Meal Planning and Saving $$$

If there's one thing that saves my family money on the grocery bill each week it would be meal planning. Not only does it prevent me from running to the store for that "one thing" that ends up being a whole basket full of food but we eat healthier when we stick to the original menu. Growing up, it wasn't uncommon for us kids to do the family grocery shopping for the week. Shopping on a budget and living about 20 minutes outside of town mean't you didn't run to the store or grab fast food for dinner, you ate what was planned for the week.

Because of MY love for meal planning and saving money, I'm super excited to begin posting a week of dinners for you each week. My intent is to post healthy and frugal meal ideas from a variety of different bloggers and websites.

A few tips that save us money include:

1. Pay no more than $3 a pound for protein. Chicken or pork I look for prices under $2 a pound. If a recipe calls for a protein that's pricey, I substitute it for a meat that I can find for a good deal.

2. Eat Vegetarian. My meat and potato military husband was at first a little skeptical on this one. On an average week we have 2 meals that don't include meat. These dinners are a great opportunity to try satisfying veggies and legumes and save money on the grocery bill. My husband now requests these meatless meals! 

3. Don't pay for convenience food. Frozen dinner's are EASY I get it! They're also often packed with tons of salt and preservatives, things I don't want my family consuming on a regular basis. And if your trying to save money, these tend to cost more than their homemade counterparts. 

4. Be careful with coupons. Coupons can be a great money saver, but only if that product is something you were already going to use. Stocking up on "pudding cups" or "chocolate cream cookies" no matter how good the deal is, won't save me money unless those items were already on my list. 

5. Stick to a budget. If you've budgeted say $100 to spend each week on food, than don't go over that amount. It may be helpful to carry that budgeted amount in cash to the store, that way you have a visual on how much you can spend shopping. 

6. Live a little. It's okay to splurge once in a while. I've had weeks when I really wanted shrimp and paid the $10 (ouch!) a pound for those succulent little sea creatures. 

I'd love to see your tips on saving money and eating healthy so please post your tips and advice! 

Chocolate Chia Pudding with Whipped Cream

Happy 4th of July! You were probably expecting to see a patriotic themed recipe this morning. These cool and creamy chocolate puddings may not be patriotic themed but are Perfect for the hot and sunny days of July. Recently, a friend and I were comparing chia pudding recipes when she mentioned how delicious chocolate chia pudding is. Super easy to make and the taste is phenomenal! You can make these with prepared almond milk or make your own with unsweetened almond milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips. As I have a serious weakness for whipped cream I topped these with a little fresh whip and finished them off with a dusting of Dutch processed cocoa powder! Wow!

Adapted from Britney A.

Yield: 2 Servings

Chocolate Chia Pudding with Whipped Cream

2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 heaping tablespoon semi-sweet chocolate chips
Dash of vanilla
2 heaping tablespoons chia seeds
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar
Cocoa powder (for dusting)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the almond milk and chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted, add a dash of vanilla and then set aside. Divide chia seeds between two small glass dishes or small cups. Add half of the almond milk mixture to each cup. Stir and then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

*Note- I've found that it is best to stir the chia seed mixture after 30 minutes in the fridge.

When ready to serve, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form, add powdered sugar and beat until cream forms stiff peaks. Dollop whipped cream over chia puddings and dust with cocoa powder.

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins

Yesterday afternoon I found myself in a serious muffin mood. Actually, I often crave muffins but don't always act on my baking cravings. In that moment I needed action and muffins stat. These muffins will test your self-control. Seriously, I wanted to eat the whole tin but had to remind myself that the hubs was going to take them to an event and if I ate them all...well...you understand. With about 11 grams of refined sugar these aren't the healthiest treat you'll ever eat but definitely one of the tastiest. Still even with 11 grams of sugar, you'll find treats like a slice of Starbucks Banana Nut Bread with 31 grams of sugar and their Blueberry Yogurt Muffin with Honey having 28 grams of sugar. I'll stick my recipe in the Healthy(ier) category.

