Frugal Organic Girl

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil (0.25)
• 2 medium organic onions, diced (0.10)
• 3 medium organic carrots, diced (0.15)
• 3 stalks organic celery, diced (0.10)
• 4-5 tbsp organic cumin powder (0.25)
• 6-8 cloves organic garlic, minced/pressed/grated (0.20) ~ I buy my organic garlic in bulk at costco
• 1 medium organic bell pepper diced (1.25)
• 2 14oz cans organic black beans ( or 3 cups soaked, sprouted (optional) and cooked dried black beans – it saves you ALOT of $$, 2.18 for canned, 1.10 for dried)
• 1 14.5 oz cans organic diced tomatoes (1.00)
• 4-6 cups water, vegetable or chicken broth ( I used water 0.00)

Method:

1. In a heavy bottomed pot heat over medium/medium high heat. Once hot add 1 tbsp olive oil, drop one piece of onion into the pan and once it starts sizzling add the reast of the onions and garlic and cook until soft, transparent and fragrant.
2. Next add the bell peppers, carrots and celery. Like the onions, cook them until they are soft, transparent and fragrant. Add cumin while veggies are softening and work it into the cooking veggies. Add more oil if needed to keep the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3. If using canned beans dump 1/2 of the beans from one can with juice into a seperate bowl or container and dump the reamaining beans into the soup pot with veggies and spices. Mash the 1/2 can of separated beans with a potato masher, inside the cafe or bowl of a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. And dump it into the bowl of beans and veggies. If using cooked and soaked dried scoop out 1/2-3/4 cup of beans with liquid into bowl and blend or smash to smitherines.
4. Add the pureed beans into the soup pot, start with 2 cups of water then add upto 4-6 cups to get the desired consistency that you’d like.
5. Allow it to simmer, covered for an addtional 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Serve HOT.

Meal Planning ideas: top with feta cheese or yogurt and sere with bread, and salad

Leftover tips: If you have leftovers serve it over rice, make burritos or mash for spicy refried beans.

To make a cream soup base you need to make a white sauce. You can make this one of two ways:

The basic formula from scratch for it would be (1 part fat+1part flour + 2 cups liquid (a combo of milk + broth(x) or milk+ veggie(x) of choice = cream of x soup ))

or

Quick and easy way: 2 cups liquid (milk/broth combo) + 2tbsp cornstarch. Mix cornstarch and milk together when milk is cold, be sure its fully combined, pour into sauce pan and bring to a simmer to thicken.

Example recipe using rue ~ Cream of chicken soup

2 tbsp fat (butter, olive oil, bacon if you want to go wild)+
2 tbsp flour = rue (natural thickener for sauces/soups)

Melt butter, add flour whisking it in to break up the bits. Cook flour and butter until light golden brown.

1.5 (if adding meat broth for flavor) or 2 C (for cream of whatever veggie soup) milk/half and half (for richer soup add full fat milk or part full fat milk and heavy or whipping cream)

wisk milk in slowly so that there are no lumps in your soup/sauce. Bring sauce to a simmer, almost boiling and adjust thickness as needed, by adding more milk to thin or keep simmering to reduce liquid to make it thicker. If adding a meat based broth add the broth before making it thinner to test texture.

1/2-1 cup chicken stock/broth or equal amounts bouillon cube or concentrated broth paste ( you can find organic broth paste at costco for around 7 bucks makes 72 1 cup servings!)

For veggie cream soup

rue + 2 cups milk + veggies bits
or
2 tbsp cornstarch + 2 cups COLD milk + veggie bits

veggie bits I use for cream of x veggie soup

- broccoli stalks, peeled and cut into small pieces, save floret heads for adding crunch to the rest of the soup, if desired. Or if you have frozen broccoli that works fine too

- woody asparagus pieces and leftovers that were too tough to serve steamed or grilled or leftovers I froze from a previous night’s dinner.

- dried mushrooms, rehydrate in hot water, strain through double layer of cheese cloth to get all dirt out, reserve liquid and add to soup to make a mushroomy broth. Or add fresh or frozen sliced mushrooms

- less then steller carrots, meaning they are still good..just sorta floppy and on their way out.

- less then steller celery, meaning they are still good..just sorta floppy and on their way out.

~ frozen spinach if desired…i like it some don’t

While soup is boiling to thicken add veggies that have been cut into bit sized pieces, say a rough dice. Cook until soft, soft enough that a fork pierces it easily. Once soft the veggies are soft, blend the heck out of it until you have the texture you desire.

I make this at least once a week on days I just don’t want to bother cooking but I know I have to do it anyways. I am making it into a formula so you can use your imagination on and the ingredients you already have on hand to make it your way.

