WIS, WWA | with a trip to Red Lobster
Someone messaged me this week to ask, so in case anyone else is wondering: WIS, WWA is just an abbreviation for What I Spent, What We Ate.
If I put "What I Spent, What We Ate" in the title every time, it makes for an awfully long title! So I usually just go with the abbreviation.
Also relevant if you are new: instead of posting a menu for the coming week, I do the reverse and share what we actually ate in the past week.
I think this makes the posts more honest; it's easy to have a pie-in-the-sky menu plan, but it's more helpful to share how our eating actually works out over the course of a week.
Because sometimes life does not go according to plan!
(Note: I am a fan of menu-planning! I just am also a fan of showing what application of a menu plan looks like in real life.)
What I Spent
- $20 at Safeway
- $50 at BJs
- $18 at Harris Teeter
- $30 at Target
So, $118 total.
What We Ate
Saturday
We had a dinner out for Sonia's birthday. Funny enough, she picked Red Lobster, but I think that was mainly because she loves their raspberry lemonade. 😉
By the way, we had some Red Lobster gift cards, which is why this meal out is not added to my food spending total.
Sunday
We all ate random leftovers at dinnertime; the specifics evade me at the moment. But I probably ate mashed potatoes topped with a fried egg (we had a lot of leftover mashed potatoes to eat up last week!)
Ohh, wait! I do remember that Zoe ate her Red Lobster leftovers (a chicken dish, of course, since Zoe is allergic to most seafood.)
Monday
I made a main dish salad with brined chicken, fruit, and the dressing that I shared in this salad recipe.
We ate that with some leftover toasted homemade hamburger buns.
Which is kind of funny because just this week, someone in my Facebook Frugal Girl group was asking how to use up leftover homemade buns.
My favorite ways:
- toasted, spread with cream cheese and jam at breakfast
- halved, spread with garlic butter, and broiled
- cut up and used in an overnight French toast casserole
Tuesday
We ate leftover soup from the freezer, plus green salads, and the girls made ham sandwiches for themselves after their evening class.
Wednesday
Hasselback potatoes (working on using up my free ten pound bag from Safeway!), Budget Bytes' herb butter chicken thighs,(using a pack of chicken from the freezer) and broccoli.
Thursday
We had enough leftovers from Thursday to make a second meal.
That was easy!
Of note: the sauce from the Budget Bytes chicken recipe really elevates leftover hasselback potatoes; I spooned it over my chicken and my potatoes, and it was a solid choice.
Friday
I need to chat with the girls to see what their Friday night plans are, and I will plan for dinner accordingly.
I'm a meal planner by heart because it helps me not have to make those choices when I'm hungry. Also, I don't eat out a lot during the week (usually a weekend thing) I'm tired after work, but I can put my crock pot into use and I'm only cooking for one anyway. That being said, I did veer off the path this week!
Monday - Leftover Chinese food from Saturday (:
Tuesday - (freezer) Spiral sliced Ham, roasted red potatoes, creamy spinach
Wednesday - Wine Wednesday with The Girl (we had a veggie chili and Fritos)
Thursday - I got take-out since I was on call and it was SO GOOD - Roasted beef short rib enchiladas with jack cheese and tomatillo sauce, diced sauteed squash, garlic mashed potatoes. I licked the pan clean.
Friday - (freezer) Lima beans and ham with a couple corn muffins
Saturday - TBD but I think I will make a ramen bowl using a pork rib chop I found in the freezer and some random veggies
Sunday - I never made the One Pan Chicken and Lemon Rice with Olives from last week (I did Mexican Lasagna instead), so I will do that and serve with salad or broccoli and a roll.
I'm so glad its FRIYAY!
What I Spent: $104.89 on people food. This was $4.89 over budget, which these days is not terrible. There were some great mark-downs in the fresh meat case and I spent $17 on four packs of organic chicken parts (whole legs and thighs mostly) and a nice pork roast. I went $2 over the fresh meat budget, but when you can get a pork roast for $5.47, jump on it. That's my motto!
What We Ate: This week, it was the pork roast, cooked in the slow cooker with lots of carrots, herbs and onions. I served it up with corn muffins, mac and cheese, and applesauce. My husband had the leftovers for lunch (his main meal) all week. I checked the fridge this morning and he has enough left for lunch today. I've been on antibiotics for an ear infection and have mostly eaten toast, tangerines, and protein shakes because everything looks blah to me.
