Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Things have been busy

But are still going well. Jeremy and I have been going to the gym six days a week, which is not leaving me with a lot of free time. Winter is currently at her dad's for spring break. Last week I made a big batch of spaghetti sauce and a batch of lentil and mung bean dal in the crock pot, and we've been working on it since. We also made chicken teriyaki stir fry for dinner on Sunday, and some frozen seafood potstickers. They were not as good as my homemade ones I think, but pretty good for frozen.

I have been doing pretty well eating whole wheat, so I plan to stick with it. I am getting used to whole wheat pasta and I like it as much as regular pasta now.

We still have spaghetti sauce left. I think we'll have spaghetti for dinner night, and I'll have dal for lunches till it's gone. For breakfasts I've been making eggs, toast, sausage, smoothies, granola, and yogurt with fruit.

I'm finding it easier to stay in a budget. It's become pretty automatic, and I have figured out a lot of inexpensive recipes that work well within my time constraints. That leaves me thinking it might be time to end this blog. I will probably still keep track of spending on my phone or something. I'll put up a few more updates and continue tracking spending through the end of this month.

Here's what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast: smoothie with banana, strawberries, blackberries, almonds  milk, yogurt and a PBJ with Dave's killer bread and low sugar raspberry jam
Lunch: left over dal and brown jasmine rice, two clementines, two whole wheat fig bars
Dinner: skipped, wasn't too hungry
Snacks/desserts: two pieces of PB fudge my boss brought me, a  lemon ALT bar, a serving of jalapeno cheddar
Beverages: water

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Happy Easter!

Hope yours is going well. This morning Jeremy and I walked over to near Volunteer park to pick up some food items I got from the Buy Nothing Group. The weather is beautiful today. I got two instant soup cups, a split pea and a vegetarian lentil, a sample size packet of hemp hearts, a box of whole wheat spaghetti, and 3 lbs of brown jasmine rice.

Then we went home and a friend came by for a late breakfast and board games. I made French toast and we topped it with the rest of some blueberry apple  compote Winter made yesterday to go with whole wheat blueberry pancakes. We also made devilled eggs with the eggs we dyed last night for Easter.

I think I will make granola today. Not sure yet what to make for dinner. I will be doing some crock pot meals this week as I will be working till 7:30 every night. I am planning spaghetti sauce with whole wheat spaghetti, and some kind of curried lentils or something. Maybe lentils, mung beans, and carrots with a tomato based curry. We can have brown rice with it.

Yesterday Winter and I did a bit of shopping. We went to Grocery Outlet and they had some awesome deals on cheese and yogurt.  I got 8 Greek yogurts, a pound of colby and 12 oz provolone for just under $4. We also spent $8 at Menchie's while we were out.

Winter wanted to spend some of her money on ordering a pizza, so we decided to let her buy her own, and Jeremy and I ordered one to split. We went with a thin crust, veggies on my half, and Jeremy got ham, chicken, jalapenos, mushrooms, and bell pepper on his.

Breakfast: whole wheat blueberry pancakes (from a mix), blueberry Apple compote
Lunch: left over chicken soup with rice and quinoa, grilled cheese sandwiches with colby and Jack
Dinner: two slices of veggie pizza
Snacks/desserts: plain frozen yogurt with mango strawberries and blackberries, chocolate covered marshmallow egg (was included free in a package I ordered)
Beverages: lime sparkling water, water


Friday, April 3, 2015

March wrap up, and April budget

Blogging regularly is getting kind of hard. I've been going to the gym five times a week for about an hour each time, and that takes up a lot of what little free time I have. I'll keep doing what I can.

Tuesday was the last day of March. We ended the month at $463, which is $2 under budget. I made whole wheat macaroni and cheese with hot pepper jack and cheddar with Greek yogurt added to the sauce, and red and green bell peppers for dinner.

For a the Month of April our budget will be $410 because Winter will be gone for 8 days for Spring Break. Wednesday Jeremy and I went to Grocery Outlet. We spent $66. We bought another bag of whole wheat pasta, a pound of dates, sliced Monterey jack cheese, herb goat cheese, a quart of plain Greek yogurt, almond milk, whole grain tortillas, two bags of frozen turkey burgers, salsa, two small bag of sprouted whole wheat flour, some sparkling water and energy drinks, tofu, cauliflower, Oreos, two boxes of cereal and cereal bars, frozen strawberries, three dark chocolate oranges, hard boiled eggs, and some other stuff.

For dinner on Wednesday I made thin whole wheat spaghetti, tofu, bell pepper, and cauliflower sauteed in olive oil, and peanut sauce.

Thursday I had leftovers for lunch and dinner, and Jeremy and I went to the gym. We also spent $11 at Yogurtland after I got off work, and spent $18 at QFC on apples, bananas, carrots, organic whole grain bread, and bagel thins.

Breakfast: two scramble eggs with hot pepper jack in a whole grain tortilla
Lunch: leftover tofu, veggies, and noodles with peanut sauce
Dinner: leftover chicken and lung bean deal with plain Greek yogurt
Snacks/desserts: homemade cranberry apple walnut granola bars, plain frozen yogurt with strawberries and mango
Beverages: water, and lemon lime sparkling water

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Second hand gift card fuckery

So Winter and I went to Comic Con on Sunday. I had bought a $50 gift card from Raise.com for Subway (of which we had used $15 in January) and we planned to have lunch at Subway since there is one in the convention center. But when I went to use it I was told it had a zero balance. I had to use another form of payment. When I got home I did some detective work and found out that evidently the person who sold it had registered the card with Subway immediately after purchase, sold it, and then reported it lost or stolen. As such, the remaining balance was removed from the card.

I sent a screen shot of the evidence to Raise, and Monday morning I got a call from them saying they were refunding the amount I had paid for the card, which was $43.50. I am really mad that this person did this, and I hope Raise is able to recover the funds from that seller. They did the right thing, and I am happy to keep buying gift cards through them, but in the future I will be registering any cards I receive (which are able to be registered) immediately upon receipt.

The Con was fun, I guess, in as much as being in a huge crowd of people can be fun. Winter dressed up as Louise and I dressed up as Tina from Bob's Burgers. Quite a few people took pics of us, though I haven't seen any come up on Instagram yet.

After the convention I made soup for dinner, and then Jeremy and I went for a walk. They were having a good sale at QFC, so we decided to stock up on a few things. We got two boxes of whole wheat crackers, three boxes of whole wheat pasta, shredded cheese, frozen blackberries, reduced fat cream cheese, a lemon flavored Noosa yogurt (we plan to split it, and luckily Winter hates yogurt), and a box of cereal. Jeremy also got a diet Arnold Palmer drink. We spent about $18.

Here is what I ate Sunday:

Breakfast: smoothie made with almond milk, plain yogurt, banana, strawberry, blueberry and honey (was really good)
Lunch: six inch turkey sub on whole grain bread with lettuce, tomato, olives, oil, and vinegar (was kind of boring)
Dinner: chicken soup with carrots, celery, quinoa and wild rice blend and brown rice
Snacks/desserts: lemon ALT bar, blackberry yonanas
Beverages: water

Monday I had a busy day at work. Bought three Fage plain Greek yogurts on the way home for $3.

Breakfast: two lemon ALT bars
Lunch: leftover chicken rice soup, turkey and herb goat cheese sandwich with lettuce on GF bread
Dinner: leftover chicken deal with plain yogurt
Snacks/desserts: Easter candy at work (ugh again), wheat thins with PB and a drizzle of honey
Beverages: water

Sunday, March 29, 2015

$38 left

This should go pretty easily. Since my last post I have spent $6 on bananas, milk, a bottle of Sprite, and a can of cream soda Zevia from the reduced for quick sale section. Winter liked it. I thought it was merely ok.

Tomorrow Winter and I are going to the Emerald City Comic-Con, and we finished with our costumes around 1 in the morning. I am crabby. have a Subway gift card purchased from Raise a while back, and there is a Subway in the convention center, so we'll go there for lunch. I think I will go ahead and start eating whole wheat a couple days early because salads at Subway are sad and wrong. I am sure their whole grain bread is processed as heck, but it will have to do. Winter wants to go see a panel with a couple of the actresses from Firefly, and stop at Matthew Inman's booth. Other than that we have nothing specific planned.

I made some mung bean deal with chicken a few nights ago that turned out good. Had leftovers for lunch a couple of days. Tonight I just made a sandwich. There are way too many dirty dishes. The con ends at 5 tomorrow, and we are a five minute walk from the convention center, so I will have plenty of time to wash dishes and make dinner when I get home. Was thinking I might do a soup in the crock pot or something. We'll see how early I wake up tomorrow. Since I am old now, I would guess I will likely wake up the same time I always do.

Breakfast: plain yogurt with honey and a sliced banana
Lunch: leftover chicken and mung bean deal with plain yogurt, two clementines
Dinner: sandwich with buffalo style deli chicken, avocado, and cheddar cheese, herb goat cheese and GF flax crackers
Snacks/desserts: dark orange chocolate, some Easter candy at work (ugh)
Beverages: water

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Gah... I give up.

I am so far behind on posting. I have been keeping up with adding up the money we've spent at least. We have $44 left in the budget for the month. This should be more than adequate, as we have a ridiculous amount of food in the house. Jeremy and I cleaned out the cupboards today after I came home from the store, and rearranged them. I can't believe how much quinoa and quinoa wild rice blend we have. It's normally pretty expensive though, and doesn't show up often at Grocery Outlet, so it's probably a good thing. We also have lots and lots of pasta, dried beans, various grains and flours, peanuts butter, jam/preserves, protein bars, and barbeque sauce. We do not need to buy more for a while.

I made some granola bars on Sunday with almonds, walnuts, dried apples, dates, dried cranberries, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and oats. I had two of them for breakfast this morning and then went to the gym. After the gym I bought two pairs of short and a 7 pack of socks at Goodwill, and then went to Grocery Outlet.

At Grocery Outlet I bought eggs, turkey burgers (Jeremy likes these for lunch), whole wheat bagels, whole wheat pasta, almond milk, shredded pepper jack, sharp cheddar slices, herb goat cheese, a quart of plain yogurt, a box of cereal, two cans of tomato sauce, a dark chocolate orange, three bell peppers, 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms, an avocado, Annie's taco mac, a box of cheese and PB filled crackers, a pack of two hardboiled eggs, a bag of bulgur, a bag of slivered almonds, and probably some other stuff I forgot.