Formula :9×13 pan + (s+ m) + r + v+ p+ h bake @ 375 F for 1 hr 15 min

Ingredients:

• 2 c rice ( we use brown short grain) r=rice
• 2 10oz cans cream of x soup ( we like cream of mushroom, celery, asparagus, broccoli or broccoli cheese soup + cream of chicken soup) s=soup
• 2 c milk m=milk
• 1-2 c veggies (dried, fresh or frozen- your choice – we use mushroom, broccoli, and asparagus) v=veggie
• 1/2-1lb protein ( chicken, salmon, roast pork, tuna, tofu etc)  p= protein
• salt, pepper,
• herbs/spices as desired  h=herbs, spices, acid

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a 9×13″ pan, spray with nonstick spray or brush with butter.
3. Add cream of x soup + milk, whisk together to break up soild bits and scrap out all the goodies left in the can.
4. Once smooth, dump rice in, mix in until incorporated.
5. Add chopped veggies.
6. Season meat/poltury/seafood/protien with salt, pepper and desired herbs/spices. Place on top of rice/soup/veggie mix.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 1.25-1.5 hours. DO NOT open foil, b/c chicken and rice are being steam cooked for at least 1 hour and 15 minutes.
8. After 1 hour and 15 min has passed check casserole if meat is opque and cooked through, dinner is ready. Serve with a salad and maybe some bread and dinner is ready.

Meal planning: serve with salad and some bread if more starches are desired

Ideas:

Salmon asparagus brown rice casserole

s=cream of asparagus soup x2,
p=salmon fillets/burgers
v=frozen or fresh asparagus
h= dill, lemon juice

Creamy mushroom chicken brown rice casserole

s= cream of mushroom + cream of chicken
p= boneless/skinless chicken breasts or thighs
v= fresh, frozen. or dried sliced mushrooms
h= thyme, balsamic vinegar

Creamy garlic broccoli chicken or tofu brown rice casserole

s= cream of broccoli x2 or cream of broccoli + cream of chicken
p= boneless/skinless chicken breasts or thighs/ firm tofu
v= fresh or frozen broccoli
h= fresh garlic cloves, minced. lemon juice

Cheesy chicken broccoli brown rice casserole

s= cream of broccoli cheese soup x2 or cream of broccoli cheese + cream of chicken
p= boneless/skinless chicken breasts or thighs/ firm tofu
v= fresh or frozen broccoli
h= grated cheese mixed with dried parsley

Enjoy

Ingredients:

• 2.25 c + 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp agava necter or molasses or honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 3/4 c whole wheat flour
• 3/4 c gluten flour
• 2/3 c oat bran
• 2/3 c flax seed meal
• 3 tsp active dry yeast

Method:

Put all ingredients in your bread machine as speficied by your manual. Usually it is liquids, fat, sugars/syrups, salt, flours, addivtives (oat bran & flax seed meal) and lastly make a mini dent w/ your finger within the mound of flour and add the yest on top of all the flours.

I used the whole wheat cycle in my bread machine but you can also use the ‘basic’ or white bread cycle.

Oh boy! Another week has passed and we are getting closer and closer to the busy holiday season! I for one am excited for it to come and to be gathered around friends and family! Best of all pumpkin is in season and it is one of my absolutely favorite meals. Sadly the kids seem to be getting more and more and more picky and I am running out of ideas? I would love to hear how you get your kids to eat what you cook? I have tried to involve the kids in the cooking but there’s only so much a 2 and 3 year old can do out side of mixing and having them play and fling raw ingredients around. And well that’s just not so fun for mom to clean up ya know? So any ideas would be great!

Breakfast

• Yogurt, fruit, nuts or peanut butter
• oatmeal w/ dried fruit and peanut butter or raw nuts
• scrambled eggs w/ mixed fresh veggies, cheese and bread
• pancakes, fruit syrup, sausage

Lunch

• Leftover french onion soup w/ green salad and fruit or been and beef burritos w/ raw veggies and fruit
• leftover chili w/ salad or hard boiled egg, mixed veggies, cheese, fruit, toast or crackers
• soup and sandwiches or salad
• raw veggies w/ hummas & homemade pita bread, fruit
• leftovers

Dinner

• Beef and bean chili w/ fixin’s bar, salad, fruit and crackers
• creamy tuna and veggie casserole, salad or steamed green beans
• baked fish, brown rice, steamed zucchini
• grilled chicken, smashed garlic potatoes, green beans
• pot roast, leftover potatoes, salad
• leftovers

