Today was a long work day for me, and I was wanting some sugar and carbs. AJ was on the southside, and went to Kawalski's to buy my favorite bakery treat, the morning bun. If you are looking for the perfect cinnamon roll, this is it. It's a normal sized, (not gigantic like a cinnabon) simple bun. It comes in frosted, sugared, or sticky. I love all kinds, but my favorite is frosted. Today I had a sugared. It is so sugary that you should eat it over the sink. It's yeasty, but not fluffy. Buttery, but not greasy. The cinnamon is subtle, not strong. I ate mine at about 4:30, with 2 pieces of muenster cheese, and it sustained me until I got my lovely dinner at home at about 8:30.
Oh, morning bun, why do you have to be so tempting and delicious? Kowalski's also sells hard boiled eggs, or salad. But I saw my chance and I took it. The morning bun.
Kristin ate-
egg on toast
3 cups of coffee with cream
sweet potato chips
celery
diet coke
morning bun
2 pieces cheese
4 pretzels
small square enchilada casserole
salad
4 olives
sour cream, salsa, guacamole
Kristin Spent-
$0.00 (but AJ spent money on me.)
Aj ate-
2 cups coffee
egg and toast
orange
bite of chocolate
black coffee
bag of caramel corn
piece of cheese
1/2 danish
enchilada hot dish
latte
2 cookies (cranberry walnut)
bowl of chicken and wild rice hot dish
banana with chocolate and whipped cream
AJ spent
$3,00 coffee
$4,00 parking
$5.72 at Kowalski cheese, morning bun, Danish
$15.00 gas convertible
$20.00 gas van
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Belly Good!
A few years ago, we bought a cookbook called Belly Good, Belly Bad. It makes a convincing case for cooking your own food rather than eating out, embracing a low carb life style and cutting way down on all kinds of sugar, fake and otherwise. We stuck to the diet religiously for a couple of months, and had no results weight-loss wise. I mean really. None. What we gained was our favorite family enchilada recipes. So good. So even though belly good, belly bad was a belly bust, we love the cookbook and still use it, we still try not to eat too much sugar, and still love the enchiladas. Like we had tonight. Yum.
Kristin Ate
egg on toast
2 coffees with cream
salami sandwich on a bun
small bag chips
1 ravioli
bag o celery
diet coke
4 pretzels
giant hot chocolate
enchilada casserole, based on belly good recipe, with guacamole, salsa sour cream
green salad
black beans
tiny marguarita
square of chocolate
tiny rectangle of another chocolate
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin Spent
$0.00
AJ ate
2 coffees with cream
egg on a bun
orange
5 ritz crackers with chocolate
1/4 cup soup (sharons tomato rice)
20 red hots
5 chocolate stars
a couple Costco samples
enchilada casserole
salad
black beans
marguarita
square of chocolate
AJ spent
$19.10 Trader Joes sweet potato chips, sour cream, dog treats, oranges almonds college.
(returned Fantastic Sams shampoo $26.85)
$16.42 Trader Joes 4 bottles of wine
$61.64 Costco lettuce, butter, shampoo, vegetable oil, olive oil, pumpkin bread mix (1.97) 2 loaves of bread, black olives, salsa, Goldfish crackers.
I think we'll do a January reckoning, and maybe make some new goals re spending and eating. But not tonight- way too sleepy.
It will feel belly good to get to bed.
Kristin Ate
egg on toast
2 coffees with cream
salami sandwich on a bun
small bag chips
1 ravioli
bag o celery
diet coke
4 pretzels
giant hot chocolate
enchilada casserole, based on belly good recipe, with guacamole, salsa sour cream
green salad
black beans
tiny marguarita
square of chocolate
tiny rectangle of another chocolate
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin Spent
$0.00
AJ ate
2 coffees with cream
egg on a bun
orange
5 ritz crackers with chocolate
1/4 cup soup (sharons tomato rice)
20 red hots
5 chocolate stars
a couple Costco samples
enchilada casserole
salad
black beans
marguarita
square of chocolate
AJ spent
$19.10 Trader Joes sweet potato chips, sour cream, dog treats, oranges almonds college.
(returned Fantastic Sams shampoo $26.85)
$16.42 Trader Joes 4 bottles of wine
$61.64 Costco lettuce, butter, shampoo, vegetable oil, olive oil, pumpkin bread mix (1.97) 2 loaves of bread, black olives, salsa, Goldfish crackers.
I think we'll do a January reckoning, and maybe make some new goals re spending and eating. But not tonight- way too sleepy.
It will feel belly good to get to bed.
Team meeting
Our team was in charge of the after school snacks today. We had a Hawaiian theme. Yes, that's a chocolate fountain we see in the pictures. Yes, it's my chocolate fountain. What that has to do with Hawaii, I don't know, except that pineapple, bananas and chocolate are delicious dipped in flowing chocolate. Also, a chocolate fountain nicely represents an erupting volcano. It made quite a splash, literally and figuratively.
It was kind of over the top for a simple staff meeting. Now to plan the Super Bowl and academy awards parties!
It was kind of over the top for a simple staff meeting. Now to plan the Super Bowl and academy awards parties!
If you've never tried dipping a king's hawaiin roll in a chocolate fountain, don't delay! If you need to borrow a chocolate fountain, I would be happy to hook you up. With all that, you'd think I wouldn't be able to eat dinner. But oh, no.
Kristin ate
A shrimp spring roll with peanut sauce (thanks, Nettie!)
salami sandwich
corn chips
diet coke
1 1/2 kings hawaiian rolls, one dipped in chocolate
1/8 apple
1 hamburger 1/3 pound
american fries
spinach
healthy choice fudgesicle
2 cups coffee with cream
Kristin Spent
$23.37 for teacher's snacks at Kowalsi's- AJ really bought it, but it was for me.
AJ ate
coffee with cream (2)
orange
slice of toast
poppyseed muffin
a couple pretzels dipped in chocolate
1/4 apple
corn chips dipped in chocolate
hamburger
fried potatoes
spinach
AJ Spent
$53.79 HSN fryers, make up
$100 IRS
Monday, January 28, 2013
UPSOLD!
Ok, so you remember how I felt guilty and almost took back my Sephora products? I opened and used them today. Decided it was a good buy and I'd need to do a lot of expensive experimenting to get cheaper products that don't give me a rash. Planing to make them last a long time.
Also- I totally think AJ got upsold today. You know, how you get a haircut and they say, "so, do you want some shampoo and conditioner with that?" I think that $40.00 is a lot for shampoo, conditioner and a 10 dollar haircut ($4.00 tip).
Watch it, mighty hunter. You are spending money like you have a big job interview tomorrow, or something!Kristin Ate
egg on toast
2 cups coffee with cream
1 ham sandwich
small bag of corn chips
diet coke
2 tiny shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate
hot chocolate
wild rice and chicken casserole
salad
wine
30 red hots
Krisitn Spent
$0.00
AJ ate
pecan roll
3 cups coffee with cream
2 slices toast with pb
orange
almond sesame cookie from turtle bread
hot chocolate
wild rice and chicken casserole
salad
wine
1 square of chocoate
1/2 cup strawberry choco chip frozen yogurt
30 red hots
AJ spent
$74.94 HSN (still paying for those fancy fryers! Money well spent.)
$5.31 oranges and preztzels (cub)
$40.81 haircut, tip, shampoo and conditioner (What!!!!)
$4,00 hot chocolate for kristie dunn bros
$5,00 hot chocolate and cookie for aj
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Food pics
Highlights from the weekends consumption !
We use the master recipe from this book for our pizza crust and cinnamon rolls.
We use the master recipe from this book for our pizza crust and cinnamon rolls.
What's it all about?
So, now that we have followers, (2) the purpose of the blog has come into question. As my sister Mary so eloquently put in during our phone convo today, "it's not like you are eating diet food!" So true. Oh so very true. That's a big shout out, Mary! You made me think again about our intention with the consumption blog.
