As I was going through one of my supply drawers this week, it reminded me to be thankful I had used all those coupons last summer. And by “last summer” … I mean 2009. I felt a bit ridiculous at the time, buying bottle after bottle of laundry detergent. But it is a year later, and I still have a storage drawer FULL of those lovely bottles. In the last 12 months … I have spent exactly $0 on laundry detergent. 

And, for that matter, I have not spent a dime on toothpaste. I still have about 8 tubes in the hall closet, so it will easily be another year before I have to buy any. We have enough shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, soap, lotion and shave gel to last us another year or two. 

It may seem like overkill to buy all those products, spending all that time clipping and sorting coupons and searching for the best deals. But you will thank yourself in the long run. Take an extra 5 minutes today and plan for the future. A year from now, you (and your grocery bill) will be thankful!

We tried the yummiest new recipe today! Found it on the back of the bag of frozen shrimp I bought a while back, and it is to die for! It was much more labor-intensive than I anticipated, but that was my own fault … well, my child contributed to how long it took me to make, but I prefer not to remember those ugly moments this morning. So, here goes …


1 lb shrimp, peeled & de-veined, finely chopped (use your food processer or food chopper … don’t decide to do it by hand like I did!)
12 Roma tomatoes (found them at Walmart for .38/lb this week!)
1 tbsp oregano (I’m still out, so I substituted tarragon & then added a couple dashes of garlic powder)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 oz feta cheese, finely chopped (we’re still dairy-free, so I substituted a little soy parmesan)
3 oz cream cheese (we have none on hand, obviously, so I substituted some red pepper/garlic hummus – WAY yummy!!)
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives (don’t have them & don’t like them, so I just used black olives)


Core the tomatoes & remove all the pulp from inside. Cut a thin slice off the bottom (so they’ll stand upright) & place on a non-stick baking sheet. After chopping other ingredients, mix together in a large mixing bowl. Spoon mixture into tomatoes (you may come out with enough for a couple extra tomatoes – I did). Place in 400 degree pre-heated oven for 15-16 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove & serve warm.


Seriously, this was beyond yummy. In fact, I’m thinking this may be equally yummy with some of the green tomatoes I’m probably going to be stuck with in my garden this fall. Cheese and tomatoes were created to go together … I am quite convinced of this. Even with no “real” cheese in this recipe, it made me happy. Total cost was about $4-5. So, for us, it was about $2.50 a serving. For someone who serves this as a side dish, it’s probably more like 4 servings. And it’s definitely a keeper. I’m still drooling just thinking about it, and I’m not even hungry!!

Okay, as I promised, here is my attempt at a vegetarian meal for my family. Turned out to be a little more work than I anticipated before starting my prep time. But it turned out yummy, so well worth it. Even the kiddo loved it … veggies and all!


1/2 package Morningstar Farms Veggie Breakfast Bacon Strips
1 cup broccoli florets (which I didn’t have, so I substituted zucchini)
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
2 finely chopped green onions (which none of us care for, so substituted onion powder)
1 cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper
1 tbsp butter or margarine
4 eggs, lightly beaten, or 1 cup refrigerated egg substitute (I used Organic, free-range egg whites from Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp oregano (I was out, so I substituted rosemary)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (since we haven’t re-introduced dairy into our diet yet, we used soy cheese)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (same as the Cheddar)
1/2 up chopped tomatoes


Prepare the “bacon” per package directions. Cut into bite size pieces.
In a large skillet, saute broccoli, mushrooms, green onions, and bell peppers in butter until tender. Remove from heat & set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat together eggs, water, oregano, pepper and garlic powder until foamy.
Stir in “bacon”, cheese, tomatoes and broccoli mixture. Pour into a greased shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

I actually doubled the recipe, and we have enough leftovers for another meal for all 3 of us. Total cost was about $9-10. If you make it as listed above, cost should be about half of that. Cost per serving is about $1.75, which is decent to my way of thinking. Next time around, I’ll probably use something like ground turkey or sausage, something along those lines (although the fake bacon really wasn’t bad). Also, if you use the non-soy version of cheese … probably a little cheaper, since that stuff is not cheap. It was an experiment for this recipe. I will probably just wait until we’re both eating dairy again and use the real stuff next time!