Next month I'll be adding whole wheat back to my diet, so I have been getting whole wheat pasta, plus the bulgur, so I'll already have some at home. We also have some whole wheat spaghetti we never used up from before.

Jeremy has been doing his personal training certification at the gym I've been going to. He talked to the owner about joining, and decided to switch. We figured out that both of us can go for less than what Jeremy was spending on his membership at 24 hour fitness plus the once a week sessions with his powerlifting coach. For about $20 a month less he will train once a week with the gym owner, and I am doing twice a month training for now. I am trying to rebuild strength in my serratus anterior and teres major, both of which I injured in the last few years. The owner has really good credentials, and I like his training style.

Breakfast: two apple cranberry walnut granola bars
Lunch: chicken and cheddar sandwich with lettuce, two clementines
Dinner: chicken sausage with carrots and mushrooms, quinoa wild rice blend, and low sodium teriyaki sauce
Snacks/desserts: two hard boiled eggs, two pieces of orange dark chocolate, strawberry and blueberry yonanas
Beverages: water

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Sunday and Monday

What is today even? Tuesday? Good Lord. I don't know what is going on with me but I am exhausted.

Sunday- It rained. Hard. I went to the gym in the morning and did some cardio. Jeremy and I went to Uwajimaya later. We spent $8 on a can of coconut milk, a large bottle of rice wine vinegar, a huge can of energy drink, and a melon flavored Ramune for Winter. Got soaked to the skin on the way home. Was awful.

I did a bit of cooking. Blueberry and apple compote with ginger, homemade granola bars with peaches, pears, plums, dates, pecans, sunflower seeds, teff grain, and oats. They are magical. Also made chicken fajitas pizza with cornmeal crust for dinner.

Breakfast: homemade granola bar (ginger and almond one), fried egg with a slice of cheddar between two pieces of GF toast
Lunch: plain Greek yogurt with blueberry apple compote and pecans
Dinner: chicken fajitas pizza
Snacks/desserts: dark chocolate, homemade granola bars (mixed fruit and pecan kind)
Beverages: water


Monday- Busy day at work. Felt very snacky. Much more than usual. Spent $4 on frozen yogurt at Menchie's. Ate all of the things when I got home. Decided I need more fiber. Ate way too much fiber.

Breakfast: fried egg and cheddar between two slices of GF toast, homemade granola bar
Lunch: left over chicken fajitas pizza, clementines
Dinner: leftover bean and veggie stew with a little bit of leftover quinoa and wild rice mixed in, leftover toasted grainy seedy bread with cherry preserves
Snacks/desserts: plain frozen yogurt with strawberries and blackberries, homemade granola bars, Korean BBQ rice crackers, dark chocolate, dried apples, apricots, and plums
Beverages: water

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Saturday

And rounding up my huge list of catch up posts. Saturday. Busy day at work. Jeremy got a protein bar, an energy drink, and a cucumber at QFC for $3 total. We had salad for dinner again.

Breakfast: two homemade granola bars
Lunch: leftover veggie bean stew with millet, leftover whole grain bread, two clementines
Dinner: salad with lettuce, quinoa and wild rice, chicken, pecans, cucumbers, herb goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette
Snacks/desserts: dark chocolate
Beverages: water, pumpkin spice coconut milk

Friday

I spent $4 on Friday on a coffee drink, a banana, and a dark chocolate bar. I have been trying to avoid caffeine, but I got about 4 hours of sleep. I went to the gym after work, then picked up Winter after art class. I felt a little throw-uppy after working out. Here goes...

Breakfast: two homemade granola bars
Lunch: plain Greek yogurt with blueberries, pecans, and honey, two clementines
Dinner: leftover chili with leftover quinoa wild rice blend, and cheddar cheese
Snacks/desserts: none
Beverages: Starbucks coffee drink, water

Thursday

Ugh, I barely even remember Thursday. It feels so long ago. No money spent. We made salad for dinner.

Breakfast: plain Greek yogurt with strawberry apple compote and pecans
Lunch: chicken sandwich with cheddar cheese, avocado, and lettuce, and two clementines
Dinner: salad with lettuce, quinoa and wild rice, herb goat cheese, pecans, grilled chicken, cucumber and roasted red pepper dressing
Snacks/desserts: ?
Beverages: water, pumpkin spice coconut milk

Wednesday

Wednesday was pretty boring. I worked in the morning, went to the gym in the evening. We had lots of leftovers still so I decided not to cook. I had an oldish avocado that was not ripe when I bought it, but was perfect so I used it on a sandwich for lunch. No money spent on food.

Breakfast: two fried eggs, whole grain bread
Lunch: chicken sandwich with avocado, cheddar, and lettuce, two clementines
Dinner: leftover chili and brown rice with cheese
Snacks: dark chocolate
Beverages: pumpkin spice coconut milk, water

Keep putting this off- ugh

Ok, I need to just get this done. I am behind by a lot. We'll start with Tuesday.

Jeremy and I went to Grocery Outlet and spent $68. We bought the following:

Korean BBQ rice crackers
2 boxes of Cheerios with Protein
Huge box of chia seed crackers
18 Fiber One brownies
Italian shredded cheese blend
12 frozen turkey burgers
3 bell peppers (orange, yellow, red)
5 tubs of lite pimento cheese spread ((shudder))
Large tub with deli ham, beef and chicken
6 whole wheat bagels
6 black cherry Greek yogurts
Quart of plain Greek yogurt
Protein granola
Pecans
Walnuts
Dried cranberries
5 lbs white cornmeal
4 oz herb goat cheese
Watermelon twist candy
Mixed dried fruit
Sugar free cherry preserves
Low sugar orange marmalade
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
2 small cans tomato sauce
2 pack hardboiled eggs
Dozen large eggs
Olive oil
2 bottles of Mio

Jeremy went to QFC a bit later and bought a Lean Cuisine, 5 lbs of flour, and a half gallon of milk for $6 total.

I made stew in the crock pot with three kinds of beans, a can of crushed tomatoes, carrots, and millet. I also baked a loaf of gluten free bread with whole millet, quinoa, oats, and sunflower seeds. It didn't rise much, and was pretty dense, but I did like it ok. I'll be happy to eat wheat again though. I hope I don't have problems with it.

Breakfast: left over millet and brown rice with almond milk, honey, and blueberries
Lunch: leftover Ethiopian lentils, and green beans and carrots, and brown rice
Dinner: bean and veggie stew with millet, whole grain bread
Snacks: dark chocolate, half of a watermelon twist, two hard boiled eggs
Beverages: water


Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Sunday and Monday

Winter and I took a Reiki class on Sunday. It counts toward my continuing ed. I don't know if I really buy into the spiritual stuff behind it, but it's very relaxing to receive.

After we got home I tried my hand at Ethiopian food again. I got a bag of millet grain for free from the Buy Nothing group, and I cooked some up just to have some grain with it. Millet is definitely not African at all, but I did not allow that to dissuade me.

I mixed up a whole bunch of berbere (Ethiopian seasoning blend) maybe a year and a half ago using a recipe I found online. It's not quite right compared to the Ethiopian food I have had at restaurants, but it's what I got. I used up the rest of it, plus some olive oil and dried onion and a half pound of brown lentils.

I also cooked the crap out of some green beans, carrots, and garlic in olive oil. This is my favorite Ethiopian dish ever. You want to cook them down pretty soft until they get a natural sweetness.

It turned out better than my previous attempts. Still not perfect, but better. I am starting to think the restaurants just add a lot more oil than I do. That would explain a lot.

I love injera, the sour fermented pancake thing they serve the various foods on, but it is pretty ambitious for me to make myself. Plus I have read that it stinks pretty badly while fermenting and it takes a few days. I don't know about all that.

Breakfast: smoothie made with coconut milk, almond milk, banana, blueberries, strawberries, and chia seeds
Lunch: plain yogurt with honey, blueberries, and pecans, clementines, Baby Bell mozzarella cheese
Dinner: Ethiopian red lentils and green beans and carrots with millet
Snack/desserts: lemon pound cake ALT bar, cashews (provided at the class), small piece of dark chocolate
Beverages: water

Monday was super not exciting. I had to go to Goodwill and then Target looking for a workout bra after work, and didn't roll back in until around 8:45. Jeremy got a sugar free sparkling water at Target, and I got a Lara Bar to hold me over till I got home. It was closer to $3 than it was to $2 so we'll call it $3.

Breakfast: leftover smoothie (I froze the rest, and put it in the fridge to thaw overnight. It was still frozen but soft enough to eat in the morning)
Lunch: leftover lentils, millet, and green beans + carrots, clementines
Dinner: leftover vegetarian chili with brown rice and fiesta blend cheese
Snacks/desserts: chocolate Lara Bar
Beverages: water

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Wednesday thru Saturday, the lightning round version

Wednesday:

Purchased: nothing

Breakfast: granola and almond milk
Lunch: two clementines and a homemade granola bar
Dinner: Orange marmalade and hoisin glazed chicken, haricots verts with olive oil and pepper, roasted kabocha squash with herbed goat cheese, quinoa and wild rice pilaf with almonds
Snacks/desserts: homemade granola bar
Beverages: 1/2 can Blue Sky Free lemonade, water


Thursday:

Purchased: Cadbury dark chocolate bar, Lean Cuisine spring rolls
Total spent: $3

Breakfast: leftover chili with fiesta blend cheese and fried egg
Lunch: leftover tofu, squash and broccoli curry with leftover quinoa, wild rice and almond pilaf
Dinner: salad with lettuce, apple, leftover brown rice, herbed goat cheese, and raspberry walnut vinaigrette
Snacks/desserts: 1/4 dark chocolate bar
Beverages: water, pumpkin spice coconut milk


Friday:

Purchased: frozen yogurt at Menchie's, can of green beans, can of beef tamales, Hormel pepperoni pizza Rev wrap (free Friday download)

Total spent: $10

Breakfast: plain yogurt with strawberry apple compote and pecans
Lunch: leftover tofu, squash, and broccoli curry with leftover quinoa, wild rice, and almond pilaf and a homemade granola bar
Dinner: leftover chili with leftover brown rice, sour cream, and fiesta blend cheese
Snacks/desserts: pineapple sorbet with strawberries and blackberries, homemade granola bar
Beverages: water


Saturday:

Purchased: head of green leaf lettuce, 2 lbs carrots, green bell pepper

Total spent: $7

Breakfast: granola with almond milk
Lunch: plain yogurt with thawed unsweetened blueberries, honey, and pecans and brown rice crackers with herb goat cheese
Dinner: chicken stir fry with bell pepper, green beans, brown rice, and spicy orange sauce (Jeremy made it)
Snacks/desserts: 1/4 dark chocolate bar
Beverages: water

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Tuesday restock

Good Lord, but I have been so busy. On Tuesday I had an appointment to get set up at a new gym I joined, and I did some time on the elliptical before leaving. I then walked to the International District to pick up a package from the post office, which apparently they could not just leave for me like they usually do (annoyed because I now have another package slip, so this is like becoming a trend).

