I’m Not Hungry Anymore

Shout-out to everyone who participated in the economic blackout on Friday! It wasn’t too much of a hardship for me. I just checked that I had gas the night before. After that it was a typical no-spend day. We did get pizza from a local pizzeria for dinner, paying cash, which was allowed. I hope the event got people thinking about spending less in general.

So happy that it’s March. I started some onion seeds this week and they have sprouted, and so has one potato. I’ve got one grow light set up for them. Tomato seeds are currently about to germinate. I washed more cups and trays and I’ll start more things today.  I was looking at a reel I made of my garden totals for 2023. More than 120 tomatoes, 80-some carrots, and so much more… I would love to achieve that again. It was inspiring to watch it. Sometimes I need a little kick to get going, because it definitely is a lot of work and it seems impossible in February that it will ever be warm. So that helped.

This week’s meals were not spectacular. After one, Tom asked me what I thought of it. Said I, “Well, at least I’m not hungry anymore.” We cracked up and that became our line of the week.

Monday: Chicken fettuccine Alfredo. Tom threw this together with jarred sauce and Perdue shortcuts chicken. Serviceable, but a good reminder why we stay away from both of those things. Especially shelf-stable Alfredo – yuck.

Tuesday: Mexican meatloaf stuffed with cheese and served with lightly spicy cornbread. This was my “let’s try something new” night. I didn’t think it was too bad but the others did not like it and the leftovers went untouched.

Wednesday: Frozen pizza. See above – we just aren’t big on the processed food anymore.

Thursday: A mix of some chicken parm (but with provolone cheese), spaghetti, and gnocchi, with gravy from the freezer. And pizza rolls. This was actually good.

Friday: More pizza, and wings (local pizzeria).

Saturday: Turkey sandwiches for Tom and me (the kids were out).

My lunches were better: leftover roast chicken on toast with mayo and avocado, and the same chicken with roasted cauliflower, chickpeas and tzatziki sauce; also, tuna and crackers. Supplemented with fruit and yogurt. The chickpeas had just expired; the can had languished in the pantry for years. Yesterday I roasted carrots to eat with the tzatziki as part of lunch. Yummy. I do miss getting lunch at Cava in the city, but I’m halfway to recreating it with these veggies (seasoned with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper).

I took off Tuesday and it was a glorious day. I was so happy to have a day to futz around and do whatever. First off, I blanched and froze broccoli. Still a staple for the kids.

Then I roasted the cauliflower and chickpeas. After that, I took a three-mile walk with a friend. In between I spent a lot of time outside with Rocco and got some small tasks done. I just kept pretending that I didn’t have a job and that this was my everyday. A little disassociation never hurt anybody.

Yesterday (Saturday) was warm and very windy. I was up early thanks to Rocco whining at the top of the stairs, behind the baby gate. Got a lot done: laundry, general cleanup, and started a “no knead” loaf of bread. Basically, replacing the kneading with more time rising. It turned out tasty and with more of a crispy crust. I used half white whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. I’m getting very accustomed to the freshness of home-baked bread! At Tom’s pleading, I ran out to Wawa to get him coffee, which was free with my accumulated points.

Do you like my sunglasses? One of the arms is literally held on with staples. I had another pair that I would rotate with these, but Rocco ate them. My shirt is a discard from T. (but who has more right to wear a Nirvana shirt, really?).

After lunch, Tom, T. and I took Rocco to Freedom “Bark” and wore him out.

Later, bought some food at Acme, the easy, not-crowded, but more expensive choice. I tried to buy all sale items.

Today, I must do some smart meal planning so that this week we have some healthy meals with some variety, but still focused on what we have on hand here.

Life is a little boring when you are trying not to spend, but at the same time simpler and more peaceful. There’s fewer decisions to make once you’ve made the overall decision to not spend. When you are indecisive and prone to overthinking, this is a bit of a blessing.

The kids had a busy weekend: N. had two sleepovers; T. worked Friday and Saturday nights; F. went to Saturday school to make up for some absences and then was outside walking around town with a friend nearly all day. Unfortunately she is sick again today. Sickness be gone!