Monday, February 27, 2012

30 Day Challenge: Week 1 is DONE!


We’ve had a couple of dilemmas this week, but so far, the first week of the 30 Day No Restaurant Challenge has gone fairly smooth. The first dilemma was the filet-o-fish crisis, which we solved with some awesome fish sandwiches at home this past Sunday. The other was on Friday. What happens when a family member offers to pay for dinner? We spent Friday early evening with my boyfriend’s brother-in-law and niece at the mall. The brother-in-law asks if we’d like to grab something to eat in the food court while we are there. *DILEMMA* What do we do?? Well, we told him about our challenge and that the point of said challenge is to not spend any money eating out so we can not only save money but prove that we can make some pretty awesome food at home. The brother-in-law offers to pay so we won’t break our challenge. Needless to say, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I called my mom. Mom is the key to a great many decisions I make, as she is wiser one than I. She said, and so did my dad, “Well, if the whole point is to save money, and you aren’t paying for it, I don’t see a problem with it.”

I wasn’t very hungry to begin with, so I declined anything but an Orange Julius, which I love and haven’t had in a long time, and the boyfriend enjoyed a nice fast food dinner with his brother-in-law. We decided that spending time with our families is more important that refusing just because I am writing this blog. In the end, I didn’t end up spending any money and neither did the boyfriend, which is the whole point in the first place. Family is more important than anything in the world to us.

We didn’t end up having a traditional date night this weekend, but I’m finding myself satisfied with the weekend I had being with the boyfriend.  I also spent some time with the boyfriend’s sister and sister-in-law on Sunday, so that ended up being the thing I looked forward to this weekend.

Other than the filet-o-fish and family food court dilemmas, this has been a great week. We’ve made some really great meals at home from things we already had in the pantry and went grocery shopping yesterday for some extra fruits, veggies, meats and other things to supplement our pantry. Below, I’ve put our menu for the past week. I’ve learned that having a menu planned for the week, even if you decide to switch days around or have leftovers one night instead of cooking, makes for a much easier meal cooking experience. You aren’t worrying about what to make or asking each other and saying “I don’t know.” There’s a decently set plan, which keeps the “I don’t know” from turning into a “Let’s go to Taco Bell.”


Our menu for the past week:

Sunday 2/19: Filet Mignon wrapped in Bacon, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli

Monday 2/20: Cheez It Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli 

 Tuesday 2/21: Red Beans & Rice (In Honor of Mardi Gras!)

Wednesday 2/22: Pierogies with Butter & Onion Sauce, Broccoli

Thursday 2/23: Leftovers

Friday 2/24: The Boyfriend’s Meal was a food court meal paid for by his brother-in-law. I ate a small snack when we got home since I wasn’t all that hungry to begin with.

Saturday 2/25: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce & Texas Toast Garlic Bread

Sunday 2/26: Fish Sandwiches, Baked Potatoes

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