Looking back over the dinner pictures I took this past week…. I’d say we ate pretty well. 😉 I didn’t even know I made so many things from scratch until I was loading the photos for this week’s show and tell meal post. Tuna casserole. We are big fans in this house. The Girl and I even like it COLD the next morning for breakfast.
ALDI meatloaf. Personally, I think it has too much of a sausage taste to it but the HH and The Girl like it so at $4.99 a box, I’ll keep on buying it. Plus, it’s great for a busy weeknight because all you have to do is pop it in the oven and dinner is ready in an hour. And hey, check it out, I didn’t burn the bread sticks this time.
Homemade refried beans… Have you ever tried making them? You should.
Not only are refried beans quick and easy to make, they taste waaaaaay better than canned. This time I omitted the salsa. You can find the recipe HERE.
Homemade chicken enchiladas. Yum-O!
The chocolate lava cake mix from King Arthur Flour is the bomb diggety! I picked it up on my last trip to the King Arthur Flour Campus and I wouldn’t hesitate to grab another box the next time we are there. King Arthur Flour also has a couple of chocolate lava cake recipes online as well if you’re interested in trying one out.
Ham sandwich, {ALDI} potato salad and Cape Cod Potato Chips for the man building the chicken coop. He wanted to know where the dill pickle was…. Because apparently all sandwiches should be served with a dill pickle {Insert eye roll here}.
Homemade strawberry shortcake with homegrown strawberries. This is the recipe I used, and it’s the best shortcake recipe on the planet! {I can’t imagine ever using another one}.
Sunday dinner and a movie. Pork roast, Brussels sprouts, {ALDI} boxed rice mix and Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits. Have you tried those Red Lobster biscuits before? They are fantastic! I think I’ve seen the big box of mix at Costco before but I’m not sure if they are still selling it. ALDI had the smaller boxes in stock last month when I did my big monthly stock up trip.
Some weeks I make good stuff…. and other weeks it’s pickety bits for days. 🙂
How about YOU? Did you make a bunch of yummy food this week? Or was it an anything goes kind of week at your house? Curious minds want to know.
~Mavis
Total Spent in July $238.06
Total Spent in June $206.47 <- Attempting once a month grocery shopping
Total Spent in May on Groceries $216.50 <- Included a stock up trip to King Arthur Flour
Total Spent in April on Groceries $169.98
Total Spent in March on Groceries $306.75 <– Apartment life, moving across the country and settling into a new house
Total Spent in February on Groceries $259.81 <- Living in an apartment and buying a lot of ready-made meals
Total Spent in January on Groceries $240.15 <– Packing mode and not cooking from scratch as much
Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.
Lissa says
Everything looks amazing…especially Sunday dinner. I think Paula Deen has a scratch recipe for the cheddar biscuits. One of my favorite things at Red Lobster.
Carolina says
I am a long time reader and I love following your adventures—all the way to here in New England. But I have to say that the picture you describe as ALDI meatloaf, looks an awful lot like lasagna.
Crystal says
I was thinking the same thing. If that is meatloaf, someone spilled lasagna noodles into it.
Mavis Butterfield says
Funny funny!
lynne says
came to say the same…has to be lasagna. It looks fantastic, though, and now I want lasagna! 😀
lynneinwi
Ashley says
Ditto! Not to mention breadsticks do make more sense with lasagna than meatloaf.
Lisa says
Too funny…I looked at the picture first and saw the lasagna and that’s what I read when I read that paragraph! I had to go back after reading all your comments to see why you were talking about meatloaf Crazy how the mind works! So fun…love the whole One Hundred Dollars a Month family…thanks Mavis for starting it!
Lisa says
There was an emoji before the word “Crazy”…what am I doing wrong that they never work for me when I comment?
Mavis Butterfield says
Seriously, and now I want to make meatloaf beatloaf for dinner tonight!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Connie says
Lisa we must be on the same wave.. that’s exactly how I saw it. I was thinking….what meatloaf??? Had to go back and look, lol. Would that be great minds think alike or minds susceptible to the power of suggestion? Connie, MI
Lisa says
Maybe both!!!
Heidi P says
I totally agree the homemade refried beans are waaaay better then canned. I could eat just refried beans for dinner they are soooo YUMMY! If you haven’t tried them you definitely should. Thanks for the recipe Mavis.
