bill.
Friday: Salad with roasted potatoes on top.
Sat: Pacific Rim Stir-fry.
Sun: Toasted tuna sandwiches with cucumbers on the side, and tomato soup.
Mon: Salad, hard boiled egg on top.
Tues: Takeout pizza at 3:30pm. So a small salad for me for dinner at 7:30pm.
Wed: Leftover takeout pizza.
Thurs: Porkloin Cornmeal Third (for my fellow Canadians, we know this as Peameal Bacon roast) with Maple BBQ sauce + Crispy Dijon Potatoes + steamed cabbage + cucumber slices.
Friday: Tonight will be leftover from last night.
Happy Weekend to everyone.
@Linda in Canada, sorry, but “peameal bacon roast” doesn’t sound too good! Pork loin is good- cornmeal third??? Interesting!
Saturday - we again opted to dine out rather than get takeout, this time at a diner. Honestly not sure it’s worth it with toddlers, not particularly relaxing at all and they certainly don’t understand the enjoyment of dining out (sitting at a table for an extended period of time is the opposite idea of fun for them!) I guess it’s still good to practice restaurant etiquette with them a bit though.
Sunday - made a baked ziti, and had both kids help. My 4 year old was making the sauce and pasta on the stovetop (induction so no open flame) and the 2 year old mixed together the cheese components at the counter. It was a bit exhausting for me but they loved it and they ate more of it at dinner because they cooked it themselves.
Monday - chimichurri chicken and rice (not much in the garden right now but we do have a lot of parsley growing so I was able to use a lot of it in this recipe)
Tuesday - I had a Christmas gift mishap, I thought my dad might enjoy hello fresh and blue apron gift cards since he cooks for my mom and himself every night. He told me he’s tried them before though and it’s too much work, he likes just making his same small rotation of dishes. So at least he was honest and I took the gift cards back because I actually do like using those services (I just can’t justify it because I also love meal planning and grocery shopping so I really don’t need to spend the extra to avoid that)
So, this was the first of those meals, it was meatballs with onion gravy, served with mashed potatoes and charred peas. I got the 2 serving portion, this one was generous enough that it easily fed the 4 of us.
Wednesday - another hello fresh meal, lemon spinach ricotta ravioli with roasted bell pepper. This one wasn’t quite enough for 4 of us so I made some egg noodles with butter and cheese for the kids and some steamed broccoli and green beans for all of us.
Thursday - I was meeting with some friends and was going to eat there, I made two microwave Mac n cheese meals for the kids and my husband ate some leftovers
Friday - last hello fresh meal, za’atar crusted grilling cheese with zucchini and cous cous. It’s very possible I will be the only one that ends up eating this but I love grilling cheese so couldn’t resist.
The brain fog and the exhaustion are hard to get over! I think it is amazing that you even thought about dinner. So glad you are on the mend!!!!
Sams Club, at least mine, has discounted gift cards. So if you know you will be going to Chilis for example you can buy $50 worth of cards for $40. We make up our membership fee just with the gift cards.
Let's see, last Friday I went shopping and spent $28 at Trader Joe's, $40 at Publix, $16 at Whole Foods and $49 with a farmer, so $133 (and part of the farm bill was for my dogs, not me), not counting any change, for two weeks. I usually don't have these figures on me, but today I happen to have them.
WIA:
Pork chops twice - with cranberry sauce and sautéed collards, then with cassava mac & cheese and peas & carrots.
Meatloaf twice, first with mac & cheese and delicata squash, which was the worst squash of any kind I've ever had. It looked and felt fine, but it was terribly tasteless with not a hint of sweet or even squash flavor. I wonder if it was picked green and ripened artificially somehow. I was really disappointed, as delicata is one of my favorites, normally. The next time I had meatloaf, I ate some of the peas and carrots with it instead.
Uncured all-beef hotdogs were on sale, so I had them two nights as well, with raw veggies and with Trader Joe's cassava chips, which are so far the closest I've had to real potato chips out of all the potato chip substitutes I've tried. I'm actually not a huge potato chip fan, but of course, having to avoid white-potato chips makes me crave them.
Tonight is probably leftovers, as I won't be stopping at any stores.
I used to have Sam's membership, but have Costco now. Costco is on my way home and I get my gas there. Sam's is out of my way. I used to find good stuff at Sam's - I once found a teapot in my daughter's Old Country Roses china pattern at Sam's - but it's not worth having both memberships to me.
