Super Healthy, Super Cheap

If you missed post #1 today, click here for Chicken of the Sea~Part 2 and get a fabulous recipe for macaroni and cheese with a twist!

Now…

I’m on a mission. I’ve been inspired.

Scrolling through Facebook I saw an article that a friend posted from the Huffington Post (an internet newspaper) that piqued my interest. I clicked on the link and that article led me to another, which was called Food Informants: A Week In The Life Of Karl Wilder, A Chef Living On A Food Stamp Budget. I will add the link at the end of this post. It truly was an interesting read. There were many people commenting on the article about whether or not this experiment was valid, if the guy had cheated by accepting gifts of food, and if it was indeed considered realistic that any person could live off of a $4.00 a day meal budget.

I didn’t care about any of those arguments. What struck me the most important lesson from this challenge was that you could definitely live cheaply and still eat healthy. Being a chef was a huge plus for this guy. I think most people have basic cooking skills based on what they were taught by their mothers or grandmothers. I also think that most people are unsure when it comes to choosing ingredients and knowing how to prepare them. And I am positive that experimenting with new ingredients is overwhelming. So most people stick to what they know. They also stick to what is “cheap” like white bread, rice, and pasta. Have you ever seen those little plastic jugs of colored “juice” in the drink aisle of your grocery store? That is nothing but colored sugar-water, yet people on a tight budget will buy them because they are roughly  10 cents apiece. Those aren’t good for anyone of any age.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/25/food-informants-food-stamps_n_933465.html

In my quest of super healthy, super cheap recipes I came across this guy’s website Primal Toad. He is on a mission to “debunk the most idiotic food myth in the world: eating healthy is expensive.” Check it out.

http://www.primaltoad.com/3-healthy-cheap-foods/

*So this is what I’ve been inspired to do…. I’m going to search out and find some awesome recipes that are both inexpensive and healthy and post them here. I will add in the cost of ingredients, including the cost per serving, as well as any nutritional information when I can. I would like to see how much I can cut from my grocery bill without sacrificing any of my health standards. In the meantime, I recommend this article. You may get inspired as well.

**Please note: I wrote this particular thread back in the middle of November. I did not post it because the timing was not right and I did not want to promise to do something I could not deliver on quickly. Then I forgot all about it and realized that I was referring to it in other posts. Finally I found it buried in the deep of all my posts and I just couldn’t not share. 

 

It’s not Bambi- get over it

Post 2 for today

 I love exploring new recipes (thank you, family, for being so willing and such good sports). Most of the time they work out quite well, but once in a while we’ll get one that goes into the scrapper. I had one of those last week.

In the past two weeks I have made approximately 10 meals; 5 of them were new recipes I had gotten from various websites or cooking magazines:

• Quesadilla Casserole (4 out 5 stars)
• Fish Newburg (4 out of 5 stars) – we were given some fresh blue fish
• Lazy Bolognese Lasagna (2 out 5 stars)
• Chicken Tortilla Soup (5 stars!)
• Dill Salmon Pasta (3 stars)

And 2 others that were just my pure genius ;p.

• Greens and Beans Chicken Soup Soup’s On! (5 stars!)
• Venison (5 stars!)

I have to explain the venison. It was so good. I didn’t take any pictures of it, because let’s face it, not everything photographs in a way that actually depicts its flavor. It was, overall, not the most colorful plate.

I’m not a deer eater by large. I did not grow up eating venison and once I married a Southern boy I still did not take to it much. Not to mention I had no idea how to cook it. Every once in a while we’d be given deer meat and I’d usually muddle through some sort of recipe, or actually I’d just give that job to Cory. The only times I ever enjoyed venison was once when someone gave me homemade deer jerky, and another time when a  friend pan-fried it up with homemade gravy. It was this second way I tried to make it last night.

 A few days ago Cory texts me asking if I want any deer meat. I say sure, not sure why seeing as I’ve never been very successful at preparing it, but we often are given fresh meat from our hunter friends, or fish that’s caught locally. It was a beautiful tenderloin, and I forgot all about that text until I found the meat in my refrigerator the next day. So this is what I did, and man, did it come out good!

First I soaked the tenderloin in some salt water for about 2 hours prior to cooking it. This was Cory’s suggestion. I never would have thought of this, so you more experienced venison-eaters may be better aware of this practice.

