WIS, WWA | Whoa, $25!
What I Spent
This week, I spent:
- $25 at Safeway
And that was it! I didn't realize it had been such a light week of grocery shopping.
What We Ate
Saturday
I ws heading out to the symphony with Sonia so I made a quick dinner for myself first.
I wanted to use up the rest of the mashed potatoes, so I made some bacon and Parmesan mashed potato cakes.
It was just an egg, the mashed potatoes, eyeballed amounts of Parmesan and bacon, and enough flour to help them hold together.
I did have a salad at breakfast, so I suppose that helps to make up for the fact that I didn't have anything green at dinnertime!
Sunday
Well, as you know, I had a perfect avocado.
So I made avocado toast, topped with furikake.
Monday
I made a green salad topped with the rest of the scallops (frozen, from Aldi, patted dry, seasoned, and pan-sauteed). I used half of one of those bagged salad kits for this.
Tuesday
I used the rest of the bagged salad kit and topped it with sauteed chicken instead.
Wednesday
I tried a high-protein roasted red pepper/tomato soup that I'd seen online.
Basically you just blend everything up and then heat it on the stovetop.
My thoughts:
- the raw garlic is kinda harsh-tasting
- you have to heat the soup on a super low heat to keep the cottage cheese from curdling
- the soup does still taste fine if the cheese is slightly curdled, but it doesn't look beautiful
- I think blended soups taste better if you cook the ingredients on the stovetop before blending
- I think I might rather make regular tomato soup and just eat some cottage cheese on the side
I also made a kale salad, using this recipe from Gimme Some Oven, but I subbed a sour orange for the lemon, and I used onion instead of shallot (which I always do for this recipe).
Thursday
Leftovers from Wednesday.
Friday
I think Zoe and I might both have an evening off, so I'm gonna see if she wants to do an early movie/takeout night. 🙂
(early because I do have clinical tomorrow am so I gotta get my booty into bed at a decent hour!)
You look so gorgeous in that blue dress!
Thank you! I was so proud of myself for not buying the black one. Ha.
Saturday: I thought I was only feeding two children, so I just made some beans and rice with the pinto beans I had defrosted, the ham stock I had made earlier in the day, and the ham I pulled off that bone used to make the stock. And then everyone else came home and decided they wanted some too. Good thing I made enough. They also had carrot sticks and gingersnaps.
Sunday: Pork loin chunks in milk gravy, smoked cheddar sausage, rice cooked in ham stock, frozen green peas, chocolate pudding made to use up the questionable milk.
Monday: This was the night I made an extremely random skillet of food to salvage the elderly meatloaf I found in the freezer. So it was the meatloaf, onions, rice, ham stock, salsa, taco-ish spices, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, frozen corn, and the last bit of the beans and rice. Very ugly, but surprisingly tasty.
Tuesday: Roasted chicken drumsticks and thighs, baked pasta mostly to use up some ricotta, frozen peas, peanut butter/chocolate chip cookies
Wednesday: Lots of leftovers, apportioned out by me and supplemented by fried eggs from my husband.
Thursday: Barbecue meatballs made with ground elk, garlic bread, baked carrots, and brownies because my daughter's friend was spending the night and the oven was on anyway.
Tonight: The two older boys will be gone for their FFA trip, so I'm tempted to make beans and rice again. The younger two love it, and so does my husband. I also have the chicken bones to make into stock, so I might make soup instead. It's a bit of a complicated day, so I guess it depends how everything shakes out and what I have time for.
@kristin @ going country, the downside of leftovers is something that is really good is likely to never be repeated again - due to the same leftover ingredients.
We finally restocked this week, so we ate what felt like a lot of meat! Though seeing laid out, it's not SO much.
Monday: I made roasted chicken breasts, frozen fries, and cucumber salad.
Tuesday; Mr. B made bolognese, which we had with pasta and frozen peas.
Wednesday:My mom came over and I defrosted previously-made butternut squash soup, plus we had grilled cheese.
Thursday: Mr. B made frozen katsu, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.
Friday: Mr. B usually makes salmon, but we'll see.
WIS: $32 at Trader Joe's, $25 at Ollie's, and $16 at Price Chopper.
WIA: About the only major cooking effort I made this week was to roast a small (2.5-lb.) boneless leg of lamb (Reduced for Quick Sale at Wegmans a while ago) with some baked potatoes on the side. I had this for a few meals. Not much time or inclination for cooking otherwise.
