The Perfect Sunday Morning Breakfast

Fruit Bowl: Banana and orange (add a little orange juice and toss the fruit with it for an extra kick)

Makeshift Bacon: 2 slices of deli turkey meat, cooked up in a drizzle or two of pure maple syrup.

Scrambled Eggs: 2 eggs, salt, pepper, and  little onion powder. Sprinkle a little cheddar on top, and add some fresh tomatoes.

Toast: Well, it's just toast. ;)

Breakfast has been devoured, and now the only thing left to do is to make a pot of hot coffee. 

Happy Sunday!

Spruce it Up: Spaghetti and Homemade Tomato Sauce (Vegetarian)

Let's be honest, I've never made my own pasta sauce. We've been long time subscribers to the stuff in the jar. It's so easy to throw a jar in the cart when the pasta isle in the store is just so tempting. The bright fluorescent lights make all the shiny jars glow with deliciousness and the options....oh my....so many. That being said, I've recently been convicted about the processed foods we still buy, and wanted to see if I could try my hand at tomato sauce for spaghetti. The end result is tasty, plus the sauce is hearty and healthy with all of the veggies you added. Next time, I'm thinking of adding even more veggies to beef it up some more. I should also mention that the cost to make your own sauce is significantly cheaper than buying a jar.

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. canned of diced tomatoes (juice and all)
• 1/2 a carrot shredded
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup (give or take) diced yellow onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• Dried oregano
• Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

How to:

1. Dice away and prep all the ingredients. 
2. Bring water in a pot to a boil to cook the spaghetti. Cook when ready.
3. Heat (over medium heat) 1 tbsp. olive oil and the minced garlic in a medium sized sauce pan for approx. 1-2 minutes.
4. Toss in veggies, but leave out the canned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the veggies until softened. 
5. Once veggies are ready, pour in the can of tomatoes and season with dried oregano and italian seasoning (shouldn't need too much). Stir and bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until a majority of the liquid has thickened/evaporated. Give it a quick taste to make sure it's seasoned to your liking.
6. Serve over the spaghetti and enjoy!

$5.00 or Less: Veggie Fajitas with Homemade Tortillas

It was a weeknight, and my motivation to cook a meal, was dwindling. Realizing that my only options would be to: 1) Order take-out (which I would feel extremely guilty about), 2) Cook something from scratch or 3) Heat up a can of soup (not appealing), I sucked it up, and decided to get creative. I've never made my own tortillas, and I'm sure I have much to learn, but this simple recipe will do the trick for a quick weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

Tortillas: (yields approx. 4 med. tortillas)

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2-3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. salt

Veggies and rice:

• 1 bag frozen (or fresh) sliced red, green and yellow bell peppers + sliced white onion
• 1 packet of fajita seasoning
• 1 cup jasmine rice

Extras: (optional)

-Sour cream

-Shredded cheese

How to:

1. Start with the tortillas, they will take the longest to prepare. Mix the flour and water in a medium sized bowl. Add at least 1/2 cup water, add more if needed. You want a consistency similar to dough. Let the dough "rest" for 10-15 minutes. 
2. Sprinkle flour on a large cutting board. Make small balls out of the tortilla dough and flatten each ball into a thin tortilla. (I prefer to flatten each tortilla as the one before it was cooking)
3. Heat 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When pan is heated, place your first tortilla in the pan. Let cook on each side until slightly browned (you'll just have to watch it), and you'll likely have to add a little more oil as you go along. Repeat the process.
4. Next, get the rice cookin'. I use a rice cooker, it's easy. While the rice is cooking, cook the veggies in a medium sized skillet with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Cook the veggies until almost cooked through, and then add 1/4 cup water and use about 1 tbsp. of the fajita seasoning. Bring the mixture to a boil and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. (There's really no rhyme or reason to it, just according to personal taste and preference)
5. Once everything is done cooking, you can assemble the final product. I put everything on top of each tortilla: a scoop of rice, veggies on top, and added just a bit of sour cream and shredded cheese. Each person had 2 of these and they were quite filling.

This meal is extremely cheap ($5.00 or less), and I'd like to think it is pretty healthy for you. You could of course, lose the sour cream and shredded cheese to make it even healthier. Tortillas are a bit messy to make, but nothing over the top, and well worth the satisfaction of making them yourself rather than buying them from a store. We will definitely make this again!