WIS- $67.45 at Kroger, $104 on takeout & lunches out
WWA-
Sat.- DH had a craving for ribs, so we ordered delivery of a rack of pork ribs, 2 pint containers of potato salad, 1 serving of Mac & cheese, 4 slices of garlic bread & 1 gigantic piece of triple chocolate cake. I include the portion sizes as some things were eaten later. It cost us $69 but was worth it because of the leftovers.
Sun.- Our niece sent me home at the end of my visit with a seafood pasta dish & garlic bread
Mon.- DH ate leftover ribs, potato salad & garlic bread. I ate leftover seafood pasta & garlic bread.
Tue.- My sister was in town to help me with some estate matters of our dad, who lived an hour away from me. It was lunchtime when we arrived so we ate at a local Mexican restaurant that never disappoints! For about $15 I had a chicken quesadilla & rice, plus complimentary chips & salsa. No dinner for me as I was stuffed from lunch still. DH had a grilled cheese & potato salad.
Wed.- Little Sis always likes to shop & wanted to check on availability of a couple items in the stores in my area. While we were out we once again stopped for lunch. For $20 (including tip & beverage) I ate a combo of 1/2 grilled ham & cheese & tomato basil soup.
Dinner was peanut butter & crackers for me, a hamburger & potato salad for DH. (Notice how the potato salad keeps making an appearance? This was the last of it.)
Thu.- chili cheese buns.
Fri.- Maybe a homemade pizza or some type of fish. We’ll see what my mood is later on.
Have a great weekend all!
I’m so glad to hear that you are on the mend! I don’t have a Sam’s membership, but I do have a few coworkers that do and they LOVE it, mostly the fresh produce.
Friday – Ground turkey ramen stir fry. This was a last minute ‘pantry raid’ meal and used up all of the veggie odds and ends in the fridge. It was a hit with everyone and I’m looking forward to making it again.
Saturday – Gumbo
Sunday – Chopped Greek salad and pizza egg rolls. I’ve been experimenting with what I can put in egg roll wrappers and my boys have been enjoying the ‘taste testing’.
Monday – Slow cooker pork carnitas soft tacos, cauliflower rice, black beans. The leftover pork and black beans have been turned into quesadilla filling for lunches all week.
Tuesday – Aztec Chicken Quinoa & Avocado Soup.
Wednesday – Whole wheat spaghetti with pancetta butternut squash sauce and Caesar salad
Thursday – Salisbury steak with mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans.
@Geneva, Your Friday night "pantry raid" reminded me of something I haven't thought about in years (decades, really!). Every few weeks my mother would serve a "dinner" consisting of a platter of foil-wrapped packages from the freezer and refrigerator. "Mystery meals" -- you picked whichever one you wanted (no fair peeking!) but then you had to eat it.
@JDinNM, I love this idea!!!
@JDinNM,
That's brilliant! Guess who's having mystery meals this week?!?!
@Dorinda, it was great if you got lucky! When I told my niece about this she called it "tin foil roulette" -- which pretty much sums it up.
@JDinNM, hilarious!!!
63 dollars at grocery pickup. Trying to eat form freezers.
M. Air fryer chicken. Steamed broccoli. And noodles.
T. Leftover pasta shells and meatballs. One cube of home grown and frozen pesto thrown in.
W. Ground Turkey noodle skillet. I make up three at a time. They keep in canning jars. It’s like homemade ham helper. Healthier but not as good. Just brown the meat and dump in mix. Add water milk and cheese.
Th. Leftover noodle skillet. Steamed peas. Cucumber salad. Cottage cheese.
Threw bits of tortilla chips on top. Used those up!
F. Frozen pizza and bag salad. Our version of take out.
Tomorrow: 15 bean soup with leftover ham and stock from Xmas in freezer.
Get better. Stay warm everyone.
It's been a busy week, so meals were a bit haphazard this week:
-Mom/boys dinner out (my husband was out of town)
-Tacos x2
-Baked chicken, roasted squash, fried rice
-Pulled pork with coleslaw
-Chicken fajitas
I think tonight will be bacon wrapped chicken (already prepped from Costco) + brussel sprouts. The sprouts are in the freezer, and we need to use them up.
I like the Scan and Go option at Sam’s. No waiting in those long lines and the Scan and Go price on some items is cheaper. We belong to both Costco and Sam’s (which is five minutes from our house). I prefer Costco for wine, organic items, chicken and meat. I prefer Sam’s for the clothing (I have six grandkids!).
