"Are not flowers the stars of the earth?" --Clara Lucas Balfour
This was the quote on my tea bag tag today.
Mostly cheap because I did use some frozen prepared foods this week, the Chinese entrees, the egg rolls, the chopped peppers and onions, plus I splurged on broccoli florets instead of broccoli cuts for New Year's Day. Otherwise, everything else used my ordinary ingredients for this time of year.
I feel like we've been eating non-stop since Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to more humble meals beginning next week. But it's been a great feasting season.
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| Tuesday's salad -- we're still harvesting kale |
Here are our menus for this past week.
Friday
scratch pepperoni pizza
cabbage, turnip green, and carrot slaw
tangerines
leftover cherry pie
scratch pepperoni pizza
cabbage, turnip green, and carrot slaw
tangerines
leftover cherry pie
Saturday
beef and vegetable soup
leftover dinner rolls from Christmas
tangerines
cookies
Sunday
scrambled eggs with avocado wedges and salsa
frozen broccoli
brown rice
tangerines
cookies
Monday
ground beef stroganoff, using a combo of leftover Greek yogurt, soy milk, cornstarch and lemon juice to stand in for sour cream
leftover brown and white rice
peas and carrots
cabbage slaw
stewed prunes
Tuesday
tuna-avocado melts (a great way to use up aging avocados, as they're hidden beneath the cheese)
canned green beans
kale, dried cranberry and orange salad
gingered pears
Wednesday
frozen Chinese entrees (one beef, one chicken, both with veggies)
leftover egg rolls (from Christmas Eve)
white rice
tangerines
Thursday (Happy New Year!)
beef pot roast with mushroom gravy (using dried mushrooms gift from Christmas 2024)
black-eyed peas with onions and peppers
oven-roasted broccoli florets
oven-roasted sweet potato cubes
spiced apples and cranberries
What was on your menu this past week? Are you back to normal meals, or do you still have more festive foods to use up?
We were at my in-law's house for the past several days, and I tried to keep my eating habits in check, but they serve big meals for both lunch and dinner, so I feel like I've been eating non-stop. I'm looking forward to the new year's reset. Your menu looks perfect for what I'm in the mood for eating.
ReplyDeleteHi Kris,
DeleteI can relate. It's hard to say no to food when someone offers it in love. And we now we get a chance to eat a little more prudently again.
"Nonstop since Thanksgiving"... It sure feels that way to me too! Still eating leftovers combined with fresh garden sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, and turnips and some dried persimmons from neighbor. I am also looking forward to getting back to normal meals. I love your Chinese meal idea!
ReplyDeleteHi friend,
DeleteYour garden produce sounds so perfect for right now -- fresh and flavorful, but also not so heavy. What did you do with the dried persimmons?
With the home-done Chinese meals, we figure it's about half the cost of getting take-out Chinese at the most budget restaurant. It's a nice treat for special occasions and holidays.
I've definitely been eating more sweets than usual. I've put some in the freezer, but still have some chocolate I'm enjoying. Yesterday we had pork and sauerkraut for the New Year.
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteHow did the pork and sauerkraut turn out? What seasonings to do add to the crockpot?
We have some cookies in the freezer,. too. I get several out at a time. It helps to not be looking at them all of the time. Enjoy your chocolate!
We ate more than normal when we visit our kids but as soon as we got back it was immediately back to our normal small meals. I have big plans to use things in my pantry, freezer and refrigerator. One of those things were spring roll wrappers. I dove into my freezer and found some chicken thighs, cooked cabbage, frozen whole ginger and made some chicken vegetable spring rolls. I had onions and carrots and lettuce so I cooked the chicken and added those sliced veggies and added some cooked ramen to make a pile of spring rolls. Soup is on the menu using whatever I have in the pantry and freezer, meatloaf is also good using any odds and ends that need using up. And finally chicken rollups using leftover cooked chicken, a can of crescent rolls, cream of chicken soup, some almost moldy cheese and had a delicious casserole.
ReplyDeleteAlice
Hi Alice,
DeleteYum, those spring rolls sound delicious and so do the chicken rollups! I laughed at "almost moldy cheese." I use every last thing, too -- trying to salvage foods before they go bad. Good luck using up freezer, pantry, and fridge contents! It sounds like yiou're off to a great start.