BANNED from the Kitchen!

Happy birthday to my honey!

Let’s tackle breakfast.

We are NOT morning people. For us, breakfast needs to be a no-prep option. We need something that we can grab quickly and eat in the car. Pancakes and eggs are a Saturday morning luxury!

For Monday-Friday we go for rice cakes, bagels and sometimes muffins. If you want to save calories and money here’s a tip: STOP BUYING FLOUR, SUGAR, AND BUTTER.

                WHAT? STOP BUYING FLOUR, SUGAR, AND BUTTER???

Yes. It can be done, people. I stopped! You can too! As I mentioned, I am from the beautiful, deep South. And I used to put butter in everything. Seriously.  I would make alfredo sauce just because I could (flour and butter). I would bake delicious treats and proceed to eat them all. I made sweet tea on a weekly basis. The only way to stop myself was to stop buying the ingredients. It worked!

My darling husband celebrated a birthday last month. Does this mean I can't bake him a cake? Of course not. Come on, people. We’re all human. If it’s a special occasion, go for it. But I’m just saying; if you really want to make a change, don’t buy these three ingredients. You will live. Even without butter.

Are there any breakfast options left without flour, sugar, or butter? Yes, there are. 

Here is a list of breakfast foods you can make in no time and store in your fridge so that they are ready to grab and go in the morning.

Egg Muffins (Time: 10 min prep/10-15 min baking) *Husband gives this one 5/5 stars!*

4 eggs

¼ milk

½ green pepper

¼ onion

5 cherry tomatoes

1 cheese stick

Pepper

Dice the green pepper into small pieces. Quarter the tomatoes and slice the cheese stick into 12 equal parts. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with milk. Add in the veggies, cheese, and a dash of pepper. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray. Pour in egg mixture into each tin. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-15 min. Let cool and store in fridge.

Veggie Breakfast Burritos (Time 10 min)

4 eggs

Using some of my delicious frozen peppers!

¼ milk

½ green pepper

¼ onion

5 cherry tomatoes

1 cheese stick

Pepper

Dice the green pepper into small pieces. Quarter the tomatoes and slice the cheese stick into 12 equal parts. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with milk. Add in the veggies and a dash of pepper. Set cheese aside.  Scramble the egg and veggie mixture in a med heat non-stick skillet. When cooked, scoop a spoonful into a tortilla and roll. Seal with tin foil and store in the fridge.

Fruit Salad (Time:  10 min)

1 cup grapes,halved

1 apple, diced

1 small can of mandarin oranges, drained

2 tablespoons of Fage (Greek yogurt)

Nuts or raisins (optional)

Chop fruit, add yogurt, and mix well. Place portions into small Tupperware containers and store in fridge.

Roll Up (Time: 5 min)

1 banana, halved

2 tbsp. of peanut butter

2 small flour tortillas

Spread 1 tbsp. of peanut butter on each of the tortillas. Place half of a banana inside each and roll. Enjoy right away!

Oatmeal Banana Muffins (Time: 10 min prep/25 min baking)

3 mashed bananas (the riper, the better!)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp. baking powder
3 cups oats
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. raisins

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients except the raisins together and let sit while you prepare the muffin pans. Spray a muffin pan/ or liners with nonstick spray. Stir the raisins into the oatmeal batter. Divide batter into 15 cups, they should be just about filled. Bake 20-30 minutes- you’ll see the edges start to brown. They should be removed easily the longer you let them cool. Enjoy!

This recipe from http://christibodrero.com/2012/09/01/oatmeal-banana-muffins/

Here we have five easy recipes that take less than 10 minutes to prep (some take less than 10 minutes start to finish!) and they all taste great and can be eaten on the go. Even better; no butter, sugar, or flour in sight!

If you make a couple of these options you’ll have them on hand to pair up and get you going for the day. A cup of fruit salad and an oatmeal muffin, YUM! An egg muffin and a rice cake, YES PLEASE. A veggie burrito and banana, GOOD TO GO!

It can be done, people. Starting with breakfast. All it takes is 10-15 minutes the night before, to chop, mix, and bake. Then, you’ll have a breakfast that you can feel good about that costs cents to make.

Abracadabra! Part 2

Produce is a big concern for making the groceries last all month long.

Is your mouth watering yet?

I know I said, "BUY PLANTS" and I still stand by that!
Hey, it can be done, people!

Not all produce is created equal...

There are some fruits and veggies that I will call, "hearty" and there are others I will call "fragile."

