Week 1: Something old, something new

Weekly grocery shopping bill: $77....the CHEAPEST I've ever boughten our weekly groceries for. The key: realizing just how much we already have in our fridge and cupboards, and how little we really need to buy. I think I've gotten a little comfortable with our food budget and had a lot of fun getting recipes and buying all the necessary ingredients. While this was great, and certainly tasty, there are many staple food items that have remained unused and untouched...which = waste. Our new goal is to shop smartly and eat wisely. This week truly met that new goal. I only bought the necessary items like: milk, lunch meat, vegetables, and a few other household items. After a week of this, I can say that we're definitely not lacking. We've been full every night of the week, and while I have been tempted to stroll on down to the taco truck and partake of a tasty burrito, we've stuck to our guns and it's been a success. We got the morning paper today, and there are a TON of good coupons to clip...so, off to clipping I go.

Design on a Dime

I have a challenge to issue, mostly to myself, but you are more than welcome to tag along. Drew is finishing up grad school, which is wonderful, but this also means we are back to tightening the ol' budget. The challenge: groceries in $200 or less. (per month that is--which is cutting our regular grocery budget in half, and then some) AND, the other part of the challenge would be to still eat healthy and cook wholesome meals. Anxious to see the results of this attempt? ....we are too. ;) Stay tuned!

Pantry Recipes: Canned Pear Crisp with Oat Streusel Topping

The finished product!

Step 1: Open up pantry. Take out canned pears, and let the fun begin.

Ok, so here's the rest:

Ingredients:

• 8 x 8 baking dish
• 1 16 oz. can of canned bartlet pear halves (cube them)
• 1/2 tbsp. flour
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
• Cooking spray

For the topping:

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup regular oats
• 1/8 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/16 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Dash of salt
• 1/8 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces

How to:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease the baking dish or spray with cooking spray.
2. Cube the pears, mix with the 1st set of ingredients. (the topping comes later)
3. Mix together all ingredients for the topping. You will need to beat or mix thoroughly the butter, so that the final product is a coarse texture.
4. Put the pear mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle the topping evenly on top.
5. Cook for approx. 15 minutes. (or until topping is browned and the pears are bubbling--don't over cook this one)
6. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve with a spoonful or two of plain or vanilla yogurt, or vanilla ice cream--if you can't resist. ;)

Stir Fry Sauce

I've always had a thing for stir fry. It's been a messy relationship, and it's been rather hot and cold, but my love for stir fry lives on. Tonight I threw together a stir fry sauce that was something of epic tastiness:

(no measurements....it's a taste test recipe--live a little and get creative!)

• Lemon juice (don't use too much, the pure stuff is s.t.r.o.n.g.)
• Sesame seeds
• Sesame oil
• Rice vinegar (just a little)
• Soy sauce (low sodium)
• Minced garlic
• 1/4 cup water (the only real measurement you'll get out of me)
• Brown sugar (a couple pinches)
• Honey

Mix the ingredients and add all in the final minutes of cooking to your delicious mix of veggies and/or protein, serve over some brown rice...the healthier choice...and enjoy!

Pan seared sirloin, garlic spinach, and rice pilaf

It rained today, and was cold outside--two things I love, but definitely did not help in the BBQ department. These seasonal conditions meant that the steaks I had purchased this week for grilling would have to be cooked in a different way. I did a little Google search to find the best method for pan searing steaks, and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

• 2 sirloin steaks
• 4 cups of fresh spinach
• O Organics (frozen) rice pilaf (GASP! I know, but it's really good.)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Soy Sauce
• Minced garlic
• Olive Oil

How to:

1. Marinade the steaks! My marinade (no measuring, so just eyeball it): Olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, and a dash of pepper. Let the steaks marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Pre-heat a skillet with 2-3 tbsp. olive oil over medium/high heat. At the same time, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. 
3. Once the steak is marinated and the skillet is fully heated, sear the steaks on both sides, approx. 2 minutes each side. I took mine off a little sooner than 2 minutes, since my steaks were a little on the thin side.
4. Once searing is finished, place the steaks in a baking dish and bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes. (For a medium-rare steak. If you want it crispy, keep it in longer.)
5. While the steak is cooking, pre-heat a smaller skillet or use the same one, with 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium/low heat. Once heated, throw in the spinach, garlic, and a little salt and pepper, and cook until spinach is just starting to wilt. Remove immediately from the heat and set aside.
6. Throw the package of rice pilaf into the microwave, per the instructions, and cook for 3 minutes.
7. By the time all of this is ready, your steaks should be done! Serve everything together.

It was bliss preparing this simple weekend dinner, as I'm used to chopping, dicing, and mixing my little heart out on a normal night. Pair this meal with a glass of merlot, and you've got yourself a great evening. :)

Hello, Bento...

I have this really great lunch "bag" from Built, which is made of this insulated, flexible, easy to wash material, and I love it. The problems arise because I love to cook. My love for cooking often means that I have leftovers that I can bring to work for lunch the next day. I have to pack these delicious leftovers in containers and then somehow play tetris and squeeze them all into this lunch bag. While researching alternative ideas for the lunch box, I stumbled across the bento box.

The bento originates from Japanese culture and dates back to the 5th century. This version of the "brown bag" lunch was originally used by working and traveling people who needed a convenient way to pack and eat a nutritious meal. Originally the bento was not a box, but was wrapped in natural materials to carry, but in modern times, the bento can be found in all shapes and sizes. A typical bento box will consist of smaller boxes within the larger box, which is said to provide just the right serving size for your meal.

So, I purchased my very own bento box (seen below--isn't it cute?), and I'm looking forward to testing it out this week at work. I'll be posting my bento box lunch ideas at the end of the week, so stay tuned!

Mozzarella Alfredo Grilled Chicken and Artichoke Pizza

I've had pizza before, really good pizza, really expensive pizza, and I have to tell you that this pizza is very tasty, inexpensive, and easy to make! (all of my favorite things of course.) Now for those of you that have a bread maker, you can whip up your own pizza dough (lucky ducks), but for those of us without the incredi-mixers, you can buy pre-made dough at the grocery store. Trader Joe's has some tasty pre-made doughs available, but you can find some version of this at any store.

Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough (see above for recommendations)
• Freshly grated mozzarella cheese (approx. 2-3 cups worth)
• White Sauce (a.k.a. Alfredo sauce--preferably of the mushroom variety)
• Artichoke hearts (the bottled kind)
• White onion (1/4 cup diced)
• Grilled chicken breast (2 small sized chicken breasts will do for one pizza)
• Pepper
• Minced garlic (1 tsp.)

How to:
If you made your own pizza dough, you'll need to follow your recipe for baking directions. For those of us who bought pizza dough, read the instructions, but mine went like this for a thin crust pizza:

1. Fire up the grill! You'll need to pre-cook the chicken, so make sure you give yourself enough time to get this done first. We use a small Webber BBQ, and it took about half an hour to get the chicken ready, but you could also use a George Foreman or a skillet. Once the chicken is grilled up, you can cut them into bite size pieces.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. Roll out the pizza dough on a non-stick baking sheet.
4. Once the oven is heated, pre-cook the pizza crust for 5 minutes.
5. During this time, get the remaining ingredients prepped. Grate the cheese and dice the onions.
6. Remove from the oven after 5 minutes and add your toppings: white sauce (thin layer please), garlic and pepper first. Then add a layer of cheese, chicken, artichoke hearts and onions. Add the last layer of cheese on top of everything else.
7. Bake in the oven for another 6-10 minutes. Watch your pizza though, as every oven cooks slightly different. You want the crust to be golden brown.
8. Take the pizza out of the oven and let rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

And that's it! Incredibly easy, so I can't say it's a labor intensive recipe. Being a "9-5" girl, I am always on the hunt for easy, but rewarding meals. This pizza is definitely a taste bud pleaser. :)