Sunday in the ER :-(

Saturday night Jeremy met me at work and told me that he wasn't making dinner because Winter said she planned to go to Subway. He had already eaten, so on the way home I bought two cheeseburgers and a chocolate shake at Dick's for $6.13. After I got home Winter said she'd decided not to go and just made a sandwich and a box of Mac and cheese instead. Here is what I ate Saturday:

Breakfast: banana bread
Lunch: apple pie flavored Greek yogurt, honeycrisp Apple
Dinner: two cheeseburgers
Snacks/desserts: none
Beverages: water, chocolate shake

Sunday morning I woke up with severe pain in my lower right abdomen. After waiting about 20 minutes it just kept getting worse, so I walked three blocks to the ER at the hospital. Of course I didn't have my insurance card or my phone, so I had to call Jeremy to bring them.

They took blood and urine samples and started an IV, with some amount of difficulty. They said it was likely either coming from my appendix or my right ovary. They didn't find anything abnormal in the pelvic exam, and were planning to do a CAT scan, but in order to do so they needed to run a new IV, because they couldn't use the one in my hand. They tried twice, each attempt more painful and bloody than the next.

At that point my labs started coming back and all of them were normal, showing no infection. They pain pills they gave me had also started working. We decided to hold off on the CAT scan unless the pain returned or worsened. They said that I may have just had an ovarian cyst that ruptured or something.

The pain came back again today, but since the Aleve I took got rid of the pain, and I'm not having any other symptoms of appendicitis, I didn't go back. Wish I knew what was going on. I'm really annoyed that I had to miss work on Sunday. After being gone twice  this month I cannot afford to miss more work.

Anyway, we decided to go to Grocery Outlet Sunday evening and we cleaned up! They had some really incredible deals on stuff we could use. Here is what we bought:

8 boxes of Krave Smores cereal ($.27 each)  $2.18
Large box of peanut butter chocolate pop tarts $.77
Fiber one granola bars $.47
Box of 24 packs of strawberry pastry crisps $1.97
4 microwave Campbell's cheeseburger soups ($.99 each) $3.96
4 14 oz. cans tomato sauce ($.59) $2.36
Lemon flavored muddy buddies $.99
4 14 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes ($.79 each) $3.18
3 7 oz. boxes tomato sauce 3/$1.00
18 oz. jar mild salsa $1.49
8 oz. shredded pesto jack cheese $1.79
2 8 oz. bags shredded mozzarella cheese ($1.47 each) $2.94
4 pack frozen black bean burgers $2.49
4 bottles Crystal Light liquid ($.50 each) $2.00
8 pack box of Yoplait light yogurts $2.49
Halloween Funfetti frosting $.99
Roasted red pepper hummus $2.99
2 3 packs of pepper jack turkey sausage ($4.99 each) $9.98
2 6 oz pouches of pre cooked seasoned beef ($.99 each) $1.98
6 6 oz pouches of pre cooked spicy beef ($.99 each) $5.94
3 berry flavored breakfast shakes 3/$1.00
28 oz. Frozen California blend veggies $2.99
2 4 packs dark chocolate pudding ($.67) $1.34
2 Chobani pineapple yogurts ($.59) $1.18
14 oz can refried beans $.59
Large bottle of yellow mustard $.99
2 8 oz. packages turkey deli meat ($1.99) $3.98
4 4 oz packages of turkey pepperoni (these were $.99 each but the cashier only rang one of them up, I just noticed) $.99
Head of living lettuce $1.99
Jar of minced garlic $1.49
2 zucchini ($.99 each) $1.98
6 flavored Mediterranean yogurts (3/$1.00) $2.00
Large bottle of BBQ sauce $.99
1 lb strawberries $1.99
4 oz. four pepper goat cheese log $1.99
4 oz. garlic and herb goat cheese log $2.49
2 green bell peppers 2/$1.00
Chili powder $.99
8 oz chili garlic cheddar cheese $2.54
Natural guava candies $.99
Can of cream soda $.35
Energy drink $1.49
20 oz. Diet Dr. Pepper $1.09
Cucumber (this was not rung up either) $0.00

Total $88.39

Jeremy also bought a bag of Starburst candy corn at Target while picking up cat food, for $2.29

I did not eat much/well on Sunday because I just didn't have much of an appetite, and didn't want to expend any effort.

Breakfast: banana bread
Lunch: skipped
Dinner: cheeseburger soup, blueberry Mediterranean yogurt
Snacks: guava candy, pastry crisps, Starburst candy corn
Beverages: water, Crystal Light

Friday night salad

I picked up a zucchini on my way home tonight for $.64. I will use it tomorrow in some pasta sauce, which if everything goes as planned, I will have cooking in the crock pot all day and will be ready when I get home. I also checked both locations of QFC for the tuna they have on sale this week for $.50 a can, and neither store has it. Grumble grumble. We gave our last two cans to the cats.

Winter stayed home again today, but as of tonight she is doing much better. She should be fine by Monday and back at school.

Breakfast: nectarine (planned to have a yogurt also, but got too busy, so it was a mid morning snack)
Lunch: leftover pinto beans with tomatoes and peppers, topped with shredded pepper jack cheese, and a black plum
Dinner: salad with green lettuce, quinoa, honeycrisp apples, slivered almonds, celery, grilled chicken, and raspberry vinaigrette dressing
Snacks/desserts: strawberry flavored Greek yogurt, oatmeal cookies
Beverages: water

Winter had her salad without almonds, and used zesty herb dressing. She said mine tasted like a dessert salad. Whatever, little girl.

Jeremy will have his "salad" when he gets home from the gym. It will just have chicken and quinoa, because vegetables are ebil.

