WIS, WWA | with some classic jello
What I Spent
I stopped in at BJ's warehouse club this week, so my spending is on the high side!
I spent:
- $29 at Safeway
- $12 at Aldi
- $164 at BJ's
So, $205 for me. But obviously, we are not going to eat all the stuff I bought at BJ's in a single week, so that trip will hold me over on some things for a while.
What We Ate
Saturday
We all were home at different times, and most of us ate our Chipotle leftovers from the previous night (I mentioned in this week's Five Frugal Things that I used my Fetch rewards for a Chipotle gift card.)
Sunday
Breakfast for dinner: French toast with whipped cream and fruit, plus bacon and OJ.
There was no regular cream left at the store when I stopped in, so I had to buy an organic brand and while I wasn't expecting this, I could swear that the whipped cream tasted a little better.
I don't know if it was enough better to justify the $4.79/pint price, but it was really good whipped cream.
Monday
Easy button night: canned tomato soup, plus grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit.
Tuesday
We had a rotisserie chicken, boiled baby potatoes, and some kind of fresh produce on the side.
Wednesday
Sonia came over and we had a random night of dinner...some of us had tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, and some of us had leftover potatoes and chicken.
Lisey had a random craving for seven-layer jello, so I started making a pan of it. But that takes so long to finish, it was not done in time for dinner.
Here's how I make seven-layer jello, something I think of as a classic Midwest-y potluck dish. But interestingly, it also seems to be popular in Hawaii.
And I was surprised to see that it is apparently a classic at Japanese-American potlucks as well.
Thursday
I used the rotisserie chicken bones plus the leftover chicken meat to make a pot of chicken noodle soup.
Lisey had brought home a jar of black raspberry jam, so it seemed necessary to make some biscuits to go with our soup, because jam and biscuits are a very good combo.
We also had the seven-layer jello, which Sonia texted me about shortly after we ate.
So she came over and had soup, biscuits, and jello as well. 😉
Friday
I don't know for sure, but there IS still jello left. So I imagine we will eat some of that alongside whatever we have for dinner. 😉
I always feel annoyed with recipes like jello that take so long to make and then all you have is jello...it does look pretty with all the layers though.
WIS: 51.60 @Giant and 272.29 @Aldi for a total of 323.89. The Aldi amount is high but it included 35 dollars worth of Thanksgiving turkey and 52(!) dollars worth of nuts. I shouldn't need nuts for a long time, though, so it's ok. And for the turkey, I know they are usually on some sort of deal where you can get them free, but I wanted to have mine settled because I feel like I can't count on deals this year-they are just so sporadic, so I decided 1.89/lb was a good price seeing as whole chickens are currently 2.99/lb. I did find some marked down cheese at both Giant and Aldi this week that I was really happy about. However, the cheese at Aldi rang up wrong, so I had to go back and take a picture of the price and get it adjusted. It was like a ten dollar difference! Always check your receipt!
WWA:
Fri: salad, focaccia topped with leftover steak, bacon and mozzarella, maple glazed donuts.
Sat: salad, leftover focaccia and leftover donuts.
Sun: salad, chicken pot pie casserole, whole wheat oat buns.
Mon: salad, leftover pot pie and matzo ball soup.
Tue: salad, rice, roasted veggies (eggplant, tomatoes, onion and sun chokes), barbecued pork ribs (in crock pot), and sourdough crackers.
Wed: salad and take & bake cheese pizza from Aldi.
Thu: Thacos (crunchy corn inside homemade tortillas, fillings were leftover rice, leftover roasted veggies, leftover pork shredded, salad greens, basil from garden, thinly sliced yellow pepper, cheddar cheese and chipotle cholula sauce), and donuts with powdered sugar.
Tonight: we're breaking with our tradition of focaccia and having a fish Friday. I'm also planning to make a 5 ingredient corn casserole to try a new recipe. And, of course, salad.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Saturday - takeout popeye’s
Sunday - pasta and salad at my grandmas for her birthday
Monday - spaghetti al limone (a cooks illustrated recipe that’s always a big hit!)
Tuesday - orange chicken and coconut rice pilaf
Wednesday - leftover coconut rice pilaf fried to make fried rice with chicken potstickers
Thursday - ground beef tacos, corn
Friday - no plan yet and I have book club so maybe frozen pizza!
