(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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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.
Karen says
Hi friends. This is my first time commenting, tho I have been an avid reader for awhile.
Friday (tonight) – Quiche with red pepper, onion, and broccoli (ie, left over veg bits and bobs). Crust of Bisquick mixed with leftover sweet potato soup. Fresh fruit on the side.
Thursday – burgers on the Foreman grill. Fresh veg and beet hummus on the side.
Wednesday – Shepherd’s pie. Mashed potatoes left over from earlier in the week.
Tuesday – leftovers. Very proud that I did not recommend eating out this night.
Monday – New England boiled dinner in the Crock-Pot.
Sunday – chorizo egg bites (think the sous vide egg bites from Starbucks, but baked in muffin tins) with summer squash fritters and fresh fruit and veg on the side.
Saturday – Misfits Markets box delivery day, so “eat anything that’s about to go off night.” Pork chops on the Foreman. Mashed potatoes and fresh veggies with beet hummus on the side.
Kristen says
Welcome, welcome to the comment section! So glad you joined us!!
Jenny says
Beet hummus sounds interesting-
Karen says
It’s good! I don’t honestly taste the beets that much and they give it a beautiful color.
All the interwebs recipes are similar, tho many of them are fussy about how to cook the beets. I just microwave them and then add the rest of regular hummus ingredients.
Becca says
All meals had accompanying salads the details of which I’ve since forgotten because I didn’t write them down. I know a lot of them were spinach-based. And last night was beautiful ruffley red lettuce from the farm share. Tonight’s salad was bok choi greens, but I saved the stems to eat like celery for lunches. The stems are very good with peanut butter or Nutella.
F: Foccacia the First with the regular toppings: tomatoes, mushrooms, red peppers, provolone, mozzarella and Parmesan. This was the final show down between Lancelot and Guinevere, and the lady swept with 4/5 votes so Guinevere it is from here on out (that’s King Arthur’s Special Patent, in case you’re a stickler for accuracy.)
S: leftover breakfast casserole, challah bread and butter
S: a second foccacia bc the girl wanted to try her hand at making it. She was very disappointed to discover that we did not have all the usual toppings since they had been used up on Friday’s foccacia, so we went more gourmet: goat cheese crumbles, cheddar cheese, one red pepper sliced into rings and some fresh herbs that were from the farm share (oregano, rosemary, and one sprig that I think was actually lavender) and a bit of sea salt and crushed red pepper. We used Guinevere, of course. It was very good.
M: rice and beans with ground beef mixed in
T: roasted chicken, asparagus, brown rice
W: leftover rice and beans with cheddar cheese and “pulp chips” which we tried from hungry harvest. The pulp chips were ok, but pricey. I probably won’t buy again, but my youngest did come up with a cute name for them: “pulpies” so if there’s a price drop on them, maybe…
T: fried rice with tofu using up the leftover rice
F: queenly foccacia with mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, provolone, mozzarella, Parmesan AND goat cheese because more cheese is always appreciated!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Becca says
Forgot to add two things:
1. I pan fried arugula in the leftover pan drippings from the roast chicken and it was so much tastier than eating it raw-took almost all the spicy bite out.
2. Sonia’s “cake” looks heavenly! I’d take fruit and whipped cream over any kind of cake! I hope she had the happiest of birthdays!!!
kristin @ going country says
Oh yay! You figured out how to make arugula tasty for you! I wasn’t sure if you had seen my very belated response to your question or not. Cooking it also has the happy result of reducing the quantity by a lot immediately.
Did everyone eat it?
Becca says
Ha! Yes, but grudgingly! I liked it way better, though!
Jenny says
A funny thing about arugula- it only showed up in my world in the last 10-15 years, I think! Had never heard of it before 2000 or so, but it sounded like something I’d like, so bought at grocery & tried a few ways. All yuck. Tried at restaurants- better but nothing I’d say I liked, really.
