Tag Archives: menu planning

Monday and it’s raining.

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, freezer cooking, home stuff, meal planning by

Menus for the week will mostly be stuff from the freezer/pantry.

Last night I used up the frozen shrimp and sauteed some tilapia. We had a salad pack that was almost past use by date.

For lunch, I had a Souper Cube mac and cheese. That’s used up one more frozen item. My son was still here, so he shared it with me. He brought some chili he had made, so that’s in the freezer now, too.

Monday- I defrosted some chicken, so I plan on using that. I’m not sure what side I’ll have since there’s no salad, maybe potatoes?

Tuesday- I think I’ll have the turkey chili my son brought up with corn muffins.

Wednesday- With all this rain, I think I’ll do a soup of some sort.

Thursday- Breakfast for dinner with bacon, eggs, and hash browns. The hash browns in the freezer need to be used up.

Friday- I may order a pizza, the veggie from Round Table is our favorite.

Things in the freezer that I’d like to use up now through March:

pot stickers

veggie burgers

ravioli

a frozen pizza

????

Today is a home day with all this rain. It’s raining pretty hard out there this morning. I didn’t get to the Goodwill to drop things off, so that’s on hold till there is a non-rainy morning. My son did take a big load to the dump, so he’s really getting things around the barn cleaned up. All this crap around the barn should have been dealt with long ago, but it is what it is, and I’m thankful he’s taken it on. Of course, my daughter does the bulk of the stuff around here as she’s here and he’s not. I’m so lucky to have both of them here to help.

Monday Rain,again:((

Posted in California, cooking, simple foods by

Menu monday

Last night we had tilapia and a fall-type salad with brown rice, butternut squash, spinach, pumpkin seeds, and pomegranate seeds. Quite tasty.

Tonight, I’m going to heat up the French Onion soup( Costco) in the oven and serve with some sourdough bread.

Tuesday- Amy’s enchiladas( freezer to use up and a jar of my pressure-canned beans.

Wednesday- I have spinach that needs to be used so I’ll do a quiche with feta and some mushrooms.

Thursday- This is my daughters late night so usually I do something easy like breakfast for dinner or a soup.

Friday- maybe a pizza. The Costco pizza was ok, nothing to write home about, and I have 2 more of them to use. So far, the best frozen pizza we’ve had is called Home Run. I should get back into making my own pizza, but I haven’t really felt motivated or maybe just lazy.

Saturday- I have some breaded chicken for burgers on a roll with some fries.

I usually just have a menu as more of a guideline rather than anything absolute.

It’s raining again today. So much rain!!! I’ve decided to hunker down and stay home. I did go to the gym yesterday, but the rain was torrential, and I-80 was closed in numerous places due to stupid people going too fast.

I’ve been watching the Iron Man movies; they’re kind of fun.

I have the leftover brown rice to make the nut loaf today, and then I’ll freeze it. I think I’ll put them in the Souper Cubes so they’re portioned in 2-cup servings.

Simple Sunday on Monday

Posted in Blood test, books, California, cancer, Death, Myeloma, reading, Uncategorized by

This heat wave we’re having is doing me in. 96 yesterday and the same for today. Ugh. I think a bit of a cooling trend starts on Tuesday, but it’s not huge. I read all my library books, so I picked from my shelf some old Hillerman and looked through some decluttering books. You know I’m desperate when that starts happening. I do plan on going to the library tomorrow so I can get my hold and a few others as well. I was planning on going on Thursday after my Velcade shot, but my hold expires by then, so I need to get it before that.

Menu planning is still hit or miss these days. I still have the basic menu plan going of using things from the freezer and fridge, but I’m not super motivated. It’s probably a combination of the heat and just finding a new ‘normal’ balance. My daughter bought an air fryer on Prime Day, so she’s been experimenting with that. So far, she’s made sweet potato fries and wild cod in panko. Both excellent.

Sunday- used up a bag of Trader Joe’s chicken chow mein with added chicken.

Monday- Tofu something as I have 2 containers to use up. I also have some broccoli to use.

Tuesday- I’ve been feeling like crock pot pintos, so I think I’ll do that with tortillas and avocado if they’re ripe. I bought the bag(6) from Costco. It takes a while for them to ripen, but as soon as they start to ripen, I put them all in the fridge and they will last weeks in there.

Wednesday- I think we’ll do spaghetti with marinara and maybe some meatballs.

Thursday- Freezer meal of some sort. I need to go out to the chest freezer( that’s in our outside laundry room) and check.

Friday- I’ll make a pizza if it’s not too hot.

Saturday- ?? TBD

Today I’m going to meet my library friends for a coffee. They have been very supportive, and the one gal is the one whose husband died of Myeloma a few years back. His Myeloma came on very fast, he was in his 80s, and Sutter really didn’t address his issues or treatment till it was too late. It was very sad.

All in all, things are ok. I’m still cleaning out B’s desk of odds and ends, like pens and notebooks. Nothing major, just a little at a time.

