Dec 29, 2012 |
I received a gift card for Christmas. I’m so very excited. Some people think gift cards are impersonal. I think gift cards are Potential. I plan to use this one for my January grocery budget.
The Unemployment Cookbook by Molly Jo Realy
I’m on a mission to save money and still feed my family well. I’m taking a page from my Cookbook, and starting with the recipe that started it all: Slow Cooker Ratatouille.
For just around $10, I’ll get the vegetables I need. I always keep olive oil and seasonings in the pantry.
Jan. 1: The Ratatouille will feed myself and Dot for two dinners.
Jan. 3: Drain the liquids and put half of the remaining seasoned vegetables on top a pizza crust. I always keep a frozen crust, so I’ll only need sauce and shredded cheese, about $7. This will feed us two dinners.
Jan. 5: Add the rest of the Ratatouille to my Baked Frittata. I usually keep eggs and milk in the house, but when I need to buy them, it costs close to $6 for both. I’ll already have shredded cheese from the pizza. The Frittata will feed us brunch and dinner for Saturday, and breakfast leftovers on Sunday.
Frittata
Jan. 6: My Slow Cooker Turkey Chili. I’ll need to buy just one pound of ground turkey, two cans of beans, and three cans of vegetables, near $8. I keep spices and onions in my pantry. This will feed us for three dinners, and I can take a serving for lunch.
Jan. 9: Potato Chip Casserole. I’ll need to buy the chips and chicken, approximately $5. I always keep milk and cream soups in my fridge and pantry. This goes fast, usually allowing for just one dinner and lunch leftovers.
Jan. 10: Texas Hash. I have all the ingredients except ground beef, average $4.I usually also need a green pepper. But I’ll have an extra pepper from the Ratatouille ingredients. I’ll use my FoodSaver to keep it fresh until I need it. Texas Hash will feed us at least three dinners.
And there I’ve scheduled 12 days of dinners for less than $40.00. Feeding two, sometimes three, adults. That’s less than $1.50 per person per meal.
For breakfasts, one box of Malt-o-Meal ($4), two boxes of instant oatmeal ($2 each), and a few yogurts (10 at $0.50 each). $13 total for a month of breakfasts.
I’m going to try new Bento lunch ideas (send some thoughts my way, Rachel!). Dot is on winter break for the month, so I’ll have some sandwich fixin’s for her, too. Each Bento averages $2. Lunches for the month should run us close to $50.
And that’s my Mojo Meal Plan for the first part of January, and then some. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 4, 2012 |
Yesterday I posted my interest in Bento Box Lunches. And today, I followed up by going to my local Wal-Mart where I found all I needed to get started on this new eating venture.
Lunch Supplies
Now, I don’t claim or even pretend to be a Food Artist. I knew before I started that I wouldn’t be winning any Food Blogger of the Year Awards with this one. But I still wanted to give it a try.
Bento lunches are attractive to me because I love putting together something healthy yet inexpensive. I love playing with my foods. I love portion controls. I love that there are so many ways to style a lunch and have it taste good, too. I really love the experimenting that leads to creating something visual and edible at the same time.
For starters, I found this great container. Don’t you just love the fork and knife on the lid?
Bento Container
The best part? There were two sets for less than $4.00. Gotta love Wal-Mart!
For my main course, I planned a healthy pinwheel roll on a whole wheat tortilla. I spread a thin layer of Cream Cheese before topping it with fresh baby Spinach leaves, three slices of Buddig corned beef meat slices, Sargento baby Swiss cheese, and sprinkled with a dash of Lowrey’s Salt Free 17 Seasonings.
Pinwheel Ingredients
Layers
Seasoned Roll
I placed toothpicks in the pinwheel to keep it from unrolling as I cut it into six pieces. They didn’t fill the large compartment of the container, but I know it’s more than enough. Portion control, remember?!
