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| Crystal Karges Nutrition |
I like to eat, but it would be nice to be one of those animals that can eat once a week or so, and not have to think about it again. Of course. we'd all want that to be a really enjoyable meal then I might embrace cooking. I don't hate to cook, I'm just uninspired even with trying a few new things. Eight of ten days I revert to old, tried, and true, not even attempting to think outside the rotation. It was a moderately on plan week at Chez Sam. I grocery shopped at our local store, mostly things we needed in the store brand or generic "That's Smart" label, some loss leaders, and a few splurges helped a little bit by a few retail coupons and a $5.00 off $50.00 purchase. I still spent $138-all food, including pups canned food we mix with his dry. I earned and additional $ .13 in gas credit, with the 8 cents we already had. DH will fill up before it expires as his tank is bigger and that could be a good savings. We also earned points towards a free ham, but doubtful I'd reach the 600 needed but in years past church collected them, so I'll see if that is being done. I brought the receipt to my daughters for her to add to her Fetch account. Below was the plan and then reality for the week of February 28 to March 6. I was of the mind it would change once I went grocery shopping and it did. .
Sunday: *Apple Cheddar Sausage balls, mushroom stroganoff (have sour cream and mushrooms that need to be used) and mixed vegetables
Monday: Spaghetti *Bolognese with the frozen loaf of No Knead French Bread
Tuesday: Hamburgers, *homemade baked beans, tots
Wednesday: Ranch breaded chicken cutlets, wild rice, and cauliflower
Thursday: Pork chops, roasted potatoes, corn
Friday: Tuna hotdish with peas and carrots
Saturday: Leftover night if enough after eating leftovers for lunches, or something simple like brats or hot dogs and air fryer fries
*Items already prepared-freezer assets.
The reality:
Sunday: *Apple Cheddar Sausage balls, mushroom stroganoff mixed vegetables
Monday: Hamburgers, *homemade baked beans, tots
Wednesday: Ranch breaded chicken cutlets, biscuits, mashed potatoes, doctored up canned beans ( I noticed a Feb 2021 best buy date)
Thursday: Baked fish and Chips (DH request when I went shopping)
Friday: Grilled chicken fajitas, the rest of the chips
Saturday: Ate at our daughters, vegan pizza burgers and potato salad, spinach salad, brownie's and cookies for desert. It was very good.
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| I forgot to take a food picture, but here's my daughters nice table set-up. |
The plan for this week, March 7-13th. I shouldn't need much after the big shop, except perhaps more bread, milk, cheese and bread.
Sunday: Tuna hotdish with roasted carrots, homemade French bread (making today-two loaves)
Monday: Homemade +chicken lo mein with mixed vegetables
Tuesday: Meatballs in mushroom soup, rice, and green beans
Wednesday: Chicken strips wild rice, and cauliflower
Thursday: Bone in country ribs, roasted potatoes, *frozen baked beans
Friday: *Cheddar broccoli soup and egg salad sandwiches
Saturday: Crockpot pasta prima vera with *French bread
*Items already prepared-freezer assets.
+New recipe for me
Since we must eat, even veering off plan, I feel more organized at least making a menu up. This is a no challenge month, though I am tracking spending. Entering this week, I'm at $193 H&G and health and beauty, though technically groceries and the non-food should be tracked separately. It just seems easier to lump them all together when bought at same time and same receipts. Besides food, I added a box of hair color to have when I next do it myself, maybe right before Easter, freezer tape so I would start marking items, and a five pack of plain cotton masks. What exciting purchases, but fall in the need area. I only have a few masks and one seems to fit me oddly and is not comfortable. I chose to include the Girl Scout cookies as they are consumables and not a pure donation so that was $36.
Between now and the end of the month, we'll likely have lighter shops-enough to replace used items or meal plan. We are running low on a few household items, not having really stocked anything since January, so I'll time a Target stop with Aldi for an exciting out of town adventure. I'll do another big shop before DD2 comes home on March 27th for all her favorites. Are you meal planning this week or winging it? Do you practice no meat Fridays during lent? I generally don't plan for it, not being Catholic, but often it turns out that way. Any new recipes this week?
I've not meal planned for this week yet, although I do have some ideas in my mind already. We do not practice Lent during this time of year, but did share some Lent recipes with the FB group.
ReplyDeleteEven though I didn't grow up Catholic, school lunch was always meat less, and we tended to have fish or tuna hotdish on Fridays.
DeleteMy new fridge and stove are being installed now yay! I'm going to Aldi tomorrow at 8:30 and stock up since I haven't been adding any food. Your menus sound good- guess I'll sit down and see what meals I can come up with here. Spring break for GS at college has been cancelled but our local county is still scheduled to have a week's break and I think Good Friday. I got to spend Friday and Saturday with my 2 sisters- little one from Myrtle Beach drove here. She and I have both had 2 Covid vaccines so we're good to go (she's a nurse but 20 years younger than I am). Now to get local sister to have hers- she's only 63 but still working fulltime. My teacher daughter gets her J&J vaccine Monday. It seems my circle will soon all have had their vaccines. Both my brothers in Iowa got theirs. I brought the wine my the sisters and made a homemade apple pie and sausage gravy for them and they treated to pizza and subs. We only left the house for a drive in sister's new car.
