WIS, WWA | with a visit to see Lisey
Well. These menu posts are going to feel a little easier for me now that you all know what's going on in my life.
As you may imagine, I am not doing a whole lot of cooking or grocery shopping these days; I do trade off some cooking duties with my parents, and I do some grocery shopping, but it's not like it was when I was at my own house.
I feel slightly silly even still doing these posts, but hopefully soon I will be able to find somewhere to rent, and then I will settle into a new normal of cooking and shopping.
And in the meantime, you can get a peek into eating at my parents' house. 😉
What I Spent
I spent $15 at Trader Joe's, $7 at Mezeh, and $20 at Chick-Fil-A.
What We Ate
Saturday
I made pizza, but unfortunately, I did not have my King Arthur bread flour. So, the resulting pizza was all right, but not quite up to my standards.
I got some bread flour this week, though, so we will have a follow-up pizza night soon. 😉
Here's the pizza recipe I use.
Sunday
My parents and Sonia and Zoe and I drove up to visit Lisey for her birthday.
My aunt made a dish called fleishkuechle. (it's was a popular dish among the Mennonite people in South Dakota, which is where my dad's side of the family is from.)
I'd never had this meal before, and I'd say these little meat pies are a bit similar to an empanada; basically a deep-fried meat pie.
Monday
My mom cooked; we had quesadilla burgers, roasted cauliflower, and some fruit.
Tuesday
I got a bowl at Mezeh and studied while the girls were at their class. Afterward, I took them to Chick-Fil-A.
Wednesday
My mom finally got to make Brussels sprouts tacos for me (our previous plans to do this had gotten derailed).
Basically, you shred Brussels sprouts, saute them with taco seasoning, and eat them in tortillas with pickled onions, chimichurri sauce, and corn.
My verdict? These are much tastier than I imagined they would be, particularly because of the chimichurri sauce. It doesn't really taste like you are eating Brussels sprouts.
Thursday
Leftovers, plus a green salad.
Friday
I have not consulted with my mom yet to see what we are doing for dinner tonight! So...I don't know. 😉
What did you have for dinner this week?
P.S. Just so you know, I have read every single one of the kind comments you all have left for me, both on my blog and on my social media accounts. I can't respond to them all, but please know that I have read and appreciate every single one. <3
And, of course, every meal has a big salad, right? 🙂
The Brussels sprouts tacos reminded me of when I used to make taco filling with zuchinni in the summer, and I concluded that pretty much anything makes a good taco with the appropriate spices and toppings.
Anyway. No tacos at our house this week . . .
Saturday: Our once-a-month Saturday Mass meant that we didn't get home until after 5 p.m. So I made a can of condensed clam chowder and one of condensed lobster chowder, plus leftover barbecue beef, bread and butter, and some dates for dessert.
Sunday: Baked ham, leftover rice, sauteed yellow squash/tomatoes/onion, coleslaw, chocolate chip cookies
Monday: A skillet meal made by frying diced leftover ham in a LOT of butter with leftover rice and frozen green peas, plus leftover coleslaw and canned pineapple
Tuesday: Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, pureed calabaza, caramelized cabbage, raw broccoli
Wednesday: Leftover meatloaf, potatoes, and calabaza, plus bread and butter and still-frozen peas
Thursday: Breakfast sausage patties, fried eggs, black-eyed peas (from New Year's that I had frozen), rice, cucumber spears, yet more calabaza
Friday: Cod, spaghetti with the pizza sauce left from last week and probably a bit of cream and Parmesan added, peppers and onions because I have a bell pepper that needs to be used, more of the calabaza, leftover cabbage . . . and something for the children who will eat none of those vegetable options. Maybe carrot sticks.
@kristin @ going country, Bring back the elk, bull and fun protein; calabaza just ain't the same! 😉
@Bobi, It might be fun to read about, but those sorts of proteins are definitely not so much fun to prepare in an appetizing manner. Ground beef is way easier 🙂
@kristin @ going country, I agree with Bobi that you need to think of your fan base. We softies who rely mainly on supermarkets get vicarious thrills from reading about the elk, bull, ram, etc. Same goes for Lindsey and her moose, salmon, etc.
