A... Grocery List?

So, I'm a poor person. I'm working now, which means slightly less financial stress in general, but still, anything that's more than $5 (and i mean anything) is too expensive for me.

Unfortunately, the beau and I have three eating modes. Freezer Foods -- foods I buy all at once that require only a few ingredients, then pre-prep, pre-season/marinate, separate into servings, and freeze (meatballs, pre-seasoned, pre-cut chicken, stews etc) to simply be thawed and cooked without any work put into it -- Going Out (we're lazy and this is the biggest way we WASTE money, by saying "but i don't waaanna eat ramen...") or Cheap Foodie Eats.

So that's what this post is about. It's just a grocery list, really -- and i'm not going to post the recipe steps unless anyone asks (they're pretty simple foods)-- but I wanted to show you how I do simple but delicious (and kinda healthy) things that don't cost much but often fill you up and handle some kind of craving. And I'll include approximate costs for things from my international store, to give you an idea of pricing.

Not my photos today, unfortunately...

So here's this week's three primary meal plans:


Quinoa Bowls

this is inspired by a HelloFresh recipe for next week, and though i'm not getting it from them, i knew i could make it
myself and it's so damn easy i can't wait to try it.

--Quinoa (2.99/lb)
--Avocado (1.99)
--Sweet Potato (1)
 Chimichurri sauce: -- Parsley/Cilantro (1) --Vinegar (1), garlic, chili flakes, lemon
salt
Approximate Cost:  $8 -- 2 servings










Spicy Krab Hand Rolls

I am always sad by how little I get to have sushi. It's really my favorite food, and not being able to eat it often because we don't have any places that are both good and affordable here is really depressing. I can make sushi-- its pretty straightforward-- but all the ingredients together tend to add up to big costs, even if it does last you much more than the same amount of money at a restaurant-- it's still an investment. So this is my makeshift recipe list to satisfy my desperate craving for a spicy, nori-packed, crispy spicy tuna roll, since raw tuna is expensive, but imitation crab isn't.

--Nori (1.49)
--Rice (1.99)
--Krab (1.99)
--Cucumber (.5)
mayo
shiracha
sesame oil
(optionals- avocado, lettuce, sprouts, tobiko, panko crumbs, etc)
Approximate Cost: $6 - 2-3 servings




Super Simple Thai Chicken Bowl

I've worked with a lot of asian people of all different types, and so far I've never been let down by their food (except maybe that fertilized duck egg... thing...i don't really want to try that again...). But since my go-to, super cheap, super easy, super lazy meal of choice is just chicken and rice (with optional additions like black beans, avocado, tomatoes, or quick-pickles) I have a lot of ways to do that now that incorporates things I've had or loved, and started to mock-up at home.
This is one example.

--Rotisserie Chicken ($5 on sundays) [can you use your own cooked chicken? of course. but i'm lazy, plus i save the bones in the freezer for stock]
--Rice (1.99) [cook it in broth for extra flavor, or, if you have some from before, use quinoa for a super health punch]
Ingredients for following asian additions;
*Quick pickles -- cucumbers/onions/zucchini (1), vinegar/lime (1), salt
*Thai dipping sauce [I call it moomoo sauce, because the guy who showed me how to make it was called Moo Moo (however, he was not Thai)] -- lemon/lime juice (1), fish sauce, garlic, chili sauce, sugar
Approximate Cost: $10-$12 -- 3-5 servings/

A fun alternative to this is an altered version of "Larb"-- which is essentially similar, but with ground chicken instead, with shredded veggies like lettuce or cabbage, and serving it on rice noodles smothered in the sauce would be a fun change.


See how simple and awesome these all seem? And the cooking part is just cut everything, make the starchy bit, and put it all together, either in a roll or a bowl!

And I think it's all very Weetzie. Healthy, quick, a tiny bit exotic, and less than $30 in total, for a giant chunk of the week's food, when you think about how many servings/meals each can make as far as using leftovers.


**items without a dash are things i always have at home anyway.

HelloFresh Review

Hey lovelies!

