Pinterest

I have been loving Pinterest lately for recipes!  We had a few really poor months there, and lived mostly (and repeatedly) on the recipes already on this blog.  Needless to say, we're pretty darn tired of them!  It always makes me nervous to try new foods, because I'm not sure how much they'll end up costing.  It is not like me to just make a menu and then buy the foods accordingly.  But with a newborn, I haven't had a lot of time for planning.  I did, however, find a few recipes that use similar ingredients and ended up spending about $80 for two weeks on my grocery bill (that includes ALL food, not just dinner).  That's about $30 more than I usually try to spend, but still a pretty good deal! Last week was spring break for my kids.  They always eat like crazy all day and I usually try to make one fun snack with them a day, too, so we did end up spending more for that reason, too.  I did not use coupons like a crazy person.  I mostly just bought what was on sale and used a couple of coupons that I already had on hand.  Don't underestimate the power of Kroger (Smith's in Utah)!  They send me TONS of coupons on great things.  Yesterday I got coupons in the mail for free diapers and wipes.  Today I got coupons for $1.50 off store brand chicken and $1 off produce.  These are the kinds of coupons that you're not going to get anywhere else.  I started receiving my coupons after shopping there for about 6 months.

We used this taquitos recipe and doubled it.  We froze half to save for a meal another day.  We changed the recipe slightly, though, and added more lime juice and halved the spices. 
This recipe for avocado chicken salad also calls for cilantro and lime juice, so I added that to the list.
Knowing that I'd have some extra avocado, I added this black bean avocado and rice wrap.  It looks so yummy.  Asparagus was on sale, so we made some of these (with regular breadcrumbs instead of panko.  I didn't know what those were a week ago, but now that I do, I think it would have made a difference.)  My daughter ate them up and had really rancid urine later that night.  But hey, if the asparagus is cleaning her system, I'm totally okay with that.  We paired that with some leftovers to make it a more complete meal.  Last night we had skinny chicken and broccoli alfredo to use up the rest of the broccoli from the potato soup we had last week.   
 

Strawberry smoothie!

Do you have a whole bunch of buttermilk in your refrigerator like I do?  Up until recently, I've not really known what to do with it.  Then I had the brilliant idea of using buttermilk instead of regular milk in the smoothies that I craved while pregnant.  It worked perfectly and added a different taste with a creamier texture and a bunch of added protein.  This is what I do:

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup frozen fruit (I usually use strawberries.  They were on sale at Kroger for $1.50 last week, so I bought a bunch and flash froze them.  That just means that I lined them up on a cookie sheet and froze them before putting them into a ziploc freezer bag.  The same amount of store-bought frozen strawberries runs about $3).
2 T. sweetener (honey, maple syrup, or even just sugar works).

Blend it all together and voila!  A yummy treat for a pregnant lady.  Or any lady who has a major sweet tooth and is looking for a healthier way to satisfy it.

Brief hiatus!

Hello everyone!  I had my fourth child 10 days ago and have been completely enjoying welcoming her into our home.  I loved my stay at the hospital and loved eating the hospital food!  I  know, I'm a little bizarre that way, but there is seriously nothing better than lying in bed and having people bring you 3 meals a day.  With dessert at two of them!  I didn't even have to clean up after myself.  I stayed as long as they would let me.  Then, my parents came to visit for a week and split the grocery bill with us, which meant that we got to splurge a little and eat really good food.  Oh, and I can't forget to mention the neighbors that fed my family while I was in the hospital and brought us meals for the freezer to thaw when we needed them.  I have felt thoroughly spoiled...unfortunately for the blog, that means I have had nothing to post!  My meals are running out, though, and so I'll be back soon...

Couscous

I had never heard of couscous until a friend of mine from college told me about it.  Her parents were living in Saudi Arabia at the time and she swore up and down that couscous was her favorite thing about Saudi Arabia.  So I tried her recipe and loved it!  I have forgotten about it over the years, but after making chicken a few nights ago, we had just one chicken breast left and I wanted a recipe would utilize that one piece and not make me have to buy a whole new bag (Yes, it's cheaper to buy a whole chicken and debone it yourself, but I don't quite have the stomach for it.  My husband used to do it for us when we were super broke, but once he got a raise, we treated ourselves to the luxury of boneless skinless chicken breasts/tenderloins).  Anyway, when I went to Morocco a few years ago (don't worry, I went for free...I'm still a poor person) we went to a fancy restaurant and they served us couscous!  I was happy that I recognized the meal and assured my students (I was teaching at the time and took a group of students to Spain and morocco) that it was good food.  So without further ado, let me introduce you to the fabulous world of couscous!

1 1/4 C. chicken broth (remember to stock up on this when it's on sale at Thanksgiving.  I usually buy a case and use it throughout the year)

1 C. uncooked couscous (you can find it near the rice.  It comes in a small box.  Be sure to get the plain couscous and not the flavored kind).

1 T. butter

1/2 c. olive oil

3 T. fresh lemon juice (or you could use it from concentrate, too)

1 t. salt

1/2 t. ground coriander (optional...I don't use it)

1/2 t. dijon mustard (optional)

1 large clove garlic (optional)

Black pepper to taste

1 c. cooked, diced chicken

1 large green onion, diced (I don't put this in)

1 1/2 C. diced celery

1 large granny smith apple (cored and diced)

In saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil, add couscous and butter.  Bring to a boil again and cover.  Remove from heat, let stand 5 min, fluff with fork and let cool.  In small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, coriander, mustard, garlic and pepper - mix well.  In large bowl, combine cooked couscous, chicken, onions, apple and celery.  Add olive oil mixture, toss to coat.  For aesthetics, serve on lettuce.  Great as a main dish or served with lemon chicken meal (omit chicken from salad).

This was the first time we've had it since my kids have been older.  We made a HUGE mistake, though, and put in flavored couscous.  So when we added all of the other flavorings to it, it was quite over powering even for us.  Our kids were troopers, though, and took a few bites.  Then they asked politely for us to never make it again.  :)   We told them that there were too many spices in it and the next time we make it, we'll leave some of them out.  They seemed okay with that.  My mistake.  Believe it or not, there are times when I let my kids get away without eating their dinner, and this would be one of those times.