Monday, April 10, 2023

What's on the Dining Table

The "Got The Critter" Edition.....

                                 

Although this is an entry about food and menus no, we didn't trap a possum to eat it.  Though English and Virginia writer and early Jamestown colonist William Strachey wrote that they were "good eating" upon his encountering them in North America. I suspect people in the South still eat them(if they are TB free)as well as squirrel(my mother's boyfriend use to shoot and eat squirrel in his  youth).  8-)

Hubs saw this possum marching through our yard at dusk and go under the house as the skirting is in bad shape with many openings. We also have a convenient water source under the house until this week when the plumber came out and fixed a leak in a PEX PVC pipe.  Possums are good to have around as they eat ticks and other bugs but I certainly don't want one living under my house with two small dogs here!
Hubs bought a trap and after about a week caught it late last week.  He drove it a few miles away to some woods and released it back into the wilds.

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned.......
1. Sunday--Taco Salad using more of the leftover taco filling.
2. Monday--On his own as I am dog sitting at Daughter's house
3. Tuesday--Catfish and Veggie TBD
4. Wednesday--Birthday dinner out for Hubs
5. Thursday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad
6.  Friday--Grilled Chicken, frozen Veggie TBD
7. Saturday--Halushki

And here's what actually happened........
1. Sunday--Taco Salad using more of the leftover taco filling.
2. Monday--Hubs on his own as I am dog sitting at Daughter's house
3. Tuesday--Fend for Yourself(I wasn't hungry)
4. Wednesday--Birthday dinner out for Hubs
5. Thursday--I had the 1/2 of the leftover Birthday meal I took home(steak, sweet potato)
6.  Friday--Daughter took us out for lunch, I had Flautas(no dinner)
7. Saturday--Halushki
I cooked one real meal last week on Saturday.  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I didn't have dinner as I had lunch and wasn't hungry in the evening.


What got put into the freezer last week....
*  1 pack of Burritos(Hubs)
*  5 bags of frozen veggies
*  7 big Ribeye steaks
*  3 lbs. of meatballs(making them today)
*  5 lbs. of butter

What got taken out of the freezer and used...
*  Nothing but the dredges of a container of ice cream.  Between the birthday dinner out, not being home on Monday and leftovers, not much cooking happened and nothing was used from the freezer. :-)

Last week we both hit Kroger twice and Walmart to do some deals spent a total of $312.24 on all shops. 
This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $374.40 for April so far.  I know it's high but there were great deals across most categories right before Easter so we loaded up.

There are 20 shopping days left in April.

I've earned $54.45 on Ibotta in April.
I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in April.
I've earned $13.00 on Coupons dotcom in April.
I've earned 358 points from food shopping on Fetch.
I've earned 8,400 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in April.
I've earned 356 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in March.

That's $67.45 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $374.40 of grocery spending so in reality it's $306.95 in food spending after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 42.30% and the monthly savings total for April comes in at 39.82% so far.  

Leftovers going into this week... taco shells and Halushki.

Here is this week's "food plan".....
1. Sunday--Ham, Asparagus, rolls in freezer leftover from Xmas, Deviled Eggs, Mac and Cheese
2. Monday--might get Burgers at Trivia
3. Tuesday--Fish and Squash Casserole
4. Wednesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad
5. Thursday--leftover Easter foods
6.  Friday--Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Chicken Strips
7. Saturday--who knows?   Whatever is leftover


What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu? Not shopping this week unless I go to Kroger after Wednesday to stock up on a couple of lbs. of Salmon(good deal!)

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any deals on food at your stores this week?  It's Easter deals at more store this week so get those loss leaders you need.



Sluggy 

8 comments:

  1. Do you think Dan would like to come here and catch a groundhog? I understand some South American countries think they are delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My son brought me Taco Casa, a Tuscaloosa based fast food chain, as my back was still giving me fits. I am sure Anne in the Kitchen and maybe PP are familiar with that chain. Otherwise, I made myself a baked potato, and generally munched on peanut butter, boiled eggs, cheese, nuts, and grape tomatoes. Anything I could put in my mouth without too much trouble.
    Cindy in the South

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cindy,
      Yes, Tommy is familiar with Taco Casa, and it is a place we will eat one day.

      Delete
    2. I have eaten at Taco Casa many times in the past.

      Delete
  3. Black bean sweet potato soup and fettuccine Alfredo are the dinner options for the week. Lunches are hummus wraps or Impossible burgers. Hopefully the dinner foods last all week because I can’t think of anything else right now.

    Stopped at Kroger today for the cheap pineapple, asparagus and apples before the sale ends.

    That trap is very familiar. I’ve used one to catch quite a few feral cats that somehow ended up becoming mine. We had 8 at one point so my trapping days are over.

    Jen G.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Here, it is illegal to relocate some wild animals. It is said that if the animal is diseased, it will spread the disease. I learned this while trapping raccoons.
    Whatever is in the front of the freezer or whatever Tommy digs for will be our protein. We have tomatoes, lettuce, and zucchini. I really want spaghetti, so I am encouraging him to find ground beef. Anne's talk of pimiento and cheese is inspiring me to make some.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This has been a crazy week -- we adopted a new dog, and meals have been thrown together as we try to acclimate the dog to our household. Two medical appoints for the humans. Lots of sandwiches this week.

    Tomorrow: chicken and dumplings.
    Today: sandwiches: deli ham, cheese . celery sticks.
    Yesterday: sloppy Joe, chips, sliced bell pepper.
    Sunday: Ham, baked potato, Brussels sprouts?
    Saturday: chicken mole, rice, don't remember what veg.
    Friday: lasagna, don't remember what veg.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Possums are horrible animals. They carry so much disease and are responsible for killing horses that graze near their droppings. They cause EPM in horses who die a painful neurological death as a result.

    ReplyDelete

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