Tonight: Instant Pot chicken vindaloo
Yesterday, wild boar sausage and potatoes.
Wednesday: leftovers
Tuesday: Instant Pot coq au vin
Monday: Vietnamese noodles
Sunday: lost in the mists of time.
@Rose, are you willing to share your chicken vindaloo recipe? I love Indian food and I'm trying to use my Instant pot more, so that sounds perfect.
@Danielle Zecher, Sure!
https://pipingpotcurry.com/chicken-vindaloo-pressure-cooker/
Help,
I'm becoming one of those Instant Pot people!
@Rose, thank you! That looks so good!
@Danielle Zecher, It is! I like it with rice, raita, and shredded carrot/mustard seed salad.
When I buy hamburger buns, we never use them all, so my go to is to make garlic bread out of them. Spread some butter, sprinkle with garlic and toast. Very few meals you can't add that to and not enjoy.
I have been so consumed with the news that I can barely recall what we ate or even whether it was for lunch or dinner. At some point, we ate:
- Salad
- Veggie sandwich
- Pasta and broccoli
- Veggie rice concoction
- Popcorn and fruit
@MB in MN,
I am limiting my news time. I am staying informed, but I don’t consume so much news that I want to crawl into a hole. It’s a fine line.
We had a delicious shepherds pie last Sunday, with an apple cake that was worth repeating. I made the marzipan myself and added the last handful of pistachios to the almonds - note to self to do so again!
Otherwise, the menu consisted mainly of stews and of sausage and veg. And we had frozen pizzas yesterday, to free up freezer space and because we were uninspired.
We are feeling a bit under the weather so today is an excellent day to try out my new crock pot. It is starting to smell good already, and I am feeling incredibly lazy whenever I walk into the kitchen.
@J NL, pistachios seem to make everything better, don’t they?! A friend sent me a little jar of salted pistachio butter and it elevates the nut-butter-on-apples game by about a million percent.
WWS: $32 Market Basket; $34 at expensive grocery store, but reimbursed for mystery shop; $42 on 12 POUNDS OF BACON.
Sat: we had a really big bbq lunch out, so tunafish sandwiches it was.
Sun: roasted salmon with za'atar, Israeli couscous (loosely based on David Lebovitz's recipe, sautéed beets & beet stems.
Mon: I had cottage pie from freezer, partner made himself tofu stirfry
Tues: I had a mortadella sandwich, partner had ??
Wed: pork larb over lettuce, jasmine rice
Thur: beef, black bean & kale stem tacos, with all the fixins, Mexican rice
Fri: queso fundido with poblano vinaigrette (food52 - this recipe is the bomb!), cuke/radish/red pepper salad, guac & homemade tortilla chips
@BettafrmdaVille, a dozen pounds of bacon makes everything better!
Isn't that the truth? Especially if you get reimbursed for said bacon!
@BettafrmdaVille, great price on the bacon!
Mashed potatoes (with cheddar cheese melted on top) and fried eggs is one of my favorite ways to eat leftover mashed potatoes.
Saturday: Fried canned pork, mashed potatoes (guess what I had for lunch the next day with the leftovers? :-), cucumbers and tomatoes
Sunday: Rooster-rice soup made with pressure-canned rooster stock and some of the rooster meat frozen when I made the stock, grilled cheese sandwiches, pots de creme
Monday: Gnarly ram chili made with pigs' feet (husband's favorite, definitely not mine), pinto beans, artichoke appetizer, tomatoes
Tuesday: Very unusually, I didn't have a plan when I went into the kitchen to make dinner, so it was an interesting result. My husband and one son had leftover chile. I made a dish of egg noodles with tomato sauce, a leftover macaroni and cheese packet, and some finely chopped leftover pork. With the rest of the pork, I made fried rice with leftover rice, steamed asparagus and green beans, and an egg. These foods were eaten by all the family in various combinations.
Wednesday: Ram tenderloin, roasted potatoes, pureed calabaza (winter squash), frozen green peas, and a Toblerone bar my mother-in-law brought with her
Thursday: Carnitas tacos with homemade corn tortillas, pinto beans, Cadbury Creme Eggs also courtesy of the MiL
Tonight: Salmon patties made with canned salmon, mashed potatoes, sauteed zucchini/tomato/onion, and green salad
@kristin @ going country, I’ve never eaten ram, but I’m curious about the flavor. Is it similar to lamb or another game animal. I understand if it’s indescribable.
