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Eat at Home 3!

Our oven croaked last year at our camp and we have not replaced it yet. We use the Crockpot, Microwave, electric skillet, pizza oven , airfryer, George Forman and outdoor grill.
Not cleaning the oven is a nice bonus!
Enjoy the new oven!
We rarely use our camp oven. In fact our house oven was broken for more than a year before we replaced it. There are so many options in this day and age that as long as you are not roasting a turkey you are fine
 
Okay, shopping is done for the week...lots of plans!

Superbowl Sunday - Fake-out Subway Meatball Subs (baby spinach, discount bakery rolls, red onion, jarred banana peppers, Trader Joe's party meatballs in marinara sauce - mozzarella and parm for the dairy eaters/nutritional yeast for me), Pretzel Bites with mustard and hummus (superbowl snacking), Blueberry and Dragon Fruit Salad

Monday - Marinated Garlic and Herb Pork Tenderloin (a Safeway sale and it's been awhile), Roasted Asparagus, Pear and Apple Homemade Muffins

Tuesday (Valentine's Day) - Porterhouse Steak with Red Wine Sauce (the protein - it was on sale enough that I finally bought it for the 1st time in a year as the kids' treat) and Dark Chocolate Coconut Fondue with Strawberries, Pineapple, Bananas, Clementines, Marshmallows, Oreos, and Pretzels for Dipping

Wednesday (Lent) - Make Your Own Pizza (Safeway sale on the high end thin crusts) - Anchovies, 3 Cheeses (Mozza, Ricotta, Parm - Nutritional Yeast for me), Red Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Fresh Tomato, Portbello Mushroom, and Leftover Pineapple (from the fondue) with Pesto Sauce and Marinara Sauce, Fondue Fruit not Eaten

Thursday - Ground Beef Tacos with Homemade Guacamole and Salsa (taco stuff was so cheap today), Black Beans, and Fondue Fruit Not eaten

Friday (Lent) - Church Potluck Soup and Pasta Dinner - I'm bringing Leprechaun Pasta (aka, vegan and nut free pesto pasta - I may add either peas, spinach, fresh herbs, or zucchini to continue the green theme - I have the 1st 2 frozen, so they are likeliest)

Saturday - Dinner and Game Day at Friends - I bring the produce sides, so since she's planning steak, I'm gonna roast onions, bell peppers, and 2 types of mushrooms. Then, I'm gonna bring a fruit to roast based on weekend sales (since they have a pollen allergy in the house, all the produce always has to be cooked).
 
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Here's the plan...how it actually shakes out is always questionable LOL. Always try to use the leftovers for lunches at the very least.

Sunday- Cheese and chocolate fondue with assorted dippers and any other snacky food we feel like
Monday- Chinese take out
Tuesday- BBQ turkey meatballs over egg noodles
Wednesday- Fillets with a baked potato for me and baked sweet potato for DH (this is only meal that's certain)
Thursday- Huli huli chicken over rice
Friday- TBD (probably leftovers or something easy like frozen pizza or pasta)
Do you have a specific recipe you use for Huli Huli chicken? Sounds tasty!
 
Do you have a specific recipe you use for Huli Huli chicken? Sounds tasty!
This is the one I use (I can vouch for the fact we like it but I have no idea how "authentic" it is):

3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup soy sauce (i always use reduced sodium)
3 tbsp packed brown sugar
3 tbsp lime juice or miring (i always use lime juice since i never have mirin on hand)
1 tbsp grated ginger
4 cloves of garlic (i use a little less since we aren't huge garlic lovers and i've used fresh or the minced garlic in the jar)

Marinate chicken or pork 20 mins to 24 hours reserving some marinade to serve as sauce on the side.

****I rarely marinate ahead of time. I make the marinade. Then sautee some chicken I've cut into chunks in a pan to get some color on them. Pour the marinade in the pan and add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it. Let the chicken finish cooking in the sauce and serve it that way. It's a pretty forgiving recipe I think and you can adjust to your taste for sure.
 


A day late into the week. But better than never. This week will be just make whatever we have left as we'll get 2 paychecks this week.