I have to confess that I thought that writing down our food consumption would cause us to eat less. And it probably has. But not so much that I didn't tear through the house today, looking for a snack, and find the extra bag of cinnamon imperials, AKA Redhots, that were left over from Christmas baking. We had a hard time finding them this year, and requested that our kids be on the lookout. A couple came through, and we ended up with an extra bag and an extra box, which were safe in the cupboard until this week, when my teeth on the left side started to take on a pinkish hue and my tongue started to feel a little raw. Oh shoot. I forgot to count the red hots as I ate them.
So yes, eating less is a goal, if I am being honest about it. So is being honest. I tend to be very private about a lot of things, (like none of your beeswax, defensive kind of private) especially things like eating and spending. I was the one, when I was growing up, who used to eat ALL of the chocolate chips out of the bag. Unless someone else was eating them too. Which is possible. But no one ever talked about it or questioned me. More chocolate chips would simply appear, and then dissappear into my mouth. Strangely, they were kept in the little cupboard with the controlled substances, like brandy and cigarettes. I didn't sneak those. Just the chocolate chips. We all have our vices, I guess.
So, AJ and I need to cut down on what we eat, and also what we spend, and got to thinking that those two things go together, and wondered if we were capable of being honest with each other and ourselves about both kinds of consumption. We are thinking that at the end of the month we will do a reckoning of both $ and food, and see if we can think of any changes to make, but I don't think we'll go on a diet beyond trying to eat good, local, fresh food as much as we can, and avoid food that's bad for us.
Also, we were inspired by Ben Sonquist's blog and thought it would be cool to make a resolution like he did, and write every day for a year. So yeah. Here's Sunday:
Kristin Ate
3 homemade caramel rolls (they were small but decadent. I'd say the size of a peeled clementine.)
7 thin slices of irish cheese
3 cups of coffee with cream
3 pieces of left over pizza (so good, my goodness)
2 diet cokes
about 100 red hots
wild rice/chicken casserole
green salad
1/2 piece garlic toast
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin spent
$0.00
AJ ate
2 caramel rolls
4 cups coffee, 3 with cream
50 red hots
3 pieces of pizza
coke
wildrice hot dish
salad
toast
AJ spent
$7.49 at Holiday on diet coke for kristin, so it should be her expenditure, really.
I have to confess that I thought that writing down our food consumption would cause us to eat less. And it probably has. But not so much that I didn't tear through the house today, looking for a snack, and find the extra bag of cinnamon imperials, AKA Redhots, that were left over from Christmas baking. We had a hard time finding them this year, and requested that our kids be on the lookout. A couple came through, and we ended up with an extra bag and an extra box, which were safe in the cupboard until this week, when my teeth on the left side started to take on a pinkish hue and my tongue started to feel a little raw. Oh shoot. I forgot to count the red hots as I ate them.
So yes, eating less is a goal, if I am being honest about it. So is being honest. I tend to be very private about a lot of things, (like none of your beeswax, defensive kind of private) especially things like eating and spending. I was the one, when I was growing up, who used to eat ALL of the chocolate chips out of the bag. Unless someone else was eating them too. Which is possible. But no one ever talked about it or questioned me. More chocolate chips would simply appear, and then dissappear into my mouth. Strangely, they were kept in the little cupboard with the controlled substances, like brandy and cigarettes. I didn't sneak those. Just the chocolate chips. We all have our vices, I guess.
So, AJ and I need to cut down on what we eat, and also what we spend, and got to thinking that those two things go together, and wondered if we were capable of being honest with each other and ourselves about both kinds of consumption. We are thinking that at the end of the month we will do a reckoning of both $ and food, and see if we can think of any changes to make, but I don't think we'll go on a diet beyond trying to eat good, local, fresh food as much as we can, and avoid food that's bad for us.
Also, we were inspired by Ben Sonquist's blog and thought it would be cool to make a resolution like he did, and write every day for a year. So yeah. Here's Sunday:
Kristin Ate
3 homemade caramel rolls (they were small but decadent. I'd say the size of a peeled clementine.)
7 thin slices of irish cheese
3 cups of coffee with cream
3 pieces of left over pizza (so good, my goodness)
2 diet cokes
about 100 red hots
wild rice/chicken casserole
green salad
1/2 piece garlic toast
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin spent
$0.00
AJ ate
2 caramel rolls
4 cups coffee, 3 with cream
50 red hots
3 pieces of pizza
coke
wildrice hot dish
salad
toast
AJ spent
$7.49 at Holiday on diet coke for kristin, so it should be her expenditure, really.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Three day post
We've been busy, but we certainly did not forget to eat. in fact, I think the not posting caused an increase in unplanned eating. You be the judge.
Thursday Kristin Ate
Egg on toast
a bunch *like 8* of pretzels
a salami sandwich on a bagel, with mustard and onion
olives- 7
diet coke
3-4 cups of coffee with cream
9 acai berries (chocoate covered)
oatmeal cookie
9 crackers with irish cheese
1/2 cup almonds
coffee
chocolate chip cookie
hungry jack casserole
lots of lettuce with salt and pepper.
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin Spent
$1.25 at pattiserrie for the cookie.
This is the night we went to the FAIR downtown school open house. It was really wonderful to be there, talk to the teachers, and imagine what a great school it would be for AmandaJane.
Thursday AJ ate
coffee with cream
half grapefruit
half toasted bagel
five almonds
chicken and rice left overs
burger pattie
5 ritz crackers, 2 with cheese
hungry jack hot dish
3 chocolate chip cookie
coffee
white wine
6 almonds
AJ spent
$85 tree inspector short course
target bill $50.00
hsn 24.98
bluegreen $33.77 (that pays back the mortgage!)
parking $4.75
at Costco $64.72 dog food, coffee, bread, fudgesicles, peanut butter, cheese.
Friday Kristin Ate
bagel with pb
3 cups coffee
1/2 cup almonds
salami sandwich on bagel
6 bites chicken soup
30 red hots
4 crackers
1 sambosa
1 piece pizza
1/2 cream cheese cucumber sandwich
flat bread
1 rolled up sandwichette
1 glass of wine (red, from a box, my favorite)
pumpkin cake
milk
fudgesicle
Kristin spent $1.06 itunes (mirror app)
AJ ate
1/2 bagel
2 cups coffee with cream
1/2 grapefruit
4 ritz crackers
hamburger patty
liked cream cheese frosting beater
coke
slice of toast
4 more crackers
30 red hots
3 chicken wings
raspberry cheese cake
flat breads with dips
chips with dip
2 glasses of wine
glass of coke
mini quiche
veggie pizza
1 1/2 pieces pumpkin cake
AJ spent
$75.00 garbage bill
$175 electric bill
$175 Target bill
$244.91 ATT bill
$9.87 wine for party
$221.00 car insurance
Saturday Kristin Ate
3 malto meal muffins with irish cheese
2 cups coffee
1 pb and honey sandwich
1 handful corn chips
tomato rice soup with sour cream and cashews and croutons
1 piece homemade sausage, onion, potato, cheese pizza with white sauce
salad
1 glass red wine
1 healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin Spent
$,99 Nook book Rose in Bloom
$2.60 2 red box movies, (Beasts of the Southern Wild and Moonrise Kingdom)
AJ Ate
1 slice pumpkin cake
2 1/2 maltomeal muffins with lingonberry jam and irish cheese
2 cups coffee with cream
a few chips and salsa at Sharon's
tomato rice soup
3 pieces pizza
2 glasses wine
AJ spent
$6.34 at Hackenmueller for sausage, pepperoni, canadian bacon
Thursday Kristin Ate
Egg on toast
a bunch *like 8* of pretzels
a salami sandwich on a bagel, with mustard and onion
olives- 7
diet coke
3-4 cups of coffee with cream
9 acai berries (chocoate covered)
oatmeal cookie
9 crackers with irish cheese
1/2 cup almonds
coffee
chocolate chip cookie
hungry jack casserole
lots of lettuce with salt and pepper.
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin Spent
$1.25 at pattiserrie for the cookie.
This is the night we went to the FAIR downtown school open house. It was really wonderful to be there, talk to the teachers, and imagine what a great school it would be for AmandaJane.
