$138 A Week For Groceries - On Personal Priorities & Day 13 Meals (Thursday)
This has nothing to do with my grocery budget, but I thought I'd take the opportunity to answer a question people ask me from time to time - Why don't I do more videos or compete on cooking related television shows?
There are separate and overlapping reasons why I don't do either right now, but the overlapping reasons are the overriding ones - I have a husband who works full time outside of the home and also goes to school part time while being as much of an equal partner in domestic and child rearing responsibilities as anyone could ask for given the circumstances; I have two teenagers who split time between two households; and I have a two year old whom I'm getting the privilege to enjoy full time, at home, which is something I didn't get to do with my older two when they were that age.
Videos, even the purposely sloppy and amateurish ones I create, are logistically complicated and focus intensive. TV show auditions, and, if I make it past auditions, filming process, are even more so and would pull me very much away from my family for the duration of filming at the very least.
At this point in my life, I am making a choice to BE here, and to be HERE - mentally, emotionally, and physically, with my family, for myself, and for my family.
In the past three and half years that I've been doing this, many of you have seen me through this evolution to this place, trying bigger, different, and more ambitious goals on for size. I've been in that place in another life, too, and I pushed hard then to make things happen and learned that I could accomplish whatever it was I set my mind to (as most of us can).
But I also learned from that process, and then also relearned to some extent this time around, that sometimes accomplishing whatever you set your mind to can take a harsh toll on the things you should set your heart to.
So for the time being, because nothing is, nor has to be, forever, I have set simple sights for the work I do aside from home and family. This work I want simply, in my own way and through my own gifts, to improve as many moments as possible in the lives of the people who happen to find it and enjoy it. That's all.
That's not to say other things (that probably won't be related to tv or videos - I'm not really sure how I feel about all that) aren't slowly in the works, but none of them is allowed to disturb the current priorities, which are really good ones, I think. :)
And on to Day 13 meals...
(As always, I've included a meal total and per serving total on the blog. The detailed ingredient cost breakdown HERE.)
Breakfast
Because Joey's decided he doesn't need no stinkin' sandwiches in his lunch for most of this week, I'm trying to get that uneaten bread eaten, so Dean and I both had a ham sandwich for breakfast. Mine a half, his a whole.
Joey had cereal. Stinker.
To tell you the truth, I don't remember what Izz ate, but she hasn't really been much into eating these past couple of days, and I think it's safe to say her breakfast barely amounted to anything costwise yesterday. She did have milk, though.
BREAKFAST TOTAL (2 adults, 1 teen, 1 toddler): $4.01
Lunch
Once again, just an apple and a juice pouch for Joey.
For Dean, a Lemon Thyme Chicken salad made with some of that chicken breast I roasted on Sunday tossed with some mayo, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and fresh thyme from the garden over some thinly sliced green cabbage, radishes, carrots, broccoli, dressed with some EVOO and a lemon wedge. Also an apple and 6 Famous Amos cookies. (They're not pictured, but if you've never seen them and you're just joining us, they're small, bite-sized things.)
I really couldn't be bothered to make myself anything yesterday, so I shared a Cup Noodles and the rest of the grapes with Izz. She didn't even have all four cookies yesterday because she's that uninterested in food, but I'll just say she did.
LUNCH TOTAL (2 adults, 1 weird teen, 1 toddler): $3.97
Dinner
was these fusion Caramelized Kimchi and Pork Tacos with Lime Garlic Crema made with that caramelized kimchi and pork I also made on Sunday when I did a lot of cooking ahead.
1.5 times the Caramelized Kimchi recipe HERE, and the crema, since I didn't have any sour cream or real Mexican crema on hand, was just a 1 to 1 mixture of mayo and yogurt, thinned down with lime juice, and seasoned with a little lime zest, salt, and grated garlic.
As you can see, green cabbage 'neath the kimchi mixture, chopped white onions, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a drizzle of that crema on top. They were even yummier with a srizzle, but I forgot to take that pic.
I had 2 tacos, and the boys had 3 each. Izz had a few bites of watermelon, and that was it.
There was enough kimchi and pork for 2 more tacos (so another serving), and I ended up eating that with rice later in the evening because it started calling me. Really. Kimchi does that to a (half) Korean girl sometimes...
DINNER TOTAL (2 adults, 1 teen, 1 toddler): $6.00
Now, I didn't factor in the cost of the kimchi for the tacos because I accounted for all the kimchi on the day I made it, but if you're interested in what the taco meal would have cost including the kimchi:
KIMCHI TACOS FOR 4: $6.30
COST PER SERVING: $1.58
MEALS DAY 13 TOTAL: $13.98
As a reminder, Mads joins us tonight and through the weekend, so the serving numbers will change. If you're not familiar with my general parameters, HERE you go. :)
If nothing changes, it looks like Dean and I are actually going to get to have some time alone for sushi and sake tomorrow. If parenting little ones gives you nothing else (and it does actually give you quite much more), it is a renewed appreciation for the quiet moments - both alone and with your SO.
Happy Friday, all. I wish you a loverly evening. :)
shinae
This post is part of my 30 Day Grocery Budget Diary. To see all the posts of this series in reverse chron order, click HERE.