I just wanted to post a quick review of my new favorite thing in the world. HelloFresh.com

Love food? Check this out.

One box. Three meals (more, really). Free shipping.

 It's a food delivery service that sends you a box every week-- out every other week, or once a month, however you want, with all-- and I mean all-- the ingredients for three meals per week (for two or four people).
Free shipping, too!

It's a little expensive for a tiny budget like mine- though there are ways to get money off, such as my coupon code below, as well as account credit- but we went out on a limb and ordered the first box as a luxury and time saver and just for the fun of it! 

We don't need to grocery shop so much, don't need to argue about what we should have for dinner all the time, and it comes with easy to follow recipe cards (with photos) that make it fun to try out these recipes that we'd never have thought to make!

Every Tuesday night I'm eager for my box to come in (it gets here on Wednesday mornings) and every Wednesday night I can't wait to find out what the next box is going to be (new menu is up every Thursday)!

Did I mention that it comes with virtually everything you need for each meal? All you usually need are the tools (pots, pans, dishes) some oil, and some salt and pepper.

Everything you need!

Everything else is in the box! Recipes, fresh meats, veggies, fruits, spices, plus condiments, garlic, garnishes, everything!
Everything's wrapped individually and kept together in bags for each meal, so you just put the bags in the fridge (pantry items seem to come in separate bags) and pull out whichever bag you need for the meal you want to make!

The menu is changed every week, with options for you.
There's three vegetarian meals, or five classic meals that you choose three meals from. It's a great variety and change, but still with choices and all delicious.

And so far almost every meal has actually made enough for us both plus leftovers, so we're actually getting more than three meals out of it.

The photo recipe cards are really cool because, A) they're pretty and easy to read and reusable and just adorable, and B) they make it really easy for my beau to cook, even though he's not usually good at it, AND we get to collect them, so we'll have this cute little pile of recipes perfect for a hand-made cookbook, so we can make our favorites over and over!

Recipe cards from our first box (classic). The Kofta was so good! And the salad was fun!

And because each meal is meant to be made in less than 30 minutes, it's a restaurant quality meal that's quick and simple, so we don't feel that "I wanna go ooout!" craving as often (so the money part balances out a little since we go out to eat less).

If you don't like the service (or can't afford it all the time) all you have to do is either set it on pause until you want another box, or just cancel it. No questions asked (except maybe a quick 'why') and no hidden fees or commitments.
That's really what got us to do it. Knowing that we could choose when we would get a box, based on what we could afford or wanted.

Our Vegetarian Box recipes this week. Note there's even nutrition info!

Also, as a side note, their customer service is really good so far.
It takes a while for them to get back to you sometimes, but they're really nice.
In our first box, we were missing the main ingredients of one of our meals (the mushroom risotto, which we still plan on making), and when we told them, they credited our account for a third of the original price (which means that much off a future box!).
We were impressed with how quickly they resolved it and how nice they were.

These photos are from our first two boxes. I love how fresh everything is, how creative and healthy the meals are, plus how cute it all is! 

And the variety means we're always trying something new and different all the time!
Today was pasta with escarole and mushrooms, tomorrow is african peanut stew made with eggplant and peanut butter on top of quinoa, roasted sqaush after that. So cool! Next week is seared steak with tomato/olive ragu, spicy chicken linguine, and artisan sausages with fresh mashed potatoes.

We've loved all the meals so far, and anything we didn't love, we worked out how to adapt it in the future, such as a different herb, an added side dish, or a different ingredient.

So, to sum it up.
Classy, gourmet food that's easy to make and delicious, delivered right to you.  Healthy, fresh, and delivered. Comes with literally everything you need.

I love it love it love it.

Great for busy foodies or those looking to learn how to cook new things (or at all).

AND for $20 off your first box, use the code 9Y42J5 when you check out.

It brings the price down a lot, which is really great to just give you a taste of it!
If you're not sure about whether or not you want to keep going, just put your deliveries on hold while you're deciding, and they won't charge you a thing until you want another box (or not)!

