Day 3 of Frugal February was a bit weird. I was originally scheduled to leave for a meeting but that got cancelled due to the weather. If I would have gone, there was no guarantee when I would have been able to get home today. So I didn’t carry my lunch or use the bus yesterday. I ended up driving in yesterday and grabbing lunch. I must be getting used to carrying my lunch because it felt weird to grab lunch from a restuarant. This is a good thing overall because it means I’m getting the habit back.
The wait for the ice storm that didn’t start until midnight was nerve-wracking to say the least (note to self keep the TV OFF in these situations, the local weather casters just made you jumpy). And while I was tempted to grab and go for dinner well, I ended up grabbing a couple things at the store and came home and made my own version of Seven Layer Dip. I started with my beef/bean taco mix recipe (see below) and added tomatoes, gaucamole (homemade) sour cream, a little bit of cheese, and then Pico de Gallo on top. It was pretty delicious.
I guess today made up for the weirdness of yesterday. I spent the day working from home because it wasn’t safe to travel this morning. I left the house a couple times just to check things out, but overall my focus was on work and getting a few small projects done. Lunch was leftover seven layer dip. Dinner was a couple of small potatoes sliced up and cooked in olive oil and then when they are almost done, I put in half an onion sliced so they can soften and get a little bit of carmelization. My mom used to make this all the time. I forgot I had some ham in the fridge, or else I would have added that to the mix.
Beef and Bean Taco Mix
1 lb ground beef
1 14 oz can of black beans or pinto beans, rinsed
1 package taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
Crumble beef into fry pan and brown. While the beef is browning, open and drain off the sauce in a can of black or pinto beans. Once the beef is browned, pour into a colander and rinse off. Put back in the pan. Toss the beans in the colander and give them a final rinse before tossing into the pan. Add taco seasoning and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until water reduces.
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Thanks for saying the last few days have been weird — I thought it was just me! This winter storm has totally thrown off my routine, and while it’s been nice in a way, I’m ready to get back into the familiar patterns that give me comfort during the week. (Plus working from home is starting to make me feel a little like Jack Nicholson in “The Shining.”)
I know the feeling. I’m looking forward to getting back to the office tomorrow.