Thursday AJ ate
coffee with cream
half grapefruit
half toasted bagel
five almonds
chicken and rice left overs
burger pattie
5 ritz crackers, 2 with cheese
hungry jack hot dish
3 chocolate chip cookie
coffee
white wine
6 almonds
AJ spent
$85 tree inspector short course
target bill $50.00
hsn 24.98
bluegreen $33.77 (that pays back the mortgage!)
parking $4.75
at Costco $64.72 dog food, coffee, bread, fudgesicles, peanut butter, cheese.
Friday Kristin Ate
bagel with pb
3 cups coffee
1/2 cup almonds
salami sandwich on bagel
6 bites chicken soup
30 red hots
4 crackers
1 sambosa
1 piece pizza
1/2 cream cheese cucumber sandwich
flat bread
1 rolled up sandwichette
1 glass of wine (red, from a box, my favorite)
pumpkin cake
milk
fudgesicle
Kristin spent $1.06 itunes (mirror app)
AJ ate
1/2 bagel
2 cups coffee with cream
1/2 grapefruit
4 ritz crackers
hamburger patty
liked cream cheese frosting beater
coke
slice of toast
4 more crackers
30 red hots
3 chicken wings
raspberry cheese cake
flat breads with dips
chips with dip
2 glasses of wine
glass of coke
mini quiche
veggie pizza
1 1/2 pieces pumpkin cake
AJ spent
$75.00 garbage bill
$175 electric bill
$175 Target bill
$244.91 ATT bill
$9.87 wine for party
$221.00 car insurance
Saturday Kristin Ate
3 malto meal muffins with irish cheese
2 cups coffee
1 pb and honey sandwich
1 handful corn chips
tomato rice soup with sour cream and cashews and croutons
1 piece homemade sausage, onion, potato, cheese pizza with white sauce
salad
1 glass red wine
1 healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin Spent
$,99 Nook book Rose in Bloom
$2.60 2 red box movies, (Beasts of the Southern Wild and Moonrise Kingdom)
AJ Ate
1 slice pumpkin cake
2 1/2 maltomeal muffins with lingonberry jam and irish cheese
2 cups coffee with cream
a few chips and salsa at Sharon's
tomato rice soup
3 pieces pizza
2 glasses wine
AJ spent
$6.34 at Hackenmueller for sausage, pepperoni, canadian bacon
Party Food
Thursday become Friday and Friday turned to Saturday with no post from us. We'll have a reckoning soon, with a three day list of food.
Why? Parties. 2 of them. Not used to such frivolity. Until later, here is a taste. I wish I could have some more. Sambosa. Flat bread, artichoke dip, extra spicy, and pizza. The flat bread was delicate and flavorful- melt in your mouth. Cucumber sandwiches with no crusts, just like Downton abbey. Thanks, Patrick, for a lovely time!
Why? Parties. 2 of them. Not used to such frivolity. Until later, here is a taste. I wish I could have some more. Sambosa. Flat bread, artichoke dip, extra spicy, and pizza. The flat bread was delicate and flavorful- melt in your mouth. Cucumber sandwiches with no crusts, just like Downton abbey. Thanks, Patrick, for a lovely time!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Carb loading without a marathon after.
In my family we are addicted to things made of wheat. We love our starches of all kinds, really. The more we eat, the more we want.
Today after school I was jibe sing for a donut. We almost stopped at Lunds. Then we almost stopped at bye tkts. Finally, we almost stopped at woullets . But we don't even like their donuts. It is all about being tired and needing something to make me feel alive. Aj had an easier time- I found out he had been home at two and made himself some pancakes.
I never had the donut, but I had an unnecessary bagel, with peanut butter and honey. Also hot chocolate. Them dinner.
Amanda danced and walked/ran on the treadmill while I napped in the recliner and watched a downtown abbey DVD again.
I need to stop carbo-loading before a nap marathon.
Kristin ate
Egg on toast
3 cups of coffee with cream
Salami sandwich on a sesame bagel
Diet coke
Bagel with Ob and honey
Cocoa
Hungry jack casserole
Salad
1/2 beer
Healthy choice fudgesicle
A few almonds
7 pretzels.
Kristin spent
$0.00
Aj ate
2 coffees w/ cream
1/2 waffle
Gg and toast
Turkey sandwich
Orange
Coke
1 1/2 hot chocolates
1/4 kit kat
4 skittles
4 little pancakes
Hungry jack casserole
Salad
1/2 beer
Aj spent
$2.50 snacks while sliding
Today after school I was jibe sing for a donut. We almost stopped at Lunds. Then we almost stopped at bye tkts. Finally, we almost stopped at woullets . But we don't even like their donuts. It is all about being tired and needing something to make me feel alive. Aj had an easier time- I found out he had been home at two and made himself some pancakes.
I never had the donut, but I had an unnecessary bagel, with peanut butter and honey. Also hot chocolate. Them dinner.
Amanda danced and walked/ran on the treadmill while I napped in the recliner and watched a downtown abbey DVD again.
I need to stop carbo-loading before a nap marathon.
Kristin ate
Egg on toast
3 cups of coffee with cream
Salami sandwich on a sesame bagel
Diet coke
Bagel with Ob and honey
Cocoa
Hungry jack casserole
Salad
1/2 beer
Healthy choice fudgesicle
A few almonds
7 pretzels.
Kristin spent
$0.00
Aj ate
2 coffees w/ cream
1/2 waffle
Gg and toast
Turkey sandwich
Orange
Coke
1 1/2 hot chocolates
1/4 kit kat
4 skittles
4 little pancakes
Hungry jack casserole
Salad
1/2 beer
Aj spent
$2.50 snacks while sliding
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
You're not supposed to eat the gift horse
Today my student teacher brought bagels and cream cheese and bananas. There were lotsa treats at my meeting after school. Even though my planned eating was balanced and moderate, I ended up eating some junky food, or at the least, extra carby food, that wasn't so much. (see photo.)
Just because someone brings you food doesn't mean you have to eat it.
Oh well. At least I didn't eat the gift food AND the planned food. I guess that's something.
Kristin ate
egg sandwich
3 cups coffee
bagel
veggie cream cheese
orange
4 pretzels (small)
diet coke
2 oreos
1 chip with guacamole
small pile of almonds
small pile of pretzels
3 chocolate covered preztels
small latte
salad
glass of wine
brown rice and chicken hot dish
2 little pieces homemade bread
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin Spent
$15.00 for Amanda's field trip.
AJ ate
banana
3 cups coffee
2 with cream
1 pancake
stew
orange
another banana
latte
rice and chicken casserole
2 little pieces of bread
salad
glass of wine
1/2 cup strawberry yogurt freeze
AJ spent
$45.00 gas $19.97 snow pants for Amanda. $102.00 credit card bills
Just because someone brings you food doesn't mean you have to eat it.
Oh well. At least I didn't eat the gift food AND the planned food. I guess that's something.
Kristin ate
egg sandwich
3 cups coffee
bagel
veggie cream cheese
orange
4 pretzels (small)
diet coke
2 oreos
1 chip with guacamole
small pile of almonds
small pile of pretzels
3 chocolate covered preztels
small latte
salad
glass of wine
brown rice and chicken hot dish
2 little pieces homemade bread
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin Spent
$15.00 for Amanda's field trip.
AJ ate
banana
3 cups coffee
2 with cream
1 pancake
stew
orange
another banana
latte
rice and chicken casserole
2 little pieces of bread
salad
glass of wine
1/2 cup strawberry yogurt freeze
AJ spent
$45.00 gas $19.97 snow pants for Amanda. $102.00 credit card bills
Monday, January 21, 2013
The Big Binge
So this weekend was a long one for me. Three glorious days without too much to do, sandwiched between two really overpacked weeks. We did some errands and some cleaning and some cooking together but mostly we binged. Not on food, not on shopping, but on Downton Abbey.