Next door to the post office is a little stinky fish market and they had boxes of produce outside. In one of the boxes they had kabocha squash for 99 cents a pound. I grabbed one and then went inside where I found bags of green beans for $1.59 a pound, and blocks of tofu for $1.49. I spent $6 on beans, squash, and tofu.

After I got home I waited for Jeremy to get home from work and we went to Grocery Outlet. We spent $124 and bought all of the following:

3 lbs frozen blueberries
6 frozen turkey burgers
2 2.5 bags of frozen chicken tenderloins (they're back!)
Frozen mini pepperoni pizzas
9 sugar free energy drinks
A canister of old fashioned oats
Organic strawberry shortcake sandwich cookies
Chia seeds
3 1 lb bags of quinoa rice blend
Peanut butter flavored cereal
A box of instant macaroni and cheese with beef packets
A candy cane cookie mix
Brown rice crackers with sea salt and black pepper
Protein granola
15 lemon pound cake Alt bars (like Lara Bars but with protein added)
Korean BBQ flavored rice crackers
Almond butter
Pumpkin spice flavored coconut milk
18 Fiber One brownies
2 quarts of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
6 pack of chicken Ramen noodles
Low sugar orange marmalade
Sugar free cherry preserves
Chocolate chip cookies
Peanut butter filled sandwich crackers
Mild salsa
2 bottles of island teriyaki sauce
Lunchables waffle dippers
Sliced cheddar cheese
Salami and cheese snack pack
Six pack of mini Baby Bel cheeses
8 pack of fat free flavored Greek yogurt
2 tubs of low fat pimento cheese (Jeremy loves this stuff. Ugh.)
Large can of crushed tomatoes
Quart of plain Greek yogurt
2 lbs brown rice
4 pack of mini milk chocolate bars
Artichoke hummus
2 1 lb packages of deli roast beef
4 oz herb goat cheese
1 lb candied ginger pieces
1 lb raw sunflower seeds
2 lbs celery hearts
Vanilla extract
1 avocado
6 pack Blue Sky calorie free lemonade
2 lbs pitted dates
4 bottles Mio
4 lbs clementines

For dinner I made curry with half the kabocha squash, the block of tofu, a little broccoli we had in the fridge, cashew butter, coconut milk, curry powder, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and dried onion. I also made brown rice to serve it with. I really liked it. Winter liked it but was unenthusiastic about the squash. I don't think Jeremy ever ate any.

I also made granola bars. I pureed a pound of dates with a few pieces of candied ginger (and in doing so I stripped out the grooves of the food processor attachment that came with my hand blender, so I went ahead and ordered a new and more decent food processor) and then mixed in chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and oats with my hands until the mixture was pretty stiff. I lined a square baking pan with plastic wrap, and pressed it down, covering it with another layer of plastic wrap. I put it in the fridge for about an hour, then cut them up into 12 bars. They are good, with a nice ginger flavor. Very dense, sweet, and chewy.

Breakfast: banana with PB
Lunch: plain yogurt with strawberry apple compote and pecans
Dinner: kabocha squash, tofu and broccoli with brown rice and coconut cashew curry sauce
Snacks/desserts: ginger date almond granola bar
Beverages: 1/2 can Blue Sky Free soda, water

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Monday, super boring dinner

Ha ha. But no really, it was boring. But it was also easy. Jeremy went to QFC and bought 2% milk, bananas, a cucumber, two Lean Cuisines, and two energy drinks. He spent $9.

For dinner we had chicken burgers (I ate mine on GF toast, and Winter and Jeremy used whole wheat bagels) with lettuce, mustard, and olive oil mayo. We also had salad with cucumber and dressing.

Breakfast: plain yogurt with strawberry apple compote and pecans
Lunch: leftover soba noodles, veggies, and chicken with coconut cashew curry
Dinner: chicken burger with lettuce, mayo and mustard, and salad with cucumber and dressing
Snacks/desserts: 1/3 dark chocolate with cherries and almonds
Beverages: water

Sunday

For Christmas I got Jeremy a gift card for a facial at a place he likes in Bellevue, where incidentally I also used to work. He decided to use it on the first. I made appointments for Winter and I to get manicures at the same time, and we decided to make a day of it and go to Yogurtland afterward. We also stopped by Pet Smart to get some pill pocket cat treats for Friday's Prozac (spoiler alert, he does not like them).

I made French toast for breakfast for Winter and I, and I used two of the scratch and dent apples I had purchased, about a pound of frozen strawberries, and a tablespoon of honey, to make a large batch if compote. We topped our French toast with it and I saved the rest to use with plain yogurt.

Once we got out to Bellevue Winter started complaining that she was like really really hungry. We walked over to Jack in the Box and got her a chicken ranch sandwich and fries which cost $8.

After we were done at the spa/salon/whatever we went next door to Yogurtland. We spent $17 there. We are trying to use up the gift card so Winter and I both got large cups. Jeremy just wanted a small one. I am adding cultured dairy back in to my diet this month, so I went ahead and got yogurt instead of sorbet this time. I added strawberries and sliced almonds to it.

We had 20 minutes to wait for the bus, and it was super cold out, so we spent that time at a supplement store. Jeremy bought 4 Quest bars for about $10.

Jeremy also went to QFC before going home. I know he spent about $14 but I don't really remember what he bought. I know he got a large tub of plain yogurt, a bag of shredded fiesta blend cheese, and two bags of whole wheat bagels. I will have to ask him tomorrow.

Breakfast: GF French toast with apple strawberry compote
Lunch: blueberry and passion fruit frozen yogurt with strawberries and almonds, half of a banana bread Quest bar
Dinner: vegetarian chili with brown rice, sour cream and fiesta blend cheese
Snacks/desserts: 1/2 chocolate PB Quest bar
Beverages: lime Perrier (complimentary at the nail/facial place), water

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Friday + Saturday

Friday the only money spent on food was for a $.99 dark chocolate Hershey bar which I split with Winter.

Breakfast: granola and nut milk
Lunch: tuna sandwich with lettuce on GF bread, orchard bar, two cookies
Dinner: leftover navy bean and red pepper soup with crushed up onion and chive crackers, two clementines
Snacks/desserts: 1/2 dark chocolate bar
Beverages: water

Saturday I spent about $3 on two Bolthouse Farms fruit smoothies. They were buy one get one free at QFC. We made chili in the crock pot for dinner with black, navy, and pinto beans, tomato sauce, dried onion, salt, cayenne pepper and chili powder. After dinner I made Yonanas for all of us with frozen bananas, kiwi, and champagne mangoes. It was probably one of the best combinations I've ever had.

Breakfast: egg fried in olive oil with black pepper, orchard bar
Lunch: tuna sandwich with lettuce on GF bread, apple, two cookies
Dinner: vegetarian chili
Snacks/desserts: one cookie, kiwi mango banana Yonanas
Beverages: Bolthouse cherry smoothie, water

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Wednesday + Thursday

Wednesday we spent $6 total on food. At QFC we bought three cans of tomato sauce, one red bell pepper, four very ripe champagne mangoes from the reduced section, an organic banana (the regular ones were hella green) and a squirt of bulk natural peanut butter. Jeremy also bought an Orchard Bar from Bartell's where they are currently half price.

I cut up two of the mangoes, and one kiwi and shared them with Winter when I had my lunch. The remaining mangoes and kiwis were cut up and frozen for future Yonanas.

For dinner I stir fried some chicken, a carrot, and the bell pepper, and cooked the 100% buckwheat soba noodles. I also made a curry sauce with leftover coconut milk from the freezer, cashew butter, rice wine vinegar, dried onion, garlic, and curry powder.The sauce was good. I was not a fan of the noodle at all though. Once they were cooked soft enough to eat they got a very gummy and rubbery texture. Jeremy and Winter said they were fine, but at nearly $8 a pound, I did not find them to be worth it.

I still have half the sauce left in the freezer. I think I will pick up some tofu and make a tofu and veggie stir fry with brown rice to use the rest in the next couple of weeks.

Breakfast: lemon Lara Bar, banana with natural peanut butter
Lunch: mango and kiwi, turkey and spicy pepper hummus sandwich with lettuce
Dinner: soba noodles, chicken, pepper, carrot, and coconut cashew curry sauce
Snacks/desserts: dark chocolate, oatmeal walnut chocolate chip cookies
Beverages: water

We cashed in some more credit card rewards for $50 in Panera Bread gift cards, which came in the mail earlier this week. We planned to go there for dinner on Thursday night. We spent $36 on the gift cards, but it was all free! I can currently have pretty much any salad they have with just a couple of modifications. Luckily I love their salads. We also bought 7 more Orchard bars which was less than $6.

Breakfast: smoothie with frozen banana, coconut milk, cocoa powder, PB, and honey
Lunch: leftover navy bean and bell pepper soup with crushed  up onion chive crackers, apple
Dinner: Thai chicken salad (w/o wonton strips), apple
Snacks/desserts: orchard bar, oatmeal walnut chocolate chip cookies
Beverages: water, unsweetened hibiscus tea with lemon

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Tuesday, the terrible no-good awful day

One of our cats, Friday has been having behavioral problems for the past few days and yesterday the shit really hit the fan. I spent most of the day cleaning up after him, and taking him to the vet. They put him on Prozac. Here's hoping it helps.

