What I Spent
Really simple this week: I spent $107 at Aldi!
Something that has nothing to do with food: you know how Chiquita is always sitting on my desk or worse, on my keyboard?
I moved her new cat tree into my office, and so far, it is working beautifully to keep her off my desk!
I hope this continues…she has a comfier place to sleep, and I can type without a cat in the way. 😉
What We Ate
Saturday
We had a late lunch, so Zoe and I both just had smoothies for dinner.
(Girl dinner?)
Sunday
We just had a frozen pizza.
Monday
Zoe was at work, and I made some mashed potatoes topped with roasted red peppers and some shrimp.
The picture looks very unappetizing but I promise it was delicious.
There’s never good lighting for pictures by the time I eat dinner in the winter!
Tuesday
I thawed some roasted winter squash and made an eyeballed batch of soup by blending it and then adding a bit of butter, some salt, pepper, and half and half.
I also seasoned some chicken with a bit of leftover taco seasoning, cooked that on the stovetop, and added the rest of the roasted sweet peppers I’d made, with some half and half to deglaze the pan.
Wednesday
My breakfast for dinner meal of the week: whole wheat blueberry pancakes. Can’t stop, won’t stop. 🙂
Thursday
I made this mandarin chicken salad (a copycat of an old Wendy’s salad, which is not even faintly authentically Asian. But it is delicious.)
Friday
I’m working a 7:00 am-7:30 pm tech shift at my hospital, so…probably just a ham sandwich when I come home.
I made a recipe of the Aldi copycat chickpea salad, though, which I packed for my lunch with some leftover chicken from last night. I also packed some cottage cheese and peaches. So my lunch is gonna be a nicer meal than my dinner. 😉
I do still have my lunch voucher from when I donated blood, but I think I’ll use that when I’m at the hospital for clinical.
I also haven’t used the free Ledo’s voucher!
At clinical, we usually all gather in the cafeteria for our lunch break, so it’ll be handy to use it then.
Bee
Friday 10th of January 2025
WWS - I have been eating down the refrigerator and the pantry, so I only spent roughly $50 week at Trader Joe’s. I also spent $30 on takeout sushi
WWA Saturday - I had homemade cream of chicken vegetable soup leftover from Friday night. DH had the last of the blackeyed peas, rice and ham. We both had leftover GF cornbread.
Sunday - We had family dinner out at BIL house for my nephew’s birthday. We had take out barbecue.
Monday - There was a single GF pizza in the freezer. I doctored it with some burrata, spinach, chicken sausage and fresh tomato.
Tuesday - It was my husband’s birthday. Although we had planned dinner out with family, many in the family were not feeling well, and it was bitterly cold (for us). We had takeout sushi instead and will go to his favorite restaurant this weekend.
Wednesday - I made chicken piccata, rice, and roasted tomatoes and green beans.
Thursday - DH made a large pot of beef stew which we will also have for dinner this evening.
Enjoy your weekend and bon appétit.
Katy @ Practical Walk
Friday 10th of January 2025
All looks delicious! You're food pictures are always so inspiring! 1. Bean, meat and rice bowls 2. My family had beans and rice one night when I went to a ladies' night at a Mexican restraunt. 3. Pasta bake, garlic bread and roasted veggies 4. Greens, beans and cornbread What can I say, it's been a bean heavy week! But they're cheap, healthy and we love them!
Also, I've been enjoying your homemade yogurt recipe. I make half vanilla and half plain. I tried using it to make overnight oats, delish!
Geneva
Friday 10th of January 2025
Friday: Trader Joe’s tortellini, the last of a jar of red sauce (frozen), and the last few pieces of focaccia. Saturday: My husband’s dad’s family gathered for their annual holiday meal. It’s always a potluck so I made a batch of Krumkake. The meal was at 4pm so we might have popped a frozen pizza in the oven for a late-night snack. Sunday: Turkey Cheeseburger Soup Monday: Sausage and Veggie Sheet Pan Dinner Tuesday: Chicken Noodle Soup Wednesday: Pot Roast with veggies Thursday: Fish and Chips with fruit
My goal this week was to use up as much as possible in the fridge before heading out of town. I also worked on finishing up all the little snacky odds and ends leftover from the holidays – most of those made it into my son’s lunches without complaints. I’ll have a big shopping trip when we get back from our trip, but nothing will go to waste!
JD
Friday 10th of January 2025
I'm sure Chiquita enjoys having that window view.
WIS - nothing, this last week was my "off" week for shopping.
WIA - this will be easy.
I made a pot of beef-vegetable soup in the pressure cooker- it had mushrooms, celery root (celeriac), carrots, celery, onion and lots of garlic. The meat came from two very meaty soup bones. I ate this a few times, with bread and butter or fruit as sides.
I made a leg of lamb (hello, A. Marie!) roasted with mushrooms and white potatoes. I ate this a few times with various sides including beets, cranberry sauce, and komatsuna greens. My usual beef rancher also raises a few sheep, and I bought a half sheep last year.
Except for one night when I made tuna salad (with shredded veggies as always), this is what I ate all week.
Of course, this was also my lunches. I'm lucky that this doesn't bore me.
Tonight: That depends on how tired and chilly I am after work then grocery shopping.
JD
Friday 10th of January 2025
@A. Marie, My current beef rancher is the second generation and has nearly raised the third, so I hope they will continue for a while. They also have a few hogs and chickens, but mostly it's cows, many, many cows. They practice organic, sustainable farming and hogs and sheep are an important part of it.
A. Marie
Friday 10th of January 2025
@JD, I wish that my beef-raising friends did sheep too. But I'll be lucky if they stay in the beef business for another couple of years (they're in their mid-70s and feeling their age). They used to do pork, but gave up on pigs a few years ago.
Ruby
Friday 10th of January 2025
Chiquita probably just wanted to be able to look out the window. Moving the cat tree lets her do that in perfect comfort.
WIS: $84, divided between Aldi (2/3) and Food Lion (1/3). WWA: Homemade pizza made with the refrigerated dough from Aldi, which was very good and so fast. Ham with fresh fruit and vegetables. White bean soup with a side dish of roasted sweet potato cubes. Veggie burgers with oranges as a side. The stand-by of protein shakes, rye crackers, Laughing Cow cheese and fruit for snacky-type meals.