Sunday (Super Bowl) - ordered pizza that we also had for lunch on Monday;
Monday - sandwiches, chips (wife had bible study, so had to do something quick and easy);
Tuesday - sausage wraps, rice/veggies;
Wednesday - some type of pasta/bread (we both have bible study then wife has choir practice);
Thursday (pay day) - will go to the grocery store and stock up, so no telling at this point;
Friday (pay day No. 2 ) - may eat out or something easy since it's end of the week.
 
Ugg catching up

Last week
Sloppy joe
Pork tenderloin
Club sandwich
Pizza
Wings
Hamburger
Leftovers

This week
Turkey and ham roll ups
Chicken pot pie
Stuffed salmon
Taco
Orange chicken
Breakfast
Bbq ribs
 
I’ve been sick/traveling for work, so meal planning has fallen by the wayside. Trying to get back into the groove…

Today: sheet pan chicken fajitas
Tomorrow: breakfast for dinner
Monday: spaghetti bolognese (making double batch of sauce to freeze for a busy night)
Tuesday: Lentil soup with franks
Wednesday: chicken piccata, cous cous, broccoli
Thursday: eggs with mustard sauce, potatoes
Friday: make your own pizza for DD’s slumber party

The next 7 or so weeks will be incredibly busy with few quiet evenings at home and some weekends away. We’ll see how well (or not) I’ll do with meal planning.
 


Tonight - lemon chicken spaghetti with buratta

Sun - chicken skillet with harvest vegetables and tortellini

Mon - eating out

Tues - baked ham and cheese roll ups, chips

Wed - baked fish, angel hair pasta, broccoli

Thurs - chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes
 
Did shopping early b/c of snow...but don't have absolute set plans, but here's a rough guess - shops were HMart and Aldi for the week...

Sunday - Hmart Korean Marinated Chicken Thigh (1/2 price) and Veg Stir Fry (Onions, Peppers, Mushrooms, maybe some Spinach too), White Rice, Strawberries and Kiwi

Monday - Aldi's Hamburgers with Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickle, Onion, and the Condiments, Roasted Okra, More Strawberries and Kiwi

Tuesday - Roast Whole Duck with Orange Sauce (Aldi's - under $3/lb clearance), Homemade Stuffing with Onions and Celery, Roasted Broccoli, Sliced Oranges

Wednesday - Duck Soup/Stew (not sure what yet, but I'll use the duck bones to make something nice), Homemade Bread or Muffins, Green Leaf Salad with Tomato, Cucumber, and Carrot

Thursday - Aldi's Pork Tamales with Salsa Verde, Homemade Guacamole, Lettuce, Tomato, and Cheese (for the willing), Black Beans, Probably Orange Slices

Friday - Lenten Soup and Pasta Church Dinner - bringing an Indian Chickpea, Green Pea and Veg Curry and Fruity Pebbles Cupcakes (both dairy and nut free)

Saturday - Girls are going out with their friends, so I may take spouse and the boys out for their favorite fast casual
 
I was a little late posting earlier this week. Going to try and get it in early this week.

2 things happened this week that will define our eating out for the next week or 2.

The first thing is I went back and looked at our bank account to see how much we had eaten out this year. Been trying to focus on our finances, and I wanted to see where our money was going. We used our debit card 104 times between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14 (only went for the first 45 days of the month). YIKES!!!! I'm embarrassed to say that. So things absolutely have to change there.

The second thing that happened was we spent $245 on our Walmart order this week (remember, there's only 2 of us in the house). We loaded up on food, snacks, waters, stuff like that. Some decent meal planning/prepping, some stuff like frozen entrees we can carry for lunches at work. We've decided no breakfasts or lunches out. We're going to cut down to 2 dinners out per week (either Thursday, Friday or Saturday night) then Sunday after church.

But we've got so much stuff that it's going to be hard to plan on specific nights. But here's a glimpse of the week.