This is the last week of publishing any sort of menu for me. I'm gonna start winging it, pretty much. I spent around $90 on groceries, which included some non-food items. And I estimate that I spent $20 on take-out. I ate:
Monday - Chik-Fil-A for the win
Tuesday - One Pot Chili Mac
Wednesday - Calamity Chicken, twice baked potato, kale salad
Thursday - Classic Greek Salad with 1 slice pizza
Friday - another serving of One Pot Chili Mac, finishing up the Greek Salad for lunch
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed but I have freezer meals ready for work
Happy Weekend!
@Gina from The Cannary Family, what is calamity chicken?
I mean, that’s mostly what I do: all winging it, all the time. If I’m doing well, that means I’m thinking a day or two ahead and thats it. lol
@Meira@meirathebear, basically chicken breasts coated in seasonings, bread crumbs, and cheese, then baked. I got it from someone blog long ago!
@Gina from The Cannary Family, thanks!
I am also winging it. Until the end of December I was loosely planning but now...winging it, for sure.
@Kristen, depends I agree. Can't always plan to much a head.
On the landing page, when you featured an egg and said you only spent $25, I thought, "Wow! Egg prices must really be high in her part of the country!" Glad it wasn't the cost for one egg alone!
@Fru-gal Lisa, Wasn't there a fairy tale about a goose that laid a golden egg? Although given the price of gold, not to even mention the price of eggs, I don't think Kristen's $25 would have covered either one. Not even just a gold-plated egg.
Haha, oh my goodness, if eggs were $25 apiece, I'd be having to find something else to put on my avocado toast!
@Kristen, https://hip2save.com/deals/ibotta-cash-back-offer/
Idk if anyone uses ibotta but this made my Trader Joe's eggs a buck today.
I still make weekly menus- yesterday I received my farm share delivery and this morning at 6 AM I was steaming shrimp and then cleaning it and steamed a head of cauliflower for soup. I also received some great looking organic strawberries, celery, sweet and white potatoes so I have plenty of wholesome food. I’ve been juicing the oranges I get too- boy it takes a lot of oranges to get even a small glass. No wonder fresh expensive.
Thursday- I was exhausted by the busyness of work so I decided to buy pizza/chicken/ broasted potatoes since all 3 kids were home for a meal at 1 time. Ordered and had oldest pick up on way home from work.. Chicken and potatoes were perfect and fabulous but we were all 5 disappointed in the pizza and we have NEVER had a bad pizza from this place.. So odd.. and I was mad that it was $72 too boot.. None went to waste and was used for lunches over the next few days..
Friday- husband, 1 kid and I took grandmas to watch the girl at her college track meet since it was fairly local.. Stopped at a restaurant on the way home since it was late.. cannot argue it was a fabulous burger and the veg toppings were so fresh.. It was surreal for cold snowy Ohio-lolol
Saturday-Fend for yourself and eat up all the leftovers day for whoever was in and out!
Sunday- cooked a huge pork shoulder in the crock pot and served it bowl style with tater tots, bbq sauce and macaroni and cheese( I started my meal with green salad cause I feel I need the vegetables!)
Monday- the adult child is responsible on his day off and he roasted sweet potatoes, steam corn and made a huge meatloaf. The college athlete and her boyfriend arrived after their evening lift and finished off the veg, meatloaf and previous days mac and cheese. 90% of the leftover pork was also eaten.
Tuesday- I took the last sweet potato and portion of pork in my lunch and fridge was cleared out! For supper I took 2 large cans of baked beans and drained most of the sauce off them. I doctored them up with grainy mustard, worchestershire, seasoning and ketchup and added the quart bag of the Christmas smoked ham.. Served with fresh cornbread! (and some salad)
Wednesday- I was tired and had no idea who would be home but we had weather warnings for severe ICE on the way and we were out of driveway treatment so I went online and found that the local BJ's Warehouse finally had it back in stock... I placed an online order for that and had to add more to hit the free pick up min! lol I looked through the coupons and saw one for fresh deli meat.. I ended up ordering sliced roast beef, provolone and a bag of buns.. Made homemade Aujus and we had warm sandwiches with fresh fruit/salad and I roasted some small potatoes in the airfryer.
