Bet you thought I forgot to do my weekly recap, didn’t you? Nahhh, I’ve just been busy battling the most horrific cold of the century. But now I’m on the upswing, I can think clearly, and I’m ready to rehash my week in food from 12/2 to 12/9.
Just as a reminder, I took the week after Thanksgiving as an “off” week, where I didn’t blog about my groceries. Thanksgiving leftovers and not wanting to shop on or just before Thanksgiving threw off my schedule. I DID eat, however, so this week includes a few leftover items from my “off” week.
Oh! And I’m also beginning the $40/week to accommodate shared meals with my boyfriend. I came in at $35 for my initial grocery run and left myself the $5 wiggle room in case I needed to hit the store later in the week (which I never did).
What Did I Buy?
My grocery list this week was pretty long because I needed to restock on quite a few staples: butter, chili powder, Parmesan, milk, and tortillas.
Some of you are going to be VERY happy that I finally figured out how to turn on the checklist option on my notes app. :P Turns out, the option for checklist doesn’t show up if you’re in the notes folder under your email address. You have to be in the notes folder under “on my iphone”. I didn’t even know that option existed. Anyway. Let’s hope this forever prevents me from forgetting ingredients. Parsley isn’t checked off, but that’s just because I decided not to buy it. The only reason I wanted it was to garnish photos, and I decided that wasn’t worth $0.89. Moving on.
I stopped by Whole Foods first and got great deals on apples, butter, and almonds. The Parmesan, milk, lime, and lemon were all about the same prices as they are at my usual store, so I just got them at WFM instead. I goofed on the cilantro, though. I thought the sign said $0.99, but I didn’t notice until I was writing up my recipe post that it actually cost almost twice that. Broccoli was only $2.49/lb. at Whole Foods and I took a chance thinking it would be less expensive at the regular grocery store, but it ended up being more expensive ($2.79/lb.), so I was kind of bummed about that. But sometimes you have to take a gamble.
Here’s what the groceries looked like (because admit it, you LOVE looking in other peoples’ grocery carts!)
What Did I Eat?
It’s important to mention at this point that I impulse bought an Instant Pot on Black Friday (Merry Christmas to me!). It came on Monday and because I wanted to try it out immediately, I found some leftover dry black beans in the back of my pantry and cooked them just for “fun” (yes, I cook beans for fun). I didn’t want the beans to go to waste, so I ended up turning them into a really fast Black Bean Soup:
I didn’t post this black bean soup recipe because I literally made it by the seat of my pants one evening. I just sautéed a couple cloves of garlic in oil, then added the equivalent of two 15oz. cans of black beans (drained), 3 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup of leftover salsa, and a half teaspoon or so of cumin to a pot, then simmered it until the beans were super soft. Once soft I just blended it all until the soup was mostly smooth. The end! Super fast soup! Oh, and as you can see in the photo, I made a quick batch of Everyday Cornbread to go along with it. This was a small batch of soup, so it was gone in a couple days between the two of us.
As for my planned recipes, this Eggplant Parmesan Pasta was my main meal for the week. I can’t lie. I love pasta through and through. It’s always satisfying to me and I could eat it day after day with no complaints. The Parmesan breaded eggplant was a nice way to change up (and bulk up) what would have otherwise been a plain meal of pasta and sauce.
Because I NEED to have green in my life, I made this super Quick Garlic Parmesan Broccoli to serve along side the Eggplant Parmesan Pasta. It might seem like a lot of Parmesan, but there is really only 1 Tbsp in this whole broccoli dish, so it didn’t seem like Parmesan overload (is that even possible?).
Later in the week I took some leftover pulled pork from my “off” week that I had stashed in the freezer and made this AH-MAZ-ING 30 Minute Posole. I LOVE this soup. There is so much flavor packed into that little bowl and it was SO easy to make. This was my first time eating hominy (in that form) and I loved it. I need to find it dry so I can cook it myself in my Instant Pot!
You know what else I made in my Instant Pot? YOGURT! I’ve made yogurt in my slow cooker before, but this thing has a preset program that make the whole process easier and actually worth it for me. I made abatch using a 1/2 gallon of milk ($2.49) and a small container of Fage plain yogurt ($1.57). So in total I made a half gallon of yogurt for about the same price that it usually costs me to buy a quart. There’s not really a recipe for this, I just followed the instructions in the booklet that came with my Instant Pot.
There is also granola in that picture with the yogurt. If you follow along, you know I’ve wanted to make gingersnap granola for a couple of weeks, but couldn’t fit the ingredients into my budget. I was able to get the ingredients this week (molasses and almonds) and I made a batch, but the recipe still needs some tweaking before I post it. It was still edible, though, so I ate the granola and my homemade yogurt for breakfast every morning. :)
We went out to eat only one time this week. We picked up Greek food from a restaurant the gives HUGE portions, so that ended up serving me for two meals. They also gave us an insane amount of pita bread, so the leftovers of that are actually still going in my fridge today!
Oh yeah, and I may have snacked on an All-Edge Spiced Brownie here or there… (I stashed them in the freezer!)
What Didn’t I Eat?
For some reason I didn’t eat my apples. Well, I think I ate one. Luckily they stay good for quite a while in the fridge, so I’m trying to make a more conscious effort to eat them this week. I guess I just never really crave sweet things like fruit, so it takes effort. Despite preferring to eat them refrigerated, I might try the old “bowl of fruit on the table” trick to keep them in view and remind me to eat them.
