Had in kitchen (leftover from other recipes/cooking staples): Panko breadcrumbs, Italian breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt and pepper, butter, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves, baby carrots, can of corn, chili powder, frozen peas
Bought: 1 box bow tie pasta, 1 jar tomato sauce, 1 can black beans, 1 jar salsa, 1 box Earl Grey tea, 1 carton organic tomato red pepper soup, 1 package chicken breast (with two breasts), 1 package Spinach, 1 avocado, 1 yellow onion, 1 container of cubed pineapple, 1 container of Parmesan cheese, 1 individual plain Greek yogurt cup, 1 container whole-milk ricotta cheese, 1 small ball of fresh mozzarella, 1 round of goat cheese (3.5 oz), 1 loaf of hero bread
Spent: $42.97 ($8.59/day)
Daily Breakfast: Scones (I got some packaged scones with great types of jams and honeys for a Christmas gift, so breakfast was already set for me this week!)
MONDAY
Lunch: Leftover Cauliflower Sausage Skillet from the Weekend
Dinner: Veggie Farafalle with Goat Cheese Medallions
Claire’s Quips: I was doing a new year’s “purge” of my room and found an old magazine with this recipe – so I decided to put it to good use (and then not be a hoarder and throw the old magazine away!). I did really like this meal – it came together fast and was a good (and cheap) combo of vegetables – but my only quip would be to not add the full 1/2 cup of pasta water. Instead, just add a little bit at a time and mix with the rest of ingredients until you have a consistency you like. I added it all together and the whole dish was a little too liquid-y for my taste. The goat cheese medallions were a great addition – really easy but with a great presentation that looked fancier than they were to make. I omitted the dill because I didn’t feel like buying it and it was still great.
TUESDAY
Lunch: Leftover pasta
Dinner: 20-Minute Veggie Burrito Bowl
Comments from Claire: I swear – I actually timed it! See the full recipe here!
WEDNESDAY
Lunch: Burrito bowl
Dinner: Baked Chicken Parm with Sauteed Spinach and Garlic
Comments from Claire: I followed this recipe (though I’ve seen other variations in cast-iron skillets, etc) and while it was in its last 5-10 minutes of baking I sautéed a bunch of spinach with garlic and olive oil. It was easy, indulgent without being too unhealthy, and yummy. That’s a win in my book.
THURSDAY
Lunch: Leftover chicken parm
Dinner: Tomato and Red Pepper Soup with Ricotta Truffle Honey Crostini
Comments from Claire: I had an after-work event and got home semi late, so I made sure to half-cheat with this dinner. I bought an organic red pepper tomato soup that I know I like (I’ve actually mentioned it before on this blog), and heated that through. Then I sliced some baguette/hero bread and popped it in the oven to toast. Along with the different types of honey I received for Christmas, as mentioned above, I got truffle honey, so I was trying to think of a way to use it, and know that cheese crostini topped with honey is one of my favorite indulgences at a restaurant! So I spread the toasted slices with ricotta cheese, topped with salt and pepper, and drizzled with the honey, and ate it with my soup. I really like this dinner because it was a good combination of store bought and homemade, and felt almost like an elevated grilled cheese and tomato soup combo.
FRIDAY
Lunch: Soup + Crostini
Dinner: Out
See you next week! To see what I’m eating in the meantime, follow me on Instagram or Twitter @ClaireLeaden
[…] how I use ingredients from week to week. You’ll recognize a lot of these ingredients from last week’s post, so you can see how I incorporated them into this week’s meals so I had to buy less. I try to […]
LikeLike
Yes! I love bowtie pasta. And the cheese is perfect with anything. Thanks for sharing these recipes. I’ll try one of these out for lunch at work!
LikeLike
Yes, definitely agree! Thanks so much!
LikeLike