WIS: $113.82 -- wow! However, we stocked the freezer with marked down chicken and I made a return trip to the grocery store to snag some ground Italian sausage that was on sale but not on display on the first trip.
WWA: I made two meatloaves to use up some leftover ground beef, sage pork sausage and regular ground pork. Part of one went into some of my brown bag lunches for work. The remainder was supper/lunches for my husband, eaten with sides of plums, cheese and sweet bell peppers.
I cannot recall every meal but we had sambal telor, and we had potatoes and salad. And spinach and eggs. And tonight most likely macaroni-the-easy-way (just onions and some instant herb mix, the way the guys cook it.
Our green grocer did bring round a huge box of produce so it is fairly predictable what we will eat in the coming week.
I read some interesting side dish suggestions in Down to Earth's blog, and may try some if I feel better. Otherwise we will stick to uninspired but fed.
WWS:
$89 @Market Basket, $16 @ Aldi, ($74 Butcher had gift certificate).
WWA:
Sat: grilled tri tip with Santa Maria rub, feta sauce, grilled red pepper, leftover breakfast potatoes. (meat recipe here, but we replace beef tri tip for the venison sirloin) https://www.filson.com/blog/food/santa-maria-venison-sirloin-recipe/
Sun: we had a late lunch as so we grazed our way through the evening
Mon: corn butter farro: https://smittenkitchen.com/2022/08/corn-butter-farro/
Tues: blue hubbard squash soup garnished with pumpkin seed oil and yogurt, with homemade bread toasted and topped with cannellini beans (with bacon, wine & lemon)
Wed: homemade mac & cheese with roasted broccoli and chicken sausages
Fri: tacos, tacos, tacos!
What I should have written: I'm so thankful to have a fully stocked and full-sized kitchen, after being gone for a month.
I forgot Thursday! Gyoza and Greens With Chile Butter
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/gyoza-and-greens-with-chile-butter-recipe
I spent $190 @ Costco and $25 @ Publix.
Saturday....Homemade Broccoli Cheese Soup & Cheddar Garlic Biscuits
Sunday....I cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot and we had chicken tacos with homemade guacamole, chips, Black Beans, & Rice
Monday....Leftovers
Tuesday....Leftovers
Wednesday....Turkey Breast in the crockpot (the crockpot is my good friend these days), mashed potatoes, gravy, peas. Apple Crumble for dessert.
Thursday....Leftovers
Friday...My mother in law is coming over and making us Southwestern chicken pot pie for dinner. Remaining turkey will go into the freezer for use in soup during the coming weeks.
Saturday...my Son's Birthday is today so we will roast hotdogs on the firepit & make smores at his request.
Happy Weekend All!
I remember finding your recipe for the layered Jello years ago. My parents had an insane amount of Jello in their cabinets that wasn’t ever used. I decided to make the recipe just to use up all the boxes before they went bad. I had so much fun determining the layers and timing out when to add the next layer.
Friday – I tested out a recipe for lentils and Spanish chorizo. We’ve been on a lentil kick in our house and I’m always hungry for anything that has smoked paprika!
Saturday – I made a half batch of chili. Normally I would simmer this for a hours but it was a busy day so I cooked it in the pressure cooker. I didn’t like how much soupier this made the chili but overall it was still good.
Sunday – My husband requested Tater Tot Hotdish which I was happy to make. I also played around with egg roll wrappers and pizza ingredients to make homemade pizza rolls. 100% a comfort food day.
Monday – I used half a rotisserie chicken from Costco, homemade chicken stock, and all the vegie odds and ends in the fridge to make Chicken Wild Rice Soup.
Tuesday – I went out to dinner with a friend and left instructions to my husband to use up the leftover in the fridge for dinner for him and my son. He decided it was “Man Night” and cooked steaks, potatoes, and some vegetable. He sent a picture of the two of them cheers-ing each other. I love that he took this opportunity to do something special for the two of them.
Wednesday – I was able to get into a last-minute Pilates class which falls right at the time I would be making dinner. My husband decided to pick up pizza on the way home from work – a local pizza place makes an Octoberfest pizza that is only available in October so our time was running out to get this specific pizza.
