WIS, WWA | I'm the Friday girl
You know how my work schedules are all over the place? Well, that is still the case, but I'm in the midst of an eight-week streak of working every single Friday.
Which makes sense, because apparently Friday staffing has been a little thin. Luckily, I'm not a person who tends to have big Friday night plans, so this is ok with me. 🙂
What I Spent
I spent:
- $107 at Aldi
- $28 at the ramen spot
So, $135.
What We Ate
Saturday
I was off, but the first day off after a string of shifts is usually a tired day for me. So, I made blueberry pancakes. 😉
Sunday
I made some chicken quesadillas with guacamole and pico de gallo.
Monday
It was my birthday, and Zoe and I went out and got ramen and bubble tea. 🙂
Tuesday
I made a big batch of butter chicken so that I could have leftovers for work.
I didn't manage to photograph the dinner, but I did show you my lunch prep setup.
Wednesday
I worked; overnight oats for breakfast, butter chicken for lunch, and a grilled cheese sandwich + a pear before bed.
Thursday
I worked, sooo...overnight carrot cake oats for breakfast, butter chicken for lunch, and a peanut butter sandwich when I got home.
Friday
I'm working again (of course, because it's Friday!), so my breakfast and lunch are exact repeats of the last two days.
I'm pretty beat at the end of three shifts, so I will not be surprised if tonight is just a bowl of cereal and then bed.
I had a frittata on Saturday and then unintentionally had pasta-based dishes for four nights in a row! Last night I had burritos with mixed veg, brown rice, black beans and sauce. I don't know what I'll eat tonight but it won't be pasta 😉
Happy Friday, everyone! We spent $21 at Aldi.
- Vegetable-tofu spring roll (homemade by my husband, except the wrapper itself) with Kristen's cilantro sauce inside and Trader Joe's soyaki sauce for dipping
- Asparagus quiche
- Yogurt parfait
- Veggies, dip and gouda bread
- Spinach mushroom pasta
- Toast with peanut butter, cottage cheese, hard-boiled egg, and a cutie
- Salad (greens, quinoa, raisins, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, cukes, homemade croutons, homemade vinaigrette)
Saturday: We had two overnight guests arriving, one of whom was diabetic, and a lot going on this day. I needed something that could be ready to eat when we were. I made a big pot of beef and bean chili in the morning, and then cornbread right before we ate.
Sunday: I used some of the lamb we ground to make curry (with the rescued sludgy curry powder from dyeing Easter eggs). Rice with that, of course, and I made a salad, too.
Monday: I went to a track meet, bringing with me a salad made of hard boiled eggs, asparagus, and a mustard vinaigrette. The trackster had fried chicken strips and potato wedges from the gas station on the way home. The home crew had leftover curry and rice.
Tuesday: Spanish tortilla, frozen green beans, and some of the extra sugar cookies from the ones I made for my daughter's First Communion class.
Wednesday: Meatloaf, baked potatoes, asparagus, green peas.
Thursday: Pizzas--one cheese, one pepperoni--and a green salad.
Tonight: My family is converging here in advance of my daughter's First Communion on Sunday. They're all driving and my sister and mom asked if they could provide dinner tonight. Um, YES. My sister makes really good lasagna and last time she came she brought literally the biggest lasagna I have ever seen, which delighted my sons, so she's bringing that. Also her boyfriend is baking a loaf of bread (from the sourdough starter I gave him 🙂 ), and they're bringing ice cream. My mom is making a giant salad. My daughter will make her famous brownies. And I will just eat. How novel. We're even going to eat at the really nice house my parents always rent when they're here, so I'm not even hosting this meal. I will be hosting the next two days of all meals, plus dinner for 12 people Sunday, but at least I get a break tonight.
Enjoy!! Sounds wonderful!
Bestie is on her second week of radiation with some late appointments so meals have been all over the place.
Sat: meatloaf, mashed potatoes and carrots
Sun: bbq chicken, roasted veggies
Mon: meatloaf sandwich, pickled beets and pickles
Tues: using leftover chicken to make a chicken Caesar salad
Wed: chili from the freezer, another winner from the Downshiftology site
Thursday: pasta with sauce from the freezer
Fri:Bestie and I are going out for supper to celebrate the end of the radiation treatments
I had overnight oats this morning, but was out of strawberries, so I cooked up some apple chunks in butter and brown sugar, warmed up the oats, and it made for a delicious combo!!
Our dinners this week weren't incredible (sports! theater!) but everyone ate...