Thursday- the girl is home for supper from Campus and she requested Chicken- something... So I poached a bag of diced chicken breast( i marked for stirfry) in a box of broth I enhanced with parsley, dill, pepper and bay and added frozen carrot, corn, peas and fresh diced potato... I wished in a can of cream of chicken with herbs and a slurry of cornstarch and a pot of chicken stew was devoured.. I made a batch of homemade biscuits to serve alongside.
Today- husband took the day off so we can travel to watch the girl compete.. Boys with be on their own after work... I already have spoken into the universe that stopping in a local town on the way back for the Chinese we had last year is on my planned intentions...
Saturday I have to DEFINITELY hit the grocery store.. The girl packed a cooler of food for the track meet for her and boyfriend clearing out much of the leftover fresh produce and lunch meat.. So stock up time again!
Saturday: I used one of my freezer meals since my mom was babysitting while my husband, dad, and I went to an afternoon movie. We had 3-cheese manicotti with peas and a California-veggie mix on the side.
Sunday: Our church had a family skate that went until 6:30, so we picked up Little Caesar's on the way home. I had done a crock-pot meal for lunch and wasn't up for 2 crock-pot meals in one day.
Monday: My 10yo daughter cooked! Burgers, chips, salad, strawberries, and mango.
Tuesday: BBQ chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, and broccoli with cheese
Wednesday: Chicken and vegetable wild rice chowder with bread and butter
Thursday: Tacos!
Friday: We are taking the 10yo to winter camp an hour away and drop-off is at 5, so I'm going to get some Jimmy John's bread and make subs to eat on the way. Then the rest of us are going a friend's house for dessert and games. It should be a fun night!
WIS: $70.93 on groceries, which does not include the price of two lovely miniature rose bushes (one with red, and one with red and white variegated, blossoms) that were strategically placed in a Valentine Day display right at the front of the store when you walked in. In my defense, everyone had at least one in their shopping carts by the time they reached the checkout lanes. AND they’re plants! So they’ll last much much longer than cut flowers. AND they’re really pretty. Really!
WIA: Something called “Baja Style Shrimp.” I saw a discounted seasoning mix on the end cap of the grocery store aisle where they always stash their markdowns, described as “Latin infused chili lime blend – tangy and lightly spicy”! Of course, it was just the spice blend; you have to add your own shrimp, butter, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and cherry tomatoes – but those I had! The package said to serve it “with toasted bread” (?) but I made some ramen noodles, thinking if ramen can stand up to hot and spicy Asian cuisine it can certainly handle Baja Style. It was pretty good. I have about half of the spice blend left over, so I may play around with it a little bit. The spice blend was made by UrbanAccents.com, self-described as “Your Culinary Wingman”.
Other than that, just leftovers! Rotisserie chicken with roasted Brussel sprouts and/or potatoes and/or asparagus, and omelets to use up some sauteed spinach and mushrooms. And oatmeal/walnut/craisin bars for dessert because I felt like baking last weekend. That happens every couple of years….
@JDinNM,
We really like the Baja Shrimp but I serve ours with whole wheat pasta or spaghetti. Just another option for you.
My original packet was kinda pricey as I paid full price. As I keep a wide variety of spices on hand, I went online and it had a list of ingredients in the mix. So I now make my own. You can also customize the spicy-ness this way. Just sharing.
@Linda M, I kept the packaging for exactly that reason - the ingredient list!
WIS: I picked up a farm order for $50.38 on Tuesday- this farmer has gotten off the schedule due to the snow and ice we had - I normally wouldn't have had any pickups this week.
WIA:
Beef Bourguignon, carrots and onion, sliced cucumber, rice. I had it again with rice, garden komatsuna, and home canned cranberry sauce.
Chicken liver pate' made with apple, onion and plenty of garlic, served with apple slices, celery sticks and carrot sticks.
I liked the hotdogs, maduros and salad I'd already had, so I had it again. Salad was garden lettuce and shredded komatsuna with cucumbers, garden carrots and raisins. All salads served with homemade ranch.
Meatloaf, English peas and baked potato.
Grilled ham and cheese on GF bread, salad, more maduros. I recently bought a bag of frozen sweet plantains/maduros that can be heated in a little butter or coconut oil, which is easier than doing them from scratch . They were also on sale, so I thought I would try them. They came out pretty well.
Tonight is probably meatloaf. I go shopping today and I probably won't be up for cooking much when I get home.
