Whats up, friends! Friday again. Already. How?? Today’s recap will be brief because I didn’t do a whole lot of cooking this week. Why? I cut my hand open really badly on Tuesday morning, leaving me one handed and unable to do just about anything (ever try showering with one hand? Not fun.). So, I’ll go over what I had planned for the week and then what I actually ended up eating. Life is unpredictable, ammiright??
My menu started with the pesto pasta that I planned to make last week, but never got around to. I was also craving some Indian fare, so I added Chana Aloo Masala (chickpeas and potatoes) to the list, which would allow me to use up the leftover potato from a couple weeks ago and the remaining tablespoon or so of garam masala that I had bought from the bulk spice section of Whole Foods a couple months ago. I really enjoyed my hummus and vegetables last week, so I wanted to make a second batch, but flavor it with some of the pesto that was leftover from the pasta. Lastly, I couldn’t stop thinking about that pan fried tofu from last week, so I wanted to make more. Already. That soon. Because it was that good. This time I wanted to make yummy bowls with rice, avocado, pineapple, and sweet chili sauce.
Unfortunately, the only two recipes I got to before my hand was nearly cut off (exaggeration) were the Chana Aloo Masala and Pesto Hummus. :( I still have all the ingredients for the tofu, though, so that might happen this weekend. I’m still daydreaming about it. ;)
Here’s what the grocery list looked like for that menu plan:
Staples that needed replenishing this week included: milk, eggs, tortillas, and some fruit to snack on. Chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, ginger, and plain yogurt were all for the Chana Aloo Masala (as well as extra chickpeas for the hummus). Angel hair pasta was for the pesto pasta that has yet to happen (lol). Tofu, sweet chili sauce, and avocados were for the sweet chili tofu bowls.
When I got to the bottom of my list I realized just how short it was and how under budget I’d probably be, so I added a splurge item: English muffins! I’ve made English muffins at home before, but IMHO nothing compares to Bays brand English muffins. They’re just so different from any other brand or homemade and I’m absolutely addicted to them. Having them for weekend breakfast is such a treat, so I said, “Girl, treat yo’ self!” and I did.
The two stores that I went to that day did not have good selections of sweet chili sauce, so I decided to go to the larger Whole Foods on the other side of town later that week and check out what they had. Sure enough, they had 5-6 different brands and I was able to get an inexpensive small jar that would leave me with no leftovers to clog up my refrigerator shelves. :P
I put a question mark next to the ginger because I have a few small knobs left in my freezer, but it’s about time to replenish. Sometimes the ginger selection is sub-par, though, so I decided I’d buy if it was good and wait till next time if it was bad.
What Did I Buy?
As usual, I stopped off at Whole Foods first to see what they had. I got my eggs, milk, and tofu there as usual. They had a fairly good deal on avocados, so I grabbed one there. To my delight, they also had a fantastic deal on chicken thighs ($1.99/lb.). Luckily, I had a lot of room in my budget, so I picked up TWO packs. I didn’t have plans for them this week, so they went straight into the freezer. I’ll try to use them soon, though.
I don’t know if it’s because of the current popularity of garbanzo beans, but they are about twice as expensive as other dried beans around here. So, instead of cooking them from dry this week, I just bought cans. I paid a little extra, but my need for a short cut won out this time around.
And oof. Those English muffins are expensive, but I definitely enjoyed them! I’m glad I had room to splurge this week. I love my weekend breakfast and that definitely made it special.
I still can’t believe how few ingredients I needed to make three recipes, plus a snack. It’s too bad I didn’t get to cook all of them!
I went to the larger Whole Foods later in the week to pick up the sweet chili sauce ($2.49) and a second avocado ($1.50-the first one was getting soft, so I ate it). So my grand total for the week was:
Weekly Total: $37.69
What I Ate
So, if I only made two out of four recipes, what did I eat?? Well, a lot of tortilla/egg/hummus sammiches, that’s what. Seriously, I couldn’t move my left hand without the cut opening up, so I had to stick to the most simple things I could find. That Pesto Hummus is pretty killer with eggs, though, so I wasn’t mad! :D
Luckily before “the incident” I had made this awesomely filling Chana Aloo Masala. It made four huge servings, which I got all to myself because boyfriend was working really long hours all week. Paired with brown rice this is a majorly filling meal. I’m glad I decided to get that yogurt to put on top, too, because it added just the right amount of creaminess to make it feel slightly indulgent.