Then my friend has been growing in her garden- oh! It’s like a completely different thing, and it tastes and looks great! I don’t know if it’s the variety or the just-picked aspect. I thought I disliked all cruciferous vegetables (ate them only for health) until I had them fresh and/or well-prepared! Love them! Now eggplant and some of the greens like collard, turnips are the only veggies I haven’t figured out a way to enjoy!
a curious reader says
your menu looks delicious! I have recently made focaccia as well, you have inspired me to look up King Arthur’s recipe – it will likely make an appearance on our menu this upcoming week!
Becca says
I have to give my husband most of the credit for the deliciousness. I buy the food, but he’s the chef and we have often commented that we feel so fortunate to be eating so well right now especially. I’m glad you liked the foccacia! My husband uses our sourdough starter and it’s just so good!!!
Tracey says
This week we spent $72 on groceries. That included specialty dog food and treats for a visiting grandpuppy. Here’s what we ate this week:
Saturday – Cornish game hens, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts.
Sunday – Homemade ham and white bean soup.
Monday – Eggs and toast.
Tuesday – Hot dogs and beans with fried potatoes (mine stayed together, lol).
Wednesday – Tacos.
Thursday – Buckwheat pancakes.
Friday – Tuna noodle casserole and french fries.
SandyH says
Spent $120. This feeds me, my husband, and my mom. Every Monday night all six grandkids eat with us, plus I send home a meal with my middle daughter for her and my son in law. The kids usually have a different menu.
Monday: chicken cordon bleu casserole, parsley new potatoes, green bean casserole. (kids: cheeseburger sliders and oven fries; fruit)
Tuesday: beef enchiladas, Spanish rice, guacamole
Wednesday: BLT’s on sourdough toast, chips
Thursday: chicken tortilla soup, cornbread, strawberry jello layered dessert
Friday: to be determined
Gina says
I used your method for potato cubes this week and I only had russets and it worked out OK. But I used barely any grease at all and stirred like crazy! This week we ate:
Monday – Grilled Chicken Breast on a chopped, bagged salad
Tuesday – Mexican Tilapia, fresh green beans
Wednesday – Chili Beans in crockpot, chopped onion with cilantro
Thursday – BBQ Pork Chop, Sunshine Corn, zucchini
Tonight we are having (lo salt) Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast, baked sweet potato, peas
Saturday – Free Choice all day! We are going to grill salmon burgers and okra for dinner and going to a winery in the afternoon
Sunday – we will pick up a burger
I am trying to be ever more mindful of what I eat since I got a stern talkin’ to (figuratively) by my doc who wants to put me on a statin ): Not gonna do it.
Mary B. Green says
Whats a FODMOP?
Kristen says
Here’s a link that explains it: https://www.medicinenet.com/low_fodmap_diet_list_of_foods_to_eat_and_avoid/article.htm
ALLISON says
I’m not gluten-free but I end up eating a lot of GF foods because I eat low glycemic index. We are also omnivores but enjoy plenty of vegetarian dishes. We both like soyrizo, for example, even better than real chorizo!
Sunday – homemade fried shrimp po-boys and root vegetable fries (from a freezer bag), homemade yogurt tartar sauce
Monday – “Pasta” (we like chickpea pasta) with a bit of leftover boursin cheese, chicken, and veggies.
Tuesday – Zoodles with homemade beef bolognese I pulled from the freezer
Wednesday – A staple: Soyrizo quinoa bowls with roasted sweet potato & broccoli, fresh avo on top
Thursday – Another staple: quickie pizza: Store-bought sprouted wheat flatbread as base, pesto, then chicken sausages sliced, cooked onion, sweet peppers, and broccoli, topped w/ grated mozz. Green salad on the side.
Tonight – Salmon; not wholly sure what else.
Saturday – Having a couple over for outdoor distanced dining; one year ago the four of us were in Hawaii so we are having Hawaiian themed dinner. Pineapple chicken & veggie skewers, coconut quinoa, mai tais!
