A Japan To-Do List

My arrival in Japan will be in the middle of the baiyu or tsuyu, the rainy/monsoon season that occurs every June. The baiyu is humid, wet, hot, and miserable, and the worst time to visit Japan. Toward the end of the month though the rain slows and stops but the temperature turns even hotter and some real humidity sets in. Summer humidity in Japan makes what we experienced in Hawaii or the U.S. east coast mere child’s play. Last year’s summer in Tokyo was the hottest on record, and I’ve already been warned to be prepared to not want to go out all that much as this coming summer is expected to be worse.

Most of my time while I’m in Japan will be spent with my granddaughter and grandson. We’ll have chores to do every day at the house, and we’ll have to walk their dog, but I still plan to go out for a little bit most days, even if just in the neighborhood. K wants to eat noodles with me and go to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant among other activities and we can find those nearby. We’ll do some shopping together as well (Don Quijote, here we come!).

Heat and humidity aside, when Meiling and WenYu arrive for two weeks at the end of June the action will pick up big time. All three of us have been receiving an overflow of Instagram reels about places to eat, shop, and visit in Tokyo, and Meiling has put together a calendar with places we don’t want to skip. We’ll probably be out and about most days, heat and humidity or not, although I will not go along when they head to Tokyo Disney or Nagoya to visit the Studio Ghibli park.

I’ve compiled my own list of things I want to do while I’m there. Some will be done with my granddaughter, others with my daughters, and some on my own:

One of Tokyo’s top fluffy pancake restaurants is just one station away from our son’s home!

• Eat new and old favorites: karaage (fried chicken) and potato salad; konbini (convenience store) egg salad sando and onigiri; everything matcha I can find; fluffy pancakes; a filled crepe; fried pork cutlet (tonkatsu); katsudon (pork cutlet bowl); and a freshly-made creme-filled doughnut.

• Visit the Atsugi base one last time and shop at the commissary.

• Try a different ice cream every evening from 7-11 or other konbini.

• Take Meiling and WenYu to Sunday brunch at the New Sanno Hotel followed by stops at the nearby Sawamura bakery for a loaf of their incredible raisin bread and the National supermarket because it’s there.

• Go shopping on Kappabashi for Japanese dishes and to look at all the cool kitchen stuff

Bags this size are $9 in the U.S. – they’re $1.50 right now in Japan

• Find as many flavors of KitKats as possible.

• Get a box of cookies at Nakayoshi sweets

• Buy A LOT of CookDo, some Kewpie mayonnaise, and a few other sauces to bring home, as well as a big variety of instant noodles for YaYu.

Earl grey iced tea with a swirl of soft serve = so delicious

• Have a refreshing tea float at Tokyu Hands department store.

• Visit the Harajuku minipig cafe with WenYu (who adores pigs).

• Visit a craft store (or two or three) with my artistic daughters.

The Uniqlo flagship store may have 12 floors . . .

• Visit the Ginza Uniqlo flagship store with the girls

. . . but Muji is my favorite

• Visit the Muji flagship store to ooh and aah (and hopefully not buy anything).

• Visit Gotenji Temple (lucky cat temple) and Sangenjaya, where Brett and I lived during our last two visits, with the girls. There are some amazing chocolate cream donuts available from a shop in Sangenjaya we hope to try and I can get Tokyo Rusk there as well.

• Visit Kamakura and the Daibutsu, and stop by the Hato Sabure (bird-shaped butter cookies) flagship store to get “bird cookies” for Brett.

Can I do all this in six weeks, and in the heat and humidity? I don’t know but I am going to try!

Our son’s home is now of the other side of Komazawa Olympic Park. The path around the park is 1.8 miles, perfect for an evening walk with their dog.

This may be my last visit to Japan and heat or no heat, I intend to make the most of it, and make as many memories as I can. I plan to be up early and out in the morning, be at home in the air conditioning in the afternoon, then head over to the Olympic park in the evenings for a walk before calling it a day.

I am so excited!!

Investing in Comfort

When we moved to Tennessee we thought we’d only be here for two years before hitting the road again so we bought cheap furnishings. We chose an inexpensive teal-colored sofa and loveseat set from a local furniture chain, cheap glass-topped coffee table from Wayfair, and a memory foam mattress at Costco. We also bought a white dining set (that we hardly ever use).

