What's for dinner & other plans

Plans for this week:

Not much on the calendar so will somewhat be catching up on tasks and plans for the month. Our older son will still be in town pet sitting nearby for 3 days although DIL had to return home earlier. He will be over each day and stay with us again Wednesday night before driving home.

Monday - Sunday dinner mains: Some are from last week and others are using what is in frig and freezer.

• Pork chops
• Chicken tostados (chicken leftover from dinner out)
• Homemade soup or chili x 2
• Pasta with marinara, peppers & sausage
• Lemon chicken
• Salmon

What we ate last week: 

Monday - Spaghetti with sauce, mushrooms, red pepper & crumbled leftover meatloaf plus zucchini

Tuesday - Chicken breast, broccoli & rice

Wednesday- Salmon, veggies & leftover rice

Thursday - Homemade minestrone & garlic bread

Friday - Family Valentines dinner at Mexican restaurant (last minute plan)

Saturday - Leftover minestrone & green salad

Sunday - Hearty snacks at birthday party & last of minestrone 

Five on Friday - Family and deciding where not to shop

1. This past Sunday was birthday party prep day at my son’s so we both spent the afternoon helping to make decorations. The soon to be 2 year old is really into the Moana movie so they built a boat to walk through and we made waves to decorate it. Her party is Moana themed and they have fun creating these events for family and friends at their home.

2. Our other son and DIL arrived last night and will be in town over the weekend which doubles the fun and family time.

3. I’ve decided one small thing we can do in protest to our current President’s actions is to stop shopping to the extent we can at businesses that primarily supported his campaign, have cancelled DEI initiatives, and/or do other terrible things. We don’t shop much, but of course we do shop. 

I’ve been doing some research and finding better, although not perfect, alternatives to most of what we buy at Amazon, Whole Foods, and Target. Trader Joe’s is going to be harder but I’m going to try to reduce it. Also hard is that my library ebooks go through Amazon and I don’t think I can change that.

4. I decided to schedule both grooming for the dog and my haircuts a couple of weeks further apart than I have been doing. That should eliminate one a year for each of us for savings without any problems.

5. I’ve found two local businesses that have small jazz groups once a month and want to try them. One is an independent bookstore and the other is an employee owned natural foods store and restaurant. There also is a local mall symphony that performs occasionally to try.

Wednesday Musings - Big one time expenses coming

Earlier this week I signed the contract to air seal and insulate our attics and crawl space properly. It is quite an investment and will not save a large amount annually on heating costs, but it will improve our comfort a lot - hopefully! 

We both need new glasses and there is the much loved niece’s June 1st destination wedding. I also really should take a trip to the Northeast to see my older brother, SIL and favorite cousins while we all are healthy.

So with all of that and with the anticipated hits to our National and personal economies due to the mind boggling actions of the President and his nightmare minions, like many others I am getting more focused on saving money where I can so I can spend on what is important to us. Certainly the things listed don’t add up to what we do and plan to spend, but all the little stuff adds up. Our efforts may really have to ramp up.

1. My son fixed my broken car key with super glue. The plastic top of the key split open and it fell off my key ring. To replace these programmed keys is costly, but a bit of super glue that he already had has it back together at least for now.

2. Even Trader Joe’s eggs are $4.99 a carton and the limit is one which is the bigger issue. Each egg is 42 cents (a protein bargain!), but 1 T of ground flaxseed plus 3 T water can be substituted for for an egg when baking at 7 cents per “egg”. It is nutritious too in different ways so I bought a bag. We can also add it to oatmeal, yogurt, meatloaf, etc. and it can help reduce bad cholesterol which I need to do. I don’t bake much, but having to drive to the store first thing in the morning to get eggs while they still have them is an extra unnecessary trip in the car so I’d rather use them for breakfast.

3. I used a $2 off CVS coupon to get a 2 lb. bag of sugar for just $1.49. Buying Kleenex and food at CVS when we don’t need anything else is the best way not to waste their coupons. I found a dime walking into the store too LOL.

4. Switching to Kaiser is going to save money on my prescriptions. It also saves on our insurance costs if we stay healthy. There is a reasonable out of pocket limit for copays if we are ill. They also have good discounts on gym and exercise studio costs if I decide to stop my costly Pilates or supplement it.

