Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the first week of February

veggie enchiladas

Friday

bean and ham soup (pinto beans, ham stock from freezer, dices of ham from freezer -- Christmas Day ham)
homemade whole wheat bread and butter
leftover pumpkin pie (from freebie pumpkin, scratch pie crust, frozen eggs, marked-down milk -- it was a bargain pie)

Saturday (today is housecleaning day, so dinner needs to be simple, and not messy!)

baked potato bar (I had scrubbed extra potatoes earlier in the week, so that part was already done), toppings included:
   chopped kale, sauteed with diced ham and onions in the bacon fat from making bacon bits
   Cheddar cheese sauce
   bacon bits
oven-roasted, canned tomato halves
leftover pumpkin pie

Sunday

pumpkin pancakes
scrambled eggs
oranges

Monday

turkey and vegetables topped with biscuits and baked (inspired by live and learn's comments about shepherd's pie topped with biscuits instead of potatoes)
grapefruit gelatin (brought by my son's girlfriend)
leftover pumpkin pie

Tuesday

ham (from freezer)
mashed potatoes (from freezer)
frozen green beans

Wednesday

homemade mushroom and black olive pizza (dough from freezer, quick sauce of tomato paste, water and dried seasonings)
vegetable medley of canned tomatoes, onions, frozen green beans and garlic powder
blackberry cobbler

Thursday

veggie enchiladas (filling: diced firm tofu, spinach, onions, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, tomato juice sauteed in oil for a few minutes, rolled up in corn tortillas, topped with enchilada sauce -- easy recipe for enchilada sauce, here, in the comments, from Belinda at the Frugal Workshop -- then Cheddar cheese and olives. Baked at 350 F for about 25 minutes.) I made just a small batch of enchilada sauce, in the skillet that I fried the tortillas, then sauteed the veggies/tofu. I thinned the enchilada sauce with some tomato sauce, as I didn't quite make enough to cover all of the enchiladas. Still quite tasty!
Spanish rice & black beans on the side


I relied on a lot of quick to fix meals this past week. Some of the dinners came from the freezer stash of me-prepared foods, others were just simple things like pancakes. I bought 9 pounds of frozen spinach yesterday, so spinach will feature heavily as the veggie for a few weeks. I am down to just 1 pumpkin and 1 butternut squash, both in the fridge.

My favorite meal this week is a toss-up between Monday's turkey and vegetables topped with biscuits and baked, and last night's veggie enchiladas. Both of those dinners were just what I needed at the moment.

Looking back over the week, we seem to be lacking beef and chicken meals. I'll have to incorporate a few of those next week.

What did you eat this past week? And what was your favorite meal?

When my mind is just too fried to think, I can still be frugal

Medical appointments wipe me out, mentally. I come home and feel utterly useless. I have learned to just not schedule anything else for the day, when I have appointments like yesterday's. But I can still be frugal, even after something that wiped me out.

1) I did not buy prepared food to eat while I was out.

2) I did incorporate a stop at Trader Joe's to buy our month's supply of bananas (and I got a nice sample and small cup of coffee for free).

3) I had packed and refrigerated a lunch for myself, the evening before, to reheat when I walked in the door. Nice! A hot meal, practically waiting for me.

4) I ditched more elaborate dinner plans and opted, instead, to make a homemade pizza (using frozen dough), an easy veggie medley of canned tomatoes, onions, garlic powder and frozen green beans, and a cobbler using up some frozen blackberries.

5) When I came in the door, instead of cranking up the heat, due to the chill I felt dressed in "going out" clothing, I changed into my warm stuff, fleece sweats and a fleece jacket. Then I crawled under the covers while I ate my warmed-up lunch. One of the after-effects from stress, for me, is being chilled to the bone.

6) I rubbed lavender oil (which I already had) on my temples and pulse points. This is very effective at helping me to relax.

7) And when I had my typical, post-stress, chocolate cravings, instead of going out to buy something like a candy bar, I stayed in, made some fudge sauce from cocoa powder, sugar, corn starch and water, and drizzled it over a sliced banana. Just as chocolatey as I could make it, and short-circuited that chocolate craving.

By the end of the day, I really felt like I had pampered myself. And why not? If we don't take care of ourselves, who's going to do it for us? Sometimes, it just isn't on someone else's radar that we need a bit of TLC after a stressful day.


The upside to doing all of this wasn't limited to saving money. But it also saved me extra fatigue from additional driving, making additional decisions/choices, and the general fatigue from being out and about for a longer period. Sometimes, home is the best place to be.