April Meal Planning - Week 1 Review and Week 2

Turkey and Vegetable Soup

Here's how the first week of April worked out:

Monday:
Brunch: Waffles with bacon and blueberry compote (made with homegrown frozen blueberries)
Dinner: Hamburgers and fries from a fast food place

Tuesday (April 1):
Brunch: Milkrice, seeni sambol, lunu minis, jaggery
Dinner: Leftover pasta, chicken, sauteed green beans; bananas for dessert

Wednesday:
Brunch: Leftover waffles with canned mackerel curry
Dinner: Rice, chicken curry, cucumber salad, beetroots boiled and sliced; mango for dessert

Thursday:
Daughter left home, after what was supposed to have been a week long visit turned into just over 5 months!  Her friend's parents, who took them to the airport, brought me a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, filled with a variety of meats and marinated vegetables (which came in a separate package; at first, I thought it was a type of spring roll!).  It was a foot long and I feasted on it all day!

Brunch: Half of the banh mi sandwich
Dinner: The other half of the sandwich

Friday:
Breakfast: A waffle
Lunch: Leftover fried rice and a side salad
Dinner: "Breakfast for Dinner" - scrambled egg, bacon, fried potatoes

Saturday:
Brunch: A waffle with mackerel curry
Dinner 1: Peanut butter toast with "no waste" peach jam (made with the skins and bruised bits of peaches that I had removed when I made the peach jam meant for gift giving)

Sunday:
Brunch: The last waffle with chicken curry; banana
Dinner: Turkey and vegetable soup (packet of turkey bits and pieces from the freezer, onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, homegrown red stemmed celery, the last bit of a bag of edamame, and a few slices of homegrown okra to thicken the soup a bit, all from the freezer, a can of sliced carrots (drained), a tablespoon or so of chicken bouillon powder, a bit of garlic powder, a handful of black pepper corns, and a freshly picked red chili from the garden).  Canned fruit cocktail for dessert

I think I did fine with April Week 1 meal planning. 

April Week 2 Meal Plan

The plan is to eat mostly from the pantry and freezer in order to stretch the approximately $53 left in the April grocery budget.  I have no intention of depleting the pantry or the freezer, but, there are some items that need to be used up ("best by" dates have come and gone!)

I haven't done a full inventory update of my freezer, yet, but, I did check the bin where I keep most of the meat and I have three chicken breast halves with ribs, one smoked sausage, two packets of bacon (12 oz. each), one piece of ham/ham steak (leftover from Thanksgiving), and a package of roast turkey breast, also leftover from Thanksgiving.  There is another package of turkey bones on another shelf, I believe, which I will keep for another batch of soup, later.  I think I have plenty of meat to last me the month, but, I will want to stock up on some chicken when it goes on sale, next, and it would be nice to have some beef or pork for variety.  And, if ham goes on sale for Easter, I would like to buy one to freeze.  

So, here's the plan for this week:

Brunches: Tuna salad sandwiches, scrambled egg, toast or fried potato, and bacon; leftover soup; peanut butter toast; muffins?

Dinners: Rice and curries; turkey and vegetable soup; grilled cheese sandwich; fried rice; leftovers

At least, that is the plan.  

As always, I am grateful for having a variety of food to eat and plenty of it.  

Are you doing a meal plan this week?

Productive Weekend

 

Phacelia 

The self seeded phacelia plants, are coming up all over the garden and some are starting to flower.  The pollinators love them and I like the pretty foliage and the lavender colored flowers.  I have discovered, however, that I develop a temporary itchy rash if I accidentally brush against the hairy stems of this plant.  M doesn't seem to get the same reaction.

We've had a warm weekend with the daytime highs of 80F and 81F.  I am loving the warmer weather.

I've been washing the quilts and blankets that were on daughter's bed ever since she left and putting them up on the top shelf of the linen closet until needed.  I also took the opportunity to sort through and tidy the shelf with all the towels after I washed the towels she used and put things back.  