We never really liked any of it and none of it held up other than the dining set. Over the past two years both the sofa, loveseat (with memory foam cushions) and mattress became very squishy and uncomfortable, with little to no support whatsoever. They were a big part of why my back always hurt. The coffee table was downright dangerous, especially with our grandkids. Many mornings I woke up in such pain from the mattress that I could barely stand up, and it was the same after sitting on the sofa for even a short period. I rarely slept through the night trying to get comfortable. Both Brett and I disliked the way the furniture looked and fit into our apartment.

After waking up without any pain and feeling well rested after a night on a good mattress at the hotel we stayed at in Knoxville, we decided it was time to bite the bullet and invest in a good quality mattress. We ended up buying the floor model of a very high end mattress (saving 50%). Worth it? Yes – I am once again sleeping soundly and waking up without any pain.

We also bought a new sofa from Burrow, the same company we bought the credenza from when we moved here, along with a lounge chair. Both had great reviews, added lumbar support, and we’re completely satisfied with the amazing comfort both provide. We saved 15% off that order using a coupon. Thankfully we did not have any of the shipment issues we had with the credenza, and we’re very happy with the style and quality of the pieces. The old sofa and loveseat were donated to Habitat for Humanity. (The coffee table had been replaced last year with a safer and more solid one).

We also bought a dresser and new nightstands from Burrow. We have lived without either for the past six years and have absolutely hated the lack of storage, especially during our last stay in Hawaii and here. The pieces we chose were on sale and we saved 30% by buying now. We finished our shopping spree with a wool & jute rug for the living room (on sale from Pottery Barn), some new throw pillows, and an artificial tree. We love the way everything looks together, the way it all fits into the room, the comfort, and the storage space. Our backs are happy again.

My very frugal grandmother always advised me to buy the best quality I could afford . . . and then take care of it. Quality lasts and gives back, she said. We skipped that advice when we moved here and paid for it in more ways than one. We did our research and invested a little more this time, and had the funds to get what we wanted thanks to my Trader Joe’s savings. It’s satisfying to know the pieces we bought this time are going to last a long while and provide the comfort and support our aging bodies need as well.

Hot Spring National Park Getaway

The park’s administration building sits at the entrance to Bathhouse Road and was once itself a bathhouse. There are fountains nearby where you can drink spring water (it’s delicious!) or fill containers for free.

With our son currently in Tennessee, Brett and I found ourselves with a few grandchild-free days on our hands and decided to make a quick visit to Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. It’s an approximately six-hour trip each way from our home, but an easy straight shot going and coming back.

We splurged on a room at the Embassy Suites hotel because not only was it pet friendly and offered a free breakfast, it also hosted a free cocktail reception in the evening and was located within a short walking distance of Bathhouse Road and the Promenade area of the park. We otherwise brought all our own food for meals and snacks in the car and dinner in our room at the hotel, and supplemented that with an amazing breakfast (custom-made omelets) at the hotel and appetizers and salads available at the cocktail reception.

We discovered soon after our arrival that Hot Springs NP was going to be unlike any other park we had visited with the focus a mixture of both history and nature. Located right in the center of the city of Hot Springs, the national park area has been under U.S. government supervision since 1832 when it became the Hot Springs Reservation, and later Hot Springs National Park. The grand bathhouses were built between 1892 and 1923 at the height of the American Spa movement, when “water cures” were in fashion. Bathhouse Road and the Promendade became a National Historic Landmark District in 1987, and were incorporated into the park.

Bathhouse Road. The building in the upper left corner is the former Army-Navy hospital (now a rehabilitation hospital) which sits on a bluff over the entrance to Bathhouse Road; wounded service members came to the hot springs for water cures and physiotherapy. In order from the Lamar bathhouse are the Buckstaff (blue awnings), Ozark, Quapaw (with the dome), Fordyce, Maurice, Hale, and Superior (red brick) bathhouses. Walking along the magnolia-shaded Bathhouse Road was like walking beside an exquisite bakery, full of amazing confections of different designs. Only two of the buildings still operate as bathhouses: the Buckstaff (in continual operation since 1921) and the Quapaw, which closed but reopened as a full-service modern spa. The Lamar is now a gift shop and bookstore, the Ozark a cultural center, the Fordyce the park’s Visitors Center, the Maurice a special events location (and not open to the public), the Hale a boutique hotel, and the Superior a craft brewery and restaurant. The magnolias were opening and the aroma as we walked was intoxicating.