Thanks so much for the carrot tip for the oatmeal! I do unsweetened oatmeal with cinnamon, cardamom, cacao nibs, nuts, chia seeds, and fruit… now I’ve added grated carrot to this for EVEN MORE yummy nutrition!
SandyH says
Those root vegetable fries are SO good! I make them in the air fryer.
priskill says
Ooo – the Pavlova looks luscious and Happy Birthday to Sonia
Back on track this week but no regrets for taking my daughter out for her last days in LA
Saturday – A noodle place near daughter’s old apartment – cheap and supported a local establishment. Also, I had eaten my big salad before hand so only bought for 2.
Sunday – Our local Italian restaurant before we took her to the airport. Again, I ate big salad before hand and just ordered soup; husband and daughter ordered dinner.
Monday – Homemade Chicken soup and steamed broccoli
Tuesday – Leftover soup and big salad
Wednesday – Caught a deal on ‘Taco seasoned ground turkey that had to be eaten that day and made tacos with marked down salad mix and veggies
Thursday – Leftover turkey tacos and another salad
Tonight – Some kind of cheap take out or outside restaurant. Happy Friday!
Crystal says
Hi FG,
This is how we make cubed potatoes. I bake my potatoes in the oven. I have used red or russet and they always turn out.
Cube the potatoes and place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then drizzle the cubed potatoes with oil, salt and pepper to taste and mix.
Cook at 425F for 20 minutes. Next raise the temperature to 475F and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, her Dinner Time cook book. The original recipe calls for bell peppers and garlic, but I usually don’t add those.
I’m sorry your potatoes were a flop for you, I hope this helps.
Kristen says
Ah, that makes sense…less stirring is involved in the oven, so the potatoes would fall apart less!
kristin @ going country says
Yup. I make roasted potatoes this way (well, except for raising the temperature at the end–I don’t do that) far more often than frying potatoes. You can also fit more on a half sheet pan than in even a big skillet on the stove, which is always a consideration in my household.
Kris says
I definitely prefer roasting potatoes over frying them. Less mess and I don’t have to babysit them like you do when you fry things. Win win.
Jen says
I spent six weeks in Australia in college. The pavlova is TO DIE FOR! I think you made an excellent alternative choice! Happy birthday, Sonia!
Betta from daVille says
I agree! I love pavlova or a good daquoise.
Julie C says
My oldest son and I are not fans of cake, so I make him a pavlova “cake” every year. Yours looks yummy! Sometimes I microwave a little Nutella for a few seconds and drizzle it over the pavlova. I love to top pavlovas with lemon curd (conveniently made with the leftover egg yolks), a simple blueberry sauce and whipped cream.
Kristin W says
I made pavlova once, to bring to Easter lunch. The recipe had you turn off the oven and leave it in overnight. Great, until I woke up first thing Easter morning and turned the oven on for our hot crossed buns. It was not the spectacular looking dish I was hoping for, but it still turned out ok and now my non-fancy Midwestern family has tried something new and “exotic” :o). Yours looks delicious and I might have to try again!
Kris says
Oh, that’s something I would do! Love your non fancy midwestern comment. You get bonus points for trying something new, even if it didn’t work out quite the way you planned!
Angie says
Sunday – Baked flounder, lemon & parsley potatoes, steamed cabbage
Monday – I made a large pot of pinto beans using up some leftover ham from the freezer & a batch of Spanish rice. We used these to make bean burritos. I served these with shredded lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and home canned salsa. Definitely a frugal dinner and really delicious!!
Tuesday – Leftovers
Wednesday – Turkey Chili using the remainder of the pinto beans and ground turkey from the freezer, baked potatoes, cheese, sour cream, fresh fruit
Thursday – Chicken thighs roasted in home canned peach salsa & a bit of BBQ sauce; roasted asparagus & red onions, rice, & homemade brownies
Friday – Leftovers
Saturday – I am not quite sure….perhaps chili dogs
Sunday – I am defrosting a turkey and plan on cooking it on Sunday. Mashed potatoes, peas, and gravy to go with it.