Try it! 

www.HelloFresh.com

Edit:: the coupon code recently changed; make sure you use the correct one (9Y42J5)

Soba Salad Anyone?

Scanning through Necklace of Kisses last week for a post got me wanting miso soup and cold soba noodles. She eats them like three times and there's only so many times I can see or hear about something before I want it (okay, so it's really only one time, but still).

So last weekend I got some miso paste, tofu, and wakame seaweed and settled the miso problem. That's easy enough.

But while I know how to make soba noodles, and usually have the noodles themselves around, I'm generally afraid to try anything new with them.

Today I got over that fear.

The stuff;
Buck wheat soba noodles
Meat/protein (I used cooked steak, next time gonna use quinoa and egg)
Veggies (peas, Napa cabbage, spinach are good)
Toppings (sesame seeds, nori strips, furikake)
Sauce. You can use a light dressing like miso dressing, peanut dressing, or just soba broth -- here's what I used today;  drippings from the steak, bottled soba broth, scallions, a drop of sesame oil, black vinegar, and crushed peanuts.

The process;
1. Prepare your meat/protein as needed. Set aside to cool.
2. Prepare soba as directed on package.
3. While soba is boiling, prep everything. -if using frozen veggies, add to boiling noodles so they cook with it. -cut protein however you'd like it. I prefer small chunks for meats/tofu.
4. Prepare your chosen sauce and allow to cool if hot. I mixed all my dressing ingredients in a pan on low and then let cool. If you're using a bottled dressing/broth, no work required!
5. Rinse noodles really really well in a colander and then allow to drain fully.
6. In a big bowl, mix all ingredients gently. Start with noodles, then veggies, then most of the meat and a helping of sauce. Start slow with the sauce and add as needed- you don't want it soupy. Then add some of your toppings and mix gently. Add ingredients as desired.
7. In (cute) bowls or traditional platforms, use chopsticks to arrange a pile of noodles. Make sure to get helpings of meat, veggies, etc. To finish, place a few bits of protein around the edge and top with a small pile of sesame seeds and nori strips/flakes, and any other toppings.
8. Enjoy your cool, filling, healthy meal.

Super Salad :: A Recipe

How to Turn a Simple Salad into a Super Salad!

Currently Listening to: Grimes

I'm not a super health nut, but I do appreciate healthy foods. Particularly since my health has been super crazy up and down lately; what else can I do but be better to my body any way I can?

On a side, personal note, I was recently put on Prozac for anxiety, and a month later had to drop it because of too much serotonin, which was extremely unfortunate, because I noticed HUGE improvements in my mood, attitude, energy, happiness, and --most of all-- my coping mechanisms when it came to stress and problems. Having to quit the drug, however, has put me on a super search for anything and everything that will (naturally) aid my body in any way possible. Homeopathic remedies for cramps, stress, and sleep, along with more exercise (when I finally can stand for more than five minutes at a time again...) and healthier food are all on my list, even if I have to find a new job to afford it.

So lately I've become obsessed with salads because they're easy, no heat meals (no microwave in my tiny new flat) that fill me up while making me feel healthier, and not smothering my salads with junk has been my first step to making improvements in my meals.

So! Here is my guide to turning a super simple salad, into one that's just plain Super FOR you!

1. Start with your greens. This can really be any greens, from iceberg to romaine to arugula, but for a Super salad, the more variety (and color) the better! Iceberg is really just water, and romaine is pretty much just a step above that, so go for whatever mixture you can manage!

I love starting with a good pre-mixed Mixed Greens salad. In today's bowl, it was a Baby Kale mix (kale is full of iron!) with a lot of different baby greens, most I didn't even recognize, but all tasty and probably super healthy!

2. Add some basic variety. My favorites? Nuts and Dried Fruit. I used to be a salad purist: greens only for me! I hated fruit, cheese, nuts, seeds, or anything not green on my salad. No more! I'm obsessed with Slivered Almonds and Dried Cranberries, both for texture (crunch and chew!) and for health (almonds= protein & good fats, cranberries = sugar, which is good in small quantities, & goodness like vitamin C and antioxidants).

