Friday
scratch pepperoni pizza
sautéed Swiss chard*
scratch pumpkin pudding (the cornstarch kind, cooked on the stove with pumpkin puree* and spices added)
sautéed Swiss chard*
scratch pumpkin pudding (the cornstarch kind, cooked on the stove with pumpkin puree* and spices added)
Saturday
beef fajitas (no peppers, though), w/homemade salsa, tomatoes*, avocados
steamed baby carrots*
open-faced plum pie (frozen plums*)
Sunday
kitchen sink tomato soup -- tomato paste, liquid from canned tomatoes, quinoa, celery*, rosemary*, garlic*, and carrot leaves*
toasted cheese sandwiches
roasted winter squash* cubes
leftover plum* pie
Monday
meatloaf, adding celery*, onion, garlic*, herbs*, carrot leaves*, bread
gravy, made with drippings (bland), seasoned with garlic & onion powders, black pepper, thyme*, ketchup
brown rice
baby carrots* added to meatloaf pan in last half of baking meatloaf
sautéed Brussel sprout leaves* in beef fat with onion and garlic*
brown rice
baby carrots* added to meatloaf pan in last half of baking meatloaf
sautéed Brussel sprout leaves* in beef fat with onion and garlic*
spiced fig-applesauce*
Tuesday
roasted whole chicken, gravy
oven-roasted potato wedges, roasted in some of the chicken fat from the roasted chicken
baked pumpkin* drizzled with cinnamon and brown sugar syrup
curried kale* and cabbage* slaw
stewed prunes*
Wednesday
Mexi-bowls, using leftover chicken, seasoned with cumin and chili powder, a can of corn, fresh tomato* and avocado, topped with shredded cheddar and fresh cilantro*
kale* and cabbage* slaw in mayo and salsa dressing
pear* sauce from the freezer
Thursday
leftover chicken and gravy
roasted purple potatoes* in beef fat
sautéed beet greens and stem pieces* in bacon fat and seasoned with garlic and onion powders
baked pumpkin* cubes tossed with butter and salt
apple* and crabapple* sauce
*denotes garden produce
Grocery spending for the month of October
Spent $123.62 this week at WinCo, $120.80 a couple of weeks ago at WinCo, and $22.78 at Walmart for bananas and 3 jars of instant coffee in between WinCo runs, bringing my in-store grocery shopping total to $267.20. To this total I add a pro-rated share of what we spend on beef deliveries of $119.66 per month. So my actual grocery spending is $386.86 for October 2025. I think that's pretty good considering it's for 4 adults.
How the harvest is coming
This week I've spent some time outdoors cleaning up some of the garden beds, raking the empty ones smooth, and cleaning up the walkways in between beds. I still have food to harvest. We've used kale, Brussel sprout leaves and cilantro a few times in the last week or so. The beets are ready to dig up. But they can also stay in the soil for a month or more. Instead of digging them when I don't need them for meals, I cut leaves and stems here and there from the beets. We used beet leaves in dinner on Thursday. I'll wait to dig turnips, too, for a couple of weeks at least. While all of the celery is harvested and inside, I continue to sort through the bundles to find the best fresh-eating pieces, then chop and freeze other, stronger flavored ones. I do one or two bundles per week this way. I have 2 full bundles remaining in the fridge.
Our fridge is still packed with produce. I expect by Thanksgiving we will have used much of what is there, fresh.
It must be satisfying to see how much in your meals come from food you have grown. We have a much smaller effort here, but we were happy to have turnips, rutabagas, spinach, and lettuce this week from the garden.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was pretty frugal with food but Lili, you are the Queen! Do I have to saute celery before freezing it? I always have done that but reading this post it appears I don't have to do that (just slice and freeze). Correct me if I'm wrong.
ReplyDeleteMy husband came home with a huge bag (maybe 25 pounds) of onions that a farmer puts out for $5 a bag. He snagged one so I'm busy dicing and freezing as much as I can before the bag goes soft. Softball size onions (perhaps a bit larger) and wonderfully firm.
Alice
We used beet greens in our salad last night. They were yummy. I visited a friend in North Carolina last weekend, which was lots of fun, but after several meals out, I was glad to come home to our fresh produce. Admittedly, our garden is winding down, but there are still a few treasures to be had.
ReplyDelete