Thursday – Pork enchilada zucchini boats with a side of brown rice.
@Geneva,
I made Minnesota Hot Dish (another name for Tater Tot Hot Dish) last night. One of my favorite comfort meals in fall and winter!
@Kathy, I was just about to ask...
Geneva - Are you from the Midwest/Wisconsin area? In Michigan we make "casseroles", but my best friend is from Wisconsin and they are definitely big on the tater tot hot dish.
This NYC girl is slightly entranced by the epithet "hotdish."
Your jello looks delicious! If I made a jello salad I’d be on my own eating it. Things we ate this week:
It’s been a week full of chicken..
BBQ chicken, corn on cob, sweet & spicy baked beans
Rotisserie chicken with chopped kale salad
Chicken flautas, black bean & corn salad
Copycat Panera chicken wild rice soup in bread bowl (thanks to grocery store subbing it for the French bread I ordered), peach cobbler with ice cream
Chicken enchilada stack with jicama orange salad
Tonight will probably be pizza and salad and this weekend I’m doing a spiral ham I pulled from the freezer so next week will likely be lots of leftover ham recipes…
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
@Beth, I can't wait to buy a ham for Christmas and have leftovers for all kinds of delicious things in January! The crockpot full of beans and hambone is my absolute favorite!!
Organic cream tastes better, IMO, because it has fewer thickeners and stabilizers. At least my store brand cream has carrageenan (ick), and something else, but the organic brands only have gellan gum. I usually opt for the organic when I can find it. I'm probably the only one who can tell the difference!
Monday: burgers and fries, and surprise apple crisp (I was wanting to try out a recipe for sugar free apple crisp (made with xylitol) and it was a hit.
Tuesday: tacos
Wednesday: chicken crockpot stew with pasta
Thursday: crockpot hamburger stew
tonight is chicken and rice, and mixed vegetables. Maybe sauteed red cabbage if I get crazy.
@Karen A., about the organic cream without carrageenan - there is a big focus on that in Norway now because it has been proven in animal studies to disturb the microbiota in the gut. So if you’re the only one tasting the difference, so will the others stomachs thank you for making the choice 🙂
TMI perhaps, I’ve IBS and my stomach troubles and pains is so much better after I stopped eating food containing carrageenan E407 (and E466/E467) so that’s why I’m telling everyone 🙂
@Gunn from Northern Norway, Thank you for this information. I have a dear friend who really, really suffers from IBS and I am going to pass this on to her.
Mmmm, jello. I made homemade cream of tomato soup with homemade croutons, which was delicious. Other than that, meals have been pretty scrappy this week as both the kids have had the stomach bug I had last week. I had promised takeout from our favorite BBQ place yesterday, but my son was too sick to appreciate it so we put it off.
I should make some jello and cream. In the 70s, you took some of the semi-solid jello and mixed it with whipped cream, and then layered it jello, mixed cream and jello, and then cream.
what a week. Got a stipulation of settlement of my neverending horrorshow of an eviction. I won't get any money but I will be free of these people. Also my carpenter finished fixing up the cottage those people ruined.
@Rose,
Does this mean it's the final chapter? If so, I'm so glad to hear your ordeal is over!
I make a jello dessert very infrequently but, when I do, they always make me smile and I feel like a kid again. WWA:
Saturday - homemade pepperoni & mushroom pizza
Sunday - chicken katsu bowls (half-baked harvest)
Monday - re-purposed the home made pizza sauce for spaghetti & (Ikea) meatballs
Tuesday - Mediterranean chickpea and vegetable soup (the Mediterranean dish) & baguette
Wednesday - leftovers
Thursday - Chili & cornbread
Friday - planning on pan fried fish fillets & oven fries
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend
WIS: $18.50 at the Regional Market, $15.20 at Wegmans, and $10.30 at Price Chopper.
WIA: The best and most interesting thing this week was a dish called "Limpin' Susan," for which I found the recipe in a Food Network magazine while I was waiting for my flu shot at the Wegmans pharmacy. It's a variation on "Hoppin' John" that happens to include three of my favorite things in the world: shrimp, okra, and bacon!