Then I sliced the tenderloin into medallions and pounded them slightly with a wooden meat hammer, just to tenderize the meat a bit. (Jadon helped; he thought it was super fun to hammer a piece of meat.) I sliced up 1/2 an onion and threw it into a bowl with the medallions. Then I tossed it all with salt, pepper and a few tablespoons of flour.

After I heated some oil in a pan I layered the coated medallions and onion and them brown on both sides. Then I added some beef broth, about 1/2 a cup or so and let it simmer. As the gravy thickened I added more broth until I had put in about 2 cups. I did this over a period of 30 to 45 minutes. It probably didn’t need to take that long but I was stalling because my rice was not cooperating.

I served the medallions over rice with yellow squash and zucchini rounds sautéed in a little butter, EVOO, and salt and pepper, and some green beans for the boys. The meat was flavorful and tender. All my boys ate it up entirely. I will not have any issue with preparing venison again.

What great venison recipes do you have to share

 

Potluck in a Pinch

Recently we attended a memorial service in our church.  As with most funerals, a gathering of eating and fellowship followed, and it was asked throughout the community to provide something for the potluck if possible. As it happens, I was terribly busy the days proceeding the funeral and could not think of anything I could make that included ingredients readily available.

I have a few standbys, such as green beans. Does anyone else ever notice how potlucks are seriously lacking in the vegetable department? Since I normally buy green beans by the flat, I usually have several cans available to throw into a pot, heat up, and deliver to a community meal. I also add a bit of chicken bullion to the beans while they are heating up for extra flavor that is sure to leave an empty dish. Another favorite is spinach and artichoke dip. If this wasn’t so fattening I could live off it. I almost always have jars of artichoke hearts and a frozen block or two of spinach in my freezer. 

                                                        Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Whether it be funerals, other church or community gatherings, or in my case just a girls’ night of eating and hanging out, there always seems to be a need for that last-minute dish at the potluck table. So then I thought, what if I could make up a list of potluck-ready ideas? Here is a list of dishes that are potluck-friendly:

• Deviled Eggs ~ I see these little buggers go like crazy at every potluck dinner I’ve ever been to. I don’t think it’s possible to have too many. I’ve always got eggs in my refrigerator, so whipping up a dozen of these babies is quick work. No matter how you make them (sweet or dilly) there will always be someone who loves them.
• Salad ~ The word alone is vague because there are about a million different salads to be made. I’m not talking about starchy salads. Potatoes and pasta salads are no healthier fare on a buffet table than the desserts. But if you’re a veggie family and have fresh veggies in your crisper, then any kind of salad will do, from a traditional green salad, to a layered salad with as many types of veggies as you’ve got, to a bean salad, or even a yummy broccoli salad (sans pork bacon of course).
• Basic Rice Casserole ~ Anything can be put into a casserole if the base is rice. If you have some broccoli or spinach, a little bit of cooked chicken or turkey (or even tuna), some cheese and a can of cream of chicken soup, you’ve got a casserole.
• Baked Goods ~ That pretty much says it all. If you have the time to bake a batch of cookies or brownies, whatever is leftover, if any, will be welcome back at home, and also freeze beautifully.
• Cobbler ~ Most fruits can be baked into a cobbler or a crisp, but when I buy apples I tend to buy them by the bag so that I have plenty available for a quick crisp. It’s also a good idea to keep a canister of quick oats in the pantry. You can see my recipe for Apple Crispe in a previous post called Comfort Food http://thehomeheart.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/comfort-food/
• Super Quick Pasta ~ Prepare pasta such as Penne according to package. Melt 2 T. butter and cook in 2 cloves garlic, minced. Add in 2 T. flour and stir continually. Stir in 3/4 C. broth (any- beef, chicken, vegetable) and 3/4 C. milk until sauce it thick and bubbly. Add in 2 t. parsley flakes, 1/3 C. Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with drained pasta. This is also a perfect base for adding meat and/or veggies.
• Tortilla Roll-Ups ~ You’ve seen them and have probably eaten them, but they truly are a super quick and easy potluck-friendly dish. All you need is some tortillas, some lunch meat, cheese, ranch dressing or mayo, and maybe even some lettuce if you want to get adventurous. Just layer and roll, slice and secure with toothpicks. At least you won’t show up at the potluck empty-handed.
• Mexican Layered Dip ~ Super easy. On a plate place a block of cream cheese. If you want to spread it out into a large, shallow bowl, that works too. Cover with shredded cheddar, a layer of salsa, and another layer of cheddar. Voila! Serve with tortilla chips.
• Sliced Veggies ~ You might be surprised to know that there are some people who love to see this option at a potluck. Even something as simple as a plate of sliced tomatoes, but of course more veggies are welcome, such as sliced cucumber and carrot & bell pepper sticks. Add a small bowl of ranch for dipping and you’ve got a winner.
• Pineapple Casserole ~ In 1 qt. casserole dish mix 1 can (20 oz)  pineapple chunks, 3 T. pineapple juice, 1/2 C. sugar, 3 T. flour, 1 C. finely shredded cheddar cheese. Crush 15 Ritz crackers and mix with /4 C. melted butter. Top Pineapple mixture and bake at 350* for 20 – 30 mins.