@Bee, We've only eaten young rams, which are only about a year old (although sexually mature). So they pretty much are lambs. We're careful to hang it quite awhile, and it's never been strong. Quite mild, actually, in comparison to store-bought lamb, which I usually find to be unpleasantly strong-tasting.
I was about to ask if a ram counted as mutton! Which I have never had but am pretty sure I won't like.
@kristin @ going country, we have had some Australian lamb that was really strong-tasting. The last time I bought some at Aldi, I struggled to use up the leftovers because trying to disguise it in another dish just seemed to make it game-ier.
WIS - I spent $46 on food for this week and another $58 on corned beef for St. Patty’s Day dinner next week for 6. I buy a special corned beef from a local market so they sell out at quickly. I couldn’t risk it.
WIA - My husband travelled 4 days this week. I ate simply. Soups from the freezer and small simple meals. I wasn’t particularly hungry as I was recovering from a reaction to gluten. We attended a birthday party at a restaurant on Saturday evening. When I asked about gluten, I think the waiter rolled his eyes. I guess he didn’t take it seriously, because it took me until Wednesday to recover. Grrrr!
Have a great weekend all!
Last Friday I actually DID order out. We picked up a take-and-bake pizza from Papa Murphy's after a long round of golf. It was totally worth it.
Last night we had Budget Bytes' Sesame Chicken and egg rolls.
Wednesday we had pizza with some salami from the freezer and mushrooms. Salad.
Tuesday was chicken tenders for the hubs, popcorn shrimp for me and roasted potatoes. Also a salad.
Monday I used some chicken broth I made on Sunday and leftover chicken and rice to make soup. I used up the last of a bag of frozen spinach in that and added some green peas, carrots, etc.
Sunday we had leftover pasta and salad.
Tonight I'm planning to make ham and cheese pasta with some ham from the freezer. It'll be quick meal for after another long round of golf. Walking 18 holes makes you hungry!
I love those hamburger buns, which I have made in the past. I wish I could eat them now. I've heard people say that, after a while, they don't miss eating bread when they go gluten-free. I still miss homemade breads badly, even after several years of being gluten-free.
Okay, enough of that whining. What I ate:
Center cut ham slice cooked with pineapple, some vegetables that I've forgotten.
Meatloaf, with a vegetable mix of carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.
Smoked hog jowl, sauteed chard, and applesauce.
My own version of tuna noodle casserole using cassava orzo pasta.
Cassava spaghetti with a topping of ground beef, onions, garlic, and Italian inspired herbs. Salad for a side.
Repeat of the pasta and salad - I made a lot.
Tonight - to be decided.
I'm doing my every-two-weeks shopping today, so I'll see how much more prices have jumped. I'm happy to be taking with me a $75 gift card from my daughter and her family, given to me for my birthday.
Grocery shopping with a gift card is delightful!
My daughter and I were just talking about Red Lobster as we drove by it the other day- I told her that I read they were going to do an all you can eat salad and biscuits option for lunch but I wasn’t sure if soup would be included. She said for her that would only be worthwhile for the biscuits…my reply was that wouldn’t be very nutritious…mom words of course!
Meals we have had recently:
Friday- takeout pizza night
Saturday- can’t remember…husband worked a closing shift so daughter and I threw something together I think
Sunday- appetizer night- we had nachos this time
Monday- garlic chicken thighs, green beans, rice, fruit
Tuesday (my birthday)- grilled flank steak, baked sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, garlic bread
Wednesday- Noodles takeout for daughter and I as husband was working a closing shift
Thursday- Copycat Chic Fil A chicken tortilla soup- made enough for lunch this weekend and a container in the freezer for a future dinner
I have been making sourdough bread frequently and creating lots of sourdough discard so I have been making sourdough discard sandwich bread, sourdough crackers, and sourdough granola. We have sourdough things aplenty!
Tonight I think we will have salad and homemade garlic knots because we are having a pizza party for my family birthday party tomorrow afternoon. Next week I am hoping to use up what we have on hand because we leave next Saturday for spring break vacation. We rented a beach house and will be making our meals while we are there- fingers crossed that we don’t end up with a bunch of extra food because we will waste it.
@Beth,
I just love the taste of sourdough bread and I think it stays fresh longer that yeast bread.
Do you have a starter of sorts that you have to "feed" if you do not bake bread for a few days?
