onigiri likely being too much of a faff right now? I would have gotten them at the Japanese store we were at on Saturday, but I’d already bought our fun convenience food for the day.
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Good call! I love onigiri and they’re super easy to batch make.
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Monday: sweet potato home fries, tomato shashi paneer
Tuesday: roast chicken thighs with sumac & lemon (Ottolenghi), roast pepper salad
Wednesday: zucchini paneer fritters
Thursday: french onion soup, toasts
Friday: cabbage, chicken fried rice (Singapore seasoning?)
lunches:
tomato lentil coconut curry on rice
kale tetrazzini
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Since this is where all the cool kids are meal planning:
Pork chops, veg, potato
Sweet and sour pork
Pancakes
Moroccan chicken
Pitas with leftover chicken
Risotto
Pizza
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Breakfast- Sausage Hash Brown Frittata /// Bacon, Hard Boiled Eggs, Fruit Salad
Weekend Lunch- Pumpkin Coconut Tempeh Curry
Weekday Lunch- Swedish Meatballs + Gravy + Side of Tiny Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes/Celery/Garlic
Dinner #1- Cheeseburgers + Tots+ Ketchup + Pickles
Dinner #2 - Rolled Pesto Lemon Marinated Chicken Breasts (w/ marscapone, goat cheese, parmesan, broccoli) + Rice Pilaf (carrots, celery, frozen peas, almonds) + Brussels Sprouts
Baking- Bagels (Poppy Seed)
Other- Fruit Salad, Protein Smoothies, Crackers, Bagels and Cream Cheese, Instant Noodles, Easy Pizza, Freezer Soup, Chocolates
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Mmm fruit salad. Good call.
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Randomly came across this; I really like how she has a positive/encouraging take what works and leave the rest approach.
And here’s her site, which doesn’t have a ton on it but she also has a book:
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I read the book and liked it! Not a ton new if you’ve already read a lot of minimalist content, but I liked her perspective and voice a lot! I think I first ran across her from this interview.
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Plenty of food at home lately! I lucked out and finished all my weekly cooking just before getting sick, like literally hours before! I think I’ll order groceries this weekend since husband seems to be coming down with it now too, but luckily the Aldi near us is doing curbside pickup for just a $1.99 fee! (Not covid sick, but colds with coughing so…not going out, lol.)
Food pics
Double cheeseburger because I’d never made one before, and why not?!
First time making Swedish Meatballs! They turned out really well, I seared them but left them mostly raw otherwise and then stored them. I made the gravy separately and let it cool completely. I only combined the two for packed lunches (and at home lunch) so when I heated it in the microwave it turned out to be perfectly done, not dry at all! I also got to use my new tablespoon scooper!
Here’s the whole meal (lunch) I baked the veggies in bacon fat. Subversive opinion: baked celery is way underrated.
Those tiny taters are always so expensive but I couldn’t resist them this time…so cute.
It’s pretty rare that husband requests something (I told him he can always ask for anything! I like it!) but last week he randomly mention rice pilaf, which isn’t something I grew up eating but he said I nailed it pretty well. I used frozen peas but fresh carrots and celery and sliced almonds. I thought it was fine but he loved it, said it was very nostalgic.
Since the pilaf felt kind of Americana to me I decided to do these little chicken roll-up things. I pounded them thin and marinated them overnight in lemon juice and the last bit of store-bought pesto I had from Aldi. The next day I food processed two heads of broccoli and a bunch of garlic and olive oil and cooked it in a pan, then combined with parmesan, marscapone, and goat cheese for the filling. This spiral was especially nice:
All together on the plate. I really like the chicken! IDK why I don’t do stuffed chicken more often but I will now! The only underwhelming part was the cheese. I just…don’t think I love Aldi’s cheese. It’s all kind of meh?
Fancy breakfast from last weekend!
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I love making Swedish meatballs. Also the plating of the rolled chicken is A+++
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Soon I am going to be responsible for paying the water bill for our apartment, which I have never done. It is rare to have to pay it in a rental in Chicago and even when we had the condo it was bundled into our HOA assessment fees so I don’t even know what the specific cost was.
So - tips for keeping the bill down other than obvious things like shorter showers and not letting the water run unnecessarily? I have never had to think about this.
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As part of your evening routine, double check that the hose tap is off if you watered the garden that day. I’ve definitely forgotten it was on a time or two - the hose attachment was off but it leaks where the hose attaches to the spigot.
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live somewhere without high fixed service fees 
hate to say it, but that’s where the largest % of most peoples bills come from. Actually usage only accounts for like 30% of my bill. Even during the peak of summer when I have a garden and I’m watering our lawn and all of that, it might climb to like 40 or 50% of it at most. It’s really pretty negligible compared to all the fixed costs.
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Yep, this is what I was about to say, too. 
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This 
it makes very little difference.
Check your first bill. If it is majority fees, I wouldn’t worry about it. If you don’t live in a drought-prone area (which you don’t), just accept it as a fact of life.
Lol, oops, I just deleted my post.
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Like, from an environmental perspective obviously try to reduce your water usage. But from a cost one, it’s definitely an uphill battle. And to be clear I would not keep my stupid lawn green in the summer if it weren’t for my stupid HOA that I hate.
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And to add - this is true of electricity as well, largely. A lifetime of conservation mindset has trained us otherwise, believe me I know, but technology-wise is leaps and bounds of where it was even 20 years ago. It isn’t worth the anxiety brain space to run around turning off lights. Its’s big corporations doing all the wasteful polluting, largely.
(I mean, obviously don’t leave all your lights on all night. But don’t sweat the small stuff.)
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I would argue not everywhere. I was told it’s better for my well to run it regularly, and for my septic system (drain field). (I mean, my well is artisanal and forces water to the surface all by itself.) I use more water than I ever have in my life. But in a city, on city water, yes, I agree, even in a wet climate, because that water has to be treated going in and going out. (And even using more water than I ever have, I still don’t like water my lawn (which is a funny concept in the northeast anyway).)
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Yeah, and I know trash and sewer fixed costs are bundled in there as well. UGH.
Adding to the fun, apparently the water company here sometimes sends completely fictional bills that you then have to dispute. Good times!
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Arrrgh we do keep a green lawn. 2 reasons: 1. Place for kids to play 2. If you don’t water in Denver, the grass dies altogether (not just goes dormant like it would in some other places) and turns into sharp nasty weeds that can get very tall. Ask me how I know this…
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