I didn’t realize this when I made my menu plan, but everything I cooked this week was from Dinner Illustrated.
It’s a really useful cookbook; highly recommend if you struggle figuring out what to cook for dinner!
I wrote a whole review of it here.
What I Spent
I spent $189 on groceries this week, but I bought a lot; we will definitely not finish it all this week.
So, I think next week will be a lower spending week.
Oh, wait, let’s add $10 to that total because I bought a box of bruised peaches at the produce stand.
So,$199.
We’re eating the peaches as-is, of course, but I’ll also be freezing a bunch of the peaches today.
(Here’s how I freeze peaches)
August Spending
Week 1: $76
Week 2: $162
Week 3: $151
Week 4: $199
So, my average for the month is $147/week. Sweet!
What We Ate
Saturday
Mr. FG and I were out of town for our anniversary get away, so we ate at a local restaurant, and the girls fended for themselves.
Sunday
Same story as Saturday night; we came back on Sunday night after dinner.
Do I know what the girls ate while we were gone? Nope.
Was it probably a lot of frozen chicken nuggets and pizza? Yep.
Do I care? Nope.
They fed themselves and that’s good enough for me. 🙂
Monday
I made quesadillas with a corn/lime filling (recipe from Dinner Illustrated), and I tried making one for Sonia with the Violife cheddar cheese, which worked out pretty well.
So, I am excited about that because it means we can have quesadillas again. I’ve missed having those as an easy dinner option!
Tuesday
My aunt had made baked ziti when we went to pick up the quilt and Sonia really liked it. So, she asked me to put it on the menu, and I did!
I used the recipe from Dinner Illustrated.
Wednesday
I made a shrimp, bacon, and apple green salad with a homemade mustard vinaigrette; a new recipe from Dinner Illustrated.
And I roasted some small potatoes to eat with our salad.
Thursday
I made chicken katsu with rice and tonkatsu sauce (from Dinner Illustrated) and we had raw veggies and fruit on the side.
Friday
Maybe I should browse through my Dinner Illustrated book and pick something out. Then I can make a full week of it!
Momma Ang
Sunday 30th of August 2020
Love this post each week! Fun to see and share ideas...
*Shepards Pie and Apple Pie (Base recipe but we always use ground turkey and adjust with veggies to add extra or what's on hand...https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-shepherds-pie/)
*Hot Dogs and Chips with Fruit Salad
*Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Bacon Brussel Sprouts (Best veggie side ever...https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/pan-roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-bacon-recipe-1944571)
*Pizza Night (home made pizza-everyone gets to customize, this is a super easy dough we love to make https://sugarspunrun.com/the-best-pizza-dough-recipe/)
*Broccoli Chicken and Cheese Casserole with Brownies (this is the base recipe that I worked from...https://www.spendwithpennies.com/chicken-broccoli-casserole/)
*Leftovers on the other nights
Sarah
Sunday 30th of August 2020
We were on vacation this week. I had booked a Airbnb with a kichen with the intention to cook majority of our meals. However, upon our arrival, we realized the place was really not great (i.e. it was poorly light, filthy and completely lacking in the promised cookware/utensils).
1. Takeout Mexican 2. Chilli, Cihps and Salad (cooked at our cabin, after a thorough scrub and a trip to the local Dollar Store) 3. Pizza-Takeout 4. Diner Food (Greek Food) 5. Jerk Chicken, Potatoes, Broccoli and Cheese(back in my gloriously light, clean and well-equiped kitchen!) 6. Meatloaf that my amazing mother made for us, Rice, Salad 7. Lasgna and Salad
Julie Norman
Saturday 29th of August 2020
We made chipotle sweet potato burgers from budgetbytes.com this week, plus homemade pizza, an ok braised chicken thighs dinner from Eating Well, "tempura" shrimp bowls with a homemade teriyaki peanut sauce, and one thing I've completely forgotten!
Suzan
Saturday 29th of August 2020
On Monday I cooked 500 grams of reduced price stewing beef into a beef and barley casserole. That simple pot of food fed me for lunches and dinners until last night. Mum had pea and hams soup as alternative to some meals. Last night I poached eggs for mum as I am allergic I had a bowl of oats with blueberries. For Saturday's lunch mum has her soup and I had chicken and noodles. I am undecided about tonight's dinner but it is only an hour or so off dinner time to I better think of something.
Kristen
Saturday 29th of August 2020
Just wanted to send you some love and admiration because I know that taking care of your mom has to be a tough job, much as you love her.
Jean
Friday 28th of August 2020
WWA: Friday we received a farm to table box (F2T) that my daughter and I purchased from a local provider--steak, chicken, burgers, pasta, sauces, cheeses, and fruits and vegetables, sourdough bread and bagels Saturday: My "quilt" (we do different things, depending on the mood) friends and I got together--first time in 8 months. We had burgers, salad, corn, and whoopie pies. I made sundried tomato dip, which I have used the leftover during the week on my "sale" bagels. Sunday: Homemade pizza--cheese and caprese. (leftover for lunch Monday) Monday: My daughter gave us the leftover fresh pasta and sauce (eggplant and vegetables) Tuesday: After spending the day with my almost 2 yr old grandson, dinner was easy--frozen chicken and fries. Wednesday: Roast chicken from the F2T box, fresh summer/zucchini squash casserole and mashed potatoes. Brownies Thursday: Beef stew that my daughter made. Friday: Herb pappardelle pasta from the F2T and creamy lemon sauce, leftover dessert from my daughter who cleaned her 'fridge before going away. Tomorrow--I invited my sister-in-law for dinner. We will be having burgers from the F2T with some squash I have in the freezer from a Misfits box and maybe some fresh fries from potatoes. I have rolls in the freezer. I have from a vegetable box. In our CSA this week we received shishito peppers. The farm put up a recipe for a sauce using them with lime and yogurt. I will try it for the burgers. If anyone wants dessert, we have leftover brownies and I'll get some ice cream from the local farm. I can pretty much eat from the freezer (scallops, crab cakes, chicken) for the next week. I did spend $40 today at 2 stores--purchased the special 3-day items at one and had to go to Aldi for yogurt and bread. And we get another F2T box next Friday, our CSA, and our garden is producing tomatoes and a few acorn squash. There is a recipe I want to try--maybe next week--ranch quesadilla
Curious reader
Sunday 30th of August 2020
Everything seems delicious! That F2T box sounds heavenly.