These are some basic ingredients that should always be stocked in one’s household:

1. Quick Oats
2. Corn Flakes
3. Cool Whip
4. Vanilla Pudding
5. Frozen Spinach
6. Stove Top Stuffing
7. Cream of Chicken
8. Canned Chicken (not as good as freshly cooked but perfect in a pinch)

Here are a few of my favorite crowd-pleasing recipes I’ve used at potlucks. Some of them require a bit more planning than others.

Swiss Chicken ~ Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease a 13X9 baking dish and place in single layer 6 to 8 cleaned boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cover chicken with a layer of swiss cheese slices. In a bowl, mix together 2 boxes of Stove Top stuffing with one can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 can of water, and 1 stick melted butter. Cover chicken and cheese with this mixture. Cover with foil and bake 45 mins. Remove foil and allow top to brown and crust- about 15 more  mins. This recipe can easily be halved or doubled.

Hot Chicken Salad ~ Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease a 13X9 baking dish. Combine together 6 to 8 cups chopped,cooked chicken (about 4 breasts), 1 cup cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups mayo, 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 6 oz package of slivered almonds, 1 cup sliced celery, and 2 T. onion flakes. Spread into baking dish. In another bowl combine 2 cups crushed corn flakes and 4 T. melted butter, and top chicken mixture. Bake for 30 mins or until heated through. Turkey is a good substitute.

Carrot Mash Bake ~ Preheat oven to 350* and lightly grease a 1 qt. casserole dish. Take a 1 lb. bag of peeled baby carrots and place into microwave for 5 minutes. Make sure bag is on a plate or piece of paper towel, and do not pierce bag. Mash cooked carrots (I use an inversion blender, but a regular blender works too) and add 3 eggs, one at a time until blended with carrots. In separate bowl combine 2 T. flour, 1 t. baking powder, dash nutmeg, 2 T. cinnamon, and 1/4 cup sugar. Add to carrots in blender. Add 1/4 cup melted butter, and 1 t. vanilla and puree until smooth. Pour into baking dish. For topping combine 1/4 cup corn flake crumbs, 3 T. brown sugar, 3 T. butter, melted, and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional), and sprinkle on top of carrot mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 mins. Remove foil and continue baking for another 20 mins.

Spinach and Artichoke Bake ~ Preheat oven to 350* and lightly grease 1 qt. casserole dish. Drain and mash artichoke hearts (1 can or jar, 10-12 oz). Thaw and drain 1/2  block of spinach of all water (reserve other 1/2 for another use). Mix together 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded is better than grated, but both work), 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, 1 t. garlic powder, and add to artichoke and spinach. Mix together well and place into baking dish. Cook for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

There are probably many more recipes that can be added to this list. The idea was to create a list of fast and easy potluck dishes, so if you have any recipes to add, they are certainly welcome.

Here a recipe, there a recipe, everywhere a recipe!

I have been collecting magazines for years. I love finding new recipes, cooking tips, organizing ideas for both the kitchen and the rest of the home, gardening, exercising, and decorating tips. I also never throw a magazine away because there’s always so much great stuff inside that I just can’t do it. You know, well I might use that idea some day! So here’s a picture of about 4 years worth of 4 different magazines.

That empty spot is where a stack of Every Day with Rachel Ray mags were until recently. I’ve just started on the second stack as you can see, which was all the way to the top.

What am I doing, you ask? A new form of self-torture. I call it the “Recipe Project” and I’m going through every magazine and pulling up every recipe or article about anything that interests me or I think I can use. Good idea= BIG project. That’s okay. I want to de-clutter and at the same time I’ll be able to actually find more recipes once I’ve got it all organized.