Like what you're reading? Do you find it helpful, useful, entertaining, or any combination thereof? You might consider supporting this blog. :)
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| Caramelized Kimchi & Pork Tacos. YUMS. ^^ |
There are separate and overlapping reasons why I don't do either right now, but the overlapping reasons are the overriding ones - I have a husband who works full time outside of the home and also goes to school part time while being as much of an equal partner in domestic and child rearing responsibilities as anyone could ask for given the circumstances; I have two teenagers who split time between two households; and I have a two year old whom I'm getting the privilege to enjoy full time, at home, which is something I didn't get to do with my older two when they were that age.
Videos, even the purposely sloppy and amateurish ones I create, are logistically complicated and focus intensive. TV show auditions, and, if I make it past auditions, filming process, are even more so and would pull me very much away from my family for the duration of filming at the very least.
At this point in my life, I am making a choice to BE here, and to be HERE - mentally, emotionally, and physically, with my family, for myself, and for my family.
In the past three and half years that I've been doing this, many of you have seen me through this evolution to this place, trying bigger, different, and more ambitious goals on for size. I've been in that place in another life, too, and I pushed hard then to make things happen and learned that I could accomplish whatever it was I set my mind to (as most of us can).
But I also learned from that process, and then also relearned to some extent this time around, that sometimes accomplishing whatever you set your mind to can take a harsh toll on the things you should set your heart to.
So for the time being, because nothing is, nor has to be, forever, I have set simple sights for the work I do aside from home and family. This work I want simply, in my own way and through my own gifts, to improve as many moments as possible in the lives of the people who happen to find it and enjoy it. That's all.
That's not to say other things (that probably won't be related to tv or videos - I'm not really sure how I feel about all that) aren't slowly in the works, but none of them is allowed to disturb the current priorities, which are really good ones, I think. :)
And on to Day 13 meals...
(As always, I've included a meal total and per serving total on the blog. The detailed ingredient cost breakdown HERE.)
Breakfast
Because Joey's decided he doesn't need no stinkin' sandwiches in his lunch for most of this week, I'm trying to get that uneaten bread eaten, so Dean and I both had a ham sandwich for breakfast. Mine a half, his a whole.
Joey had cereal. Stinker.
To tell you the truth, I don't remember what Izz ate, but she hasn't really been much into eating these past couple of days, and I think it's safe to say her breakfast barely amounted to anything costwise yesterday. She did have milk, though.
BREAKFAST TOTAL (2 adults, 1 teen, 1 toddler): $4.01
Lunch
Once again, just an apple and a juice pouch for Joey.
For Dean, a Lemon Thyme Chicken salad made with some of that chicken breast I roasted on Sunday tossed with some mayo, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and fresh thyme from the garden over some thinly sliced green cabbage, radishes, carrots, broccoli, dressed with some EVOO and a lemon wedge. Also an apple and 6 Famous Amos cookies. (They're not pictured, but if you've never seen them and you're just joining us, they're small, bite-sized things.)
I really couldn't be bothered to make myself anything yesterday, so I shared a Cup Noodles and the rest of the grapes with Izz. She didn't even have all four cookies yesterday because she's that uninterested in food, but I'll just say she did.
LUNCH TOTAL (2 adults, 1 weird teen, 1 toddler): $3.97
Dinner
was these fusion Caramelized Kimchi and Pork Tacos with Lime Garlic Crema made with that caramelized kimchi and pork I also made on Sunday when I did a lot of cooking ahead.
1.5 times the Caramelized Kimchi recipe HERE, and the crema, since I didn't have any sour cream or real Mexican crema on hand, was just a 1 to 1 mixture of mayo and yogurt, thinned down with lime juice, and seasoned with a little lime zest, salt, and grated garlic.
As you can see, green cabbage 'neath the kimchi mixture, chopped white onions, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a drizzle of that crema on top. They were even yummier with a srizzle, but I forgot to take that pic.
I had 2 tacos, and the boys had 3 each. Izz had a few bites of watermelon, and that was it.
There was enough kimchi and pork for 2 more tacos (so another serving), and I ended up eating that with rice later in the evening because it started calling me. Really. Kimchi does that to a (half) Korean girl sometimes...
DINNER TOTAL (2 adults, 1 teen, 1 toddler): $6.00
Now, I didn't factor in the cost of the kimchi for the tacos because I accounted for all the kimchi on the day I made it, but if you're interested in what the taco meal would have cost including the kimchi:
KIMCHI TACOS FOR 4: $6.30
COST PER SERVING: $1.58
MEALS DAY 13 TOTAL: $13.98
As a reminder, Mads joins us tonight and through the weekend, so the serving numbers will change. If you're not familiar with my general parameters, HERE you go. :)
If nothing changes, it looks like Dean and I are actually going to get to have some time alone for sushi and sake tomorrow. If parenting little ones gives you nothing else (and it does actually give you quite much more), it is a renewed appreciation for the quiet moments - both alone and with your SO.
Happy Friday, all. I wish you a loverly evening. :)
shinae
This post is part of my 30 Day Grocery Budget Diary. To see all the posts of this series in reverse chron order, click HERE.
Like what you're reading? Do you find it helpful, useful, entertaining, or any combination thereof? You might consider supporting this blog. :)
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