@JD, you are far more disciplined about fixing good dinners than I would be if I lived alone. If it wasn’t for Husband, I’d probably live on fresh veggies dipped in homemade ranch, with cheese, cottage cheese, or an egg, maybe a can of salmon from time to time.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
I only like eating snack-y type meals once in a while. I crave real sit-down meals, even eating alone. I blame my mother 🙂
But every now and then, some cut up veggies, fruit, cheese, and hard-boiled eggs hit the spot, especially in hot weather.
I’ve made a version of that high protein soup, but all the veggies were roasted first then put in a blender with chicken stock and cottage cheese. It was delicious and smooth! I have a feeling pre-roasting the veggies would have made all the difference in your version.
Friday: Early Valentine Dinner. We went to an “Office” themed dinner! Foods included beet salad, Michael’s Pot Pie, Angela’s Brownies. The servers were dressed as Dwight, our host was dressed as Michael, there were Office decorations everywhere, and show clips were shown for most courses. It was such a fun night and inspired us for a future dinner party.
Saturday: Balsamic Bourbon Short Ribs, Fondant Potatoes. I found this recipe to use some short ribs from our quarter cow. I also tried making fondant potatoes for the first time, and it was a success. I turned the potato scraps to make a batch of mashed potatoes for later.
Sunday: Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs, egg noodles, roasted veggies
Monday: Unstuffed Cabbage Soup (I used the leftover short ribs in place of ground beef)
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps, baked zucchini sticks, Loaded Baked Potato Soup (I used the reserved mashed potatoes and steamed some cauliflower that was getting past its prime)
Thursday: Cauliflower Fried Rice, Trader Joe’s Pot Stickers
@Geneva, will you provide a link for the unstuffed cabbage soup please?
Yes to the roasting or sauteeing; there's a reason many blended soups start that way!
Saturday: take-out ramen
Sunday: leftover ramen
Monday: grilled cheese and fruit
Tuesday: eggroll in a bowl
Wednesday: Mississippi roast, roasted potatoes and blackberries
Thursday: leftover roast, sautéed cabbage, and melon
Friday: haven't decided yet but probably finishing up leftovers
I spent $112. Some of that was panic purchases of items from Canada and Mexico. I’m feeling uneasy!
The meals:
-Tuna casserole and broccoli.
-Spaghetti bolognese with zucchini and bread.
-Potato soup with salad and bread.
-Homemade pizza with homegrown canned pears.
-Leftovers.
I received some personalized coupons from Kroger, and they know me well, since there isn’t a processed food among them. The coupon for free eggs will get me to the store!
@Ann on the farm, I am feeling uneasy too. I stocked up on coffee. Chocolate. Dried beans. Rice. And noodles.
@Stephanie, I stocked up on the same things, plus my face wash that’s made in Canada.
@Stephanie, and pet food!
WIS: $138 at Aldi, $22 at Walmart, and $20 at Kroger for $180. Needed a major restock after I refused to go shopping the past 2 weeks while husband was gone! Also $4 at a brewery, see below.
Sat: we were both traveling home over dinner time, I had Chipotle but my parents treated!
Sun: jar curry (it’s just so easy!) with canned chicken, bell peppers, rice, and naan.
Mon: ditto
Tues: rice, black beans, pesto, topped with an egg. Our fave easy/cheap/healthy meal.
Wed: I roasted chicken thighs, green beans, and sweet potatoes. Then for a date, we went to trivia at the local brewery, where we got fried pickles and drinks. After using our $25 gift card from winning 2nd place last time, we only had to pay $4 to tip. But, we didn’t win this time :/
Thurs: leftovers of above
Fri: we’re having friends over for a game night and serving walking tacos! (See name above, Midwest LOL). Providing the turkey meat, Fritos, lettuce, and onion.
I’m always curious what people eat for breakfasts/lunches/snacks too! I’ve been on a whole wheat bagel with jam kick for breakfast, salad greens topped with cut up chicken patty or egg in tortillas with salad greens for lunch. Protein shakes, yoghurt and granola, kiwis and clementines have all been snack fodder this week. And husband brought back Cadbury chocolate from his trip overseas so we’ve had a fair amount of that.
This week, I caught Covid for the first time (have always been late to the party). WWA:
Saturday - Boursin pork chops, orzo, peas
Sunday - shrimp tacos
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - no idea
Wednesday - beef tenderloin (cooked, holiday leftovers from freezer), mashed potatoes
Thursday - slow cooker sausage and tortellini soup
Friday - leftover soup
Wishing everyone a healthy, quiet, and sane week
Oh wow, you really made it a LONG time with no Covid. I am impressed!