Everyone was talking about Downton Abbey last year. My son and his wife organized their weekend doings around it. I knew that it was my kind of show. World War I period piece with British nobility, a castle, and awesome clothes. Perfect. I got seasons 1 and 2 for Christmas, but AJ and I have also been binging on Dexter, which was the real reason for last week's cable downgrade-so-we-could-afford-an-upgrade. For Dexter we have to wait for kid-free viewing space, so it's mostly a night time thing. I thought Downton Abbey would be a nice thing to watch cuddled up in front of the fire on a cold, cold day. And it was. Oh it was.
I binged on Downton Abbey long enough to fall in love, and then long enough more to notice that the plot-lines echoed all of the best years of One Life to Live. There was even an amnesia victim! The classiest, most acclaimed show on PBS, a "masterpiece" production, is a well-dressed, well-written soap opera. It reminded me of how we used to make sloppy joes and call them "American Style Boi."
I am now hopelessly devoted to Downton Abbey. I love it. I can't wait to finish the dvds so that I can catch up on the current season and watch it on Sunday nights like everyone else. Here's what we ate while I was binging on Downton Abbey. AJ cooked lots of it, obviously.
Kristin ate
3 cups of coffee with cream
1/2 waffle
2 corn pancakes
2 pieces of bacon
1/3 potato, fried
1/3 orange
1/4 cup almonds
diet coke
2 bits cold pancake
French Fries (homemade.)
burger with raw onion
romaine salad
green beans
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin Spent
$.99 mirror app
AJ ate
2 eggs
fried potatoes
2 slices bacon
1/2 waffle
3 pancakes
3 cups coffee with cream
1/3 orange
burger with lettuce, onions, mayo
salad
green beans
fries
coke
handful of almonds
AJ spent
$54.38 at Cub cereal, diet coke, baked beans, chicken broth, malto meal, tortillas, chicken, oranges, grapefruit, broccoli, chinese peas, green pepper, buns, mixed vegetables, milk, biscuits, shredded cheese, sour cream.
Everyone was talking about Downton Abbey last year. My son and his wife organized their weekend doings around it. I knew that it was my kind of show. World War I period piece with British nobility, a castle, and awesome clothes. Perfect. I got seasons 1 and 2 for Christmas, but AJ and I have also been binging on Dexter, which was the real reason for last week's cable downgrade-so-we-could-afford-an-upgrade. For Dexter we have to wait for kid-free viewing space, so it's mostly a night time thing. I thought Downton Abbey would be a nice thing to watch cuddled up in front of the fire on a cold, cold day. And it was. Oh it was.
I binged on Downton Abbey long enough to fall in love, and then long enough more to notice that the plot-lines echoed all of the best years of One Life to Live. There was even an amnesia victim! The classiest, most acclaimed show on PBS, a "masterpiece" production, is a well-dressed, well-written soap opera. It reminded me of how we used to make sloppy joes and call them "American Style Boi."
I am now hopelessly devoted to Downton Abbey. I love it. I can't wait to finish the dvds so that I can catch up on the current season and watch it on Sunday nights like everyone else. Here's what we ate while I was binging on Downton Abbey. AJ cooked lots of it, obviously.
Kristin ate
3 cups of coffee with cream
1/2 waffle
2 corn pancakes
2 pieces of bacon
1/3 potato, fried
1/3 orange
1/4 cup almonds
diet coke
2 bits cold pancake
French Fries (homemade.)
burger with raw onion
romaine salad
green beans
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin Spent
$.99 mirror app
AJ ate
2 eggs
fried potatoes
2 slices bacon
1/2 waffle
3 pancakes
3 cups coffee with cream
1/3 orange
burger with lettuce, onions, mayo
salad
green beans
fries
coke
handful of almonds
AJ spent
$54.38 at Cub cereal, diet coke, baked beans, chicken broth, malto meal, tortillas, chicken, oranges, grapefruit, broccoli, chinese peas, green pepper, buns, mixed vegetables, milk, biscuits, shredded cheese, sour cream.
Downton Abbey
Stayed up really late watching Downton Abbey. Had to have a little dish (1/8 cup?) of granola with milk, so add it to my list.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
All I Want is a Little Luxury....
A sad lapse in frugality. On a trip to Ridgedale I popped into Sephora, and suddenly popped out my wallet and popped out my credit card, and popped into my bag four little products that cost way more than I have to pay. All I can say is that I am almost out, they last a long time, they don't give me a rash, and they make my skin feel as if it isn't winter. I had already planned to forgo the expensive products and get something at Target instead, but all the sudden they were bought. I might take them back. But I might not.
Kristin ate
1 1/2 waffles, butter, syrup *(a tiny bit)
2 scrambled eggs
2 cups of coffee with cream
1 diet coke
1 small pile of chocolate chips
1/4 cup marcona almonds
3 pieces of left over homemade pzza
7 brussels sprouts
1 glass of red wine
1 green salad
1 healthy choice fudgesicle
1tasting portion of homemade strawberry chocolate chip icecream made with yogurt, in the Ninja
Kristin spent
$116.00 at Sephora on hope in a jar, when hope is not enough, purity and hope in a tinted moisturizer.
$.95 Barnes and Noble (nook book 8 cousins)
AJ ate
1 waffle
2 eggs
2 coffees,
1 donut
handful of almonds
3 pizzas of pizza
brussels sprouts wiht garlic
1 glass of wine
salad
frozen berries and yogurt
gingerale
AJ spent
$81.00 at Costco for cream, burger, lettuce, celery, mushrooms, potatoes, onions, cheese, turkey, salami, bagels , almonds
$181.05 TCFU payment on addition mortgage
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Donut Day
My son Ted and his wife Stephanie and his adorable children Julian and Victor have a sweet Saturday donut tradition. Today they shared there donut tradition with us! It was such a lovely morning. We made an extra pot of coffee, and ate sprinkle donuts, glazed donuts, twisty donuts, chocolate donuts, and that donut-like non donut, fried cinnamon roll. Baby Victor touched and bit nearly all of the donuts, so the adults were honored to finish those up. It was lovely. I have no regrets.
For lunch we warmed up the chicken soup and made Katnis' favorite cheese buns from the hunger games cookbook. For dinner, AJ made the best pizza ever, and brussells sprouts. It was like last week's pizza night, only without the burning eyes from the smoke in the house. Better that Pizzeria Lola? You bet.
Kristin ate
Cream of Wheat
2 toast
3 cups of coffee
1 1/2 donuts
chicken soup
1 1/2 cheese buns
2/3 row of ritz
diet coke
3 pieces of onion, olive, sausage and cheese pizza. no sauce
brussells sprouts with garlic and onion, roasted
killian's red. (a whole one. living large)
1 healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin spent
$0.00
AJ ate
Cream of Wheat
2 slices of toast
2 donuts
chicken soup
2 cheese buns
coke
3 coffees (with cream)
4 crackers
1/2 dunut
3 slices pizza
beer
brussells sprouts
AJ spent
$0.00
I don't regret the donuts, but I do regret the ritz crackers.
For lunch we warmed up the chicken soup and made Katnis' favorite cheese buns from the hunger games cookbook. For dinner, AJ made the best pizza ever, and brussells sprouts. It was like last week's pizza night, only without the burning eyes from the smoke in the house. Better that Pizzeria Lola? You bet.
Kristin ate
Cream of Wheat
2 toast
3 cups of coffee
1 1/2 donuts
chicken soup
1 1/2 cheese buns
2/3 row of ritz
diet coke
3 pieces of onion, olive, sausage and cheese pizza. no sauce
brussells sprouts with garlic and onion, roasted
killian's red. (a whole one. living large)
1 healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin spent
$0.00
AJ ate
Cream of Wheat
2 slices of toast
2 donuts
chicken soup
2 cheese buns
coke
3 coffees (with cream)
4 crackers
1/2 dunut
3 slices pizza
beer
brussells sprouts
AJ spent
$0.00
I don't regret the donuts, but I do regret the ritz crackers.