ReplyDeleteMy daughters spring break was combined with Easter-they normally would have had a week of spring break first week or March, then Thursday-Friday, and Monday for Easter. Now it is just one Monday-Monday of Holy week. I'm happy for you that your circle is expanding.
DeleteWe've spent $200 so far, and there are 4 shopping days (we shop on Saturdays) in March. That means that we are roughly tracking on plan. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteI also made a meal plan for the week, and need to make some adjustments. In a pre-COVID world, we cooked only Fri-Sun, and then had leftovers or quick & easy meals the rest of the week. COVID changed that, because we were always home. I need to adjust back to that strategy, as the boys have lots of activities these days & cooking dinner on week nights is no longer an option. Except Mondays.
Tonight, M is making a big batch of kebabs & rice. Yum!
I'm always heavy a the front end of the month, so thought I would stagger a bit and not spend much in the middle. I know I wont send my daughter back with much as she will only have four weeks left-maybe just study food, but no real groceries as she needs to make sure she uses her swipes in the dining hall and dining dollars. If she get slow, I can send money to pay cash for meals on or off campus rather than committed to an extended meal plan.
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed dinner at your daughter's. Sounds like you did pretty well sticking with the plan, a good half and half anyway. I usually stay on plan unless there is more leftover from a meal than expected, and even then if it's freezable it just goes on the ready made meals shelf in the freezer. Enjoy your Sunday :)
ReplyDeleteWhat sounds good Sunday morning may not by the time I get to the kitchen but having an idea when I have none is a good start. Tonights lo meain will be a break a the end of the work day, before I have to get on an evening call.
DeleteYour daughters table is lovely and so inviting! It must warm your hearts to have her invite you over and treat you dinner. I like to cook but hate having to make dinner every day. I sorta stuck to last weeks plan and actually cooked yesterday, a rare Saturday occasion for me. We’ll get some sort of takeout today, just need to find something remotely healthy. Grilled chicken from Chick-fil-A would be perfect, but alas....in no particular order this week-steak and veggie stir fry, kielbasa on the grill with zucchini and mushrooms, hamburgers, chicken something. Your fajitas sound good to me but I’d have to make something else for the fam. I made a killer new asparagus side dish last week and will repeat. Also trying a homemade mushroom soup. Fish on Friday. We aren’t religious but tend to follow that idea throughout the year. I have most of it on hand but do need a vegetable stock up at Aldi. I’ll probably go tomorrow morning before work and then do my Walmart pickup Wednesday after work. All meals are keto friendly and no one will even notice. I actually made a list of meals for a month, stuff we routinely eat and enjoy and tried to stick to it in February. I failed miserably. I don’t even know where it is. I’m much better on a week to week basis. JoAnn
ReplyDeleteYour meals sound goo. We'll get take out fish when my daughter is home, though maybe not on Friday as with it being good Friday, might be packed. She loves fish fry-but I'd still only do take out. I feel like by the first week of April, We'd be the only ones in the restaurant not vaccinated, and that would be our bad luck to get it when we are so close to being able to be poked.
DeleteThat's why I like Christmas day - I always know what to cook! Finding inspiration is difficult sometimes isn't it! I love your daughter's tableware - very pretty!
ReplyDeleteI never know other than if I am doing Thanksgiving. Chirstams is a crap shoot!
DeleteI just made my first ever Detroit-style pizza. It was fair.
ReplyDeleteI am not familiar with Detroit pizza. Deep like Chicago? Stretched like New York? I will need to look for this.
DeleteLovely table set-up and I like your daughter's modern version of the glug jug! x
ReplyDeleteThat was an end of summer find by me about five years ago and given to her for Christmas. He is cute.
DeleteI have felt so awful, my only thought has been what is easiest, yet healthy. I laughed. If you only ate once a week, you would not have to set the table, cook, and wash dishes. I love her dinnerware. Is it Fiesta?
ReplyDeleteHer dishes were just a Walmart set. I actually have fiesta ware in a very similar blue.
DeleteI love how we all meal plan and then what we really eat! I had that color of table wear and loved it, but it became too heavy for my hands with arthritis, so I gave it to my daughter. I love pretty table settings.
ReplyDeleteI have fiesta ware in almost the same color-coincidence when she found an inexpensive set at Walmart when she moved into her last apartment in 2016.
DeleteMenu planning can be hit-and-miss. I usually shop at home first so the menu is often based on what needs to be used up. This past week: carrots (ginger carrot/rice soup); leftover rice (fried rice); romaine lettuce (salad with sliced pork and veggies); naan bread (salami/green pepper pizza); trout (trout Wellington with spinach and feta cheese); zucchini (oven roasted vegetables); cauliflower (roasted with a curry cheese sauce). There's a partially used jar of spaghetti sauce in the fridge that needs using so some pasta dish is in order to start the week.
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