Eating Well on Sixty: 7/3-7-9 Competitive Spirit Savings Version

I could easily spend an entire paycheck at the store each week. Sometimes I make excuses to go to Whole Foods when I really don't need to. Luckily, Brett is quite good at knowing when we really do need to, and when I'm just having WF hallucinations. (That alone probably saves us close to $1000 each year).But now that new school bills are looming in the very near future, it's time to get serious. And since I couldn't find many $60 meal plans that were healthy, delicious and vegetarian, I decided that I would create my own. Armed with three $20 bills, we will eat. And we will eat well.

I haven't gone to the store yet. Because I'm trying to make meals around what we have, I know that we will spend very little this week. So I'll update with the grand total.

$__34.33__

^I'll put it RIGHT there^

An ole pal from way back in my high school days (ok, not way back) left a comment on my last Eating Well:

"Hey Emma D stumbled (literally, via facebook) upon this blog and I enjoy it. I live in a big co-op house in Brookline with 16 others, and we all pitch in for groceries, cook family dinners Sun-Thurs, and eat really great veg fare. It is great having so many cooks because you see so many styles and recipes (I've thought about doing a Hive cookbook)...and all that for 25$ a week/person, which includes farm share produce and supermarket foods. hah don't mean to rub it in, $60 is a good number to shoot for, for 2 a couple. Sounds like you and Brett are doing well, I am glad to hear it... Keep cooking awesome food! "

So naturally, in the spirit of community, I felt compelled to out do him.

But seriously, his comment got me thinking. If you're looking to cut your bill down further, consider grouping together with friends and family one or two nights each week. Have each person bring one side, one dish, a bottle of wine, or even one ingredient! As comfortable as your two person dinner table may be, bust out of your comfort zone and enjoy a table full of good food, good beer/wine/lemonade, and neat people.

This week:

Breakfast

-oatmeal with raisins and walnuts and butternut squash

-toast with peanut butter and fruit
-grapefruit and toast
-chocolate blueberry pancakes (leftovers that we froze!)

-greek yogurt/granola/berry parfait

Lunch

Most days, leftovers from dinner will be eaten the next day as lunch. Other days, these are what I rotate in:

-veggie burger veggie wrap with veggies and slice of cheese

-baby green salad with green peppers, tofu

-brown rice, broccoli, spinach, and tofu

Dinner


Sunday

-Salad with veggie burgers, fresh fruit

Monday

-Fourth of July cookout with family!

Tuesday

-General Tso's Tofu with steamed broccoli and brown rice

 

Wednesday

-Butternut squash ravioli made with homemade wonton wrappers and salad (Again, this recipe is from SB book- I LOVE it. )

*The first time that I made this, I froze the wrappers. I think I should have put separating sheets between each one, because it literally took an hour to separate all of them. Any suggestions? Parchment? Wax paper?

 Thursday
-BBQ Tofu on the grill with veggie mac n' cheese and salad

Friday

-Pizza on homemade dough


Saturday

-Chili with salad and whole wheat cornbread
(this is leftover from last week, waiting for us in the freezer!)

Snacks/Treats

-popcorn with Parmesan cheese and spices
-lemon poppy seed muffins
-greek yogurt with grapes

-mini smoothies with frozen fruit

Last Week


Enjoy!

Getting Ahead of Myself

A while back, I posted about how I needed to work on living in the present.



like enjoying moments like this. seriously. my dog and cat friends are like the best thing in the world.


But since I'm human, I may as well be honest.


I spent one hour (?) today (at 5 am, so it's almost completely fine since a lot of people are still sleeping) pulling photographs from the internet of decorated rooms that make me feel extraordinarily wonderful and squealish.


It's justified, because I just finished my human growth and development class after spending hours reading and reading and reading and reading and writing.(I got an A. So. Even more reason.) It may also be justified because I may get to actually decorate new rooms in the near future. What's that I say?


So it was my reward. And I will now share my findings with you.


Kitchens







or





Subway tile, you're great. No matter how y'spin it.


Bedrooms





Minus the fancy chandelier. I promise you that we're not having a baby. But I (like April) am wooed by baby things that really aren't accurate indicators of whether or not it's the right time to have a baby. For now, I will stumble (accidentally?) upon nurseries and tuck them into a folder for when the time does come.

Uh. Weird. That looks similar to our bedroom. Gosh. I'm so inventive. Can't believe HGTV liked my idea. Flattered. (Ok. Obviously I copied. I love this room, and I couldn't do such an amazing job because a) I hate to sew and b) that rug is like a gazillion dollars and c) we don't own our apartment so we can't make all the decisions. I think it's the perfect masculine/feminine room and I will carry the design with us when we move out so I can do it more justice by copying it even better.

Living Room

(Ok. I know that this is NOT a living room, but I love the colors. And I have that Dash and Albert rug, so even better!



Practicality is overrated, especially when there's such a thing as slipcovers. This is the Ektorp from Ikea.

Entryway



I have a thing for Dash & Albert rugs. The regular Emma would think that they're expensive, but I love them because they're Roo proof. She ruins anything that might appear nubbly. 


So yes. These rooms make my giddy. But the truth is, things cost money, and sometimes money needs to be put elsewhere. So I may not live in a colorful blast of excitement immediately- but eventually with a bit of DIY know-how and the all important carpenter husband, we'll get there.