@A. Marie, I wonder if Kristen has any readers who live in France, where horse meat is sometimes on the menu. At least it was when I was a kid and visiting there, and only after eating it three times did I think to ask exactly WHAT I was eating.
In case anyone's wondering, horse meat is rather delicious. I remember it being very tender and not really tasting like chicken or anything else--kind of a combination of different meats I'd had. Once I knew what it was, though, my horse-loving 11-year-old self wouldn't touch it again!
Yes! I've eaten horse many times in Slovenia -- the best was horse carpaccio!
@A. Marie, Well, the beef came from a cow that lived in the pasture next to my house two summers ago. The calabaza was grown in my garden, and the eggs were from our chickens.
But I guess since calabaza and eggs don't require three hours of butchering, and the cow went straight from pasture to processor so I could just put wrapped meat in my freezer, it's not as exciting, right? Much more relaxing for me, though. 🙂
Just a sidenote to say - it's fun to see that peacoats run in your family!
It's also nice that your mom and aunt are good, inventive cooks like you; it's fun to see their meals too. (The brussel sprout tacos DO sound better than I imagined!)
Are the lights at Mezeh made of old telegraph line insulators? or supposed to look like them?
@Rose, I had the same thought. And there are a bunch of old insulators at our local estate resale shop, and what with that rabbit hole thought train, I think that would be so fun to do.
Completely agree.
I did drive past one guy in upstate New York once who obviously collected them--he had them all over his fence, plus a small sized telegraph pole in the front yard covered them. I like collectors and eccentricity.
@Rose, we have a fine tradition here in Upstate (I mean real Upstate here, not just anything north of the Bronx) of collecting/reusing those fine funky old insulators. They're getting harder to find now, for multiple reasons.
@A. Marie, LOLing for real at "north of the Bronx." That's literally how I grew up. Very provincial. If it wasn't New York City, did it even exist?
@Rose, I have a number of friends in the JASNA NY Metro region who have this same problem--as I have been gently teasing them for about the last decade. My JASNA BFF on the Upper West Side confesses that before she and I were assigned as roomies on the JASNA 2009 tour of England, her concept of NY State geography north of Westchester was extremely hazy.
OK....this has absolutely NOTHING to do with what I ate this week, but since you're coming clean about some things in your life......it's time for full disclosure. I think your uncle has to be one of the most handsome men I have ever seen. Each time you post that picture of him with you sitting on his lap it just makes me smile. (Like in a Paul Newman makes me swoon kinda way). And he has only gotten better looking with age. So I updated my husband on my crushes and told him it's now Paul Newman and The Frugal Girl's uncle. That made him laugh:) Have a great weekend Kristen!
When I lived in the same town as Paul Newman in Connecticut, I would run into him now and then. He was even better looking in real life.
In fact, my sister and I sat in front of him at the theater seeing "The Silence of the Lambs" and I had a headache and wanted to go home in the middle of the movie. My sister hissed at me "I am not walking out on this movie in front of Paul Newman."
@Rose, That must have been so much fun seeing him in person. He is the only "famous" person that would have had me star struck. I'm not really fazed by or into celebrities, but that man looked like God carved him outta cream cheese! What a nice story; thanks for sharing.
p.s. Elvis mighta made me stop and take a second look too:)
Vicki, you crack me up! You are not alone, though; multiple readers on Facebook and Instagram said the same type of thing when I posted that photo. I love it too, mainly because I am so small in that photo and I look very safe in my big uncle's lap. It's a comforting image to me.
Months ago, I told my aunt that one of my followers said my uncle looks like a movie star, and she said, "Well, after all these years he is still my movie star." and I love that she feels that way.
@Vicki Skonieczny, Living in the Hamptons, celebs are a dime a dozen around here, though when I worked/lived in NYC, same. And basically, yeah, Newman was the only one man who had me star struck. (Well, a little bit Bill Clinton too, when he came to pick up his granddaughter. My daughter was her counselor at pony camp.)
@Kristen, That is so nice to hear your aunt say. After 31 years, my hubs is still my BFF:) Your parents and aunt and uncle look like the sweetest people in that picture.