During periods of high stress my eating gets pretty terrible. Yesterday was no exception. I ate 5 cookies ( though to be fair I could have done much worse, as they are nutritionally decent), pineapple sorbet with strawberries and raspberries from Menchie's, and a small bowl of dinner, which was diced chicken sausage, carrots, and celery, sauteed in olive oil and mixed with a seasoned quinoa and wild rice blend. It was good, I just wasn't hungry. I spent $3 at Menchie's.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Sunday + Monday

Jeremy and I went to Uwajimaya and Target on Sunday. At Uwajimaya we bought hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, a Diet Dr. Pepper, some Japanese gummy candy for Winter, and an Orchard bar for me. We spent $9 there. At Target we mostly bought pet stuff, but we also picked up an energy drink and a box of Kashi granola bars, spending a total of $4.

I made pizza for dinner Sunday night. A gluten free one with almond cheese, peppers, and olives for me, and a regular one with peppers, olives, and pepperoni for Jeremy and Winter. I also made cookies with oats, GF flour, pureed dates, walnuts, dark chocolate chips, eggs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. I thought they were really good but no one else likes them.

Breakfast: kiwi, banana, strawberry smoothie
Lunch: leftover navy bean and pepper soup, turkey and guacamole sandwich with lettuce
Dinner: pizza
Snacks/desserts: Orchard bar, wasabi rice crackers, clementines, dark chocolate oatmeal and walnut cookies
Beverages: water


Monday we spent no money on food. I didn't make anything for dinner. We all just fended for ourselves.

Breakfast: granola and nut milk
Lunch: leftover pizza, clementines, cookies
Dinner: turkey and pepper hummus sandwich with lettuce, Alpha-Bits with almond milk
Snacks/desserts: Kashi granola bar, cookies
Beverages: water

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Friday and Saturday

Not much to report. On Friday I waited around after work for Winter to finish at art class, so I brought both lunch and dinner with me. The Free Friday Download item was a Russell Stover filled chocolate egg. Winter picked out a caramel one and ate it on the way back. I love the dark chocolate raspberry ones myself. No money was spent on food.

Breakfast: homemade granola with chopped dates and almond milk
Lunch: tuna salad sandwich with lettuce on GF bread, last of the egg drop soup
Dinner: leftover GF spaghetti with chicken sausage sauce and parm-Romano blend, two clementines
Snacks/desserts: none
Beverages: water


Saturday I learned a lesson about not eating enough for breakfast. Now that I'm used to eating more in the mornings, I'm finding that if I don't eat enough it's hard to get through the work day. Duly noted. I had a lot of snacks when I got home.

We spent $4 on a bag of reduced apples, a tub of reduced fat sour cream, and an avocado at QFC. We made chicken and bell pepper tacos for dinner, with corn tortillas browned in a little olive oil. For the chicken and peppers, we cooked it with a jar of green salsa and reduced it down. Winter and Jeremy used sour cream, and I made guacamole for mine.

Breakfast: last banana nut muffin and a small apple
Lunch: tuna salad sandwich with lettuce on GF bread, leftover navy bean and red pepper soup
Dinner: three salsa verde chicken and pepper tacos with guacamole
Snacks/desserts: clementine, 1/3 dark chocolate bar, celery with spicy pepper hummus
Beverages: water


Friday, February 20, 2015

Last big trip to Grocery Outlet on Wednesday

On Wednesdays I work a short morning shift and am home by the early afternoon. Jeremy and I took the bus up to Grocery Outlet after I got home. We spent $41 and got the following:

8 chicken burger patties
Protein granola
Gluten free sour cream and wasabi crackers
Gluten free white bread
4 bottles of Mio
2 lbs frozen strawberries
2 lbs clementines
1 lb brown rice
3 Galazo SF energy drinks
Huge bottle of dried minced onion
6 whole wheat bagels
6 pack chicken Ramen
Blueberry fruit crisps
Pretzel M&M's
Zucchini
3 bell peppers
2 lb organic celery hearts
Large jar low sugar apricot preserves
2 packs of cheese filled cheese sandwich crackers
7 oz can tomato sauce
Large tub spicy pepper hummus
12 oz honey
Can of sliced black olives
2 hardboiled eggs
18 corn tortillas
Organic unsweetened almond milk

For dinner I made gluten free spaghetti, and made sauce with a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, the zucchini, two organic chicken sausages, olive oil, red wine, garlic, dried onion, and Italian seasoning. I also made salad with the rest of the lettuce and the other half of the cucumber.

After dinner Winter and I made homemade pop tarts and pie crust cookies with the last few tablespoons of various kinds of jam from the fridge and two frozen pie crusts. We made glaze out of powdered sugar, water, and a drop of red food coloring, and added rainbow sprinkles.

Breakfast: homemade granola with almond milk and a sliced banana
Lunch: two hardboiled eggs and chive and onion crackers with spicy pepper hummus (late lunch after shopping)
Dinner: gluten free spaghetti with chicken sausage sauce and parm-Romano blend, and salad with balsamic vinaigrette
Snacks/desserts: dark chocolate avocado pie
Beverages: water, cocoa mint coconut milk


Thursday Jeremy and I went to QFC and spent $4 on pickle relish and a head of lettuce. We had leftovers for dinner. Winter had bought half price Valentine's candy with her own money and saved me a couple pieces of dark chocolate.

Breakfast: banana, banana nut muffin
Lunch: navy bean and red pepper soup, peanut butter honey sandwich on gluten free bread
Dinner: egg drop soup, turkey and spicy pepper hummus sandwich with lettuce on GF bread
Snacks/desserts: last of the dark chocolate avocado pie, two pieces of dark chocolate
Beverages: water

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Haircut and other stuff

Yesterday I was feeling much better, though I was glad to still have a day off. I wasn't quite ready to go back to work. And I was actually wanting to eat again.

I got my hair cut, went to acupuncture, and went to Goodwill and Value Village looking for things for Winter and I to use for our Comic Con costumes. Comic Con is at the end of March. I also picked up an almost full quart of chalkboard paint from the Buy Nothing group.

I made navy bean and roasted red pepper soup in the crock pot, which I blended smooth with our new stick blender. It also had chicken bouillon, carrots, a Yukon gold potato, chili powder, mustard powder, dried onion, garlic, and cilantro.

I also made granola after dinner with a couple kinds of oats, teff, quinoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, coconut oil, honey, an egg, and pecans and almonds. It made six cups.

Breakfast: banana, banana nut muffin
Lunch: gluten free onion and chive crackers, spicy pepper hummus, clementines, dark chocolate avocado pie
Dinner: navy bean and red pepper soup
Snacks/desserts: 1/4 bar dark chocolate
Beverages: water

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Not hungry

I don't know if it was the two extra strength horse-pill sized Sudafed I took yesterday or what, but I have zero appetite. Even now it is 8:00 am Tuesday, and I have no desire to eat anything.

I ate a bowl of egg drop soup around 1:00pm, a small slice of chocolate pie around 3:00pm, a Clementine around 5:00pm, and nothing else. I had planned to at least have another bowl of soup and a green salad, but I was too exhausted to make the effort while not hungry.

I sent Jeremy to QFC, and he spent $5 on a dozen eggs, five or six large bananas, and a low carb yogurt. Winter is on vacation from school until Wednesday and she ate a bunch of leftovers. Jeremy made some hideous egg white and chicken meatball scramble with BBQ sauce.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Maybe I won't die from this

Maybe. Yesterday was brutal. I am so glad I took a couple of days off work. There is no way I could have worked in this condition. I was sneezing so violently yesterday that I messed up my pecs somehow and now every time I sneeze I get a sharp pain across my upper chest.

Today I feel much better, but still in no condition to go to work. And I shouldn't be touching people anyway. Plus I got four hours a of actual sleep last night. My throat isn't hurting and I am much less stuffed up now. My nose runs nearly constantly though, and occasionally I have coughing fits as random bits of whatever come dislodged from my sinuses. Ok, sorry for the TMI.

Yesterday my plan was to make a special Valentine's dinner since I worked a ton on Saturday. I made chicken breast with a cranberry white wine reduction (Exact same thing as the chicken with cranberry white wine glaze I made a couple weeks ago, but it sounds fancier, huh? And I do have to reduce the sauce, so there.), gluten free cornbread stuffing, and green salad with cucumbers. I sent Winter to the store for a cucumber and she spent $3 on an English cucumber. Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Grr. It is delicious at least.

For dessert I made a chocolate cream pie using the gluten free chocolate crumb style pie crust, and avocados and dark chocolate. I roughly followed this recipe for the filling, but used coconut milk instead of almond, and 1/3 cup honey instead of the agave nectar. I let it set in the fridge for a few hours. It's quite dense and rich, but not overly sweet. The texture is nice. You'd never guess it's avocado. The avocados I used were very ripe brown, and it didn't affect the outcome. I probably overdid it a little on the dark chocolate yesterday, but that's ok.

Breakfast: Alpha Bits cereal with nut milk
Lunch: egg flower soup
Dinner: chicken in a cranberry white wine reduction, gluten free cornbread stuffing, green salad with ginger sesame dressing
Snacks/desserts: 1/4 bar of dark chocolate, dark chocolate avocado pie, dates, walnuts, cherry Lara Bar
Beverages: half a can of Blue Sky Zero ginger ale, lots and lots ofnwater

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Uggggghhhh

I have finally succumbed to the family cold. Horrible. It hit me about halfway through work today. I am taking tomorrow and Monday off. Tuesday I have off anyway. Hopefully I am better by Wednesday. I don't get sick pay, so missing work is not good. At least Sunday is not a normal work day for me, so I'm only going to miss one full day. Depending on how I feel on Wednesday I might extend my hours a bit to help make up for it.

Yesterday I made egg flower soup for dinner. I used sodium free chicken bouillon, garlic, dried onion, lots of ginger, some corn starch, and a bit of salt for the broth. I also put the rest of the spinach, the rest of the broccoli, and a carrot into it and three eggs. It really needed sesame oil too but I forgot to add that until after we ate some. There were 8 cups of leftovers.

I bought a bag of dark chocolate chips, and spent about $3. I have plans for them tomorrow.

Breakfast: black cherry Silk yogurt, banana nut muffin
Lunch: tuna salad sandwich on brown rice bread with lettuce, two clementines
Dinner: egg flower soup
Snacks/desserts: none
Beverages: cocoa mint coconut milk, water


Jeremy went to the store today and spent $16 on broccoli, a bag of frozen chicken breast, a box of Tofutti Cuties (They were on sale cheap and he thought I could have them but forgot they have wheat in them, so Winter is happily eating them). On the way home we went to Menchie's and spent $9.