On Saturday, I washed daughter's bed sheets and pillow cases; scrubbed the toilets, ordered and picked up groceries, and picked up one of my medication refills.  Later, I cooked the cabbage I had picked from the garden and I texted M to stop by on his way home from work, to pick up a portion of the cooked cabbage so he could try it.  Actually, I packed a meal for him - rice, chicken curry, the sauteed curried cabbage, and cucumber salad.  He was surprised that I had packed a full meal and texted me later to say that it was delicious.  He brought me a packet of cucumber seeds because I want to try growing cucumbers, this year.  

On Sunday, I decided to change my routine a bit and cleaned the kitchen.  I've mentioned before that I struggle to keep the kitchen counters cleared.  Well, things had got piled up until I felt overwhelmed by it.  So, I started to clean the kitchen, doing baby steps - empty the dishwasher, empty the dish drainer, scrub the dish drainer and that half of the kitchen sink, rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher, scrub that half of the kitchen sink, clear the counters and wipe them down, wipe down the lower cabinet door fronts, wipe out the microwave and the toaster, wipe down the stove top and under the stove burners on one side (the other side will be done another time), wipe down the fridge and freezer door handles, clean out the crisper drawer in the fridge and reline it with a new kitchen towel, and run the dishwasher.  

I worked in short periods of time of about 15 minutes each and took plenty of breaks as I didn't want to get too tired or have my hands cramp.  In between cleaning, I paid bills, watched some videos, made a pot of turkey and vegetable soup. and took the opportunity to inventory the freezer bin where I keep most of the meat and the top shelf of the freezer (I was looking for some frozen vegetables to add to the soup).  

The kitchen cleaning is not completed (still need to scrub under the burners on the other side, sweep and mop the floor, and clean out the rest of the fridge), but, I was happy with what I managed to accomplish.  

This weekend, I was grateful for:

- The lovely warm weather
- Phone calls, emails, and texts from family and friends
- M bringing me cucumber seeds
- Working appliances
- What I was able to accomplish in terms of house cleaning, etc.

The weekend's joyful activities included being able to provide a meal for M.

Plans for Monday include going to the library to return (and maybe re-borrow) a book, finish cleaning the kitchen, take the trash cans to the curb, and water the garden.  

How was your weekend?  What are your plans for Monday?

April Grocery Shopping - Part 1

I put in an order of groceries on Saturday and picked up the items in the afternoon.  This was more of a stock up grocery shopping order, partly because I like to stock up on various things on a quarterly basis (although I don't buy the same things each quarter).

Flour was on sale for $2.99 for 5 lbs., which was $0.20 cheaper than the regular price - not much of a sale, but, as I mentioned to one of my friends, 20 cents saved is 20 cents gained!  I bought two packages of flour. 

I also thought that it would be prudent to stock up on another bag of rice as I had recently opened a bag I had in the pantry.  Rice is a staple in my house and we go through quite a bit of it.  I usually buy regular, long grain white rice, and the package doesn't state a country of origin, but, I thought I will stock up on it before any price increases go into effect.  

In addition, I wanted to get some sugar and vinegar in preparation for making jam and chutney when the peaches ripen this summer (I will get the other items needed for chutney making, such as chili powder, mustard, ginger and garlic) over the next few months.

I also took advantage of a sale on soda and, since canned tuna was still priced at $1 per can, I stocked up on that, too.

I bought:

Order Summary

Original Item Total$76.01

Item Coupons/Sales-$22.30

Fulfillment Fee+$0.00

Sales Tax+$1.36

Order Total$55.07

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Item Details

25 Items

7UP Lemon Lime Caffeine-Free Soda Bottles, 6 pk / 16.9 fl oz$6.98

2 x $3.49 $6.99 each

Coca-Cola Classic Soda Bottles, 6 pk / 16.9 fl oz$6.98

2 x $3.49 $6.99 each

CA Redem Val$1.20

4 x $0.30 each

Chicken of the Sea Chunk Light Tuna In Water, 5 oz$10.00

10 x $1.00 $1.79 each

Cucumber, 1 ct$0.99

1 x $0.99 each

Fresh Banana - Single, 1 ea$1.61

2.34 lbs x $0.68 each (approx.)