Snackes/Dessert

• ricotta cheese w/ cinnamon & unsweetened organic cocoa powder w/ 2 tsp stevia
• low fat cheese sticks
• mixed fresh veggies (peppers, carrots, tomatoes etc) w/ garlicy hummus w/ pine nuts

Simple, healthy Seasonal Recipe ~ Whipped Pumpkin Ricotta Creme

Ingredients:

• 1 part (ie 1 cup) low or full fat ricotta cheese
• 3 /4 part (ie 3/4 cup) or more to taste pumpkin puree ( NOT pumpkin pie mix! That stuff is just too darn sweet! Get plain unsweetened soild packed pumpkin, organic is best if you can)
• 1/2 tbsp (more or less to taste) pumpkin pie spice
• 2-4 TBSP (more or less to taste) sweetener of choice (mine are xylitol, agava nector or stevia, you can also use maple syrup, sugar or splenda )

Method:

1. Mix together the ricotta,  pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and sweetener, breaking up the cheese curds to fully incorporated them together.
2. To make the mixture into a light mouse like consistency, grab a whisk or an electric hand mixer and get to beaten’ or mixin until your arm falls off then switch arms and whip some more! Until light and fluffy. Or until your arms give out, which ever comes first!
3. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of maple sugar and more pumpkin pie spice.

For more great meal ideas visit Organized Junkies

When you think of french onion soup do you think of something long and complicated? Ha nothing could be further from the truth. French onion soup is perhapes in my opinion one of THE easiest soup to make, in fact SO easy that I recommend any beginner cook to make it.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter, grass fed is best*
• 1 tbsp evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
• 4 leaks, cut into half rounds, washed really really well. **
• 3 red onions cut into half rounds
• 4 yellow onions, cut into half rounds
• 2 quarts beef broth + 2 tbsp organic reduced sodium better than boullion paste ( you can find it at Costco)
• 3/4 cup white wine (pino grecio, etc- we used Charles Shaw Chardonnay 2008)
• 1-2 tbsp dried thyme, crushed into the soup
• Your choice of bread, a day or two old stale works best
• 1/8-1/4 cup grated cheese per person.

Method:

1. Using an extra large pot 6-8 quarts, heat over meduim high flame, add grass fed butter, evoo and swirl around pan so that pan is evenly coated and fat is simmering slightly in the pan, but not smoking. Butter should be just bearly light brown.
2. Add onions into pot, at first it will look like A LOT of onions and it is about 9+ cups onions, but onions are mostly water so they will eventually cook down to almost 1/3 to 1/4th their original volume. Once you are able to get all the onions in the pot at once, stir occasionally, cover and let cook for 10 minutes, come back and stir again, a lot of water will be coming out of onions. Keep cooking for another 10-20 minutes until all the onions have wilted, shrunk and there is no liquid left in the pan.
3. The onions in the pot should be light brown at this point. DO NOT move from the stove at this point. Just keep watching and stirring. Try not to let the onions stick to the pan too much. Keep stiring and browning until it reaches a deep dark brown but not burnt!
4. Preheat your broiler so that you can melt the cheese.
5. Once the onions are  a deep brown, add the broth, boullion paste, wine, dried thyme bring to a boil until it just breaks the surface. And reduce to a simmer for about 20 min until the soup is reduced by 1/3. Now taste and season with salt and pepper or add more stock if you want a slightly thinner soup. Not too thin, because you want a thick and hearty soup! Once the soup is to your taste add to your bowl.
6. Spoon into oven safe bowls, top with bread, cheese, broil until melted and golden brown. Serve with  a large green salad.

Well I can hardly believe it, this week has past so fast I can bearly keep up! It’s been a good week over all and we were able to stick to our food plan!  I am excited to try new things with the kids this week and hopefully they might actually eat it! Well at least I can hope they will.

Breakfast

• oatmeal w/ dried fruit and peanut butter or raw nuts
• scrambled eggs w/ mixed fresh veggies, cheese and bread
• pancakes, fruit syrup, sausage
• morning glory nut muffins, soy sausage
• leftovers

Lunch:

• Chinese Chicken salad with peanut butter vinegrette and strawberries or sandwitch wraps
• chicken strawberry spinach salad w/ spicy pecans or peanut butter sandwitches w/ carrots and apples
• mixed veggies, cheese, meat, fruit
• ravoli w/ tomatoe sauce w/ ground meat
• bean, beef and cheese burritos, mixed raw veggies
• soup and salad or soup and sandwitches
• leftovers

