Found myself in a situation I haven’t been in in a very VERY long time due to not socializing a whole lot while we were in Chicago.
Had dinner with a couple we had just met. They ordered a ton of food, Boyfriend sampled some of theirs and they also sampled some of his. I did my own thing because vegetarian. At meal’s end they suggested we just split the bill down the middle so we did that but it ended up being way more than I would’ve expected, and I think we (well, I, it was my turn to pay) way overpaid based on what Boyfriend and I consumed?
But I also didn’t want to nickel and dime, we don’t actually know these people and I didn’t want to be perceived as That Person who sat down with the bill and figured out who consumed what.
Part of the cost of doing business when you go out in a group, I guess. I’m not sure what would’ve been fair as I wasn’t keeping an eye on who ate what since it was all stuff that had meat.
On the plus side, we both have a SHITTON of leftovers. Like, I’ll get another 2 meals out of this, possibly 3.
Sweet potato! I loooooooove sweet potatoes. They might be my most eaten vegetable? I’m a sucker for any kind of root or tuber tho. I bet pumpkin would be nice too, mmm, especially in cooler weather.
Hi y’all!
I’m trying to get back in the habit of using the forum and I will be officially exiting my “do whatever you want, you have been so poor up until now” time period after getting a day job and a big jump in income.
I didn’t make a firm plan, but I kind of told myself I could have about 9-10 months, and I’m entering my tenth month in a few days.
So. Now it’s time to start saving saving saving and thinking a little bit more about this extra moolah.
I have no actual post regarding my plans, I guess just kind of bookmarking myself here so I can remember to come back to this journal. Yay!!
Ahh thank you! The top photo is a casserole pan with the following layers starting from the bottom: rice (leftover from indian takeout, lol), sautéed peppers and tomato, chicken (thighs and drumsticks). I coated the chicken in a little Tony’s and slapped on some ketchup (I got this weird kind with like, yams in it? it’s good!), poured a bit of water in the casserole dish, and baked it for like, I kind of don’t remember. 375 for maybe 30 minutes? Then I took it out and added some salsa to the top of each chicken and spooned it in around all the pieces until there was none left (trying to use this up). Then I finished it for maybe another 15 minutes? I rarely time chicken; I kind of just hang out with it bc I’m usually doing other cooking at the same time anyway.
Here’s one way to lower the grocery bill… go out for aforementioned spendy dinner (it was “Chicago deep dish” pizza). Bring home shitload of leftovers. Leftovers are so heavy that if I eat 1 slice of pizza (of a 7" individual pizza, BTW), I am full for the rest of the day and also do not really want breakfast the next day.
The rest of this thing is going in the freezer. I cannot eat this daily! But, well, it’s turned out to be many many meals?
I don’t know why it annoys me so much that I had to toss 2 covid test kits because they expired last month. They were free! I guess because soon (or possibly now) they will no longer be free? Really, I should be grateful that I didn’t have symptoms and need to test (I’ve only tested once recently on a day that I woke up feeling off; was negative and I was fine the next day.)
If you have other tests that don’t already have an ‘expiration extended’ sticker you might google them before tossing…at least a couple brands have had their expiration dates extended beyond what it says on the box.
This ^ ended up being really affordable because deviled eggs are always cheap, I already had the chicken and the shrimp in my freezer, I already had ingredients to make my bbq sauce, and then the veggie skewers are just, fresh veggies. I also bought cocktail sauce, but overall really inexpensive. The veggie skewers were actually the standouts IMO, I marinated them overnight and they were amazing. I’m glad I went with a buffet setup like this so I could just hang out and enjoy during.
Oh and she brought me this which I thought was so incredibly thoughtful. She said she was going to bring flowers but then she figured a bunch of herbs from her garden which I could actually use would be better and I LOVE IT.
You should be able to get reimbursed for home tests by your insurance - ask at the pharmacy. (I haven’t done this because Medicare just hands them over.)
Also, check if your state has a program; as the federal program ended, Wisconsin started mailing them out.
mmm I love that you made deviled eggs! Such an under appreciated food, but they are one of my favs! Those veggie skewers do look amazing, what did you marinate them in?
Hatch green chiles were 50 cents a pound this week, so I prepped a few bags for the freezer. I love green chiles so much. I wish I had the bandwidth to do more because that price is the cheapest I’ve ever seen. I used to do 10-15 pounds each year, but I just don’t have the time right now. I also grilled up 8 ears of corn because the store had Olathe corn, and froze a few bags, and kept some for salads this week.
I also grilled chicken breasts for salad, made a spicy cabbage slaw and put beans on to soak. I’m trying really hard to supplement my meat consumption with other foods like beans, so I’m adding them in in small doses.
I’m planning to do bowls for dinner this week with romaine, spicy slaw, grilled chicken, beans, grilled corn and salsa. Should be pretty tasty!
That all looks so good! I marinated the veggies in olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander powder, and thyme…I think that’s all, possibly paprika too. I’ll definitely do that again. Usually I just coat them before cooking but marinating made a big difference.
I almost have to make deviled eggs when I have people over (hence the fact that I own a deviled egg tray) because mine are really really good and people freak out over them in any situation. They’re one of those foods that feel really fancy but are super cheap and also kind of nostalgic. I started making them for events in college and was amazed at the reaction. Plus they’re so easy to make the night before!
My fav thing to make is a classic New Mexico green chile pork stew. Last year I made one in the instant pot that was just incredible, but I kind of winged the recipe so I don’t even know if I could recreate it!
I also love to make an easy crockpot meal with chicken thighs, black beans, corn, about 3 cups of green chiles, and chicken stock. Super easy, but so flavorful from the chiles.
Since this is a small quantity, I’ll probably save them to throw on top of a pizza (they are really good on a bbq chicken pizza) or put them in burgers!