Allergic or don't like? Try other crunchy/chewy combinations. Sunflower seeds and dried cherries? Apple slices and walnuts? Fresh blueberries and pecans? Just grab your favorites and throw them in!

3. Add some super food punch!! This is new for me, but when making my salad tonight I glanced in the fridge and noticed a container of cooked Quinoa I had made but not used. Salad ingredient? 

Quinoa is a new thing for my household, but it instantly became a favorite. Grainy carb? NO! Soft but with a tiny crunch and a nutty flavor, this strange little seed is high in fiber and one of the ONLY non-meat complete protein there is!
When someone tells you lentils have more protein than, say, chicken, they're full of shit, because your body doesn't absorb all that protein because it isn't "complete". Quinoa, on the other hand, is a complete protein. Your body takes it all in and uses it up!
Not too mention a heap of fiber, fucking calcium, folate, AND it helps regulate blood sugar.
Fuck rice, people; eat this stuff!

Anyway. Two heaping tablespoons of cold yellow quinoa (or is it "white"? dunno, i prefer red) on top of the greens, nuts, and fruit.

4. Add protein of your choice. Anything will work, as long as it's lean and/or good for you. If your vegan or vegetarian, go for the stuff you'd normally use. Anything will work, from veggie sausage to tofu to tofurkey. Personally, I avoid un-fermented soy products, but, seriously; Whateves.
That stuff on mine that looks like dog food is actually a leftover hamburger patty from last night's dinner. 90/10 (somewhat local) fresh beef mashed with zucchini chunks, some spices, and nothing else. I think I've been low on iron, so I wanted something with nutritional oomph, and since everything else is low-calorie/low-fat, the leftover grease from the burger pan was no big deal.

5. Dress it up. Lightly, please. This is not the time to smother it in Ranch or Catalina. Go for something with that is low calorie but high in flavor and goodness.
I used a faux-greek dressing I always have a mason jar of on hand. It's super simple; 1 part Balsamic Vinegar or a mixture of half balsamic, half red wine vinegar -- 1 part Olive Oil (always use olive oil: good fats!), some dashes of any extra flavor liquid you'd like (lemon juice works good), and as many spices as you can lay your hands on. I use black pepper, Garlic Salt, dried parsley, dried basil, and a salad spice mixture i got from the international store that has a mix of things like turmeric, celery, onion, coriander, etc. I love it. Shake shake shake, and store in the cabinet (the fridge will turn the oil into a gloopey block).

Sprinkle over your giant salad lightly, until satisfied.
Don't saturate it, but if you can't taste your dressing, feel free to add more.


Notes:
-- i did not add cheese to my salad. There is calcium in the quinoa, so why add the extra fat (and allergens) from the cheese. Occasionally I will add crumbled feta, gorgonzola, or fresh mozerella, but really, that's not necessary when I've got the quinoa (though it does absorb the extra dressing nicely).

-- Step it up! Another thing I love to do is add shaved veggies. Grab a potato peeler and shred up some carrots, cucumber, zucchini, or any other raw veggies that are pretty solid. Yay for more nutrients!

-- A note on quinoa. This shit CAN be expensive. I've seen it as high as $6/pound at the health food store, or worse, though I will say a little goes a long way. BUT, make the trip to your closest Trader Joes, and you should be able to find it for just over half that price. It's worth it to replace plain white rice and add that crazy boost to your nutrients in any meal.

-- Don't have or like quinoa? Add another superfood. Avocado, while mushy, goes wonderfully in salads and is so good for you it's not even funny. Or try chickpeas! Artichokes! The possibilities are endless.

-- Like creamy dressings? You could also make a simple, greek yogurt based dressing, such as with cucumbers or avocados, and dashes of lemon juice or vinegar. Just Google cucumber dressing and you're likely to find a light, quick dressing that will work wonders and still be good for you.

Enjoy!









Also see: Recipe Tags

Coconut Smoothie. To Health!