@A. Marie,
I love the Limpin' Susan name! And it sounds delicious!
@JD, oh, it was, it was. For the bacon, I used the last three slices of some bacon I bought at a farm store while grad school BFF was here (the owners raise their own pigs and smoke their own bacon). Heavenly!
My Mom would make some strawberry jello, cream and angelfood cake thing I liked other than that jello, no thank you please.
I can't remember what I bought or ate. Unusual but too many allergies.
Oh yah, eggs, and they were a dollar cheaper than a few weeks ago. And I couldn't find gluten free flour anywhere.
You did pretty well with your cooking, given your heavy exam schedule! Yay, you.
Saturday: Pot roast with potatoes, green salad with ranch dressing, baked rice pudding because the oven was on for so long for the pot roast anyway
Sunday: Our neighbor gave us two old non-laying hens, so I pressure-cooked those and used the meat in a chicken enchilada kind of casserole. There was also a mini-cake made from the batter I used for my daughter's school treat cupcakes, and some ice cream
Monday: Leftovers. Mostly the casserole, and also a soup I had made using steak bones and potatoes. And cupcakes leftover from the school birthday treat. It's nice having such small classes. 🙂
Tuesday: My daughter requested pizza and carrots for her birthday, so I made one cheese pizza, one pizza with bacon and thinly sliced onion, plus carrot sticks and ranch dip, and a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.
Wednesday: I had cooked some tenderized bottom round steaks the day before in tomatoes/onion/garlic, so we had those, plus leftover pizza and green salad with ranch dressing. And leftover cake. Big week for cake.
Thursday: One of the big cans of commodities ground pork fried with pinto beans from the freezer, and all the powders: onion, garlic, chile, cumin. Because sometimes, chopping onions is just a little bit much on unaccustomed work days. The pork and beans went in corn tortillas with cheese. And there were raw green beans. No more cake, though.
Tonight: Not sure. I took out a ram-lamb leg roast, but I might save that for tomorrow so I can thaw it all the way and marinate it before roasting. I'm pressure-canning pinto beans today, so if I have the energy and time, I'll use the pressure canner/cooker again before washing it and make some beef stock with some of the many packages of soup bones in my freezer. Need to get those out of there, because we're getting another cow in a few weeks and will need the space. I can use the meat from the bones for dinner if I do that. We'll definitely have more salad. The freeze is coming, and our lettuce days are numbered.
Yes, I am giving myself grace on the cooking front right now for sure. If we are fed, I'm happy.
The last jello I made was for my husband when he had to have a colonoscopy. I made it homemade, with gelatin and lemon juice from our tree or with apple juice. They were tasty, but I have to say, the colors were uninspiring. They would not make a pretty layered jello at all. I grew up eating all those jello dishes, though - lime jello with pineapple and cottage cheese or cubed cream cheese, orange jello with mandarin oranges, or with chopped cranberries, raisins and nuts, and jello of any flavor topped with a layer of still liquid jello whipped in with cream then chilled. I know that's not all. They were at every family gathering and church potluck.
No jello this week for me, but I did eat:
A hot dog with gluten-free bread and salad, which I had twice.
Pork sirloin chop with a skillet cooked broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix.
Cassava pasta with most of the leaves of spinach stripped from my plant since a cold night was coming, onions, garlic and mushrooms.
Tuna salad made with shredded veggies and shredded apple. I had this twice.
A grilled cheese sandwich on gluten-free bread, leftover veggies and grapes.
Tonight's menu will depend on what I find in the stores after work today. This weekend will bring a big fat grocery bill, since I stocked up on several items at the farms and Azure Standard including ground pork and frozen veggies, plus I go to the store for two weeks of groceries. Ouch. I'll be glad down the road that I bought it all, though.
@JD,
Oh, re: the cream. I buy cream usually from the farm that raises Jersey cows and grass-feeds them organically. You can just about stand a spoon in their containers of cream. It is so very, very delicious.
@JD, I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before--but the ultimate tribute to all those Jell-O dishes you're talking about is "Lime Jell-O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise," written by William Bolcom and performed by Bolcom and his wife, Joan Morris. (Googling the title will get you to several YouTube links.) DH and I were/are longtime Bolcom and Morris fans, and hearing them perform this at a concert here about 25 years ago had us laughing till we hurt.