I hope you are 100% soon.
@Kristen,
My sister and I have not got it either. We will still mask if a store is busy.
@Nan, especially if the store has a pharmacy and you have to be near it.
I will add to the pile on- love that blue velvet on you!
WIS: $115 for two adults. I spent just $30 last week, so this was a slight catch up week, including some sale proteins I separated and flash froze.
WWA:
Sat- Shared brisket grilled cheese at our favorite tap room. Love that DH is fine with sharing, in that we eat out most of the weekend in retirement, and sharing ensures costs stay low and waistlines trim!
Sun- Crock pot Southwest soup and grilled slices of homemade egg bread.
Mon- Sun leftovers.
Tue- Veggie burgers and salad.
Wed- Grilled steak, brown rice, and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Thur- Steak, diced green chiles, & cheese quesadillas, made using leftover steak from Wed dinner.
Fri- Social event out that includes what I call 'hotel chicken.' The event will be fun even if the food is mediocre! 😀
@Tamara R, How do you flash freeze something at home?
@Marissa, I Google searched and found this:
"Place the food on a baking sheet or tray. Make sure the edges of the pieces don't touch, as this can cause them to fuse together while they chill. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours or until firm."
i flip the proteins over after an hour, so they don't stick to the underlying wax papered cookie sheet I usually place them on. I leave them in the freezer, uncovered, till the next morning, then toss them all together in a large baggie, where I can then take them out of the freezer for usage one or two at a time.
I fold and flash freeze bacon one strip at a time as well. I fold each strip to fit an entire package onto one cooki sheey.
WIS: 0 this week because we had plenty left from last week's big shop.
WWA:
Fri: focaccia and leftover fruit salad from my husband and older son's cooking challenge.
Sat: this was the night that I was cooking with my younger son for the challenge. Our challenge ingredients were frozen crab legs, Mexican corn chips (like flavored Fritos), green plantains, Stilton cheese with bits of ginger and mango, and blue cheese stuffed olives. Then our dessert item was mint chocolate cookie ice cream sandwiches. To use all of these things cohesively, we decided to make a coastal Mexican feast, so we made salpicon de jaibas con pollo y frijoles as the main dish-this was a warm crab salad that was supposed to use a pound of crab meat, but I just used a can of chicken breast and a can of black beans and then I arranged some broiled crab legs on top. This dish also used the olives, plus celery, onion, garlic, a can of fire roasted tomatoes and some capers. The rest of the crab legs I just brushed with garlic butter and broiled them. We made a queso dip using the Stilton cheese and some pepper jack and cream cheese. We just served the corn chips on the side. And for the plantains, I made three of them into tostones (twice fried green plantains) because they were still green, but one of them ripened enough to make sweet fried plantains so I did that too. For the dessert, we took one of the sandwiches and cut it into quarters and then froze them in coconut water ice cubes. We made a blended drink of canned pineapple, frozen strawberries and coconut water. We garnished each drink with a pineapple ring, a frozen strawberry and the prepared ice cube. We took the rest of the ice cream sandwiches and mashed them up with some chocolate ice cream, then we scooped them into a paper lined muffin tin and refroze them. When they were frozen, we took off the paper, rolled them in sugar and then in toasted coconut and crushed corn flakes to make a version of Mexican fried rice cream. The drinks and desserts were definitely the highlights of the feast. That was how we used the challenge ingredients, but then because I can not help myself, we also made: fried corn tostadas, Mexican street corn, coconut lime rice, refried pinto beans and a large assortment of fresh veggies toppings: chopped lettuce, red onion, orange pepper, tomatoes, guacamole, salsa, and some of the leftover creamy fruit salad dressing from my husband's challenge in place of sour cream. Everything was delicious, but my husband tried to dock points for us making too much and not having a better presentation because we ran out of time and table space-we left the chips in the bag, for example and just served the queso from the crock pot. I also solved the no tools to open crab legs problem by telling him he had to open his own crab legs at the table. 😉 He ended up using pliers. Unsurprisingly, we had versions of leftovers from this feast for both lunch and dinner for the remainder of the week.
Sun: leftover crab legs, corn tostadas topped the Mexican street corn, salpicon and assorted raw veggies.
