What I Spent
You know how on Thursday I was like, “Oooh, it’s gonna finally be sunny today!”?
Well, it wasn’t. BOO.
Just still cloudy and damp all day.
Maaaaaybe today the sun will peek out.
I spent:
- $50 at Safeway
And that’s it! It was a low-spending week for me.
What We Ate
Saturday
I made French toast with berries and whipped cream….and I was lucky enough to snag the last container of whipped cream at Safeway.
Happily, the cream shortage is not as terrible as it was last holiday season though. I had trouble finding cream from Thanksgiving-Christmas last year.
Sunday
I made chicken fingers to use up some random pieces of chicken in my freezer, and we had fruit on the side.
Monday
We had a simple dinner of ham, rolls, and fruit salad.
Tuesday
I made Zoe’s fave baked ham sandwiches (mission use-up-the-ham!) and served them with some fruit and sliced veggies.
Wednesday
Zoe didn’t get home until later, so she ate some leftover sandwiches. For myself, I sauteed a single chicken thigh from the freezer, topped it with a chive/sour cream sauce, and I also had some oven fries and a broccoli salad.
Thursday
I made burgers, potato cubes, and sauteed broccoli.
Friday
I made a batch of butternut squash soup earlier in the week so maybe that’ll be dinner.
JEG
Sunday 31st of December 2023
I hadn't spent anything or been into a grocery store all week until I needed to get a few things for our family Christmas/New Years Eve get together. The plan was homemade Chinese. I spent $38 WIS; WWA 12/28/23 I have not been back to the grocery store yet. My daughter picked up milk for me from the little food store she works.
Saturday: Burgers Sunday (Christmas Eve): Pizza Monday: Breakfast: Casserole, sausage, fruit, cinnamon rolls; Lunch time charcuterie; Dinner next door with daughter’s family—Pasta, meatballs, braciole, salad. Tuesday: I had gone out in the afternoon with a friend for a hike. DH took burgers out of freezer. There were leftover baked beans in ‘fridge. Wednesday: Cooked up the Aldi’s ham and butternut squash. I will freeze up some so that I can make lunch for work next week. I’ll make up a chopped ham and pickle for my friend—she loves it. We’ll probably have some kind of egg dish or casserole. The bone will go to my daughter to make pea soup for my sister-in-law. Thursday: Spinach salad with egg, ham, feta, and a cranberry viniagrette Friday: Ham again with remaining veggies in the 'fridge to get that cleaned out.
Kristen, I love the lichen photo. Lichen is so pretty and so diverse. It's art in nature. I do a Monday morning walk with a group of women. Obscure nature words have been popping up and I share them with one of the women. We thought it might be fun this year to add in a weekly nature word. Build on our vocabulary.
Sonnie
Saturday 30th of December 2023
Here in Ohio I can not remember the last time we had sun!!! I am so ready. Thank you for keeping our heads up and out of the gloomy!
Ruth T
Friday 29th of December 2023
We have had a very dreary week here in Michigan, too. But still lots of Christmas fun! (Although, as I'm about to start typing out what actually happened, it definitely wasn't perfect.)
Saturday: My big family dinner gathering got cancelled because my mom (the host) got sick. Instead, my friend invited us over for dinner and a game night. I made 2 loaves of FG french bread - turned one into garlic bread - and brought those to go with her spaghetti and meatballs.
Sunday: We planned to drive up to my brother's 5pm Christmas Eve service an hour and a half away, so we packed sandwiches and veggies and stuff for dinner. He called when we were an hour away to say that he wasn't feeling up to going. My dad ended up taking him to the hospital (he's doing much better now) and we just ate our packed dinners at home. To make it a less crappy Christmas Eve, we made Christmas cookies. Definitely not how we hoped the night would go, but we didn't waste the food we prepped.
Monday: Venison steak, cranberry sauce, broccoli with cheese... and I think a second veggie, but I didn't write it down.
Tuesday: We ate a big lunch at my parents' house and I didn't have to bring anything.
Wednesday: After taking my in-laws to see the Christmas lights at the zoo, we went to McDonald's because my kids were excited about the Squishmallow toys in the Happy Meals.
Thursday: My MIL brought hamloaf from Pennsylvania and she made scalloped potatoes to go with it. I made zucchini and rolls to go with it.
