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Monday, October 12, 2020

Food for Thought



Each week I make a food plan and occasionally I actually cook close to what I planned. Not usually but occasionally. I think I was a little over 50 percent successful this week, but no matter what happens, we eat (too much) and life goes along its merry way. 

This is what was planned:
Chili, coleslaw, cornbread
Vegetable soup, cornbread
Carnitas, over rice or caulirice, tossed salad
Cajun chicken, stewed okra, tomatoes and onions, caulitato salad  garlic bread, 
Veggie meal: peas, okra, squash
Seared scallops, asparagus, mashed potatoes or caulirice
Take out

This is what actually happened:
Monday: Monday started out with a bang and I got so much work done early, then I crashed and from about 2 o'clock on I was a worthless human. Fortunately I had remembered to take some chicken out of the freezer before I became a total sloth.
Cajun chicken over rice or over nothing, stewed tomatoes with  onions and okra, green beans

Tuesday: The evening was was gorgeous. It was perfect for grilling the steak I had lingering in the refrigerator . Son 2 and DIL2 ate with us Saturday and I had thawed 3 steaks. TheHub and I always share just one, but I thought they would each like their own. Son2 came into the kitchen as I was getting them ready for the grill and said they were too big for each of them to have one apiece. So I didn't cook it and now I am glad for my thawing error. It was delicious!
Grilled steak, mashed potatoes (or none), tossed salad

Wednesday: I bought produce from a local truck farm on Saturday and had some things that needed to be cooked or processed for the freezer. I chose cooking since we love veggie meals. After we finished TheHub was in mourning because the season for delicious fresh summer produce is just about over.
Veggie dinner, lady peas (or none) , air-fried okra (or none), squash, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumber

Thursday: We dropped our Costco membership over 2 years ago, because we just never used it. Now TheHub was ready to rejoin. I was ambivalent about it, but because there was no real reason not to, we went online to re-up. Next thing I knew we were in the car on the way to Costco. I will admit I found a few things I used to buy there still in their inventory. I also found a couple of keto bargains there__Rao's marinara sauce was about 2.50 a jar cheaper.. Of course I bought some pecans (but honestly I will buy some local ones if I don't get down to my SIL's farm, because nothing tastes better than fresh pecans) 
and a large bottle of olive oil. I will probably give some of it to my sister.
I am going to be really nerdy and keep a total of what we saved on each purchase by buying it there just to see how long it takes to recoup the membership cost. After we reach that I will keep a list of the savings to see just how much, if any we saved. A small codicil: If TheHub goes rogue and buys crap we don't need I am counting that as stupid money, and will not use it in my total. I am only counting things we use regularly that I would buy normally. 
When we were finished shopping it was later at night and I claimed I did not feel like cooking.  ( I had forgotten I had a pot of veggie soup in the crockpot.) Instead we decided to pick up something on the way home.
Wings Stop korean wings, mild wings (one of us likes heat less than the other__wuss!) parmesan french fries (or none) mixed spring greens (another Costco find and it was a great deal)

Friday: The night was rainy and there was no reason for us to go anywhere, so we decided to hang out at home (Oh yeah, Covid! We always hang out at home) Dinner was a no brainer since it was already made and just required warming. 
Veggie soup AKA Stuff salvaged from the fridge that was about to ruin. No keto cornbread was made. The world continued to spin.
 

Saturday: Game Day here! We turn on the tv at 9 so we can watch (really listen to ) ESPN Game Day
while we did some chores.Then at 11 we start intermittent watching. That means we watch a couple of plays, get up and do something, come back and watch a couple more plays, repeat until the game is over__unless it is a really good game, and then we might actually watch the last quarter. Bama played at 6:30 so we did a pizza take out.
Marco's deluxe pizza or  pizza bowl (which is keto friendly)

Sunday: The day was fairly ordinary, but not cool enough to have the planned chili. I still had an ace up my sleeve, in the fridge.
Carnitas over rice (or none), steamed asparagus, spring greens with tomatoes

I did none of the baking I had planned for the week. It was ok but by Friday I was getting a little itchy to have something like a keto cookie. I can only blame myself because I did have time to make some, I just didn't do it. So this week has some baking I need to do, badly before I self sabotage.