The Fordyce Visitor Center gave a glimpse into the bathhouse experience, and the luxury the bathhouses provided. Patrons could not only soak in the waters but receive massages and other physical therapy, or join with fellow bathers to socialize in the beautifully tiled and decorated lounges.

The morning of our second day was thankfully cooler (but horribly humid) and we walked the beautiful 1/2-mile Promenade to see some the many springs in the area. There was a surprising amount of them all over the hills. Many are covered to keep the water temperature regulated, but a few are kept free flowing. After a final walk down Bathhouse Road, we headed over and up to the Observation Tower to look out over the park and the surrounding mountains, as well as enjoy a drive on the Mountain Drive loops before heading home.

The Promenade was cool and shady and allow us to view the many hot springs close to the bathhouses (a couple of the bathhouses sit right on top of hot springs). From the Promenade we could view several of the old fancy hotels near the bathhouses, some undergoing renovations. The Observation Tower offered beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and the spas, as did lookouts (like The Pagoda) along the Mountain Loop road.

It was a very affordable trip, spending only on a hotel, gasoline, observation tower tickets, and a Hot Springs t-shirt for Brett. Setting out we did not know what to expect from the park, but we had a wonderful time there, and would love to go back to take advantage of the spa services available. It was also a thrill to scratch off another shield on my national park poster!

One more for the collection!

Never Say Never

From the moment we arrived we’ve practically been counting the days until we could leave Tennessee. We love the time with our grandkids and daughter-in-law, but there was no way we could imagine staying here. It’s a lovely place in many ways, but just not for us.

Or so we thought. Life may have other plans and we may be staying on in Tennessee after our daughter-in-law finishes her position at the consulate.

Our son and DIL would like to stay in Tennessee if possible to allow our grandson to finish high school. He attends a private school for students with learning disabilities and he both loves the school and is succeeding beyond everyone’s expectations. Our granddaughter attends a wonderful elementary school and they would like her to continue there as well.

While our DIL would probably have no problem finding a position within one of the many Japanese companies in the area, the decision to stay will rest on our son’s ability to transition here as there is no office in Nashville for the company he works for. His position is pretty high up in his company and he is well regarded for his work in Japan, but he has put in a request to work remotely from here with a few weeks each year (as needed) in Japan. This is close to what he is doing now, but he is awaiting word of a formal agreement.

They have asked us to stay in the area to help as needed if his request is approved. After some thought, we told them we would be willing to stay as long as we could still leave for several weeks in the winter months, in the fall for six weeks or so, and in the summer for a couple of weeks. We do not want to be tied down to childcare or being on call all the time like we are now. They are OK with that and said we would work out a schedule that works for both of us.

Within the week following my return from Japan we plan to move over to a new apartment, nearer to where our DIL currently lives. We’re looking at two possible locations; both have apartments that are a bit more affordable (or at least the same as here) for a nicer, more spacious, and quieter place that should suit us well for the next several years if that’s what going to happen. There are pros and cons to both, but we’re going to officially visit both in early June and make a decision and put down a deposit.

And if our son’s move here doesn’t work out? We’ll head to New England next year and make it our home base and continue from there.

Goodby April, Hello May!

The month of April has absolutely flown by. I’m not entirely sure why but there were quite a few things going on, from the eclipse (a dud here thanks to storm clouds) to Brett’s birthday to trying to get in as many walking miles as possible. Anyway, on to May!

We celebrated Brett’s 74th birthday with a fancy brunch with the grandkids and DIL, and had dinner that evening at P.F. Chang’s. He got several fun gifts from the kids and grands, and I gave him another pair of his favorite L.L. Bean pants. Brett continues to look “youthful” for his actual age; he helped a neighbor move out of her apartment mid-month, and she guessed his age in the mid-50s! I have had to accept that I will always look older than he does, but he got the good genes.