Saturday: Pork chops, strawberries, cooked carrots, peas, and shells and cheese
Sunday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Monday: Quick leftovers before a baseball game
Tuesday: Something like pepperoni pizza hot pockets, plus fruit and veggies
Wednesday: I got day-old Jimmy John's bread and we made subs to take to a track meet. We also packed apple slices, chips, trail mix, and carrots. We didn't end up eating much of what was packed (it was 48 degrees and rained the whole time - not great weather for a picnic!) but we at least had options and no one went hungry.
Thursday: Enchiladas from the freezer (yay, earlier me!) for an early dinner before opening night of my daughter's play
Friday: I got some bacon-wrapped pork and corn on the cob for my family to eat and will find something else easy to go with it that's quick before they have to take in our theater kid. I'm working concession prep from 4-6, so will probably have to pack dinner. Maybe another sub with Jimmy John's bread.
After 6 weeks of spending less than $25 a week on groceries (because I was doing a pantry challenge) last week was a big spend: $117 at Sam's Club, $30 at Winco, and $16 at Raleys.
Saturday: leftover veggie pizza
Sunday: a layered salad composed of greens, black beans and corn salad, and broiled chicken. This was also my lunch prep for the work week.
Monday: the last of the leftover pizza.
Tuesday & Wednesday: chicken tacos with more of the bean and corn salad mixed into the filling.
Thursday: a bowl of cereal.
Friday: Not quite sure yet. I will have to see what's in the freezer.
Your blueberry pancakes always look so good to me! But if have to add bacon or sausage. I need to make a batch of them and freeze them.
I spent $80 at Kroger; and $18 at Walmart; so $98.
Here's we ate this week;
Sat – doctored up store bought frozen pizza, green salad.
My husband went on a short trip with some buddies so I was on my own for a few days. I enjoyed a few days of not cooking and basically just grazed. I did eat breakfast each day.
S – leftover brat and peppers on a bun, cole slaw.
M – just grazed on random food, ate a hot dog with onions and mustard.
T – deli roast beef and cheese sandwich.
W – out to eat at a hibachi restaurant with my sister. I had a steak and shrimp combo
Th – my husband got home, so I made a proper meal -- Mexican chicken breasts, rice, cucumber kimchee, frozen mixed vegetables.
F – we will go out to eat or bring food and since I'll be out all day visiting a friend.
Have a great weekend!
There for a while, I was trying to make each work lunch and breakfast a little different, but I feel so lazy/indifferent lately that I think I will just make all three days the same and save myself the worry about how to make them different. Sometimes life be like that, as a co-worker likes to say! I can't remember what I spent this week because groceries were lumped in with some other Wal-mart items. Menus:
M - I was off and made chicken drums in the oven, with mashed potatoes? a veggie? It escapes me.
T - Beef Smashburger Tacos with avocado and tomato
W - Salmon, a twice baked potato, spinach
T - I ate half a bowl of ramen with some chicken last night, then realized I was so tired I couldn't finish. I might eat the leftover for breakfast today!
F - I have a pork chop thawed out so I will fix that with some cabbage in my little cast iron skillet.
And now I will go prep those weekend meals!
WIS: $80-something, mostly at Food Lion.
WWA: Cooked for DH: a pan of roasted herb chicken thighs with fresh veggies and strawberries, chili with cheddar-herb corn muffins, and crock pot pork barbecue with carrots and baked potatoes. For dessert, gluten-free brownies with chopped walnuts on half the batch, as another family member does not like nuts.
For myself, various Weight Watchers entrees bought on sale 2 for $2.29 with fruit and crackers on the side -- sometimes I get very tired of thinking about food, shells and cheese with tuna and peas, protein smoothies with toast, and a single serving cheese pizza doctored up with some pepperoni slices. Had watermelon as a snack.
I spent $200 at Harris Teeter and $350 at Costco. We only got to Costco once a month, so this will last awhile. My week also slipped out of control, so I have all the stuff for another meal. We also picked up the first installment of our 8-week fish share from Locals Seafood in Raleigh.
Sunday - Ribs, Bojangles cole slaw, baked beans.
Monday - Leftovers.
Tuesday - Tuna fish with cut up veggies.
Wednesday - Mahi Mahi with spanish rice, pineapple, picked onion, avocado. Some people ate bowls and some ate tacos.
Thursday - Fish share - Vermillion snapper, broccoli, and french fries.
Friday - We are camping in the rain with the baseball team... 🙂
I know exactly what I ate because I logged everything for the nutritionist appointment yesterday. The two main foods were Fairlife protein milk and liquid egg whites.
