Progress

Do you think eating 12 pumpking chocolate chip cookies cancels out any good I've done from not eating meat the last two days? And would you believe how tempted I was by a sausage McMuffin from McDonalds this morning?

This not eating meat thing is hard!

My motivation right now is really curiosity. I'm curious how I'll feel at the end of the month by not eating meat.

Here are the recipes from this week's meals so far:

Broccoli Cheese Calzones:
1 container ricotta cheese
1 box (9oz) frozen broccoli, thawed (I used 1 raw bunch, chopped)
1/3 cup grated parm cheese
2 egg whites
1 tsp dried Basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pizza bread dough
1 can pizza sauce (or make your own)

Mix all but the last 2 ingredients together. Spread onto rolled out dough, fold over, and seal edges. Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
Verdict: Good. Not great. DH liked them, except the bread part. I probably could have just baked the filling with noodles or something for him. Or put it into a veggie lasagna.

Mediterranean Minestrone Casserole:
3 Medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups water
1 cup vegetable broth
2 6 oz cans tomato paste
2 TBSP Italian seasoing
1 TBSP sugar
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 cups cut green beans
1 Cup uncooked elbow noodles

Mix everything except the noodles and green beans into a crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 30 minutes before serving, turn crock pot to high and stir in noodles and beans. Top with parmesan cheese.

Verdict: make sure you cook your green beans all the way. Ours were too crunchy. This was good. It would have tasted better with some italian sausage... And it kind of looked like throw-up. Not to deter you from making this. It was good. Just not THAT good. If I make it again I will probably use kidney beans.

Anyway, things are going well. I'm determined. And my grocery bill was ON budget this week, WAHOO! So that is a major motivation to not eat meat. And I got cage-free eggs on sale, so I'm excited to try those tomorrow. We'll see if I can taste a difference. It's ok if you think I'm nuts. I probably am.

To eat meat...

You might say I've been on a health kick lately. Well, minus the hundreds of fun-size candy bars I've downed this week. But really, I've been running more than I've ever run in my life, practicing yoga, and trying to get in my 5 fruits and vegetables each day. Nutrition has always fascinated me, but I've always thought people who were vegetarian were probably nuts.

But lately I've had this little bird on my shoulder urging me to research a meatless diet, and bugging me to try it out. So I am. I'm not morally opposed to eating meat. I don't think you are going to die a horrible death if you do. I'm not even saying that I'm never going to eat meat again. I'm just going to try, this month, not eating meat. I will still eat eggs and cheese, though I'll probably limit those things. I will be sure to get enough protein, iron, and B-12. I'm really just curious.

I had a friend in high school who was the kind of vegetarian who wouldn't eat meat, but who would down an entire package of oreos in a single sitting. That is NOT what I'm going for. Part of my plan is to stay away from candy and other packages goodies. I can eat cookies and things if I make them myself, and they will probably be pumpkin cookies or carrot cake, or even apple pie.

I'm also excusing myself for Thanksgiving. Turkey is my favorite Thanksgiving food.

Follow along with my dinner plans on my Google Calender at the bottom of my blog. I'll be posting recipes. Every Wednesday I will post a tip for how to implement more meatless meals into your lifestyle while keeping the flavor and getting the right nutrients. On Saturdays I will review my meals for the week and give a report on how I feel. I'm excited. This should be fun!!

Monday: Broccoli & Cheese Calzones with whole-wheat calzone dough, ricotta, cheddar cheeses.
Tuesday: Mediterranean Minestrone with garbanzo beans and a variety of vegetables, plus whole-wheat pasta
Wednesday: leftovers with baked mozzarella sticks
Thursday: Lentil and mixed vegetable casserole.
Friday: Eat out (We're eating at a temple cafeteria, so we'll see if I they have a meatless option)
Saturday: Nephew's party, we're bringing the vegetable tray. I'll probably bring something to eat since they'll be serving pull pork.

