I’m pretty sure I said this last year too, but I feel like we’ve skipped Spring and have gone straight into Summer. It’s like last week was in the 50s, and this week the highs are in the 80s. Remembering last year and how much I hate cooking in the heat, I’m trying something different for the hot weather.
My challenge: To avoid using the stove and oven as much as I can. Starting this week.
My cooking tools are: A toaster oven, slow cooker, George Foreman, and a grill. And I plan to utilize them! I’m even open to no-cook meals; things like a cheese and cracker tray. So we’ll see how that goes. And hopefully I’ll have lots of new recipes and ideas for you in the coming weeks!
True to my word last week, I bought a ton of frozen veggies, pasta, and chicken to stock up the house again. I took advantage of mPerks rewards and clearance items and I was able to get quite a bit of stuff!
I have a horrifying tale to share, too. While I was taking pictures of some of these groceries, I thought I saw something big and black move on my food through my camera. I didn’t see anything while putting the food away though, so I assumed the food had just moved when I took the pictures. I started walking back toward the office when I saw a GIANT WASP chilling on the carpet by the back door. I killed it, still a little freaked out, and sat in my office chair to do some work while imagining a wasp infestation around my house.
Not even 5 minutes later, I heard a loud buzzing right in my ear. I can’t even tell you how fast I ran back to the kitchen. I said things I shouldn’t have. After some frantic searching, I found it was just a fly, and it met its doom instantly. My house is apparently a dwelling place for the most unwelcome creatures.
I’ve had enough adventures for one week! Here’s what I ended up buying:
Aldi
Apple juice boxes: $1.99
Mini breakfast biscuits: $1.99, marked down
Frozen sausage patties: $5.29
Coffee creamer: $1.79
Half & half: $1.69
Yogurt tubes: $1.55
Greek yogurt tub: $3.49
2 blocks cheese: $1.69 each
Sriracha sauce: $2.29
Roma tomatoes: $1.59
Milk: $1.07
Bananas, 2.88 pounds: $1.07
Cauliflower: $1.99
Baby carrots: $.99
Green bell peppers: $1.59
Total: $31.76
Meijer
Hand soap: Free from a coupon that printed last visit
Shampoo: $1.79
3 dozen eggs: $.49 each
Onion, .95 pound: $.94
Romaine hearts: $2.49
White whole wheat flour: $3.49
2 boxes strawberries: $.98 each
Sweet potatoes, 3-pound bag: $1.49
Hidden Valley dressing mix: $1.49
- Used $.30/1 coupon from a Meijer coupon book
2 packages Hormel Natural Choice salami: $2.99 each
- Used 2 $.50/1 printable coupons
Yoplait Girl Scouts yogurt: Free from an mPerks coupon
Dannon Oikos Triple Zero yogurt: $1.00
Salad dressing: $1.00
6 bags frozen vegetables: $1.00 each
- Used a free coupon from a Meijer coupon book
- Received another free from the 10 for $10 sale
Snack bags: $1.00
4 boxes pasta: $1.00 each
2 Chobani Flips: $1.00 each
- Used $1.00/2 printable coupon
Total: $27.91. I used a $5.00 birthday reward from my account, plus received another $5.00 in rewards!
Kroger
Doritos: Free from Free Friday Download
4 bags Goldfish: $.99 each, part of the Buy 4, Save $4. Two are going to Allison’s preschool for their snack.
2 boxes Larabars: $3.00 each, marked down. Super excited to get these, especially because these were the 10-packs!
Sabra hummus: $1.49
Lindt Lindor truffle stick: Free from Free Friday Download
Stacy’s pita chips: $1.49
Chicken breasts: $7.75, were $1.77/lb
Total: $20.69
Weekly Total: $80.36. We had a small overage from last week to cover this.
Menu
Lunch is always leftovers. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were purchased in previous weeks.
Dinner
Homemade hamburgers* (Meat and buns in freezer), frozen vegetables, fruit
Snack dinner: Salami, cheese cubes, crackers*, fruit, raw veggies and dip
Salads with grilled chicken
Slow Cooker Mexican Quinoa
Tuna melts, roasted sweet potatoes
Pancakes
Leftovers
Breakfast
Sausage patties with English muffins* (From freezer)
Hard boiled eggs and Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats (Using regular peanut butter until I can get more PBFit)
Cereal*
What’s on your menu this week? Share in the comments below!
Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.
Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.
Jenn S
Monday 14th of May 2018
You are the first person I know who also changed the cooking methods for summer! I hate heating up the house, so my family knows we are about at the end of oven-meal season. A few years ago, I saw a story on the news about people who accidentally brought home a banana spider! I'm glad it was "only" a wasp and you got it!
Jaime
Monday 14th of May 2018
I've never heard of a banana spider; I'm afraid to look it up! This is the first time I've attempted a different kind of cooking for summer, so I hope it goes well!