(Bi)Weekly Yums | 14-27 January 2013

14-20 January 2013

Monday
Moe's Monday
J. in FL; A. fend for yourself

Tuesday
Tuesday Night Group, hosted by E.!

Wednesday
Boca Burgers, Grilled Zucchini, Fruit
J. in FL; A. fend for yourself

Thursday
Tilapia, Rice, Steamed Broccoli
J. in FL; A. fend for yourself

Friday
J. - Dinner out with a friend
A. - in Savannah

Saturday
J. - Tortellini
A. - in Savannah

Sunday
Breakfast for Dinner: Eggs, Jalapeno-Cheddar Biscuits, Fruit Smoothie

21-27 January 2013

Monday
Moe's Monday

Tuesday
Tuesday Night Group, hosted by K. & J.!

Wednesday
Morton's Baked Chicken Kiev, Quinoa, Salad

Thursday
Tuna Steak, Steamed Carrots, Baked Potato

Friday
Dinner in Wilmington

Saturday
Dinner in Wilmington

Sunday
Breakfast for Dinner: Whole-Wheat Banana Pancakes, Eggs, Fruit Smoothie

I realize posting our weekly meal plan isn't the most exciting piece of business (and it doesn't really count as a true blog post, either), but I have gotten into this terrific habit of posting meals, which has made me a better meal planner. We had attempted to meal plan the whole time we've been married, but more often than not, the white board on our fridge would become neglected in the midst of our busy lives. Posting meal plans in this outlet has motivated me to do it consistently -- and I think I've done pretty well. Perhaps some of you even enjoy reading our meal plans for the week (I doubt it). (: One of our friends recently switched to monthly meal plans. That seems a little too ambitious for me, especially since BOGO deals at Publix seem to dictate a lot of our planned meals. However, I think planning for two weeks in advance is reasonable, and it seems to be in line with our 2013 Food Budget.

So, a happy compromise for both our pockets and our (very few) readers? Introducing Biweekly Weekly Yums post. Wish us luck!

Budget Goal: Fail

So less than two hours ago, I updated about my $50 grocery-food budget goal to be used for the next two weeks. Well, I failed. I know, I know -- I'm terrible. Why even make goals if you don't meet them? But I think I did pretty well, considering this the first time I really tried to be prudent. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I am one of those people that shops sans list and throws anything into the basket that looks good, but I definitely am not like a few of our friends that are able to stick to a $50 (usually less!) grocery budget every week. Honestly, I don't know how they do it. J. and I have scrutinized our grocery store spending so many times, but the things we are buying aren't crazy, and generally we aren't very wasteful...

In spirit of one of our friends, T., who blogs weekly with the theme "Thrifty Thursday," I decided to account for our purchases this week similar to her style.


 
BOGO Items
Whole Fruit Fruit Bars (Black Cherry) $1.80
(2) Publix Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (sliced deli meat) $6.19
(2) Mueller Pasta $1.43 (4) Wishbone Dressing $5.22
(2) Thomas Everything Bagels $4.49
Athenos Crumbled Feta $2.25  

ON SALE Items
Sargento Shredded Mild Cheddar (2 C) $2.50
Publix 2% Provolone (sliced deli cheese) $2.50
(2) Sweet Vidalia Onions $1.39
(5) Mangoes $5.00
Watermelon $4.99

FULL PRICE Items
Publix Spinach $2.49
(5) Bananas $1.50
Arnold Sesame Buns $3.49
Santitas White Corn Tortilla Chips $2.00
4-Grain Eggs (dozen) $2.69
Pineapple $4.99
Red Bell Pepper $2.19
Jalapeno Pepper $0.10
Edys Fruit Bar (Strawberry) $4.65
Arnold Wholegrain Oatnut $2.15  

Total Savings $31.15 
Total Spent (after tax) $64.65 

Thoughts:
I was really excited about the Whole Fruit Fruit Bars being BOGO -- I had just mentioned to several coworkers that I have been craving these type of fruit bars. When I got to the store, however, I was disappointed to see that this brand includes high fructose corn syrup in the bars; Edy's brand, albeit more expensive, does not. I splurged and also purchased the more expensive (almost 4x the price!) brand in addition to the BOGO item. On the topic of HFCS, it's very disappointing that so many manufacturers of bread include this ingredient! It seems ridiculous to have to spend almost $4 on buns for our Boca Burgers, but Arnold is the only brand carried at Publix that offers a non-HFCS options. Other areas I splurged in: watermelon, pineapple, and Mueller pasta. I myself am not a melon fan, but I know my husband likes them. It's been so dreadfully hot out that I figured cold fruit would be very refreshing. We always stock up on pasta since it's an easy base ingredient for many recipes. I was planning on only buying one box since our pantry has several others right now from previous BOGO sales, but they had these delightful corkscrew-shaped pasta that I just had to buy. At any rate, I only went about $15 over my budget. And this is our spending for the next two weeks of meals (plus the bagels/bread will last us longer than two weeks). Woohoo!

How do you save on your grocery shopping? Does anyone do comparison shopping? Buy in bulk? Coupon?