@Vicki Skonieczny, Your story reminded me of the time soon after I had moved to one of the very small (as in 175 people) village in northern Alaska. I knew it was small but having lived in Fairbanks for decades, I had forgotten about small town relationships. I was sitting with a woman I worked with and this absolutely gorgeous hunk of a man walked into the meeting. She asked me why I was staring at him and I thoughtlessly replied, "He looks like some Greek god, if Greek gods were Alaska Natives. If I were single, I would so put the munch on him." She laughed and said, "Wow. I'll be sure to let him know. He is my uncle."
@Lindsey, Love it...one of those moments you never live down or forget:)
My dad worked for the telephone company for many years before he passed away in the early 1980s, and he was always bringing home those glass line insulators that the restaurant has turned into lights. They were heavy enough to make pretty good bookends for light paperbacks.
WIS: My grocery total this week was $98, which is $2 under the new budget of $100. DH had requested homemade hamburgers for his belated birthday dinner and I had to wait until we could find some good ground beef on manager's markdown. So our expense included just under $12 for ground beef and $3.97 for an eight-pack of potato buns.
WWA: The aforementioned ground beef made six hearty burgers. I made an accidentally fabulous burger garnish of some diced leftover grape tomatoes and sweet onion (much nicer than a slab of cold tomato and onion on a hot burger) and sliced up some kosher dills we had in the fridge to serve as burger chips. We cooked some fries in the air fryer. The fries had been in the freezer since January, when Food Lion had a buy one, get one free coupon on store brand fries. We had homemade chocolate pudding for dessert. Our son at the leftover burger the next day and the remaining potato bun made the world's best cheese sandwich with the leftover tomato garnish.
After such a meaty meal, my husband ate lightly all week, having meals of fresh produce, a little cheese and nuts. I took homemade chicken casserole and tangerines for my work lunches, along with a jug of homemade iced tea.
I spent $56 @ Kroger, $83 @ Publix and $206 @ Costco. The Costco trip included several items of clothing so only about $75 went to food costs.
Saturday.....I unpacked my entire kitchen and pantry. I know for some this may be a small task but for me it amounted to unloading 50+ boxes, breaking them down, organizing the pantry and cabinets after having cleaned everything in the kitchen to remove drywall dust. After this task I was extremely exhausted so the hubby brought home ChickfilA. I didn't even eat just took a hot shower and some Tylenol and got into bed.
Sunday.....In the spirit of Sunday family dinner I made homemade Bolognese with beef. pork, pancetta, & chicken liver over tagliatelle pasta. We ate this with some bread and butter, parmesan and basil and it was very yummy.
Monday....Leftovers
Tuesday.....Baked flounder with lemon & thyme, roasted baby potatoes, cucumber & tomatoes with vinaigrette and sauteed spinach with garlic & onion. This family has been missing veggies so much!!
Wednesday....Herb Baked chicken, jasmine rice, & green beans.
Thursday....Leftover herb chicken with some beef kielbasa, leftover rice & green beans.
Friday....I have absolutely no idea. Maybe takeout pizza or clean out the fridge night.
Happy Weekend everyone!
Since we're talking food today (and this is intended to be humorous and add some levity, not meant at all in a nasty or snide way, before someone misunderstands), have you warned your parents to brush up their skills at decorating cookies with eyes? (Honestly, that's one of my favorite posts of the year!)
Ohhh, haha, yes. This does put a bit of a wrinkle into our usual cookie-guessing game shenanigans. I'm sure we can come up with some kind of work-around, depending on who is available for cookie-decorating in December!
@Kristen,
But tell your mom that if there is a cookie with carrot frond hair, it will be a dead giveaway!
You look like both of your parents, but particularly your mom!
We had the following this week, & went for a slightly different approach with a meal delivery service. I continue to like the flavors, but dislike the waste (& cost), so it will be a rare thing. I'm trying to get ready to return to the office, after two glorious years of working remotely.
-Grilled chicken & rice (x2)
-Grilled poblano peppers/onion bowls, with spicy turkey, rice & tomato salsa crema x2
-Chicken yakisoba (x2), although I don't recommend this as leftovers, as everything gets pretty soggy
-Salmon
As for tonight, I'm making Italian chicken sandwiches with roasted potatoes.