Friday Pizza Night #3
Okay. Last week I said "who needs Pizzeria Lola?" This week, it was me. I needed Pizzeria Lola. I really did. It was conference day, all day, a long day. Amanda was at a sleepover and Sharon and Mark were free to go to LINCOLN!!!!! so we needed high quality southside pizza and we needed it it fast. AJ and I made a frugal plan ahead of time. We would order the Lady Zaza, with Korean sausage and kimchee, which we'd been dying to try. We would resists apps and deserts. We would split a beer. Then we'd go to the movie with no treats. The restaurant part went ok, although we had a long wait and I was afraid that I would need my own beer, but 1 was enough. The pizza was absolutely delicious, but was very spicy and I couldn't eat it very fast. It was filling, too. AJ ate 4 pieces and I ate 2. At the theatre, we both succumbed to popcorn lust right away. Milkduds too. And a large diet coke. I don't mind that I ate it, so much, but I do mind that we spent the money. Next time I'm sneaking my candy in with my gigantic purse, in the tradition of thrifty women everywhere.
Kristin ate
toast with peanut butter
4 cups of coffee with cream or milk
a chocolate cupcake with an oreo in the bottom
a turkey sandwich
a nice little salad
an orange
a diet coke
2 lady zaza pizza pieces
1/2 fulton blonde beer
1/2 box milkduds
1/2 medium popcorn with fake butter
1/2 gigantic diet coke
1 hot chocolate with whipped cream
Kristin spent
$26.00 at Pizzeria Lola (1 pizza, 1 beer and tip.)
AJ ate
2 cups coffee with cream
1 toast
1 orange
2 chicken mickey nuggets
1 bowl of stew
1 glass of milk
1 coke
2 bites of toffee from Patina
4 slices of lady zaza
1/2 beer
1/2 popcorn
1/2 milkduds
1/2 diet coke
hot chocolate with whipped cream
AJ spent
$2.00 parking for Fair School Tour
$5.00 prescription
$10.00 for $20.00 of gas, with gift card from sipe and werth
$2.00 for toffee
$17.00 for movie
$17.25 for treats
$77.30 at Menard for paint, new light fixture for chickens. Used $75.06 from rebate, so actual cash spent was $42.22
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Not My Shining Hour
Today was one of those big busy days. It started early and ended late and had lots of parts in between. In my lunch bag I found a sandwich, (delicious) some carrots and tomatoes and a bag of pickles. *yum.* And a diet coke. Ahhh! Also a container filled with Mickey Mouse shaped chicken nuggets and mozzarella cheese sticks. And two cookies. What the cuss?
So instead of gratitude that AJ was trying to pack food that would sustain me through my long, long day, I was peeved. Doesn't he know that I don't eat chicken nuggets? I mean really. I have never, nor will I ever, eat a chicken nugget. Just because he made too many for the grandkids last night, it doesn't mean that I have to eat them. And doesn't he even read his own blog? I mean, I said those cheese sticks didn't taste good and I wished I hadn't eaten them. So what was he thinking?
Yes, I know that the obvious thing to do is to pack my own lunch if I am so picky, and if I am so ungrateful as to complain when he packs what I don't like, then that's my problem. Get a grip, I always tell myself. Be happy that he is kind enough to pack you a lunch every day. Even if it's a bizarre lunch. With cookies. That you are trying really hard to avoid. How dare he? I mean really! Doesn't he love me at all?
And there it is, the source of my occasional, irrational blame and shame spiral. I think that food is love. I always have. Because it is. My mother made special food for my dad when he came home from his travels, and special food that the girls would like when he wasn't home. I show love by making special food- all kinds of it. AJ was trying to show love. By giving me food I hate. Sigh.
So in this blog, which is an exercise in honesty and openness, I'll honestly say, I can be an ungrateful bee-yotch. For sure. But don't send me chicken nuggets. I mean really.
Kristin ate: (every bit, by the way, lovingly prepared by AJ)
egg on toast
2 coffees with cream
1 piece of sushi (from a student project)
some super sweet coffee (from a student project)
a really good turkey sandwich
1 more coffee (from superamerica) (yuck)
2 cranberry walnut cookies (grr)
carrots and cherry tomatoes and pickles
1//2 diet coke
1 bowl of beef stew
2 pieces of homemade bread, 1 with peanut butter
lovely green salad
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin spent
$0.00
AJ ate
a cookie
1 cup of coffee with cream
emergen-cee
smoothie
2 slices of baguette, toasted
a delicious brownie at Jonny's
3 chicken nuggets,
1 cheese stick
stew
salad
2 slices of bread.
coke
AJ spent
$9.43 at Hackenmueller's (stew meat and sausage for pizza night)
$7.24 at Cub for oranges, thyme, pearl onions and carrots
$1.39 for Superamerica coffee (yuck)(ungrateful again, but yuck.)
Here is a recipe for homemade chicken soup, requested by my sister Janis
An onion, a couple stalks of celery, 2 teaspoons of garlic, chopped (we keep a big jar of prechopped) a handful of carrots, in coins, and a few mushrooms, chopped fine.
In a heavy pan, like a cast-iron enamel, saute savory vegetables slowly for five minutes or so, in olive oil. Fill the pan with frozen chicken tenderloins from costco (not breaded, just chicken.) Add a cup of water and salt and pepper. Cover and poach for 15-20 minutes.) If chicken is done, hack it into bite sized hunks with a spatula. If it's not super-easy to cut right in the pot, cook it another 10 minutes at a time until it is.
Now add about 4 cups of broth. I used a soup stock base that you mix with water that we keep in the fridge. You can use bullion cubes, but they tend to be saltier. My favorite is a box of kirkland organic chicken broth from costco, but we didn't have any.
Cook awhile more, and then when it is nice and boily, add a half bag of noodles. I put in a half bag of egg noodles and a have box of some other curly noodle. It was delicioius with lots of noodles, but too filling and all of those noodles soaked up the broth, so we had to add more the next day. I wish I would have stuck with half a bag, and added more during the warm-up if necessarry.
Don't forget a crusty loaf of bread from lunds or kowalski's (only 3 bucks.) Or make your own, which is much cheaper, and really rewarding. Use the artisan breads in 5 minutes a day book. Minneapolis author, fantastic bread. And it really does only take 5 minutes. seriously. And you'll have dough ready for Friday pizza night.
Soup shortcuts- Use a couple cans of kirkland chicken from Costco. Some people use rotisserrie chickens, but then you might as well buy the rotisserie chicken soup from costco, which is delicious. It costs $10.00 for a tub, and we always get the spinach salad to go with it. $10.00. And the crusty bread at costco, absolutely the best, is 8.00 for two loaves. Now you are at 28.00 for a dinner that will leave good leftovers for lunch. Not bad, unless you are having a phrugal phase. If you are, make it yourself for a phraction of the cost. I crack myself up.
So instead of gratitude that AJ was trying to pack food that would sustain me through my long, long day, I was peeved. Doesn't he know that I don't eat chicken nuggets? I mean really. I have never, nor will I ever, eat a chicken nugget. Just because he made too many for the grandkids last night, it doesn't mean that I have to eat them. And doesn't he even read his own blog? I mean, I said those cheese sticks didn't taste good and I wished I hadn't eaten them. So what was he thinking?
Yes, I know that the obvious thing to do is to pack my own lunch if I am so picky, and if I am so ungrateful as to complain when he packs what I don't like, then that's my problem. Get a grip, I always tell myself. Be happy that he is kind enough to pack you a lunch every day. Even if it's a bizarre lunch. With cookies. That you are trying really hard to avoid. How dare he? I mean really! Doesn't he love me at all?
And there it is, the source of my occasional, irrational blame and shame spiral. I think that food is love. I always have. Because it is. My mother made special food for my dad when he came home from his travels, and special food that the girls would like when he wasn't home. I show love by making special food- all kinds of it. AJ was trying to show love. By giving me food I hate. Sigh.
So in this blog, which is an exercise in honesty and openness, I'll honestly say, I can be an ungrateful bee-yotch. For sure. But don't send me chicken nuggets. I mean really.