Gina says
Your dinners sound fabulous – I need to go buy a turkey to roast! We can debone it, freeze it, and eat off it for weeks and it makes such good soup stock.
Ruby says
Groceries this week were $83 and some change, of which $76 was food. Non-food was a bottle of dish detergent and some other item that has escaped my memory.
I scored two packs of meaty pork ribs on manager’s special and we had those for Sunday supper with green beans, cheddar-herb corn muffins and some homemade applesauce. The apples were mostly free as they were bought with a $2 coupon. My husband and I ate leftovers from that meal until they were gone, and then switched back over to our usual suppers of fresh produce, a wedge of cheese and some nuts for him and a yogurt-berry-cereal parfait for me. The parfaits used up some corn Chex cereal that no one was eating. Not the best choice for a parfait topper, but it’s gone now.
Heather Hampton says
Just because you got food from a McDonald’s does not mean you aren’t supporting local. Those are your neighbors and community members working there – a teenager working for gas/insurance money, a mom working a second job to pay for dance classes for her kids, a dad working a second job so his wife can remain home with the kids. Without customers, hours are cut for these folks and they are no longer earning and spending in the community.
priskill says
What a good point — I hadn’t thought of it that way.
Amanda says
I 100% agree!
Louise says
I cook for multiple allergies as well – I’m allergic to dairy and apples, my son is a Coeliac and allergic to nuts and my husband is allergic to fish and nuts. I tend to stick to meat and veg with the occasional gluten-free pasta or bread addition. We (well, I) would really like to eat more vegetarian meals for both ethical and financial reasons but very much struggling to find non-nut, non-dairy options that people like. Pasta works well as does stir fries with rice or rice noodles.
Sat – Duck breasts pan fried, Parmentier potatoes, braised red cabbage, peas and broccoli. Lemon and passionfruit Soufflé
Sun – Roast Chicken, roast potatoes and parsnips, carrots, broccoli, cabbage
Mon – Sea bass, fennel and broccoli tray bake (chicken Kiev for the non-fish eater)
Tue – Honey and mustard chicken traybake with sprouts
Wed – (vegetarian night) Pasta all Norma and Focaccia (all gluten-free)
Thurs – Slow cooker chicken fennel and bean stew
Fri – Slow cooker chicken curry, rice, onion bhajis and gluten-free naan
Kristen says
Ugh, yes, the combo of dairy-free and nut-free is such a challenge! I feel you.
Danielle Zecher says
We’re trying to cut back on meat a little bit, too. This website has amazing recipes, and has a vegan and vegetarian category. https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/vegetarian/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/vegetarian/vegan/
I haven’t tried all of the recipes, but we’ve loved almost everything we’ve tried. The one total no-go recipe wasn’t vegetarian or vegan.
Louise says
Thank you, I will definitely check that website out.
Shirley says
Budget bytes vegetarian shepherds pie (using lentils) is really good. Guess you’d have to get around the butter in the mashed potato topping though. Instead of mushrooms I use canellini beans.
Louise says
Thanks Shirley. Sometimes I use ghee or oat cream to make mashed potatoes without dairy or I sub a potato rosti type topping on mine instead. I will check that out. I could also maybe combo meat and lentils and then gradually remove the meat, sort of like detoxing the boys from their meat addiction!
Shirley says
Louise, I like your “detoxing” idea. I think it will work. That should work in chili too. Lately I was wondering about using some ground turkey replacing part of the hamburger in some dishes, since it seems healthier.
Becca says
In your efforts to go more vegetarian while still allowing for allergies, may I give a shout out to the humble dish of rice and beans? I know it sounds rather ho-hum, but it can be surprisingly versatile if you try different types of beans or add in other veggies. Ours is usually not strictly vegetarian because my husband uses stock instead of water, but it can certainly be made with vegetable stock instead of chicken or turkey stock (which is what we typically have on hand because we freeze bones and veggie ends like asparagus, celery, onions and make a big pot every so often) and you can also use the leftover water from boiling greens like swiss chard when you make rice. It adds a lot of flavor and nutrition too, and sometimes makes for interesting rice colors! Beet green pot liquor is bright pink, for example! We have a few of those tall plastic containers that soup comes in from Chinese food restaurants and whenever we have a liquid usable for rice like stock or pot liquor, we freeze it in those containers. Then my husband just microwaves one when he wants to make rice. We know it’s time to make some more stock when there aren’t any containers left in the freezer and/or the bag of stock lefties is full. To me, making stock is like the ultimate frugal/magical thing to do because you literally boil trash until it turns into liquid gold, and it makes the house smell amazing!