Image from http://karmafreecooking.wordpress.com/topic-index/vegetarianism-as-a-way-to-loose-weight/

Real Food for Healthy Kids

At the local library a few weeks ago I came across this book. What a gem! Not only does this book give delicious, healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, but the authors explain strategies to help with picky eaters, how to involve kids in the meal process, and the importance of good nutrition. Each recipe has special tips as well as nutrition information! I heart this book!

Here are some of my favorite recipes:

Kiss of Honey Wheat Biscuits:
2/3 C sour cream
1/3 C milk
3 Tablespoons honey
1 C whole-wheat flour
1 C plain cake flour (I just use regular white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter (I use salted)

Preheat oven to 425 F
Stir in the sour cream, milk, and honey together.
Combine dry ingredients, then add butter and crumble with fingers.
Add sour cream mixture just until mixed.
Flatten into 3/4 inch thick circle and cut out. Place on greased pan and bake 13 minutes.

Good Day Pear Crisp

Half of a ripe Bartlett pear (You can also use plums, apples, peaches, etc)
1 small lemon wedge
1 1/2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp rolled oats
1/2 Tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tsp unsalted butter
pinch of cinnamon
1 rounded Tbsp cottage cheese or plain yogurt for serving

preheat oven to 400
halve the pear and core, cut into slices and place in a 6-oz custard cup. Squeeze lemon on top, add the sugar, oats, nuts, butter, and cinnamon, bake 20 minutes until bubbly and golden and the pears are soft.
Let cool 5 minutes before adding cottage cheese. Yum!


Extreme Granola

3/4 C pecans
1/2 cup natural almonds
4 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 C sesame seeds (optional)
1 stick unsalted butter (8 TBSP)
1/3 C pure maple syrup, cane syrup, or honey at room temp.
1/4 tsp fine salt
3/4 C chopped dates
1/2 C dried blueberries or raisins.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large shallow baking sheet w/ foil. Spread pecans & almonds on sheet and roast for 8-10 minutes, until lightly toasted. Transfer the nuts to a board, cool, and chop.
Reduce oven to 300 F. Pour the oats & sesame seeds in a mound on the same baking sheet. Melt the butter in small bowl in microwave, stir in the maple syrup and salt and drizzle on top of oats. Stir well with rubber spatula and then spread out eh oats in even layer.
Bake oats 30 minutes, stirring once w/ spatula halfway through, until oats are lightly colored. Let cool; the mixture will crisp as it cools. Add dates, blueberries, and reserved nuts and toss.

And now, one lucky reader can win a copy of this book! This is not a sponsored giveaway, I just want to promote healthy eating!
(After all, it's my birthday!)
There are four ways to enter:

Entry 1: follow my blog. Leave a comment

Entry 2: Go here and leave your favorite recipe for your kids. (One you use all the time) Come back, leave a comment and include the recipe.

Entry 3 (4 entries): Try one of the recipes I listed, and come back a review it. Leave 4 comments for each recipe you try. If you try a recipe you get 4 extra chances to win!

Entry 4: blog about this giveaway. Come back and leave a message and link to your blog.

Giveaway closes September 23 8 pm MST.



*This is my own giveaway, not sponsored by the authors or publishers of this book.

Meal plan MONDAY!

Monday: Chicken and Rice (I don't feel like going meatless again!)
Italian Tuesday: Tortellini Primevera
Whatever Wednesday: Taco Soup & cornbread
Thursday: My birthday! In-laws are watching the girls while the Hubby takes me to dinner!
Friday: Grilled Chicken & Zucchini
Saturday: Homemade pizza

Meal plan MONDAY!

We'll see how this goes:
(Check G-Cal at the bottom for recipes)

Meatless Monday: Blue-ribbon Pancakes & Eggs.

Italian Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs w/ salad & garlic bread

Whatever Wednesday: LEFTOVERS!

