Meatballs with some Spaghetti

There are few meals my daughter will eat without any complaints these days, but spaghetti with meatballs is definitely one of them.  She's always been a fan of the spaghetti, we have wonderful pictures of her from maybe around 18 months old with spaghetti sauce all over her face and down her belly.  That love has never wavered.

I recently began adding the meatballs.  In fact, until recently we had vegetarian spaghetti more often than not.  The occasional ground hot link italian sausage, maybe, but I'd never tried meatballs.  They had never been in my family book of food.  They were just something to be seen in movies, like Lady and the Tramp.

With that understanding, I went on a mission to make some meatballs.  I purchased some ground turkey a month or so ago and had portioned it out to about 1/2 lb a bag.  That's a good amount of meat for dishes like spaghetti, casserole, stir fry, etc.  Let meat and more veggies are always the key.  It also allows you to purchase better quality meat because you are using less in your meals.

These meatballs are moist and super delicious with or without spaghetti sauce.  I could definitely see them holding up as an appetizer too.

Turkey Meatballs

1/2 lb ground turkey

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 Tbsp non-dairy plain milk 

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp pepper

Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Shape mixture into about twenty 1 inch meatballs.  Place in an ungreased pan (13 x 9 x 2 inches).  Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center and juice is clear.

To add to spaghetti; make your favorite sauce, add meatballs, cover and let simmer for half an hour.  Serve over pasta.

A Day Late, but Not a Dollar Short

This should have been posted yesterday, but it didn't, so here it is today instead.

Trader Joe's
Baking Coca                                         1.99
Breaded Chicken Drumettes                 3.49
Bacon                                                   4.69
Canned Sliced Olives (2)                      2.38
Chocolate chips                                    2.29
All Purpose Flour                                 2.99
Canned Organic Diced Tomatoes (3)   4.47
Organic Tomato Paste (2)                     1.78
Organic Breadcrumbs                           2.99
Grapeseed Oil                                       3.49
Canned Wild Salmon (2)                      5.38
Organic Tomato Sauce                         1.39
Cage-free Brown Eggs (3 dozen)         8.97
Bananas (7)                                          1.33
Shredded Soy Cheese                          3.79
Pkg Organic Zucchini                          2.99
Pkg Red Bell Peppers                          2.29
Pkg Organic Spinach                           1.99
Bag Sliced Crimini Mushrooms           2.29
Corn Tortillas                                       1.29
Vanilla Soy Milk                                  1.69


Target
Bag Dry Beans (3)                               3.87
Fruit Cups (2)                                      4.98
Vegetable Shortening                          2.94

Total with tax = $75.75

This weeks meal plan is:
Spaghetti w/ Turkey Meatballs (using frozen ground turkey in freezer)
Frank and Beans (still have a leftover package of hot dogs from the baby shower)
French Toast
Turkey Hamburgers (carry over from last week)

The beans and spaghetti make lots of left overs, which will cover us for the week.  We will probably order Chinese food for Father's Day as that is my husbands favorite.

In a Pinch

Good heavens!  Its another "cake" post.  I guess it's just that time of the year for us.  Though, this isn't a traditional cake in any sense of the word.

Normally, I don't mind us being dairy free.  It is what it is, and at home I am just set up for it.  We even navigate really well around our favorite dinning spots.  Basically, it's second nature now and I don't really have to think about it.

Except when a party comes up.  My daughter is 4, she gets invited to lots of parties and I always assume I need to bring something.  So why I forgot this weekend about needing to at least make a cupcake for her to enjoy during the cake and ice cream of Saturdays party, I don't know.  But I did.  AND, I was completely out of flour until my shopping trip.  I could make a special trip to the store for flour, or try Whole Foods on the way to the party in hopes that they have some vegan cupcakes available (totally hit or miss)...

My wonderful husband had another idea.  It looks like a layered peanut butter and jelly sandwich, huh.  Well its close.

My husband likes to experiment with food, in ways I would never consider trying.  Well earlier this week he tried combining: coconut milk vanilla yogurt, organic raw almond butter and some organic grape jelly.  It tasted very creamy, like something you might put in a puff.  So his suggestion when I was telling him my dilemma: make a cake using our homemade bread and this concoction and frost the outside.

So I did.  I cut a relatively thick slice from my loaf of bread, then cut that into four equal squares.  It was small, about the size of a regular cupcake.  In between each slice was my husband's creamy almond butter and jelly concoction.  Then I took a basic frosting recipe (strawberry flavored) and frosted it.  The final product, though not pretty, was VERY tasty.