Coconut Flax Smoothie

1 part coconut milk (currently using "light", but regular is good)
1 part almond milk (or soy, if that's your thing)
1 serving roasted flax seeds
small scoop of ice
pinch of sugar or honey to taste

For an extra boost, add a serving of protein powder! (i would, but i don't have any... it's expensive)

Having never had flax, or understood why people would put seeds in their smoothies, I only grabbed a bag of the stuff at Trader Joe's because I wanted something healthy to make smoothies with and the damned protein powder was too expensive. Flax isn't a great source of protein, but it's good for fiber and Omega-3s, which is good, and I like to think that the almond milk gives it a little extra bit of protein too. Soy milk would likely add more protein, but I'm avoiding soy while I try to get back in shape.

So I got home and threw stuff together. I wasn't sure what it would taste like, but it turns out I love it. It tastes like a coconut puffed rice cake!

I've been drinking these for breakfast before going on the treadmill, or bigger portions at dinner time when the idea of cooking just drives me up the wall.

I imagine Echo drinking smoothies like this when she's training with Nina and Mark. The couple aren't good for her, but she learns to be fit and healthy instead of just skinny while she's with them; learns to eat right and exercise without starving herself.

"I met Nina first. She taught aerobics classes at the gym and I used to stand next to her, looking at all those mysterious muscles-- the arcs of her biceps, her ladderlike abdomen, tight rear end, strong, narrow quads, powerful calves. Everything tanned evenly. I wanted that perfection. Maybe, I thought, you can find it without starvation-- with protein and sweat and pain becoming perfectly formed, taut body tissue." - Echo

Muffins to the Rescue

I don't like to bake, it's just not my thing. It requires too much precision, makes a mess, and you can't just dive in without knowing what your doing.

The overall exception to this, however, is muffins. Once you have a basic idea of what you need, you can kind of add anything you want and it mostly works out. The worst outcome I've had while adapting a muffin recipe is that they came out too dense. But they still tasted fine and that's what matters.

So here is my overall recipe for Super Muffins, which I think Weetzie Bat would have loved as she got older, because they are healthy and packed full of good things, and can be as delicious or sweet as you want to make them.

I've only made these once, and the recipe is completely adjustable and customizable, but here's my basic idea, using a muffin base I found online. Once again, this is during my Juicing kick, so of course I'm using the fruit and veggie pulp that is leftover after I've juiced. This is mostly apple, carrot, beet, and orange, and sometimes kale that got mixed in. The obvious substitute for this would just be the same fruits and veggies chopped fine or (better yet) thrown in the food processor until ground nicely.
Again, I basically stole a Harvest Muffin style recipe as a base, and customized it. This is not vegan or vegetarian, obviously (older Weetzie is a vegetarian), but if you prefer either of these, I'm sure you know how to adapt it.

The Basics: Use your favorite muffin recipe (the one below is a little complicated, I think, but I'm goin for it) and add pie spices, nuts, oats, fruit pulp, and chopped dried fruit! So good and full of flavor!

Super Spiced Muffins

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons fall/pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc)

3/4 cup chopped nuts (I like almonds or walnuts)

1 cup butter, melted 

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/4 cups milk (or soymilk)

1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (cherries, raisins, or craisins, etc.)

1 cup fruit pulp (from juicer or processed fruit)

1/2 cup oats (or granola, but oats blend in better)

Dash of vanilla extract 

 
It has a lot of ingredients, but the wonderful simplicity that is muffins means that you pretty much throw all of this stuff into a bowl, then pour into tins and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. This is a big recipe, so you'll get a lot out of it.
I haven't tested out this exact recipe yet, but I'm doing it tonight or tomorrow, so I'll update when I do.

Beautiful Foods {Recipes} :: Hibiscus Green Tea

Iced Hibiscus Green Tea

Healthy, sweet, simple.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ingredients:

Dried Hibiscus (also called jamaica flowers)

Green Tea (bagged or loose)

Honey/Sugar

Water

Ice

1. Boil Water.

2. Place small amount of Hibiscus flowers & Green tea leaves in mug. Or you can use a lot of both in a large pitcher to make a lot.

