Lettuce, Turnip, and Pea

Recently, Husband and I decided to get strict with our monthly budget. We are not extravagant with our expenditures, but since student loans are in our lives, we decided that we should tighten up our budget where possible. The grocery budget is ALWAYS where I look first. We decided to go cash only on our groceries, and that the budget would be $200/month or $50/week.

This week marks the end of our first month of cash only. It also marks the end of our first month of regularly buying meat again. I am amazed and excited about how far I have stretched that money (FYI: I stopped couponing over a year ago because it just took too much energy). I was actually $7.18 under budget. A big portion of this success is thanks to Fresh & Easy for their excellent prices, weekly coupons, and reward points system. And thanks to Superstition Ranch Market for excellent prices on produce.

I'm, also, pretty happy to report that we have actually eaten better than usual. This can be attributed to reading It Starts With Food that changed my views of our meal plan (read: put more emphasis on protein, veggies, and fruit, and less on fillers like rice and bread).

Here are pictures of some of my favorite meals from this month so far:

 Salmon Cakes with Asparagus and Bell Peppers

 Banana Pancakes (packed with protein) and Strawberries

 Pork Chops with Onion Orange Marmalade and Asparagus

 Pork Chops with Apple Cranberry Maple Glaze and Salad

  Cranberry BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato and Spinach and Cornbread

Egg Drop Soup with Whole Wheat Potstickers*

Another really great thing about this week is that the Boy helped cook a few meals, which resulted in pride in his accomplishment and more enjoyment eating his meals. Every night he asks what dinner will be and when told, he exclaims "Yes!!! I love (insert food name)!!!"

He sauteed those bell peppers and asparagus amazingly well.

The pride in his efforts for this omelet can be seen in his Awkward Family Photos smile/pose.

He was super excited about the corn bread he helped make, so much so that he inhaled 3 slices in a blink of an eye. 

*I realize this meal was lacking in the veggie department. Can't be winning all the time.

Pizzeria Bianco

Last Thursday while on an outing to the Arizona Science Center (yes, the Boy and I have been there twice within the week), I had the pleasure to eat lunch at Pizzeria Bianco. The food was reminiscent of my visit to keste pizza in New York. The food was absolutely delicious! I would recommend it for a date night, but not for a group of more than 3. The place is small and there is usually a wait for group seating. Here are pictures* of what was ordered on my visit:

Spiedini

Margherita

Wiseguy with Wood Roasted Organic Mushrooms

*I want to be a paid food photographer. Seriously.

I heart Burritos!!!

I finally made it back to Mango Cafe for another round of with the Killer Burrito. It was more delicious than I remember. I also tried the Veggie Burrito. Avocado packed perfection. Have some pictures of the delightful burros.


Are you salivating? I am. Mango Cafe is definitely my favorite Mexican restaurant in Mesa, no question.

Dogtown Chili Dogs

Last week the Boy and I went to Downtown Tempe with Husband's Dad. To be quite honest, it was pretty depressing walking down Mill. At least 3 shops that were open on Valentine's Day were completely empty. There was some silver lining to the adventure, though, in the form of a hot dog. Off of Mill, in the back of a building we found Dogtown Chili Dogs. The food was delicious!

The Boy's basic dog

Husband's Dad's Sauerkraut dog

My Mexican dog

Tamales were on the menu, too. Husband's Dad got 2 beef ones.

The Boy loved sharing the bread with the birds. And terrorizing the birds. And threatening to eat the bread once he threw it on the ground.

Cranberry Muffins

Over Christmas break I bought a bag of fresh cranberries to make a cider, but then I didn't because I realized it called for cinnamon*. I was relieved to find this recipe so that that cranberries didn't go to waste. Husband loves cranberries and he loves oranges. He also loves to eat breakfast. It was a triple win for the gold. Word to the wise: substitute white chips for chocolate chips. It makes all the difference.


*Cinnamon is my least favorite food in the entire world. And it pops up in every recipe during the holiday season. Boo.

Archie's Deli

After visiting the Botanical Gardens, we stopped for lunch. Archie's Deli was the place of choice and it was great. Not crowded, good food, good service, and MACAROONS!

I ordered the Shelby's So There turkey sandwich.

I can't remember what Husband's Dad ordered, but it looked good.

The Boy ordered the Hot Dog, but favored the applesauce side.

Husband's Dad and I both ordered a Macaroon each.

And we both finished them in one sitting, because you know, we couldn't just let them mix with the leftover sandwich juices in the take home boxes. If you would have been there, you'd done the same. Guaranteed.

Surged

This past weekend I had a surge of domestic energy and was in the kitchen a lot. I thought it would last the week so I planned to make awesome dinner every night this week. Sadly, my domestic energy crashed before I woke up Monday morning. Whatever. It was nice while it lasted.