There are a couple things I would do differently, though.  First, I would use less yogurt and/or more almond butter.  My final filling product was runny and the bread slices were sliding around.  Second, I would let the "cake" harden in the fridge (or freezer) for a little while before I frosted it.  The slice of bread was fresh and soft, which made it hard to frost.  And finally, I would like to try a thinner coating of frosting next time, which I think will be easier to accomplish if I let the "cake" harden some first.

When it has been perfected, I will share the recipe!

Baby Shower BBQ

I threw a co-ed baby shower bbq last weekend.  A good time was had by all, and I had many compliments on the food.  I tried to keep the food simple, but must admit that it was a time consuming mistake on my part to try to do everything homemade.  I think people would have been fine with purchased hamburger buns (though they may not have been dairy free then!).

Baby Shower BBQ Menu:

Guacamole and Chips

Veggie Chips from Trader Joe's (these are so addictive!)

Sliced watermelon, pineapple, strawberries and grapes

BBQ lil' Smokies

Sliders on homemade buns (this recipe, but I use 2 Tbsp of olive oil in place of the butter)

BBQ Ribs (secret recipe! lol)

and...

Silver White Cake w/ white "buttercream" frosting

This is a 4 layer cake.  The bottom tier is 2 - 9" layers and the top tier is 2 - 6" layers.  This recipe will make two 9" layers, so I had to make two batches for the cake shown above.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cups shortening

1 1/4 cups vanilla flavored coconut milk

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

5 large egg whites

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom and sides of your cake pans with shortening and lightly flour.

Beat all the ingredients except the egg whites in a large bowl, being sure to scrape frequently.  Beat until mixture is smooth.  Beat in egg whites until well incorporated, scraping the bowl occasionally.  Pour into your cake pans.

Bake 9-inch rounds 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool rounds 10 minutes: remove from pans to wire rack.  Let cool completely before frosting.

White Buttercream Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

1/3 cup dairy-free butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 - 3 Tbsp vanilla coconut milk

Mix powdered sugar and butter in a bowl.  Stir in vanilla and 1 Tbsp of the milk.  Gradually add in enough remaining milk to make the frosting smooth and spreadable.  This is enough frosting for two 9" layer cake.

Monday is Shopping Day

I decided to post my shopping lists and what I plan to make for the week.


Trader Joes                                                                        
Basmati White Rice                           2.99                          
Decaf Coffee                                     6.99                          
Canned Wild Salmon                        1.79                          
Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers     2.49                          
Organic Tricolor Radiatore Pasta      1.99                          
2 pkgs Shredded Green Cabbage      2.38                          
Freeze Dried Mango                         2.69                            
3 dzn Cage Free Brown Eggs           8.97
Organic White Sugar                         2.79
Organic Brown Sugar                       2.99
Pizza Sauce                                       1.89
Canadian Bacon                                2.29
Organic Baby Spinach                      1.99
Sliced Black Olives                           1.19
Organic Zucchini                              2.99
Sliced Crimini Mushrooms               2.29
Organic Broccoli Slaw                     1.49
Organic Yellow Onions                   1.69
3 lb Bag Russet Potatoes                  1.69
2 lb Bag Granny Smith Apples        2.29
Green Bell Peppers                          1.99
5 Bananas                                          .95
4 Organic Nectarines                       2.76


Whole Foods
Nutritional Yeast               1.35
Coconut Milk                    4.49
Frozen Mixed Veggies      2.19
Earth Balance Margarine   3.29
Coconut Milk Yogurt        3.79
Zbar Boxes (2)                  5.00
Peach Bowls                     2.49



My Grand Total (after tax) came to $86.91.  So I went over my $75 dollar budget.  I can easily explain that, first I needed my coffee.  Its not a weekly purchases, but $7 takes a bite out of a tight budget when you forget to originally plan for it.  The other item was the two boxes of Zbars.  I usually buy a couple a week for my daughter to have after gymnastics and swimming.  Whole Foods had a great price though, and I couldn't resist.  So that was another $5.  Without those two "impulse" buys, I would have been under.  That is something I need to work on, everything MUST be accounted for ahead of getting to the store.


Menu Plan 
Baked Mac n' Cheeze
Turkey Burgers w/ homemade buns
Homemade Pizza
Cream of Mushroom Pork
Stir Fry

*It should be noted that I have some frozen pork and ground turkey in my freezer, so I didn't need to buy meat this week.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Well, almost sweet & sour pork.  I fully admit to using a ready made sauce, but it isn't actually called sweet and sour.  It's a sweet chili sauce from Trader Joe's and I think it has a very nice flavor for this type of dish.  You can sub any ready-made sweet and sour sauce for this recipe.