Dinner

• Chicken w/ zucchinni and tomatoes w/ brown rice or pasta
• slow cooker chicken putteneska w/ pasta or zucchini ribbons, bread and spinach salad
• French onion soup, salad, bread, fruit
• beef and bean chili w/ fixin’s (yogurt, avocados, onions, cheese etc) , salad and bread
• grilled chicken, zucchini pancakes, applesauce, Greek yogurt, brown rice
• leftovers

Snackes/Dessert

• ricotta cheese w/ cinnamon & unsweetened organic cocoa powder w/ 2 tsp stevia
• low fat cheese sticks
• mixed fresh veggies (peppers, carrots, tomatoes etc) w/ garlicy hummus w/ pine nuts

For more great meal ideas visit Organized Junkies

Here’s one of my new favorite recipes that replaces my past addiction to potatoe pancakes!

Zucchini Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 3 medium zucchini, grated
• 1/2-1 cup onion, grated, save the juice! (start with 1/2 cup add more to taste)
• 4oz feta or any other cheese of choice (grated or crumbled)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tsp or more to taste paprika
• 1 cup flour ( I use almond meal or whole wheat pastry flour, all purpose flour, etc)
• 3 whole eggs, lightly beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil or non stick spray for frying
• 1-2 limes

Method:

1. Grate the zucchini onto a kitchen tea towel and leave to sit about 20 minutes to get rid of excess moisture.
2. Crumble the feta into a bowl and add the onion, parsley, mint, and paprika.
3. In a separate bowl mix together flour, seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add the flour mixture to feta cheese/onion, then add the beaten egg and mix.
5. Stir in the zucchini. It will be lumpy, just keep stirring until all is combined.
6. Heat a few spritzes of non stick spray or a tablespoons of oil on a griddle or in a skillet and using a 1/4 cup measure or a large spoon, drop onto hot surface, using the back of the utensil to flatten into a pancake.
7. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and repeat until all the batter is used.
8. Slice the limes and serve on the platter with the fritters for each person to sprinkle as they eat them.

Makes 16-24 fritters, depending on size

Thanks for joining me for kitchen tip tuesday, tempt my tummy tuesday

Thanks for joining me once again for a late edition of Menu Planning Monday. Today has been a day of catch up for me and hopefully I will get myself more organized next time. This week I am keeping up with the belly fat and dibetic friendly menu!

Breakfast:

• zucchini, tomato, feta fritata w/ bread (low carb for me) & fruit
• oatmeal w/ dried fruit and peanut butter or raw nuts
• scrambled eggs w/ mixed fresh veggies, cheese and bread
• soy sausage, nutty low carb bread, & 3 sliced strawberries
• leftovers

Lunch:

• Roasted Red pepper and tomato soup w/ grilled cheese sticks (kids) or broiled low carb cheese toast (me) and mixed green salad
• grilled chicken w/ cheesy pasta, cherry tomatoes (for kids) or grilled chicken over fresh spinach, tomatoes, red onions, avocados and balsamic vinegrette
• left over salmon fritters, leftover zucchini almond pancakes, raw sliced red peppers
• turkey black bean soup, w/ green salad w/ fresh veggies
• cobb salad w/ low carb bread (me) or dried ravolis, vodka sauce, salad
• lettus or torilla wrap sandwiches, mixed raw veggies, nuts
• raw veggies w/ hummas & homemade pita bread
• left overs

Dinner:

• Grilled chicken, smashed celery root or leftover mashed potatoes, garlic green beans
• crockpot chicken caccitorie over pasta or steamed zucchini, salad w/ nuts
• crockpot chicken pot pie w/ flax or whole grain biscuts, salad w/ nuts
• turkey black bean soup, salad, bread (low carb for me)
• steamed salmon, garlic broccoli, leftover mashed potatoes/smashed cheesy cauliflower, salad
• sauteed chicken w/ steamed zucchini noodles or whole wheat pasta, crushed walnuts and cherry tomatoes
• leftovers

Snackes/Dessert

• ricotta cheese w/ cinnamon & unsweetened organic cocoa powder w/ 2 tsp stevia
• low fat cheese sticks
• mixed fresh veggies (peppers, carrots, tomatoes etc) w/ garlicy hummus w/ pine nuts

For more great meal ideas visit Organized Junkies

I love cooking with my kids and husband but sadly when I do cook with them there is more ingredients spilled out of the bowl and trailed all over my kitchen then in the mixing bowl! LOL.

The way I fixed this is that we measure and mix all ingredients IN THE SINK. That way if there is more mess outside the bowl then in it I just wash it out when we are done. Easy-pezy! And that way the kids and DH can get as wild and crazy with the measuring and stiring as much as they want!

Thanks for joining me for more great tips go over to Tammy’s Recipes.