Pepperoni Soup Recipe

for real this time

14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
14 oz can tomato sauce
2.25 oz pepperoni cut into bite sized pieces
1 large zucchini (You can chop it up or grate it. I grated it because Winter does not enjoy the texture of zucchini, but found it to be fine once grated up.)
3 oz red wine
1 T olive oil
1/2 T garlic
1/2 T Italian seasoning
pinch of red pepper flakes
6 oz dry pasta
6 cups water

Combine all ingredients except for pasta in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then add pasta. Stir occasionally until pasta is tender. Makes about 10 cups of soup. Nutrition info is for 1 cup. You can reduce the amount of sodium by using canned tomatoes with no salt added.Garnish with some parmesan cheese if you like.

 

Monday and Tuesday recap

Monday I worked from 11-5 at the downtown Convention Center. Here's what I ate:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese
Lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Greek yogurt tube
Dinner: sriracha glazed chicken with bamboo shoots, celery, and rice
Snacks/desserts: snickerdoodle ice cream with goat milk caramel sauce, blueberry Petite Cream
Beverages: water

Jeremy met me after work and we walked to QFC. We bought pretty much everything else we'll need to get us through the end of the month. Tonight Winter is going to help me make a hu-normous pot of vegetable soup. I also got some broccoli and cheese to make chicken, pasta, and broccoli with cheese sauce.

Here's what we bought:

10 bag of frozen pre-cooked quinoa (RFQS*) $1.99
Snickerdoodle ice cream $2.50
2 Lean Cuisines ($2.00 ea) $4.00
8 Petite Cremes** in assorted flavors (RFQS at $.29 ea) $2.32
1/2 gal 2% milk $1.50
Mt Dew Kickstart $.99
3 bottles of goat milk caramel sauce (RFQS at $.99 ea) $2.97
box of mac and cheese $.89
2 cans of petite diced tomatoes in juice ($.79 ea) $1.58
jar of baby dill pickles $2.99
Cocoa Krispies $1.79
Honey Bunches of Oats $1.79
8 oz shredded pepper blend cheese $1.99
2 lbs carrots $1.29
.64 lb cauliflower $1.27
.66 lb dried garbanzos $1.18
green bell pepper $.79
4 bananas $1.10
zucchini $1.08
yellow squash $.86
.29 lbs green beans $.58
.58 lbs broccoli $.57
2 Yukon gold potatoes $1.13

*Reduced for quick sale
** It's a new product, similar to Greek yogurt, but less tart. It is made with ricotta I think.

Total after Raise 3% discount $36.04


Yesterday I worked at the airport early in the morning. I had to get up at 6 am after getting home around 11 with Winter, and not getting to bed until after midnight. Winter made some raspberry jam and brought a jar with her, so I had that on my sandwich for lunch. Winter helped me make a pizza from scratch for dinner. I mixed some garlic and Italian seasoning into a little bit of the turkey sausage from the freezer to top it with.

Breakfast: vanilla Petite Creme
Lunch: peanut butter sandwich with Winter's homemade raspberry jam, banana
Dinner: pizza topped with mozzarella, green bell peppers, and Italian seasoned turkey sausage.
Snacks: snickerdoodle ice cream with goat milk caramel sauce
Beverages, iced coffee with simple syrup and cream, water, Coke Zero

For the big surprise I took Jeremy and Winter to see To Be Takei at the SIFF Cinema Uptown in Queen Anne. They are both huge fans of George Takei. It was a really great documentary. I cried a couple of times. It's about his relationship with Brad, his experience in the Japanese American internment camp during WWII, and his acting career, plus his political and social activism. Winter was the only one there who wasn't an adult, which was kind of funny to me. I think this movie was pretty appropriate for pre-teens on up at least.

Our only spending yesterday was on an iced coffee for me at the airport, which was $3.00 with tax and tip, and on a large Coke Zero at the theater. A jaw-dropping $5.50. I am sort of fine with that though since it is a small independent local theater.

Recipe for slow cooker pepperoni pasta

This was intended to be soup, but after cooking the pasta absorbed most of the liquid, so it was not soup like at all. It was basically a normal pasta dish. It was a little on the salty side to me since I used regular canned tomatoes and pepperoni, so if I made it again I would probably use no salt added tomatoes.That would also cut the amount of sodium by a little more than half.

2 oz turkey pepperoni slices, halved
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and then sliced
14 oz can tomato sauce
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup red wine
2 T olive oil
2 T dried onion
1 T Italian seasoning
1 T dried garlic
2 1/2 cups water
5 oz dry pasta

Combine all ingredients except pasta in a slow cooker. Cook on low for at least 4 hours. About 15 minutes before you are ready to eat, turn off the slow cooker and stir in the pasta. Once the pasta has cooked, it's ready to go.  It will cook down to about 6 cups or so. Nutrition info is for about 1 cup.

Chunky slow cooker spaghetti sauce recipe

OMGSPAGHETTI!

I realized way later that I forgot to put dried onions in this. I usually do, but I spaced it this time. It tastes fine either way.

7 oz tomato sauce
14 oz canned diced tomatoes (no salt added)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed or pureed
1 zucchini, chopped
2 veggie burger patties, torn into small pieces, or 1/2 cup veggie ground round
3 T olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
1 T Italian seasoning

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for at least 6 hours. This recipe cooks down to about 3 cups of sauce. The nutrition info is for one half cup of sauce. Just the sauce, no pasta.

Grocery run

Here's what I got:

4 organic strawberry yogurts on manager's special $.49 each ($1.96)
2 spinach salad kits on manager's special $1.99 each ($3.98)
12 oz. cauliflower florets on manager's special $1.49
 2 lbs cherries $6.01
3 bananas $.88
6 limes, reduced for quick sale $.99
1 zucchini $.61
Pint of B&J' s cinnamon bun ice cream $2.99

Total: $18.91