Jeremy made dinner. He made chicken Stir fry with carrots, broccoli, yellow bell pepper, brown rice, and a spicy apricot glaze. We got a hand blender the other day with a food processor attachment (I had some reward $ to spend on Wayfair.com) and he used it to chop all the veggies. The carrots looked like something out of Fargo, and the broccoli was totally pulverized. He tried though, bless his heart. At least it tasted good. That which I was able to taste anyway. Damn this cold.

Jeremy gave me some fancy dark chocolate bars for Valentine's Day, and I gave him some white chocolate raspberry Quest bars. Winter got some Red Velvet Oreos and a small box of chocolates.

Breakfast: banana nut muffin
Lunch: leftover egg flower soup, tuna sandwich with lettuce
Dinner: chicken and veggie stir fry with brown rice and spicy apricot glaze
Snacks/desserts: 1/3 of a dark chocolate bar with ginger, pomegranate raspberry sorbet with strawberries and blackberries
Beverages: water


Saturday, February 14, 2015

Thursday

Winter stayed home from school Thursday and Friday. She's still pretty sick. Jeremy is mostly better, though he still coughs here and there. I think I've finally started succumbing to this cold as well, though the symptoms are not very severe.

No food was purchased on Thursday. I made a green smoothie for breakfast on Thursday, and the sounds of the blender woke up Winter. I gave her a small glass of smoothie, but didn't tell her until she had drank half of it that it had spinach in it. Her reaction was priceless. "Whyyyyy???!!!" She still finished it though.

Breakfast: smoothie with kiwi, banana, spinach, honey, and coconut milk, banana nut muffin
Lunch: salmon salad with almonds and dill, gluten free chive and onion crackers, apple, clementine
Dinner: chicken burger on toasted  brown rice bread with avocado and lettuce, carrot sticks with spicy pepper hummus
Snacks/desserts: none
Beverages: cocoa mint coconut milk, water




Thursday, February 12, 2015

Grocery Outlet and QFC

I was off work Tuesday. Jeremy and I went to Grocery Outlet after he got home from work. We spent $24 and got all of this:

Quart of organic almond milk
Jar of crushed garlic
Bottle of dried onion flakes
2 black cherry Silk soy yogurt
2 lbs clementines
2 quarts cappuccino flavored soy milk
Cheez-its
Apple and strawberry granola bars
Chocolate and pretzel granola bars
Whole wheat bagels
2 lbs avocados
2 bottles Mio
2 pouches white meat chicken
1 pouch protein granola
8 Italian style frozen chicken burgers

For dinner I sauteed chicken breast, red bell pepper, spinach, and bamboo shoots in olive oil. It turns out the rice noodles I bought at Uwajimaya are actually mung bean noodles. I cooked some of those up, and added peanut sauce to the meat, veggies, and noodles. In my peanut sauce I used creamy peanut butter, coconut milk, garlic, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar. This is the first time I have used honey in it, and I thought it turned out great.

After dinner I used up four spotty bananas and made two batches of banana oatmeal muffins. One batch was gluten free and I used honey and coconut oil instead of sugar and veg oil. I also added walnuts to this batch. The other was just made as per the recipe, and no nuts.

Breakfast: fried egg with sliced avocado and toasted brown rice bread
Lunch: blueberry muffin Lara Bar, peanuts and chicken chunks from a P3 pack (Winter ate the cheese)
Dinner: chicken, veggies, mung bean noodles and peanut sauce
Snacks/desserts: banana nut muffins
Beverages: cocoa mint coconut milk, water

Wednesday I went in to work until 2:30. Winter caught the cold that Jeremy had over the weekend and stayed home from school. We are fully booked for the weekend at the massage studio I work at, and no one is available to cover for me Saturday, so I have been taking all of the zinc and vitamin C. So far, so good. Wish I had time to go in for extra acupuncture sessions.

On the way home I went to QFC and spent $9 and bought: six pack of kiwi, 2 lbs carrots, 8 oz almond based cheese, a reduced for quick sale chocolate gluten free pie crust, and a 2 lt bottle of lemon lime soda for Winter.

I made pizza for dinner. I had bought one 7" and one 12" pizza pans at Grocery Outlet last week. I made a small gluten free crust where I just subbed gluten free flour blend for regular flour, and kept the rest of the recipe the same. I made a larger crust with wheat flour for Winter and Jeremy. I topped mine with tomato sauce, almond based cheese, spinach, roasted red peppers and a little parmesan and Romano cheese blend. The larger pizza was topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, turkey pepperoni, and park/Romano blend.

The gluten free crust actually turned out good, and other than the fact that is didn't rise as much, it tasted just like regular pizza crust and had the same nice chewy texture. I'm sure Jeremy and Winter would have liked it fine, but since GF flour costs 4X as much, I'd rather keep using regular flour for their food as much as I can. Since I do not have an allergy, or apparently a severe sensitivity, I do not worry about things like soy sauce or cross contamination.

I have to say though that my leg pain has improved a whole lot, and I wonder how much the overall improvement of my diet has influenced the fact that I haven't gotten sick yet.

Breakfast: black cherry soy yogurt, banana nut muffin
Lunch: leftover quinoa with chicken sausage, broccoli, and red bell pepper
Dinner: roasted red pepper and spinach pizza
Snacks/desserts: strawberry apple granola bar, Clementine
Beverages: water

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Why do today, what you can put off until tomorrow?

Has been my motto over the weekend. I planned to catch up on my posting yesterday, but then my schedule blew up and I had zero downtime. Oh well.

Winter went to art class on Friday. I brought food with me, and hung out at work with my tablet, trying to ignore all the creepy noises in the dark. I spent $1.00 on a dark chocolate bar on the way back, which Winter and I shared.

Breakfast: nut bar
Lunch: salmon salad sandwich with avocado and lettuce, apple
Dinner: leftover turkey sausage and rice soup, two clementines
Desserts/snacks: 1/2 bar of dark chocolate, Alpha-Bits with nut milk
Beverages: cocoa mint flavored coconut milk, water
______

Saturday. What even happened on Saturday? I went to work. Winter met me after work and we went to Menchie's on the way home. I got some pomegranate raspberry sorbet with lots of strawberries, blackberries, and toasted almonds. We spent $2 at QFC on milk and a can of creamed corn from the reduced section. I wasn't hungry when I got home.

Breakfast: granola with chopped dates and nut milk
Lunch: leftover curried lentils, apple
Dinner: pomegranate raspberry sorbet with strawberries, blackberries, and toasted almonds
Snacks/desserts: apple Lara bar
Beverages: water
_____

Jeremy caught some kind of cold at work and it was blown up by Sunday. Winter and I went to Uwajimaya. We spent $22 on:

Can of bamboo shoots
Rice noodles
Gluten free soba noodles
Black sesame oil
Pistachios
Strawberry flavored almonds
Can of coconut milk
Ramune soda
Mango popsicle

We stoped at a Thai place in the food court, and I bought crispy spring rolls for Winter, and chicken with brown rice, baby bok choy and peanut sauce for myself. Winter also had the Ramune, and the mango popsicle. She ate half of the spring rolls and gave the rest to Jeremy when we got home. We spent $14.

We went to a friend's birthday party and had issues on the way there because of a missed bus. We had to wait half an hour for the next one. We went to Taco Bell and spent $4 on a bean burrito and soda (for Winter), and a tostada with no cheese for me.

I decided to have a small piece of cake at the birthday party. Luckily this diet is not one that is all or nothing, like some. The doctor who developed it says the closer you follow it the better, but it should help, even if you don't follow it 100%.  I didn't feel any worse from eating it, which is good to know.

Breakfast: smoothie with coconut milk, pb, banana and honey
Lunch: chicken, brown rice, baby bok choy, peanut sauce
Dinner: Taco Bell tostada, pistachios, strawberry almonds, peanuts, baby carrots
Snacks/desserts: cranberry orange cake, key lime Luna Bar
Beverages: cocoa mint flavored coconut milk, peach-pear flavored unsweetened sparkling water, ginger apple hard cider
______

Yesterday I went to work, then went home. Jeremy went to work too. He is still kind of sick, but not as bad. We got in an order I made on Amazon for 6 jars of sodium free chicken bouillon, and 4 lbs of gluten free flour blend. We spent $52 on that. The bouillon should last almost a year at least, but it's a pretty good chunk of our monthly budget, right there.

Breakfast: protein granola with nut milk
Lunch: salad with spinach, avocado, canned salmon, pecans and roasted red pepper dressing, apple
Dinner: leftover curried lentils
Snacks/desserts: cherry Luna bar
Beverages: cocoa mint flavored  coconut milk, water

Friday, February 6, 2015

Free chicken sausage, and sweet GF haul

Yesterday my boss asked if I eat chicken. I said, yes I do, and he said there was a bag of organic chicken sausages in the fridge and to take them home. He had eaten one and didn't like it. There were 11 left! I have no idea why he didn't like it, but we all thought it was really good. They are very garlicky.

For lunch I made a salmon salad sandwich with avocado, using the brown rice bread. I toasted it this time, and that vastly improved the experience for me. It's still not what I would call a tasty bread, but on a sandwich it is thoroughly inoffensive.

I went to QFC on the way home for bananas, and checked the reduced for quick sale section. They had a whole bunch of gluten free Graham cracker style pie crusts, gluten free spaghetti, and gluten free stuffing mixes marked down to less than $1.50 each! I got two of each. I also picked up last week's Free Friday Download, a box of 5 South Beach bars, four bananas, and a bag of pretzels chips. Jeremy took the pretzel chips and one of the tubs of spicy hummus to work today for a potluck they were having. In total we spent $15.

Breakfast: granola with nut milk, walnuts, and bananas
Lunch: salmon salad sandwich with avocado and lettuce on brown rice bread, two clementines
Dinner: organic chicken sausage, broccoli, red bell pepper, seasoned organic quinoa
Snacks/desserts: pecan pie Lara Bar
Beverages: water, Blue Sky Zero ginger ale

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Big haul from Grocery Outlet

Tuesday morning I went to Grocery Outlet by myself and had to carry fifty million pounds of food back by my self. I also had to go to Jeremy's work to pick up the Grocery Outlet gift card we bought from Raise.com because he so thoughtlessly forgot to give it to me before leaving.

