This Week on the Dining Table

It's the "Trying To Get Back Into the Cooking Groove" Edition--

 

Gratuitous photo of my peony blooming.

 

Ya know......after not cooking/being away on vacation for 2 weeks, I think it would be very easy for me to never cook away in retirement(unless of course I got inspired to make something special).
The one drawback is this though.....I like to eat!
I mean I really like to eat!!! lolz

So this plan would mean either we ate out every meal(which due to financial issues AND the fact that I'd get really tired of all that eating out-especially finding things I CAN eat)and/or that Hubs took over all the cooking duties.

Let me preface this next bit with this-- I dearly love Hubs.
But..............*you know where this is going, don't you?*.......he is NOT a cook.
Sure, he has learned how to fend for himself but I couldn't survive long term on what he can make/will attempt to make.
Plus the stress level while he is in the kitchen would be quite high for everyone within earshot.  ;-)
He can pitch in given the situation and come up with something for a meal but between the monotony of the meals, the stress levels in the house, and/or the healthy quotient I'd be a dead woman within a year......or I'd kill him. lolz

 

Onward to the meal planning!

 

Here's what was planned last week, planned about mid week I might add.......

 

1. Sunday--Pizza take-out
2. Monday--Spaghetti and Meatballs(had balls in the freezer)
3. Tuesday--Smoke Sausage with Grilled Onions on rolls, mixed veggies(had sausage in the freezer)
4. Wednesday--Broiled Salmon, Pan Haggerty...thanks to Gill at That British Woman for the idea!(Had salmon in freezer and taters to use up in the pantry)
5. Thursday--take-out Chinese(no ideas, no energy to cook after a day of weeding)
6. Friday--Chicken something(TBD), Cauliflower Soup(got a head of cauliflower to use up, cook some of that chicken I bought on Wed.)
I've got 10lbs. of raw chicken breast I need to do something with.....any ideas?
7. Saturday--BLT sammiches,unless Hubs has a better idea(I bought tomatoes on Wed. too and have bacon in the fridge.)

 

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Pizza take-out
2. Monday--Spaghetti and Meatballs
3. Tuesday--Smoke Sausage with Grilled Onions on rolls, mixed veggies
4. Wednesday--Broiled Salmon, Pan Haggerty
5. Thursday--take-out Chinese
6. Friday--Chicken Quesadillas
7. Saturday--BLT sammiches

 

  

I jumped back feet first into grocery shopping for June this past week.  Wednesday after my eye appointment I hit Maine Source(it was 3 blocks away!), Walmart(went to get College Boy some work shoes and ended up spending $28.69 on mostly frozen foodstuffs)and the Bakery Outlet for bread products.  Then on Friday I hit Weis(PMITA)Markets to the tune of $53.53.
Grand total spent this week on food--$185.87, with a total savings rate of 43.88%

I didn't expect to spend that much this week but we stocked up on a few things, mainly bread products at the Bakery Outlet(should last most of the month), large containers of frozen breakfast sammiches at Walmart(plus burritos as CB ate all I had here when we were gone), a 5lb block of Cooper Sharp Cheese(should last CB a few weeks lol), a 2lb. bag of raw shrimp, and an almost 10lb bag of chicken breasts(which I ended up grilling 1.5 whole breasts for quesadillas and chicken salad, and slicing and freezing the rest of them).
Add in the 2 trays of pork chops obtained at Weis and we won't need to buy any meat for awhile.

 

Here is this week's food plan--

1. Sunday--Garlic Ginger Shrimp Stir-fry, Rice
2. Monday--Lasagna w/Meat Sauce, Tossed Salad
3. Tuesday--Sausage Sandwiches, Brussels Sprouts
4. Wednesday--Tacos or Taco Salad
5. Thursday--Leftovers
6. Friday--Smoked Brisket Sandwiches(cooked brisket in freezer), Cole Slaw, Green Beans
7. Saturday--Leftovers

Lunches this week....Chicken Salad sandwiches, BLTs, Cauliflower Soup, Salad w/grilled Chicken

What I need to buy for this menu?.....grapes and pecans(for chicken salad), shredded cabbage(for Cole slaw).

This coming week should be a light shopping one.

There is a coffee Deal at Weis on 8 O'clock brand.....BOGO and there is a $2/2 bags IP coupon available making it cheap.  Plus butter is $1.97 lb. there this week too.

At the local Shursave affiliate grocer grapes and blueberries are a good deal and there is a water by the case sale which I need to get in on, as CB goes through some water.

I am figuring $60 unless I end up spending that $20 in Shursave scrip I have, which would bring my costs this week down. The expensive items this week are containers of nuts(cashews and pecans)from Sam's club.....big containers are cheaper but they should last us awhile).
 

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 that week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week? 

Sluggy