Kroger® Distilled White Vinegar, 1 gal$4.49

1 x $4.49 each

Kroger® Long Grain Rice, 10 lb$7.49

1 x $7.49 each

Kroger® Unbleached All Purpose Enriched Flour, 5 lb$5.98

2 x $2.99 $3.19 each

Smart Way™ Granulated Sugar, 10 lb$7.99

1 x $7.99 each

My total came to $55.07

My April budget is $100 + $8.54 carried over from March = $108.54

Yes, I went back to $100 per month because my daughter left home on Thursday.  So, it's back to feeding one person for $100 per month.  I did debate keeping the budget at $200 in April to have some extra money to stock up, but, decided not to.  I might live to regret that decision, especially since I've already spent over half of the monthly budget during this first week!  

The question is, can I feed myself on the balance $53.47 left in the grocery budget for the rest of April and still eat some fairly well balanced meals?  What do you think?

My Cabbage Harvest

 

My First Cabbage - Picked April 4, 2025

I had managed to root the stem of a store bought cabbage and had planted it in the garden. 

Cabbage Plant - October 26, 2024

 It grew two small cabbages, although the leaves never formed a tight head of cabbage. 

January 24, 2025

I kept putting off cutting them, first waiting for the leaves to grow bigger and later, waiting to see if they would form a head of cabbage.

February 25, 2025

They continued to grow, although not very big.  

March 31, 2025

I loved how they looked, but, when I took this picture at the end of March, I realized that they were starting to bolt!  M insisted on harvesting at least one of them, so, on Friday, when he was here to tend to the garden, I let him do the honors!  I will cook it this weekend and I told him I'll save a little of it for him to taste.  The bolting might cause the leaves to be bitter, but, I'm hoping that they won't be too bitter.

I am grateful for:

- Cabbages from my garden
- M's help with the garden
- M's gift of a packet of corn kernels to plant this year
- Being able to grow vegetables in my garden
- Being able to garden year-round

Today's joyful activity was harvesting the cabbage!  

March Week 4 Meal Plan Review and April Meal Plan Week 1

Smoked Sausage Stir Fry

Here's what the March Week 4 meal plan looked like:

Brunches/Lunches: 

Peanut butter on toast (or bread)✔
Waffles/Pancakes
Tuna salad sandwiches
Salads
Leftovers from dinners✔ 
Ramen noodles

Dinners:
Leftover meatball curry with rice, cashew curry, and green beans, cucumber salad✔
Smoked sausage and vegetables stir fry with rice✔
Boxed mac & cheese with tuna/tuna "casserole", broccoli (on the 2nd day)✔
Sauteed chicken with potato wedges and broccoli boxed pasta and sauteed green beans
Leftovers✔
Pork chops, baked sweet potatoes, green peas, leftover broccoli

Snacks: Fresh fruit, granola bars, cereal, crackers, etc.

And here's how that turned out:

Monday:
Brunch:  Peanut butter toast
Dinner:  Leftover rice, meatball curry, cashew curry, cucumber salad

Tuesday:
Brunch:  Peanut butter toast, again
Dinner:  Boxed macaroni and cheese with tuna; an apple for dessert

Wednesday:
Brunch: Scrambled eggs, hashed browns, bacon 
Dinner:  Leftover mac and cheese with tuna and broccoli; ice cream for dessert

Thursday:
Brunch:  Ramen noodles
Dinner:  Smoked sausage stir fry over rice

Friday:
Brunch: Plain toast (me); leftover stir fry (daughter)
Dinner: Pork chops, baked sweet potato, green peas, leftover broccoli 

Saturday:
Brunch:  Frozen pizza from the grocery store
Dinner:  Pork fried rice

Sunday:
Brunch: Leftover pizza
Dinner: Sauteed chicken thighs, boxed herbed angel hair pasta, sauteed green beans

Pork Fried Rice

And that is how the March Week 4 meal plan worked out.

I'm late posting a meal plan for this current week, which I am calling April Week 1.

But, here's how the first half of the week turned out:

Monday:
Brunch: Waffles with bacon and blueberry compote (made with homegrown frozen blueberries)
Dinner: Hamburgers and fries from a fast food place

Tuesday (April 1):
Brunch: Milkrice, seeni sambol, lunu minis, jaggery
Dinner: Leftover pasta, chicken, sauteed green beans; bananas for dessert

Wednesday:
Brunch: Leftover waffles with canned mackerel curry
Dinner: Rice, chicken curry, cucumber salad, beetroots boiled and sliced; mango for dessert

Thursday - Sunday:

Brunches: Leftover waffles, Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, tuna salad sandwiches, etc.

