The Pantry Challenge Journal ~ Week 4

Week 4 of my Pantry Challenge was quite easy. I only had to plan for 4 out of my normal 6 or 7 meals. Unfortunately the reason for this was because we had to travel a 5 hour distance to attend a funeral.

The week started off as most do, with me pouring over my recipe options and coupons and creating a shopping list. I’ll admit it, my head was not in the game at all and I only half-heartedly planned for 2 meals. The budget also came into question because I had to purchase many items for Brandon to take with him on his annual youth ski trip. Every year I make a huge pot of chili, freeze it in gallon-sized bags, and then send it off to feed the hungry kids after two days of skiing. This year the number of kids has dwindled (or rather supporting parents) and I’ve been asked to supply much more in the way of food items. Aside from the chili ingredients I also bought sliced cheese, 4 packages of hamburger buns, 1 lb. shredded cheese, 1 lb. block cheese, and 1 gallon milk. The total was $33.31. That’s half of my weekly budget. The good news is that I got a chili meal for myself and the boys out of it, so that was one night covered.

I guess you could say that it’s a good thing we had to go out of town for 2 days for a funeral (yes, I realize how horrible that sounds), at least when it came to meal planning and grocery budgeting. For the week  I spent $41.76, which when you add up the two totals you will see that I went way over my $60 budget ($15.07 to be exact) but as it happened I had $10 in my pocket, which rarely ever happens, and I applied that to the total due, leaving me with only a $5.07 overage. See how I rationalized that? Next week all I have to do is cut my budget by $5 to make up the difference.

MONDAY, January 23rd: Rice and Beans with Cheese. I posted this recipe last week. You can link to it here. We also had banana pudding for dessert

TUESDAY, January 24th: Chili. This is my standby recipe from Betty Crocker. I have had many chili’s but when I make it this is my preferred recipe. The key is to get the onion and green peppers small so little people don’t see or taste them. Personally I like the taste and texture of the vegetables left in strings, but it’s easier to not beg my kids to eat.

WEDNESDAY, January 25th: Out of town for the funeral.

THURSDAY, January 26th: We headed back home today but had to eat on the road.

FRIDAY, January 27th: I love Mexican food and have been wanting to make this healthy baked chimichanga. The boys have been asking for weeks where their Friday night pizza is at, but I think they were pacified with this yummy dish. (This recipe is post #2 today!)

SATURDAY, January 28th: We cheated tonight and ordered a pizza Jadon has been asking all month long “Where’s my pizza?” I guess those Friday Pizza Nights got a little too reliable. So it was nice to be able to call in a large thin cheese on wheat crust from our local pizza guru place and have Cory pick it up on his way home from a meeting. Add a salad and viola! dinner is served.

SUNDAY, January 29th: Most Sundays I prepare rather large, traditional meals such as pot roast or turkey with all the fixins (veggies, biscuits, taters, etc) but Cory specifically asked for a homemade veggie soup with “some kind of meat”. He didn’t want a stew; he wanted a soup, so I browned some ground turkey with garlic powder and onions and placed in a pot of chicken stock with cut up veggies and barley. I used whatever I had in the house: carrot, cabbage, canned peas, frozen corn, onion, canned diced tomatoes, and lots of herbs such as marjoram, thyme, bay leaf, tarragon, and salt & pepper.

If you missed any of my previous Journal posts and want to see what meals I made all month long, just click on each week. Most weeks I included purchases made outside of what I already had in order to make certian meals or desserts.

Pantry Challenge Journals:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Not your typical Rice & Beans

I love rice and beans. I wasn’t a big bean eater growing up, but as an adult I’ve learned to appreciate the health benefits, as well as the taste, of all kinds of beans.

There are so many ways to prepare rice and beans that I wouldn’t even know how to define this dish in a traditional sense. I suppose many people think of New Orleans and their famous version. You can even buy mixes to make quick work of it, with the spices added and everything, but I never liked them much.

One simple and tasty way is to simmer the beans (I use black beans for this version) in a pan with chopped onion, garlic, and even a little finely diced green pepper if you want. Add a little salt and get a good flavor going, Mix with the rice of your choice and top with some chopped tomato. This is very good.

On Monday night I made a different version that came from a cookbook that had been collecting dust on my shelf for years. Why I’d been neglecting this cookbook I’ll never know. It’s called the Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter’s Cookbook. Don’t let the name fool you. The recipes are full of flavor and easy on the fat and calories.

This particular beans and rice recipe called for shredded carrot, chopped green onion, canned navy or pinto beans, cottage cheese, and shredded cheddar. Can you say comfort food?

Rice and Beans with Cheese

1 1/3 cup water

1 cup shredded carrot

2/3 cup long grain rice (I used brown rice)

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/2 tsp instant chicken or vegetable bouillon

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Dash bottled hor pepper sauce

One 15-oz. can pinto or navy beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese

One 8-oz. carton plain low-fat yogurt

1 tbsp snipped fresh parsely

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (2 oz)

1. In large saucepan combine water, shredded carrot, rice, green onions, bouillon, coriander, and hot sauce. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed.

2. Stir in the beans, cottage cheese, yogurt, and parsley. Spoon into a 2 qt. baking dish. Bake, covered, in a 350* oven for 20 to 25 minuyes or until heated through. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar and bake, uncovered, 3 to 5 minutes more until cheese melts.

** I did not have coriander or yogurt and the dish came out fine. I also used single sized casserole crocks instead of one large baking dish. Bake time was reduced to about 10 minutes. I served this with fresh salad and little cheese toasts I made from slicing up a few whole wheat dinner rolls.

At 276 calories a serving, this was an incredibly filling and yummy meal. You can see how easy it is to make healthy beans and rice from (nearly) scratch, without using those mixes that are full of preservatives and other additives.

Nutrition facts per serving: 276 calories, 4 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 704 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 18 g protein.

Exchanges: 2 Starch, 1 Lean Meat, 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Milk

Cost per serving: $.95

2/3 cup rice $1.17

1 cup shredded carrot $.46

1/2 cup green onion $.79

1 15-oz can pinto beans $.89

1 cup cottage cheese $.83

1/2 cup shredded cheddar $.63

Total Cost for meal $4.77

Basilmomma’s Budget and Freezer Meal Linky Party