@JD,
Oh my! That cream sounds divine! You are very fortunate indeed to live near that farm.
@A. Marie,
I just searched and listened to it. That was wonderful, thanks! I'm still smiling.
@A. Marie, too cute. I think my mother and her mother-in-law used to conspire to come up with new jello creations for holiday tables
Not sure if anyone mentioned this on the whipped cream post the other day, but Trader Joe's sells shelf stable whipping cream which is handy to have in the pantry for when you have a "whipped cream emergency!" 😉
I am definitely a person who could have a whipped cream emergency.
@Kristen,
Hahaha!
@Bobi, that’s one of my favorite pantry items!
94 was spent in Kroger pickup
Sun. Big pot of slow cooker vegetable beef soup with cabbage. Homemade beer bread. Stupid easy.
Monday. Chicken thigh and asparagus sheet pan dinner with side salad.
Tuesday. Exact repeat with leftovers from Sunday.
Wednesday. Turkey sand on sourdough. Salad. Air fryer tater tots.
Thurs. Enchiladas and rice and beans.
Fri. Frozen pizza and a bagged salad. Our version of takeout. We switch up what pizza brand And styles and what bag salad flavor.
Sat. Tomorrow. Gonna make cheesy potato /broccoli soup with a bit of grated carrot and noodles. And food prep a big batch of ground Turkey taco meat. People can choose one or the other or a little bit of both.
Sausage ravioli from Costco with pesto and sautéed greens.
We had a junk food and movie night. So a big tray of pizza rolls, mozzarella sticks, and chicken fingers on a table in the living room. A veggie tray too, and caramel apples for dessert. Not the healthiest but it requires no cooking other than putting frozen stuff on a tray and I worked nights all weekend so it was perfect.
White chicken chili
Sautéed chicken with onion gravy, roasted potatoes, roasted butternut squash, and beets.
Frozen pizza, fruit, and raw veggies
Egg and chicken fried rice
Tonight we are having beer battered halibut, potato pancakes, and roasted broccoli.
Oh man! As a Midwesterner I need to look into this 7-layer jello! I remember that when my third child was born, a lady from church brought us dinner and included jello for dessert... My children had no idea what it was!! It was then that I realized I had never made jello for my kids. I felt like a bad mom. Ha! Anyways, this week we ate:
Saturday: Fajitas with tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole
Sunday: Pizza
Monday: Tuna melts for the adults, grilled cheese for the kids, tomato soup, and applesauce
Tuesday: A Frugal Girl night! Kristen's baked potato soup served with her french bread
Wednesday: My kindergartener had 2 friends over and my husband was gone, so it was me with 5 kids ages 4-8. I made instant pot macaroni and cheese and we had grapes, apple slices, and a few kinds of veggies to go with it. Everyone was able to find at least one fruit or veggie they liked, so that made me happy.
Thursday: I was catering an event and ate there. My husband and kids got food from McDonald's since he ended up being at work later than he had planned.
Friday: Leftover baked potato soup, macaroni and cheese, and the second loaf of french bread.
@Ruth T, when my kids were little I would make jello with one cup boiling water and one cup of chunky applesauce. They loved it.
I’ve been out of town for 5 days, so not much cooking at home this week.
I spent 103.04 at Kroger before I left, which included boneless pork loin for $.99/lb. (I bought 3) and 5# bags of potatoes for $1.49 (bought 2). These were both unadvertised sale prices. I got home on Wednesday & we had burgers & fries. On Thursday we stopped at Frisch’s for a very late lunch after a doctor appointment. We had fish sandwiches, onion rings & pie. No need for dinner later. Tonight is up in the air but it will definitely be something simple.
Must be Jello week. My husband was clearing out a corner of a kitchen cabinet, one so high up you need a step-stool to get at the corners (I have been slightly over 6 feet tall since I was 13 and am not used to being unable to reach things, so I have been ignoring this cabinet). He found nine (!) boxes of cherry Jello, so we are starting to work our way through these expired-in-2018 boxes.
