After an awesome week in DC, we began the weekend with the whole fam back together again (Nick was home from college) and ended the weekend with half the family we started with! (Nick back to college, Colin out of town, etc etc. So, even though I had big plans for this week menu-wise, I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ll have to work pretty hard to finish up the amazing leftovers from Saturday’s feasting: grilled flank steak in a pineapple-teriyaki marinade, cider vinegar kale salad with carrots from the garden, potato soup and butternut curry soup, oh and I can’t forget the boiled potatoes tossed in butter and salt (yum!). So, I’m thinking this week since it’s just the kids and I (until Colin returns from his business trip) that I’ll focus on one big splurge meal this week. Maybe squid, maybe duck. I’m still turning over ideas in my head, but one thing is for sure: it’s going to be decadent and exactly what I want!
With the start of the new month comes the numbers from last month’s spending halt. Again, to remind you, in the month of October we made it a goal to only spend money on the basics (milk, eggs, butter) and instead attempt to use up our stores from the freezers, fridge, and pantry. Wow. It was honestly no where near as challenging as I had thought. In fact, the best part is (drumroll…) we only spent $196!! So, yeah, it was more than my goal of $150, but still pretty awesome to decrease our monthly food bill by 2/3rds.
The food each week was amazing, creative, flavorful and healthy. I truly surprised even myself. We barely made a dent in our food stores to be fair, so I may have to do this again soon. I’ll wait until December, though, because November is such an awesome month to cook in that I can’t hold myself back from all of the amazing squash, pumpkin dishes, pies, tarts, soups and hearty stews & cassoulets. I plan on using a fair amount of fowl this month and even some venison. I am beyond excited to mix things up!
I’ve been harvesting plenty of sweet potatoes, dried beans, dark greens and lettuce, so for sure I’ll use those. I’ll also be making a trip this week to my local farmer’s market to pick up some awesome pumpkins and squash, since they always have a great selection from their farm right down the road from my house, so look for some simple sautes, nice fall salads and soups.
Monday Butternut Squash + Green Curry Soup, Wilted Kale Salad with Chantenay Carrots (all from the garden)
Tuesday Steak Tacos with Homemade Flour Tortillas, Chimichurri Sauce, and Cotija + Baked Ranchero Beans
Wednesday Kale Salade Nicoise with Blanched Haricot Verts, Poached Eggs, Crispy French Potatoes, Fermented Veggies, Roasted Tomatoes, Seared Tuna
Thursday Butternut Squash, Tempeh & Kale Saute with Sweet Glazed Pumpkin and Pepitas
Friday Pet Pha Lo (saw this on one of my favorite shows–recipe here) with Coconut Milk/Cilantro/Lemongrass Soup
Saturday/Sunday Leftovers…there will be a lot!