Becca says
Also, eggs. I could probably eat eggs every day for a whole year and not repeat a recipe.
Louise says
Thanks Becca. My husband won’t eat eggs (sigh!) but the rice cooked in stock is a good idea. My son loves plain rice and I have loads of chicken stock (I cook 2 organic roast chickens every Sunday and then make it) so could use this to make it a more nutritious option. The beans would be a work in progress! For some reason baked beans are fine. Any other kind of beans are viewed as an alien life form. I don’t get it! But I do think perseverance and continuing to offer them is a good idea.
Becca says
Hmm. . .maybe you could start with your typical baked beans recipe but start tweaking it little by little, like try adding in an extra kind of bean or maybe serve it over rice until you cleverly evolved it into a rice and beans night! Don’t change more than one tiny element at a time though!
JEG says
I have stuck to my refrigerator and freezer to eat. Writing it down is keeping me on my goal.
Fri: Pecorino & cheese raviolis with brandy sauce
Sat: Deli Turkey, gravy, stuffing open face sandwiches (to use up the deli turkey)
Sun: Salisbury steaks, gravy, vegetables
Mon: TJ Turkey roll, squash, potatoes
Tues: Leftover turkey roll, squash, applesauce
Wed: Vegetable frittata with sausage, bacon, and vegetables (I had eggs to use and found sausage and bacon in the freezer, kale and pea shoots in the ‘frig and added the leftover brandy sauce from the ‘frig)
Thurs: Burgers, asparagus, applesauce
Shannon says
We spent $90 at the grocery store + $49 to try a meal kit subscription service (which was good for the discounted price, but I don’t think we will continue to use it after this)
Sat: Takeout from a local Italian place for my birthday! Their lobster ravioli is my absolute favorite.
Sun: Leftovers – it was a clear out the fridge kind of night.
Mon: Sweet Ponzu Beef Bowls with Pickled Cucumber & Wasabi Aioli
Tues: Balsamic Tomato & Zucchini Risotto with Tuscan Herbs & Parmesan
Wed: Frozen pizza – I worked my first 12 hour shift at the hospital, so husband and kiddo had a pizza from the freezer and I picked up takeout for myself on the way home.
Thurs: Chicken & Bell Pepper Fajitas with Pico de Gallo & Lime Crema
Fri: Roasted Bell Pepper Flatbreads with Creamy Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella
Sarah G says
Saturday- we went to my niece’s 2nd birthday party so our main meal of the day was eaten there. We had a snacky dinner that evening. Cheese, fruit, crackers, popcorn, etc.
Sunday- Spaghetti and meatballs, green beans
Monday- homemade cream of broccoli soup, biscuits
Tuesday- leftover smorgasbord
Wednesday- one of our kids was sleeping over at grandma’s house so we treated the others to dinner out. We let our 8 year old pick the place and she decided on Chili’s.
Thursday- roasted whole chicken with random sides. My kids have a cold so they had no appetite for veggies. It was a rough day in general so in the end, no side dishes were made. We ate the chicken and some bread and butter and random fruit and we survived.
Friday- Tonight we are getting some pizza from my husband’s favorite local pizzeria. I am beyond excited that I won’t be cooking. Yaaaaaayyyyy!!!!!