Thank goodness for this Pesto Hummus. I made it with the intention of eating it just as a snack with my carrots and celery sticks (both leftover from the previous week), but ended up eating it almost like a main meal for the rest of the week (in tortillas with a fried egg). Hummus is far more than a dip. It’s great on sandwiches and even on pizza. Yes, pizza.
While I didn’t go “out” to eat at all this week, I did pick up this pre-made chicken pasta at Whole Foods. Usually their pre-made foods are quite expensive and I’d just never splurge that hard, but this one was not such a bad deal (and I rationalized it with my cut hand). You can’t tell from the photo, but the container was quite large and ended up giving us four decent sized servings for $10.99, or $2.75 each. A lot of my homemade chicken dishes are around $2 per serving, so this wasn’t that far off. Why was it so cheap? Because they used Budget Byting Principle #2: Use Ingredients Wisely. This dish includes three ingredients that are generally on the expensive side: chicken, pesto, and Parmesan; but it also includes one REALLY inexpensive ingredient: pasta. By being mindful of the ratio of expensive to inexpensive ingredients you can keep the total cost of the recipe low. In other words: use the expensive ingredients sparingly, and bulk up the dish with inexpensive ingredients. It’s that simple.
I also finished off the last two of my Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas that I had stashed in the freezer. I made these quesadillas a couple weeks ago when I was shooting video for The Food Network’s Snapchat discover channel. I’ll have more videos featured on their Snapchat channel in the coming weeks, but they’re only up for one day, so follow me on social media to find out when they’re live (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
Because I couldn’t do much in the kitchen with my bum hand, I plopped down in front of my computer and re-edited the quesadilla footage to a longer, more complete video for my Youtube channel. Check it out! :D
And that’s what I ate! Oh, that and the pineapple and bananas pictured in the grocery shots.
Final Thoughts
So, I have some bad news. After six months of weekly recaps, I’ve had to make the executive decision to press pause on the recaps for a while. I know they’re quite helpful to many of you, so I promise to resume them temporarily at least once per year. And I’ve made a Weekly Recap category, so you can easily go back through them if needed. Why did I decide to stop for a while?
- Work Load – In February I made record-breaking 18 blog posts, which is a drastic increase from my average of 10-12 per month. The weekly recaps make me feel more pressured to turn everything I make into a unique blog post, so that the recaps actually make sense. This increase in work load has left me pretty close to burn-out, and that’s never good.
- Quality vs. Quantity – Because of the increased quantity of posts, I feel like quality has suffered (photos, writing, and recipe development). I only want to show you my best work rather than feeling compelled to pump out the posts before the end of the week when it’s time to do the recap.
- Privacy – I’m a super private person and it’s nearly impossible to talk about what I bought, cooked, and ate during the week without talking about the personal factors that influence those decisions. After six months, I’m still not comfortable sharing so much of my personal life with the entire world.
- Side Projects – I do quite a bit of freelance work and have a few projects for the blog that have been on my to-do list for a while. All of those projects require me to buy and cook food, sometimes above and beyond what’d I’d normally eat. :P I was able to work a few of the projects into my weekly plan over the past six months, but it has definitely restricted my ability to experiment with new ideas and do side projects.
And a few other minor reasons that I won’t go into. So my friends, I apologize if you’re a weekly recap fan, but I promise to do at least a month of them a year (probably in September to keep the tradition). It’s a great exercise and teaches me a LOT every time I do it, so I will return to it. AND I promise to use that extra time and freedom to bring you new and better features on Budget Bytes. :)
Till next time, guys!
I’m a Recap Fan too, but understand — the privacy thing especially. I can always look back at archives for guidance. Thanks for the great blueprints for my own shopping.
Let me echo all the other comments – I have loved reading your weekly recaps in a thoroughly vicarious enjoyment of someone else’s attention to detail, thrift and healthy cooking. You have contributed so much already through the hundreds of amazing (and free!) recipes on your site! Seriously, the tikka masala was amazing and SO easy. I have adopted so many of your recipes as regular menu items. So thank you and good luck as you change things up!
I love your recaps and will miss them, but I totally understand.
Thank you for all the work you put into your blog. I have learned so much from you and your recipes have pushed me to experiment and get out of my comfort zone. I am very appreciative.
noooooooo, i love weekly recaps!!! i understand your reasons and it is nice of you to tell us about your decision but but but…can’t you keep them *insert puppy eyes*? take out the photos and leave just the text or just post some photos if it is easier for you it is always fun to see what you have been up to this week in the kitchen and it inspires me so much.
uh, these posts will definitely be missed:(
Oh no re the hand – hope it heals quickly!
