9:30 p.m. I make popcorn. The Sox game has just started. I generally just buy popcorn kernels from Cermak Produce, ($1.99 for a pound, previously bought) and I can make about eight batches of corn per bag, depending on size. I pop it in a pot with a little bit of vegetable oil. With butter and salt, it’s maybe 50¢ a batch.
Thursday total: $26.03
Friday
9:30 a.m. I start the day with a cup of coffee at work.
10:30 a.m. I have three chicken nuggets and a small handful of french fries. I eat them because I’m hungry, and they’re what’s in front of me.
12:30 p.m. I make myself a sandwich for lunch: grilled chicken thigh, avocado, Little Gem lettuce, pickled red onions, and spicy mayo on a brioche bun. It’s good. I have a couple handfuls of potato chips to go along with it.
8:00 p.m. For dinner we make nachos from the groceries I already have. This is a pretty common thing for me to make for dinner. I make a cheesy sauce from a béchamel with cheddar and American cheese. Dice up some jalapeños for the sauce as well. Lay out all my chips on a ¼ sheet tray, drizzle with cheese sauce, do another layer of the same. I also use chicken left over from the galantine, poblano, and red bell peppers. A lot of romaine lettuce. The lettuce needs to be cut to a super-fine julienne. Atop the lettuce is avocado chunks, some vine tomatoes, sour cream, and hot sauce.
I love making nachos. We sometimes switch up the meat. It’s an easy way to play “clean out the veggie drawer.”
10:00 p.m. I have a small bowl of Cheez-Its and a couple of cookies from Aldi. They’re the knockoff Girl Scout cookies, caramel chocolate coconut. They are delicious.
Friday total: $0
Saturday
9:00 a.m. I have coffee at work.
10:30 a.m. I make myself some breakfast. I have one farm egg, sunny-side up. A piece of dark rye toast, half an avocado, two breakfast sausage links, and 12 tater tots. This is a pretty standard breakfast for me when I am working on the weekends. We serve brunch on Saturday and Sunday, and when the brunch line is set up, I usually just make myself some sort of hodgepodge. I love our biscuits and gravy, but if I eat that while working I will just want to take a nap.
Throughout the day I have a few small bites here and there. Couple of chicken nugs. A handful of fries.
5:30 p.m. I have a burger and some Hamachi crudo from work for dinner. The crudo is a new dish we put on the menu last week, and we’ve just changed the plating on it. It’s a really nice, subtle dish. Hamachi with jícama and radish in a citrus vin with jalapeños. Served with potato chips to eat it on. The burger is two smash patties with pickles and a spicy dijonaise on a brioche bun. This is a pretty typical dinner for me if I know I am not cooking at home. I am going out later to have some drinks with friends.
7:30 PM. I meet up with some friends at a neighborhood dive bar with a patio, Go Tavern and Liquors. I have three PBRs ($4.00 each) and three Four Roses on the rocks ($5.00 each). ($37 total, including $10 tip).
11:30 p.m. Back at home, I have three slices of mortadella, a cheese stick, and a handful of Cheez-Its. I could eat more, but it’s getting late.
Saturday total: $37
Sunday
10:00 a.m. At home I make a breakfast sandwich on an English muffin: toasted muffin, sunny egg, sliced deli ham, Muenster cheese, hot sauce. This is a very typical breakfast for me if I am not working that day.