Mon: my husband browned some ground turkey and made Frito pie using the chips, some of the queso and the ground turkey. We had it with salad and guacamole.
Tue: leftover salpicon and Mexican street corn over coconut lime rice, salad and then leftover Frito pie.
Wed: my husband took the leftover queso (there was a lot of this because the whole crockpot was full originally) and added leftover cauliflower from his challenge plus some leftover jasmine rice and California veggies from the week before and turned it into a cheesy cauliflower soup. We had it with salad, broiled bread cubes and some chicken pastelitos compliments of one of my students. (I was visiting my students' homes this week.)
Thu: more leftover soup (and we still have enough for lunch today) served with more salad, more broiled bread cubes and some lemon chicken legs.
Tonight: salad and focaccia because I think we are finally going to be out of leftovers!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
PS For anyone wondering, after averaging all of our scores for taste and presentation, my husband and older son got a 9 and my younger son and I received a 9.5. My husband, it should be noted, contests this score. I think he's still salty about having to open the crab legs himself. 😉
@Becca, this was so fun to read. Love the dinner challenge concept! Congratulations on your win!
@Becca, Thanks for sharing about your cooking challenge. Such a fun idea! Your dishes sound delicious!
So nice to be greeted by an adorable pic of Chiquita right at the top! And you look lovely in your going-to-the-symphony outfit.
What I spent: $80 at Walmart last weekend, not all on food - there were some pet and household things too.
What I ate: This week I've had chicken and rice; corn bread, hot dogs, and mashed potatoes; a single bowl of chicken & vegetable soup I made to use up a little bit of leftover chicken, and had that with gluten free bread; and lentils and rice, using up the last of a bag of lentils I bought as an experiment. I probably won't buy more. They're more expensive than most kinds of beans in my area, and I don't find them easier to digest than beans; rather the opposite. The only advantage they have is they cook faster.
Tonight I'm planning to have eggs and toast, using the last egg and the last two slices of gf bread I have. I need to go shopping soon.
@Elizabeth M,
Try sprouting your lentils. Sprouting ups the protein, makes them easier to digest, and you can even eat them raw.
Good luck this weekend! Hope clinicals go as well as they can!
WIS: If I remember correctly, $145 divided between Aldi, Food Lion, Walmart market and Dollar Tree. What's now referred to in the grocery ads as "classic eggs" are up over $6 a box here, so I bought none of those. The grand plan is go shopping once every two weeks, so I can probably make the 10 eggs on hand last 7 more days.
WWA: Leftover meatloaf. Roasted chicken thighs with corn and baked potato. Chopped kale salad dressed up with sunflower seeds, grated cheese, a sprinkle of chopped bacon and apple chunks. Protein shakes, nuts, fruit and crackers for those who wanted a snacky dinner. This evening I will make a small pot roast.
WWS: $451.88 (I keep repeating my self-soothing mantra: "We're not eating out. We're not eating out. We're not eating junk. It's all good."
WWA: Again, we just mostly ate the same menus as last week. The only difference was on Monday I made our favorite tomato soup to go with dinner, and on Tuesday I saw a beautiful head of cauliflower at the store and grabbed it to roast to go with the chicken drumsticks, brown rice and salad. AKA Mom's Obnoxiously, Aggressively Healthy Meal (TM). In my defense, the cauliflower was all eaten up that night.
On Wednesday we had hamburger stew and mac and cheese, nothing that required the oven, which was good, because when I was heating it up for lunch, I noticed the heating element was glowing only in one spot. "That can't be good," said I, and I turned it off, and discovered that the heating element had literally broken. I have no idea how this happened; I have no memory of hitting it with anything, and when I used it on Tuesday to roast the chicken it was just fine. The oven is about 12 years old. DH is of the opinion it looks like something hit it, but again, I didn't even take the racks out on Tuesday, so I have no idea what hit it. Anyway, on Thursday I had DS#1 bake the potatoes in the crockpot, and they turned out very nice. No complaints. DH is planning to replace the heating element tonight if the part arrives on time.
Tonight will be tacos, and I splurged and got some Garden of Eatin' tortilla chips that were super on sale, because usually DS#3 makes tortilla chips in the oven, but that isn't happening tonight.
@Karen A., hamburger soup is good too as an alternative to stew.