Reflection
And that’s about it! A fairly successful week. I found that making a few recipes in smaller quantities kind of helps when you’re feeding more than one person. While I don’t mind eating the same thing for five days in a row, my guy doesn’t seem as into it. He’s way more likely to eat what’s in my fridge than go buy food if there’s a little more variety. On about the third day of the same recipe I can see him hemming and hawing like, “Hmmm, I don’t know if I’m in the mood for that…” Ha! Cooking for more than just yourself is a lot more complicated. :)
To Inaya:
There are no ‘leftovers’, there are only pre-cooked ingredients.
Dress it up a bit different, serve it a day later, voila: it’s not leftovers anymore, it’s a different dish with some of the same ingredients you had two days before:)
I hate this kind of waste, especially since there is no good reason for it; it’s all just in the mind of the eater, so why not direct their mind in a different direction?
My apples keep much longer if I keep them out of the fridge. I store them in a bin on a low shelf, away from light. They’ll keep for a month or more. They get a little grainy by the end, but then it’s applesauce time. If I keep them in the fridge they dry out and shrivel after just two weeks.
I feel your pain on the complications of cooking for 2. My husband doesn’t even eat leftovers, which often means I’m eating leftovers solo, but still cooking something new each night. Which creates even more leftovers. Needless to say, we throw out a TON of leftovers because I just can’t eat them all on my own. I feel awful, but not sure how to handle it. I’ve started cooking less and forcing hubs to fend for himself while I eat the leftovers. But then he just eats Kraft Mac & Cheese. At least when I cook, I can get SOME (albeit not much, since doesn’t like veggies or fruits) nutrition into him.
I also desperately want an Instant Pot, but not a sale in sight! It’s like the angels saw my 500 ft. apartment and the clouds opened up and the Instant Pot was made.
You can make a sugar free apple sauce with the apples warm over something would be great freeze it if you know you just aren’t into it now or can it. I think you can can in that thing right?
I can’ tell you how much I love your weekly recaps! Your recipes are staples in our household but there’s something about these recaps that I look forward to every single week!!
I am SO GRATEFUL for your tip in the Notes app. This might change my life!!! I enjoy your posts all the time (truly, I’ve made so many of your meals and often share them with friends and my mom!) but man. That tip about Notes. Best tip ever haha
Try throwing two picky eaters in the mix – one adult and one child – and you find yourself making 3 different meals each night. So far the biggest hits in this household have been your beef and bean enchiladas, the chili mac, and anything that doesn’t have too many vegetables. Which means that most of your recipes I get to eat all to myself! Woot!
I got an Instant Pot a few months ago and I love it! I can’t wait to see what you make with it. I haven’t made yogurt yet because milk is fairly expensive here and it didn’t seem worth it, but you’ve inspired me to try it.
I look forward to seeing the new shopping lists for two! I also cook for my boyfriend. Fortunately, he’s not picky, and he eats a lot, so leftovers never last very long. It’s also nice being in college because there’s usually free food everywhere. Concerning the apples, perhaps you could add them on top of salads – they’d add a nice sweet crunch.
I’m excited about your increased budget for two since it will be closer to my experience. If you could find a two-year old to feed, I’d never have to meal plan again. :)
I totally get you on the whole “cooking for two and your guy’s just not into eating leftovers for five days straight” kind of thing. I’ve been trying to get it down for the past five years and believe me its never gotten easier. I’ve even sacrificed and made a fresh meal so that he won’t order takout and eaten the leftovers intead so that they won’t go to waste. The freezer is my best friend as well but you are already well aware of this. You are also a step ahead of where I was considering when I first started cooking for two, I was more used to cooking for 6 and they didn’t mind leftovers. I cringe just remembering that first year and how much food was wasted…
How about chopping an apple and topping it with the yogurt and granola? That’s my favourite breakfast and the way I get most of my fruit down (I usually mix a couple different fruits: pear, apple, banana, pineapple). Also makes yogurt and granola go a little further :)
I don’t know WHY I didn’t think of that. :) Thank you!
To save even more you could make your own tortillas. They taste so much better than store bought ones too!
I learned something new about notes checklist! I have the same problem with my roommate. I’ve been making smaller batches and now she’s less likely to tempt me w/ suggestions of going out for dinner.
I’m new so sorry if you already explained this but just wondering why you buy jarred sauce rather than making it with tomatoes. Thanks!
Working on a budget means balancing cost, convenience, time, and effort. Sometimes it’s worth the slight extra cost for me to have the convenience. It’s different for everyone, though! :)
i put apples in a bowl in the front of the fridge. That has kept them from getting forgotten in the vegetable drawer!
I’m much better about eating apples when I pair them with peanut butter. It’s a great snack on days when my normal meal schedule gets thrown off!
Thanks to you I just figured out how to turn on the checklist on my notes app. I have the list divided by stores. My problem generally isn’t forgetting to buy something on the list, it’s forgetting to put something on the list!
I never have any leftovers because my boyfriend finishes off whatever dinner I make later that same night- very frustrating
I’m so glad you’re cooking for two now! I live with my boyfriend too, and I had just given up on hoping that meals we cooked would last us as long as they last for you. I like the challenge of planning meals and eating cheap, but it’s a whole different game to try and force someone else to do it too.
I am having the same problem, but as long as it is delicious enough he will eat it more than once.
My husband is not a big leftovers person, either. He’ll eat them a couple days later, but he’s not a “last night’s leftover dinner for lunch today” kind of guy. So I agree it can be difficult when cooking for more than one! I have kids, too, so there’s that as well. I will say the your White Beans with Tomato and Sausage recipe is always a big hit in my house. And this time, I was even able to sneak in a little of the spinach without them realizing it! :)