Kristin ate: (every bit, by the way, lovingly prepared by AJ)
egg on toast
2 coffees with cream
1 piece of sushi (from a student project)
some super sweet coffee (from a student project)
a really good turkey sandwich
1 more coffee (from superamerica) (yuck)
2 cranberry walnut cookies (grr)
carrots and cherry tomatoes and pickles
1//2 diet coke
1 bowl of beef stew
2 pieces of homemade bread, 1 with peanut butter
lovely green salad
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin spent
$0.00
AJ ate
a cookie
1 cup of coffee with cream
emergen-cee
smoothie
2 slices of baguette, toasted
a delicious brownie at Jonny's
3 chicken nuggets,
1 cheese stick
stew
salad
2 slices of bread.
coke
AJ spent
$9.43 at Hackenmueller's (stew meat and sausage for pizza night)
$7.24 at Cub for oranges, thyme, pearl onions and carrots
$1.39 for Superamerica coffee (yuck)(ungrateful again, but yuck.)
Here is a recipe for homemade chicken soup, requested by my sister Janis
An onion, a couple stalks of celery, 2 teaspoons of garlic, chopped (we keep a big jar of prechopped) a handful of carrots, in coins, and a few mushrooms, chopped fine.
In a heavy pan, like a cast-iron enamel, saute savory vegetables slowly for five minutes or so, in olive oil. Fill the pan with frozen chicken tenderloins from costco (not breaded, just chicken.) Add a cup of water and salt and pepper. Cover and poach for 15-20 minutes.) If chicken is done, hack it into bite sized hunks with a spatula. If it's not super-easy to cut right in the pot, cook it another 10 minutes at a time until it is.
Now add about 4 cups of broth. I used a soup stock base that you mix with water that we keep in the fridge. You can use bullion cubes, but they tend to be saltier. My favorite is a box of kirkland organic chicken broth from costco, but we didn't have any.
Cook awhile more, and then when it is nice and boily, add a half bag of noodles. I put in a half bag of egg noodles and a have box of some other curly noodle. It was delicioius with lots of noodles, but too filling and all of those noodles soaked up the broth, so we had to add more the next day. I wish I would have stuck with half a bag, and added more during the warm-up if necessarry.
Don't forget a crusty loaf of bread from lunds or kowalski's (only 3 bucks.) Or make your own, which is much cheaper, and really rewarding. Use the artisan breads in 5 minutes a day book. Minneapolis author, fantastic bread. And it really does only take 5 minutes. seriously. And you'll have dough ready for Friday pizza night.
Soup shortcuts- Use a couple cans of kirkland chicken from Costco. Some people use rotisserrie chickens, but then you might as well buy the rotisserie chicken soup from costco, which is delicious. It costs $10.00 for a tub, and we always get the spinach salad to go with it. $10.00. And the crusty bread at costco, absolutely the best, is 8.00 for two loaves. Now you are at 28.00 for a dinner that will leave good leftovers for lunch. Not bad, unless you are having a phrugal phase. If you are, make it yourself for a phraction of the cost. I crack myself up.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Phrugal Phase
We have season tickets to the Children's Theatre. (preview tickets at a bargain rate.) I take the three oldest grandsons, Amanda's godmother Kate takes her, and Dawn takes her two boys. Part of the fun is taking the boys out to dinner. We usually go to 50s grill, get burgers and chicken strips and milkshakes. Applebee's is also a good choice. Appetizers rule there.
Since we've been making an art out of fried food at home, and since we are in a frugal phase, I kind of wanted to keep up our record of not eating out. So I went to get the boys and Grandpa was going to do mozzarella sticks and chicken nuggets in our fancy fryer Well, we left the fryer cord at school so he had to bake everything. It was well received by the boys, and cost a lot less, but yuck. I had a bowl of leftover chicken soup. about a fourth of a bowl. The three (yes three) cheese sticks kind of filled me up.
To review, our phrugal phase in phull phorce prompted us to phry our own phood, but the phryer was not to be, so the phried phood was a phail. The play and the company were both phun.
Kristin ate
egg on toast
2 cups coffee
emergen-c
turkey sandwich
carrots
diet coke
tiny handful chocolate chips
1 cranberry walnut cookie
1/4 bowl chicken soup
2 small pieces bread
3 mozzarella sticks
4 tator tot minis
carrots and celery
healthy choice fudgesicle
Kristin spent
$0.00
yesterday spent $4.00 bus and train fare
AJ ate
2 coffees
2 slices tast
1/4 cup trail mix
garden salad with turkey
chocolate mild
5 mickey nuggets
4 mozzarella sticks
a few mini tator tots
2 cranberry walnut cookies
glass of milk
carrots and celery
AJ spent
$70.00 to bank
$25 to other bank
$house payment (lots)
$.25 meter for bank
$27.75 at costco milk, chicken nuggets, peppercorns and fudgesickles
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
I'm starving!!!!
Today AJ helped me take my class on a field trip. We have been studying transportation, and we thought it would be cool to take a bus ride and a train ride. This required about 3 hours on public transportattion. It all went really well. My teaching partner Dawn handed out granola bars to all the kids. AJ got one. The kids ate in two bites. They were staaaarrrrvvvving. I realized I was staaarrrrvvvvinnnnggg too, but I didn't want to eat one or write it down, so I was well prepared to tough it out with no granola bar. All of a sudden, there was a granola bar and I scarfed it down. As often happens, eating a little something made me want more. Just when I was imagining my lunch, waiting quietly back at school in my fancy new lunch bag, one of my second graders left his seat to tell me, with agony written on his face, "Kristin, I'm staaarrrrvvviiing." "You are going to be ok," I told him. You had a nice breakfast and you just had a granola bar. It won't be long until lunch." I was telling him and telling myself.
Back at school (finally) I had a nice lunch, but AJ had neglected to pack one for himself. He was again reliant on picky school lunch eaters. It was also necessary for him to get us some midday coffees. We went for the coffee of the day instead of our traditional lattes. They were just as good and half the price. Still, we are sliding down the slippery slope. 4 bucks is 4 bucks. Next time we'll plan better. But, you know, we were starving.
Kristin ate:
1 smoothy (recipe follows)
1 toast and cheese
1 granola bar
2 cups coffee
1 turkey sandwich (turkey, lettuce, a little onion mayo salt and pepper on wheat bread-very nice.)
small bag o chips
cookie-kowalski's chocolate chunk
coffee with cream
sloppy joe
brussel sprouts
apple slices
pickles
1/2 beer
1 healthy choice fudgesicle
4 mints
Kristin Spent
$0.00
AJ ate
1 smoothy
1 toast no cheese
2 cups coffee with cream
bun
4 chicken nuggets
string cheese
apple slices
chocolate chip granola bar
10 cheddar bunnies
coffee with cream
2 chocolate chunk cookies
1 1/2 sloppy joes
brussels sprouts
2/3 apple
1/2 beer
AJ spent
$15.09 groceries at Kowalskis - buns, cookies, dishwasher soap, diet coke. Used a gift card.
$4.20 at Starbucks for 2 coffees
Here's the smoothie recipe:
2 cups strawberries, 2/3 cups raspberries (frozen)
1 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cranberry juice
splash milk
12 spinach leaves
1 T ground flax seed
1T honey
3 ice cubes
Spin in the Ninja and enjoy. Delicious, but hard to eat while driving.
Back at school (finally) I had a nice lunch, but AJ had neglected to pack one for himself. He was again reliant on picky school lunch eaters. It was also necessary for him to get us some midday coffees. We went for the coffee of the day instead of our traditional lattes. They were just as good and half the price. Still, we are sliding down the slippery slope. 4 bucks is 4 bucks. Next time we'll plan better. But, you know, we were starving.
Kristin ate:
1 smoothy (recipe follows)
1 toast and cheese
1 granola bar
2 cups coffee
1 turkey sandwich (turkey, lettuce, a little onion mayo salt and pepper on wheat bread-very nice.)
small bag o chips
cookie-kowalski's chocolate chunk
coffee with cream
sloppy joe
brussel sprouts
apple slices
pickles
1/2 beer
1 healthy choice fudgesicle
4 mints
Kristin Spent
$0.00
AJ ate
1 smoothy
1 toast no cheese
2 cups coffee with cream
bun
4 chicken nuggets
string cheese
apple slices
chocolate chip granola bar
10 cheddar bunnies
coffee with cream
2 chocolate chunk cookies
1 1/2 sloppy joes
brussels sprouts
2/3 apple
1/2 beer
AJ spent
$15.09 groceries at Kowalskis - buns, cookies, dishwasher soap, diet coke. Used a gift card.