I think food blogging … never mind keeping track of expenses as you do – it has to be a huge time commitment. I have a personal lifestyle blog mainly for me and that is sometimes more than I can do as much as I’d like – along with the rest of my life :) !
And priorities have a way of shifting.
re Ginger – I use a lot of ginger as I make a ginger syrup to mix with carbonated water for homemade ginger ale. As you noted, ginger quality can vary. I’ve started keeping some “Ginger People” brand ginger juice for a backup as we well as their minced ginger (this has some sugar and some rice vinegar so I decrease adding both for recipes) for dressings and sauces. I like fresh grated best, but this is working as a backup when the fresh is not so great. I love their Ginger Beer also – VERY gingery!
Ooooh, I need to try making my own ginger ale. I LOVE ginger ale.
You didn’t ask and you can find lots of ginger syrup recipes, but I’ve been making this mix for about 3 years and love it – I’m a former Vernnor’s drinker :)
Here is the ginger syrup:
I slice the ginger thin, but I don’t peel it unless I want to make candied ginger.
However much ginger, I then add 3 x water
half white and half brown sugar,
cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, peppercorn
Usually I do 2 cups ginger, 6 cups water, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 -2 star anise, 3-4 cloves and 2 peppercorns (black)
I bring all to a rolling boil and let it boil for 3-5 minutes, then cover , cool a bit and overnight in the frig. Strain and store in the frig. I use about 1/4 syrup to 3/4 carbonated water. I carbonate my own well water. I experimented a lot at first: honey, molasses instead of white and brown sugar, more or less sugar and spices – this is the recipe that hit the spot for me.
One caution – it loses taste after 4-5 days so make what you can use in that amount of time. I’ve read other people say the same about ginger syrup.
My step-Dad makes a syrup by grating the ginger (uses less ginger) – I do the thin slicing and then use a cocktail muddler to break it and release flavor.
Thank you!! I grew up on Vernors as well, but now my favorite is Goslings. I’m going to try your recipe because I’m sure it would be good with a LOT of different things! :D
I love the recipes and the weekly recaps, but totally understand the need for balancing time commitments.
One thing on showering with a cut hand: wearing a rubber glove, if it fits, helps a LOT. This is possibly from personal experience. . .
Hahaha I almost did that! :D But the gloves I have are a bit loose, so I figured it wouldn’t help. LOL
Use a rubber band to close the top of the glove to keep water out.
Bummer, I love the weekly recaps. I actually look forward to them each week…probably makes my life sound pathetic lol. It’s been fun and educational to learn all the thought processes behind your food decisions. I’ve also enjoyed the huge increase in posts. Totally understandable reasons though. First priority is always to take care of yourself. Thanks for all the effort you put into this site. Love it! Hope your hand heals quickly!
Add me to the list of those bummed about seeing the weekly recaps go. I look forward to those every week. I do understand you need to do what is best for you, but I’m hoping the recaps come back soon! :)
This is a good time to tell you I really enjoy your amazing blog and you should change it to whatever works for you. We will still love it! Hope your hand gets better soon. Also, consider growing your own ginger, it’s really easy in a pot outside.
The recaps are nice, but what I really like are the recipes and their emphasis on being budget-friendly. As a fellow blogger, I know the pressure that comes from feeling responsible to do a lot of posts, and especially stand-alone posts that can then be used in a recap or plan-ahead post. The most important thing is to stick with what is important to you. When you don’t pay attention to that, you end up burning out – and none of us want that to happen!
Beth, if you’re not comfortable doing these posts, please just don’t do them. We all so appreciate your blog and how much you’ve helped us to cook better, healthier, and for less. I think I speak for each of your followers when I say that we would never want for this blog to be anything but as much of a joy it is for all of us.
I’m always glad when people decide to simplify and say no. It’s so important to make sure you are happy and sane at the end of every–okay, MOST–days. I’ll miss the recaps but completely support your decision and will keep coming to BB just as much as ever. I love the idea of September SNAP recaps. I thought I’d put my two cents in, however, that I hope this website doesn’t lose the focus on budget eating. The recipes are great and I make and enjoy many of them. However, there are lots of websites with good recipes, but just not that many with your excellent balance of frugal / healthy / doable recipes. I really hope that doesn’t change! Good luck as you re-focus and streamline.
By the way, I had a similar incident last year with an avocado in the left hand, very sharp knife in the right hand and a desire to remove the pit. Bad plan. Haste makes many problems beyond waste..
I love your blog and fully support you adjusting your commitments to fit your life. I look forward to your posts.
hope your hand heals quickly! Feel better soon.