Last Saturday I pulled supplies out of the freezer (including six gallon bags of tomatoes from this summer's garden and a quart bag of pesto) and made marinara sauce. Then I pulled out every half-used, open box of pasta we had collected and made a giant vat of goulash. We got very tired of it but ate it for lunch and dinner for four days, until it was done. Cheap, filling, paired with a salad fairly healthy, and it used up stuff. On Wednesday we ate baked salmon and Thursday shrimp scampi. Tonight it is fillet of fish for me and a random Marie Callendar individual pot pie that somehow made it into our freezer months ago for the husband.
I always feel so boring when I read what other people on here have made for their meals!
@Lindsey, trust me, anything you and your hubs make with 4-year-old Jell-O won't be boring. Send us an update. (I'm trusting to "that which does not kill me makes me stronger.")
@Lindsey,
Goulash! That's a great idea! Adding it to my menu plan for next week...
@Lindsey, "I always feel so boring " lol! I've finally figured out I prefer boring food. No more running down recipes and ingredient and eating something that takes a lot of effort and realizing I'd rather have eggs and toast. I need a t-shirt..."I like boring food!"
I’m always fascinated when I see photos of that layered jello. As a kid, our jello was always a single flavor with fruit tossed in, formed in some sort of Bundt pan.
Mm, I love that rainbow jello! It's just so pretty and fun. 🙂
I've made layered jello salads before, but have switched to broken glass jello... I do all the colors in separate containers at the same time, then when set cut into cubes, dump in the final dish, pour over the sweetened condensed milk gelatin, and refrigerate to set. Takes less time overall, but is also less restrictive on the timing of the steps.
We had tacos, sweet potato soup, pita pizzas, sausage sheet pan meal, burgers, and chicken nuggets. Plus I managed to use up some wilting spinach.
I am super late hopping on to this bandwagon! Your dinners sound very casual this week and perfect for a busy mom in school. People got fed, which is the motto at my house, too. I ate a lot of leftovers this week as work as a killer!
Monday - (freezer) Beef and Broccoli with rice and potstickers
Tuesday - Picked up another free sub at Jersey Mike's and fixed fries from my freezer
Wednesday - (freezer) Fiochetti pasta with chicken sausage, some brussels sprouts, and a freezer cheese toast bun
Thursday - Tilapia, a baked sweet potato, and a salad with lemon vinaigrette and chopped pears
Friday - Sliced teriyaki chicken breast over bagged chopped salad with potstickers
Tonight - Making Shrimp and Grits and eating the rest of the chopped salad
Sunday - Tossing fettucine with the (freezer) leftover cream cheese/pork sausage/spinach filling from my daughter's birthday (and she's coming over) , steamed carrots, with your crustless pumpkin pie recipe for dessert.
Happy Saturday!
https://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/
Saturday - steak, baked potatoes, asparagus
Sunday - chicken burgers on naan, green salad
Monday - chili, green salad
Tuesday - tacos (chemo starts, everything premade by me on Monday)
Wednesday - fish (frozen halibut fillets), chips and peas
Thursday - croissant crust ham and cheese frozen pizza (we will not buy again), celery, carrots and apple slices on the side.
Friday - chicken salsa, baby potatoes, broccoli
A pretty good week for a chemo week, given my terrible week last week! Thanks everyone for all the encouraging replies to last week's post. They really do help and I'm getting better at cutting myself some slack now and then.
@Leann,
I'm glad you had a better week, Leann! We're all cheering for you! By the way, what is a croissant crust pizza? That sounds intriguing even though you said you didn't like it...
WIS - $78 @ Costco and $24 @ restaurant supply
Sunday - Ocean bottom fish out of the freezer, coleslaw with last cabbage from garden, cauliflower rice.
Monday - Soup with stock from the freezer and every veg from the fridge bin.
Tuesday - Big work day on the farm = blt sandwiches and carrot sticks
Wednesday - Costco chicken and green salad and roasted potatoes
Thursday - round steak w/rest of roasted potatoes and last corn from the garden
Friday - round steak made into beef and broccoli served over cauliflower rice
Saturday - Pasta Primavera w/chicken and green salad
Sunday - today Chicken and noodles and green salad
That's such a pretty dessert. I have a bunch of boxes - maybe I'll make some for my birthday which is in three days!