Soup & Salad Thursday: Spinach lentil soup & Broccoli Salad

Grillin' Friday: Steaks & potatoes

Saturday: I decided the last Sat. of every month I would clean out my fridge and we'd eat anything that hasn't gone bad!

Super Sunday: Mom & Dad's for a B-day dinner! (Yep, my Birthday is coming up!)

Food Nanny.

I was watching PBS last weekend and came across THIS show. It's kind of like Super Nanny, except she comes in and helps with meal planning, cooking, dealing with picky eaters, and things like that. She has great ideas, and one that I am going to incorporate to hopefully make meal planning easier is having a theme for each night. She says that this creates something predictable for your family and creates excitement about dinner time. I know that having meals together is so important, so hopefully this will help me and my family.

Here is my plan:

Sunday: crock pot
Monday: Meatless or breakfast for dinner
Tuesday: Try something new/international cuisine
Wednesday: Whatever Wednesday=leftovers!
Thursday: Italian
Friday: Soup & Salad
Saturday: Grilling

I may have to adjust things as I get going. I'm still working on keeping my monthly grocery budget at $250 or less, and I may actually make it this month!

I think I will also plan days to make home-made snacks, like granola, muffins, pita chips, things like that. Or maybe I will do those kind of things on Saturday morning. How do you organize your meal planning and menu?

Healthier Homemade Chicken Nugget

One thing I don't enjoy about a lot of quick meal plans is the use of frozen, processed foods. Not that those foods are tasty, but they are expensive (and I'm not a couponer) and exceedingly unhealthy! Unfortunately, the toddler LOVES chicken Nuggets. I bought some on sale once, and she ate them everyday for lunch for an entire week. Right then I decided that frozen processed foods are not going to be a regular occurence on my menu, so I came up with an alternative I'd love to share:

Homemade, extremely yummy, and much more healthy Chicken Nuggets. You need about 20 minutes, depending on how big a batch you want to make. You can make a ton and freeze, or keep in your fridge, or just make enough for lunch/dinner. The recipe would make enough for 4 people at least!

Ingredient:
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed into 1-2 inch pieces.
1 cup (ish) Italian bread crumbs (You can use regular, but I like the seasonings.)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
1/3 cup Olive oil (or canola, still pretty healthy.

Directions:

Mix bread crumbs and Parm cheese in a tupperware container (with lid. Sometimes I soak my chicken pieces in milk before adding it to the mixture, but you don't have to. Add the chicken and shake shake shake.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet. You want it to be about 1/8 inch covering the bottom of the pan. Make sure the oil is hot before adding the chicken, or the chicken will soak up too much oil. I use a little lower than medium-high temperature. If it's too hot, the outsides of the chicken will burn and the inside will be raw.

Once the oil is hot, drop your chicken in one piece at a time. Cook 1-2, minutes, turn and cook 2 more minutes. Really, you want each side to be golden brown.

Remove chicken from pan and place on paper-towel lined plate (to absorb extra oil).

You may have to fry the chicken in separate batches, depending on how big your skillet is.

I think these taste great with no sauce, or even on a salad! YUM! DD dips hers in ranch!

My new favorite blog.

Ok, I'll admit it. I LOVE to cook. Making good food for the people I love, or even just for myself, is a delightful experience. So imagine my joy at finding THIS blog. I mean, how awesome is this? In fact, she is my hero. I had tried doing this before, categorizing meals, writing lists and prices and recipes. But I haven't. I'm almost glad I didn't because Let Me Plan Dinner is AMAZING! Check it out!

Home Canning

My sister and I are undertaking a canning adventure soon. We want to can peaches, peach jam, and salsa. This is the first time we've canned since we "helped" mom in the kitchen when we were very small. Any home canners out there with any advice?

If not, I'll just have to read homecanning.com

Monday!