Michelle says
I cube up lots of russets (peel or no peel whatever floats your boat) add a chopped onion, cube butter on top and salt and pepper..Bake for 400 degree oven stirring every now and then to coat the potatoes..bake til soft and there’s several with that amazing crispy part. That way they hold their shape. My daughter (in college) has me bring pans of them to her when I visit (along with multiple other mom made foods..lol) I could probably live on them…
Darlene H says
Hi!
Friday—Cheese Salsa Verde Enchiladas, salad, & sugar cookies
Saturday—Falafel Wraps & salad
Sunday—Breakfast tacos & salad
Monday—Moroccan Fish & Couscous packets (Toaster Oven ATK) & salad
Tuesday—carmelized onion and bell pepper pasta & (you guessed it) salad, & an Apple tarte tatin
Wednesday—pita pizzas & salad
Thursday—honey mustard chicken thighs with a sweet potato, fennel, & arugula salad—another toaster oven recipe
Friday—I think I’ll make spaghetti puttanesca to use up a partial can of chopped tomatoes leftover from the pita pizzas. And a salad.
Betta from daVille says
WWS: $83 ($10 was kombucha…) WWA:
Sat.: Herb-Crusted Cauliflower Steaks with Beans and Tomatoes (epicurious)
Sun: Homemade lasagna bolognese, salad & broccoli. Ricotta-lemon cake to prepare for the new S. Tucci Italian food/travel show on CNN.
Mon. Skirt-steak with chimichurri, puréed cauliflower, roasted beets, salad.
Tue. Old-school tacos, made with ground turkey & all of the fixings
Wed. Buddha bowl with roasted Brussels sprouts, carrot, sweet potato, over forbidden rice topped with fried egg and a lemongrass-ginger-cilantro sauce
Thur. Leftovers/fend for yourself
Fri. Laotian larb in lettuce cups, zucchini. Cucumbers & red peppers on the side.
Nora says
After a one week respite, we’re back to cooking everything ourselves.
Sat – arctic char, broccoli, red potatoes
Sun – roast chicken, salad, fingerling potatoes
Mon – beef with spinach, potato cubes, veggies
Tues – pork soup, whole wheat bread, veggies
Wed – tacos
If we didn’t have small children, we’d have a lot fewer “veggies.” They’re primarily for the kids who are less thrilled with a one pot dish. But it does mean we all eat more veggies since they’re in front of us.
Danielle Zecher says
Sunday: Jerk Chicken Tacos (from a mix). I wasn’t a fan, so actually ate a peanut butter sandwich.
Monday: Indian Style Creamed Spinach.
Tuesday: Cheeseburger Soup
Wednesday: We had a weird power outage, so couldn’t reheat leftovers, which was the plan. I had cereal and hubby had a cheese sandwich.
Thursday: Hubby finished off the last of the leftover spinach and I had boiled shrimp (he hates shrimp) and instant mashed potatoes.
I’m thinking taco salad for tonight, but haven’t decided for sure.
I just want to thank you for your tips on using up leftovers and the food posts where not everyone in your house eats the same thing for dinner. I didn’t grow up like that, and it has taken some time to wrap my head around the concept. Normally, last night I would have A) cooked an entirely new meal since there weren’t enough leftovers for both of us (and probably ended up throwing away the leftovers) or B) much more likely, gotten takeout since we were eating dinner late and it had been a busy day.
Thanks to your posts, it occurred to me for one of us to eat leftovers and to come up with something quick for the other person.
Becca says
In our house, dinner always starts with salad, since I always make it and then we eat the main dish. Sometimes (often, actually) the main dish is leftovers, or a mish mash of things and whenever we eat up all the leftovers but people are still hungry, we just make buttered toast or eat a piece of fruit. It seems to help even out those not quite enough leftover nights. We also eat leftovers for breakfast or lunch too. We’re very pro leftovers around here!
mkmitch says
Saturday – our kids had a sleepover with our date-night-swap buddies, so my husband and I did my bday date night a week early and did a self-guided walking tour of historic homes near downtown Denver, then picked up my favorite fancy pizza (prosciutto and arugula pizza, limoncello wings) on our way home. Local business support!