This is a tasty one dish meal that the whole family can enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Pork
ready-made sweet & sour sauce
1 thick cut pork chop (cut into 3/4 inch pieces)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 egg
1/2 cup cold water
Oil for frying (I like safflower)

Heat about an inch of oil in a deep fryer or 4-qt dutch oven to 360 degrees.  

Beat flour, cornstarch, cold water, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth.  Stir pork into batter until well coated.

Drop pork pieces into oil, one at a time.  Fry until golden brown, turning 2 or 3 times.  Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

In sauce pot saute onion, zucchini, carrots and bell peppers on medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and add the fried pork, mushrooms and sauce.  Mix until everything is nicely coated.  Serve over rice.

Back with a Vengeance

I am back from my unplanned hiatus.  I've got new dairy free recipes for you and more budget friendly blog posts to come.  To highlight my comeback, I will be taking part in the All You Grocery Challenge.  For 4 weeks, challenge yourself to spend only $25 on groceries per person per week.   Blog about it and maybe you could win a $1000 grocery card.   The challenge starts June 20th! 

In the meantime, I plan to catch up with a few missed posts.  I am also hosting a co-ed baby shower this coming weekend, so watch for some fun recipes from that.

Child's Birthday Party

It's been a while.  I can only say that between a 6 month old teething, two nasty colds making the rounds in this house and planning for my daughters 4th birthday has kept me too busy to get a post on this blog.  Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things.

I thought I would talk about a dairy free kid birthday party.  We made the cake ourselves, my daughter loved helping add the candy decorations: gumdrops, sweet tarts, and Necco wafers (which are not dairy free, so only use if your child understands not to eat them!).  The cake recipe is this vegan vanilla cake recipe.  The frosting I used is a friends recipe, so I wont post that, but here is the frosting recipe I used last year that turned out well.  I'd recommend using some strawberry syrup (like the kind barristers use) in place of the milk for a pink color and strawberry flavor!

Last year, I went all out and made a dairy free lunch; complete with little fancy sandwiches.  THIS year I decided that that was just to much work.  lol  So instead we did an afternoon party with light refreshments.  There was a platter of organic: strawberries, apple slices, grapes and carrots.  We also had Trader Joe's Veggie Chips.  These things are a huge hit every year.  The two bags I brought had completely vanished by the end of the party.  We also had some water and apple juice.  Very simple and completely dairy free (as well as free of a few other allergens!).  It was a fantastic party.  I highly recommend the cake recipe if you are looking for something egg/dairy free.

Spinach Empanadas

I ended January well with my budget.  I ended up going over by some, because my favorite raw honey was on sale at Whole Foods, so I stocked up.  On the bright side though, I shouldn't have to buy any more honey for a couple months. 

Empanadas are a favorite around this house, both to eat and make.  You can basically fill them with anything you want and they are going to turn out great.  You have a couple dough choices too, a regular pie crust and baking (kinda calzone like), or using a masa dough and frying (as pictured above).   

Economically speaking, you really can't beat spinach empanadas.  Some chopped spinach, a little tomato sauce or tofu cream cheese, some seasonings... BAM! a taste explosion.  I tend to make the fried version more often than the baked simply because there is something about fried foods that excite my little one.  My daughter happily eats her spinach empanadas, whereas spinach in anything else creates plenty of complaints.  

As always, this is using organic products.  Frozen spinach, canned organic tomatoes, and Bob's Red Mill Masa Harina Corn Flour.  16 empanadas for around $3.75.  I usually eat 4, my daughter eats 2, and my husband eats 6 (our son isn't ready for these yet).  It goes well with some rice, or stir fried potatoes.  A zesty salad is always nice too.

Spinach Empanadas

Dough:

1 cup Masa Harina flour

1/4 cup All purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2/3 to 3/4 cup warm water 

Enough oil to fry in

Fillings:

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

In a mixing bowl, mix the two flours and salt.  Slowly add enough of the water to make a soft dough, just shy of being sticky.  Gently knead the dough a few times on a lightly floured surface, roll into a ball and set aside.  In another bowl, mix the filling ingredients.  Set aside.  Begin heating your frying oil.  Fill a small bowl with water and set that aside too.  

Bring your ball of dough to the floured surface again and roll out to a log shape.  Slice dough into 16 even pieces.  Create a balls with the dough pieces.  Roll out the balls into about 3 inch diameter circles.  In the center or each circle, place about 2 tsps amount of the filling in the center.  Brush edges of circle with water. Fold the round in half over the filling, and press down hard along the edges to seal.  You can crimp the sides with a fork or your fingers.  Continue until all 16 empanadas are made.