I'm not sure it is effective to include a grocery list with each week's meals. I usually only include the things that I need (what I don't have on hand) and other people probably don't have the same things I do. Besides, you may just use the meal plans for inspiration rather than following them exactly. So let me know if you want me to continue to do a comprehensive shopping list for the week. If nobody comments, I won't do one anymore. :)

If you notice the calendar, I changed the menu to have summer foods that don't require as much cooking, thus keeping my home cooler. I think we'll eat very healthfully this week.



Pork Roast
6 b/s chicken breasts
Steak*

Brown Rice
Olive oil
Canola oil
Brown sugar
Mandarin oranges (3 cans)
Craisins
Tomato soup
Steak seasoning
Almonds
3 pkg Oriental Ramen Soup
Bow tie pasta
Sesame seeds
Teriyaki sauce
Rice vinegar
Corn bread mix or corn meal

Bread

lettuce
Spinach
Green onions
brocoli
Corn on the cob
1 head green cabbage
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (I omit this, I don't like cilantro)
Onions
berries
bananas
apples


1 pkg frozen peas, thawed

Cheddar cheese
Milk
Eggs

Slow cooking

I came across this blog recently. I like it a lot. Check out THIS post about why slow cooking is great during a recession. People have such great ideas!!

Mommy's meal plans!

Before I share the meal plans and shopping list, I need an attagirl! I only went grocery shopping ONE TIME last week. To some it may seem crazy, but I am the girl who forgets things on my list, and then craves something during the week, and in the end I make 2-4 extra trips to the store (or have hubby go for me) and spend $40+ extra for the week! NOT good, I know!! So, give me a pat on the back, and enjoy the ideas I have planned for the week. I know, some probably aren't the best summer recipes. I'll work on putting a week of summer recipes together, but hey, I'm preggo and this is what sounded good to me!! Remember to add your veggies to your shopping list!!

For the Week of Aug 3rd, go to the bottom to the google calendar. Clicking on the meal gives you a recipe idea!




Bacon
Salmon
1 lb ground beef
Deli meat
B/S chicken breasts (4-8, or enough for 2 meals)

Ranch dressing mix
Basil
Chicken broth
Tomato juice
Gingersnaps
White vinegar
Brown sugar

Corn flakes

Garlic
Onion
potatoes
sweet potatoes
zucchini
lettuce
carrots
brocoli
cauliflower
berries
bananas
apples

½ and ½ cream
Parm cheese
Deli cheese

Google Calendar

Check out the google calendar at the bottom for my own meal plans. I use different websites for inspiration, but I also have to consider my owns tastes, and what I have on hand.

One thing I discovered this week: going meatless is SO easy! Mon-Wed we had meatless meals, and it was great! You can still get all the protein you need, it takes a lot less time, and you save SO much money!

Meatless week.

Sorry, I'm still trying to figure out a good schedule for posting. I'd like to do something more consistent, and I think this is what I will do:

Mondays: Meal plan Mondays

Wednesdays: Book review of a book, which may or may not be related to frugality, meals, parenting, relationships. In fact, it might just be a review of a book I read in order to fill my own bucket a little (which I think it a good idea.)

Fridays: Fabulous Fridays: Posts on why I love being a mom!

Saturdays: Special Days: Home organization and simplification tips!

I think I can keep up with 4 days of posting a week! And of course, if anyone has ideas to share, please do! I like to borrow ideas from any source I can find. That is the whole point of this blog, for us all to help each other by sharing ideas!

If you have a blog, please share a link for this blog so we can get more ideas going and help more people!

Simplify Supper

My little sister shared this AMAZING site with me! It's called "Simplify Supper." Basically, it is what I was trying to accomplish with my weekly meal plans, but was having a hard time staying on top of. I kept trying to look up meal plans with shopping lists, but all the sites I found cost money. This one, however, DOESN'T! Yipee! So check it out!! You'll be glad you did! :)

Menu Planning classes

The USU extension in SLC has free menu planning classes. Check it out!