Sunday – I had found spring mix and carrots both on amazing sales, so I made carrot soup with a spring mix-quinoa salad. Husband and I thought it delicious, kids were less than impressed.
Monday – Cooking Light’s Spicy Soba Noodles with Peanut Sauce, using up the rest of last week’s rotisserie chicken.
Tuesday – Cobb Salad, using up random mix of leftover greens in the fridge and a 1/2 off grocery store baguette for croutons + bread on the side.
Wednesday – Taco roast (1/2 off sale at the grocery) with corn tortillas and pico de gallo (using up slightly wrinkly cherry tomatoes)
Thursday – Went to the Asian market because my daughter wants to taste test international desserts for her science fair project (smart girl! Not sure the science connection, but she’s in 1st grade so we’ll made it work), and picked a few recipes from an authentic stir fry cookbook I have to make this next week and bought supplies for those. Made stir fried hoisin pork with peppers – it was good!
Tonight – pizza and movie night, and I’m in the mood for sausage mushroom pizza so that’s what I’m making.
Ruth T says
Kudos on finding a birthday dessert that worked!
Saturday – Meatloaf cupcakes (complete with mashed potato “frosting”) and broccoli with cheese
Sunday – Pizza
Monday – Chicken sausage spaghetti bolognese
Tuesday – Enchiladas
Wednesday – Venison stew and cornbread
Thursday – Movie night with soft pretzels and cheese, carrots, cucumbers, potato chips, and pineapple
Friday – Pork roast, asparagus, and broccoli with cheese
Julie says
I’m curious as to how the low FODMAP diet is going for Sonia. Is it helping? Or do you just do this to sort of have a “start from scratch” approach when it’s time to reintroduce things?
This week we have had…
Saturday – Vegetable soup, salad and bread. I’ve been making soup once a week to use up produce, leftover tomato sauce from pizzas, bits of quinoa or rice, etc.
Sunday – pizza and salad. This week’s pizza had italian sandwich meats on it along with spinach, onions, and feta.
Monday – Leftover soup, salad and bread
Tuesday – chicken tenders, roasted veggies (carrots, potatoes, cabbage) and salad
Wednesday – a green chile and chicken enchilada casserole (it was good, but labor intenstive)
Thursday – (I’m off by a day somewhere…) We had pasta from the freezer (2 kinds that we had one leftover each of) with some chicken and mozzarella meatballs and, you guessed it, a salad!
Tonight I think we’re having shrimp fajitas.
Ellen says
No shopping last week, its up this week.
Saturday- mom/dad, I cooked this week, Homemade Chicken pot pie x3, salad, mom made a cake, bil/sister got krisps kreams. Kids had pizza since they do not eat above
Sunday- mom/dad sister/bil made stuffed shells and chicken parm, leftover salad. left over deserts.
Monday- Belgium Waffles, sausage.
Tuesday-Chicken alfrado, salad DS had something else since he doesn’t eat this. (can you say PITA!)
Wednesday- hot dogs on the grill, mac and cheese. So much better on the grill.
Thursday- fend for yourself, DD and I had pork roll sandwiches, DS / DH left over pizza, DS had practice.
Friday- Its my birthday and I am not cooking, so it may be pizza!
Maureen says
I guess a GF cake mix was out of the question. But Happy Birthday and hope Sonia had a great day!
Karen says
Having used a lot of GF cake mixes in my time, I can say I would have much preferred a pavlova! I’ve never had one, but always wanted to try making it.
Jackie says
We are gluten-free for the past three years at my house. I must say that King Arthur gluten free cake mixes are amazing – I prefer them to non-gluten free ones. Also Krusteaz mixes are excellent. Aldis has gluten-free pancake and cake mixes that are pretty good too. My all time favorite gluten free flour is GF Jules Multipurpose flour. I have used it for any of my recipes (even old family ones) and everything turns out great. Sometimes a little more needs to be added, but other than that. It is a bit pricey compared to non gluten free. I buy straight from the company in large amounts and keep mine in the freezer. Just sharing.