5. My blood pressure is usually low normal, but was high at recent doctor visit. Oddly, stopping  a recently added Vitamin D3 supplement quickly brought it back down.  I also decided to stop daily allergy pills and only take if I really need to. Fewer over the counter meds saves a bit and is probably better for me.

6. Hubby figured out how to fix the toilet paper holder that kept coming loose. He found the right type of screws in his stash which made it even better.

7. I bought 2 tops in the next size up as a 2nd birthday gift for our younger granddaughter. The gift was a reasonable cost and frugal for them.  Our other gift is helping to make decorations for the party and helping with set up and clean up the day of the party. They do love throwing a good party.

What's for dinner & other plans

Let’s start with my favorite January buys which were replacements for 2 small kitchen items both of which were damaged by the dishwasher over time. I bought OXO Good Grips swivel vegetable peeler and coarse grater with orange trim. Both are increasing our “happiness” with doing those tasks and not going in the dishwasher!

My plans for Monday thru Sunday:

On the calendar this week are signing the contract for attic and crawl space air sealing and insulation, helping with 2nd birthday party prep and going to the party, prepping for older son and DIL to stay one night before they go to their pet sitting house (they are coming for the bday party), babysitting birthday girl on Friday. And all the usual including Pilates. Because of party prep I won’t make it to the local history talk at the rec center but still hope to go to one at the library. 

This coming week’s dinner main dish plan: We have quite a bit of veggies and fruit to use up so those will appear.

• Chicken & veggies

• Pork chop, pinto beans & salad
• Salmon, broccoli & rice
• Spaghetti with mushrooms, red pepper & chicken sausage plus zucchini & garlic bread
• Minestrone soup (homemade)
• ? on birthday party day

What we ate for dinner last week - all but one was what was planned

• Shrimp cocktails & large salad with leftovers added including black beans

• Salmon, small red potatoes & cooked spinach

• Trader Joe's frozen roasted vegetable pizza with chicken sausage. tiny tomatoes, garlic and basil added

• Turkey meatloaf, coleslaw & carrots and peas

• Sautéed cooked chicken from the freezer, mushrooms, grape tomatoes & red pepper over pasta with shredded Parmesan (sub for chicken tostados)

• Turkey meatloaf, microwaved sweet potatoes & leftover coleslaw
• Tuna chef salad with blueberry muffins

Five on Friday - The “I hate life admin vs that was fun” edition - Feb 7, 2025

1. I spent 2 hours Sunday at the computer paying annual bills, updating passwords, dealing with emails, printing stuff and more. True, I started in a very cranky mood after a very wet dog walk, but one payment website was very hard to navigate. I also don’t understand why the CA franchise tax board site makes you change your password every six months or delete your payment data. Spent 2 more hours at least later in the week. I suppose I should be grateful my brain can still handle all of this but I really hate having to wrestle with technology to do what used to be simple tasks.

2. Kaiser sent me at least 6 emails reminding me I had an appointment Monday. Communication overkill perhaps but I suspect they know their patient population. It took me a while to find the right location for my primary care doctor but he seemed nice although pretty laid back. I'm healthy so it was just confirming my medical history and current meds/allergies and so on. I do know more about how to proceed now and have at least found my way there once!

3. The energy audit report was short on details so I am glad I took good notes. We received a bid from a  contractor and are talking through deciding how much to do at this time. We know adding wall insulation would have a huge impact but it require drilling many hole in exterior walls and then repainting so not for now.

4. I had a good time Saturday morning when I was invited to join my son and his family for coffee and bagels picked up on the way to swim lesson. The 8 year old was surprised and happy to see me show up at their door. She is swimming 4 - 5 days a week as she is now on a swim team and finishing up some lessons too. The toddler said “thank you Nana” when I got her raincoat and that is the longest word combo I’ve heard from her yet and so cute. 🥰

5. Hubby and I watched part of the Grammys and then a new episode of Miss Scarlett. The tribute to Quincy Jones was my favorite of what we saw of the awards.

What’s for dinner & other plans - Feb 3, 2025

I plan for Monday through Sunday.

Not much on the calendar again this week which will hopefully lead to getting a lot done! The return of rainy days should help with indoor projects but not with dog walks or taking pup on an outing for his 3rd birthday if it is still rainy on Friday.  I have a new patient appointment with my Kaiser Dr., Pilates once and hope to go to a free talk about Native American history in this location.