Keto cornbread
Chaffles
Keto dinner rolls (Maybe)
Keto cookies
Keto coconut custard pie and/or Keto maple cake

And now for the planned meals:*
1. Grilled tuna, broccoli, tossed salad, potatoes (or none) 
2. Chop Suey over rice or cauliflower rice, daikon salad
3. Chili, coleslaw, keto cornbread
4. BLT salad, keto dinner rolls or regular rolls
5. Veggie meal: Butter peas (or none) squash casserole, air fryer okra
6. White sauce keto pizza bake, tossed salad
7. Take out

As usual these are only suggestions and can change based on my mood, lack of interest, or the way the wind is blowing.
Have a good week on plan, off plan or with no plan at all!



* Let me explain that TheHub is not a picky eater and as long as he has some bread, potatoes, rice or noodles with his food he never complains that I am cooking keto compliant foods. He really does like the keto cornbread also, so I don't have to make two separate "breads"


20 comments:

  1. Your menu plan sounds great! We had a keto parmesan chicken dish yesterday that I loved. It was also easy, which is a double win. For the rest of the week, we'll eat leftovers & fill ins from the freezer, because we have a packed week ahead.

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    1. I planned this menu last night and looking at it today, I am just not sure about it! I love leftover nights!

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  2. Sounds like everything worked out well! I had to cancel our Costco membership because my hubby always went rogue and bought crap we don't need, and then he would get tired of the things he bought. He never learned, and just kept doing it. I had to cut him off lol.

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    1. I am not yet sure why TheHub wanted this because other than his formerly recreational shopping stops at Publix (The only good thing I have found bout covid was his recreational shopping just about came to a halt) he does not go to the store at all.

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  3. After years without a costco membership we got one when we moved here due to lack of other retail. I am glad we did. Some things cost more, some things can't be found other places, but their meat department blows almost other stores away (except our ultra expensive place with cheap meat occassionally). In the end we upgraded to Executive. Last year due to some other purchases (shed) we ended up getting our full membership back. This year we likely will have to pay a little. I still like it though, we share it with Mom and both of us benefit

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    1. I am sure I will go there periodically, and you are right about their meat department, but we also have a ton of grocery shopping options. Within 3 miles of our house I can find at least 5 different grocery stores, including Aldi where the prices are always low.

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  4. Yum, yum. I made a list of items, and when pulli gout a frozen item saw two thee other things I had forgotten about. I really could go at lest 10 days without shopping-other than fresh fruit and veg. I too am sad the sumemr growing season is done, but looking forward to some squash recipes.

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    1. Summer comes and goes every year. I will miss yellow squash and ripe tomatoes the most, but can adapt. TheHub always seems to want unavailable items mid January

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  5. HOW I wish that himself was happy with vegetarian meals. He is not. So two meals (cooking and cleaning) are the rule.
    He joined Costco and loves it. I am more than a little ambivalent. The portion sizes are simply tooooo big for us.

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    1. That is the one thing I have against it. We just don't need gigantic portions, as evidenced by the huge container of mixed nuts that keep screaming at me and I seem to answer them.

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  6. My husband is not picky either as long as there is meat.

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    1. It makes it easier when they are less picky. We don't even have to have meat. It just has to be filling.

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  7. I love Costco and Sam's Club. They are really BIG BOX stores :) When I was in the US, I always accompanied my BFF to Sam's Club. Too bad we do not have either of them here.

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    1. I don't mind the stores, I just don't need to buy that many things in bulk.

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  8. Ooh, that coconut custard pie sounds good! I let my Costco membership lapse several years ago because I didn't buy enough to make up for the membership fee! But, I do miss the bulk buys on household products. I could stock up for 6 months to a year in one shopping trip!

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    1. That is true about the stock up. I am going to chart everything to see how long it takes for us to pay for the membership, then continue charting to see if it is worth it.

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  9. I ought to look at my Costco membership but my daughter likes to buy gas there on her way home out of town. I use it mostly for sale items like batteries and some clothing and a few food items that can't be found elsewhere. I follow a blogger who goes to Costco at least twice a week (!) and posts photos of the prices of items.

    Enjoy your week!

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    1. Do you mind sharing the blog you follow. I must be missing something about the appeal of Costco. It was great when I had teen boys living here, but with just the two of us we didn't use it anymore. I guess I will start back.

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  10. I love Costco. It's my favorite place to shop. It's always clean and well organized there. My favorite credit card is the Costco Anywhere Card.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Yeah, I guess I am going to have to get a Visa to use there.

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