After hearing my very painful history of an eating disorder ( starting from a liquid diet at nine) she told me simply: I want you to stop trying to lose weight. I began crying. She said my health was excellent ( she looked at my labs), my BMI under 30, and my lifestyle very active.
Her non-negotiable:
1. I must eat plated 3 meals a day no matter what as long as they are balanced and whole foods.
2. I will enroll in an online eating disorder program to regain a healthy relationship with food.
I cried but agreed. So, I am really emotional and afraid but this week's meals will have protein, veggies, fruits and a grain. It sounds so simple but it will be a huge challenge.
Wishing you that your meals may be occassions for relaxed fun, and foods spoonfuls of nutrition - not amounts of calories.
Hugs!
I am rooting for you!
Sending you good vibes!
Good for you for going to a nutritionist! I commend you for your courage and determination, which shows up in so many areas of your life that you share here.
Mary Ann, I feel your fears and tears and I am wishing you all the best. Kudos for taking these steps!
Being unwell, my mind is in a muddle and I cannot quite recall what we had every day. On those days that I ate dinner at all, that is.
There's been salad and shakshuka (that went down well with my sore throat) and yesterday my husband brought home pizza, which went amazingly well except from a slight response to the cheese, probably histamine (when I still had red wine from time to time, I had a similar response to tannines. But not to the tannines in tea, thankfully).
Today we will try slowcooker red cabbage with sausage, and then tomorrow probably soup. It is a good thing I did not go shopping last week. We managed to avoid food waste after all. When Cook is sick, meals are all over the place.
WIS: I spent nothing on groceries this week. However, I did go out to eat a few times. That was about $90.
Saturday: Just had a bunch of snacks while playing games -- Chex mix, cookies, cannoli, hummus and crackers
Sunday: Chicken teriyaki stir fry
Monday: Cheese tortellini in chicken broth, salami sandwich
Tuesday: Naan mushroom pizza, chicken wings, salad
Wednesday: Chopped salad, baguette
Thursday: Veggie soup, trail mix
Today I'm planning on finishing up the soup and making a faux pizza on a biscuit to use up stuff.
WIS $23 @ scratch & dent - high end dinner sausages, dry salami and gruyere cheese.
Sun - Bolognese over penne, roasted root veggies, sour dough bread, green salad and cheese cake with rhubarb sauce.
Mon - made lasagna w/the last bit of sauce, green salad
Tue - grilled dogs, coleslaw
Wed - rotisserie chicken, green salad
Thursday - chicken, green salad
Fri - bbq chicken pizza and green salad
This time of year, we always called this prom, wedding and reunion season. I mostly worked the Fri, Sat, Sun or Sat, Sun & Mon shifts. But I worked with travelling nurses to fill in the rest of the shifts.
Friday: Chicken Enchiladas – husband made a tasty enchilada filling and froze it so we could serve it over rice or as traditional enchiladas.
Saturday: We went out to our favorite Italian restaurant with my in-laws to celebrate April birthdays (my husband and MIL). Pasta all around, but I opted for a huge salad and a cup of tomato soup.
Sunday: Smoked brisket, mashed potatoes, roasted corn.
Monday: Upside-down Chili (freezer meal)
Tuesday: Italian Penicillin Soup (freezer) for husband and me, leftovers for my son when he got home from reffing.
Wednesday: Buddha Bowls – brown rice, chicken, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, red cabbage, dill sauce.
Thursday: We hosted my husband’s students for an end of the year celebration – smoked chicken, smoked sausage, pasta salad, fruit salad, queso dip, brownies, blondies.
What is upside down chili? I make an upside pizza so upside chili has me curious.
Kristen, I have a question about the blueberries in your pancakes- is it that you always have fresh blueberries on hand? Or do you use frozen blueberries on occasion as well?
I would make blueberry pancakes more often if using frozen regular or wild is actually an option.
Sunday: onion/beef/queso/bacon bombs in the smoker, fried potatoes, steamed broccoli
Monday: chili lime or honey/bbq/bacon chicken skewers on the grill, chicken flavored noodles, french green beans
Tuesday: pizzas and subs (with our kids and grandson)...BOGO deals on both
Wednesday: pasta fagiole and homemade bread
Thursday: fish, pierogies, peas
Friday: tonight will be subs and chips (at camp)
It's been full on here.
Friday - some sort of freezer item that now escapes me.
Saturday - defrosted Philly cheese steak meat & DH added the onions & peppers to make that. We skipped the bun & sauce for health reasons, so it was okay but definitely not authentic.
