Thursday, April 23, 2026

Tuesdays are my new Fashion Files Day so Thursday will be my random day going forward.

Today I thought we would talk food – grocery shopping, meal prepping, cooking, eating, and lots of other random and “deep” thoughts by Amy.

I have been making a dressing that involves apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, and just a smidge of dijon mustard. I add a little minced garlic, and some salt and pepper. I think I do about 1/4 cup of each of the first three items. I have been a little obsessed with this atop spring mix, pumpkin seeds, feta, hardboiled egg, and a piece of salmon or grilled chicken on top sometimes. My inspo was my amazing restaurant salad from a couple of weeks ago.

I love to make my dressings in a Mason jar or a Bonne Maman jam jar and shake it up really well. Tom complimented the dressing so that was good, too!

I made Greek Bowls this week. I made my chicken and Tzatziki sauce in the morning and cut up all my veg in the morning, too.

I sometimes get really lazy when 5:00 rolls around so doing some elements in the am really helps me.

This week I baked up a couple of baking potatoes for meals or to dice and cook and I also did a cookie sheet of sweet potato cubes.

I baked these to take to Mah Jong:

I don’t really have a set grocery day now.

I have so many grocery choices. I have a Kroger within walking distance. I have Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Publix, Fresh Market, and Whole Foods nearby. You name it and we have it. I have tried Walmart and just Walmart Neighborhood Market (just the food part of a Walmart) and Meijer. We also have a place called Paul’s Fruit Market that is fabulous for prepared foods, beautiful fruits and vegetables, gifts (love a foodie gift), and specialty things. We have a healthy store called Rainbow Blossom and I have gone there a few times recently.

I think I will always do a weekly pick up from Kroger since we use so many Kroger brand items, we get our fuel there and receive fuel points, and it’s just so convenient to our house.

I have been avoiding Trader Joe’s because I tend to buy impulse things and snacky things and not really meal things. I tracked all my spending including groceries in February and March. In April, I will just look at grocery and see how I did.

I have a new love….

Whole Foods! It’s in a horrible location – on our busiest street for retail shopping with a mall next to it – but if I go on a weekday morning it’s not bad at all.

I discovered their family meals:

My friend has been using these to take for meal trains. She said one family reported that the salmon, broccoli, sweet potato meal to be their favorite that anyone had brought.

I love their bags. They are great to save and reuse.

I bought one piece of salmon and one piece of chicken at the prepared food counter. They each provided two servings for Tom and I. This was to put on tops of the salad I’ve been making. Now, this isn’t practical for a large family but for the two of us it’s a great option.

I bought fresh pizza dough and made my own pizza. The center was too doughy so I think I should have used less of the dough so it would cook fully.

I love their sourdough bread since I’m a sourdough failure. Anyway, I am enjoying getting some odds and ends there. You pull up your Amazon app on your phone and there is an in store code for Prime members.

I made my own chicken for our Greek bowls using this method I really like. I almost always buy tenders for things like this since they cook up so fast. I pat dry the tenders with paper towels, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and for these I added Greek seasoning. I put them in a pan with some olive oil and cook on one side for maybe 5 minutes, on the other side for another 5, turn off heat and leave on the burner for a few, then move off the burner for a few, then let rest of cutting board and chop. I also include the juices if I’m storing it to use later.

I also bought fresh pita bread at Whole Foods and made my own pita chips. Tom loved them.

I did all this prep in the morning and it really helped me out on a day I had an obligation from 4:15-5:15.

Homemade tazatziki:

I try to take EO on some errands with me. He sits in the way back of my small SUV and can’t jump to the back seat or the front with me. He gets right in the vehicle and is pretty good. When I take him to do a Kroger pick up, the employee puts the groceries up front with me.

Look at that cute little head!

I try to reward him with a walk somewhere new after doing the errand with me.

I picked up this half loaf of Lewis cinnamon roll bread. It’s really good! This would be a great quick breakfast for your school kids.

Someone talked about chocolate Riesen candy on a podcast and it’s been on sale at Kroger. Tom and I are both enjoying these! Have you ever had one? It’s like dark chocolate on the outside and caramel in the middle. They are from Germany.

Final “Deep” Thoughts:

I love eggs and I still do my one egg, some egg white, and some cottage cheese mixture. I microwave it and add it to my chicken breakfast sausage, sweet potato cubes, and avocado many mornings. Sometimes I add a little parmesan or other cheese I have on hand.

Sometimes I make an egg sandwich or something different. I wake up hungry but just have coffee and water for the first hours that I’m awake.

I’m going to try this in lieu of my cottage cheese:

Sounds a little scary!

I try to eat breakfast around 10 and then I have a small lunch around 1. Lately I have been craving a half of a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato on the Whole Foods thinly sliced sourdough. Isn’t that weird? The good ol’ sandwich. We eat dinner around 6:30 and it’s just whatever I feel like. Tom tells me he just wants a meat and two veg and sometimes that’s kind of freeing.

I eat almost all of my meals at home. I rarely use a drive thru. I have been surprised that I haven’t gone out for breakfast or lunch more in my retirement.

I plate every meal even if it’s just me. I take the time to sit down. I don’t eat in my car. This is a luxury that I didn’t always have. I like to read my book while I eat lunch. Bonus points if I can sit outside.

I’m still getting used to cooking for two. We both will eat leftovers and sometimes we have two totally different things for dinner. Sometimes I buy too much – I forget that we will have leftovers or that there are only so many days in a week!

I tried the Whole Foods pick up and it was great!

I don’t do well with an overcrowded freezer or fridge. I can’t see what I have and I get a bit overwhelmed. That’s exactly how I feel about my closet!

Sometimes simple is the best – I have to remind myself of this when I try to make dinner too complicated.

The most expensive food is the food that gets thrown away – just heard this from Debt Free Mom on IG when she said buy a few more luxury food items if it helps you eat up your food at home.

Sometimes buying a little higher quality or more special food items keeps you from the drive thru or from using Door Dash I think.

We all have to learn to do what works for us in our current season. In the words of the great philosophers of our current times – “you do you, boo”.

Anything you want to talk about?

Amy