$4.20 at Starbucks for 2 coffees
Here's the smoothie recipe:
2 cups strawberries, 2/3 cups raspberries (frozen)
1 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cranberry juice
splash milk
12 spinach leaves
1 T ground flax seed
1T honey
3 ice cubes
Spin in the Ninja and enjoy. Delicious, but hard to eat while driving.
Monday, January 14, 2013
The Perils of Being Underplanned, or How it Happened that I ate 11 rRitz Crackers
So, I posted a link on my facebook page, and all of the sudden we have a following! Tons of readers! At least 5! I'm not sure how I feel about being famous. But that's what "living out loud" is all about, right?
Although neither of us ever said we want to eat less, clearly we both thought that if we wrote everything down, we would resist the extra eating we do. The impulses would be curbed. I wondered how much I would eat if I was being watched. I am conscious that I have to write things down, but it isn't really stopping me when faced with something special, like Kate G.'s famous almond torte. It's practically a sacrament. When offered, you should eat it. Really. My teaching partner Dawn received the torte as a gift, and was kind enough to share it with the assembled teachers. There is absolutely no way I would say no to that torte. No way. I did manage to stick to one moderate piece, when I really wanted about 3.
The other eating trigger today was the pre-dinner hour. Already starving, we planned the dinner on our way home, with ingredients we had on hand. A nice homemade chicken soup and a lovely green salad. Crusty bread from Lunds, which was both an eating and a spending consumption. I put the soup on and wanted to poach the chicken for 15 minutes or so. It was cooking away when the timer beeped. "Turn off the timer" I hollered, and AJ turned off the burner. I checked on the soup awhile later and found it not cooking. We figured out what happened, and I kept my temper mostly in check, but growled, "I'm going to need some cheese!" as I re-fired the soup and retreated to my blanket and chair. Faithful and kind AJ,also sabotagey AJ, brought me 7 ritz crackers with little pieces of irish cheese. I ate them one after another, and went to the kitchen for 4 more.
The soup, salad and bread were delicious- unmarred by the unnecessary appetizer that preceded it.
AJ ate
2 eggs
2 toast
2 coffee with cream
cup of trail mix
bowl of chicken noodle soup
salad
3 slices crusty bread
shoe string potatoes
hershey kiss
7 crackers, 4 with cheese
glass of pop, 1/2 gingerale and 1/2 rootbeer, first one, then the other, not mixed.
AJ spent
$35.69 Augsburg (they charge to keep your account open!)
$2.99 bread at Lunds
$6.88 at Menards for trail mix and a J trap ( still using Menards rebate)
$160.OO to math tutor
Kristin ate
1 egg on toast
emergen-c
2 coffee with cream
almond torte (no regrets)
8 cheddar bunnies
celery, carrots
american potage! (one more time)
shoestring potatoes
medium caribout latte (first one since new year) (I shared it)
11 crackers, 4 with cheese
1/4 cup trail mix
1 bowl soup
2 pieces bread
1 green salad
1 healthy choice fudgesicle
8 little mints from starbucks.
Kristin spent
$3.98 for coffee.
I'm proud that we cooked at home even on a Monday when we were dog-tired. I bet our spending is down. It feels good to be frugal again.
Although neither of us ever said we want to eat less, clearly we both thought that if we wrote everything down, we would resist the extra eating we do. The impulses would be curbed. I wondered how much I would eat if I was being watched. I am conscious that I have to write things down, but it isn't really stopping me when faced with something special, like Kate G.'s famous almond torte. It's practically a sacrament. When offered, you should eat it. Really. My teaching partner Dawn received the torte as a gift, and was kind enough to share it with the assembled teachers. There is absolutely no way I would say no to that torte. No way. I did manage to stick to one moderate piece, when I really wanted about 3.
The other eating trigger today was the pre-dinner hour. Already starving, we planned the dinner on our way home, with ingredients we had on hand. A nice homemade chicken soup and a lovely green salad. Crusty bread from Lunds, which was both an eating and a spending consumption. I put the soup on and wanted to poach the chicken for 15 minutes or so. It was cooking away when the timer beeped. "Turn off the timer" I hollered, and AJ turned off the burner. I checked on the soup awhile later and found it not cooking. We figured out what happened, and I kept my temper mostly in check, but growled, "I'm going to need some cheese!" as I re-fired the soup and retreated to my blanket and chair. Faithful and kind AJ,also sabotagey AJ, brought me 7 ritz crackers with little pieces of irish cheese. I ate them one after another, and went to the kitchen for 4 more.
The soup, salad and bread were delicious- unmarred by the unnecessary appetizer that preceded it.
AJ ate
2 eggs
2 toast
2 coffee with cream
cup of trail mix
bowl of chicken noodle soup
salad
3 slices crusty bread
shoe string potatoes
hershey kiss
7 crackers, 4 with cheese
glass of pop, 1/2 gingerale and 1/2 rootbeer, first one, then the other, not mixed.
AJ spent
$35.69 Augsburg (they charge to keep your account open!)
$2.99 bread at Lunds
$6.88 at Menards for trail mix and a J trap ( still using Menards rebate)
$160.OO to math tutor
Kristin ate
1 egg on toast
emergen-c
2 coffee with cream
almond torte (no regrets)
8 cheddar bunnies
celery, carrots
american potage! (one more time)
shoestring potatoes
medium caribout latte (first one since new year) (I shared it)
11 crackers, 4 with cheese
1/4 cup trail mix
1 bowl soup
2 pieces bread
1 green salad
1 healthy choice fudgesicle
8 little mints from starbucks.
Kristin spent
$3.98 for coffee.
I'm proud that we cooked at home even on a Monday when we were dog-tired. I bet our spending is down. It feels good to be frugal again.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Satisfactory Sunday
Okay, by now we are obviously not shy about writing down our eats. The resolution was officially just to write our expenditures and our eats, see what total honesty would do for our consumption, and see what we could learn about our habits. I kind of thought I would automatically stop eating lots of crap. I am not eating crap, but I am eating lots. and lots. This week was characterized by the 5 pounds of roast beef that we bought at Costco last week. This week, there was no weekend trip to Costco! (AJ took several grocery trips mid-week, but still.)
I think next week we should vary our protein. We did have lots of veggies, though.
Kristin ate-
cinnamon toast
3 cups coffee
the best scrambled eggs ever, made with the leftovers from the pizza night- omg. caramelized onions really do a lot for scrambled eggs
3 pieces of left-over pizza (they are small but amazing)
diet rootbeer
french fry samples (6 OR SO)
hot chocolate
2 sloppy joes
chips
pickles
green beans
fudgesicle
Kristin spent
$0.00
AJ ate-
cinnamon toast
scrambled eggs
2 cups coffee with cream
2 slices pizza
glass rootbeer
6 ritz crackers
french fries
2 sloppy joes
potato chips
green beans
pickles
AJ spent
$118.00 Direct TV bill.
We were all set to cancel HBO and go to a lower level of service, but an HBO series called Girls won a bunch of Golden Globe awards, so we better watch those first.
There was more french fry experimentation happening today. It has to do with the size of the fry and whether or not to blanch in oil or not. This quest involved the location of our salsa-master 2000, which prevented the purchase of a potato cutter, so I guess that's money saved, right?
I think next week we should vary our protein. We did have lots of veggies, though.
Kristin ate-
cinnamon toast
3 cups coffee
the best scrambled eggs ever, made with the leftovers from the pizza night- omg. caramelized onions really do a lot for scrambled eggs
3 pieces of left-over pizza (they are small but amazing)
diet rootbeer
french fry samples (6 OR SO)
hot chocolate
2 sloppy joes
chips
pickles
green beans
fudgesicle
Kristin spent
$0.00
AJ ate-
cinnamon toast
scrambled eggs
2 cups coffee with cream
2 slices pizza
glass rootbeer
6 ritz crackers
french fries
2 sloppy joes
potato chips
green beans
pickles
AJ spent
$118.00 Direct TV bill.