It seems like I blink and it’s Friday again. WWA:
Saturday - beef tortilla soup (with a batch to freezer)
Sunday - KFC chicken for the first time in decades. It was my recently-passed father’s favourite and it would have been his birthday last week. Sentimental eating…
Monday - pan-fried steak, baked potatoes, broccoli (the meal originally planned for Sunday)
Tuesday - slow cooker sausage tortellini soup (batch to freezer) & baguette
Wednesday - smokies on buns with sauerkraut & frozen fries
Thursday - sheet pan chicken fajitas
Friday - planning to have pasta with scallops from the freezer that need to be consumed
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend
Saturday: Poha (flattened rice with potatoes, onions, cashews and spices) with roasted sweet potatoes and pears on the side.
Sunday: Pizza for them, grain bowl for me with strawberries on the side
Monday: Zucchini Bake with garlic rapini on the side
Tuesday: Taquitos with apples and pears
Wednesday: Tofu scramble and blistered shishito peppers. I think we had cherries on the side.
Thursday: Kung Pao Chicken
Friday: Not sure yet...I have leftovers that I can clear up (chili, tofu scramble, stuff for grain bowls) but what will the kids eat? I'll figure it out at some point.
Monday was our ministry team dinner, so we had lemon garlic chicken with broccoli and sweet potatoes. My kids had a snow day, so they each helped with a dish. Yay for two crockpots and a rice cooker/steamer to make things easy.
Tuesday we had breakfast for supper with marked down "sausage strips" (imitation bacon?) and scrambled eggs. A friend tipped me off on a store that was selling eggs for $1.50/dz Monday night, so I bought ten dozen! Hence why we could "afford" to have eggs as a main dish again. I dropped five dozen off with friends (including the EN), but we still have lots ourselves.
Wednesday was a crazy schedule day, but we managed to avoid eating out. Yay for me! Leftover biscuits and gravy for the kids and leftover turkey stew for MrA and me. And pre-bedtime snack of yogurt and FG's no-stir granola.
Thursday I made a Sam's run and decided that picking up frozen tacquitos at Sam's was saner than me trying to pull a meal together post dentist appts and piano lessons. We added homemade applesauce from the gleanings of last fall and baby carrots.
Friday... I don't know what we'll eat tonight. It's pretty much a "fail to plan" week as we've been navigating the registration deadline for our spring break missions events. We've got 30+participants joining us in March from Cedarville U, LeTourneau U, and Palm Beach Atlantic U. Excited!!! And tired.
Oh. Haha. We have supper at a friend's house tonight and I'm bringing dessert. Mint stick brownies are my go-to, so I'll toss those together today.
@Dorinda, $1.50 a dozen?? How amazing, both the price and that they didn't limit the amount you could buy. I am having serious egg envy here...
What are mint stick brownies? Sounds lethally good.
@Central Calif. Artist, egg price - seriously crazy! The eggs were all "best sold by" that day, so I think they were trying to get rid of them. But no sale sign and no limit. A friend of a friend posted on FB about them and my friend texted me with the post, so I drove 15 minutes to that store just to see if they still had eggs. And they did! So fun to be able to bless people with eggs!
Mint stick brownies are amazing delicious bites of brownies, mint frosting, and an unsweetened chocolate top layer. Everyone loves them from my foodie friends to my son's third grade friends. Pardon the antiquated blog post, but here's where I typed up my recipe 13 years ago. https://dorinda.blogspot.com/2010/01/mint-stick-brownies.html
@Dorinda, love the "you don't want to give those inferior pieces to your company" line. Hah! Not if you can eat those "inferior pieces" yourself. And the calories must not count because, ya know, they were "inferior." Cook's privilege, I say.
@JDinNM, I have looked over your statements several times and find them to be completely true. The calories in those pieces definitely don't count. 😉
So I made a batch of them this afternoon as planned and was playing Paw Patrol with my 6yr old at the same time and totally forgot to put the peppermint flavoring in the icing. *facepalm* And didn't even realize it until we were walking into our friends' home for dinner. Oops. But the kids didn't seem to mind.
@Dorinda, thank you! And now I have a new blog to read, along with your very extensive list of blogs you follow to investigate.