I have my Velcade shot this week and then Dex days. Actually, the dex isn’t too awful when I do it between 2 days. It’s still Dex no matter what, but it’s less intense. Then I’ll go get my labs next week.

Menu Monday

Posted in budgets, California, cooking, meal planning by

We did end up having salmon and halibut last night for dinner. I put the salmon on parchment paper, added tomatoes and olives, and then used olive oil to coat it all. It was quite good.

Monday- quiche and salad

Tuesday- bean burritos with toppings

Wednesday- soup of some sort, I need to get creative here and maybe look through some recipes. I think,actually, I’m going to do ramen bowls.

Thursday: Chicken from the freezer. I have French fries, too, so I might make chicken burgers.

Friday- pizza

Saturday- TBD

It’s raining here this morning, which is a bit of a surprise but welcome. I have a few house chores to do, along with making a sourdough jalapeno cheddar loaf.

Menu Monday

Posted in bread, cooking, home stuff, meal planning by

Last week ended up kind of a mish-mash of my menus. I did some and not others. Oh well, I’m flexible.

Last night I made a Mexican chicken dish and veggie Chicken patty dish. I grilled the chicken and then when it was done dumped the rest of the salsa in the pan and topped it with Monterey Jack cheese. I did the same in another pan for the veggie chicken patty. We had salad on the side. BTW, Wico has these new chicken veggie patties and for the price point, you can’t beat it compared to Quorn or another name brand.

Monday- I’m either doing fish or the Costco Slice beef, which is sous vide. The reason I’m not sure yet is my son is spending the night so I’ll see which he prefers. I have salad either way.

Tuesday: Quesadillas, beans, and cheese. If there’s any beef left over, I’ll toss that in, too. I bought 2 bags of avocados from Costco so if there are any ripe I’ll top with that. BTW, once the avocados start to ripen put them in the fridge. They will last weeks in there.

Wednesday- Vegetable Barley soup from Costco with homemade sourdough

Thursday- ravioli with marinara sauce with salad

Friday – pizza of some sort.

Saturday- TBD

The sun is out today and it’s a lovely day to be home.

I’m still showing ( apple watch)somewhat elevated sleep dist indicating sleep apnea. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern as to why one day it’s not elevated and the next it is. Does anyone have sleep apnea and what did you do? If I could lose some weight I’m sure that would help:)

I probably should start on our taxes, but not today. 🙂

This was my last boule!

Menu Monday

Posted in budgeting, California, cash envelopes, cooking, meal planning, swimming, Uncategorized by

First off, B has done really well with this last chemo. He’s been engaged and has had energy(some). So that’s very positive.

Sunday night- we had spaghetti with Rao’s sauce and some meatballs

Monday- Tamales and rice with salad

Tuesday- Quiche of some sort

Wednesday- Brinner

Thursday- TBD??

Friday- I’ll do a pizza, either homemade or take out

Saturday- Soup of some sort, I’m thinking a split pea.

The pool was nice this morning but busy. Everyone was doubled up in the lanes. Then I went to Costco to return an item and got some ink for my HP printer. Also milk, eggs, bread, cookies, and some cheese.

Our weather continues to be lovely. Sunny and temperatures in the mid 60’s.

Frugal Friday

Posted in Blood test, books, bread, budgets, California, cancer, frugalism, peritoneal mesothelomia, Political things by

It was a normal week of money stuff. I went to Costco and spent $300. Many of the items were bulk items like brown rice, granola, TP, and even some OTC allergy stuff for my daughter. I do try to get the items when they are on sale, as that makes for the best deals. I probably won’t do too much more shopping except for Thanksgiving stuff. But it seems there’s always something. Last month though, my grocery bill was under $500 for the 3 of us so pretty good.

I stopped at Noah’s Bagels after swimming and picked up one coffee and 2 bagels. I brought those back to infusion so B could eat something. I don’t often buy coffee out but we shared a medium coffee and it was very good.

Today I need to do my November meal plan. I’m going to use lots of pantry items and freezer ones too. I have lots of black beans so black bean chili will be on the menu. Also, pintos. I’m working on my sourdough loaves to get them to spring more in the oven. It’s an ongoing process. I don’t worry too much when it doesn’t work because it’s just flour, water, salt, and a starter. It’s fun and I enjoy the challenge.

I had to go out yesterday to pick up B’s meds and the damn pharmacy didn’t have 2 of them. He had done the refills a week ago so somewhere they screwed up. I had to wait for them to do them. PITA! Today he gets labs so we’ll see what the numbers are.

On the Facebook group, a new member was asking about the chemo and the surgery. Several people responded that the surgery is quite tough but one person said he was a year out from it and doing well. That gives me hope. I guess time will tell.

Yesterday afternoon we had a Samhain fire in the fire pit. It was nice to sit out with the fire and watch the sun go down. After a dinner of french toast and veggie sausages, we watched ‘Young Frankenstein’ which is one of our all-time favorites. So many great lines. We might watch Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein tonight.