I love seeing what you make every week. Your meals always look so much better then what I make.
I can’t believe how much my groceries have been costing me. I’m not sure if its just me or if the prices have gone up. Time to start meal planning with a focus on savings again! It can be tough because my husband doesn’t like to eat carbs and I have 2 boys that ask for protein heavy meals as well. It’s tough to keep enough food around.
Marcia says
I LOVE refried beans. My husband complains, however, that my homemade ones make him a lot more … gassy … than the canned ones.
Amy W says
Hi Marcia! Have you tried soaking the dry beans 12-24 hours first? If you soak them, discard the soaking water and rinse them, you may notice a difference. 🙂
Traci says
Heidi – I think grocery prices must have gone up the past few months! I keep track on a monthly basis how much we spend on groceries and that average amount has increased over 30%, and nothing has changed here (still just my husband and me, buying the same items, etc).
Laura says
Our week of meals was leftovers from the birthday dinner for my twins at Maggiano’s. Took a full week to finish all those leftovers and now I never feel the need to go back to eat there!
Was in Gig Harbor yesterday taking my daughter to a Cross Country camp near Port Townsend. Getting gas at Costco and thought of you and your HOA existence. Glad you are happy in your new space, but it is fun to look back too!
Mavis Butterfield says
Maggiano’s food is delicious. But I can only handle it once every couple of years. 😉
Carrie says
Red Lobster’s cheddar biscuits are so easy to make. Here’s the recipe I use. https://damndelicious.net/2014/02/03/red-lobster-cheddar-bay-biscuits/
Marcia says
Oh yum. I’ve found a recipe on line for the Red Lobster cheddar biscuits. They were good! Now I just need to find a gluten free version.
Teri says
How are you liking your flat top stove?
Mavis Butterfield says
The cook top is fine, but I sure miss having gas burners.
Rebecca in MD says
Thanks so much for the recipes. Everything looks delicious. I wish my husband would eat tuna noodle casserole – – – but he won’t and since there are only two of us I never make it. Maybe I’ll try one of your reader’s suggestions and try it with leftover chicken in place of the tuna.
This week we had:
OFC – Oma’s fried chicken
Tacos and spicy rice (cooked white rice with salsa stirred in LOL)
Pulled pork leftovers (finally finished up tonight!)
Zucchini corn fritters, macaroni salad, and tuna salad sandwiches
Tasty treats included banana muffins and baked zucchini chips
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a19809582/parmesan-squash-chips-recipe/
Mel says
It was a very rough meal prep week for us. I did a huge shopping trip for freezer cooking, and I was part way through cooking everything when the power went out. Our fridge did not restart properly when power was restored, so everything I had cooked and everything left in the fridge went straight into the trash.
Mavis Butterfield says
That stinks!!!
Mel says
Quite literally, in fact! Luckily, the freezer was okay, so it could have been worse, but it was still a much larger hassle and mess than I would have liked to deal with.
DebbieB says
Glad to see your recipe for refried beans. I was just looking on Pinterest for one this morning. Had dinner at a Mexican restaurant the other night and thought I need to find out how to make these at home because the canned ones are disgusting. I was also wondering if it would work to put them in my Vitamix and see you have them in your blender. So thanks much Mavis!
Mavis Butterfield says
I don’t see why not. I toss them in the Blendtec and hit pulse a few times until they are the right consistency. Let them sit about 0 minutes before serving though and they will thicken up a bit.
Mary says
Strawberry Shortcake! Yum. I have 4 strawberry plants, but the strawberries never make it in the door. They’re my outside reward for the gardening work I do. I grow organically, so I just rinse them while I’m watering and pop them in my mouth. I should grow more so there will be enough to bring inside.
Pam Kaufman says
Todays is the first day in awhile that I actually cooked a planned meal. Summers are so difficult. I get busy and next thing I know it’s dinner time and I don’t feel like dealing with it.
Katie P NC says
I just made “refried beans” last night in my crockpot. I have been craving Taco Bell’s Pintos & Cheese (don’t judge me) for a week now and I couldn’t hold out any longer. I pulled some cans of pinto beans and a can of enchilada sauce and threw some onions in- perfect!
Alli says
I was wondering how you are making so many meals that require baking in the oven? Doesn’t that make your house hot!? Everything looks amazing but it is so hot here in Northern California that I haven’t been baking a thing!