Meal plans

SO sorry, I dropped the ball on this week's meal plans. I planned it out for myself on Sunday, but haven't gotten around to posting it. Having a toddler has taken almost all my time this week! Whew! So I will just post 7 days worth of meals, and you can take or leave them!

Before I list the meals, I must mention how I went about my shopping this week. First, I bought all my produce and some meat that was on sale at Sunflower Farmer's market. I spent about $40. (Weekly budget is $75). Then I went to Smith's and was hungry. I went over my budget because I bought things I could have made, bought things that looked good, etc. Bottom line, STICK to your budget, don't shop hungry, and the cheapest foods are whole foods, not manufactured foods. If you really need to save money, set aside time to make snacks instead of buying them. :)

This week I'm just listing dinners, and am not including a shopping list.
Day 1: Pork Roast and mashed potatoes. (The roast was on a great sale.

Day 2: Pork sandwiches and French Fries (conveniently utilizing leftover pork!)

Day 3: Chicken Noodle Soup (not the best for summer, but I had a leftover fryer chicken I just boiled to get the meat off the bones. It was really easy!

Day 4: Tortilla Casserole. This is in the oven as we speak. Hopefully it is good. See Recipe at bottom.

Day 5: Chicken Fingers and fries (lovin' potatoes this week, sorry about the Fries repeat, I guess I needed the fat!)

Day 6: Sweet & Sour Chicken with brown rice: See recipe at bottom

Day 7: Chicken Divan

Tortilla Casserole Recipe:
1 lb ground beef (using less, or even substituting beans would be fine!)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 c water
2 small cans tomato sauce
12 floud tortillas
1 8 oz cream cheese
2 c shredded cheese.

Spread cream cheese inside tortillas and roll tight. Place side-by-side in baking dish. Brown ground beef and onions, then add spices. Mix tomato sauce with water. Add to hamburger mixture and pour over tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese, cover with foil, and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
*I would add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp basil to the spices to give it more flavor. I also might turn it into an enchilada by putting everything inside (adding refried beans and green onions). It is a relatively low-sodium meal.

Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe: (I love this one!)
8 chicken breasts, cubed

Dip: 1-2 eggs and cornstarch(mixed well). Lightly cover chicken and fry until crispy. (I used canola oil and don't deep fry, just shallow)

Sauce:
1 c sugar
2 c vinegar
3 chicken bullion cubes
1/2 c ketchup
3 TBSP soy sauce
1 cup canned pineapple (can be crushed or cubed)
1 green bell pepper, diced.
Mix all together.

After frying chicken, remove, clean out pan, and replace chicken. Then pour sauce over the chicken. Heat until bubbly. Serve with brown rice and steamed veggies for max nutrients! I halved the recipe and had enough for 4 people! I also chose the easier method once and just bought a bottle of S&S sauce. So it's an option. You'd probably need 2 bottles for the full recipe.

Healthy Granola Bars!

One of my goals that will help with saving money, as well as eating more healthfully, is to make my own snacks. Most snacks are high in HFCS, salt, MSG, trans fat, dyes etc...plus they are much more expensive than making your own. And if you have kids that are old enoug, you can get them involved in making the snacks. What kid doesn't like to help "cook" if given the opportunity?!

Here are a few ideas:

1. Homemade granola bars: Try this recipe. It was delicious, chewy, and you can really do a lot of things to add variety (different nuts, dried fruits, add a few chocolate chips on top, etc. It made 16 granola bars for less than a box of 10 would cost! TIP: if you don't have waxed paper and use foil instead, make sure you spray with non-stick cooking spray!

2. Homemade popsicles. Or as I like to call them "juice-cicles." Just take 100% juice and put it in ice cube trays. After about an hour, or once the pops start to freeze, put in some popsicle sticks. YUM! You can always buy the fancy popsicle molds, but this is the cheapest way! And MUCH healthier. You can always pour your favorite yogurt in the trays and achieve the same thing, just with different nutrients and some protein! COOL!