At this point, your oil should be ready to fry.  Drop in 2-3 empanadas at a time, cooking until golden.  Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to help soak up extra oil.  Repeat with remaining empanadas.

Tamale Pie

I apologize for no pictures, for some reason blogger isn't uploading my pictures. :(

We are at the end of week two on my new budget rules, and things are going swimmingly.  The first weeks food total was $73.49, this week was $74.99.  I know its going to get a little tougher in a month from now, when a lot more of my staples start to need replacing, but I'm happy with my progress so far.

This week I purchased some meat.  Pork Carnitas to be exact.  Trader Joe's sells a nice little package of carnitas for $3.99 (I forgot to check the package, but guessing its a pound of meat).   This package of meat is great and simple.  Open it up, heat in the microwave a few minutes, then use two forks to shred the meat.  I turned this into 3 different meals this week.  All of these meals could have been completely vegetarian though, simply substitute the meat or just leave it out.

Monday: Breakfast Burritos.  A pack of flour tortillas, a couple scrambled eggs, some sauteed veggies and maybe a little soy cheese.  We add a little amount of carnitas with it to make it feel more like a dinner meal.

Tuesday: Taco Salad.  Some organic lettuce, 1/2 a can of organic black beans, carnitas, some more sauteed veggies, and a bag of unsalted tortilla chips for a base.

And Wednesday was our Tamale Pie.  This meal is $6.08 for 6 servings.  Pair it with some spanish rice, or a nice salad for a complete meal.

Tamale Pie
2 cups Masa flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 oz carnitas
1 cup black beans (rest of the beans from Tuesday's dinner!)
1/2 a 15oz can enchilada sauce
1/2 a 15oz can spinach

Heat the chicken broth to boiling, then remove from heat and add the masa flour, forming a dough.  In a casserole dish, lay half of the masa dough into the bottom.  Spread half the enchilada sauce on top of the masa, then layer your spinach, beans and carnitas.  Using your hands, make "masa patties" with the rest of the dough and arrange them as your top.  Spread the rest of your enchilada sauce as your topper.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake the tamale pie for 25 minutes.  Serve hot and enjoy.

Great Blog Post About Superfoods

I wanted to direct your attention over to Mission: Vegan for an excellent post on Superfoods in smoothies.  I use many of these ingredients for my own smoothies (and I love cacao on my oatmeal!).  I recognize that these products are not cheap, however, I think if you concentrate on buying one or two a month, you will find it easier.  The small amount needed for smoothies (or other things) will stretch the cost out for you.

So my favorite smoothie recipe?  Its a Mango-Strawberry Smoothie.  It comes to about $3.50 for about 18 oz of smoothie, which I share with my daughter.  On top of the goodness from coconut water and goji berries, it has a nice healthy dose of calcium (which those of us on a dairy free diet always appreciate).

1 cup coconut water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp goji berries
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 a banana
2 large leafs of kale

Blend and enjoy!

Slightly New Direction and General Tsao Chicken

I am going to change my blogs focus, but only slightly.  Everything on here will still be dairy free recipes, and other allergen free when applicable.  However, in an effort to stay budget friendly, I'm going to be trying to make healthy, low-cost meals.  My hope is this will help others feeling the money crunch and help me organize the cheapest meals in my repertoire.

So the rules: my budget is $75 a week, or $300 a month.  I am only buying organic produce and meat.  I am only shopping at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.  And finally, everything will still be dairy free (of course!).  A tall order I think, considering the high cost of organic and dairy free, but I aim to make it happen.  Now on to the food.

This was a veery simple dish, and pretty tasty.  I found the sauce at Trader Joe's: General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce.  It's tangy and slightly sweet, it went great over my battered fried chicken cubes.  I also sauteed some zucchini to mix in the sauce as well, with some green onion too.  Some plain white rice to put it on top of, and viola!  Here is our meal.

Price breakdown for 4 servings came to roughly $5.50 total or $1.47 each person.

General Tsao Chicken

2 chicken thighs or breast, cubed

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup corn starch

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce

2 medium zucchini, sliced

1/2 cup chopped green onion

Oil to fry in (we prefer Safflower for frying)

2 cups cooked rice

Mix the flour, cornstarch, water, salt and egg to make a simple batter.  Coat chicken cubes in batter.  Heat up your frying oil.  When hot enough, fry chicken cubes.

Meanwhile, saute zucchini to just al dente.  Remove to large bowl, add cooked chicken and green onions.  Pour sauce over and stir to coat evenly.  Serve with rice and enjoy!