I finished the LOTR Rings books and am back to reading some Baldacci. His different series are very good. I also read Mary Trump’s new book’ Who Could Ever Love You’. Boy was that an eye-opener. Trump is one sicko and his father was despicable. If you can get it from the library I’d recommend it just for the insight into trump’s mind.

I’m getting more stressed over the election and can hardly think about what will happen if he wins. It just really scares the Bjesus right out of me. The things he says and does are really nuts. Demented!! And yet people still are voting for him. It is beyond my little brain’s comprehension.

If he wins, I’ll just unplug for a while until I can handle it which may be never. Our country will be doomed for 4 more years. On top of that the policies will send us right back to McCarthyism. What a shit storm:(

Menu Monday

Posted in Blood test, California, cooking, swimming by

I think I’ll do a mix of from scratch meals and then some pantry/freezer meals this week.

Last night we had a broccoli casserole that used broccoli, chicken and tofu on the other side, ranch dressing and then cheese on top. I used up all the broccoli so that was good. It was ok. Not great but ok.

Soup night of some sort. Last week I made homemade mushroom soup ( to use up the Costco mushrooms) and it was quite delicious. I want to add some new soups to my rotation so I’ll be checking out recipes. But if I don’t find something, I’ll just do lentil or minestrone.

I have a meatloaf and mashed potato dinner planned. It’s enough for one dinner and then I’ll freeze the other half. B can have a veggie burger with his potatoes.

I think I’ll plan a brinner this week too. I have lots of eggs so I could do pancakes, eggs, and veggie sausage.

I have a freezer lasagna to use one night with a salad.

I feel like a curry as well, so maybe red lentil curry with rice.

Probably a pizza night but that’s still TBD.

The freezer is low on meats as I haven’t restocked anything so I need to plan a Costco trip for some beef, chicken, and maybe fish.

I got my labs done and was out the door within 10 minutes. Then, I went to the pool. It was crazy busy for some weird reason. Usually, now when I go later, it’s pretty empty so I don’t know if it was just a one-off or what.

I’m home and chilling for the rest of the day. I’m almost done with Fellowship of the Ring.

Menu Monday

Posted in California, cooking, meal planning, simple foods by

Meal planning has been going well. We had a fun ‘ Tim Walz tator tot hot dish’ last week. I didn’t use ground turkey but a sprinkle of sausage on the meat eaters’ side. Then there was cheese, eggs, and a can of fire-roasted diced chilies. It was a fun meal.

Last night we had the brown rice bowls with black beans( my home canned ones), salad toppings, cheese, sour cream, avocado, and some steak tips.( for the meat eaters)

The rest of the week will include;

  1. grilled mushrooms over egg noodles and salad
  2. tofu burgers
  3. egg salad sandwiches( I think) this may be optional
  4. pizza of some sort, either homemade or takeout
  5. grilled chicken with baked potatoes( I have in the freezer)
  6. a soup of some sort.

I want to go through my pantry boxes and pull out anything that might be close to expiration. Most of my pantry boxes( those are the Far Niente wine crates) are half empty since I’m not really doing any stockpiling. I think keeping the basics like pasta etc, is good but I don’t need to go over board. If there is another pandemic, then we’ll live with what have or live without it. That about sums it up.

Exciting, the debate tomorrow. Let’s hope tRump makes an ass of himself!!!!

Menu Monday

Posted in budgets, California, cooking, meal planning, swimming by

Now that this week is going to be cooler, I’ll try and plan a regular menu.

When I do menu planning, I don’t always do them in order or as listed for a day. I might switch Taco Tuesday to Wednesday but the dinner is still the same.

Monday- I’m going to make a pie crust and do a quiche. I have spinach to use and gruyere cheese to add.

Tuesday- I have beans, RG, in the freezer so I’m going to pull them and do nachos. I still have 2 avocados from Costco in the fridge. Did you know that as soon as they are almost ripe( slightly press on them) if you put them in the fridge they will literally last for weeks. The ones I have in there are close to 3 weeks from when I bought them.

Wednesday- I have a piece of steak to use for the meat eaters and I’ll do tofu for B. A big salad too and maybe something else on the side. Corn on the cob would be good.

Thursday- I think I’ll try an IP recipe of some sort. I saw a lasagna that looked interesting. I’d have to go buy the cheese but have noodles and the sauce.

Friday- pizza of some sort. I’ll either make one or we’ll do takeout.

Saturday- If the weather stays coolish, I’ll use Weber for a BBQ night. I’d probably do chicken and more tofu. Plus salad of some sort.

Sunday- Unknown at this point. I’d like to go through the chest freezer and use something that’s been in there a while. I know I have a piece of pork roast lingering in there so maybe that. Pulled pork sandwiches would work.

Today is a pool day and then home. I don’t think I’ll go over to the library today but probably soon.