3. Trail mix: make you own, and use unsalted nuts. That way you only have to put in what YOU like!

4. Apple smiles. Cut apples into wedges. Smear peanut butter on one side of 2 wedges. Stick a few raisins on the peanut butter on one of the apple wedges and top with the other apple wedge - peanut butter side down. It looks like a smile! YUM!

5. Fruit leather. Yes, there is sugar, but at least YOU control the amount and you know exactly what goes into it!
Wash fruit well. Remove stems and seeds, you can peel the fruit if you wish. Slice or chop fruit and place in a food processor or blender and puree. To prevent discoloration, add a tablespoon of lemon juice if you wish. Purée adding a minimum amount of water or juice if necessary. Purée should be the consistency of molasses or thick applesauce.

If you wish to cook the fruit, pour the purée into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring continuously. When it boils, keep stirring, turn off heat, and let purée simmer for 3-5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Spread fruit purée evenly over a grease cookie sheet or a cookie sheet covered in plastic wrap (secure plastic wrap with tape) until 1/8-1/4" thick. Leave 1-2 inches between the purée and the edges of the cookie sheet.

Place cookie sheet in oven with door slightly open. Keep oven at 115-120°F. Dry for 6-8 hours. Flip leather over, pull off plastic wrap and dry for another 6-8 hours.

Fruit leather is finished drying when it feels tacky, but is pliable and will pull away from the plastic wrap.

6. Fruit and cheese kabobs. Cut up the fruit and cheese, and skewer them! You can store them in a plastic container for up to a few days!

7. Here is another granola bar recipe. I might try this next time!
1 ½ cups rolled oats
¼ cup wheat germ
¼ cup ground nuts
¼ cup nonfat dry milk
¼ cup melted butter or oil
5 tablespoons honey
1 beaten egg
¼ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup dried fruit

Mix all dry ingredients. Mix honey, oil and vanilla into dry mixture. Add more honey to moisten or dried oats to dry mixture if necessary. Press mixture into 8x8 baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, cool and cut into bars.

Got an idea? PLEASE share!!

My Weekly Meal Plan

Crystal inspired me to post my dinner meal plan for this week, as I am currently planning my shopping list, I figured I could write it here as well. If anyone is interested in a recipe, feel free to comment on this post and I will post it. My goal right now is to shop as cheaply as possible and be more efficient in my planning and cooking, i.e., if I have spinach, make sure I am utilizing it for salads throughout the week, but also planning a specific meal to cook with it; cooking meat for two separate meals at the same time then using later that week; being more conscious about varying the meats, non-meat meals, etc. I am feeling more in control of our eating and food budget as I am trying to do this. That, and cook from what I have and what's on sale, not just choosing random meals then having to purchase items at full cost. It's amazing how much smarter my shopping has become as I've done this the last few weeks.

Monday - Taco salad
Tuesday - Spicy tofu burritos
Wednesday - Tuna over toast
Thursday - Spinach quiche
Friday - Tomato basil soup
Saturday - 4th of July (we'll probably be at a family BBQ)
Sunday - ?? (usually with family, if not, we'll come up with something simple!!)

Yummies Lasagna!

I LOVE this recipe. It is worth the time it takes to make! It is Stuart's counsin Camille's recipe, and so great!

Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
1 clove garlic
1.5 tsp salt
1 TBSP italian seasoning
1 lb can tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste (I always use sauce and it still tastes good)
1 TBSP brown sugar (I added that, so yummy!)
8-10 strips dry noodles
2 eggs
2 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c parm cheese
2 TBSP Parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
grated Mozz cheese

Brown meat and drain fat. Add next 6 ingredient and simmer 20 minutes. Cook, drain, and rinse noodles.

Beat eggs, cottage cheese, parm, parsley, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl.

Spread a little meat sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan. layer noodles, 1/2 cottage cheese, 1/2 mozz, 1/2 meat sauce. Repeat. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until bubbly.