What We Really Ate this week: Second Week of January

 

This likely will be a brief post, but I thought rather than record daily meals on the Journal post, I'd start a separate post of our meals of the week so you can compare it to what I planned for the week.

Starting back at Friday evening: I wanted something comforting and warming.  It was cold and dark and dreary all day long and was pouring freezing rain when we came to the end of the day.  I dithered around trying to figure out what I'd make. 

Friday evening:  Gingerbread Waffles (from the freezer), sausage patties (freezer), and Scrambled cheese eggs.  I warmed the syrup, and the meal was everything I'd hoped it would be.

Saturday:  Bagel for John, boiled egg and croissant for me along with the last of the Alpine Strawberries.

Lunch out with the trio of children at IHOP.   John made egg salad with some of the boiled eggs from this morning and ate a sandwich.

Pizza and wings, brought home as takeout at John's request.

I paid for lunch out with the kids with money left from my allowance last month.  Dinner came from our entertainment fund.  It was a pricey food day anyway you look at it but not something we do routinely.  The kids so enjoyed their lunch out, as none of them had ever been to IHOP before.  We noted while there that they have a special menu that is $6 a plate and I told them if we go in future, we'll plan to eat items off that menu.

As for the pizza dinner, I have leftovers, and we'll use those for a meal one day this week. 

Sunday:  Toast for John, cheese toast for me.

Leftover Pizza, Salad.  This takes the sting out of the pizza meal the day before since we truly got more than enough for two meals.  Not as cheap as homemade but it's good pizza and I don't mind springing for it once a month.

Brunswick Stew and Barbecue Sandwich.  Brunswick Stew leftover from last week, Pulled Barbecue from the freezer, homemade burger buns.  It was a good meal.

Monday:  We skipped it.  What I mean is that I wasn't hungry, and John apparently didn't feel up to slicing bread and putting it in the toaster himself.

Tamale Pie.  Sam gave us a pint of homemade chili.  I had been thinking of making Tamale Pie earlier in the weekend.  I used the Mexican Cornbread recipe to put on top of the chili and my goodness that was delicious!

I had a Quesadilla.  John ate egg salad sandwich.  Maybe I was just being snarky, but I truly wasn't hungry again, and I balked at the idea of making a meal when I didn't want one.  I told John to make what he wanted.  He asked if he could use eggs I'd boiled and I said, "Help yourself."  So, he did.  I got hungry nearer 8pm and made myself a quesadilla.

Pantry/Freezer challenge is going just fine, but I definitely needed an attitude adjustment today and I'll openly admit it.

Tuesday:  Banana Muffin with sausage for me.  Toast for John.  John has really enjoyed these Banana Oatmeal muffins.  I ate the very last one this morning, but we've got more in the freezer.

Chicken Tenders (frozen) and Mashed potato pancakes.  I'm following my usual menu rules: if I have it on the menu and we eat it at some point in the week, I consider it a win.  John asked for potato pancakes, so I made them.  I used up all the leftover mashed potatoes.  No waste.

Ropa Vieja, Yellow Rice, Tortillas, Carrot and Apple salad.  Let's talk about supper as a whole first.  Lately my husband has been begging me NOT to make vegetables.  No broccoli, no green beans, no brussels sprouts, no sweet potatoes, just make a sandwich or meat and potatoes.  I've no idea why he's gotten to this stage.  Well, I kind of do...John knows I put the Chicken Broccoli Alfredo on the menu for this week and he's dreading it.  So tonight, he asked again if we could just skip the vegetables.

Y'all, he LIKED this Carrot and Apple Salad.  I didn't have vanilla yogurt.  I didn't put in the salt and pepper or the lemon juice the recipe called for either.  As it was made it came across a little bit sweet and tasted a whole lot like a cross of Waldorf salad with Carrot Raisin.  That's not a bad thing. John likes both.  I wish I had added the lemon juice and maybe a splash of vanilla and a bit of salt, so the salad would have come across a little less sweet and more acidic to balance the meat dish.

I made a sort of burrito with the meat, rice and grated cheese.  

There was so much Ropa Vieja that I ended up refreezing a good portion of this.  I have enough yellow rice left that I'll likely just make black beans to go with it instead of making Red Beans.

John raved over how good this meal was. Win!

Wednesday:  Toast, Toasted Cheese Sandwich.  

Out at our favorite restaurant after a morning of errands and car maintenance. We got burgers today, and side salads and I always get fries which serves us both for lunch.  We bring home half our burgers and half the fries and that becomes lunch or supper for another meal.  Typically, we have it for supper the same day.  I plan to have these leftovers for tomorrow.

Bbq'd Ribs, Potato Salad, Baked Beans.  Nope not on the menu.  We had Katie, Cody and the boys here for supper tonight.  It wasn't planned but we were so glad to have them come over.  I had two serving items thawed in the fridge but not enough to feed five.  

Well, the truth is the ribs weren't quite enough, but we managed just fine.  I pieced the ribs out by cutting them into individual pieces.  Caleb got one rib, and I should have given him two.  I ended up sharing one of mine with him.  He obligingly picked a miniscule something off his bone and offered to share with me.  I couldn't see it but I took it and 'ate' it.  

Thursday:    I have often complained over making 'big breakfasts' four or more mornings a week.  John is eating just toast and nothing but toast just now and here's the truth.  I won't cook a proper breakfast for 'just me' and I miss having breakfasts with him terribly.  Go figure.

Toast, sausage balls for me

Out with Mama.  We ate chicken tenders and fries.

Bbq'd Pork Chop Sheet Pan meal, Red Grapefruit half.  I was starting to feel very antsy about all that I'd thawed out and we hadn't eaten.  I still have that Broccoli and Chicken Alfredo pasta (still no interest but it's getting eaten tomorrow for supper), and stew beef out in the fridge.  I cooked the pork chops tonight.  I really want to make beans and rice but doggone it, the beans won't spoil, and the meat will!  So, the beans will wait.

I just wanted vegetables this evening and this meal incorporated potatoes, red peppers, onions, Brussels Sprouts.  It was good.  I'm about pork-ed out though, let me tell you.  I could oink.  I think we'll just push off making anything pork over the next week or two.

Friday:  Toast and Scrambled Eggs for me.  Toast for John.

Chicken, Broccoli Alfredo Pasta.  It was okay.  Nothing I'd ever want again let me tell you.  But we didn't waste it, we ate it and that's that.

Burgers, Fries, Baked Beans, Salad.  The burgers and fries are left over from our meal out earlier this week. I added the beans and fries to extend the half burgers and make up for the lack of embellishment with the sorry lunch we had.

And that is what we Really ate this week.  Lesson learned...I think in future I'll thaw only a few things of the planned menu and then see how we use them up.   This week we were thrown off by eating out, having company (no complaints on either score!), etc.  I felt pressured to figure out how to use up all I'd gotten out.  

I still have stew beef in the fridge.  I plan to make stew tomorrow.

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