Grocery Outlet makes eating wheat and dairy free somewhat tolerable and much more doable on a budget. Sadly they did not have any GF pasta, which was one thing I was hoping for, because I am unwilling to pay $2.50 for a tiny box of something made out of fucking corn and rice. Those ingredients are cheap. Don't think I'm not onto your game, manufacturers of GF pasta.

They do however have a variety of GF and non dairy products, often for the same or similar prices as the wheaty and milky versions, which makes my life easier and happier. I might have to start making a point of buying more produce there as well, because damn it has gotten expensive at QFC. The only reason I don't is because it tends to be older and must be used more quickly.

Here's what I bought:

Family size box of Boo Berry cereal
2 jars of roasted red peppers
2 boxes of GF crackers
Bag of wheat free protein granola
2 lbs of turkey deli meat in cracked pepper and some other flavor
2 14 oz containers of spicy pepper hummus (I froze one)
2 loaves of Udi's GF country seed bread (frozen)
2 loaves of Udi's GF white bread (frozen)
6 plain bagels
2 lbs clementines
8 oz sliced mushrooms
Big bag of baby spinach
2 boxes of cappuccino flavored Soy Slender soy milk (Jeremy likes this)
2 P3 snack packs with chicken, cheese and peanuts
Blend of grated hard cheeses (the only kind I am supposed to have)
6 pack of chicken Ramen noodles
9 oz pecans
8 oz walnuts
12 oz honey
6 pack of assorted cereal bars
6 pack GF nut bars
10 oz dried dates
12 protein bars
16 oz mild green salsa
16 oz cashew butter
10 oz low sugar apricot preserves with no artificial sweetener
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 lbs quinoa and rice blend

I thought I had also bought a box of GF cinnamon cookies, but I cannot find them, so maybe I put them back because of the sugar?

Total spent after Raise discount was $78.The Udi's bread was only $1.49 a loaf!

When I got back, by the time I put away all the groceries it was late-ish and I made breakfast/lunch. I made two eggs fried in olive oil, a coconut milk, banana and strawberry smoothie, and I also ate a slice of the brown rice bread. It was not what I would call "good." Those who are in the know say to toast it, so next time I will do that.

I went in to work for a couple hours in the afternoon for a massage trade, and afterward I had to go meet Winter at the library because she had left her keys at home. Luckily we live about three blocks from the big downtown library. Winter got a library card and checked out three pirate novels. I also went to QFC and bought 5 Lara Bars, a Clif bar for Winter, and two avocados, which cost $8 exactly.

For dinner I made soup with mushrooms, carrots, celery, two turkey sausages (turkey is ok in moderation on the RAD diet, but since it is salty and processed I just used a small amount for flavor), quinoa and rice blend, some white wine, and I seasoned it with sage, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, dried onion, and a little salt. I also threw some tail ends of a couple bags of brown and white rice in there. I added a little corn starch to thicken it as well. Considering it had no chicken broth at all the flavors were well developed and good. We used up all the chicken bouillon and no one told me.

Breakfast/lunch: two eggs, banana strawberry and coconut milk smoothie, slice of bread
Dinner: turkey sausage, veggie, quinoa and rice soup
Snacks/desserts: cherry Lara Bar
Beverages: water, cocoa mint flavored coconut milk


Wednesday I went to work for a half day in the morning. Afterward I received my half of the trade, and got acupuncture after that. On the at home I stopped at someone's house in First Hill to pick up a half pack of college rule notebook paper which I got from the Buy Nothing group. Winter was needing some. No food was purchased.

Breakfast: Chex granola with strawberries, pecans, and nut milk
Lunch: leftover curried lentils, Clementine
Dinner: leftover turkey sausage, veggie, quinoa and rice soup
Snacks/desserts: strawberries, apple, and banana cut up in a bowl
Beverages: cocoa mint coconut milk, water

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Replenishing the food stock

Yesterday I was battling a migraine most of the day. My schedule was empty in the morning, so I decided I might as well take the day off. For breakfast I made overnight oats with coconut milk. I added about a tsp of honey, a sliced banana, and six crushed macadamia nuts to it. I didn't mind it cold, but I may heat it up next time.

For dinner I cut up two of the bell peppers I bought the day before and sauteed them with about a pound of chicken breast, olive oil, chili powder and cayenne pepper. We ate it with brown rice and cilantro. Jeremy added cheese to his.

Jeremy and I went to QFC when he got home from work. We spent $40 and got:

3 Yukon gold potatoes
3 lbs small honeycrisp apples
3 red and yellow bell peppers
1 bunch cilantro
Chex gluten free granola
3 boxes wheat pasta
4 cans Campbell's Chunky Soup
6 pack of Blue Sky Zero Jamaican ginger ale (it is made with stevia, and was on sale, which doesn't happen often)
2 cups Kraft easy Mac
4 Lara bars
Rockstar energy drink
Brown rice gluten free bread
2 quarts of cocoa mint flavor coconut milk (RFQS)
1 box of almond cashew milk (RFQS)

Breakfast: overnight oats with coconut milk, honey, macadamia nuts and banana
Lunch: leftover curried lentils and carrots, sliced strawberries
Dinner: chicken and peppers with brown rice and cilantro
Snacks/desserts: split a lemon Lara Bar with Winter
Beverages: Jamaican ginger ale, water

Monday, February 2, 2015

New month, new challenges

So I have been having some problems for a while with pain in my legs, and after doing some reading I may have possibly pinpointed what could be causing the issue. So in an attempt to help with the pain I am trying an anti-inflammatory diet, starting now, or at least as soon as I could. I plan to follow it as written for a month or so, and if it helps I will try reintroducing foods that are not allowed one at a time to see how I tolerate them.

The diet is fairly restrictive. Wheat, dairy, and sugar being the three biggest things I shouldn't have that I normally eat, and the alternatives are all pretty expensive. I'm going to do the best I can to just eat things that are already free from wheat and dairy rather than buying special gluten and dairy free foods. A few things, like milk and bread, will be pretty hard to live without though. At least the Alpha-Bits cereal I got for my birthday is wheat free, and ok in moderation!

On top of that I have noticed huge price jumps on many produce item a lately at QFC. Green lettuce has gone up from $1.99 to $2.99!

Jeremy went to Grocery Outlet yesterday morning and spent $10. He bought eggs, 6 bottles of Mio, a big box of Boo Berry cereal, and two grape flavored Chobani yogurts.

On my way home from work I went to QFC and bought:

Green lettuce
Two bell peppers (red and yellow)
1 lb strawberries
4 bananas
A head of broccoli
1/2 gallon coconut milk
2 frozen pie crusts (I thought they were GF but they were just in the same section of the case. Grr.)
Olive oil mayonnaise

I spent $17 total. I made curried lentils with carrots in the crock pot and had some for dinner when I got home.

Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwich, apple
Dinner: curried lentils with carrots and fresh cilantro
Snacks/desserts: banana with peanut butter
Beverages: water

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Last day of the month

I kind of just threw the last bits of whatever into my bag for lunch yesterday. Jeremy met me at work and we picked up a half gallon of milk on the way home. It was about $2.00, bring the total spent for the month to $448. $2.00 under budget! When we got home Winter comprised some fettucini noodles and used up the last of the beef spaghetti sauce. It was not the best pairing, but she had had already began cooking it by the time I noticed. Sorry this post is not more exciting.

Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: leftover veggie noodle soup, raspberry Greek yogurt, small piece of white chocolate strawberry blondie, sugar cookie
Dinner: fettucini with beef spaghetti sauce
Snacks/desserts: root beer float cookies
Beverages: water

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Thursday and Friday

Thursday we bought no food. I had a very large lunch, and wasn't really hungry when I got home.

Breakfast: tropical fruit bread
Lunch: leftover veggie, quinoa and rice pilaf with canned salmon
Dinner: skipped
Snacks/desserts: sugar cookies, chocolate covered macadamias
Beverages: water

Friday I was off work, and Winter had no school. We had planned to take the bus to Bellevue so she could use some gift cards she got for Christmas and her birthday. We also used that opportunity to go to the Yogurtland location in Bellevue. We still have around $30 on a gift card to use up.

We stopped at the Grocery Outlet in Bellevue, to pick up canned tomatoes, and something to snack on. I bought two cans of diced tomatoes, two packages of Chips Ahoy root beer float cookies (they were BOGO and 99 cents) two Slim Jims, a package of buffalo chicken jerky, and a pack of two whole wheat mango cookies (like Fig Newtons), and we spent $6. Winter ate the Slim Jims and I ate the chicken jerky and we each had a cookie. We also split a package of Airheads which I bought at the fabric store.

We spent about $8 at Yogurtland, and on the way home, around 5, we went to Subway downtown and spent about $11. Later in the evening I had a couple of the root beer float cookies.

Breakfast: tropical fruit bread
Lunch: chicken jerky and a whole wheat mango cookie
Dinner: meatball sub
Snacks/desserts: Airheads, frozen yogurt, a couple of root beer float cookies
Beverages: orange juice, water

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Wednesday- Lots of cooking and cleaning

The apartment was getting pretty rough around the edges recently. I stayed home all day, swept, vacuumed in the corners and all the places where crumbs and cat litter like to hide, washed all the dishes, and did some cooking. Winter took the recycle out and picked up all her errant crap from the dining room/living room when she got home from school. I also moved some artwork around and hung up the postcards my dad framed for my birthday. And took a million instagram photos. And finished cleaning up my old netbook and put it up for grabs on the Buy Nothing group.

We have about $30 left through Saturday in the food budget, but I hate to buy more when we have so much damn food here already. The first thing I made was tropical fruit bread. I started with this recipe. I changed a few things based on what I had on hand and what I didn't. I used a cup of thawed frozen tropical fruit blend instead of the canned pineapple. I used light brown sugar instead of white. I used 1 whole egg and three T of egg white. I switched the butter for coconut oil. And I skipped the shredded coconut, but added 1/4 cup coconut milk and about 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips. I baked it for 65 minutes. It turned out very moist and custardy, and pretty sweet. We ate 2/3 of the loaf.

For dinner I wanted to use up some wilty veggies in the fridge, and a can of cranberry sauce I got in a bag of food from Buy Nothing. I decided to make cranberry and white wine glazed chicken, and a veggie rice and quinoa pilaf with almonds. The glaze had half a can of jellied cranberry sauce, about 1/4 cup each rice wine vinegar and white wine, dried onion, thyme, rosemary, and sage. I sauteed the chicken for a few minutes in olive oil, then added the sauce, and reduced it.