I was in Miami with my sister and neice. We hold fast and true to only one meal out a day on vacay.
Monday: went out for lunch ( cheaper) are cereal and milk and fruit for supper in condo
Tuesday: I made noodles with a jar of rAgu for lunch at condo had fish tacos out for dinner
Wednesday: out for brunch picked up a frozen pizza to eat in the condo for late dinner
Thursday: scrambled eggs and toast in condo for breakfast. TRAVEL DAY
Brought empty refillable water bottle and some Lara bars for snacks. ONLY SPENT 12.25 inside airports in a seven hour travel day. Got a burger and chips.
Friday: home again we are having air fryer fish tacos ( lent)
Sat: chicken stir fry with ramen noodles
Have a nice weekend! Stay strong Kristen…,
@Stephanie,
Sorry you came back to such cold weather!!
@Ruth T, meanwhile, we have gone to the UP for spring break and there is a significant amount of snow here! Crazy, I know, but we're visiting our son at college. Someday spring will arrive in Michigan ...
@Ruth T, very cold. WAH!
WWS: $51 Market Basket, $5 Stop & Shop, $ 7 Shop Rite, $46 Armenian market.
WWA:
Sat: an expensive and disappointing dinner out (this seems to happen more frequently these days, sadly).
Sun: veal meatball piccata, parmesan polenta, roasted broccoli
Mon: homemade pizza (I top mine with scape pesto, mozz, pepperoni, broccoli & red peppers)
Tues: I did a mystery shop at a burger joint on my long commute home, partner made himself Thai tofu red curry over rice
Wed: Homemade fettuccine with bolognese sauce, cabbage salad
Thur: chicken and bean pozole, topped with shredded cabbage, radish, feta & cilantro
Fri: leftovers
:
@BettafrmdaVille, Scape pesto! So good. Did you freeze it from last year? My husband the garlic farmer (well, sort of farmer; he plants hundreds of plants, anyway) is reluctant to let me have the scapes now because he lets them grow out and make the seeds, which he sells. He is going to let me have a whole row of plants for green garlic in just a couple of weeks though, to clear out a spot for his calabaza plantation (he sells those seeds, too, so his business is working out for me this time), so then I can make green garlic and lamb's quarter pesto, which is also delicious. No basil, because wrong time of year, but plenty of garlic punch.
I am going to have to try the Brussels sprout tacos! We love them but it has never occurred to me to use them this way. Sounds like your mum is a creative cook!
Pretty simple meals this week at our house, I have a slight cold and it is spring break so we are out of routine....
Monday was Asian noodle bowls, spicy and gingery
Tuesday was veggie wraps for me, son made eggs and hash browns
Wednesday was veggie lentil soup
Thursday was a sandwich, my youngest was out with his girlfriend
Tonight we are picking up sushi.
Reviewing this, I sure did not spend any time cooking!
I used a $100 gift card and spent so little for groceries last week, and I spent a $75 gift card two weeks before on groceries. This is the cheapest month ever for groceries, but getting two big gift cards in a month won't likely happen again.
What I ate:
Steak, for the first time in quite a while, with roasted fresh asparagus and... um... something.
Homemade fresh sausage with leftover asparagus, applesauce.
Left over roast beef from the container of it given to me, biscuits, peas and carrots.
Sloppy Joe made with Nomato sauce, sweet potato salad, sliced cucumbers.
Tuna salad including chopped veggies, and fruit on the side.
Cassava pasta, turkey meatballs, leftover vegetables and Nomato sauce.
Uncured Polish sausage, cauliflower mash, applesauce.
Tonight, I don't know yet.
Thanks for sharing a pic of the Brussels sprouts tacos! They sound truly bizarre to me BUT I can kinda see how maybe they might be sorta good. I love me some chimichurri, in particular! Anyway, I have a lot of vegetarian and vegan friends and collect recipes that I might want to make sometime when they are visiting - so this is definitely going on the list!