What’s are your plans for the week?

This coming week’s dinner main dish plan - it's not much of a plan! We do need to use up some veggies/salad greens and have quite a bit of frozen protein so that will be a start. 

• Shrimp cocktails & large salad
• Chicken tostados
• Tuna chef salad
• Turkey burgers
• Veggies over rice
• Frozen pizza with added veggies
• Salmon

What we ate for dinner last week -

Despite my lazy planning, we mostly ate what I planned.

• Balsamic glazed salmon with leftover black beans and steamed butternut squash
• Turkey chili with pear slices and garlic bread
• Turkey chili and cabbage carrot slaw
• Pan fried chicken breast, broccoli and boiled new potatoes (substituted for going out)
• Pork chop plus leftover broccoli, potatoes & slaw
• Huevos rancheros and black beans
• Chicken Shu Mai (Trader Joe’s frozen entree), green beans and rice (unplanned)

January Review & February Intentions

Oh my, but Grandfriends’ Day with a second grader was uplifting! Such a positive environment making learning fun.

As a reminder, my motto for the year is Do the Hard Stuff - meaning things that are actually difficult or that I avoid or procrastinate on for some reason. Did I do that in January? Yes in some cases and I feel good about how the month went which is most important. 

Let’s review my grades for my overly hopeful goals for the month.

Health & Self Care (goal: increase strength, lose weight, less stress)

F     Dry January for an evening routine/habit change and weight loss as it will reduce my carb snacking too

F     Try different baked pancake recipes to come up with healthier substitute for commercial frozen waffles (reduce cholesterol & increase calcium)

Room by Room project (goal: improve function and aesthetics with minimal spending)

B+    Focus on our office: deep clean, organize and declutter files and closet, finish computer transition and dispose of old computer, try to get rid of white ring on desk or get large desk mat. 

         - I still need to deep clean and dispose of the old computer. Decided against working on desk finish or getting a mat. We jumped ahead and upgraded the family room with a new TV and TV stand which also added more storage

Home improvement (goal: increase comfort, conserve energy, and improve safety as 

A+   Learn about services offered by 2 companies doing home energy audits and book one. I’m especially interested in what they are able to fix based on the audit. 

        - The audit was completed and we are waiting for report

B     Get the names of people who might be able to build and install our desired new stair rail that will be safer and to code. Talk to them. 

       -  I still need to talk to them but have 2 names

A     Replace the gifted houseplant that died 😊 

        - Yeah, it is still alive and growing

Family, Friends, Fun (goal: build connections and happiness)

B+     Start using my reading journal for more thoughtful reading while working on the 52 book club 2025 reading challenge

All F’s

     Try a dim sum restaurant with Hubby and perhaps family 

      - he decided he didn’t want to do this

      Invite 8 year old granddaughter for a first sleepover 

       - she is too busy with swim team, etc so a no, but we did go to Fairyland and to her school Grandfriends day plus took her to swim practice and more.

      Try the library mystery book club or some other activity in my search for “my tribe”

       - I’ve realized this is not going to be my thing lol

Moving on to a more realistic February

Health & Self Care (goal: increase strength, lose weight, less stress)

• Doctor appointments for physical and eye exam
• Continue building strength through Pilates
• Try for healthy afternoon snacks
• Each morning ask myself: How do I really feel today? What will I focus on? How can I be gentle with and helpful to myself and others today?

Room by Room project (goal: improve function and aesthetics with minimal spending)

• Finish office project by deep cleaning it and disposing of old computer responsibly after deleting files
• Focus on dining room project by deep cleaning, decluttering/maximizing space on storage part of hutch
• Limit spending on upgrades: Keep looking for good buys on just right art for office & bedroom and for placemats

Home improvement (goal: increase comfort, conserve energy, and improve safety as 

• Get at least one bid for first phase of work based on energy audit suggestions

Family, Friends, Fun (goal: build connections and happiness)

• Start dealing with logistics for attending lovely niece’s June 1st (summer formal Palm Springs) wedding including dog sitter, plane tickets, gift, clothes for both wedding and dinner night before
• Go to local history talk at community center
• Family in town for a week - enjoy!
• 2 year old’s birthday party
• Lunch with friendly neighbor
• Mark pup’s 3rd birthday and Valentines Day in some way