I planned to use bouillon in the pilaf, but we were out. I chopped up three large mushrooms, a carrot, and two celery ribs very finely. I sauteed the veggies in olive oil for a few minutes, then added two cups of water, dried onion, salt, and sage, and brought to a boil. Once it was boiling I added a cup of quinoa and wild rice blend and 1/4 cup slivered almonds, reduced the heat, covered the pot, and simmered for about 10 minutes till the water was absorbed and the grains were cooked.

It was really really tasty. I got a little pushback from Winter and Jeremy initially (Winter called it "fruit chicken") but they both said they liked it. It didn't taste anything like canned cranberry sauce. I would absolutely have it again.

After dinner we split the little birthday cake my boss gave me three ways. It was very rich and chocolatey.

Breakfast: Alpha Bits and milk
Lunch: tropical fruit bread
Dinner: cranberry and white wine glazed chicken, veggie quinoa and rice pilaf with almonds
Snacks/desserts: cookies, birthday cake
Beverages: water

Monday and Tuesday

I worked pretty late on Monday and there were too many dirty dishes to even entertain the idea of getting dinner made by a reasonable hour. We went to Dick's Drive In and spent $17 on burgers and shakes for the three of us. Jeremy just got burgers though.

Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: leftover navy beans and ham, dark chocolate and raspberry yogurt
Dinner: two cheeseburgers
Snacks/desserts: red velvet cake ice  cream
Beverages: water, chocolate shake

Tuesday was my 36th birthday! I cashed in credit card reward points a while back for $50 worth of Panera bremoad gift cards. We had dinner there, and then spent $11 at Menchie's. I also bought a raspberry filled doughnut at Top Pot for breakfast.

Breakfast: dark chocolate and raspberry yogurt, raspberry filled doughnut
Lunch: egg noodles with butter and cheese (made by Winter), turkey pepperoni
Dinner: broccoli cheddar soup, turkey sandwich with avocado
Snacks/desserts: white chocolate strawberry blondie, pineapple and pink lemonade sorbet
Beverages: water, Sierra Mist mixed with fruit punch

I went in to work for my free birthday massage, and my boss had gotten me a tub of sugar cookies and a little cake! Some of our recent clients from Hawaii had also brought in macadamia nuts, chocolate covered macadamia nuts, and coffee for everyone. I was way too full to eat any of them on Tuesday.

Jeremy's aunt sent us a package in the mail with 4 boxes of Alpha Bits cereal (they don't sell it near us for some reason), and a bottle of spicy Memphis BBQ sauce. She also included some jewelry craft kits for Winter.

Jeremy bought me some new Crocs for my birthday, and a little Blerch toy and fridge magnet. Winter knitted me a hat. My mom and dad sent three postcards from the 1962 Seattle World's Fair that my dad had framed. They were sent to my great-great grandparents from my great grandparents in 1962.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Saturday and Sunday

Jeremy went to QFC on Saturday. He spent $15 and bought a couple of energy drinks, red velvet cake cream, a bag of white chocolate chips, a jar of strawberry jam, light brown sugar and dark brown sugar. He made some blondies with white chips and strawberry jam. They were crazy sweet.

Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: leftover veggie and macaroni soup, apple
Dinner: turkey and gruyere sandwich
Snacks/desserts: white chocolate strawberry blondies, red velvet cake ice cream
Beverages: water

Sunday Winter and I went to Sunday Assembly in the morning. I had a cookie and some apple cider at service. We noticed a Yogurtland close to where service is held, and we were excited because the Capitol Hill location closed at the end of last year. I had a 16 oz free birthday reward which brought our total there down to less than $3.

When we got home, Jeremy had gone to Target, and bought red velvet flavored candy corn, so I also ate some of that, as well as a small blondie. At least I made a real dinner. Not exactly a day I am proud of overall though.

Breakfast: cookie
Lunch: pistachio and caramel macchiato frozen yogurt
Dinner: corn rotini pasta with broccoli and herbed goat cheese
Snacks/desserts: red velvet candy corn, white chocolate strawberry blondie
Beverages: apple cider, water

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Friday

Friday I went to QFC to get breakfast; a cherry Danish and chocolate milk, and I picked up the week's Free Friday Download item, a Greek yogurt. I also went to Vivace and used the remainder on my gift certificate on something called an iced White Velvet. It had espresso, lots of cream and sugar, and lemon zest. I never would have thought that lemon zest would go with espresso, but it does. I left a tip for the barista from my own money.

After work I took the bus into the Central District to pick up some food storage containers I got on the Buy Nothing group. On the way I stopped at Grocery Outlet and got a bag of buffalo chicken pizza rolls, two protein bars, and a package of two hardboiled eggs.

It total I spent about $9 on food on Friday, and got free containers.

Breakfast: cherry cream cheese Danish
Lunch: left over navy beans with ham and carrots
Dinner: cherry and dark chocolate yogurt, hard boiled eggs
Snacks/desserts: protein bar
Beverages: chocolate milk, iced White Velvet, water

Friday, January 23, 2015

Thursday

Busy day at work. We went to QFC after and spent about $12 on the following: rainbow sherbet, 1/2 gallon of milk, milk and honey bread, 5 Muller yogurts (raspberry dark chocolate, and cherry dark chocolate).

Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: leftover veggie and pasta soup
Dinner: leftover navy beans and ham
Snacks/desserts: protein bar, dark chocolate and raspberry yogurt
Beverages: water

Jeremy got a temp promotion at work as a trainer for new hires, which could potentially turn into a permanent position, which is pretty cool. He doesn't know about the pay yet. It all happened very fast.

Wednesday

I had Wednesday off, and still managed to get very little done. I got one of my twice monthly massages, followed by acupuncture. Between the two of those things I bought  a mango banana Orchard Bar and a half pint of milk at Bartell's for about $2.

After acupuncture I went to Queen Anne for a bakery and cafe mystery shop, so I got to have lunch for free. I had some really good mac and cheese, and a double shot cappuccino. The cappuccino was really bitter. Not my style. I don't necessarily require sugar in my coffee, but I need enough dairy to cut the bitterness.

For dinner I used up some of the canned goods I recently got for free from the Buy Nothing group, and some languishing vegetables in the fridge, to make a big pot of soup. I used 1 bell pepper, 3 large mushrooms, and 1 zucchini, all finely chopped, a can of diced tomatoes, two cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of mixed vegetables, 1 can of garbanzo beans and an 8 oz bag of macaroni noodles. I added about 1.5 quarts of water, and seasoned it with garlic, dried onion, black pepper, sage  and red pepper flakes. There was a ton left over.

Breakfast: Orchard bar
Lunch: macaroni and cheese
Dinner: veggie and pasta soup
Snacks/desserts: apples with caramel cream cheese, pepper jack and turkey pepperoni
Beverages: milk, cappuccino, water

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Last day at the airport

I bought lunch at the airport. I spent about $5 total. Chicken nuggets and a small Frosty at Wendy's and a lemon bar from Dilettante. I'm not the biggest fan of Wendy's but I do love a Frosty, and there are no Wendy's within a reasonable distance of me anymore.

I used the canned ham I got from Buy Nothing, and cubed it up with a lb of navy beans and 3 chopped carrots. I added mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar, and cooked it on high in the Crock Pot. It turned out nice and there are a lot of leftovers.

Breakfast: granola with milk
Lunch: chicken nuggets and a Frosty
Dinner: navy beans with ham and carrots
Snacks/desserts: lemon bar, apples with caramel cream cheese
Beverages: water

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Good grief

I have been meaning to post, but I keep falling asleep early, yet not waking up equally as early.

On Saturday Jeremy went to Grocery Outlet. He spent about $21 and bought a dozen protein bars, a box of strawberry toaster pastries, cereal and milk bars,  two boxes of protein Cheerios, and three bags of chicken meatballs. He has been packing the meatballs for lunch with brown rice and teriyaki or BBQ sauce. They are low in fat and reasonable in sodium.

Sunday I worked at the airport in the morning. I got back into town just as the Seahawks had their incredibly unexpected last minute win against the Packers in the playoffs. Predictably the city's response was total fucking mayhem. I had to go do a grocery store mystery shop in my neighborhood after I got home. It took about 45 minutes longer than it should have for a variety of reasons. But we got the following items for free after reimbursement: two bottles of Powerade, 1/4 lb rosemary and sundried tomato ham, 1/4 lb gouda, 1/4 lb pepper jack, 1/2 gallon milk, 1 Muller dark chocolate and cherry yogurt (this was already the Free Friday Download) and most of a bag of cat litter. The deli purchases were part of the shop. Afterward Jeremy and I went to Menchie's so I could write down all my notes. We had a $5 reward and spent about $7 on top of that. I ate deli slices for dinner when I got home.

Yesterday we cooked some whole wheat spaghetti and had it with left over meat sauce and mozzarella for dinner. I also went to Menchie's on my lunch break and  used my $5 birthday reward for free yogurt. It was crazy busy at work. Jeremy spent $5 on two Lean Cuisines and Butterfinger cups. On the way home we stopped to pick up a top entry litter box I got from the Buy Nothing group. I have a long and painstaking plan which I hope will result in the cats willingly using it.

Jeremy's mom called him again. Things have been progressing well with that. They exchanged email addresses and he sent her some pictures.

Saturday:

Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: Greek yogurt, apple, granola and milk
Dinner: protein bar and some deli turkey (so tired)
Snacks/desserts: none
Beverages: water

Sunday:

Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: apple, sandwich with gruyere, turkey, and brown mustard
Dinner: ham, pepper jack and gouda slices
Snacks/desserts: pumpkin cream cheese (with a spoon), jalapeno Kind bar, cookie dough and chocolate banana frozen yogurt with brownie bits and peanut butter sauce
Beverages: water

Monday:

Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: dark chocolate cherry yogurt (OMG. So good.)
Dinner: whole wheat spaghetti with left over meat sauce and mozzarella
Desserts/snacks: pepper jack slices, pineapple soft serve sorbet with strawberries
Beverages: water

Tomorrow is my last day working at the airport. I'm both sad and happy. It's getting to be too hard on me physically, and the commute is brutal, but I will miss some of the few minor perks it afforded me. Mainly security access.