We were all set to cancel HBO and go to a lower level of service, but an HBO series called Girls won a bunch of Golden Globe awards, so we better watch those first.
There was more french fry experimentation happening today. It has to do with the size of the fry and whether or not to blanch in oil or not. This quest involved the location of our salsa-master 2000, which prevented the purchase of a potato cutter, so I guess that's money saved, right?
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Self-Denial Saturday
Today we used lots of, but probably not enough self-restraint. We wanted to go to Lincoln, but our friends couldn't make it, so we stayed home instead of going out to dinner or to a different movie. That was restrained, all right, but there we were, not going out to dinner, which is, well, not as fun as going out to dinner. So, feeling a little deprived, we over indulged. Both spending and eating were part of all that. But I'm sure we were better off money-wise and other-wise, not going out. Psycho Suzi's tends to cost quiite a bit. All those yummy apps. A plate of deviled eggs, some corn dogs, a salad, a couple of "suffering bastards" in the tiki cups... it all adds up.
AJ went out to get potato chips and root beer and ice cream so we could have the best tuna-melt dinner ever. And it was. We missed our friends, but I got lots of math tests corrected.
Kristin ate-
cinnamin toast
2 pieces of cheese
2 cups of coffee
1 bowl of soup (leftover)
1 piece of bread
1/2 cup cashews
2 chocolate covered coffee beans
4 mints (coffee bean- sized. there might have been coffee in those too.)
1 cup hot chocolate with whipped cream
1 pile of celery and 4 pickles
chips (reduced calorie but they were fine)
tuna melt
root beer float (diet rootbeer)
Kristin spent
$0.00
AJ ate
2 slices of cinnamon toast
3 cups of coffee with cream
1 oz cheese
chocolate milk
bowl soup
slice bread
tuna melts
chips
carrots
celery pickles
rootbeer float
2 pieces of giveaway candy
AJ spent
$15.01 at cub- buns, bandaids, carrots, chips, ice cream, rootbeer, 2 cans cranberry sauce,
We also ordered Showtime, which will be 12.00 a month for three months, but we will be able to watch Dexter. We rushed through Dexter four so that we could take advantage of free Showtime this week. Our hope was to record lots of Dexter's for free, buttttttt......the free showtime didn't include on demand. SOOOO we decided to cancel hbo and order showtime which is 8 dollars cheaper per month. But you can order new services instantly online, but not cancel them. So we haven't saved any money yet.
Other examples of Saturday Self-Denial
No Dunn brothers coffee, even though I wanted some.
AJ only ate 2 pieces of candy, even though there was limitless candy available at the school fair.
AJ went out to get potato chips and root beer and ice cream so we could have the best tuna-melt dinner ever. And it was. We missed our friends, but I got lots of math tests corrected.
Kristin ate-
cinnamin toast
2 pieces of cheese
2 cups of coffee
1 bowl of soup (leftover)
1 piece of bread
1/2 cup cashews
2 chocolate covered coffee beans
4 mints (coffee bean- sized. there might have been coffee in those too.)
1 cup hot chocolate with whipped cream
1 pile of celery and 4 pickles
chips (reduced calorie but they were fine)
tuna melt
root beer float (diet rootbeer)
Kristin spent
$0.00
AJ ate
2 slices of cinnamon toast
3 cups of coffee with cream
1 oz cheese
chocolate milk
bowl soup
slice bread
tuna melts
chips
carrots
celery pickles
rootbeer float
2 pieces of giveaway candy
AJ spent
$15.01 at cub- buns, bandaids, carrots, chips, ice cream, rootbeer, 2 cans cranberry sauce,
We also ordered Showtime, which will be 12.00 a month for three months, but we will be able to watch Dexter. We rushed through Dexter four so that we could take advantage of free Showtime this week. Our hope was to record lots of Dexter's for free, buttttttt......the free showtime didn't include on demand. SOOOO we decided to cancel hbo and order showtime which is 8 dollars cheaper per month. But you can order new services instantly online, but not cancel them. So we haven't saved any money yet.
Other examples of Saturday Self-Denial
No Dunn brothers coffee, even though I wanted some.
AJ only ate 2 pieces of candy, even though there was limitless candy available at the school fair.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Friday Pizza Day
Last week we had out last Papa Murphy's
pizza for a while. It's tasty, but I don't like the sound of $18.00 for a
fast food dinner. So this week we had delicious homemade pizza.
Pizzeria Lola, I don't even miss you.
We had caramelized onions, mushrooms,
spinach, 4 kinds of cheese (plus goat, but we didn't open it.) tomatoes,
potatoes, peperoni, and saurkraut and green peppers. "Mis en place
" courtesty of AJ; homemade crust too.
It was so good that we might do pizza for
our annual academy awards party, with ingredients from the movies, but put on a
pizza, just for a change of pace, in keeping with our desire for less bingey
(not counting yesterday's donut fest) an more quality, but cheaper food.
AJ ate
2 cups coffee with cream
2 pieces fudge (crumbs )
donut (not very good)
a piece of toast
pb sandwich
turkey sandwich
glass of chocolate milk
4 pieces of pizza
beer
dessert pizza (apple struessel)
ginger ale
AJ spent
$36.16 at Cub (53.53 worth of
groceries, with coupon savings) (for canned tomato stuff, cream of wheat,
2 loaves bread, oatmeal, mushroom soup, bacon, 3 lbs apples, bag carrots, fresh
spinach, 2 pkgs cherry tomatoes, pepperoni, 2 packages of mozzerella cheese.)
Kristin ate
egg sandwich
2 cups coffee with cream
48 cheddar bunnies
tator tot hotdish
sandwich
celery
cherry coke zero
6 pizza slices!!!!!
1 desset pizza
Binge Everything
Thursday was a day of binge working for
Kristin and binge projecting for AJ. Binge eating for the both of us.
I cam home to a bowl of donuts, a bowl of donut holes and three bowls of
shoe-string french fries, each with a label telling how they were prepared.
Tile grouted and sealed, soup ready, fresh bread baked.
Aj Ate-
2 cups coffee with cream
1 slice of toast
tater tot hotdish
taste of canned white chili at Costco
taste of chips and dip at costco
2 donuts
a few shoestring potatoes
3 more donuts
bowl of soup
3 glasses of raspberry gingerale
2 pieces of fudge
a few more shoestring potatoes.
AJ spent
$81.and some odd cents
tp, paper towels, coffee butter and the
complete magic school bus collection (30.00) at Kristin's request. I
should have money in my school fund to cover that.)
Kristin ate-
egg and toast
turkey sandwich
20 cheddar bunnies
diet coke
4 little pieces of cheese
1 piece salami
handful peanuts
3 crackers
tsp hummous
about 9 pinches of shoestrings ( they
were three potatoes in all- and we ate about half of each dish between the 3 of
us)
3 donuts
1 donut hole
1 bowl soup (American Potage)
2 pieces of bread
Kristin Spent-
$0.00
The big fuss over the m and ms and
cinnamon bread coming into the house had no meaning, and hungry as I was, I was
overtaken by those donuts. Oh geez, they weren't even that good, but they
were so, so good. Aj is naughty.
If we had loyal readers they would notice
that this was the first day not recorded on the day of. AJ was busy
helping Amanda make a delicious white fudge (it was kind of caramelly,
actually- not on my list, but I tasted a couple crumbs on Friday.) It was a
recipe from the Harry Potter cookbook, and Amanda had a project/book report
due. We are all trying to eat with more intention, but man, what a day.
Kristin went to bed before the homework was done and the bog was
neglected.
So it was a day of binge working, binge
homework, binge meetings, binge cooking and binge eating.
They fryer was out to make french fries,
because AJ is helping one of my students with a project, and he had to do some
r and d for that. And you can't turn on the fryer for just one thing.
So binge frying.
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