Then I moved on to the vegetable side dish. I rinsed the baby carrots and sliced a few stalks of celery. After patting them dry (you never want to put moist or juicy foods into your Bento container), I layered them along with several plum tomatoes and sliced mushrooms. Doesn’t this look colorful?
Colorful Vegetables
For my sweet dessert, I filled a cupcake liner with Planters’ NUTrition Mix: a sweet and salty combination of mixed nuts and dried fruits.
Now, I know myself well enough to know that even with the idea of a healthy, portion controlled, tasty lunch, I’ll still get the munchies. So I also bought Graham Crackers in the shape of Angry Birds, a salty granola bar, cheese stick, and a Gogurt. To complete my feast, I added two tea drink mixes. I even bought eggs to boil, but forgot to do so until after the pictures were taken. You’ll just have to take my word for it.
When it’s all put together, this is what my lunch for Monday looks like:
Bento Lunch and Other Snacks
Pretty tasty, dontcha think? So it’s not exactly a Bento in the style of Food Artistry. But I’m proud of it. Oh, I forgot to show you all the leftovers:
Bento Leftovers
After separating out what I want to keep for this entire week, Dot has an ample supply for her own lunches and snacks. It’s been nearly a year and a half that I haven’t been home to make snacks for her (yes, she’s in college, but she’s still my little girl, right?!), so this is a comfort to us both.
All of this wonderful food cost me less than $50. Which means, after you figure my five Bento lunches, her five lunch/snacks, and even more leftovers; my Bento lunch costs me just about $2.00.
I get to eat healthy and not spend time, gas, or money going to the local fast food place.
Now I call that Happy Eating!
Pinwheels
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 3, 2012 |
Lately, I’ve been seeing food and mommy bloggers talk about Bento Boxes. I’m late to the party, so I don’t have all the details. But what I’ve seen, I like.
Bento is a lunch form that originated in Japan. My brief research indicates that “Bento” means:
- A packed lunch, typically consisting of healthy items rather than fast food.
- Food styling. That is, creating art with your food to make it visually appealing.
- The container itself.
Most Bento lunches are designed for young school children. Moms send them off with themed lunches like sandwiches cut into cookie cutter shapes, boiled eggs sliced and decorated with cheese, fruits and vegetables peeled and curled, meats cut into various triangles and squares…
You get the picture.
Bento for adults is also coming on strong. A box can be packed with sushi or steamed rice and meats in the large container, fruits and vegetables in the medium section, and dessert in the smallest.
From the various articles I’ve read, many Bento boxes are divided into three sections: Large, Medium, Small. The rule of thumb is to pack the food into the containers. Pack being the operative word, so it doesn’t slide around. Make sure it’s durable (food). The less juice/water, the better as this prevents the food from getting sloppy. You can also purchase small cupcake wrappers to act as dividers/holders to keep small foods from spilling.
Another reason for packing it to the hilt, is the average stuffed Bento box holds approximately 600 calories. Now, I’ve never been one to remember the difference between calories, carbs, or chamomile tea. But I figure if I even add meat to a healthy side salad and it fills me up, that’s better than visiting the local burger joint every day.
I’m going to buy my own Bento box soon and give it a try. I’m looking forward to steamed rice and chicken or fish; vegetables; boiled eggs and yogurts. Not only will these foods keep nicely in the Bento box, but they’ll also give me energy and brain power I need to get through my busy day.
I’m so enamored with the creativity of the Bento! And so very excited I’m not the only one. Search “Bento” on Pinterest and see what comes up! Many wonderfully, creative ideas.
I can’t wait to track my Bento for this first week of work and tell you what I learn:
- About how much food it holds
- About what kinds of foods are energizing and Bento-compatible
- About new themes (maybe a Vegan style lunch, or autumn leaf shapes)
- About my beginning food styling skills
In fact, I just created a new Bento! Pinterest Board for my inspirations.
What kinds of foods do you pack in your lunches?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
[My Bento inspirations originated with Rachel over at Following In My Shoes. Give her a glance!]