@Central Calif. Artist, oh my! I haven't updated that blog in years and I'm not sure which links in there are still valid! I was busy blogging there from 2002-2013? Then due to trouble with the interface and life changes, I didn't blog much more. A few more recent thoughts are here (even those are a year past now): https://thoughtsntravels.wordpress.com/
@Dorinda, thank you! Enjoyed that recipe as posted. We call these Mary Pat T. mint brownies!
@Jenny, what a fun name! Is there a story behind that name?
You shopped and cooked while you were sick?? Maybe I missed something here, but if you were able to do that, you are Superwoman.
@Central Calif. Artist, I was thinking the same thing myself!
Well, I didn't until I started to come out of the fog...and even once I came out of the fog, it was very easy meals.
I didn't get out to join Sam's until yesterday, after several negative Covid tests!
Trying not t0 be bitter and failing....
Mostly I had Rice Krispies in milk all week. Not sure I can stand long enough to cook something, but might try later today--so many dribs and drabs of various cheeses, might dump it all on pasta and bake it. Instacartted some stuff and zero idea how much it cost. Kids mostly fed themselves via pita pizzas or bacon and eggs.
@Rose, I'm sorry things are still so hard for you. Best wishes for feeling better soon.
Man, I wish we all lived by you, Rose. I'm sure you'd be drowning in food gifts from all of us.
I'm sorry, guys, it's just hard to read when everyone else pops back from the symptoms you've been living with since January 1990. Pity party, I'll bring the leftover cheese and the whine. SO MUCH WHINE.
Also it's cold here and money I was counting on to arrive now is all "Oh no, of course not, that's weeks away" (me: that's NOT WHAT YOU SAID BEFORE) and again I want to smash my kids' heads together so they explode like the old Monday Night Football promos. And I borrowed money to get through the week and now that means my sister can lecture me about things, even though I did things like buy her an entirely new Honda once when she desperately needed a car, let her live with me for years on end, got her jobs, eh, need to stop because what's the point, water under the bridge now. Just one annoyance and frustration after another.
In no particular order, we had tomato soup and grilled cheese, lil smokies, chicken and roasted vegetables, cowboy grub (which is a cross between chili and calico beans with more veggies in it), and leftovers to avoid food waste. Tonight we are actually supposed to go out to eat. Yay!
I keep snacking on Cheerios. Eating almond butter and cherry sandwiches. Making egg and avocado toast. Crunching on carrots. I have hit Culver’s for their fries and a special sauce on the side. They are the only place I know that will make fries extra crispy if you ask. I finished most everything in the freezer and cabinets. They are all scrubbed and shinny and I have no idea what I’m going to stock them with. Oh, I did buy gluten free fish sticks and bananas and made tartar sauce. I would just eat out for a while but restaurant and fast food almost always disappoints. It is nice to have a clean slate though.
A long time ago I gave up my Costco membership. It didn't make sense to drive 35 miles to save money on gas. When I compared my Winco receipt to the same items at Costco, Winco was less and requires no membership fee.
I shop at Winco about every 6-7 weeks, and it is a bit of a project. Using the pick-em-up truck instead of my coupe, multiple ice chests, lots of time spent packaging and putting away, but it is worth it. 70 miles round trip is not only lots of high-priced gas, it also hogs up too much time to go more frequently.
Husband shops at the seriously overpriced local grocery store once a week for produce and milk, but I refuse to pay $14 for a dozen eggs. (What a cheapskate, eh?)
Last year, I snagged a deal on a Sam's membership. I love Costco, but I thought it was worth a try. Some of my favorites are: being able to buy milk one gallon at a time, smaller bagged salads at crazy good prices, and yummy flaxseed tortillas. My Costco doesn't sell any WW or multi-grain tortillas, boo! Also, Sam's is far less busy, so easier to get in and out of. I am presently scouting for a renewal deal, because I do think it's worth it for me to have both memberships. I look forward to seeing what you like there vs. Costco.
That COVID brain fog is no joke. I couldn't even read for a week. Gossipy podcasts and staring into space was all I could do for a week. Glad you are feeling better!
COVID mind fog is a real thing. Glad it's over!
Groupon always has the Sam's Membership for $20!
NUTS. I wish I'd thought of that!
I sometimes feel this exercise is futile. I clearly am not capable of being frugal in the food department. Part of me feels like I should just accept it as I am frugal in other areas; Part of me knows that I can do better if I could only focus and really try. Some of these prices are because I do value good and/or specialty food and supporting local (HCOL it's pretty $$$) but I also don't think I realize how much must be getting wasted. Additionally, I have so much food in my apartment we could probably eat for months and still be ok. Some of the totals below contain shelf stable items that weren't eaten this week. I somewhat think it's laughable admitting these totals (especially on this site), but if I don't see it, I can't fix it. I am hoping that as the year goes on the totals will decline...January was not a good start.
