Nursing school has such a weird schedule, you can’t exactly get into a routine. Every week is different!
But I would say I’m getting into a better groove of figuring out how to work meals around our college classes and Zoe’s work schedule.
What I Spent
I went to Sam’s Club this week, which is good (I’m now all stocked up on some things!) and bad (I spent more money than usual!)
Chiquita would like to tell you all that she had seafood pate for dinner each night. 😉
I spent:
- $147 at Sam’s Club
- $15 at Safeway
- $31 on a Hungry Harvest box
Sooo, $193 for me this week. But of course, it’s not like I need to go to Sam’s Club every week. Next week’s groceries will be cheaper.
What We Ate
Saturday
I ate dinner with a friend, and Zoe had leftover pizza when she got back from work.
Sunday
This was the day my foot was the worst, so we had an easy dinner of Aldi cheese tortellini, Aldi tomato sauce, and basil from my plant.
Monday
I picked up a rotisserie chicken from Safeway.
We ate that with sautéed broccoli.
And a bag of Trader Joe’s sweet potato fries.
Tuesday
Leftover chicken in a sandwich form for me, ramen for Zoe after her work shift.
Wednesday
Zoe had an evening work shift and I had lab until 8:00, so when we both got home, I made whole wheat blueberry pancakes for the two of us.
Thursday
I knew I had a little bit more rotisserie chicken left in the fridge, so I threw together a chicken noodle soup, using broth from my freezer.
Did I thaw the broth first? ummmm, no.
Serendipitously, I had carrots and celery in the fridge and a partial bag of noodles in my pantry, so it all worked out quite swimmingly.
I didn’t really measure anything; I used two carrots, an onion, two stalks of celery, a healthy shake of thyme, some salt and pepper, and then of course the chicken broth and the leftover chicken.
But if you want a more organized recipe with measurements and all, click here for a chicken noodle soup recipe.
I added a splash of heavy cream to my bowl and oooh, that was so good. 10/10, would recommend.
Lisey loves soup, so this dinner made me feel a bit wistful. But then Lisey called after dinner and we chatted while I did my dishes, and that made my heart feel happier.
Thank goodness that costly long-distance phone calls are a thing of the past! Being able to talk to Lisey all the time makes Hawaii feel not SO far away.
Friday
We have some leftover soup, plus some leftover tortellini from earlier in the week, so we’ll probably eat those two things up.
Nikki
Friday 15th of September 2023
I haven't added up my grocery totals, but we ate pineapple teriyaki chicken, coconut curried lentils, chicken in the instant pot, hamburger soup from the freezer, hamburgers, and blueberry pancakes with bacon on the side. We ate lots of tomatoes, because we had been given a very large bag of them. I also made some broccoli strawberry salad and coleslaw with raisins.
Hawaii Planner
Friday 15th of September 2023
My husband & I went out for dinner on Friday, as a date ahead of a very crazy September, where we will not see much of each other. We shared a salad & a burger.
Saturday - I made an orzo chicken skillet that we all enjoyed. Sunday = I flew to Japan for work, and ate dinner on the flight. Chicken curry + salad. I ordered room service when I made it to my hotel, 14 hours later (technically Monday). I had a "power bowl", which was chicken & quinoa on a large bowl of veggies. I hadn't eaten in so long that I was starving, and also ordered truffle fries, which were delicious. ;-) Tuesday - I wasn't very hungry after a large lunch (ramen, gyozas & rice), & had a banana back in my room. Wednesday - I ordered a burger + salad & skipped the bun Thursday - I had a chicken sandwich & salad + a banana I brought from the office Friday - I'm back home & have a grand total of zero energy. I have some Bare breaded chicken in the oven, and I made a caprese salad out of a few things I found in the bridge.
No clue what everyone else ate when I was gone, but I saw leftover pizza in the fridge, so definitely that. ;-)
JEG
Friday 15th of September 2023
Kristen, the lasagna rolls from Wed. night may be of interest to you. Prepare, freeze and you have a quick meal when you are home alone. I believe it is in the ATK cooking for two. If not, I’ll email the recipe to you. Also, you might like this site or borrow her cookbook from your library: Dessert for Two - Dessert for Two WIS Roche Bros $12; $4.50; Aldi $82.36; Crocetti’s (meat market) $35 meat stock up; apple farm $9 WWA Friday—I watched the grandkids. Made pizza and chicken nuggets Saturday—Meatloaf, vegetable Sunday—Salad and eggplant “rollatini”—Well, eggplant failed at the roll. My slicing was poor. So it became more of a layered eggplant. The eggplant worked up nice and crispy and the filling was good and most important—the husband said it was good; and he doesn’t care for eggplant usually. Where he liked it, I’ll try it again to accomplish a proper rollatini. Monday—I had been at a club tea in the afternoon, so I was not ready to eat at dinner. I gave my husband the remaining meatloaf and vegetables. Tuesday—work day. My family is falling apart around me. My oldest brother’s wife was discharged from the hospital after a fall on Sunday. When I got home from work, I picked up my grandson from karate and brought him home. Then I picked up my SIL’s dog from my house and brought him home. I sat there and chatted with my SIL and her sister for a while. I do not know what my husband ate. Wednesday—from ATK Manicotti rolls from Cooking for Two, tomatoes from the garden. There was leftover ricotta from the eggplant on Sunday, a bit of leftover tomato sauce and I had lasagna noodles in the pantry. The recipe I use makes 6 rolls, is from America’s test kitchen. There are two left for lunch tomorrow. Thursday—Chicken marsala, fettucine alfredo, peas I had some noodles to use up, made my on alfredo sauce.
Gina
Friday 15th of September 2023
I think I can remember everything this week....
Sunday: pork roast with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, peas, green beans, watermelon, and we had cinnamon muffin top cookies for dessert Monday: chicken burrito bowls Tuesday: homemade broccoli & cheddar soup, toasted ham and cheese sandwiches Wednesday: we ate at the local baseball game (free tickets thanks to hubby's work)....I had a sausage sandwich, a bag of doritos and a box of popcorn Thursday: chicken salads, cheesy breadsticks Friday: tonight we will be eating at hubby's work family night....they're having food trucks there, so hopefully some yummy fare....
JDinNM
Friday 15th of September 2023
"Nursing school has such a weird schedule, you can’t exactly get into a routine. Every week is different!"
As they ask about software, "Is this a bug or a feature?" I'm wondering if the method to the madness of nursing school is to acclimate you to strange/disruptive/unpredictable schedules.
Kristen
Friday 15th of September 2023
Haha, it definitely could be!