(WIS, WWA = What I Spent, What We Ate. That’s just awfully long to put in the title of a post!)
What I Spent
We spent $101 on groceries this week ($48 of that at Aldi), so, a pretty light spending week.
I feel pretty good about that, especially because part of the spending this week was a trip to Sprouts to buy some specialty gluten-free products for Sonia.
What We Ate
Saturday
Mr. FG and I did a takeout date night + Law and Order and the girls fended for themselves, as usual.
Sunday
So, normally on Sundays, we try to support a local restaurant. But some among us wanted McDonalds on this day.
(Announcement: the “some” did not include me. I pretty much never want McDonalds. I prefer other unhealthy foods.)
The others among us got pizza from a local pizza shop. So, we get a partial credit for supporting a local restaurant.
Monday
I got a rotisserie chicken and we had potato cubes and raw produce on the side.
(Why yes, we DO keep eating the same things while Sonia is on the low FODMAP diet.)
Anyway, I had russet potatoes on hand, and my gut and my potato experience told me they wouldn’t be good for potato cubes.
But I googled and several people were like, “Yes! Russets make great potato cubes.”
I am here to tell you this is a lie.
They required so much fat, they fell apart in the pan, they took a long time to brown, and they were pretty mushy in the inside.
I should have gone with my gut.
For reference, here’s what my potato cubes look like usually. Much less messy!
(Here’s how I make my potato cubes. With Yukon golds, mind you!)
Tuesday
It was Sonia’s birthday and from the limited pools of options she has, she said BLTs would be fine (I just made hers on gluten-free bread).
Since a cake would have been a little tricky to make, I pulled out a Cook’s Illustrated recipe for pavlova.
It’s just a meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit, so that was workable for the low FODMAP thing.
It’s not quite like having a birthday cake, but you CAN still put candles on top of it.
Wednesday
Sonia and I used the leftover chicken to make something kinda like chipped beef on toast, except with chicken.
We used a mixture of broth and cream (for Sonia) and broth and milk (for the rest of us). And the broth was onion-free broth I’d made and frozen. Sonia ate hers over gluten-free toast, of course.
We had raw produce on the side.
Thursday
I made waffles (again with the repeated meals!) with blueberry syrup and bacon.
I used cup-for-cup gluten-free flour for Sonia’s waffles, and that worked pretty well.
Friday
I think I am going to make soup and sandwiches (a tomato soup for Sonia, using more of the onion-free broth I made).
lisa
Tuesday 9th of March 2021
We didn't have anything exciting. We tried Culver's. But that was it. Lots of fish this week.
- Culver's fried cod & onion rings - smoked chicken - beef enchiladas -fried flounder - fish sticks
christie
Sunday 7th of March 2021
Hi Kristen, I never thought I'd see you posting about food restrictions! It's fun to get your take on it with a frugal spin. I'm very curious- do you struggle at all with mom guilt over eating foods that Sonia can't eat? I only ask because my husband, who is vegan, had to be low-fodmap for quite a while before a major surgery, and I remember having such mixed guilt-ridden feelings about eating things he couldn't eat. Our marriage wasn't in the best state at the time so I'm certain that played a part. I know that dietary issues can sometimes be really difficult to handle. I totally understand if you don't want to share, and I am not at all implying that you *should* feel guilty. I just appreciate your rational approach to so many things. Have a great day! :) Christie
Kristen
Monday 8th of March 2021
I do feel terrible for her, certainly. But she does not give anyone else grief for eating things she can't have, so that helps.
I can't imagine doing low FODMAP along with being vegan! So hard. Sonia has eaten a lot of eggs during this time.
Becca
Sunday 7th of March 2021
We had: Mock kfc famous bowls Chicken& vegetable stir fry with rice Garlicky shrimp & vegetable primavera Polenta with red sauce & a side salad Chilaquiles with a fried egg & avocado
Mar
Saturday 6th of March 2021
Mine was a pretty plain cooking week, one day we picked up A&W burgers for my dad and sister, dropped them off at their house. Including that meal I spent close to $200 at Sam's and Meijer.
Fried chicken using new recipe turned out really good with baked taters. Tacos and rice BBQ ribs and noodles Steak sandwiches Chicken Lo Mein (one of my favorites) with tons of veggies Today is beef stew I have salad or soup & veggies with the meals, hubs is the meat eater. Our meal time joke is me holding up a vegetable and asking him to identify it! Lol.
Suzan
Friday 5th of March 2021
The initial phase of FODMAP is difficult. Over time I have been able to introduce more foods. I feel for you and I wish, as I am the cook that we would eat the same meals. I used asafoetida to replace onions and garlic until I could use onions etc again. I understand that some still react to this.
I have been in hospital and one of the tings I had was an iron transfusion. So iron rich foods are on the menu. On Monday I made a braised steak and mushroom dish. Mum ate it once and I had it five times. Much reheating has been going on. We have eaten out once and I cannot remember the other meal.