@Beth,
Tell me more about sourdough granola, please!!! How have I never heard of this marriage between two things I love so much???
@J NL,
I can feed my starter and then put it in the refrigerator until I want to use it (then take it out and feed it before I use it) but I keep thinking I’m going to use it and then I don’t…so I keep feeding it which creates discard…there are lots of ways to use the discard though so it’s not wasteful. Pantry Mama has lots of excellent recipes and I have liked every recipe I try. Last weekend I made 4 loaves of her sourdough discard bread recipe and gave 3 away to family/friends.
@Becca,
I use this recipe and highly recommend it-https://www.pantrymama.com/sourdough-granola-with-discard-option/
Her recipe for crackers is also good-my husband loves the crackers with pistachios and dried cranberries added.
@Beth,
Thank you so much! My husband also makes sourdough bread and usually uses the discard for waffles or crumpets, but I'm going to request some granola next time. Yay! And, yes, I know he's a keeper. 😉
My boyfriend and I are obsessed with the cheddar bay biscuits at Red Lobster! 🙂
Greetings from Western Canada. I’m new here but have been a long time meal planner which was the only way to work full time, raise 4 kids with high metabolisms (only have 1 still at home now though) and stay sane. So, WIS $157.44 for groceries and $99.90 for Saturday’ fundraiser.
WWA:
Saturday - Ukraine fundraiser takeout from local civic center - cabbage rolls, perogies, borscht, smoked sausage, apple crisp
Sunday - spouse made a huge pot of chicken curry on rice, fruit topped cheesecake
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - homemade spaghetti sauce with Ikea meatballs, spaghettini
Wednesday - make your own homemade subs (salami, turkey breast, white cheese, veggies, condiments) and baked potato wedges
Thursday - creamy chicken pasta with sun dried tomatoes
Friday - heat and eat freezer meal from a local chef (similar price to, but better and easier than, drive-thru) that I keep in the freezer for when I am just too darn tired at the end of the week
Cheers
That fundraiser dinner sounds yum! I know I could never get my kids* to eat borscht though. Cabbage rolls--maybe I should them. Thanks for the idea!
*They're adults, not 3-6 years old, ha
Lisey has a friend at school who was born in Ukraine and he brings borscht for lunch sometimes. I don't think Lisey has actually tried it yet, though!
@kj, I agree -- the fundraiser dinner sounds delicious... even moreso for the good cause.
@kj,
I agree, that fund raiser sounds out of this world good. I hope it raised lots of money!
@JD,
The news reported that they raised $13,000 over two nights.
I got sooooo many beets in my CSA last summer. I pickled most of them because I love pickled beets but mental note, make borscht at least once.
@Rose,
So many kinds of borscht. I am partial to the version with chunks of veggies and lots of dill. A local chef has a great recipe for beet and cabbage borscht at sweetsugarbean.com.
My Polish-Ukrainian dad used to feed the cabbage to the dog and just eat the filling (even in his 70’s) lol.
My favorite is Chlodnik: chilled and made with buttermilk. I can consume it by the gallon!
Sunday: I made spaghetti with sauteed mushrooms and spinach, with some sweet potato thrown in (I wanted squash ravioli and we didnt have any, hence the potato lol)
Monday: Chicken, roasted zucchini, and rice.
Tuesday: I was at my parents' and my husband ate leftovers.
Wednesday: We treated my parents to takeout as we were all taking an infant cpr/first aid course together.
Thursday: My husband made pasta with tomato sauce.
Friday: Meatball experiment day! Sounds scary haha. It's not; I'm going to make a double-batch of my favourite meatball recipe and see if they can be baked instead of simmered, and then I'll freeze half and see how they endure it. I usually freeze them raw but they take an HOUR to cook that way. So we'll have meatballs (spiced kebab-style) with roasted vegetables and rice. I'll season the other half Italian-style.
What you are doing today is awesome! That is precisely how I have figured out if things will freeze/reheat/slow-cook, etc. I try it with a small amount as a test and then I know what works and what doesn't.
@Meira @ meirathebear, I freeze homemade meatballs all the time. I freeze the on a cookie sheet so they are individually frozen. I usually use them within the month and they are fine.
@Meira @ meirathebear, I don't know your recipe of course, but I frequently bake my meatballs instead of frying or simmering them. They seem just fine to me, fresh or frozen. Baking them on a rack keeps them out of the grease a little.