This seemed to be a pretty kid-friendly recipe. My kiddo usually spits out bell pepper, and she was practically inhaling them. She is not usually fond of zucchini either, and she ate every bite. Definitely a successful meal when the kids eat all their veggies!

I know. It’s been forever! And we still aren’t entirely done with the home projects. But things are under control enough that I have a few free moments again … so yay!


I am currently contemplating all the veggies I will soon have. We have determined that our mystery squash plant is some sort of monstrous killer pumpkin plant. The thing has taken over half our garden and is growing into the yard now. Looks like we’re going to have 30+ pumpkins. So, if you live in the Hillsboro area and are looking for pumpkins in about a month … see me! Our corn, potatoes, green beans and tomatoes have just taken off. Finally starting to harvest some tomatoes, and I’m seeing signs of growth on the bean plants. I’m starting to get excited about all the produce I’m not going to be buying soon. In the meantime, though, we are eating lots of zucchini, since it’s in season and fairly cheap.


Trying another new recipe today, and I figured I would pass it along. It’s a pretty simple one, which is my favorite kind. And the cost is so minimal that it’s almost laughable. Our entire dinner tonight will probably cost about $1.50.  I am borrowing this recipe from Dr. A’s Habits of Health. I made a couple minor adjustments to fit what was in my pantry, but otherwise, this is it. Balsamic Glazed Chicken with Rosemary:


Two 6-ounce boneless/skinless chicken breasts (purchased frozen & on sale – about $1.00)
2 tbsp diced onion (which I don’t have on hand, so I am substituting 1/4 tsp onion powder)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped fine (also don’t have, so I substituted a couple dashes of some rosemary garlic seasoning I had in the spice cupboard)
1/4 tsp black pepper


Combine onion, garlic, vinegar, pepper, water, oil and rosemary in a bowl. Add chicken and marinate for 2-3 hours or overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry. Heat grill or set broiler to high and cook chicken for 4-5 minutes. Turn and cook for 3-4 minutes more or until cooked through. Remove from heat and serve. Makes 2 portions (I threw in a couple extra ounces of chicken, so there’s enough for a toddler portion).


I plan to dice the chicken and add it to a salad – lettuce, spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. Probably not even 50 cents worth of food, but we’ll say it is, just because. 🙂


Check back tomorrow. I’m planning one of my new vegetarian recipes and will be posting the recipe. I almost wish I’d made it today, because just reading the recipe has had my mouth watering for the last 3 days!

I just wanted to check in and say, “I’m still here!” We are in the midst of home improvement chaos right now, which leaves me pretty much no time on the computer. In fact, I’m typing this as I scarf down my dinner and supervise my little girl’s dinner! I should be back and posting regularly again after this week is over. Pray for my sanity in the meantime … and I look forward to “talking” with everyone again soon!

I am loving the farmer’s markets right now! While I wait for my own garden to start producing serious amounts of veggies, I’m taking advantage of other farmers’ produce. We did a quick trip to the Hillsboro Farmer’s Market on Sunday. We were hoping to find some asparagus at a decent price, because I refuse to pay $6.99/lb for the huge ugly-looking asparagus I saw at the grocery store last week! Didn’t find any, but we did score on zucchini and eggplant.


My little secret? I have never, ever eaten eggplant in my entire life … until today. I’m not sure how I made it 30+ years without even trying it, but it was one that slipped by me. So, I got brave today and decided to try another new recipe. Hubby and I saw a variation of this recipe on Food Network, on 10 Dollar Dinners. She made a dish called Eggplant Tian. Her recipe called for onions, which I didn’t have and which didn’t sound good. I substituted zucchini in it’s place. It also called for either parmesan or mozzarella cheese to melt over the top. Since we aren’t eating any dairy right now, we skipped that (although I’m sure it would be yummy with that addition!). So, here’s my new recipe I tried. It turned out quite tasty, and was pretty economical.