Saturday - birthday party. Mostly ate appetizers
Sunday - Korean radish wraps filled with some combo of tofu, spam, avocado, sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, etc
Monday -taquitos, guacamole for kids and sautéed bok choy with field roast sausage for adults
Tuesday - potstickers and black pepper tofu and green beans
Wednesday - mahi mahi with a lemon garlic butter sauce, fries on the side. I think I just had some broccolini with Parmesan and pepper flakes
Thursday - take out from Baja fish taco place
Friday - Udon with soft tofu
Monday and Tuesday dinners were beef stew.
Wednesday was spinach/kale salad with baked chicken on top.
Thursday was chicken soup and we’ll have that again tonight.
I have some ground turkey in the freezer and I think I may make spaghetti for one of our weekend dinner meals.
Having avocado toast with some bread and guacamole from the fridge.
Week two of my pantry challenge and I spent only $4.55 for groceries on asparagus, a lemon and some seltzer water for recipes. I also redeemed a reward coupon for up to 3 lbs of bananas for free. I don't eat many bananas but I have been craving banana bread for awhile so that's in my future. I also bought pizza this week which was bad for the pantry challenge but good for the soul.
Saturday/Sunday - pizza!
Monday/Tuesday - Chicken Tacos
Wednesday - Chicken and asparagus
Thursday - my lunch didn't sit well with me so I skipped dinner.
Friday - Going to dinner before a show. I looked at the menu online and already picked out the salad I plan to order unless there is a special I can't pass up.
Sat - cook’s night off - fish sandwich and fries for me, Swiss mushroom sourdough melt and broccoli for better half
Sun - dine out Mexican - leftovers for lunch today and leftover appetizer will top our from the freezer leftover hamburgers
Mon - stuff pork tenderloin cooked in health choice soup, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes
Tue - leftover grilled burgers (from freezer) with leftover appetizer topping, beans with leftover rice from Sun
Wed - leftover ravioli with mushroom/red pepper sauce, meatballs, home made garlic bread
Thu - beef stew w/potatoes, carrots, garlic, mushrooms
Fri - pecan crusted tilapia with leftover potatoes from beef stew, salad for better half
@Selena, $132 between butcher shop (well over half of it) and the grocery store. $80 on dine out but the one dine out gave us a lunch, topping for burgers, and the rice of rice and beans. I ate the last of the queso/chorizo as a snack last night. We frequent the Mexican dine out almost once a week. All workers are super nice people and very family oriented. At least three times a year they'll surprise us and comp our meal, we still tip well.
Furikake on avocado toast is The Way! 🙂
Awwww. Toe beans!
I have no idea what we ate this week. I do not know what I spent.
We had Chilis one night and used a gift card. We also had a big pot of black bean soup this week.
I have a bit of “ winter blues” but am working through it.
Hi! Maybe you have a good suggestion. I’d like to get a gift for a young lady who starts nursing school in the fall. What do you think would benefit her most? Right outta high school and in a dorm.
Hmm, does she need a stethoscope? Or a watch? (We have to have one with a second hand, and some schools require a non-smart-watch)
WIS - $36 at Winco
I continued my freezer/pantry challenge and only got fresh items or items I was out of in the pantry and use frequently. I’m holding myself to just having one or two items in the pantry unless it’s an excellent sale and long expiration date.
WIA
My husband was out of town for the most of the week so it was just me. I generally meal plan even when it’s just me. I’d rather put the time in up front and making sure I’m using things up or getting what I need than making last minute trips to the store or figuring out meals on the fly.
* quiche, cornbread muffin (from freezer), avocado & orange
* hamburger (from freezer), fried sweet potatoes, sautéed mushrooms & onions, avocado
* my friend brought over an eggplant stew over steamed broccoli and I added rolls from the freezer, cucumber slices, hummus, and made a crazy cake. She left the broccoli and I made a broccoli cheese soup for 2 lunches.
* pork chops (freezer), winter squash, & fruit salad
* tamale pie (used a long forgotten bag of cooked and spiced turkey burger to which I added sliced olives, canned tomatoes, black beans, frozen corn (from an ear & 1/2), frozen yellow pepper, canned chili peppers (expired), onion, and minced (dried) garlic plus some additional spices). I let that hang out for several hours at a simmer. Transferred it to an oven dish and topped with my cornbread recipe. Yummy! And, avocado.
* Tonight it’s chicken stir fry with rice and oranges.
* Sunday … leftover tamale pie
@PNW Casey, your tamale pie sounds good.