Yes, that's the most useful thing about this recipe, I think: it allows you to feed vegan friends. I personally would probably not eat these on the regular, in place of tacos, as I am always trying to make sure I'm getting protein into my diet. But for serving vegan friends and family, these would work great!
My mom has those same plates! They feel like home since we've had them pretty much my whole life - I can't remember not having them. I had put a plate set on our registry but after maybe 8 years, swapped them out for a basic white Corelle set and haven't looked back - they're going strong for 10 years now and if they're built like my mom's set, I'll have them for another 40 (if I don't break them).
Those lights in your picture are either actual or made to look like insulators from the tops of old telephone poles. They use a different design now.
Food was one big cooking day and mostly leftovers since.
Sunday: Cooked a ham. My father and brother had dinner with us so we sent some of the leftovers home with them. We also cooked scalloped potatoes and various vegetables.
Monday: Repeat of Monday.
Tuesday: Quiche with leftover ham in it.
Wednesday: Wife was sick and we were all over ham by this point and I had some errands to run so I took my daughter out for a Daddy Daughter afternoon. We ended up at Pizza Hut.
Thursday: Leftovers of pizza night + other stuff.
Friday: I'm not really sure. I'm thinking we will make either a breakfast for dinner thing or something simple as my wife is still not 100%.
Sorry this comment doesn't belong here but I am not tech savvy and I wanted to share this with you.
I read Mrs. Frugalwoods for her reader case studies and this month is about 2 nurses. Please read the comments it is a wealth of information about the nursing industry.
Thank you! I will check it out.
Brussel sprout tacos? Moms still making sure you get your veggies lol
Haha yes! My parents are taking good care of me in many ways. 🙂
I have read your blog for over a decade. I'm glad you are doing as well as you can be through this hard time. My thoughts are with you that you are able to find a path leading to joy going forward.
I'd try the brussels sprouts tacos but I feel like I'd need some protein. Maybe add some cheese? Who knows.
Sunday was the Oscars. We hosted and did a pasta bar...ate leftovers until last night. Good for not cooking much during week but man it was a lot of pasta (not complaining though as I could eat pasta everyday regularly).
Saturday-Take out Pho bowls (processing 30lbs of potatoes makes takeout an easier choice)
Sunday-Pasta bar-4 kinds of pasta, meatballs in marinara, alfredo sauce, pesto sauce (a friend made), grilled chicken, shrimp, sauteed zucchini/orange & yellow peppers, blanched broccoli & asparagus, bacon, parmesan, a large salad, and homemade garlic/cheese breadsticks
Monday-Spaghetti w/ alfredo sauce, broccoli, asparagus, chicken, and bacon
Tuesday-Meatball subs
Wednesday-Pasta w/ meatballs & side salad
Thursday-Shrimp carbonara & zucchini
Friday-Salmon burgers were delivered this morning from the fish delivery so going to grab some pretzel buns and maybe make some oven fries.
@Jaime,
What about brussel sprouts and black bean tacos? Or any type of bean, really, but black beans are so good in texmex food. Anyway, then it would have protein but could still be vegan if necessary.
Sorry to hear about what you're going through. When you come to mind, I'll pray for you.
On another note, I want to try Brussel sprout tacos. Do you think it'd work with Cabbage instead? Cabbage is easy to get in West Africa where I am most of the time.
@Katy in Africa,
Ooh, try it and report back! Cabbage is usually so cheap, you wouldn't be out much if it wasn't good. I'm always looking for more ways to use cabbage from my farm shares!
OK, I'll try to play this week. For WIS, I only spent about $10 at Price Chopper and $11 at Wegmans. I'm still trying to use up freezer/fridge contents, plus I made a soup on Monday that refused to die till lunchtime today--even after I gave a generously filled container on Monday to the Bestest Neighbors. (I'm still working on the problem of cooking for one. Suggestions from other readers who live alone are encouraged.)
For WWA (or, strictly speaking, WIA), I had at least one serving of that soup for 5 days running. I also made two BLTs with the marked-down package of bacon I found at Price Chopper on Saturday (see this week's FFT), plus the remnants of a bag of salad greens and a container of grape tomatoes. (Unusually for me, I didn't end up composting at least some of the greens.) Other details escape me, but you get the idea.