• Keep grocery spending under $500. We went over budget this month because of a stock-up trip to Trader Joe mid-month. Regular grocery spending came to $486.90 and the Trader Joe’s trip added another $218.24 to that (no discount this time ☹️). About a quarter of what we bought at TJ’s though was non-food items, things like shampoo, toilet paper, laundry products, and dog treats and other products will be used over the next couple of months. We won’t need to go to TJ’s again until right before I leave for Japan in June, mainly to pick up easy things for Brett to eat/fix while I’m gone.
• Aim for zero food waste. Yet another month with almost no food thrown away – a cucumber spoiled before we could use it.
• Have one full no-spend week. We didn’t spend on anything from April 14 through April 21.
• Have four no-drive days. We almost didn’t accomplish this goal this month as unexpected stuff came up on two Sundays and the car was needed. But we were able to squeeze in a couple of no-drive week days and hit our goal. We are at xx days for the year, happily way ahead of where we need to be.
• Try one new recipe. I tried a new recipe I saw on Instagram this past month: I loved it, Brett didn’t. We had some kimchi left over from the girls’ visit this past Christmas, so added that to the rice cooker along with the rice and some chicken potstickers. The rice cooker did the work; all I had to do was mix it up at the end. Brett felt it was too spicy for him but I loved the mix of flavors and textures and will be making it for myself in the future.
• Walk at least 40 miles. I walked 56 miles this month! I have been trying to increase my endurance so I can manage in Japan and the heat/humidity. I’m happy too that my summer clothing from last year is all a little looser than it was last year.
• Visit one natural or historical site in the area. Brett and I walked the final trail in Smith Park one day with our granddaughter. I need to find more level hiking paths these days though – the ups, downs, and rocky terrain of the Smith Park trails did not agree with my hips and left knee.
• Read four books. I read seven books this month: The Fraud by Zadie Smith; Normal Rules Don’t Apply by Kate Atkinson; The Distance from Slaughter County: Lessons from Flyover Country by Steven Moore; Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Berendt; The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt; The Shining by Stephen King; and End of Story by A.J. Fine.
• Study Japanese every day for 30 minutes. Another month with both a grammar and kanji lesson every day. Duolingo remains as frustrating as ever, and it feel like I am learning and retaining more from the kanji app, as it’s now focusing on kanji pairs and their meanings, with a lot of repetition. I’ve decided, thanks to reader Denise’s advice, to ask the kids if they will fund a year of the Duolingo Super edition for my birthday and Mother’s Day next month (when they ask what I want). Hopefully that will keep my frustration with the program tamped down a bit.

Here’s how our month went:

Funds going into our change/$1 bill jar in April totaled $34.55, almost the same as last month.

May’s goals remain the same:

• Keep grocery spending under $500. 
• Aim for zero food waste. 
• Have one full no-spend week. 
• Have four no-drive days.
• Try one new recipe. Not new, but I plan on making a couple of favorites from my big recipe notebook!
• Walk at least 40 miles.
• Visit one natural or historical site in the area. 
• Read four books.
• Study Japanese every day for 30 minutes.

Our son arrives today for another long-ish stay, until the school year ends at the end of May. All of them will then head over to Japan, with our DIL returning to the U.S. the same day I arrive. I still almost can’t believe I’ll be back in Japan in less than two months.

Knock on wood, so far this year I have not had any of the allergy issues like last year. Not sure what’s different, but I’ll take it! Last year was miserable, and hopefully a one-off.

April Odds & Ends

April things too small for their own post:

This TJ’s in Nashville was HUGE! Same stuff though as the smaller store that I worked in.

• I went back to Trader Joe’s for the first time in two months, but to a different store than the one I worked at. I didn’t want to be bombarded with questions or explain over and over why I left, etc. so Brett and I instead drove to the next closest store up in Nashville. Whoa! It had twice the floorspace of my former store, was better organized, cleaner, and I had fun wandering the aisles as I shopped, looking at how they had everything laid out and organized. And, the best part: no one knew who I was. I bought the items on my list and left. I won’t need to do another TJ’s shop for around two months, but I know where I’ll be going again.

The Green Trail at Smith Park is officially 1.36 miles long. The catch is you have to walk more than another mile on the Blue and Black trails to get on and off of it (including the most difficult part of the Blue Trail), making it the longest trail in the park!

• We’ve now walked all the trails at nearby Smith Park after a mid-month hike with K on the Green Trail. I found myself struggling at times on this last hike because of pain in my left knee, something that started up before I left TJ’s. It was weird because the knee doesn’t hurt at all on two-mile walks around the apartment complex but was very painful on this hike. It has me wondering how I’ll do with all the walking and especially all the stair climbing there will be in Japan.