Friday: Chili and baked potatoes. We spent the day at a museum, so I'm thrilled that dinner was in the crock-pot and I don't have to do anything else for it!
Also - I made your cinnamon swirl bread yesterday and it is SO GOOD! Definitely a keeper!
Sandra
Friday 29th of December 2023
@Ruth T, I’m making he cinnamon swirl bread right now—it’s on its second rise! My first time too. Stomach is growling. . ..
Joanne in the U.K.
Friday 29th of December 2023
Loving the comments further up about random crap at Aldi, I love a good ferret around in that aisle, who knew I needed a socket set when I popped in for olives :) We also have lots of Lidl stores nearby and ‘the middle of Lidl’ is also a thing too. Again you may find an ironing board nestled next to the marshmallow fluff, it’s the main reason I pop in so often :):) WIS £204 Ocado delivery £23 fish & chip takeout £5 corner shop - forgotten stuffing mix and extra loaf of bread WWA Sat - fish and chip takeout, so yummy Sun - out tradition of Christmas Eve homemade pizza & fancy schmancy ice cream eaten in our new pjs Mon - assorted nibbles to start - smoked salmon blinis; pate on toast; beetroot & goat cheese lettuce wraps Main - turkey, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, carrots, red cabbage, runner beans frozen from the summer Brussel sprouts & chestnuts, stuffing & gravy Desserts - choice of Christmas pudding or Buche de Noel (homemade) 2 hours later cups of tea with Christmas cake and/or mince pies - both homemade Tuesday- leftover Turkey in sandwiches Wed - no idea Thur - salmon stir fry & noodles Fri - meatloaf, fries & veggies
Fru-gal Lisa
Sunday 31st of December 2023
@Rose, My grandmother used to have mincemeat pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but you can't find any mincemeat here in Texas anymore. I miss 'em like crazy. Where can you order them?
Joanne in the U.K.
Saturday 30th of December 2023
@Becca, definitely download the app if you don’t already have it and set your new store as your favourite one. I get random ‘free bakery items’ offers pop through and those are always a winner for me.
Becca
Friday 29th of December 2023
@Joanne in the U.K.,
A new Lidl is about to open about a half mile from my house, so maybe I'll give it another try, but generally speaking, I think I'm just an Aldi girl through and through.
Joanne in the U.K.
Friday 29th of December 2023
@Rose, I don’t make my own mincemeat, some friends do but my family like the bog standard mincemeat with nothing fancy in there so I tend to buy the cheap stuff. I make my own pastry from scratch which is always in reading short and crumbly which everyone likes so it’s a win! Personally I dislike mince puss, Christmas cake and Christmas pudding which I make for everyone else. Can’t stand the mixed fruit, dead flies I call it :) Atora, what an iconic brand - my mom always has a box in her larder.
Joanne in the U.K.
Friday 29th of December 2023
@Becca, I use both stores for specific things, the antipasti at Lidl is far superior to Aldi but Aldi’s veggie offers are often better than Lidl. If I didn’t work full time I’d regularly shop from each but I don’t have the time unfortunately.
Geneva
Friday 29th of December 2023
The freezer cleanout is still underway, but the Christmas did call for extra trips to the store to pick up special ingredients that I normally don’t have on hand which I was more than happy to make an exception for.
Friday: Red Beans and Rice
Saturday: Anniversary dinner out with my husband
Sunday: Tri-Tip, Au Gratin Potatoes, Santa Maria style beans, garlic bread
Monday: we had a late lunch with my in-laws so I planned “fancy plates” for dinner – basically a charcuterie board but my son called them fancy plates when I would make them for his lunch when he was little and the name has stuck.
Tuesday: Halal Cart Chicken
Wednesday: Chili with Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits
Thursday: leftover chili for my son and me, I picked up ham and wild rice soup for my husband because he had a procedure that made spicy food less desirable on his esophagus. The soup had slivered almonds in it, which was a surprise and not esophagus friendly so he made mac and cheese as a backup.
Christmas desserts I made to share: Krumkake, brownies, white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies.
Jody S.
Friday 29th of December 2023
@Geneva, I love "fancy plates"; we call it "bits and bobs."