What I Spent
I spent:
- $32 at Aldi
- $6 at Giant
- $9.50 at Safeway
- $20 at the mall
- $20 on funnel cakes
What We Ate
Saturday
I grilled some burgers for us, and I realized, wow, hamburger bun packages are really not designed for households of two.
And you will see on Monday and Tuesday, I made efforts to serve meals that used up the rest of the buns!
(I know I could freeze them but man, I’m tryin’ to eat down my freezer right now, not add random things to it.)
Sunday
This was the day that Zoe and I finished up her last math lesson! To celebrate, we went to the mall and got a Lego set of Zoe’s choosing, and we ate dinner at the mall too.
Monday
I salted and peppered some marked-down chicken thighs, sauteed them in some hot oil, let them cool, shredded them, mixed the meat with BBQ sauce, and served it on buns, with produce on the side.
Tuesday
I only cooked half on Monday, and on Tuesday, I dipped the rest of the chicken thighs in a beaten egg, then in flour, and fried them in oil I’d saved from a previous frying occasion.
We ate those on buns, with lettuce, tomato, and a spicy sauce.
Wednesday
I was out with Zoe and one of her besties riding some thrill rides and we got funnel cakes. And then we weren’t hungry for dinner at all.
But we usually only do this once a year, so, you know, no biggie.
Thursday
I boiled some Aldi cheese tortellini, topped them with sauce from Aldi, and made a green salad on the side, with homemade croutons.
Friday
As per usual, I have not decided yet. Maybe a main dish salad because I have some lettuce that I need to use up.
What did you have for dinner this week?
P.S. If you need some dinner ideas, I have a roundup of main dish recipes right here. 🙂
SarahN
Sunday 23rd of July 2023
Funnel cakes are a uniquely American thing, and despite reading lots of American blogs over the years, had never heard of them when I first say them advertised at Coney Island on a vacation! I, of course, tried them, but I think I can pass on eating them again
Kristen
Sunday 23rd of July 2023
That I can believe...they seem like a very classic American fair/carnival experience.
Carmen
Friday 21st of July 2023
I like to use leftover hamburger, or hot dog, buns for garlic bread!
Becca
Friday 21st of July 2023
Welp, another better late than never comment because I've been busy summering. Sorry, not sorry. ;)
WIS: 46.54 on take out pizza, 20.42 on wine, 247.30 @Aldi on mostly groceries but also some lunch boxes and coordinating reusable baggies for the kids (not strictly necessary, but cute), 40.00 on an ice cream card for our pool, 155.10 @Whole Foods because we were there to return an Amazon purchase and my husband temporarily lost his mind getting sushi and fancy cheeses, then 36.90 on more take out pizza. So, 546.26 this week. Like, woah. Moving on...
WWA:
Fri: spinach and arugula salad topped with shake Parm and crispy onions as well as balsamic vinaigrette, sourdough focaccia pizza with mozzarella, parmesan, cherry tomatoes and pepperoni.
Sat: sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, take out pizza.
Sun: salad of cucumber spears and tomato wedges, Korean steak and pepper stir fry with caramel sauce over white rice.
Mon: a simple salad of sliced heirloom tomatoes (actually, it was just one tomato, but it was so large that four of us didn't eat it all, and I had some slices leftover), roasted eggplant tapenade over egg noodles and topped with feta cheese and fresh basil.
Tue: sliced cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes, assorted leftovers: egg noodles, eggplant, zucchini fajita filling, sweet and spicy swiss chard and feta cheese. The kids had strawberry swirl cones for dessert.
Wed: This was shopping day, so we had Aldi take and bake cheese pizzas, but I had my husband jazz them up by adding diced green pepper, minced garlic and slices of heirloom tomatoes from our farm share. I also made a lazy salad of prewashed spinach and arugula topped with balsamic vinaigrette and crispy onions.
Thu: We ate at the pool: cucumbers, carrots, roasted red pepper hummus and strawberries. Then we grilled turkey hotdogs and veggies I prepped beforehand (peppers, onions, and squash marinated in olive oil and spices). We had our dogs on brioche buns with mustard and ketchup, and I packed all our pool meal ingredients in the new lunch boxes and made the kids carry them. We got ice cream at the pool for dessert.
Tonight: After eating sushi and fancy cheeses for lunch, we had pizza delivered to the pool. It was a day of decadence.
And yes, I am aware that we had pizza for half of our dinners this week. I am not ashamed. We also ate a lot of gigantic heirloom tomatoes. They are delicious and I am not at all sorry. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Becca
Friday 21st of July 2023
@Becca,
Also, congratulations to Zoe on graduating and congratulations to you for a successful finale to your homeschooling career!
Lisa
Friday 21st of July 2023
Kristen, I would love to see you do a post on “all things sauce!” You are the Spice Queen and seem to get very creative on incorporating it into your various meals. Do you make most of your sauces or purchase them? Do you have a variety of spicy and not so spicy versions? I think we could learn a lot from you on this topic.
Lisa
Friday 21st of July 2023
@Lisa, That should’ve said Sauce Queen!
Joyce
Friday 21st of July 2023
Yesterday I had ice cream for dinner..and potato chips. Hey it had been a day. ;)
JDinNM
Tuesday 25th of July 2023
@Joyce, I think that qualifies as dairy + vegetable, right?