Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

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alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Since I did not go in to town to buy doggie nephews dog food I made rice for his breakfast. There was enough baked chicken left, 2 oz, to make him a meal tomorrow. I only had two large chicken thighs but with the sauce it will make several meals. I had two small helping for dinner with some rice and my cucumber/onion salad.Since I have a pot of rice I decided to make a date rice pudding for dessert.. Basically the same as raisin pudding but subbing in dates..

Removed a lot of the excess chicken fat from the thighs before baking them. Put that in the freezer to use later in cooking. I have never done this but ketogenic cooking states it is tasty and good and my Jewish friend tells me he cooks with it as well. I picked the meat off of the chicken bones for Teddi and put the bones in the freezer to make soup stock when I get enough. Also froze half of a jar or Tikka masala sauce for later.

Now I have to go play Cinderella and do the dishes..By the way one of my distant cousins named their daughter Cinderella.. would love to know how she liked her name.. .Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by Dgflorida »

I use chicken fat as well. But there really isn't that much on my chicken. I saute chicken breasts and vegetables in the chicken fat and it gets all used up fast. It is good though. I like thinking of myself as Cinderella doing dishes. It is a prettier picture.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Dgflorida wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:55 am I use chicken fat as well. But there really isn't that much on my chicken. I saute chicken breasts and vegetables in the chicken fat and it gets all used up fast. It is good though. I like thinking of myself as Cinderella doing dishes. It is a prettier picture.

To me there seems to be more fat on the chicken thighs and it seems thicker than on the breast. My ketogenic cookbook recommends the thighs more for the fat content but I have always liked dark meat more. Thighs tend to be more juice and to me have more flavor.

I was thinking more along the line of poor Cinderella the one who was mistreated and had to do all of the housework. However if you want to be the Cinderella at the ball with Prince Charming go for it..lol.. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

It has been a while not sure where I left off.. getting old and senile..lol. My brother and his wife invited me to go for a long drive yesterday. We stopped and had a late lunch overlooking the Illinois river. I had fish and french fries and it came with a small salad.. The salad took the edge off of being hungry plus the portions were huge so I was able to bring home half of the meal for dinner tonight. I did not eat the raw onion that came with my meal so I put it the carry out box and will use it to make tuna salad for lunch today. I may just eat the fish with a small salad for dinner and freeze the french fries for later. I never can eat all of the fries from any fast food restaurant so I freeze them and when I have enough will either make hash browns with them or cut up in a fine dice and make a quiche with the potatoes, onions, and cheese..My brother paid for my meal and we even stopped and had ice cream on the way home.. It was a nice drive and visit.

I made my keto sausage gravy yesterday but need to make the biscuits to go with it. That will be breakfast for several day..Also cooked 4 sausage patties and have eaten two and have two in the freezer for a couple of breakfast sandwiches.

I stopped at Aldi's the other day to buy avocados since they were on sale for .39 cents each and other stores in our area were selling them 4 for 5.00. Yikes. I bought 8 in various stages of ripening. Will be making guacamole tonight or tomorrow depends on what else I need to do today. Of course when you go to a store for one thing you come home with extra's. I bought a container of sour cream since I am going to make some kind of Mexican food in the near future and a bag of Aldi's brand of scoops to go with the guacamole. However the extra food purchases are acceptable and I used slush fund money to buy the items.

My aide had to drive me 97 miles the other day to Drs appointments and to shop. I am so glad since the cost of gas has gone up to 2.90 here. I worry about the costs but she called her supervisor before we started and she said do not worry about the extra mileage and she even approved my aide to be with me 7 hours instead of 5 on that day.. She also told my aide that I have extra hours that can be used and to encourage me to get out more..The last company only allowed me 25 miles per month! This company is 75 per week and if needed more can be requested and there has never been a problem with a request. The last company made me feel guilty when I had to call to get "permission" to go to the Dr once a week for my B-12 shots and to also go to my various Drs appointments in addition to the B-12 shots. This company told aide even before she came to work that there may be a need for her to take me out more than once a week and that it would be ok just call ahead to get permission. She does the calling the other company made me call and made me feel guilty for being sick.. I do not want to abuse any situation so glad that this new company has a more understanding attitude. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
Momof2
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2017 4:42 pm

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by Momof2 »

Back from the wedding and it was so beautiful. I am so thrilled my son has found someone that makes him so happy- and someone that he can love and make happy.

Tried to use up as much as possible before leaving, but there were a couple of things that I tossed (vegetables and fruit) as I knew they would be bad when we returned and were not anything we really would take with us. Also had to toss a few more things that went bad while we were gone (a few more fruits and vegetables along with half a gallon of milk). Now that we are back and have had a couple of days to rest (not to mention getting caught up on things at work), it is back to planning meals, eating from home (it was nice to eat out or the dinners associated with the wedding), using up items instead of tossing them, and sticking to a grocery budget. I cannot complain about the budget, we stayed about $450.00 under what I budgeted for the event/trip.
I did go to the grocery store earlier in the week to grab a few things to hold us until I could plan out our meals, but I cannot find the receipt or remember the total spent- bummer. I guess I will just consider it part of my event spending and start tracking the amount from here forward.

It sounds like everyone is doing well with the challenge. Off to make that meal plan and grocery list.
Momof2
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2017 4:42 pm

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by Momof2 »

Wow Janet, I am glad this company is more understanding. How awful to make anyone feel guilty for needing assistance.
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