meal planning and other sundry details
By Kelli M
@spiderdust (14756)
San Jose, California
April 21, 2018 9:08pm CST
The kids have been in school all week and I still feel like I'm getting my bearings. I don't think I've slowed down yet.
Yesterday I went to the monthly produce pickup and brought home several boxes of leaf lettuce, several dinged up (but hard) pears, several bruised tangerines, several apples, about 5 lbs of carrots, 2 heads of celery, and a few white sweet potatoes.
The pears could spoil at any moment, yet they're still not ripe. The tangerines also have a short life span and are attracting some fruit flies, so I need them eaten soon too. I wish I could use them for lunches next week, but I'm not sure how many of them will last until then.
Dinner tonight is tacos (to use up some of the lettuce, as well as to take advantage of the 18-count boxes of crunchy taco shells for 99 cents a box), tomorrow might be haystacks (although I haven't decided if I'm making the "Mexican" style or the "Hawaiian" style), which would also use up some more lettuce.
The carrots aren't pretty, but they'll keep well enough. I may sit one of the kids at the table with a dishpan and a vegetable peeler to make a bunch of carrot sticks for snacks and lunches. Right now, they're going through a 5 lb bag of baby carrots every week and a half, so these will work for that purpose.
I'm not really sure what to do with the pears right now... a pear crumble? I wish they were more ripe, but I know roasting underripe fruit helps to improve the flavor.
I've gotten interrupted so many times, it has taken me 2 hours to type out this post. 
9 people like this
10 responses
@caopaopao (12395)
• China
22 Apr 18
I often eat pears without being cooked. I like white sweet potatoes too. Have a nice weekend.
2 people like this
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
22 Apr 18
I do too, but I think these might spoil before they're ripe enough to eat out of hand.
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (68246)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
22 Apr 18
What are haystacks? Im making pork chops, mashed potatoes and collards tonight?
1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
22 Apr 18
I posted about them once before... the Mexican style ones are like taco salads or loaded nachos. Then there's the "Hawaiian" ones with chicken, rice, pineapple, chopped cashews or peanuts, chow mein noodles, and gravy.
@thislittlepennyearns (68246)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
24 Apr 18
@spiderdust I'm coming over! Keep an eye out for a package. I'm sending it Thursday!
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@crossbones27 (52905)
• Mojave, California
22 Apr 18
Sound very busy. Be careful on the lettuce. They say romaine lettuce has an e coli break out of Yuma Arizona. Do not know if that effects California much, but seems they are still warning every one.
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
22 Apr 18
This isn't romaine, so we're probably okay. It's scary how much that happens lately!
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@crossbones27 (52905)
• Mojave, California
22 Apr 18
@spiderdust That's good and it is pretty scary. My sister bought one of those premade salads and goes there is romaine lettuce in here. She had it for like a week already and we figured it was alright, which it was because she ate it.
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
22 Apr 18
@crossbones27 The CDC is telling people to throw out their romaine. I'm kind of relieved that I didn't buy a pack of romaine hearts at Costco earlier this week.
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@LadyDuck (502491)
• Italy
23 Apr 18
@spiderdust If someone cannot have wheat, it's easier to prepare something that everyone can eat.
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@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
22 Apr 18
I have, although it's easier for me to do a wheat free crumble/crisp than a cobbler, and then everyone in the house can enjoy it.
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@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
23 Apr 18
@LadyDuck Exactly. I dislike having to make two different versions of things for the same meal.
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@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
22 Apr 18
I am sure you will make all it of good use.
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@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
22 Apr 18
I tried to be really conscientious about what I took. There's the tendency to want to take everything offered to me, but taking free things that will just end up wasted doesn't seem right either.
I left behind the eggplant that they were offering, as I knew only two of us would eat it. I also left behind the potatoes and onions as I didn't want to dig through a pallet of rotting potatoes to find the good ones and knew I already had potatoes at home (same with the onions).
The kids are eating up the tangerines, I shouldn't have worried! 
They're enjoying having a bowl of fruit "up for grabs" that doesn't have to be rationed for their lunches.
I had the oldest boy sit down and peel a bunch of the carrots last night. It looks like I actually have 10 pounds of carrots, not 5!
They're enjoying having a bowl of fruit "up for grabs" that doesn't have to be rationed for their lunches.
I had the oldest boy sit down and peel a bunch of the carrots last night. It looks like I actually have 10 pounds of carrots, not 5!
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
24 Apr 18
They're actually free. They are produce department discards from various grocery stores.
1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
22 Apr 18
I like that idea too, but it's been very warm. In a couple of months or less, I won't want to turn on the stove at all.
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
22 Apr 18
Tacos are good.
What are haystacks?
Using the carrots for school snacks and lunches is good.
Hope you can figure out what to do with the pears.
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
22 Apr 18
@spiderdust hm, never saw that post before. But that's kinda interesting.
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
22 Apr 18
Depending on what kind you make, they can be a bit like taco salads. I wrote a post about them before.
This is the first chance I had to get on here today. Things have been busy, but fairly good. It's been 11 days since our household expanded, and I've been...
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