Some examples of fragile foods would be:
-lettuce
-strawberries (really any berries)
-tomatoes
-bananas
-cucumbers

Some examples of hearty foods would be:
-cabbage
-carrots
-apples
-oranges
-broccoli
-potatoes

In order to make your fresh foods last longer, be strategic! Use the fragile foods first, and later in the month, when you're running low on produce, you'll still have the hearty foods to work with.

Last month, I noticed a sale on sweet potatoes. We love sweet potatoes (keep reading for a delicious recipe...) they were also around a $1 or $1.50 per bag. Because potatoes are hearty, I knew that they
would last all month so I went ahead and bought several.

Make it streeeeeeeeeeetch...

In my last post, you may have noticed that I was really specific about how much of each vegetable to use in each dish. That's because I want to stretch my veggies out as far as they will go. Invest in some small plastic refrigerator storage! I usually never use more than 1/4 of a green pepper at a time. I just chop up what I need and put it away. For small onions, I usually only use half. Sometimes, I even use half of canned goods at a time. For example, one can of corn can be divided--half in a tomato vegetable soup today, and the other half in a taco stir fry tomorrow.

In that documentary I watched, "Chow Down," the lady said that for one meal she and her husband ate 12 bell peppers. People. I don't know how that's even possible unless that's all you eat! But when you're mixing a handful of broccoli, a few carrots, onions, etc in with it, 1/2 a pepper turns out to be plenty.

Ah, the glorious freezer...

When you're at the grocery store and you spot a good deal, stock up! A couple months ago, Aldi had green peppers on sale 3 for $1. Well, I LOVE green peppers, so I bought about six packs! Of course, we wouldn't have been able to eat them all before they went bad, so I kept one or two packs in the fridge, and the rest I cut and quartered, put in freezer bags and froze them. Now, if I need green peppers, I can grab a bag, chop them up and throw them in! This is a great way to make sure you're produce doesn't go to waste. Wash, chop, and store in the freezer. Your produce is there for the next 31 days.

Eliminate Waste...

Keeping in mind that some foods expire faster than others, organize your refrigerator accordingly. Okay, so maybe I'm just weird, but I like to organize my fridge! If you stick the blueberries way in the back and forget about them, they will go old and then you'll have to throw them away. And you will be very sad.

I won't prescribe to you exactly where to put what (I'll leave the fun part up to you :)) but I will say, make sure everything is clearly visible (especially the fragile stuff) and is ordered in a way that makes sense to you.

As a side note, some things may not need to be thrown out...if it's moldy or slimy, by all means toss it. However, I caught by husband throwing away a black banana and I was horrified!
 "Babes, no! We can put that in the freezer and make it into a smoothie or banana bread!"
Just take the peeling off first and put in freezer safe storage.
Tip: for smoothies, I've found it's easier to slice the banana into smaller pieces before freezing, they fit in the blender better.

Turn to the pantry last...

If you're at the very end of the month, like us (It's the 24th now) the fridge is probably looking pretty sparse. This is where a well-stocked pantry comes in handy. Here are a few recipes we've had this week, mostly from the pantry and from my hearty vegetables!

Hamburger Casserole

The seasoning I use in everything!

1 cup of ground turkey
1 can of mixed vegetables
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of rice

Boil two cups of water, add a sprinkle of salt and a dash of olive oil. Once the water is boiling, add one cup of rice and turn the heat down. Cover and let simmer until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

I cooked my ground turkey ahead of time with some diced onions. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, some powdered garlic, and season all. When the rice is cooked, just combine everything together. The veggies, creamed soup, and the turkey. Mix it together and you're done!

Disclaimer: once again, maybe not my healthiest meal to date, but it is SO CHEAP and SO EASY.

Cabbage Stir Fry

1/2 head of cabbage, sliced into thin strips
1/2 onion
Sliced carrots
2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
1 package of chicken flavor Ramen noodles
Pepper
Soy sauce (optional)

Saute all vegetables in a large skillet with olive oil. Season with pepper and chicken flavor packet *Do not add salt* Boil noodles for 3 minutes and add to veggies. Add a little sauce if you like! Tip: the key to cooking cabbage is not to overcook it! The longer it cooks, the more bitter it becomes. Sauteing it gives it great flavor with a little crunch.

Taco Salad

1 cup of cooked ground turkey
1/2 sliced onion
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of diced tomato
Shredded lettuce
Fage (Greek yogurt)

In a large skillet, saute onion in olive oil. Add meat and canned ingredients. To season, you can add a packet of taco seasoning. I didn't have any on hand, so I just used garlic salt, pepper, season all and chili powder. When all the flavors are combined and heated through, spoon on top of a bed of shredded lettuce. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt in place of sour cream! 
Husband approved!

This recipe is so versatile! Variations: no meat, inside taco shells, or served over rice!