Dinners: Leftover rice and curries, waffles and curries, turkey and vegetable soup, "breakfast for dinner", or something else!  

As always, I am grateful for having a variety of food to eat and plenty of it.  

Did you do a meal plan this week?

Starting April

The Neptune Rose 

Happy April, everyone!  I opened the drapes this morning to be greeted by the sight of my Neptune rose in bloom!  On March 31, it was still a bud and just a day later, it was in bloom!  It does look more mauve than pink, now!  It has a very light spicy fragrance, but, my sense of smell isn't the best; I wouldn't be surprised if the fragrance is stronger than I can detect.  This rose plant was a gift from my gardener friend M to me for my birthday, last year. 

March ended on a very happy note for me as I was able to pay a visit to the temple with my daughter.  I had called the monks, earlier in the afternoon, to ask if the monks would be available if we visited around 6:00 p.m. and was assured that they would be.  We were the only ones at the temple and the monks held a small service for us and chanted blessings.  Afterwards, they tied the blessed thread that was made from the different colored threads we had donated, last year.  I took the opportunity to donate a book on Buddhism that my mother had bought for me to the temple as it is an English translation of an important Buddhist text and I thought it might be useful for the monks.  I also made a monetary donation in memory of my late father, whose birthday was at the end of March.  It has been a while since I last went to the temple, so, I felt very happy that I was able to do so.

Today, April 1, I made my usual milkrice for brunch and picked fresh flowers from the garden to offer at the altar.  Then, I brought in a package that had arrived for my friend R, brought in the emptied trash cans, and, replied to blog comments. 

In the afternoon, I took my daughter to her appointment with the physical therapist.  We almost met with an accident as I made the left turn into the parking lot!  I had to cross three lanes of traffic to turn into the parking lot, mid-block, and here was a lot of traffic waiting for the light to change.  Two lanes of cars gave me space to turn, but, another vehicle came up at a speed on the third lane and didn't slow down.  It would have crashed into my car had I not been extremely cautious when crossing that third lane.  I was just starting to go into the third lane and was able to brake very quickly!  This is why I always say a prayer when I get into the car to drive anywhere! 

Daughter's appointment went very well.  The PT is pleased with her progress and has given her advanced exercises to do.  Daughter had taken some time off from work to attend the PT appointment and after we got back, she went back to work.  

Later, we had a cup of tea and watched the news and a video.  

Today, on the first day of April, I am grateful for:

- The start of a new month; it always feels like a new beginning to me
- A lovely, sunny day after several cloudy, overcast days
- The Neptune rose flowering for the first time
- Daughter's PT appointment went well and her foot is improving
- We had a safe drive to the clinic and back

Today's joyful activities included admiring the new rose, chatting on the phone with friend R, and spending time with my daughter.

Plans for tomorrow include tending to the garden with M.  I sent him a picture of the rose, but, he'll be able to see it in person tomorrow. 

How was your first day of April?  Did you do an April Fool's Day prank on anyone?

The Back Garden in March

 

The Back Garden in March

The back garden at the end of March is showing some changes as we start Spring.  

The Sparaxis or Harlequin flowers are coming to the end of their flowering season:

The Sparaxis flowers are coming to an end

But, the citrus trees are coming into flower:

Orange Flower Buds

Lemon Flowers

Some of the other fruit trees are flowering, too:

Plum Tree

Nectarine Tree

Asian Pear Tree

Meanwhile, the apple seedling (grown from an apple seed) has not flowered, yet, but, it is starting to leaf out:

Apple Seedling

I've no idea if it will ever flower and bear fruit, but, I am letting it grow to see what happens.

Other plants that are flowering include:

Crocosmia

One of the Succulents

Close Up of the Succulent Flowers

Which went from looking like this in early March :

In Early March (March 2)

To this by the end of March:

Close Up of the Succulent Flowers (3/31)

California Poppies

In case you are thinking I've a lot of orange colored flowers in the garden, we have:

Neptune Rose Bud

The flower is supposed to be mauve when it fully opens, but the bud looks like dark pink to me!