With all my energy, I focused on making things from scratch or healthier alternatives. Here are two recipes that I tried out. Both were tasty.


Butternut squash and sweet potato soup

1 small butternut squash, about 1.5 pounds, diced (1/2-inch)
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (1/2-inch)
1 medium onion, diced
few T rosemary
2 tbsp butter
6 cups vegetable broth
salt + pepper

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and rosemary and stir to coat. Cover pot and allow veggies to sweat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 10 minutes, add broth. Bring to a boil then drop heat to moderate simmer. Let soup simmer for an additional 20 minutes, until potatoes and squash are quite tender. Using a blender, puree' soup until smooth and creamy. Salt and pepper to taste.


and butternut squash mac n' cheese

2 servings pasta
1 serving butternut squash soup
2 oz light cream cheese
cornstarch
few tablespoons shredded cheese

Make the pasta. Drain. To the pasta pot, add the soup. Keep the heat on high or med. high. Mix cornstarch with a little water until smooth. Add to the pot and stir well. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Put in dishes and top with cheese!

Grapefruit Tea

My grandpa swears that boiling a grapefruit - rind and all - in water produces something that will fight a cold off like no other. Last week I was sick and my parents have a tree bursting with grapefruit, so I tried it out. It was incredible, once I added some agave nectar.



I made it a few mornings in a row and even got a little exotic by adding some blueberries to the mix. Now I'm not sure that it punched out my cold, but it was a deliciously warm beverage for the morning.


Post Edit: At the request of Stephanie, here is an estimated exact recipe.

Ingredients
whole grapefruit, cut small wedges
water
other fruit (optional)

Dump ingredients into a pot, cover and boil on medium heat. Boil for 10-15mins or until grapefruit looks like the life has been boiled out of it. Enjoy.

Miso Tasty

Last week Husband and I went out to dinner with family. We hit up SakeBomber and it was awesome. All in attendance were patient with me and my neurosis for photographing food. I photographed all the dishes, except one which was a salmon bento meal. Enjoy the visual smorgasbord.







After uploading all these, I really want sushi again.

Tortilla Soup

I made and ate this dish multiple times in the past month. Delicious!


Ingredients
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can creamed corn
14.5 oz chicken (or veggie) broth
1 cup cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup
1 can diced chicken (or another can of beans)
1 t. cumin
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. chili powder
1/2 c. plain (greek) yogurt

Directions
Combine beans, tomatoes, corn, broth, cream of soup, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder in a pot. Heat it on medium heat until hot. Add yogurt. Top with tortilla chips and cheese.

(recipe adjusted from here)

Panzanella

recipe adapted from Dula Notes

3 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 jalapeno sourdough loaf (from Fresh&Easy), cut into 3/4 inch cubes

1 t coarse salt

many (10 or 15-ish) heirloom grape tomatoes, cut into quartered

1 cucumber, sliced and quartered

2 bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

some dried basil (can't remember how much, probably a Tbsp or something)

vinaigrette

1 t finely minced garlic (or garlic powder)

1/2 t Dijon mustard

3 T balsalmic vinegar

1/2 C. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 t salt

1/4 t. pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan or cast iron skillet and add the bread cubes and salt. Cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently for 10 minutes or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

2. Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together.

3. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, red onion, basil, mozzarella and capers. Add the vinaigrette and stir ingredients together. At this point you can add the bread cubes, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately or alternately, add half of the bread cubes and refrigerate for 1 hour. Add the rest of the bread cubes right before serving and season with salt and pepper. This gives you some bread cubes that have soaked up the vinaigrette and some crisp bread pieces.

Hierloom Magic

Remember how I fell in love with heirloom tomatoes? I used the ones from the farmers market and bought more (note: bigger) ones at Trader Joe's. Here are some of the dishes I made the week I bought them.

Panzanella

Penne pasta variation

Pizza

Absolutely delicious.

Coconut Carrot Bread

The original recipe is from Naturally Ella. I made some modifications. This is a great quick bread. As per request, here is the recipe.

1/2 c coconut water
1/4 c melted butter
1 egg
1 c shredded carrots
1/2 c brown sugar
1/3 c sugar
1 1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/3 c coconut flakes (plus extra for topping)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl mix coconut water, egg, carrots, and sugar and set aside. In a large bowl mix dry ingredients. Pour in wet ingredients and stir just until everything is well combined. Pour batter into a greased/prepared 9x5 bread pan. Sprinkle extra coconut flakes on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Bread is done when a toothpick can be poked in bread and comes out clean. Cool completely and then wrap in foil overnight (moistens up bread). Wake up from a well rested sleep, unwrap, and eat for breakfast. Enjoy.

Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

This is what we ate in honor of the Boy's birthday. It was most excellent.


True Story: The Boy appeared to be done with his meal so I took his plate. That made him upset, so I gave it back to him. Once the plate was back in his possession, he ate a black bean from the table (note: not from the plate). Then fully satisfied, he willingly handed me his plate.

Moral of the Story: Toddler logic is crazy logic.

Stuffed Poblanos

This was dinner last week. And Husband's lunch for 2 days following. Super easy and delicious. My two favorite things.

Panini Goodness

As recommended by the owner of Smeeks, my friend and I checked out a little cafe near by for lunch. Postino winecafe has a great menu of light and delicious sandwiches and salads. I ordered the Turkey Panini with a Mediterranean Salad.


Oh man. So good. When I ordered I asked the waiter which option of bread - focaccia and ciabatta - was less greasy, he gave me a look like I was beyond crazy for asking. He replied that they both were not greasy at all. At delis I've been to before, the focaccia bread is usually oily and makes me feel about as greasy as if I had just eaten a greasy deep dish pizza. I chose to go with the focaccia and was pleasantly surprised at the lack of oily-ness. And I cannot even say enough how perfect the salad tasted. If you are like me and need a few reasons to drive all the way to North Phoenix, get yourself some candy and a great sandwich on the side. Excellent afternoon don't you think? It totally was.

Salmon Surprise

Husband was really excited about this dish. He made up the recipe (hence the surprise) and was very pleased with the outcome. While I am not the biggest fan of salmon, this was pretty good.



Edit from Husband: Here, at last, is the actual recipe, if anyone's interested. I didn't really make it up, though. This recipe, or some variant of it, shows up all the time in kitchens everywhere on the west coast.

What you need:

- Aluminum foil
- A 9x13 pan
- Salmon steak
- 1 red and 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red onion
- salt, pepper, balsamic vinaigrette

What you do with it:

Roll out the foil to about one and a half times the length of the fish. Place the foil in the casserole pan, turning the sides up and crumpling the edges a little (this is for later). The fish then goes in the pan on top of the foil, scales side down.
Chop the vegetables however you like and add them to the pan, with some on top of the fish and some on the sides. Add a generous helping of the vinaigrette on top of all this (it's hard to put too much), and then add salt and pepper to taste.
Roll out another length of foil, this time just a bit longer than the pan. Fold the edges of this piece into the edges of the one underneath, like a foil dinner if you've ever done one of those.

At this point it goes into the oven at 375 degrees F for about 45-50 minutes. You can also do it on an outdoor grill, of course, but then the time varies slightly and you'll have to probably check it a few times. It's done when the onions are translucent and the fish easily flakes when pressed with a fork.

Substitutions/additions:
You can add spices, like chili powder, cumin (to be used judiciously), or powdered habanero if you're feeling daring. Italian dressing is a good substitute for the balsamic, depending on what you prefer.
Brown rice and spinach salad on the side complete the experience nicely. Spinach salad like we do it in California could easily merit a whole post by itself.
If salmon is too strong for your taste or too expensive in your area, almost any type of whitefish will work just as well. In any case, fresh is better than frozen (if you can get it). Also, please remember to brush and floss every day, look both ways before crossing the street, and wear your boots in the rain. Finally, it's better to understand a few things than to misunderstand many things. More sage advice next time.

Pass the Veggies Please!

This week we've gone completely vegetarian (ovo-lacto) with a HUGE emphasis on eating more fruit and veggies. So far we have enjoyed omelette sandwiches, breakfast burritos, fruit salad, veggie sandwiches, and pasta salad. I love opening up the fridge and seeing all the wonderful produce staring back (there is obviously less there now since the week is almost over). It has been a blessing for us because our systems needed a little cleansing via some nice produce. Baby has been loving all the grapes. Husband has been loving all the bell peppers. I have been loving all the berries. Overall, it has been a great week.

burrito filling

veggie sandwich

delicious pasta salad (thanks Meghan!)

*post edit* I spoke too soon. No more than an hour after posting Husband got sick. I blame the grilled pineapple from last night (that some friends made) because I will not admit it was my meal planning that did him in. Now I'm trying to keep calm and relaxed so I don't follow suit. Maybe there is a stomach flu going around...?

*post post edit* I really jinxed us. It must have been a short-lived stomach flu and it got me last night. Twice. Now everybody pray that Baby doesn't catch it.

Applesauce Granola

Recipe adapted from Fake Ginger

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 300.

In a large bowl, mix together oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, brown sugar, and salt. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce with the agave nectar and oil over low heat.

Mix the applesauce mixture into the oat mixture and stir to coat everything. Spread the mixture onto a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Bake for 45 – 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is a deep brown. Remove from oven and stir in raisins. Cool completely before enjoying.