86 dollars spent. Kroger pickup
M- burgers. Air fryer potatoes. Slaw
T- polenta with chicken
W and Th- tortellini bake and salad
F- Frozen Freshetta pizza and salad
S- leftovers and popcorn
Have a good weekend.
I am completely stumped on what we ate (or even what we did) over the weekend
Monday: Pulled pork mac & cheese with cucumbers on the side
Tuesday: I decided we needed to make the cheeseburger quesadillas Kristen posted about the other week so we did that with the jalapeno cheddar corn casserole I found on the same site.
Wed: Chicken parm and pasta at my parents
Thursday: Leftover Jalapeno cheddar corn casserole and cheeseburger quesadilla
Fri: Leftover scarlet turnip gallette w/ other snacky type stuff I am sure
Oh the Stuffed artichoke (with ravioli?) was Saturday night. I hardly buy artichokes but they are in season now so it was my once a year artichoke purchase. We have never stuffed them before though. It was a delicious but messy pain in the butt to eat but I'll make them again...probably in another year. 🙂
I spent $123 @ Kroger and $102 @ Costco this week.
Saturday...this was the day that we moved into our new home...hooray & ouch all at the same time! We ate salads from Zaxby's for dinner because this lady knows here limits and cooking was not high on my list on moving day.
Sunday...I made a large crockpot full of red beans and we had rice, baked chicken, and a lovely green salad.
Monday...Leftovers
Tuesday.....I made a large pot of vegetable beef soup and we had some bread along with it.
Wednesday...we are in the midst of a kitchen remodel and I have a super makeshift space right now. This was the day that my kitchen sink started leaking and the final coat of paint went onto the cabinets SO we had takeout pizza. I used a coupon to get a good deal.
Thursday...roasted chicken from Costco, rice, roasted asparagus with lemon, and fresh fruit. Yum.
Friday...cleaning out the fridge.
Saturday.....we are getting a cold snap so I am planning to make a chicken casserole because aluminum baking pans have been found, casseroles are yummy when it is cold, and any homemade food is better than takeout. Another salad will go along with it.
I am hoping that the kitchen will be finished next week and more normal menus can begin. Blessings to all for a peaceful weekend ahead.
Don't forget to save your pickle juice when the jar is empty and marinate chicken in the liquid! I've been told it's what Chick-Fil-A does. It's tasty.
@PBE,
Ok, so I read through the post and all the comments twice now and I don't see any mention of pickles...I believe you that this makes a yummy chicken marinade, but now I have to know what prompted you to comment. Like maybe you were just reading along and suddenly thought "These people need to know about the pickle juice! They will totally appreciate it!" Because if that's the case, you were so right even if you did come out of no where holding an empty jar of pickles. 😉
I wondered about that too and I figure I must have missed a pickle mention somewhere!
Glad to see you are enjoying Budget Bytes recipes. She has so many that sound good that it's hard to work my way through them all.
Sunday--son and I actually ate out! Went with my young adult group to a local Mexican restaurant. I greatly enjoyed my tamales. Husband and daughter ate dinner at youth group.
Monday--husband's birthday--https://www.budgetbytes.com/slow-cooker-chicken-tikka-masala/ cooked over rice, with fresh asparagus and a side of strawberries.
Tuesday--my husband grilled ribs that I got on sale awhile back, along with grilled corn cakes and salad.
Wednesday--Italian vegetable soup with ground venison, pane veloce veloce (quick quick bread).
Thursday--egg/cheese/sausage breakfast casserole topped with cream biscuits. I added thawed frozen strawberries to make me feel better about the fruit/veggie thing.
Friday--I plan to broil hamburgers for dinner. I think it's too cold to grill today.
Sunday: Sandwiches, fruit, and veggies
Monday: Broccoli cheddar soup with buttermilk biscuits (the biscuits were a win since I didn't have time for bread and I had milk that was past it's prime... The kids loved them, too!)
Tuesday: Beef stroganoff and zucchini
Wednesday: Burrito bowls
Thursday: Ham, broccoli-cauliflower bake, and honeydew melon
Friday: Pork roast, sweet potatoes, and broccoli
My favorite way to use up leftover hamburger buns is an old recipe of my mom's that we call open face tuna sandwiches. They come together super fast and use ingredients most people will have in their pantries all the time, so extra bonus! I'll include the recipe below if anyone is interested.