The train ride across Canada has been a long-held dream.

• Brett and I have often talked about doing something BIG for our 50th anniversary and a few ideas have come and gone over the years. But, we think we’re getting close enough now to come up with something to work toward, and think an extended train trip or two would be a wonderful way to celebrate this big milestone. We’ve long dreamed of taking the train from Vancouver, B.C. to Toronto, for example, but there are many other great rail journeys all over the world to choose from, although many, if not most, are completely out of our price range. We’ll be 79 and 77 on our 50th, so this goal has two parts to it: continuing to maintain our health as well as choosing and making the journey itself. Fingers crossed we can pull both these off!

Walk Don’t Run

The Marquam Trail in Portland, a favorite walking venue

I used to wish I was a runner. But, I’m built wrong for the sport (bottom heavy) and since my knee injury back in 1999 my kneecap doesn’t work right for running. So I walk instead. And I love it.

My grandmother was a walker. She never learned to drive, or ride a bicycle, and after my grandfather died she thought nothing of walking three or five miles to grocery shop or go to the bank or elsewhere. She taught me the joy of long walks, how they might make you feel overwhelmed at the start, but provide growing satisfaction as you continued, and a sense of accomplishment at the end. She pointed out sights along the way when we walked together and encouraged me to pay attention to what was around me. Grandma was always a stickler about posture and encouraged me to maintain good posture as I walked – that’s stuck with me as well.

Through middle school and high school I walked to school and back almost every day – our house was two miles away from each school. The trip to the schools was downhill meaning home was uphill almost all the way – I always felt a little discouraged every time I started that walk but I got it done. I lived at my grandmother’s for a few months while I was in middle school and it was the same distance but the thankfully the route was flat. However, there weren’t as many trees shading me along the way. You take the good with the bad though when you walk.

We walked countless miles through the countryside in England

I count walking, along with maintaining a healthy diet, as one of the main reasons I have remained in good health (so far). Walking is another tool I use to help maintain my weight or lose a few pounds when necessary. I’m a brisk walker; you might not know sometimes that Brett and I are together because I often walk ahead of him (although if he wants to he can easily pace or overtake me). I’ve tried to slow down but it just doesn’t work – there’s a pace my legs like to walk and if I try anything different they rebel. The only issue I have when I walk is going down hills, a leftover from my knee injury. It’s the reason I don’t go hiking any more: I can go up, but coming down is killer.

I am pretty much miserable when I cannot get out for a walk. I become feel restless and unhappy, like something is missing and I can’t find it. Apparently those endorphins that surge when I walk are real. A walk truly does lift my mood and keep it up for the rest of the day.

Some of our favorite walks/hikes on Kauai (clockwise from the upper left): Kukuiolono Park & Golf Course, Old Hapa Road, Stone Dam Trail, East Side Beach Path, Maha’ulepu Trail, Waiokapua Bay Trail, Mahaulepu Trail

Hawaii provided the most memorable locations for walks, but there hasn’t been a place we’ve lived where we haven’t found trails or paths to get in at least a few miles most days. When we were traveling full time we walked a LOT, almost daily, sometimes up to eight or nine miles, but the calorie-burning benefits were often outweighed by French pastries, a daily stop for gelato, or cake and tea.

These days as long it’s not raining I walk for two miles every afternoon. I may have gotten in more steps when I worked at Trader Joe’s, but my daily walk is 40 minutes at a consistent pace, with my heart rate raised for a healthy period of time, something I didn’t get at TJ’s. Could I walk for a longer distance or period of time? Yes, and we occasionally walk other trails in the area that provide more mileage, but for now I’m happy with what I’m doing and the course I walk with its uphills and downhills. It works for me.

A Treasure Trove of Recipes

I thought these two cookbooks and my big recipe notebook had been lost and were gone forever.

I have no memory of having them when Brett and I lived in Hawaii the second time around. I thought they had been in the big box of kitchen stuff that the movers lost when we had our stored household goods shipped over to us.

My last memory of any them was from 2018, when I made sure all the recipes I had clipped and wanted to keep were filed in the big notebook. I gave away several cookbooks then, but knew the Sunset book and the Japanese recipes were the ones I wanted to keep.