And, Kristen, best regards to your parents, aunt, and uncle--who all appear to be about my age!
It is good to have it off your chest!
Brussels sprouts are so healthy! We ate them a lot this winter so my husband is underwhelmed if I cook them now. It is good to have some new ways of preparing them.
This week I have experimented A Lot with my new slowcooker and I love it. I made red cabbage, applesauce, broth, brisket, chili, and abondigas so the crock pot has been used pretty much every day. I love it. You have the best sauce and gravy ever. I do struggle a bit to get the meat sufficiently seasoned - I probably use to much liquids and the taste.is absorbed by that. Trial and error I say - and since all experiments were welcomed with eager curiosity I will continue on this road.
On what I spent: prices are definitely up. For a few weeks in a row I've been frowning at my greengrocer's bill, and we generally eat seasonal veg and not so much glasshouse veg.
I look forward to trying a few vegetarian crock pot dishes as well, to see how the veg holds up in a slowcooker!
I came in $10 over budget for March, but once I remembered that I bought all of my canning lids for the year, I felt zero disappointment about that. (I never know what budget category to put canning supplies in and this year I put it in grocery.) We're about to have a temporary increase in income and my grocery budget will go from $400/month to $500/month! I'm hoping to be strategic about it and stock my freezer and pantry, not change my spending habits.
Saturday: BBQ chicken legs, asparagus, leftover macaroni and cheese
Sunday: We celebrated my husband's birthday with my family. I didn't bring anything, just helped my mom make the food once we got there. We had cheeseburgers and a couple of years ago we got my dad a patty maker where you can make stuffed burgers, so we stuffed ours and my brother's with pepperjack cheese. So Good! I'm pretty sure they only use the stuffed burger maker when we're there and get it out. Ha! But it was an amazing burger.
Monday: Turkey (super cheap from Thanksgiving), green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy
Tuesday: Turkey broccoli alfredo
Wednesday: Turkey quesadillas and pineapple
Thursday: Jambalaya and blueberries
Friday: Fajitas (using the last of the turkey) and chips and salsa
I have to say - those tacos look really good and I may have to try that! Always looking for ways to get more veggies in. I'm sure I've had chimichurri sauce. Sometimes the sauce makes allll the difference! This week for me:
Monday - Jalapeno Sausage and Beans, coleslaw, spicy pickle mix* {leftover food from the memorial}
Tuesday - Chinese Lettuce Wrap filling over brown rice
Wednesday - Wine Wednesday with The Girl {we had delish chicken, homemade mac and cheese, and a veg, but I forget which exactly}
Thursday - Brisket, side of spinach Florentine pasta
Tonight - Coconut Shrimp, baked sweet potato, side salad
Saturday - Italian Parmesan Chicken, broccoli
Sunday - Salmon with garlic butter and a grilled veggie on my hibachi, roll
I'm on call this weekend, so since I will stay close to home, I may as well cook. Plus, last week was super spendy - may as well eat what I already own. Happy Weekend!
https://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/
WIS: hungry harvest: 30.40 online purchase of pepperoni and tea: 58.75 total: 89.35 (Skipped Aldi this week, so hoping next week won't be crazy high to make up for it. Going on the theory that I spend more if I'm there.)
WWA:
Sat: salad, rice, and sweet and spicy stir fry with tofu and green beans.
Sun: steamed broccolini, applesauce and breakfast casserole (eggs, cheese, potatoes, asparagus, onions and tomatoes).
Mon: salad, airfried slices of leftover breakfast casserole and air fried crumpets (made with sourdough discard) both dipped in ketchup because my children will eat anything if I give them ketchup with it.
Tue: sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and avocados, rice and broccoli Rangoon (basically broccoli, cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese wrapped in wonton wrappers and air fried. They were very tasty!)
Wed: salad, brussel sprouts (the lazy way!), Veggie burgers with sauteed peppers and onions and sliced tomatoes.
Thu: sauteed sweet and spicy kale and garlic, chicken, lentils and rice pilaf.
Tonight: salad and focaccia (what else? And teff flour made the dough delightfully bubbly and gave it an extra umami flavor. Definitely a win!)
