Dinner Past and Plans April 22
I'm getting more variety since my son eats almost double what I do, then eats leftovers for lunch, so not a lot of repeats for me. He's neither picky nor a fan of ready made meals or convenience foods, where inflation has really hit, so I think we've had a reasonable budget with healthy meals. There's a few indulgences, but those are offset other meals or the next day. Here's what we ate this past week.
- Sunday- Green lentil dal, palak paneer, basmati rice, naan
- Monday- Assorted leftovers, spinach salad
- Tuesday - Grilled turkey, cheese with tomato and avocado, with Tomato red pepper soup. (It was a cold wet day and hit the spot)
- Wednesday- Cavitapi with Alfredo sauce, mussels for my son
- Thursday -Hamburger rice hotdish ( which was a hit with my son as he thought it was risotto as it turned out so creamy and I used several cheese varieties and seasoned heavily with garlic and parsley). Definitely adding to a rotation.
- Friday- Salmon (son), a sandwich ( me), he ate leftover pasta with his salmon
- Saturday- Not sure what my son ate or where. I had made a big pot of beans soup and know some was eaten. I was out and about with my younger daughter and we had a couple shared plates at two different stops.
If you looked at last week's possibilities, not much of what we ate matched, but it gave me ideas just the same. Going into the week, I'm still on target to be under $475, groceries and household. Fresh produce, dairy, and bread and a few proteins are on my list. I'll likely need pups soft food, dishwasher tablets and laundry soap before month end, so need to plan but should be good elsewhere in non-food items. Here's what we might have. I've got soup on here twice as we've got another chilly week or more, plus neither of us mind soup with a sandwich for lunch even when warm out.
- Tortellini, mushroom, spinach, soup
- Tuna hot dish
- Chicken stuffing hot dish with mashed potatoes
- Egg bake with sausage, spinach, and cheese
- Bean soup and sandwiches ( maybe BLT)
- Goulash
- Taco corn bread bake
- Homemade pizza with hamburger, mushrooms, onions, and peppers
- Cottage pie
- Chicken lo mein with egg rolls or pot stickers
- Spaghetti and meatballs or meat sauce
I'll probably venture off the list, but this is enough ideas to get to end of month. Neither of us have suggested eating out, though we both have happy hour meet ups that might include appetizers this week. We need to have some socializing after all.
Don’t you just love when you can add something new and yummy into the rotation? I stuck to my plan for last week and also made a small pot of stuffed pepper soup, inspired by some withering multicolor peppers in the fridge. Used cauliflower rice and minimal beef for cheap, low carb meals. Going forward, today is a hectic day making the trip up to see DD at school for her scholarship banquet, so I took advantage of a bogo deal at a local restaurant. It’s easily two meals for me, hubby will finish his. Monday is a late day for me so he’ll fend for himself tomorrow. I plan on making the chicken gyros again since they were a hit, grape jelly meatballs and a chicken pot pie-ish sort of meal. I’m doing dinner with girlfriends Wednesday and Thursday is the first Night Market of the season so I will graze while I’m there. Friday is another late night for me and I tend to not cook on the weekends so that’s up in the air. I spent $50 at Aldi and that combined with what’s here will feed us, on top of my indulgences this week. JoAnn
ReplyDeleteI am always pleased when easy is a taste win. I hope I can find a few more inexpensive, yet enjoyable meals. Night market sounds interesting.
DeleteI think you would love the Night Market! They shut down four blocks near the courthouse and it’s filled with vendors and musicians. You can get hot foods, baked goods, fresh flowers, candles, jewelry, home goods, pet stuff, you name it. It’s so vibrant and always packed-in a good way. It’s a great place to people watch and meet up with friends and support small local businesses. It makes my heart so happy. A sure sign spring is here!
DeleteSo, never too many leftovers for you. Good. Both your budgets are not taking a hit with his penchant for healthy eating and fresh, not packaged meals. I never mind soup when it is warm. However, I am not a soup and sandwich person. One or the other is fine, but never together.
ReplyDeleteNot anymore. He makes easy work of anything left.
DeleteLooks to me like you both are doing great!
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to say it's been perfect, but it's been manageable so far as roommates.
DeleteThose look like some really good meals. I made several soups today, frozen now in individual servings, for lunches to see me through the next three weeks.
ReplyDeleteI need to freeze some of the bean soup. It just made too much even with his appetite.
DeleteHa, we should introduce our sons! Your Sunday dining would be absolute heaven for my oldest. I actually bought him palak paneer for Christmas!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy son ate a second Trader Joe's as a snack. It's not too expensive, but isn't cheap either! Healthy men eat well, so not going to complain.
DeleteSounds delicious! I love having someone who will eat what I cook and there aren't many leftovers at all. Mom was that person for me. I'm glad your son is there with you to do that for you.
ReplyDeleteThe budget is going to probably increase a bit- at least until better local produce comes. He can polish off a lot.
DeleteHopefully he is burning off those extra calories!
ReplyDeleteThe food sounds scrumptious.