Sunday - Korean beef & rice
Monday - barbecued chicken & Trader Joes chicken Tikka samosas
Tuesday - leftover Korean beef & rice
Wednesday - out to dinner at a work event. Had the halibut & then some sort of life changing onion rings that were a specialty of the restaurant
Thursday - at the airport before a trip to pick up DS19 & move him out of his dorm. Had a very tiny cheese quesadilla at the lounge, along with a salad I managed to pull together. And a glass of wine on the flight.
Friday - no clue. DS19 & I are staying over night with my BFF, and I know she's already reached out to DS19 to see what he wants for dinner. So, my guess, knowing teens, would be pizza. 😉
WIS: $15 at the Regional Market, $3 at Wegmans (after $5 in container returns), and about $50 at Price Chopper (I've mislaid one of my two PC receipts).
WIA: More meals made on the fly, since I'd rather be out in the gardens than in the kitchen this time of year. I paused long enough to (a) saute some frozen, pre-marinated boneless/skinless chicken thighs for salads and sandwiches; and (b) savor the first local asparagus of the year from the Regional Market, which needs nothing more than a simple vinaigrette. Yum!
Saturday - takeout night, I wanted Turkish food but no one else did so I picked that up just for myself and then got cheesesteaks for the rest of the family.
Sunday - I made creamy chicken and orzo for the family, I had one of my Buddha bowls (mixed grains, beans, cooked kale, roasted sweet potato cubes, salad greens, avocado and kimchi with a peanut dressing)
Monday - defrosted some alphabet soup and biscuits from the freezer for the kids, I had a roasted potato and radish soup from the freezer and some toasted sourdough with hummus and tomato.
Tuesday - My night to work late, my mom fed the kids, I had curried cauliflower soup and some toasted banana bread with nut butter.
Wednesday - bean burritos, Spanish rice and corn for the kids, I defrosted some black bean dip and spread it on two corn tortilla I crisped in the oven so they were hard like a tostada, topped with avocado and mango salsa.
Thursday - Trader Joe’s and Costco dumpling for the kids (veggie soup dumplings for one, shrimp dumplings for the other) with rice from the freezer. I had African peanut stew with whole wheat pita bread.
Friday - it’s the last dining for dollars fundraiser for the kids school and it’s actually not at a super junky fast food place like a lot of them are, it’s a sandwich shop but one that has a ton of good plant based options, so we will be picking up food from there tonight.
I know many Nurses love 12 hours shifts but when I started in the early 80’s we still had 7-3, 3-11 and 11-7 shifts.I felt so much better working a normal 8 hour day.
When it switched to 12’s, my OB unit BEGGED to leave us alone, as we had a great staff on all 3 shifts, and our admin let us do that for a few years.
When I finally HAD TO work 12’s I was exhausted..I was older.. 40 by then.. the 25 year olds loved all the “time off” but as a working Mom/wife, I could barely function after a set of 2 or 3 12’s in a row.
Well.. no one gonna change nursing staffing based on MY recommendations,lol.
Good for you for having a plan to stay nourished!!!!
I think I spent $76 at Aldi and about $30 at HEB.
Monday: hubby picked up fried chicken on a coupon deal, and I made pasta salad and biscuits to go with it.
Tuesday: we went to middle grandson’s 6-th grade band concert. I took my mom spaghetti; we had Mexican on the way home. 😉
Wednesday: Sloppy Joes, tater tots, carrot sticks
Thursday: made a Julia Child recipe. A boneless turkey breast roast, thickly sliced, with stuffing spread between the slices. Tied up in cheesecloth, browned; then braised for 3 hours. I used the crockpot. It also had celery, carrots and onion cooked with it, really just to flavor the gravy; but we ate them! Also had plain baked sweet potatoes. And cranberry sauce!
Tonight: Texas Roadhouse! Yee haw!
I have had an embarrassing amount of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches this week. I did have smoothies and yogurt bowls, but those were the three meals in rotation for every meal this week. They were delicious.
I also made butter chicken this week! I use the recipe from “twosleevers.” I ended up doubling the sauce as I only had a larger can of diced tomatoes. I also need to make it dairy free and was pleased with the way it turned out. I used the Country Crock plant based heavy cream and it was a perfect substitution, although coconut milk is fine. I put 2 cups in the freezer for another time and the three of us enjoyed the butter chicken. GS#2 ate well, though and there really wasn’t enough chicken left for a second meal … but, there was plenty of sauce. I sautéed a small head of cauliflower and added a drained can of chickpeas plus the sauce and what was left of the chicken. It was absolutely delicious and a nice way to stretch the meat in the recipe.
It makes for great leftovers, doesn't it?
Yes, it does!