We left for Arizona to visit my husbands parents on Thursday morning, so my meal planning was cut short. This was our first trip / flight since COVID, and our first attempt at travel with two kids instead of one. The baby also happens to be at a terrible age to fly with. Whenever they can start to move through roughly two years old, travel is… unpredictable. We should be OK, but pray for me?
What We Ate This Week #5
Grocery Shopping = $83.32
My Monday morning Trader Joe’s was a lot lighter than it normally is ($74.65), because we were leaving for Arizona on Thursday morning. And Saturday evening I swung by TJ in Tucson to pick up two bottles of Charles Shaw ($8.67).Dining Out = $176.62
My Monday morning bagel & coffee in prep for a long stretch of errands with the baby ($5.51). Wednesday Panera lunch ($17.77). Lunch at the airport ($21.53). Travel day road-trip burgers ($13.23). Saturday Mexican lunch ($23.58). Date night with my husband ($65 with tip). And like $30 (?) worth of to-go coffees throughout the week (yikes, I know).Monday Lunch
While I cooked dinner and made a batch of carrot-ginger soup, I threw two frozen Trader Joe’s Indian lunches in the oven. Paired with freshly made basmati rice and naan.Monday Dinner
I was able to prep dinner while the baby napped in the morning. We had oven-roasted salmon with rice and stir-fry vegetables. Salmon night always equates to a bath night, mainly because the smell of salmon clings to ever crevice of the baby.Tuesday Lunch
I had last nights salmon stir-fry dinner left overs for lunch, my husband made himself a few sandwiches and carrot-ginger soup.Tuesday Dinner
Chicken breasts with a rosemary-mushroom-cream sauce, roasted broccoli, and mashed potatoes. Everyone loved it. The toddler went crazy for the mushroom sauce. WIN!Wednesday Lunch
I poorly planned out our lunches this week. We’re out of town for a full week and didn’t want any food waste. So we decided to grab Panera take-out for lunch $17.77. I got my usual greek salad and my husband had half a steak sandwich and mac and cheese.Wednesday Dinner
Meatballs and vodka sauce! Everyone loves pasta night.Thursday Lunch
Today was our big travel day to visit my in-laws in Tucson. We opted to fly direct to PHX, rent a car, and drive 2 hours south. And if you’re wondering WTF? why not fly directly to Tucson, it’s because no one will fly direct to Tucson. We’ve tried every way, and this (direct to PHX, rent a car and drive to TUC) seems to work out best. Prior to boarding we ordered two surprisingly delicious buffalo chicken wraps that we split between the four of us. Flight was fine, until we had an emergency landing in Texas due to a passenger’s medical issue (he’s fine!). A 3.5 hour flight turned into 5.5 hour flight, but all is good. The kids were incredible and handled it in stride.Thursday Dinner
It took 45 minutes to install two carseats in our rental car. We hadn’t eaten more than snacks that were hastily thrown in my diaper bag earlier that morning, and it was just a mess. We stopped at an In-N-Out Burger somewhere between Phoenix and Tucson. The toddler and I each had a burger and fries. My husband opted to wait until we got to his parents house to have a home-cooked dinner. The baby had a bottle in the car before passing out.Friday Lunch
We decided to have a picnic at the park today. My husband and FIL picked up sandwiches from Baggins while my MIL and I loaded up both kids, the diaper bag, and a million snacks into the car. I got a roasted turkey with avocado, tomatoes, and sprouts. We fed ducks, pushed the kids in bucket swings, and enjoyed perfect February Arizona weather. In-laws paid for lunch.Friday Dinner
We ordered takeout from one of my favorite Tucson Italian spots, Zona 78. We went family style on chicken parm, meatballs, a goat cheese & beet salad, and Mediterranean penne pasta — so good, and so happy! In-laws paid for dinner.
Saturday Lunch
Our original plan when commuting from Phoenix to Tucson was to swing by our beloved petting zoo / Ostrich ranch (it’s in between PHX and TUC). Because of the travel delay, the ranch ended up being closed, so we decided to drive back up today. On the way back home, we picked up Mexican off the highway. And because of covid precautions, the restaurant was take-out only. So the four of us ate mediocre Mexican on the sidewalk. Which meant everyone was covered in beans, salsa, and shredded cheese.
Saturday Dinner
DATE NIGHT. My husband and I bolted as soon as we got the opportunity. I put the baby to bed, the toddler was distracted by toys, and my husband and I snuck out to grab sushi. It was our first date night out in SIX MONTHS. The sushi was excellent, the company (without kids) was even better. So fun.
Sunday Lunch
We had a huge and late breakfast of eggs, bagels, lox, etc. So after our trip to the Tucson Botanical Garden we had burgers and fries at a local spot. The baby accidentally got his first taste of chili peppers and it didn’t end well. In-laws paid.Sunday Dinner
No one was hungry until like 9pm. And when the time came, everyone threw together whatever was in the fridge. I had leftover Zona 78. It was a lovely and perfect.How did your meal planning go this week?