Food: White Bean and Avocado Enchiladas

On Sunday evening we had White Bean and Avocado Enchiladas. I'd love to link to the original recipe, but it appears the link is no longer working! Good thing I have a great memory. (:

These enchiladas are simple to make and leave you feeling satisfied but not overly stuffed (something I can appreciate). Also, they reheat wonderfully, something we both can attest to as we had them for lunch today!

One thing I will have to say about this recipe is that it makes a lot of servings -- estimated around 12 servings based on the original recipe, but probably about 6-8 with the way I made them. The original recipe didn't specify what size tortillas, so I think we 8" taco flour shells, it makes about 12-servings, but with the 10" ones I used, makes the 6- or 8-servings. Decide based on what you need! Or cut the recipe in half if you don't want a lot of leftovers.

 
White Bean and Avocado Enchiladas
Ingredients

• 2 14.5oz cans of Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 16oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 avocado, ripened
• 3 4oz cans of green chilis
• 1/4 C Parsley
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 Tbs Chili powder
• two bundles of green onions
• twelve 8" or eight 10" flour tortillas

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 375F
• Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook about 7-minutes, until translucent but not browned
• In a food processor, blend avocado, cans of green chili, and green onions; set aside
• In the saucepan, add beans, tomatoes, Parsley, salt & pepper, and chili powder; heat for about 10-minutes
• Spread avocado sauce at the bottom of a 13x9 pan
• Begin making enchiladas by placing a spoonful of the bean mixture and a small handful of shredded cheese in the center of tortilla and wrap up burrito-style; place in pan
• After all enchiladas are wrapped, spread rest of avocado sauce over enchiladas, and sprinkle cheese on top
• Bake approximately 20-minutes. Enjoy!

Food: Sage-Walnut Pesto Pasta with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

Unexpectedly, I was able to leave work a few hours early today, so after finishing some homework, I started on dinner. We deviated a little bit this week from our original menu plan due to some slow-to-ripen avocados, but really it all worked out great! I prepared this meal while JP installed new brakes on my car. I don't care how chauvinist the image may seem, but nothing is sexier than seeing your husband with grease on his hands, sweat on his brow, laboring to serve you. He didn't know it, but I kept peeking outside to see how he was trucking along. {-:

This dinner was exceptionally fun to make! I had never really cooked with such a great quantity of herbs, and it really enjoyable to see what natural greens can become. I left the door open while in the kitchen -- it's so breezy out with the incoming cool front -- and Gilly happily went in and out, seeing what everybody was up to. We decided to eat outside, just can't get over this wonderful weather!

While J. finished with the brakes, I walked to the back of our yard to examine the newly-blooming bushes/trees. Please tell me you know the name of these flowers! I found several that might meet the description, but I am just not certain. Help?!

Breathtaking, right?

The Gilly Monster scampering away

Unintentionally, we ate this when it was more on the cool side and it still tasted delicious. As some of my friends know, I am not a ricotta fan and was tempted to substitute it with goat cheese, but in a last-minute decision, stayed as true to the recipe as I could, plus we already had the ricotta from a previous dinner. There's such a small amount used, and the pesto is the more dominant flavor, so I really didn't mind it at all. Plus, it all mixes together rather nicely. And those tomatoes? To die for. I can see this becoming a classic in our household.

Also served with the pasta, we have toasted Parmesan Ciabatta bread -- which is exactly as it sounds -- and a mix of fruit: strawberry, kiwi, clementine, black grape, and plum. We opened a bottle of Biltmore Estate Riesling (from our first wedding anniversary trip) and enjoyed a small glass with dinner. What a great evening together!

Sage-Walnut Pesto Pasta with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients

• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs thyme
• salt & pepper
• 1 C parsley
• 1/2 C sage
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese, broken into a few pieces
• 3/4 C walnuts, toasted and cooled
• 1/2 C olive oil
• 16 oz linguine
• 1/2 C ricotta

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400F. In small 8x8 baking dish, place tomatoes, olive oil, thyme, and salt/pepper. Roast 30-minutes until skins are wrinkled.
• Begin boiling a pot of water for pasta noodles
• In a food processor, combine parsley, sage, garlic and Parmesan. Pulse until everything is finely chopped. Add the toasted walnuts and pulse until combined. With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until desired consistency. Season with salt & pepper.
• Prepare pasta according to directions. Drain, reserving 1 C of pasta cooking water. Return pasta to pot and mix in ricotta. Add 1/2 of pesto and stir to combine. Add the pasta water as needed to loosen sauce until desired consistency. Taste and add more pesto. Serve with roasted tomatoes on top.

SOURCE

Spring Dinner Picnics

Tonight my husband and I lamented about last summer's dinner picnics. We absolutely loved eating outside on our screened-in porch any time we wanted to, even in the rain. Currently, we do not have the same setting for dinner picnics, but we are working on it. Feeling a sense of desperation with the fleeting sunlight, I asked J. to go ahead and pull our patio furniture out of the garage so we could please enjoy this gorgeous spring weather. Thankfully, he obliged and set to cleaning the furniture while I cooked up a quick dinner. No menu planning this week, so I pulled out some things from our fridge and pantry. Do you all have stock items that you most always have in your house? Spinach, pasta, sauce, and fruit are almost always in our home, and they all ended up in my version of dinner tonight!