Can't Get Enough Sweet Potatoes (pictured above!)

2-3 large sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the sweet potatoes well. Cut into small cubes. In a large bowl, toss cubes with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. *Careful, these are easy to over season* Bake until tender, turning them with a spatula occasionally. For great flavor, take them out just before they are done roasting, put them back in the bowl and add a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar and another small drizzle of olive oil. Mix well and put them back in the oven until they are browned to perfection!


Even at the end of the month, you don't have to run back to the grocery store and spend more of your hard-earned money! Be strategic and make those vegetables work for you!

It can be done, people!

Abracadabra! Part 1

We've got the groceries, now we have to work some magic to make it last a WHOLE MONTH!

Don't get overwhelmed, it can be done, people!

When you get home from the grocery store and you have tons of food, do not panic. Simply, put it away, and forget about it until tomorrow.

In our house, grocery shopping is date night! The last thing I want to do when I get home is chop and cut and store veggies! I want to watch a movie and eat a bag of popcorn. Reward yourself for a successful shopping trip and wait til tomorrow to worry about the work.

The next day: time to get busy! Part of saving money on groceries is cutting way back on meat. Whatever meat you do get, make the most of it!
This month, I chose a whole chicken and 1 lb. of ground turkey.

Can you hear the angel choir?!

A great way to make your chicken last is to shred it. I washed the chicken and enlisted poor Dale to pull out the insides. (that's what husbands are for, right? :)) I placed the completely thawed chicken into a crock pot and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. Then, I chopped 1 onion into big chunks, threw in a couple handfuls of baby carrots and three cloves of garlic. Set the pot on LOW and let it cook all night!

The next morning, the entire house smelled amazing! I removed the chicken from the pot, drained off the grease, and let it cool. Then, shredded it and stored it in the fridge.
*Be very careful to remove all of the tiny bones!*

This shredded chicken is so versatile! So far, I've used it for tacos, chicken and rice soup, chicken salad, teriyaki stir fry, topping for salad, and quesadillas!

I've been making enough for me and my husband to enjoy, and I still have about half left! How?

shhhh, don't tell....CHEAT! Cheat with vegetables! I put about 1/2 cup of meat into a dish and then fill it up with vegetables! Onions and peppers are a must. Corn and tomatoes are a delicious addition. Broccoli and carrots are perfect! For chicken salad, I like to add grapes and apples. If you really need to make it stretch, add beans or rice.

I do the same thing with the ground turkey. Before I put it into the freezer, I divide it into quarters and store it in freezer bags. Then, I can add a little to spaghetti, tacos, soups, or stir fry and fill the rest with vegetables! If you feel like you need meat (or husband feels like he needs it!) this is a way to trick yourself into thinking you're getting it!

Here are some recipes for the (cheated) chicken!

Chicken Salad (Time: 10 min or less)

1 cup of shredded chicken

1/2 cup of sliced grapes
1/4 red or green pepper
1/4 onion, diced
1 heaping tablespoon of fage (Greek yogurt)
Salt and pepper to taste

Dump all of the ingredients into a bowl and combine with a fork! Easy!!
This is great on tortilla bread, I like to add the lettuce spring mix to sneak in extra veggies. Dale likes to add mustard! This also makes a great filling for lettuce wraps. Add what you like!

Teryaki Chicken Stir Fry (Time: 20 minutes)

Don't over cook your veggies!

1 cup of shredded chicken
1/2 sliced pepper
1/4 sliced onion
Broccoli florets
Chopped baby carrots
Teriyaki sauce
Pepper
1 cup uncooked rice

Boil two cups of water, add a sprinkle of salt and a dash of olive oil. Once the water is boiling, add one cup of rice and turn the heat down. Cover and let simmer until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, saute peppers, onions, broccoli, and carrots in olive oil. Add chicken last, (it's already cooked, remember!?) Add teriyaki to taste, add pepper but not salt--the sauce is already salty!
When the rice is done, top with chicken/veggie mix and enjoy!
When we enjoyed this meal, I had some leftover canned, crushed pineapple in the fridge. We mixed it in with our rice and veggies and it was delicious. Pineapple goes great with teriyaki!


Chicken and Rice Soup (Time: 20 minutes)

Hey, it's better than Ramen...

1 cup shredded chicken

1/2 diced onion
Chopped baby carrots
1 can of mixed vegetables
1 can of cream of chicken soup
Pepper
All Purpose Seasoning

Boil two cups of water, add a sprinkle of salt and a dash of olive oil. Once the water is boiling, add one cup of rice and turn the heat down. Cover and let simmer until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, in a large pot, saute onion and carrots in olive oil. When the veggies are tender, add canned vegetables and cream of chicken soup. Add 1 can of water and mix well. Taste your soup and then add pepper and seasoning. I added a little extra water to stretch my soup, so I also added a bit of salt. Add your cooked rice last, mix well, and season to taste.