So, you can imagine my joy when I recently discovered all three of them sitting in the back of our credenza behind some other stuff. Apparently they were among the things that had been mailed to WenYu when we left Kaua’i in 2022. I have no memory of doing that though.

I’ve had the Sunset Favorite Recipes cookbook since 1974. In fact, the one I have now is my second copy – I wore out the first. It contains so many recipes I love and some I still make from memory, like our favorite meatloaf and oatmeal shortbread cookies. I’ve owned Japanese Country Cookbook since 1983, bought after Brett and I returned to the U.S. from our first tour in Japan. The big notebook is filled with clippings of favorite recipes that I began collecting right after Brett and I got married. I went through all of it before we left Hawaii in 2018 and edited everything down to recipes I had actually made and would make again. It was still stuffed to overflowing.

So many of the recipes and pages are covered with splatters. Some are yellowed and faded. I cried as I read through them, remembering flavors, aromas, and family meals. I can’t wait to make so many of them again. Some of the recipes I had saved are now available online, but too many others are not, like the one for Spicy Steak Pizzaiola that I cut from a Weight Watcher’s magazine who knows when. It’s the first recipe I want to make again.

Treasures lost and treasures found. I’m still beaming.

Home Cooking: Baked Feta Pasta

Baked feta pasta topped with fresh basil and roasted broccoli on the side

I may be the last person in the western world to have tried this viral recipe from a couple of years ago, but just in case I’m not, and you haven’t made this, all I’m going to say is: you really should.

There’s three solid reasons this recipe went viral:

1. It’s super easy to make and there are only four ingredients: olive oil, cherry or grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and pasta.

2. It’s doesn’t cost much to prepare and makes a lot.

3. IT’S DELICIOUS!

A few notes from my experience: a) don’t skimp on the olive oil – I used the half-cup called for and it was necessary; b) I used a giant box of colorful cherry tomatoes from Costco – it was the perfect amount. c) sheep’s milk feta is recommended because it’s creamier, but I used a block of American cow’s milk feta and it was creamy and fine; d) don’t add salt – feta is plenty salty all on its own; and e) a pasta shape with plenty of ridges or areas to catch the sauce works best, IMO.

I’m going to be redundant in support of this recipe and once more encourage those who haven’t made this to give it a try!

BAKED FETA PASTA

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
• 8-ounces feta cheese
• Black pepper
• 12-ounces rotini or other ridged pasta
• Fresh basil (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour all except 1 or 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a 9” x 13” or 3-quart pan. Rinse the tomatoes and pour into the pan; toss with olive oil and add pepper to taste.

Ready for the oven

Place the block of feta in the center of the tomatoes – it should be sitting at the bottom of the pan, not on top of any tomatoes. Drizzle the feta with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper.

Bake tomatoes and feta for 30 minutes, then turn up the oven to 450 degrees and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until the feta and tomatoes are browned.

While the tomatoes and feta are in the oven, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well, reserving a 1/2 cup of pasta water.

I used a potato masher to combine the tomatoes and creamy cheese.

When the tomatoes and pasta are done and out of the oven, mash both together well to create a sauce (I used a potato masher) – add a little of the pasta water if the mixture seems too dry (I didn’t need it).

Pasta mixed in with tomatoes and cheese and it’s ready to eat!

Add the cooked pasta to the tomato-feta sauce and mix together well. Serve immediately with chopped fresh basil (if desired).

Shopping & Dining Update

photo credit: Scott Warman/unsplash

The changes we made at the beginning of the year, including the way we shop and having more meals with leftovers, are starting to pay off. We budget $500 a month for groceries and for the first three months of this year we’ve been able to stay under that amount.

One BIG change I inadvertently made at the end of January was menu planning for the entire month of February versus just two weeks at a time and it made a big difference in our spending. I still started out still by shopping the pantry and freezer when I created menu, then added in dishes I could create from a Costco chicken, and finally filled in with other dishes. Menu planning this way had me looking even more closely at what was on hand in the pantry, fridge, and freezer, and being more creative in figuring out how I could use what we already have. It also helped us shop for items that could also be used or extended into the following month. For some reason, the whole-month process seemed to work and the result meant we enjoyed a good variety of healthy, tasty meals without overspending on food.

The photos below were taken from our two shop-a-thons in March to show what we bought and how much we spent:

Gluten-free cheese pizzas, stuffed peppers, 3 bottles pinot Grigio, organic peanut butter, 2 loaves Dave’s thin-sliced bread, organic maple syrup. Not pictured: a bottle of Bordeaux red (for Brett).