• spinach, arugula, & onion red sauce pasta topped with goat cheese
  
• spinach, arugula & chopped apple salad
  
• plum/clementine/kiwi fruit salad

We're both looking forward to having an outdoor space to share dinner with friends. What is your favorite aspect of spring?

Food: Crispy Gnocchi Pesto with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Last week, I made this recipe for dinner. I found several variations of it but decided to go with this one because I had all of the ingredients aside from the tomatoes and gnocchi. Confession -- neither of us had ever tasted gnocchi prior to making this dish. Apparently boiling and covering with sauce is the normal delivery of this Italian food. This version, which is basically frying the gnocchi, sounded different and more fun. I used the last of our jarred pesto that had been taking space in our fridge for months (mooooonths), but would consider (and probably prefer) making my own pesto for the next time.


Crisping the gnocchi in EVOO. We used pre-made gnocchi (sweet potato whole wheat). Do you know where to find it in your grocery store? Publix keeps it in the pasta section, which makes complete sense, even though I was searching for it in frozen food and bakery (oops). But now you know!


Halved grape tomatoes (not a pantry staple - more on that later)


Simmering and crisping more


Add ze pesto!

Not pictured: goat cheese. (:

And...



Wah-lah!

The creamy goat cheese was perfect for the crispy gnocchi shell that had a smooth center. The pesto almost overpowered the dish, so I was happy to have a light spinach salad (with feta, dried cranberries, and walnuts) to give my palate a rest. This dish is extremely rich and you could easily cut down on portion size. With some small modifications, I would say it's a keeper!

A question posed tonight by our Tuesday Night Group: what is your go-to dish?

Weekly Yums | 20-26 February 2012

Monday
Moe's Monday

Tuesday
Tuesday Night Group (hosted by us!), serving...Black Bean Burgers (whole wheat toasted buns, with guacamole, feta & spinach), Grilled Asparagus, and Parmesan Roasted Potatoes with Herb Vinaigrette; Baked Pears for dessert

Wednesday
Spinach Wraps, Warm Goat Cheese Salad, and Fruit

Thursday
Loaded Baked Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, and Salad

Friday
Date Night @ Hennessy's (using Groupon)

Saturday
Pasta & Salad

Sunday
Breakfast for Dinner (TBD)

Weekly Yums | 13-19 February 2012

Monday
Moe's Monday

Tuesday
Leftover Lasagna

Wednesday
Tuesday Night Group (on a Wednesday!)

Thursday
Crispy Gnocchi Pesto with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese with Salad

Friday
T.G.I.F. Bring Your Own Toppings Pizza Party at N.'s
We think we're bringing feta cheese, spinach & garlic

Saturday
Spinach & Cheese Quesadillas (made with pepper-jack jalapeno wraps) with Black Bean & Corn Tortilla Salad

Sunday
Zucchini & Goat Cheese Pizza with Salad


This week my brother is moving back in with us, so it will be interesting to see how (or if) our grocery shopping will be influenced by his presence. And, yes, I love pizza this much.

Weekly Yums | 6-12 February 2012

Monday
Moe's Monday

Tuesday
Tilapia, Rice, and Broccoli

Wednesday
Spinach, Cashew & Cranberry Pasta with Feta Cheese

Thursday
Fresca Pizza

Friday
Sugar Mountain Cafe* (A) and McDonald's (J)
*I had the Chipotle Bowl with Tempeh and a Peach Sensation smoothie -- yum!


Saturday
Lasagna, Salad & Garlic Cheesy Bread

Sunday
Bowl of Cereal (A) and Zaxby's (J)

The great part about this week is that I didn't have to go to the grocery store! Last week Publix was having this awesome deal on Fresca Frozen Pizza, it was BOGO and then $1 off of two, so I think I paid about $9 for four frozen pizzas (and they are the good kind! believe me, I am picky!). Not sure yet what I am going to make for our ski trip weekend, but I will edit this post once I figure it out!

Weekly Yums | 30 January - 5 February 2012

Monday
Moe's Monday*

Tuesday
Tuesday Night Group**

Wednesday
Mac & Cheese Cauliflower with Salad

Thursday
Southwest Pizza with Salad

Friday
Tilapia, Broccoli and Rice with Salad

Saturday
BFD*** Spinach & Cheese Bake with Fruit

Sunday
Leftovers

* - Each Monday, Moe's has a special for their burritos at $5.55 for a burrito + drink. We split the burrito, making this meal about $3/person. We were also gifted a Moe's Giftcard for Christmas, so it's like we're spending nothing (for the the time being)!

** - Each Tuesday Night we have our Bible Study Group meeting, with the host and leader rotating each week. The host generally cooks dinner, so we don't have to worry about it (until it's our turn)!

*** - BFD = Breakfast for Dinner