How shall I organize it all, you ask? I’m not entirely sure but in my mind’s eye I see 3 ring binders and lots of paper protectors. I use those for everything and have many on my shelves in my office, each with a label indicating what is contained in said binder.

     Some of the things I’ve used binders for:

     PTA and Cub Scout Treasurer bank statements, receipts, spending reports

     I home-schooled my oldest during his Jr. High years and used binders to keep track of his progress reports, test scores, grades, lesson plans and assignments.

     All of our discs are listed in alphabetical order. We have a lot of DVD’s and they are all stored in disc books- not their original cases. This saves a lot of space when storing DVD’s, CD’s, CD-ROMS and the like.

This second picture is a small peek at my process and the mess I am making all over my coffee table. I am lucky my husband doesn’t mind the clutter! The stack of articles and recipes being pulled from magazines is getting higher. Once all the magazines have been gone through and discarded I will then sort through the articles and recipes, organizing them into categories and what not. The only cooking magazines I don’t take apart are the Kraft Food & Family mags. These are great magazines that come out 4 times a year and they are not real thick and heavy, nor do they have any of those filler pages that other magazines have. While I don’t use every recipe in each issue, every page is dedicated to food & cooking. These are super easy to refer to for a recipe.

Here are a few that I’ve pulled out while planning the next few weeks of dinners. If you look on the upper left corner of each magazine you might be able to see the numbers I’ve written on them. This is just for the order in which I receive them. Inside the front is a sort of table of contents, complete with little picture and page number. I circle the recipes I like or want to try. When I am planning my menus I simply write the name of the recipe and the mag#/page# so it’s super easy to pull off the shelf and find when I’m ready to cook. This also makes putting my grocery list together a breeze.

So binders it shall be, unless I get a better idea or suggestion in the meantime. I have made one before, but it is not as organized as I envision these new ones to be. I will also have separate binders for the articles, categorized into websites, couponing, diet, nutrition, exercise, gardening, and decorating tips. And whatever else tickles my fancy.

I will be sure to show the fruits of my labor upon completion. I love getting organized!

Menu Planning

One of the simple joys in my life is opening the mailbox and finding a new cooking magazine in there! I love my magazines, mostly for the recipes, and will sit down with a cup of coffee or hot tea and commit to the hour it takes to read from cover to cover, dog-earring each page I want to refer back to for some awesome looking recipe, or decorating idea, or a gardening or exercise tip. Maybe it’s just me but it’s really disappointing when a magazine that specializes in food is full of sandwich, Panini, wrap, and hotdog recipes. Seriously? I suppose there are people out there who can benefit from these recipes, but…..(sigh). Even chicken recipes. Remember that cookbook called 1001 Ways To Cook Chicken? Well, as we all know by now there are about a million and 1 ways to cook chicken, but I don’t need 20 different recipes for lemon chicken from the same cooking magazine.

I have found that the most effective way to shop and cook for my family is by planning my menus ahead of time. I started doing this about a year ago and was amazed at how much money I saved by sticking to a list in the grocery store. I am sure this is not news to most of you savvy moms. But if you have not done this I highly suggest you give it a try. Immediately I felt the relief of always knowing what was for dinner. No more staring at the contents of my pantry or freezer and trying to figure out a healthy meal. No more opting for pizza because there isn’t any defrosted meat.

So this is what I do. Some months I just can’t plan ahead for an entire month, but I will do what I can. That may be one week at a time, but more likely it’s two weeks at a time. If I lived mainland I’d be able to shop the way I want, which would be one major trip a month for basic staples (and whatever I needed for that first week or two) and then one or two other brief trips for fresh veggies, fruit, milk, etc. But that’s not very realistic around here, main reasons being there is a price markup here on the island, and the closest chain grocery store is 20 miles (gas is also marked-up considerably). However, I do find myself heading mainland often to visit family, and whenever I do I hit Sams Club and Trader Joes (two of my favorite places on earth). So this makes budgeting on a monthly basis a bit hard when I don’t always know when I’ll be able to go to these stores. So some months I can get by with only spending $250 in groceries for a family of 4 (plus dog and cat food) but this is an extreme case of not necessarily needing any shampoo or extras for that month, but on average I spend less than $400 if it’s not a Sams or T.Joes month.