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2018/07/27/secret-family-recipe-open-faced-tuna-sandwiches-a-quick-meal-from-the-pantry/
Also...I've never been to Red Lobster, and I'm now 35. That seems crazy to me!
@Torrie @ To Love and To Learn,
I haven't been to Red Lobster in about 14 or 15 years. Somehow I received a $25 gift card, and it cost that much for DS and I to eat a light lunch there.
Saturday: Takeout.
Sunday: Macaroni & Cheese and fruit salad.
Monday: I tried a new recipe for Indian Butter Chickpeas. It took a lot longer than I expected, and it was disgusting. Neither one of us could stand to eat much of it. So we got shamrock shakes from McDonald's. Note to self: Don't try out new recipes from a blogger whose recipes you've never tried during the week.
Tuesday: Taco casserole.
Wednesday: Roasted vegetable soup (delicious!) and panini on sourdough bread (made in the bread machine). Also delicious!
Thursday: We both worked late, so hubby picked up fast food for us on the way home.
Tonight: I have no idea! There's supposed to be a 32 degree drop between our high temperature today and our high temperature tomorrow, with today's sunshine being replaced by snow tomorrow. I'm torn between making some kind of soup since tomorrow will be so cold, or possibly grilling out this evening since it's so nice out. Or I could take the middle route and make something like spaghetti that's not so weather/season specific.
I am always so reluctant to share WIS, because compared to others here, it seems like a lot. We only eat at home, never eat out, and there are some special-diet items we need to purchase that are more expensive than others.
That said: My weekly total was 317 at Kroger. It would have been 436, but we had reward points that took care of a whole trip. I go three times a week. If I did a whole week's shopping at once it would fill two carts---we have four boys, three of whom are teenagers/adults.
What we ate: Sloppy Joes, Chicken and Rice Casserole, Chicken Stew, Tuna burgers (fried rice on the side, made in the crockpot), and tonight lentil soup and fries. Weekends are always homemade pizzas on Saturday and fend-for-yourself-leftovers on Sunday.
@Karen,
Don't be ashamed! My spending is astronomical! It's not just you.
@Karen,
I agree with Becca!
My WIS is alway high when both my boys are home, (20 and almost 18) as well as my husband. They eat soooo much food and you shouldn’t feel embarrassed about spending so much. I can’t imagine having 4 boys eating that much, I’d need a larder extension and another fridge!!
@Joanne in the U.K., we do have two extra fridges in the garage! One holds surplus food and the other is drinks.
@Joanne in the U.K.,
Children are like locusts when it comes to food, especially boys!
@Karen, Lol, we all understand when you have kids. When my kids would bring 1 friend over for lunch we would (just them) use 2 cans tomato soup, 1.5 loaves of bread, half gallon of milk and a whole package of cheese for sandwiches. It's expensive!
Monday- Italian wedding soup w/ brown rice instead of orzo
Tuesday- Borscht. Everyone loved it!
Wednesday- leftover soups or hot dogs w cucumbers and carrots for those who were tired of soup
Thursday- pork tenderloin, broccoli, Budget bytes kale w mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes, instant pot savory steel cut oats (which I call fancy rice for my kids)
Tonight- hot dogs or rock salt chicken.
I think it would be interesting, just one week, to see your planned menu versus your actually eaten menu. Thanks!
That's an interesting idea! I will try to implement it soon.
WIS:
Aldi: 191.20
Hungry Harvest: 28.15
Local Health Food Store: 190.95
Total* (closes eyes): 410.30 (exhales)
WWA:
Sat: salad, miso soup (with tofu and rice noodles), scrambled eggs and brussel sprouts
Sun: salad, sweet and spicy kale, lemon grilled asparagus, fish sticks, and chocolate focaccia topped with Nutella, berries and cream cheese.
Mon: salad, cubed watermelon, naan pizza (made with Aldi garlic naan, pepperoni and shredded mozzarella cheese)
Tue: salad, pork and collards made in crock pot, and fried polenta rounds
Wed: salad, veggie burgers with sauteed onions/peppers/mushrooms and cheese on buns from Aldi.
Thu: salad, maple salmon, rice, and teeny tiny egg rolls made with sausage, collards, carrots and parsnips. There are lots of egg rolls left and the kids had fun making them!