2 cups eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
2 cups zucchini, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
2 large tomatoes (or 4 roma tomatoes), sliced about 1/4 inch thick
salt (or Nu-Salt, which I used)
Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning
a couple dashes of low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil


Heat olive oil in large pan on medium heat. Add eggplant, season with salt, and saute until slightly browned on each side. Remove eggplant, add zucchini to pan and repeat same process. Once eggplant and zucchini have been removed from pan, place in rows in a medium baking pan (made about 3 rows in mine), along with tomatoes. Sprinkle with Mrs. Dash seasoning, drizzle with soy, cover with foil, and place in oven at 375. Bake for about 20 minutes. If you decide to add the cheese, remove from oven after 20 minutes, sprinkle cheese on top and return to oven on broil setting for approximately 2 minutes (or until cheese is melted). This dish cost about $3 to make, and fed our entire family at lunch today (in addition to our protein for the day).


I’d love to hear what some of you have done with the local produce this summer. Any fun, new recipes? Or old favorites that you’ve been making with the goodies from market or your garden?

So, as you know, we’ve been trying to incorporate fish into our diet a little more frequently.  And, since I’m not normally a big fish/seafood fan, I’m constantly looking for creative recipes to dress it up and yet still stay healthy. I found a great one that we tried today. In addition to the fish, we had cauliflower – another of my not so favorite foods. However, I loved both these recipes so much, that we’re adding them to the menu again soon!


TILAPIA
4 tilapia filets (about 1 lb total cooked weight)
4 tbsp sesame oil (could substitute olive oil or whatever suits you – this gives more flavor)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
Mrs. Dash steak seasoning (I know, weird – but it works!)


Place tilapia filets in a large bowl and drizzle with sesame oil. In a separate bowl, mix garlic, italian seasoning, salt & pepper and Mrs. Dash together. Spread over filets. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Transfer filets to baking dish. Cook for 30 minutes or until filets are flaky when pulled apart.


CAULIFLOWER
1 cauliflower head, or about 4 cups of cauliflower florets
4 tbsp low-fat low-cal Italian salad dressing


Place cauliflower florets in large bowl and drizzle with salad dressing. Cover, shake well to coat, and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. Place in microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, poke holes in plastic with fork and microwave at full power for about 7 minutes.


This entire meal was sooooo yummy, and it is very healthy. Total cost was about $3, or $1.50 per serving. Yummy, healthy, and economical. Can’t beat that!

Sorry I’ve been AWOL the last few days. I came down with a lovely cold, which keeps me from thinking straight enough to write. Finally on the mend now, though, and trying to get back into the swing of things. 


I find myself coming up with all these grand plans while I’m sick and too tired to do any of them. Ideas for organizing my house, plans to do more coupon shopping, make a cleaning schedule that I’ll stick to, etc, etc, etc. I so rarely follow through with these plans, though. Which is kind of sad. Some of my ideas are good and should be put to use. I just need to organize my thoughts and make a plan.

I’ve decided my first assignment will be the linen/storage closet. You know, that closet where you stash all the extra toothpaste, soap, cleaners, etc? I went crazy with the coupons last summer, right before we bought our house. As a result, I have enough of these non-perishable-type items to last us through the next decade. Well, maybe not quite that long … but close! However, I can no longer find anything in that closet, because I keep adding new stuff to the front and pushing stuff to the back. So, I’m going to figure out a way to organize it so I can find stuff. I’ve seen several posts lately about organizing with buckets. Looks cute, but all those buckets just take up extra space that is already at a premium. I’m leaning toward plastic see-through tubs, shoebox size, with labels. I can sort by product and stack. Then my poor hubby won’t have to always ask me if we’re out of this or that, or have stuff falling on his head while he digs for something at the back of the closet.


If you’ve got a big project, break it down into small parts you can manage. And don’t stress about getting it all done in one day. Give yourself a reasonable time-frame to do things. I’d love to start this project today, but we have booked ourselves away from home for the entire day. And tomorrow, hubby starts a new schedule of working at nights, which means I probably shouldn’t be banging around in the cupboards outside the bedroom while he’s trying to catch a nap. So, this project, which seems simple, may take me the next week. But I’ve set a goal to work toward. Once that’s done … then I’ll worry about the next big project!