Here on the island we also rely on home delivery, by either Schwans (love it!) or amazon grocery, etc. You can find great deals if you are willing and able to buy in bulk, and buying in bulk is a really good idea when you’re on an island. It is a practice that I will continue when and if we ever move mainland.  Coupons are also a huge help, which most of you already know. The coupon craze is more than just a fad and I don’t know any budget-conscience mom who doesn’t clip and save. To be sure I have no advice to share that hasn’t already been shared. But in case you are not a Harris Teeter shopper, if you live near one this is the best place to redeem your coupons. They double coupons everyday (up to 99 cent) and on a quarterly basis (sometimes more often) they have  triple coupon days. They also do super double days which double coupons up to $1.99. The closest Harris Teeter to me is about 85 or 90 miles, but it is worth it to make the trip if I have enough coupons and a long enough list.

So back to my soap box about the recipes….there are definitely days I cook something yummy just because it’s just soooo yummy. But mostly I want my dinners to be healthy because I know this is going to be the one meal of the day where my kids are going to be getting their vitamins and minerals. Let’s face it, breakfast just isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be when you’ve got school-aged kids running off to catch the bus on time. My older sons loves eggs and can eat them every day, but my younger does not. Once a week is good for him. He also does not prefer waffles or pancakes or fresh fruit. I find myself compromising with yogurt, cottage cheese, turkey sausage or turkey bacon, and a small bowl of cereal with organic milk or a muffin. So even though they are getting enough protein to boost them until lunch, I know they aren’t getting any veggie nutrients at all and that is important to me.

My kids take supplements. Jadon takes gummy multi-vitamins and gummy fiber. Brandon Takes the vitamins as well as a hefty dose of Vitamin C every morning. But at dinner time it is important that they eat lean proteins, grains, and veggies. It can be a chore to come up with new dinner ideas that incorporate all the healthy parts that make up a nutritious meal. Don’t get me wrong, we definitely have our moments. For example, Friday nights are Pizza Nights. I buy either frozen or grocery deli cheese pizzas and add turkey pepperoni. The kids look forward to it and I enjoy a night of no cooking.

Comfort Food

Today was an extra rainy day. The rain started at 10 pm last night and did not stop until about 5 pm today. There are even some parts of the road that were a few inches deep in water, which is normal around here. Makes driving slow, but I’d rather drive slow in a torrential downpour anyway.

So, what to make for dinner on a very gray, rainy day like this? Chili and Apple Crispe, of course! These are not my recipes, but I have made them so often that I now just throw things into the crock pot or mixing bowl nilly willy, based on taste and preference. For the Crispe in particular, I only made a small batch, using 3 apples which I mixed with 2 T. flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and approx. 4 or 5 T. ground cinnamon (because the recipe doesn’t call for nearly enough). For the topping I poured out about 1 c. quick oats, added 1 T. flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 stick of melted butter. After I mixed it all and topped the apples with it, I sliced up another 1/4 stick of butter and placed them on top. Bake at 350 for 45 mins until the kitchen smells heavenly!

Here are the recipes. Enjoy!

Chili Con Carne

1 pound ground turkey meat, browned with 1/4 onion and 1 clove garlic                                      

In addition to the meat, put the following into the crock pot:

Remainder of onion, sliced, diced, or chopped (however you like it)

1 green bell pepper (cut however you like it, but chopped finely is not a very good idea. Larger pieces or slices are best)

2 cans (14.5 oz each) tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

2 cans kidney beans, drained

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, or as many to taste (chopped)

salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

Chili powder to taste (for me this is usually 4 or 5 T.)

Let it crock and roll for as long as possible, stirring occasionally.  If you don’t use a crock pot, this will cook up nicely in less than an hour on the stove. Just let it simmer for a bit, stirring occasionally.                                                                           

Enjoy with crackers, shredded cheese and/or sour cream!

Apple Crispe

4-5 cups sliced apples, mixed with 1/2 t. cinnamon, 3 T. sugar, and 3 T. flour. (as you might have noticed, I use very different amounts. You will have to play with the measurements to make your crispe personalized).

For the crispy topping you need to mix together: 1 c. flour, 1 c. oats, 1 c. brown sugar, and 1 c. cold butter. (I use a lot less flour in this part, and less butter, too. I find that melting 1/4 stick and mixing it into the mixture, it works just as well, and I use 1/2 the amount of butter called for.)