3. Pour boiling water over Hibiscus & tea, let steep for at least 5 minutes.

4. Strain liquid to get out the leaves and flowers (discard).

5. Add sugar or honey to your liking. Hibiscus is naturally tart.

6. Let cool.

7.  Once at or near room temperature, pour over a tall glass of ice.

8. Enjoy in the sunlight.

Notes: 

Add lemon juice for a hibiscus green tea lemonade blend.

If you have a Keurig or other drink machine, this is super-easy to make with one. Just get Green Tea K-Cups, put hibiscus flowers in mug before you place it under the machine, then let the tea pour right over the flowers, then let steep and follow instructions from there. I do this all the time. Just as good.

Coconut Smoothies and a lot of TV

Nowadays, I drink Coconut Water (Goya's canned Unsweetened Coconut Water to be specific-- I don't like soaked bits of coconut meat in my drinks...) more than I drink regular water. Which, really, isn't much at all, because it's like $1.90 a can, and I drink them really fast, and I really never drink water. But either way, I love them. So refreshing and delicious, not too sweet, and so wonderful and healthy.

But since I got back from the amazingawesomefoodfilledcruiseVacation, I've been sick with the flu, bed-ridden with cramps, and I've wanted a little 

something extra. 

Enter my poor over-used blender and a randomly thought up coconut smoothie.

Think a pina colada sans the pina, or a coconut daiquiri sans the rum.

Easy peasy to make too:

1/2 can Coconut Milk (which is basically pureed coconut meat, used a lot in cooking)

1/2 can Coconut Water (I used my Unsweetened Goya stuff, I keep it on hand cause it doesn't have bits of coconut in it, but if you have that stuff instead, it should be fine)

1/2 cup sugar (simple syrup is really best, so if you have some, use it; i'm just too lazy to make it)

Enough Ice to fill the blender about half way

Pile it all in and bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!

Use more or less sugar to adjust how you'd like it, I like it not too sweet because it makes me feel healthier but you can do it however you'd like.

Add a straw, a fruity garnish if you'd like, and enjoy the amazing tropical goodness!

Now if only I could stop watching the damned television and dooo something!

Eating With Weetzie #1

Book:: Echo
Food:: Spinach Lasagna

"'Her cooking!" My father says. 'Her cooking is the cooking of a seraphim!'

She makes tamale pies, spinach lasagna, Indian saffron curries... each one in minutes and with out ever glancing at a recipe."

I've only made lasagna twice in my life, and I've never read a recipe. I've glanced through WikiHow instructions on how prepare lasagna, but never actually paid attention to what was in it. 

So here I won't bother to give a real recipe for this one, since I can't really remember the details. I think this is a great meal for experimentation.

Here's what I had:

Tomatoes

Spinach

Fresh Basil

Garlic

Shallots

Leftover Tomato Sauce

Ricotta Cheese

Mozzerella

Cottage Cheese

Lasagna Noodles

Italian Seasonings

I then followed the basic instructions of quick Lasagna:

Make sauce,

Boil Noodles,

Mix Cheese (ricotta, moz, little cottage, and Italian Seasonings),

Layer,

Top with Mozzerella,

Bake,

Eat!

I added spinach to everything, the sauce, the cheese, and layered on between the layers (pictured above, to the right, under ingredients.) I LOVE cheese so I used lots and lots.

Overall the meal came out good, although the sauce was a little watery and the spinach was a little strong.

In retrospect, I think this would be much much better as a white lasagna, using a cream or alfredo sauce (homemade or bought) instead of red sauce. Will definitely do that next time.

Whimzy Lunch

Today's HTBH accomplishment: Cook something new and exotic and delicious.  

It's taken me a while, but I'm finally been remembering what I love about fresh food.