WIS: Farmers market-$60, Milk delivery-$20, Butcher-$36, Pemby's-$112, Wine/cheese store-$60, TGTO-$10, Fish delivery-$39, Local Food Store-$26, Foodocracy-$41 Total:$404
WWA: Saturday: I can't recall
Sunday: Italian movie and charcuterie night-prosciutto, speck, cheeses, grapes, olives, artichokes, stuffed peppadew peppers, etc.
Monday: another night I can't remember
Tuesday: Clam chowder, cod cheeks w/ chorizo and broccoli, rice
Wednesday: Pasta w/ squash sauce (and other random picky things as we didn't have lunch)
Thursday: Pho type noodle bowl with pork, mushrooms, and broccoli
Friday: Mahi Mahi tacos- I don't think I've ever had this fish so when the local fishmonger emailed about it I really wanted to try it.
@Jaime,
Monday was burgers w/ cowboy candy on top and homemade fries
@Jaime, we all go through issues. I try and try but I am not necessarily capable of being frugal when it comes to food. I live in the Hamptons, for heaven's sake and everything costs $$$$ and there are no discounts or even chain restaurants. I am planning a post confirmation lunch for my son and even a modest-ish restaurant is gonne be, like, take out a second mortgage on your house anywhere else (especially if my son's friends decide to order French 75s at the bar and I'm feeling indulgent). It's important not to beat yourself up, but at the same time keeping on eye on food waste and cost is a good thing. I don't share what I spend here partially because I don't pay enough attention but also because it's to laugh, comparably. Just do the best you can and that's all anyone can ask.
@Rose,
I know what you mean. The cost of food really varies depending on where you live....I live in a fairly low cost of living area, but we've seen restaurant prices go up at least 25% (more or less) in the past year. My grocery costs always seem high to me for three people....but it includes a fair amount of $ in soda pop (hubby is addicted; don't even get me started, we've discussed it over and over) as well as certain foods my picky eater son will eat. It's a challenge no matter what.
@Rose,
I can imagine how $$$ it is where you are.
Despite the cost, it's really nice of you to do a celebration lunch for your son and his friends. I'm sure it will be a nice time for everyone.
Yep, all we can do is the best we can.
Liz, you never know. I was always after my ex for his consumption of soda, but according to my son, "He's cut it out now so his head no longer looks a like acube." Ex also never believed me when i told him his creased earlobes were classic signs of future heart trouble. Whatever, I did my best.
Jaime, fortunately I'm a cheap date so the local resto's mushroom/herb omelette is my favorite, and my son and his friends (and hopefully my mom, depending on cancer treatment) can stuff themselves with classic 192os cocktails and homard flambe aux cognac, etc. Life is too short. Give good presents, indulge in great food, sometimes.
@inwp, still Rose, sheesh, me. Though inwp sounds like a mysterious alias, perhaps in an Agatha Christie.
@Rose, like acube means "like an ice cube." Nighty night, sheesh.
I'll try to remember what we had....
Saturday- lasagna & garlic bread
Sunday- took our niece out for her 21st birthday. We let her pick & she chose Buffalo Wild Wings. We ordered a few appetizers and some wings to share. We ate it all!!
Monday- YOYO.....I had a bowl of cereal and some fruit at 9 pm as my dinner as we got home then
Tuesday - Meatloaf, baked potatoes for some and baked sweet potatoes for others, corn, homemade chunky applesauce (to use up some older apples)
Wednesday - chicken taco flavored quesadillas and fresh pineapple on the side
Thursday - spicy chicken sandwiches, tater tots and more fresh pineapple
Tonight - spaghetti and meatballs and a salad
Wow, I did it!
$104 at the local farm stand, $112 at Wegman's, $96 at Stop & Shop, and $113 on our CSA makes $425 for the week.
In the process, I noticed that milk was $1.50 / gallon cheaper at Wegman's than Stop & Shop. They've been going back and forth for a few years now, but that's significant enough to make me think about driving to the farther store more often. We're talking $20 savings just on our weekly milk consumption.
