The Thaumatropes Are Coming!

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30 Days of Eating In: Week Five

We made it! 30 days without any take out. It wasn't too bad, but I'm looking forward to some BBQ wings tomorrow night. My husband has been talking about them every day since I started this project.  

I managed to stay right under my budget of $400 for the month, which included stocking up on some staple items.  I did miss going out for lunch on Saturday afternoons. It's nice to sit at the table as a family every night, but I like getting out of the house sometimes too. I'm curious to see what our food costs will be next month, even though I think take-out is going to be more of a treat for us from now on. I'd like to still keep our budget at $400 while including food I didn't have to cook at home. 

Day 29 

Breakfast: Peaches and cereal
Lunch: Hot dogs, yogurt, string cheese
Dinner: Leftover Shepherd's pie

Day 30

Breakfast: Peaches and yogurt

Lunch: Leftover Shepherd's pie

Dinner: Southwest pork chops

In case you missed my post about challenging myself to not eat out for a month, you can read it here.

Week one is here. 

Week two is here.

Week three is here.

Week four is here.

30 Days of Eating In: Week Four

We are in the home stretch! I made a trip to Costco on Day 23 and spent $49 on a a block of cheese, spiral sliced ham, and 10 lbs of chicken breast. I baked the ham and froze what we didn't eat this week in meal-sized portions.

I went to the grocery store on Day 27 and spent $29. That's $78 for the week and $393 for the month. Below is a list of what we ate this week:

Day 22 

Breakfast: Bacon and cantaloupe

Lunch: Hot dogs and chips

Dinner: Sausage, peas, and potatoes au gratin

Day 23

Breakfast: Bananas, yogurt

Lunch: Turkey sandwich on Rudi's GF bread and cantaloupe

Dinner: Leftover sausage, peas, and potatoes au gratin

Day 24 

Breakfast: Yogurt and cereal

Lunch: Turkey sandwich and cherries

Dinner: Ham and hash brown casserole

Day 25 

Breakfast: Cherries and cereal

Lunch: Leftover ham and hash brown casserole

Dinner: Gluten free lasagna*

Day 26 

Breakfast: Yogurt and cherries

Lunch: Leftover hash brown casserole and hot dogs

Dinner: Leftover gluten free lasagna

Day 27 

Breakfast: Pears and cereal

Lunch: Leftover gluten free lasagna

Dinner: Pork chops primavera

Day 28 

Breakfast: Peaches and cereal

Lunch: Leftover pork chops primavera

Dinner: Shepherd's pie

*Whenever possible, I double my recipes and freeze the extra. These foods were already cooked and in my freezer. 

In case you missed my post about challenging myself to not eat out for a month, you can read it here.

Week one is here. 

Week two is here.

Week three is here.

What's new with Microwave Girl

It seems that this blog has been focusing mostly on food lately, and not so much on Microwave Girl updates. It makes the Microwave Girl name seem even sillier because I don't use the microwave at all for cooking (unless I'm melting chocolate).

Lunch Box Notes

Rest assured, I have some projects in the works. I will have a booth at several upcoming festivals in the Atlanta area including the East Atlanta Strut, and Marist School's Holiday Traditions. Right now I am working on printing more Lunch Box Notes, which sold out at the summer Indie Craft Experience before I even had a chance to list any in my Etsy store. I have a few new designs I'm tweaking, and the Olive Juice cards will be printed soon!

Olive Juice- with a slightly updated design

30 Day of Eating In: Week Three

I went grocery shopping on Day 18 and spent $82, that makes $315 for the month so far. I'm finding it hard to reduce our grocery bill much lower. My goal is to get under $400 for the month, and I'm not sure if we are going to make it. I ran out of chicken, pork chops, and ham a the same time so I need to restock my freezer next week. I did splurge on some tuna steak this week though. I haven't had tuna steak in two years, and it seemed like a much tastier idea than the salmon I was planning on buying.

To save money, I plan my meals around the what is on sale, and I clip all of the coupons that I can. Honestly though, there aren't that many that I can use since I'm on a gluten free diet. 

Day 15 

Breakfast: Gluten free pancakes 

Lunch: Pimento cheese sandwich (on Rudi's GF bread)

Dinner: Pork chops with feta and roasted potatoes

Day 16

Breakfast: Yogurt 

Lunch: Turkey sandwich (on Rudi's GF bread)

Dinner: Leftover chicken tostadas

Day 17 

Breakfast: Yogurt

Lunch: Leftover chicken tostadas

Dinner: Quiche

Snack: Stuffed mushrooms

Day 18 

Breakfast: Yogurt

Lunch: Leftover quiche, bananas

Dinner: Chicken nuggets, corn on the cob

Day 19 

Breakfast: Bananas

Lunch: Leftover chicken nuggets

Dinner: Tuna steak, salad

Day 20 

Breakfast: Yogurt and cereal

Lunch: Pimento cheese sandwich on Rudi's GF bread

Dinner: Turkey jambalaya

Day 21 

Breakfast: Yogurt, banananas, cherries

Lunch: leftover turkey jambalaya

Dinner: Pork chops, baked beans*, cantaloupe

*Whenever possible, I double my recipes and freeze the extra. These foods were already cooked and in my freezer. 

In case you missed my post about challenging myself to not eat out for a month, you can read it here.

Week one is here. 

Week two is here.

Gluten Free Quiche

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Bread crumbs, filling, and cheese

30 Days of Eating In: Week Two

I went to the grocery store on Day 11 this week and spent $88, which is at least better than last week. So far I am up to $233 for the month.

Below is a list of what I cooked this week. If you decide to try the cornbread recipe (which is very good, by the way) keep in mind that gluten free baked goods spoil very quickly. If you want the leftovers, store them in the freezer. I made the mushroom stroganoff with gluten free flour and Sam Mills spaghetti, which is by far the least expensive pasta I have been able to find locally. We tried it with spaghetti sauce and the flavor combination was a little off, but it worked perfectly with the stroganoff.


Day 8 

Breakfast: Bananas and yogurt 

Lunch: Leftover fajita-ranch chicken wraps

Dinner: Chicken kabobs and rice

Snack: Cashews

Day 9

Breakfast: Banana, gluten free bagel (Udi's, and they are just OK, not really worth it)

Lunch: Leftover chicken kabobs and rice

Dinner: Leftover pork tenderloin and asparagus

Snack: Fruit salad

Day 10 

Breakfast: Fruit salad, cereal

Lunch: Pimento cheese sandwich (on Rudi's GF bread), diced apples

Dinner: Tacos*

Day 11 

Breakfast: Gluten Free Banana bread*

Lunch: Hot dogs, fruit salad

Dinner: Grilled chicken, gluten free macaroni and cheese, salad
Snack: String cheese

Day 12 

Breakfast: Yogurt and bananas

Lunch: leftover chicken and macaroni and cheese

Dinner: Mushroom stroganoff

Day 13 

Breakfast: Gluten free pancakes

Lunch: Leftover mushroom stroganoff and asparagus

Dinner: Flat iron steak with BBQ beans and gluten free cornbread*

Day 14 

Breakfast: Yogurt

Lunch: Hot dogs 

Dinner: Chicken tostadas and cheese dip

*Whenever possible, I double my recipes and freeze the extra. These foods were already cooked and in my freezer. 

In case you missed my post about challenging myself to not eat out for a month, you can read it here, and my progress in week one is here.