Dan and I have been eating out A LOT lately, and I always feel so guilty about it because it's such a waste of money (yesterday, however, was the exception, with amazing Ethiopian food in Chapel Hill). Once upon a time I'd rather cook than go out to eat, but that doesn't apply so much anymore, and leaves me feeling dingy and lazy and wasteful.

Today I made that feeling go away.
I don't typically like chronicling days because it pressumes that anyone gives a shit about what I did today, but I think this morning has qualified as a bit of a Weetzie-en day.


I woke up a bit late (10:30) and immediately got dressed and finished mowing the lawn, because I promised Dan I would. After watering the garden-- which is doing much better-- I realized how hungry I was.

I felt like I had absolutely nothing to make, and had considered ordering Chinese, but forced myself to put it on the stove.

Yesterday's trip to Chapel Hill for Ethiopian also involved a trip to Trader Joes (always HAVE to go there when we're in town), where I let myself splurge on a whole bagful of high quality yet affordable numminess, from garlic stuffed olives to balsamic vinegar, two different kinds of brie to dried mediterranian fruit to a boxed Soba Noodle kit, as well as some Newton's Folly hard cider, mixed spring greens ($1.99!) and baby bella mushrooms, to smoked oysters and kumquats (never had them, have NO idea what to do with them) and more!
I love how affordable everything is despite it being primarily "organic"/otherwise high quality foods. You don't get that kind of thing here in Greensboro. When I go to Earthfare (which I never do) I have to expect to pay a LOT of money for very few things.

So...what did I have to cook? No idea, really, because the stuff I bought was just extra little things I wanted but hadn't thought of cooking. But after a bit of consideration, I made up the following meal:

Cremini mushroom and rice soup with 1/2 Smoked Salmon sandwich with Spring Greens and Brie

To me, it sounds like something you'd order at a bistro, but as I was making it up, it came out incredibly simple. Makes about one serving (just add more stuff to make more!)
Here's what I used (measurements aren't exact AT ALL because I never pay attention to how much of something I'm using):



soup-
1/2 cup rice
~4 Cremini (baby portabella) mushrooms  -- you can really use any kind of mushroom you want
~3 cups chicken broth   -- i used awesome and affordable "free-range", "low-cal" broth from TJs. Vegetable broth would be a great way to make it fully vegetarian.

1 Garlic clove, chopped
salt & pepper
Baby arugula    -- optional-- this i snatched out of my seedling bed at the last minute because I was desperate for something green. Only had like 6 or 7 teeny tiny leaves, but it added a bit of spice. Don't worry if you don't have any.

--Cook rice first in water or chicken broth (i really don't know how to make rice, i just put in about twice as much liquid [water and broth], let it boil, then brought it down to medium low heat and left it.) Don't worry about it being fully cooked because it'll finish up while you're making the soup.
--Add more chicken broth and the chopped garlic, then raise heat to medium.
--Slice up about 2 of your mushrooms, and chop up the rest, add to soup, leaving a few slices to garnish if you want. Let simmer.
--Once you know the rice is fully cooked, add arugula, lightly chopped, and lower temperature to about medium-low. Ready to Serve.

Sandwich

Smoked Salmon  -- I used the "Lox Bits" that they sell at Harris Teeter in little plastic boxes, it might sound scary, but its as good as the actual brand but it's a smaller amount, is cut into small pieces (I assume it's what's left after the package it?) and costs less than $2.
~1 tbl Brie   -- could really use any smooth, soft cheese. Traditionally lox is eaten with cream cheese, but a light goat cheese, or anything like muenster or havarti would probably work too.
~1/2 cup Spring Greens
Bread of Choice -- I used a corner of Ciabatta that I bought for Dan yesterday.

-Spread cheese on bottom slice of bread (or both slices if you really like it)
-Layer salmon and mixed greens on top.
-Close sandwich and squish down slightly so the toppings stick to the cheese.

Voila!
Simple and delicious, made with mostly fresh ingredients and super healthy!!

One thing I've learned from today is how important it is to have ingredients you love around whenever possible. It's inspiring and it allows you to make simple things amazing.

Now, I feel like some champagne...


Go on, make something.