Fri: salad and foccacia (tomatoes, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese slices and shredded parmesan cheese)
*It's a lot, I know. However, if I take out the health food store, it's 219.35, which is much closer to my regular amount. The health food expenditures are hopefully things that will last a long time, and our whole family walked there together, so in a way, it doubled as a family outing. We are not quite ready for the regularly scheduled entertainment yet, so we are not spending money on movies or museums or other such things at the moment.
@Becca, your meals all sound amazing!
@Karen,
I give ALL credit to my amazing husband. I shop and make the salads. He does all the cooking!
WIS - $46 at Food Lion
Friday - tonight - summer sausage, various cheeses, nuts, pickles, and fruit
Thursday - bunless burgers over mixed greens with sauteed onions, jalapenos, homemade kimchi, and other various toppings with air fryer tater tots
Wednesday - homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese with side of fresh veggies
Tuesday - Sandwiches with potato chips, pickles, and apples
Monday - takeout from a local deli
Sunday - late lunch out at a local fish and chips place with my daughter and son-in-law
Saturday - grilled kielbasa and asparagus with mashed potatoes
I love that you post your menu as a retrospective. I have begun doing the same thing on my fridge to help my family eat up all the leftovers. No more guessing how old something is!
@Kat,
That's a great idea!
Monday - pasta & salad (Monday is pretty much always pasta night in our house)
Tuesday - baked sweet potatoes & pineapple
Wednesday - spinach tortellini soup
Thursday - takeout from a great local taco place (for the record, not Tex-Mex)
Friday - broccoli stromboli; we also celebrated Pi Day early, so Magical Chocolate Pie & Peanut Butter Pie
We had lots of soup. Pea and ham and lamb and barley. Eaten more than once.
Lasagne
Beef burgers
I normally have a lot of leftover hamburger and hot dog buns from company in the summertime. I found some in my freezer the other day and had to bring a breakfast item to work, so I made a giant frittata and used them up. I soaked them a whole day before baking and it was delicious. My new favorite way to use up old buns.
Friday - we were out of town to pick up our new puppy the following morning, so we ate out at a local Mexican place.
Saturday - chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce with rice - one of my childhood faves that I recently introduced my kids to.
Sunday - chicken legs, baguettes, salad
Monday - chicken tortilla soup
Tuesday - Chinese takeout so I didn’t have to cook on my bday
Wednesday - crepes and breakfast sausage with the kids while I read them books (husband was late getting home due to weather traffic)
Thursday - turkey tacos with the kids while my husband was at a work dinner
Friday - husband and I had a fancy date for my birthday and went to a nice New American restaurant, and it was fantastic!
A lot more eating out than usual, but man that’s fun sometimes.
I only spent $50 on food and household supplies last week. Unfortunately I didn't notice the ground beef had a sell by date of only a day after I bought it and by the time I went to use it later in the week it had gone bad. So that was a waste. Sigh.
I have been trying to do a pantry/freezer clean out a la Kristen by picking out a few things to use up each week. This week I used 2 chicken breasts, pizza dough and homemade pizza sauce, some frozen berries and a ramen bowl from the freezer and a slightly expired can of soup and some cowboy beans from the pantry.
Saturday - homemade pizza and salad
Sunday - I tried Kristen's chicken and biscuits recipe with steamed asparagus on the side.
Monday & Tues - leftovers
Wednesday - ramen bowl and fruit smoothie
Thursday- chicken tacos with cowboy beans
Friday - a friend came over to hang out and we ate takeout from panda express.
I think dh spent about $154 on groceries last week.
What we ate:
Sunday: cheeseburgers from the grill and tater tots
Monday: spaghetti with meat sauce
Tuesday: salmon with mashed potatoes
Wednesday: Egg souffle a casserole with egg, bread, sausage and chedder cheese
Thursday: Baked chicken with rice.
Friday: Daughter works a split shift so she makes herself dinner. Hubs and I had leftover egg souffle.
Saturday: Ditto for daughter with split shift. Hubs had a salad and I had the last bit of egg souffle.
I had gastric sleeve surgery in December so I don't eat much. I did have a protein shake for dinner one night.
Grilled chicken, baked beans, sautéed vegggies, salad.
Fried pork chops, white gravy, steamed carrots, broccoli, cabbage.
Beef stew with soda bread
Chicken Waldorf salad over lettuce
Breakfast for dinner: bacon, eggs, fried potatoes, fruit.
Breakfast burritos and apple slices
Cauliflower cheese soup and soda bread