And there are the yellow flowers on the Early Girl Tomato plant:

Early Girl Tomato Plant

Currently, the Early Girl tomato plant is the only vegetable I've planted in the garden, this year.  The self-sown Berkeley Tie Dye tomato plant is still alive, too, and has some flowers, but, I didn't photograph it.

Here is the curry leaf tree that I had M prune all the way back, in January:

Curry Leaf Tree

It doesn't look very promising, does it?  But, if you look very closely at one of the branches, you might see the very beginnings of new growth:

New Growth on the Curry Leaf Tree

The peach tree has finished flowering and has set fruit:

The Peach Tree in March

M has already thinned out at least one third of the baby peaches:

Baby Peaches

The blueberry bushes have also finished flowering and have started to develop berries:

Blueberry Bushes

And finally, the "rockery" which seems to be changing from week to week:

The Rockery - View 1

The Rockery - View 2

The nasturtium plant's leaves have all withered, but, it is still flowering!  The round basin-like planter has a chive plant growing in it.  The rooted cabbage stem has produced two cabbages (although they haven't actually formed a head of cabbage).  Obviously, I have not harvested them, partly because I think they make very attractive plants.  There are sparaxis flowers growing here, too, and this little white flowered plant:

White Flowered Plant

It's a bulb that M planted, but, he doesn't know the name of the plant.  The flowers remind me of miniature agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) but, the leaves of the plant aren't as broad as agapanthus leaves.  I wonder if it is a type of scilla, but, I don't know.  Whatever it is, I really like the little white flowers.

Next to the white flowers and one of the sparaxis/Harlequin flowers, we have the pink flowers of the kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos) plant:

Pink Kangaroo Paws (Anigozanthos) Plant

I hope you enjoyed your visit to the back garden in March.  I love strolling around the garden, almost daily, and checking on the plants and seeing what is growing and observing the small changes.  

As always, I am grateful for:

- Having a garden
- M's help with the garden
- Water for the garden
- Being able to garden year round
- Pollinators

What are your spring gardening plans?

Thriving in March

California Poppy

I am continuing with my new way of seeing how I thrived in my life for March, too.

Spiritual:

As usual, I started off March with milkrice for breakfast on the first of the month and making an offering at the altar.  I am reading a book on spiritual wisdom gathered from five world religions and I have just finished a chapter where the author discusses the differences between religion and spirituality.  I found that to be very interesting.  I'm including my reading of this book as part of my spiritual enrichment.  In addition, I spoke with the monks at the temple and, throughout the month, I kept my spiritual side thriving with daily prayers, meditation, and doing my best to live my life according to the teachings of my religion.  

Daughter:

My daughter was home with me all of March, too.  We celebrated her birthday at the beginning of the month with a lovely meal and some very delicious desserts; I feel blessed that I have been able to watch her grow to be the young woman she has become.  Her foot is improving and now, she is able to walk for several minutes at a time, wearing an ankle brace instead of her walking boot.  We have been going for short walks up and down the driveway, together.  I am happy to say that our relationship is thriving.  

Health & Well Being:

As always, there is much room for improvement in this area of my life.  I had some problems with getting authorization for the referral to a specialist that I am still waiting to be resolved and there was another issue with billing for my mammogram from last year, but, I am hoping that the issues with insurance will be resolved in the next few weeks.  In the meantime, I am focusing on the positives and doing what I can to thrive, including taking my medications, keeping hydrated, getting enough sleep, some exercise, better diet, etc.  I did lose a little weight in March, so, I am pleased about that. 

Family, Friends, & Community:

I kept in touch with family and friends by phone (mostly), emails, texts, etc.  The month started off with a visit from K (late neighbor T's daughter) who brought me a copy of the order of service from T's Celebration of Life, along with flowers and some candy.  Before she left, she asked me to keep in touch, so, I made it a point to call her later in the month and we had a long chat.  There were several family birthdays, besides daughter's, this month, so there were several phone calls with family members as well as with friends and neighbors.  And I participated in the blogging community.  I'm pleased with the amount of interaction with my family, friends, and community, in March.  I am aware that this area of my life could do with more in person social interaction, but, for now,  feel that this area of my life is thriving.