Anyway:
M - roast turkey breast, mashed potatoes, green beans
T - pasta with meat sauce, cut veggies
W - leftover BBQ
R - eggs (crazy day, somebody needs to make something for the littles, meal)
F - squid ink pasta with shrimp
Market Basket: $4.99 rolls for Sloppy Joes
Roche Bros $18.83; $13+
Shaw $45.15
Aldi $51.05
Last Friday: Clam chowder
Saturday: Sloppy Joes
Sunday: Clean out 'frig
Monday: Leftover sloppy Joes
Tuesday: Pizza
Wednesday: Birthday dinner for husband: eye round, mashed potatoes; vegetables
Thursday: Leftover eye round
Friday(tonight): Pasta and sausage
We have a supermarket that when you sign up, you can get special item digital coupons--5 or 6 come on items a week, usually there is a good deal on a meat option. I have been having a lot of difficulty with their webpage and their app. I don't know why. Because of it, I had a $12 credit. The woman at the service counter clicked on the coupons for me today--but again I did not get an item discounted.
I noticed at the store in town, which can be much more expensive, that there were slim pickings at the meat counter today.
Kristen, I do hope your energy level returns. Take it slow and easy. It was interesting that the medical people would not give you Paxlovid. My daughter in her early 40s was given it. It's curious why some medical people will prescribe it for some and not others. I always come up with a new question (I have many about Covid and the aftermath) that I hope will get an answer at some point.
Yeah, I don't know why they said no to me! I'm 44, so right around the age of your daughter.
I wonder if it is in short supply in some areas but not in others?
@JEG,
Don't know if you're referring to Shaw's with that app problem. I'm equal distance (but opposite directions) to a Shaw's and a Star Market. If I select a coupon in the Star app first, it appears in the Shaw's app, but doesn't give me credit even if I click it (and vice versa). I have to wait until I decide which one I'm going to next before successfully using the coupons. The service desk has always given them to me, but its a pain. I wish they would just merge the apps since they're effectively the same store.
Spent $98 at Aldi, and $54 at HEB
Monday: homemade chicken tortilla soup: day-old toasted homemade bread.
Tuesday: had a late (6 pm) groom dog, so picked up Whataburger.
Wednesday: grandkids and parents came for dinner. We had pot roast, carrots and baby Yukon gold potatoes, and cauliflower with cheese. Dessert was brownie sundaes.
Thursday: leftover roast
Friday: not sure yet!
I'm not trying to be judgmental--truly. But does your daughter ever help with meal prep when you're buried with school work or not feeling well? Perhaps she does and you haven't mentioned it.
My husband is the cook in our family, and he has always been reluctant to have our daughters prepare the family dinner. As a result, our eldest, who just turned 30 really doesn't cook for herself--she's a medical resident with very little time, but even when she has time she only buys and heats prepared foods. Our youngest (who still lives at home) can do very well in the kitchen, but does not participate in meal prep for the family--she will make a meal for herself if we are not eating at home. I kind of think this has been a disservice to our daughters, because cooking from scratch is an important skills for healthy and budget-friendly living. My husband and I have a long-standing disagreement about this. He's a great dad committed to serving nutritious meals (yes, I'm very lucky and I know it!), but I think this would have been of benefit to them to have them helping more in the kitchen and sometimes preparing the family meal.
The girls do fine at fending for themselves when I'm under the weather; that's what they did during the fog of my covid!
Lisey is so busy with school five days a week (plus a three hour commute) plus working another day a week, I hate to ask for much in the way of help from her. I do need to get Zoe in the kitchen a bit more; she's wanting to help out with cooking.
I usually cook on the weekends and eat leftovers all week on rotation. This week's items were:
--pork blade steaks cooked in onion soup mix and Asian spices until falling apart; mostly ate this mixed with noodles
--Hawaiian Smiles casserole--ground beef, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and noodles with melted cream cheese
--coleslaw from a bag
--green bean casserole
--20 Minute Skillet Tamale Pie--from freezer
Also alongside were some raw veggies, fruit, etc.
I find Sams great for over the counter drugs. I take Musinex daily &Sams brand is $14.99 for 56 of them.
Kristen, please tell me you used one of the current specials for that Sam's Club membership... you don't have to pay full price for them, you know.
Best part of Sam's Club is the App and Pick Up... THE BEST MONEY SAVING option ever.
And, you should have been able to get a Sam's membership for like $25 and the coupons for free muffins and a rotisserie chicken which negate the $25 spent. Anyway, already done, but that's how my MIL get's her Sam's membership.