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Oh, and forgot to comment that I see Lisey has followed in your nose ring-wearing footsteps! 😉
This was a slightly busier week, with classes starting back up for some of the family, and others on spring break. But because I wasn't doing lessons with the homeschooled spring breakers, I was on dinner duty more than usual, which was fine with me.
Monday was burgers and fries, not cooked by me.
Tuesday was Crockpot Chicken Stew--more soup, really, because I boil regular and gluten free pasta on the side, and those who want pasta (or leftover cooked rice, in my case) add it to their soup if they want it, to the proportions they want it. Actually a very easy meal.
Wednesday was tuna burgers and fried rice, the latter of which I make in the crockpot. This is my youngest kid's favorite meal of all time, so I usually have him help me make it; I'm not going to open 12 cans on tuna on my own! He also seasons the rice for me.
Thursday was lentil soup (again in the crockpot), and I served cheese cubes and tortilla chips and raw veggies on the side, and roasted tofu for those who don't like cheese. I can make a meal out of just lentil soup, but not four hungry boys and my husband! I also had some burger patties that I cooked to add more heft to the meal. Youngest had leftover tuna burgers and fried rice.
Tonight is fish and chips--just salmon and tilapia baked in the oven, with fries on the side. I will probably cook some frozen veggies, too.
I told my husband about your Brussels sprouts tacos and he said, "I think you should wait and try these on your next husband."
Sat/Sunday---Spaghetti and meatballs with shredded zucchini hidden in the sauce.
Monday---hot bacon/honey dressing on a spinach and shrimp salad for him but I had homemade ranch dressing since bacon is far down on my list of things I like to eat.
Tuesday---baked halibut, salad and baked potatoes.
Wednesday---cheesy scrambled eggs and homemade English muffins.
Thursday ---salmon, hasselback potatoes, fruit salad
Today--- Filet o' Fish for me, bean burritos for him (I detest beans MUCH more than I dislike bacon. I can barely stomach the smell of them; being in the same room while he is eating them is an act of love. Really, it is difficult to describe how off-putting I find them.
Kristen,
As long as you eat and cook I think you should do these posts. I personally enjoy seeing what you and others are cooking--it reminds me of recipes I meant to try or things I haven't cooked in awhile or a cookbook to get from the library.
I won't try the brussell sprout tacos but the sauce seems interesting.
It was very brave of you to share the challenges of your current life situation. Please know that you are a wonderful person with such grace. Like everyone else we will be keeping you and your family in our thoughts and prayers.
Love all the family photos this week. You have extraordinary children!
My daughter is vegetarian, and she often makes tacos with walnuts and Chipotles. The texture is very “meaty,” and they are so spicy.
It’s been a busy week, so I’m off kilter. I’ve eaten heavily,, and I’m feeling it. I spent $180, but that included two meals out.
Saturday and Sunday - I just can’t remember
Monday - Roast pork, black beans, street corn and sliced tomatoes
Tuesday - it was my DIL’s birthday. We ate at the Japanese Steak House. The made a special GF meal for me.
Wednesday - Leftovers from Tuesday
Thursday - hamburgers ( mine bunless), oven fries, and carrots
Friday - it’s been a very long day. Takeout from a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with delicious food: grilled mahi-mahi with coconut mango rice. There are CNN leftovers!
Happy weekend all!
@Bee,
Ok, walnut and chipotle tacos? I need to see this recipe!
I think you'll find ways to make your Friday posts work for where you are! You could talk about meal planning with your mom, the gift cards and coupons you've been redeeming for take out, etc.
I'm loving everyone's comments this week!
Tonight we made fish / popcorn shrimp tacos with rice and beans.
Thursday we had...grilled salmon, roasted potatoes and salad. This is a weekly staple.
Wednesday we had leftover sesame pork and egg rolls and salad
Tuesday we made a pizza and salad
Monday we had sesame pork and egg rolls plus salad.
Also: Sam's has been having great strawberries lately and I've been on a breakfast smoothie kick!
I tried to make chimichurri a week or two ago, and it failed miserably haha. Does anyone have a tried and true chimichurri recipe they want to share?
