I was shopping at a new grocery store this week that had amazing fresh, premade food (homemade on premises), so I decided to make things a little easier on myself with some cheats! I bought mini zucchini muffin pies that I had with sliced kiwi for breakfast, risotto balls that I had for Friday night’s dinner with carrots, and half a rotisserie chicken I used for two different meals.

You’ll see how the premade items made me spend a little more $ than usual this week (especially on a short 4-day week because of President’s Day), but you’ll see how a lot of the ingredients roll over into next week’s meals. It does really show though, that cooking yourself will always save you the most money!

Had in kitchen: Whole wheat bow tie pasta, miso paste, sesame oil, rice vinegar, salt and pepper, vegetable oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, ginger, Parmesan cheese, olive oil

Bought: Pack of whole wheat wraps, 1/2 precooked rotisserie chicken, 1 can chicken broth, 1 bag baby spinach, 1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 avocado, 2 blood oranges, 1 bunch scallions, 1 bunch carrots, mini mozzarella balls, 1 pack basil, 1 box chai tea (just to have in the house), chicken cutlets, 2 pints cherry tomatoes, 1 cucumber, homemade rice balls, homemade zucchini pies, 4 kiwis, tzatziki dip (for snacks)

Spent: $59 ($14.75/day – for 3 meals/day)

Daily Breakfast: Homemade zucchini pies and kiwi

MONDAY – off for President’s Day

TUESDAY

Lunch: Leftovers from Monday

Dinner: Creamy Chicken Quesadilla with Avocado

Claire’s Quips: I saw this recipe while bopping around CookingLight.com and thought it was a nice twist on the normal quesadilla I make for a quick meal. It was definitely tasty and comfort-food-esque, it just was a tad bit bland for me. I may not have put enough hot sauce to be fair, though!

WEDNESDAY

Lunch: Leftover quesadilla with avocado

Dinner: Chicken Miso Salad

Comments from Claire: I was inspired by this salad but changed it up with the ingredients I was already buying. Swapped the cabbage for spinach (that I also used for the quesadilla), swapped tangerines from blood oranges (because I couldn’t find them in the store), added cucumber (just because), and forgot to add the sliced almonds when though I actually already had them in my cabinet. I paired it with this dressing, which I actually found first because I was trying to use up some miso I’ve had in my fridge forever. I actually had all of the ingredients already on hand, I just forgot to buy the chili and lime, but it tasted fine without them.

THURSDAY

Lunch: Salad

Dinner: Tomato, Basil and Chicken Pasta

Comments from Claire: I saw this in the most recent issue of Cooking Light and it sounded so simple and easy I knew I wanted to make it this week. It was definitely simple, fresh and delicious, and I just swapped out the spaghetti for bow tie pasta because I already had half a box in the pantry.

FRIDAY

Lunch: Leftover

Dinner: Rice Balls with side of sliced carrots and cucumbers

See you next week! To see what I’m eating in the meantime, follow me on Instagram or Twitter @ClaireLeaden