Cherry tomatoes on the vine, bag of six avocados, bananas, organic blueberries, mixed cherry tomatoes

Two dozen large eggs, 20-pack of assorted Chobani fat-free yogurt, 1.75 pounds Bear Naked granola, chocolate mousse cake. (The peanut butter apparently enjoyed being photographed so much it snuck into this picture.)

Total spent at Costco: $196.68

English cucumber, organic baby spinach, organic broccoli crowns, onions, multi-colored peppers, green peppers, CaraCara oranges, organic baby potatoes, carrots

German-style brats, top round steak, boneless-skinless chicken thighs, frozen green beans, frozen peas, frozen broccoli florets, neufchâtel cheese

3 boxes graham crackers, avocado oil, avocado oil spray

Total spent at Aldi: $61.70

Cherry cheesecake, gluten free carrot cake slice, 2 cans organic chili, 2 organic sweet potatoes, organic sour cream

Total spent at Whole Foods: $30.36

2 coconut cakes, 2 Dave’s English muffins, Duke’s mayonnaise, fajita seasoning, 2 cans artichoke hearts, cream of mushroom soup, Cadbury creme egg 4-pack

Heavy cream, 2 zucchini, fresh basil, cilantro bunch, green onions

Total spent at Publix: $50.69

This product was hard to find but Target had it in stock!

Total spent at Target: $6.89

What we bought the second shopping trip in the second week of the month:

Eight bananas, 2 jars Rao pasta sauce, organic blueberries, organic spinach & cheese ravioli

Chocolate-peanut butter pie, a bottle of pinot Grigio, roast chicken

Total spent at Costco (Round ll): $69.76

2# shredded mozzarella, 3-pk peppers, 2 cans diced green chilis, tomato sauce, ground cinnamon

Total spent at Aldi (Round ll): $14.19

Baked tofu, bok choy, Better than Bouillon

Total spent at Whole Foods (Round ll): $20.94

Total spent in March: $451.11. The only impulse items above were the Cadbury creme eggs (my favorite candy) and the Dave’s English muffins – they were regularly $5.99/package (big no) but the day we shopped were BOGO, and $3 each was a good price for a quality product. Otherwise, every other item was on our list. We spent a bit more than planned on the chocolate-peanut butter pie, but we really wanted to try it and they sell out quickly.

The meals planned and eaten in March were, in no particular order, (items already on hand are in italic): Swedish meatballs w/cream gravy and roasted potatoes (2 meals), farmers’ market pasta (2 meals), chicken and dumplings (2 meals), slow cooker chicken adobo with bok choy, chicken noodle soup (2 meals), air fryer beef fajitas (2 meals), pasta with baked feta (2 meals), chili-stuffed sweet potatoes, slow cooker brats & sauerkraut (2 meals), stuffed peppers (2 meals), pepperoni pizza, sausage pizza, ravioli lasagna (2 meals), spinach quiche in gluten-free crust (2 meals), Korean-style beef with rice, bulgogi fried rice, chicken Alfredo, and noodle bowls with chicken & vegetables. We ate dinner out on our anniversary and ate dinner for free at our hotel for our overnight getaway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

I’ve pretty much given up snacking in the afternoons and instead have a five-ounce glass of wine in the early evening. Brett and I still enjoy a small piece of dessert each evening after dinner – the desserts pictured above will took us through the entire month of March. It all fits into the budget.

Buying Costco $5 roasted chickens to incorporate into recipes has made a big difference as has my return to cooking once again and planning meals with leftovers – I enjoy having a second day of meals that only need to be reheated. I try to stick to gluten-free products, but they are expensive so we shop very selectively for those. Costco can also be a real drain on the budget, but we look for affordable products that can be used in several meals over time to get a bigger bang for our bucks. We added in trips to Whole Foods this month for a few items, but we strictly limit what we buy there – it has to be for something we typically can’t find somewhere else. There were no trips to Trader Joe’s this month because we’re still using the items I stocked up on before I quit.

I’ve already gotten this month’s menu done and we’ve already gotten through the first round of shopping and are well under budget. All in all I am very please with how the planning and dining has been going this year, and how much we’ve been able to stay under our budget.