Okay, so this may not be the healthiest soup ever, but if you are sick with a sinus infection (like me!) this is easy to make and it's a cheap comfort food!

Chicken Quesadillas (Time: 10 minutes or less)

Lunch for two!

Shredded chicken
1 cheese stick, sliced into small rounds
Diced onions and peppers
Sliced cherry tomatoes
Lettuce
Tortillas
Italian dressing or salsa

Place a tortilla on a small pan that has been sprayed with Pam, over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken, cheese, and veggies inside. Drizzle dressing or salsa (whatever you have on hand, we used the Italian!) When the tortilla is crispy, add lettuce and fold in half. Enjoy with fruit!

Here are a few simple ideas using only ingredients from that staple grocery list! I know these ideas aren't new and they aren't rocket science, but they are DOABLE, AFFORDABLE, and HEALTHY!

Make your meat work hard this month by throwing in a little here and there and cheating big time with extra vegetables! Reevaluate your portion sizes. We could have each eaten a chicken breast one night, but our chicken would have been half gone in one meal! However, eating smaller portions makes it last longer. If you are worried that these smaller portions won't hold you over until your next meal, don't worry! Plan to eat small snacks in between meals (at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for example) a banana, some yogurt, or a handful of nuts!

Also, if you think about your food groups while you are making your meal, you'll be surprised how full you are when you're done eating. For example, a chicken quesadilla (meat, bread, vegetables) with a cheese stick (dairy) and a side of cantaloupe and blueberries (fruit) is very filling! Basic bases covered. Don't over complicate it. It can be done, people!!

Grocery Shopping 101

An actual DuBose shopping cart!

First things first. Before you can eat healthy you need the right ingredients.

In my last post I mentioned that we stick to a very tight grocery budget. For the two of us, we spend about $120 a month on groceries.

Yep. $120 a month. For two people. That means we eat for about $30 a week. Or $4 per day. For me to eat on $2 a day makes my wallet happy!

You might be thinking, "They are starving themselves!! Poor souls!" But we aren't! Our fridge is full and so are our stomachs! My husband is 6' 3" and he eats seconds pretty much every night at dinner.

YES. IT CAN BE DONE, PEOPLE. But how?

1. Big Brands = Big Bucks

We grocery shop at Aldi. It's a small grocery store, but the prices are great. After shopping at various grocery stores in our area, I've found that Aldi consistently has the lowest prices on the things we buy most. As odd as it may sound, a lot of people like the grocery shopping experience. It's just like eating out at a fancy restaurant. You eat out somewhere nice and you feel luxurious! You shop at a premium grocery store and you feel high class! Well, while you're saving your pennies, don't worry too much about feeling fancy. Relish in feeling frugal!

2. Plan Ahead

Set a budget. What can you afford to spend on groceries each month? $100? $120? For a larger family $200?
Once you've made it to your big-savings store, make sure you have a LIST. Getting up to the register and finding you've gone over budget is a bad feeling. Get your phone out and keep tabs on your total as you put things into the cart. If you're getting close to budget at the end, it helps you decide, "Do I really need these crackers?"

3. Wants and Needs

Speaking of crackers, we need to discuss what exactly goes on the list. If you want to eat healthy, choices have to be made. The biggest part of your budget should be devoted to produce. BUY PLANTS.
This is an example of what we buy monthly:

Fruit
Grapes
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Something extra (like melon or berries)

Veggies
Carrots
Cabbage
Lettuce (Spring Mix)
Peppers
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Onion
Sweet Potato
Something extra (like avocado or squash)

Bread and Grain
Tortillas
Rice Cakes
(We get free bread from school)

Dairy
2% Milk
Coffee Creamer
Fage (Greek yogurt)
Cheese sticks
Vanilla Yogurt

Meat
Whole chicken
1 lb. ground turkey
Eggs

Snacks
Hummus
Raisins
Popcorn
Pickles

Canned Food
Various types of beans
Canned fruit
Canned corn
Canned green beans
Spaghetti sauce

Dry Ingredients
Whole Wheat Pasta
Rice

Olive Oil

This is our staple list. I've found I can come up with countless combinations to make these ingredients work for us. (and have plenty of variety!) And yes, it really only costs $120.00

