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!

Healthy Comfort Food: Chicken Pot Pie

My husband has been sick, and as you would imagine, he is getting quite sick of your traditional chicken soup. I decided to whip up, from scratch, chicken pot pie. Just the very sound of the name makes my stomach growl with anticipation. I was so excited to begin cooking, when I realized that I did not have the ingredients to make the proper crust, and did not have the motivation to venture out to the store, so I decided to play the "use what's in the cupboard" game and came up with an alternative to the crust: mashed potatoes.

Serving Size: I'd say this recipe makes enough for 2 hungry people, so I'd double it if you're cooking for more.

Ingredients:

• 1 large, boneless skinless chicken breast (thawed)
• 1/4 cup sliced, semi-diced, onions
• 2 carrots, sliced 
• A handful or two of snow peas, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3-4 large potatoes (or you can cheat and used the most natural boxed version you can find--no flavors added)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 2 tbsp. flour

How to:

1. Boil your chicken breast first. (this step takes longest, but the boiled chicken shreds very easily.) Place your thawed chicken breast in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil, immediately cover the pot, reduce heat slightly, and let cook for 10-15 minutes or until cooked. Remove chicken breast, let cool for a bit, and then shred the chicken. Set aside for later.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 425.
3. Peel potatoes, quarter them, and place them in a large pot with cold water (don't forget to add some salt), cover and bring to a boil.
4. Melt 2 tbsp. of the butter in a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the onions, garlic, some salt and pepper, and sauté until softened. Add in 1 cup of the chicken broth, stir together. Next, add the flour to the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth and whisk together. Whisk in this mixture, and bring to a boil (keep stirring). Once it boils, reduce to a simmer. Let cook for approx. 5 minutes, so it will thicken.
5. Next, add your sliced carrots to the skillet and bring to a boil. Add in your shredded chicken and bring back to a boil. Remove skillet from heat and stir in your sliced snow peas. Pour mixture into your medium sized, casserole dish. (Make sure to spray it with a little cooking spray before hand)
6. Let the mixture cool while you prepare your mashed potatoes. Your potatoes are ready to mash when they are soft, and easy to pierce with a fork. Once they are ready, drain the water, and in the same pot, or in a separate mixing bowl, mash the potatoes. Add in the final tbsp. of butter (or more if you so desire), the 1/2 cup milk (or more if the potatoes look too thick), some salt and pepper. Mash until creamy.
7. Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the chicken mixture in an even layer. Put the dish in the oven, and let cook until the potatoes are slightly browned on top--maybe 5 minutes. (Keep an eye on them.)
8. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, and then...chow down! It's a delicious and fresh take on traditional comfort food. It is much healthier than what you'd buy in the store or at a restaurant, so you don't need to feel guilty. ;) Enjoy!

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. ;)