Monday - ham/turkey and cheese wraps, chips (wife has bible study);
Tuesday - grilled chicken and baked potatoes;
Wednesday - cereal or ham/turkey and cheese wraps (something quick as we have bible study then choir practice);
Thursday - tacos or sloppy joes;
Friday - something easy (frozen pizza or chicken tenders and tater tots);
Saturday - chicken fajitas;
 
I was a little late posting earlier this week. Going to try and get it in early this week.

2 things happened this week that will define our eating out for the next week or 2.

The first thing is I went back and looked at our bank account to see how much we had eaten out this year. Been trying to focus on our finances, and I wanted to see where our money was going. We used our debit card 104 times between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14 (only went for the first 45 days of the month). YIKES!!!! I'm embarrassed to say that. So things absolutely have to change there.

The second thing that happened was we spent $245 on our Walmart order this week (remember, there's only 2 of us in the house). We loaded up on food, snacks, waters, stuff like that. Some decent meal planning/prepping, some stuff like frozen entrees we can carry for lunches at work. We've decided no breakfasts or lunches out. We're going to cut down to 2 dinners out per week (either Thursday, Friday or Saturday night) then Sunday after church.

But we've got so much stuff that it's going to be hard to plan on specific nights. But here's a glimpse of the week.

Monday - ham/turkey and cheese wraps, chips (wife has bible study);
Tuesday - grilled chicken and baked potatoes;
Wednesday - cereal or ham/turkey and cheese wraps (something quick as we have bible study then choir practice);
Thursday - tacos or sloppy joes;
Friday - something easy (frozen pizza or chicken tenders and tater tots);
Saturday - chicken fajitas;
I was a little late posting earlier this week. Going to try and get it in early this week.

2 things happened this week that will define our eating out for the next week or 2.

The first thing is I went back and looked at our bank account to see how much we had eaten out this year. Been trying to focus on our finances, and I wanted to see where our money was going. We used our debit card 104 times between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14 (only went for the first 45 days of the month). YIKES!!!! I'm embarrassed to say that. So things absolutely have to change there.

The second thing that happened was we spent $245 on our Walmart order this week (remember, there's only 2 of us in the house). We loaded up on food, snacks, waters, stuff like that. Some decent meal planning/prepping, some stuff like frozen entrees we can carry for lunches at work. We've decided no breakfasts or lunches out. We're going to cut down to 2 dinners out per week (either Thursday, Friday or Saturday night) then Sunday after church.

But we've got so much stuff that it's going to be hard to plan on specific nights. But here's a glimpse of the week.

Monday - ham/turkey and cheese wraps, chips (wife has bible study);
Tuesday - grilled chicken and baked potatoes;
Wednesday - cereal or ham/turkey and cheese wraps (something quick as we have bible study then choir practice);
Thursday - tacos or sloppy joes;
Friday - something easy (frozen pizza or chicken tenders and tater tots);
Saturday - chicken fajitas;
Agree on the debit card. I have stopped using it for daily use. DH would use it for something he will need in 6 months and not mention it. Also way too much mindless spending. I would run to the grocery store for a doughnut on my break, when I could have a free meal at work. For me cash and a low limit credit card has worked wonders. Once out of the bank the money is gone, not off in limbo somewhere.

I would not feel bad about $245 at the grocery store. When you stock up it gets expensive. Now you have drinks and such until the next sale rotatio. I also like to stock up on ingredients for our favorite meals. When all you need to do is pull something out of the freezer for a quick meal it is easier to avoid the temptation to eat out.

I have found that if I make a few meals on the weekend they can be used as a quick meal on a busy evening. I try to save up cash so that I can buy gift cards to our favorite restaurants when they go on sale. I either give them to my kids as gifts or use them ourselves. Monday DH and I went to Chilis to use the bonus card from the card I bought from my daughter’s Christmas gift. Between the bonus card and a discoun that they were offering we got 2 meals, 2 beers and a dessert to split for under $30.
 
This is going to be an expensive week. DH is going to Florida on Wednesday and I am meeting him Friday night.

Today unsure where but going out. Hopefully just to the local pizza pub, but there are a couple places we rarely go that would fit into today well.