4. Make It Work

This is the BIG KEY to budget shopping. We only grocery shop once a month. Once, people.
Before, I would run to the store several times a month to get this or that and it really added up! If I was craving a certain something, I would get it. Or, if we were having guests I would go buy special ingredients. Nope. Can't do it on a budget. But, we're all human. And occasionally I'll run out of coffee creamer or eggs before the end of the month. In order to keep to the budget, we usually try to only spend $100 on that first trip so that we have $20 to spend later when things run out. Seriously, try it.
Also, only going shopping once a month makes your brain work! You have to get really creative after a couple weeks. Just because the fridge isn't as full doesn't mean there's "nothing to eat." You'll be surprised at the great recipes you can create with limited options. It's like being on "Chopped" from Food Network! :)

5.  The Little Things Count

There are some things in life that you shouldn't cut corners on. Duke's mayonnaise, for example. (Come on, people; you know the off-brand can never measure up!) However, there are some other small things you can do to save (on money AND on calories) here or there.
Check for coupons
Bring your own reusable bags from home (they cost 5 cent each at Aldi)
Try store-brand products
Say "no" to snack foods (they add up!)
Say "no" to drinks like sodas and fruit juices
Cut back on cheese and meat (probably the most expensive items in your cart)

Even after all that, you may still be thinking, "No way can I feed myself (or myself + a husband) on $120 a month." Well, I'm here to say that it can indeed be done, people!
I have shopping receipts to prove it! This is literally what that list above costs at Aldi.

Shop smart. Make a list and buy mostly plants. Done.

A New Year, A New Start

The beginning of a new year is a time when most people reconsider their diet and resolve to make improvements.

Like the rest of you, I too decided that I needed to make some healthier lifestyle changes. So, of course, I took action. I pinned more healthy recipes and exercise routines on Pintrest. Good to go, right?

Come on, people! Let's take real action this year! In addition to my pinning, I also watched a great documentary called "Chow Down." In this documentary, it showed that you can actually reverse heart disease and other illnesses just by adopting a plant based diet! I was amazed and encouraged at this information.
But, I was even more surprised at the comments of some participants in the documentary. They were complaining that eating healthy costs WAY more than eating junk food, that it doesn't taste as good, and that it takes significantly longer to prepare.

I couldn't disagree with these three statements more. So, out of my protest, the idea for this blog was born.

IT CAN BE DONE, PEOPLE!

You can maintain a healthy diet that is delicious, affordable, and doable. And I'll prove it to you.

But first, let me introduce myself. I'm Meriana and I am not a nutritionist or a dietitian or anything like that. I'm an English major and a preschool teacher. So, I'm not prescribing a lifestyle for anyone. However, I am describing a system that works for me! Maybe you'll try it too!

Neither am I a financial guru. However, I am refuting the idea that healthy food has to be more expensive. My husband and I are undergrads in college. I work part time and he works full time. We do not make a lot of money and we grocery shop on a very tight budget. There is a popular idea that "healthy" means overpriced organic "specialty" foods from hipster grocery stores. But this is really pushing the "health" thing way too far in my opinion. No matter what store they come from, fruits and veggies are better for you than fast food. That's just common sense, people.

Also, I am an extremely busy individual! As I mentioned, I am a full time college student and I work and I am a wife! One of the documentary participants complained that cooking healthy food takes too much time. She lamented that cooking healthy pizza for company took TWO HOURS. Ladies and gentleman, you do not have to be a professional chef to make healthy food taste good and it most certainly does NOT need to take two hours!
Granted, cooking well does take a little practice. But, I find cooking fun and relaxing! When I share recipes, I plan to share how long they realistically take to prepare.

Finally, I am all about the yum. I'm from the South, and around here we like our fried chicken, mac and cheese, and our mashed potatoes and gravy. So you can be assured you are dealing with a real live person like you. A person who craves the ice cream and the chips. And I'm not crazy enough to think that you'll EVER joyously agree that baby carrots taste better than brownies. Come on, people. Get real. But, I do think that we can learn to like fruits and veggies. We learn to like the feeling of feeling good and making healthy choices. Over time, it gets easier to choose the carrots because the results are worth it! I was astounded that people interviewed in the documentary would rather have surgeries and take medication rather than eat veggies!! WOW! It's worth it! Try something new and you just might like it.

Here is my proposal for the blog:
Grocery list (proving that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to eat right!)
Recipes and photos (proving that healthy food tastes delicious)
Real life commentary (how long it takes and how realistic it is for busy daily life)
Results! (honest feedback on the benefits of a healthy diet)

If you're tired of reading blogs about how to save money on groceries and finding lists of cheesy, greasy meals OR if your tired of reading blogs about healthy meals with outrageously priced ingredients you've never even heard of, SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW ME!

It can be done, people. And I'll prove it.