Saturday, January 17, 2015

Money for nothin' and beans for free

Except the "money for nothin" part is completely false. Yesterday someone on my local Buy Nothing group offered up two big bags of food they didn't want, and I got picked for it!! Yay! Some of the food I got were things I planned on buying in the very near future too. Here's what I got:

4 lbs of whole wheat spaghetti
4 lbs dried pinto
3 lbs brown lentils
1 canned ham
3 cups or so of quick cook oats
1 lb egg noodles
1 lb corn rotini
2 5oz cans of tuna
2 cans of pork and beans
1 can cranberry sauce
1 can mixed veggies
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans corn
1 can sweetened applesauce
1 can condensed clam chowder
1 can roast beef hash
1 can garbanzo beans
7 7oz cans and 2 14oz cans of wild Alaskan salmon

I gave 4 of the 3oz cans and 1 of the 14oz cans of salmon to a coworker since I am the only one in my house that likes it. This still must be over $50 worth of food. Score!

Friday night I used a gift certificate from my boss to get a sandwich, brownie, and hot spiced cider from a coffee shop near my job while I waited for Winter to finish at art class. I used $14.25 and have $5.75 left. I also gave the barista a $1 tip for the drink. No money spent yesterday (aside from the tip) but lots of food acquired.

Breakfast: honey peach flavored Greek yogurt
Lunch: leftover pasta with spaghetti sauce, clementine, apple
Dinner: herbed chicken sandwich with roasted red peppers and spinach on sourdough
Snacks/desserts: frosted brownie
Beverages: water, hot spiced cider

Friday, January 16, 2015

What I ate on Thursday

I am updating the monthly total spent in the sidebar with a rough estimate  based on what I can remember since I have completely lost track at this point.

Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: salad: lettuce, quinoa and rice blend, salad shrimp (free from mystery shop), cilantro (free from mystery shop), hot pepper jack, and roasted red pepper dressing
Dinner: sandwich with buttermilk bread, turkey, gruyere (free from mystery shop) and Dijon
Snacks/desserts: scoop of coffee and donut ice cream, two holiday cookies that somehow survived until now, protein bar, a few pieces of turkey and a slice of gruyere
Beverages: water

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Bad news, good news

So yesterday I had a blood draw. The kidney donor team was checking my blood type as a possible donor for Jeremy. They also checked my fasting glucose and A1C levels, since I had had a few abnormal levels last year. The good news is that all my levels are fine. The bad news is that Jeremy's  blood type is O, and mine is A. The donor coordinator said that this makes a paired exchange unlikely, as anyone who has a type O donor will usually just donate to their recipient directly (O types can donate to A, B, and AB). What we really need is a type O donor.

The good news is that at least one of the people who has submitted their paperwork so far is an O, one more who requested but hasn't submitted it yet is an O, and two more people who are type O asked me for the donor forms today.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Been very busy, and some good news

First the good news. Last Saturday Jeremy's  mom called him. They didn't speak for very long, but he found out she never had any other kids, and she remarried 34 years ago. She seemed happy to be talking to him. I'm really glad he got to talk to her. Hopefully they will continue contact.

I have had a horrible time with trying to keep up on my posts, and I'm trying to decide now what I want to do with this blog. I may try to simplify it some, or I may just stop posting. I'm not sure.

I decided to start doing occasional mystery shops again. I used to do them 6-7 years ago, and then stopped when I moved. I used to build routes and travel to do several in one area on the same day, but I don't think I want to get that much back into it. It takes a huge amount of organization. I am planning to just take shops that are walking distance or a really easy bus ride if it's something worthwhile. So far I have done a shoe store shop (purchase and return), a restaurant shop, a grocery store shop, and a coffee chain shop. I have another grocery store shop this weekend. Pay and reimbursements for these seem to have really increased since I last did them.

I have also decided to quit working at the airport. Instead I will be picking up a half shift at my regular job on Wednesday mornings. I don't remember if I said so or not  but the acupuncture clinic I was going to volunteer at doesn't need me right now after all, as their usual person is not going to be leaving, it turns out. This was somewhat of a blessing in disguise since the shift that was available at work was for the same day and time.

I had a blood draw this morning for donor testing. They only work up one person at a time, so they are doing my work up first.

Breakfast: two hardboiled eggs, strawberry raspberry and walnut Orchard bar
Lunch: (work meeting paid for at a restaurant) warm spinach, pear, and bacon salad with blue cheese, vinaigrette and quinoa
Dinner: sauteed rainbow potatoes and red bell pepper with olive oil, and cayenne pepper, topped with sour cream, jack cheese, and cilantro
Snacks/desserts: 1/2 croissant (shared with Winter and free as part of a mystery shop), coffee and donut ice cream
Beverages: water, decaf white chocolate mocha (free with mystery shop)

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Sunday, major shopping trip

Sunday we went to Grocery Outlet and did a major restock. We also got some things needed for Winter's birthday party on the 11th.

6 plain bagels: $1.99
Fruit punch Shasta can $.35
Frozen blueberry mini muffins $1.79
3 pouches of protein granola ($.99 each) $2.97
2.5 lbs chicken tenderloins $6.99
3 bags frozen chicken meatballs ($2.99 each) $8.97
12 peanut granola bars $1.47
24 protein bars ($.50 each) $12.00
Egg noodles $1.79
BBQ chicken pizza rolls $1.49
2 bags casserole lasagne ($.99 each) $1.98
2 bags penne ($.89 each) $1.78
2 pouches peach mango sweetened kool aid mix 2/$1.00
Gingerbread marshmallows $.50
2 12 oz bags organic quinoa ($3.99 each) $7.98
2 1 lb bags quinoa rice blend ($3.99 each) $7.98
2 bags rotini ($.89 each) $1.78
4 cookies and cream Klondike bars $1.99
Italian breadcrumbs $.99
1 lb cornstarch $.99
1 lb slivered almonds $3.99
3 1 lb bags of brown rice ($.69 each) $2.07
Rainbow sprinkles $.99
2 lbs rainbow baby potatoes $3.99
1 lb powdered sugar $.99
Lipton noodle soup mix $.50
2 lbs black beans $2.18
2 lbs shredded mozzarella $7.49
2 single serve Mac and cheese cups ($.99 each) $1.98
2 cans petite diced tomatoes ($.79 each) $1.58
16 oz sour cream $1.69
3 packs smoked turkey deli meat ($1.49 each) $4.47
2 packed Italian seasoned turkey deli meat ($1.49) $2.98
1 lb turkey ham $2.99
8 oz hot pepper jack $1.79
8 oz Jack cheese $1.79
2 tubs caramel cream cheese $.49
2 tubs pumpkin cream cheese $.49
Large tub of chive cream cheese $1.99
4 cans tomato sauce ($.79 each) $3.16
Jello Temptations key lime $1.49
3 packs turkey pepperoni ($.99) $2.97
7 bottles of Mio ($.99 each) $6.93
1 lb strawberries $1.50
2 4 oz herbed goat cheese logs ($1.99 each) $3.98
8 oz plain cream cheese $.99
2 jars sugar free blackberry jam ($1.99 each) $3.98
11 flavored Greek yogurts ($.50 each) $5.50
White cake mix $.99
Tres leches yogurt $.17

Total $142.88

Aside from grocery shopping I had about a million things to do on Sunday, so I wasn't home much. Jeremy made dinner.

Breakfast: donuts
Lunch: single serve mac and cheese
Dinner: nachos with chips, cheese, pre cooked beef, left over black beans, shredded lettuce, sour cream and salsa
Snacks/desserts: gingerbread marshmallows, cookies and cream Klondike bar
Beverages: water

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Jan 3rd - Winter is back home

Winter flew back from her holiday visit with her dad on Saturday. She and Jeremy met up with me after work. We went to QFC to get a couple items we needed for dinner. We got a bag of corn chips from the reduced section for $1.49, a bag of shredded lettuce for $1.99, and a dozen donuts from the reduced baked goods for $2.50. The total was $5.98.

We made taco salad for dinner with the chips and lettuce, and added pre-cooked beef, shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream.

Breakfast: Belvita breakfast cookie
Lunch: leftover taco pizza, clementine
Dinner: taco salad
Snacks/desserts: donuts, white chocolate peppermint truffle
Beverages: water

Monday, January 5, 2015

Friday- Jan 2nd- slowly restocking

We'd had very little food in the house, and hadn't had much time to get more. We kind of needed almost everything at this point. After the bad news we received Friday afternoon, and a long day at work, I was just too physically and emotionally exhausted to do a lot of shopping.

We got the following items at QFC:

3 boxes of cereal ($1.88 each) $5.64
Belvita breakfast cookies (Free Friday Download) $0.00
Lindt white chocolate peppermint truffles $1.65
Diet root beer $1.69
3 lbs clementines $4.99
Red Baron taco pizza $3.50

Total $17.64

In the morning before work I had also bought a banana for $.32 and an Odwalla protein drink for $2.50.

Breakfast: Odwalla vanilla chai protein
Lunch: cheese pizza, banana
Dinner: taco pizza
Snacks/desserts: brownie, white chocolate peppermint truffles
Beverages: water, a little diet root beer

Update

I have been holding off on posting, hoping that soon there would be good news to report. Unfortunately, the short version is that Jeremy has not spoken to his mother at this time, and as of right now she has changed her mind about talking to him. We don't know why she had a change of heart, but we hope she will decide to talk to him some day. She has our contact info. We don't have hers. At this point we're just going to have to put this behind us and move on.

Friday, January 2, 2015

New year starting off with some exciting news

For the last month I have been trying to locate my husband's mother, who has not seen him since he was under a year old. This morning I got a voicemail from someone who said she had been located and that she would love to talk to him. He is from one of the towns she grew up in, and runs an alumni page for the town's school. I hated sent the page a message a few weeks ago.

Jeremy hasn't spoken with him, or with his mother yet. He says he needed a bit of time. He did send the man a Facebook message tonight, and plans to call him soon. I am hoping this turns out to be a good thing.

Today we bought the following groceries:

2 pack of single serve frozen cheese pizzas $3.00
1 banana $.26
1/2 gallon of milk $1.50
8 oz shredded fiesta blend cheese $1.99
Broccoli $.88

Total $7.63

Breakfast: walnut brownie (I made them last night)
Lunch: cheese pizza, banana
Dinner: Mac and cheese with tuna and broccoli
Snacks/desserts: another brownie
Beverages: water