Finances:

Financial management in March included filing my taxes and doing some transactions with my credit union.  Bills were paid as usual and I allowed myself to splurge a bit when it came to celebrating daughter's birthday and buying some craft supplies and fabric.  I was able to stay within my grocery budget in March, which was very nice.  On reviewing my March grocery spending, however, I realized that I was able to keep to the budget I had set only because I went over budget in January and February when I stocked up on meat.  I will definitely have to rethink my grocery budget in the future.  For the most part, however, I feel that I have done well managing my finances in March.  

Time Management:

Yet another area in my life with room for improvement!  I do tend to procrastinate doing various things!  But, important things such as filing taxes, paying bills, keeping appointments, etc., were done on time.

Leisure/Hobbies/Crafting:

This month's leisure/hobbies/crafting activities included reading (I've borrowed two books from the library), knitting a pair of socks for myself (and mending several others), sewing (including the skirt I sewed for my daughter), gardening, water color painting and making a birthday card, watching numeral videos online, and fabric shopping.  I feel that I thrived in this area of my life. 

House:

I am committed to making my home a place where my daughter and I can thrive.  I meant to focus on spring cleaning in March, but, I am afraid I might have procrastinated doing that!  However, I am thankful to have a home that is comfortable and pleasant.  Deep cleaning will be something to look forward to in April!  

Garden:

The garden has done well in March and is definitely showing signs that spring has arrived.  The first rose and the first California poppy have flowered, the fruit trees are flowering, too, and I've planted the first tomato plant.  I bought a few packets of seeds, too, for the garden, but, we are waiting until it warms up a little more to plant them.  

All in all, the month of March has been good and conducive to thriving.  Everything is not quite how I would like it to be, but, I am focused on the positives, making the best of things, and thriving to the extent that I can.

There's another day left in this month, but, I am going to go ahead and post this today as I want to do the back garden post, tomorrow. 

How was your March?   Were you able to attain some of the goals you had made for the month?

March Grocery Shopping Part 5

Today (Saturday), I ordered and picked up groceries; the last grocery shopping trip for March. 

I didn't take a picture of the items I bought, but, here's the receipt:

Order Summary

Original Item Total$45.04

Item Coupons/Sales-$11.24

Fulfillment Fee+$0.00

Sales Tax$0.00

Order Total$33.80

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Item Details

17 Items

Freschetta Pepperoni Naturally Rising Crust Frozen Pizza, 27.35 oz$3.99

1 x $3.99 $7.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$3.00

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.00

Fresh Banana - Single, 1 ea (4 bananas)$0.78

1.13 lbs x $0.69 each (approx.)

Fresh Large Bartlett Pear - Each, large/ 1 count (2 pears)$3.38

1.13 lbs x $2.99 each (approx.)

Jimmy Dean Hickory Smoked Premium Bacon, 12 oz$3.99

1 x $3.99 $7.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$3.00

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.00

Kroger® Half & Half, 1 pt$2.69

1 x $2.69 each

Kroger® Traditional Favorites Frozen Peas Green, 12 oz$1.50

1 x $1.50 each

Kroger® White Sandwich Bread, 20 oz$1.99

1 x $1.99 each

Kroger® Wild Caught Chunk Light Tuna in Water, 5 oz$6.00

6 x $1.00 $1.29 each

Large Mangos, 1 ct$3.00

2 x $1.50 $2.00 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50

Nesquik® Chocolate Powder Drink Mix Canister, 14.1 oz$3.49

1 x $3.49 $3.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50

Ralphs® Vitamin D Whole Milk Half Gallon, 1/2 gal$2.99

1 x $2.99 each

My total came to $33.80

I had $42.34 left in my March grocery budget and I made sure that I spent under that amount when ordering today's groceries because I didn't want to go over budget this month!

March Grocery budget = $200

Spent to date =  $51.70 + $47.92 + $31.71 + $18.34 + $7.99 + $33.80 = $191.46

Balance left in the March Grocery Budget = $200 - $191.46 = $8.54

I don't see myself buying anymore groceries in the next couple of days, so that $8.54 will be carried over to April.  I am feeling pleased with myself for staying under budget, this month.

I baked the pizza after I came home and we had that for a late lunch, followed by one of the mangos.  

How are you coming along with your grocery spending this month?  Were you able to stay within budget?