Monday and Tuesday sausage one night and beef and gravy the other.

I will probably have leftovers until I leave Friday night.
 
Taking a day trip for a food tour of Vermont. I am going to spend way too much but these are places we don’t get to often and it’s our 5th wedding anniversary so I’m not thinking about it. 😂

We are going to King Arthur flour, Grafton Cheese, Vermont Country Deli, and the Guliford Country store. I just pulled out a cooler. Yum!
 
Tonight- chicken parm, roasted potatoes
Tomorrow- matzoh ball soup, Italian bread
Tues- pot roast, potatoes, carrots (from the freezer- I made it weeks ago and froze half)
Wed- penne vodka, salad
Thur- BBQ chicken pizza, salad
Fri- either something from the freezer or order something inexpensive
Sat- out
 
Sunday - Guinness beef stew (crockpot)
Monday- Tortellini with sauce
Tuesday- Chicken cutlets and consomme rice
Wednesday- Breakfast for dinner (probably pancakes, bacon/sausage, and eggs)
Thursday- Huli huli chicken and white rice (got bumped from last week)

***All subject to be moved around. Leftovers for our lunches.
 
Not sure why I keep forgetting to post here. 🤦🏻‍♀️ We leave early next Monday morning, for WDW, so making sure we’re eating at home this week. The week’s plan:

Sunday - split bone in turkey breast, mashed potatoes, asparagus, cranberry sauce & stoffers dressing

Monday - sloppy joe’s, green beans

Tuesday - polish sausage, pierogi, beets

Wednesday - pan seared steak (husband), oven roast salmon w/ pesto (me) roasted cauliflower, broccoli & carrots

Thursday - chicken noodle soup

Friday - my sisters want to meet somewhere for fish fry. Not sure yet if it’s definite. If not, I’ll make pizza at home.

Saturday - steak again for husband, pork chop for me, applesauce, roast smashed potatoes

Sunday - cheese ravioli w/ sauce, frozen garlic bread
 
Several things happening that put us in a position where going out to eat has to stop. Youngest daughter is having unexpected dental surgery ($$), son qualified for his school DC trip ($$$), oldest daugther decided last minute she wants to run track ($), and we have our WDW trip to finish saving for ($$$$). On top of that, our FIL gifts us 1/4 beef each year (he's a rancher and it's his Christmas gift to us but it comes back from butcher in March). Anyway, he just called and let us know that we'll be getting 1/2 instead of 1/4 now. Extremely grateful, but it also means we have to get the freezer more emptied than expected and only 2 weeks left to do it. All that to say, I have to get our freezers inventoried and start meal planning...

Tonight: birthday celebration at Main Event (vowing to make this our last out to eat for the month)
Tomorrow: something with ground beef (already dethawing in the fridge) probably taco bar
Wednesday: Slow cooker short ribs
Thursday: Something with roast
Friday: Homemade pizza
Saturday: Something on the smoker

Off to inventory I go!!!
 
Several things happening that put us in a position where going out to eat has to stop. Youngest daughter is having unexpected dental surgery ($$), son qualified for his school DC trip ($$$), oldest daugther decided last minute she wants to run track ($), and we have our WDW trip to finish saving for ($$$$). On top of that, our FIL gifts us 1/4 beef each year (he's a rancher and it's his Christmas gift to us but it comes back from butcher in March). Anyway, he just called and let us know that we'll be getting 1/2 instead of 1/4 now. Extremely grateful, but it also means we have to get the freezer more emptied than expected and only 2 weeks left to do it. All that to say, I have to get our freezers inventoried and start meal planning...

Tonight: birthday celebration at Main Event (vowing to make this our last out to eat for the month)
Tomorrow: something with ground beef (already dethawing in the fridge) probably taco bar
Wednesday: Slow cooker short ribs
Thursday: Something with roast
Friday: Homemade pizza
Saturday: Something on the smoker

Off to inventory I go!!!
Your plan sounds delicious. Sorry about the little ones dental surgery. At least with half a cow food shouldn’t be too expensive.
 

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