Don't feel silly AT ALL for continuing the WIS, WWA. In fact, please DO continue! I still find it very interesting to see what meals are being made and how much you are spending on groceries even if life changes are making the numbers look different, or even if the meals are now being shared with your family support network! With you and the girls all having rigid school schedules, you likely would be making some changes anyway and it's interesting to see how others adjust when there is a change in life! We all have changes to adjust to at some point so real life is what I (we all, I assume!) like to see!
As usual there is a lot of making our meals using what is needing to be used. A big pot of soup was made and eaten for several nights, chicken and noodles and salmon and something. Not very inspired this week.
Went to a birthday party for my niece and nephew so we had hot dogs, chips, and cake.
Veggie & bean chili with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.
Nachos with the rest of the beans and tortilla chips and cheese and sour cream and salsa and guacamole.
Blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fruit
Chil Fil A, it was fundraiser night there for our school
Taco salads with meat from a Costco rotisserie chicken
Tonight we are going to have pesto chicken pizza with more Costco rotisserie chicken
I love rotisserie chickens so much. So easy and an awesome deal and you can practically eat for a whole week with one chicken.
Just wanted to add that I hope you continue these posts too, and if your mom and dad are willing, it might be nice to hear what they've spent as well. I'm sure you have readers living in multigenerational households who would find that info useful.
Fleishkuechle... yum! That, knoephla, and kuchen... they're the trifecta of Germans from Russia recipes. I used to make some delicious knoephla, but my gluten-free knoephla is still terrible.
@Nikki, I kept scrolling down, expecting fleishkuechle comments, but yours is the only one?! How can that be? Yes, to the GFR trifecta. Other ones my Oma made were onion strudel and kase knepf (no clue on correct spelling for any of these comfort foods).
Growing up we called fleishkuechle chiperick, and I hated it. Last year I made it for my kids for the first time; as I was making it, I wondered why I didn’t like it. Now I like it; I figured out that I just hated the potato soup my mother made.
Please don’t feel silly writing these posts, I find all of your posts interesting and you are sharing your real life with us all. I’m guessing you wouldn’t have had Fleischkuekle if you had been at your house and as I’d never heard of them I’ve learnt something new so thank you.
WWA:
Sunday - roast chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, runner beans & gravy
Monday - chicken stir fry, noodles & lots of peppers
Tuesday- home made lasagna & salad
Wednesday - veggie curry & rice
Thursday- home made cauliflower & carrot soup with olive sourdough bread - bought from the reduced section 50p - bargain!!
Friday - pizza nite
Saturday- chicken Kyiv, broad beans, stir fried peppers & mashed potato
I made a very similar recipe this week to the Brussels sprouts tacos, but using shredded roasted cauliflower which was first tossed in oil and taco seasoning. I mean, what doesn't taste good with taco seasoning on it?!
Myself , I live in a 62 Apartment complex , in walking distant there is a Senior Community Center , I attend it from Monday to Friday , we have several Activities , Bingo , play cards , Rummikup and Sozial , at 12 we all get a balanced Meal with meat or chicken , veggies and fruits , it is prepared from a Restaurant named Mojos and it taste super good ! That way I eat a light evening meal , salad , Avocodo , soup or Sandwich , that way Safe on my Budget too. Blessings to you and your family !
I did spend $28 last week on not much. I cannot remember when we ate. I think this is it.
Sunday: I don't know. I had a 4 p.m. yoga session.
Monday--meatloaf, potatoes and corn;
Wednesday Pasta and meatballs
Thursday fish sandwiches and broccoli;
Friday leftover egg salad for me after a reiki session
Saturday grilled ham and cheese sandwiches;
Sunday Bacon, eggs and beans.
There was applesauce for sides.
I was about ready to order out on Sunday but I held back, dug through the freezer and asked my daughter for some of the fresh chicken eggs.
Thank you for being honest with us...but it's ok to be a little private, too. We don't have to know EVERYTHING. That having been said, I really hope you have a separate account that only you can access -- and you've been putting money into it. That should help with the deposit on the rental, at least. Good luck, and God bless you. (I'll be continuing to read.)