Kristen says
Yep, Karen said what I was going to say. In my experience, if you can find something that’s naturally gluten-free, it’s going to taste a lot better than something that’s modified to be gluten-free.
Obviously I am not averse to gluten-free baking, though. (I used the cup for cup flour for Sonia’s waffles this week.) I just thought pavlova would be a little less sad than a gluten-free cake. lol
Karen says
I think pavlovas are gorgeous. I think I may make one for my own birthday, just for fun–I don’t eat sugar or desserts on a regular basis, but I know my kids would be fascinated because they love meringue!
Kristen says
Also: They are gorgeous with SO MUCH LESS effort than cake decorating!
Karen says
I have the family vote on dinners, and invariably the same things come up on the rota:
Crockpot beef stew (I make easy Irish soda bread to go with it)
Chicken and rice casserole, dairy free, and gluten free; asparagus and peas on the side
Crockpot Lentil soup with homemade bread and cheese and fruit
Taco Night (shredded chicken, ground beef, and toppings–one of the kids likes to cook this)
Burger bar with bacon, mushrooms and cheese for toppings. Fries and veggies on the side.
Next week is looking similar, except instead of chicken and rice (which they’ve wanted for three or four weeks running), they voted for quiche, which my husband likes to make.
I’ve been stuck with a soft diet thanks to TMD, which has been so hard to stick to. So some things I can’t eat, but I just make a smoothie,
Karen says
Oh! I meant to say I now only use Yukon Gold in beef stew and soups. We like the texture better than Russets, which IMO are best saved for baked (or twice baked) potatoes, or mashed potatoes.
kristin @ going country says
I never have anything but Russet potatoes. I fry them sometimes, but only when they’re pre-cooked. And yes, they do require a lot of fat. Which makes them taste better anyway, in my opinion.
This week in food . . .
Friday: Cheese pizza, scrambled eggs for me, green salad with vinaigrette
Saturday: Pork stir-fry, rice
Sunday: Pot roast, mashed potatoes, mashed calabaza (a kind of squash), caramelized cabbage, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
Monday: Leftover pot roast and calabaza for the adults. I thought I had more meat than I did, and didn’t have a plan to make anything else, so the kids got to have waffles with the batter left over from our Sunday waffles. They were very excited about this, because I never make waffles for dinner. They also had some bacon, and, before dinner, still-frozen green peas. To check off that “vegetable” box, you know.
Tuesday: Meatloaf, baked potatoes, green salad with ranch dressing
Wednesday: Bunless cheeseburgers, leftover rice, frozen peas
Thursday: Carnitas-style pork tacos, mashed squash, canned pineapple because our vegetable situation right now is pretty sparse. I even posted a picture of my empty refrigerator today (plus, after seeing some comments regarding this, the door, with my limited condiment selection)
Tonight: Tuna melt sandwiches, green salad with vinaigrette. It’s a bit alarming to me how long green-leaf lettuce lasts in the refrigerator. This is the very last of it, though, and it’s looking a wee bit brown at the moment. I also found half a carrot I had saved just for this last bit of lettuce, so it wouldn’t be a totally sad salad.
Rose says
Also–I once made creamed chicken on corn waffles. They were delicious, except the children were small and said it looked like vomit and then they wouldn’t eat it. Grrrr.
Kristen says
Oooh, that does sound good!
Ruby says
My husband sounds like your children: he won’t eat creamed anything. He’s missing out on so much good stuff.
Kristen says
Yes. Creamy sauces are heavenly.
Becca says
Hahaha! Just yesterday I excitedly showed my son the romanesco cauliflower that came in the farm share and said “Look! Isn’t this just the coolest looking cauliflower you’ve ever seen?” His response: “Um, why does it look like cat vomit?” Grrrr, indeed!
Rose says
I actually love McD’s southwest chicken salad.
Kristen says
That’s a fair point; their salads are pretty good! And a pretty healthy option.
I mostly have a bad attitude about things like their chicken nuggets. Heh.