I will admit, this was a very unusual week — meal planning wise. We’ve had a revolving door of illnesses in our home the last two weeks. So much vomiting, so much diarrhea. Plus pink eye, and ear infections, and sore throats. This week, I dipped heavily into my freezer stash, and the theme of the week is QUICK AND EASY, because my husband and I are running an in-home urgent care / laundromat for our three little turkeys. Did I mention we found smeared poop ON THE WALL of our powder room (barf)? Pray for me.
PS. I recently purchased the TushBaby carrier for my 14 month old. HANDS DOWN THE BEST PRODUCT OUT THERE FOR A CLINGY BABY. LIFESAVER ON MY BACK AND ARMS!
WEEK OF DECEMBER 10 – DECEMBER 16
GROCERY SHOPPING = $88.08
$69.45 at Trader Joe’s for the Big Sunday Shop, $18.63 for mid-week shop at Target.
DINING OUT = $73.38
$30.38 Sunday Lunch + $31 Tuesday Lunch + $12 Lattes
SUNDAY LUNCH
The baby and I skipped Hebrew School so he could rest. Once my husband and the big kids came home, I took the big kids for a walk to pick up lunch at a Mediterranean spot $30.38 with tip.
SUNDAY DINNER
My amazing, beautiful friend dropped off a delicious dairy-free tomato soup (with her permission I’ll post recipe soon!) — we paired it up with grilled cheese sandwiches.
MONDAY LUNCH
My daughter stayed home sick from school, yet healthy enough to request mac & cheese for lunch. If you’re counting, that’s 2/3 sick kids home with us today.
MONDAY DINNER
I had two large pieces of chicken thighs leftover from last week, I paired that up with roasted green beans and the rest of today’s mac & cheese lunch. The baby ate a full dinner tonight, his appetite is finally back!
TUESDAY LUNCH
My daughter went back to preschool today, and the baby seemed to finally turn a corner. My husband worked from home today as well, and the three of us walked to our neighborhood burger joint for lunch $31 with tip. We strolled around the neighborhood scheduling a haircut, confirming an order with the frame shop, purchasing thank you notes from the gift boutique, and ordered two to-go lattes from the breakfast spot, before swinging by the ATM, and heading back home. $12 for the lattes. Have I mentioned how much we LOVE our new neighborhood? 10/10 walkability.
TUESDAY DINNER
I wanted something quick and easy! Tofu and Broccoli with Ginger-Tahini Sauce. After dinner, my husband took the big kids out for a Chanukah party. Normally, I would’ve joined, but I wasn’t comfortable leaving the baby with a babysitter, he’s still waking up at night due to his ear infection.
WEDNESDAY LUNCH
Last week I made a one-skillet Mexican dish (ground beef, onion, bell peppers, garlic, chilies, diced tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, frozen corn, black beans, rice, and cilantro). Super good!
WEDNESDAY DINNER
Now that all three kids are back in great health, my husband goes down. I pull a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen Asians vegetables from the freezer saved for emergency and make that for dinner, paired with all ready cooked chicken and rice (also from the freezer, saved for nights just like this one).
THURSDAY LUNCH
I had a grab bag of leftovers: tofu, ginger-tahini dressing, rice, vegetables while the baby napped. A bit later I had a second lunch, a salad thrown together with whatever was in the fridge.
We also had a handful of super overripe bananas sitting on the kitchen counter, the smell of them made me want to die. So I turned them into peanut butter-chocolate chip-banana muffins!
THURSDAY DINNER
It’s been a while since I’ve made vodka sauce, so I paired it up with pasta, italian sausage, a red bell pepper, and a red onion (hard to see the vegetables in the photo, but they’re there!). Super good!
FRIDAY LUNCH
BentoGo boxes of snacks + grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids, my husband ran out to Garbanzo for another lunch ($15?), and I made a salad-rice bowl for myself at home.
SHABBAT DINNER
Tonight I wanted to keep it simple, sheet pan salmon alongside roasted chickpeas, and rice. My boys love salmon as much as I do, so it’s really fun to make!
SHABBAT LUNCH
Another day of grilled cheese sandwiches + snacks for the kids, and I picked through the fridge (hummus, cheese, crackers, etc.) I can’t remember what my husband ate.
SATURDAY DINNER
Lamb gyro rice bowls, with pickled shallots, tomatoes, cucumbers, homemade tzatziki, pita bread, and rice.
I absolutely needed the cooking break, and in order to do so, I had to heavily rely on easy meals / meals that were cooked previously and frozen. I did a pretty good job of cleaning out the freezer this week, and I’m OK with that. That’s the whole point of doubling up meals!