Adapted from Delicious In a Dash

Yield: 12 Muffins

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins

1 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup raw, unsalted peanuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large egg
2/3 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Using a blender, pulse the peanuts until a course chop forms. Remove 2 tablespoons of the peanuts and set aside. Continue pulsing until peanuts form a course meal. Remove from blender and combine it with the mashed bananas, oil and egg. Mix well then stir in the brown sugar, vanilla and almond milk just until combined. Be careful NOT to over mix or you'll end up with dense, heavy muffins.

Pour into greased or lined muffins tins. Combine reserved chopped peanuts, cinnamon sugar and butter in a small dish. Sprinkle over muffins before baking. Bake 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let set in pans for a couple minutes then allow to finish cooling on a cooling rack (that is if their not already eaten).

Chili Style Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

One of my favorite things about summer is the quality fresh produce, between gardens, grocery stores and farmer's markets the food seems to always taste better in the summer months. Spaghetti squash is a mild and sweet squash and a easy pasta alternative. Whether you eat gluten free or just want to change up your dinner routine you'll love the pasta like consistency of this tasty and healthy vegetable. The ground turkey is also super lean and soaks up the tasty flavors from the peppers, garlic, onions and chili powder. This meal will most definitely be a repeat in our house!

Adapted from ifoodreal

Yield: 4 Servings

Chili Style Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
2 medium spaghetti squash, halved length-ways and seeds removed
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced and seeds removed
1-15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
1-15 oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups Monterrey jack cheese, shredded (divided)
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (divided)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Salt and pepper cut squash and place face down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until fork tender (30-40 minutes). Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large skillet oven medium-high heat, add ground turkey and onion. When turkey is almost done, add the garlic, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper. Continue cooking until turkey is cooked through. Reduce heat to low and add the kidney beans, chili powder, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 cup cilantro and heat through. Check for seasonings and then turn heat off.

Fill cooked spaghetti squash with 1 1/2 cups of the turkey veggie mixture. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 375 until cheese is bubbly and melted, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cilantro over squash just before serving.

Easy Bok Choi, Zucchini and Chicken Saute

I harvested the first veggies from my garden this morning and If today was any indication of the future I'll soon be swimming in kale, bok choi, tomatoes and zucchini! Last year the garden didn't fare well so hoping for an improvement this summer. This simple dish is a BREEZE to make, super healthy and yummy! Feel free to substitute the bok choi for your favorite greens or whatever you have on hand. This was my first time growing bok choi and I love how tender and sweet the leaves are.

Yield: 1 Serving

Easy Bok Choi, Zucchini and Chicken Saute

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups baby bok choi, thinly sliced (or other favorite leafy green veggie, spinach, kale, spinach etc)
1/2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
Dash of soy sauce
Black pepper
1 small cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced

In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and add the garlic, bok choi and zucchini. Saute for a couple of minutes and splash with soy sauce and a few dashes of pepper. Add chicken and continuing sauteing until greens are wilted and chicken is heated through. Serve warm.

*Note: If your a person that likes carbs with their meal, try serving this over quinoa or wild rice.

Cheddar Gougères

Light, airy, and a little crunch are the textures as you bite into these delicious appetizer morsels. A fantastic accompaniment to fresh summer berries, prosciutto and asparagus roll-ups or simply on their own. You can also slice these and use them as the "bread" for mini sandwiches. I'm thinking roast turkey, Munster cheese, avocado slices and fresh sprouts. Gougères are similar in texture and taste to puff pastry with the addition of cheese and herbs.

Cheddar Gougères

Yield: 25-30 Gougères

1 cup water

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup flour

4 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crack eggs into a small bowl and set aside. Combine water and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a roaring boil then add flour and reduce heat to low. Stir for about 2 minutes or until a ball forms with the pastry. Remove pan from heat and add eggs in all at once. Continue mixing until the eggs are incorporated into the pastry. Gently fold in seasoning and cheese. Drop teaspoon sized balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. 

Easy Super Food Brussels Sprouts and Chicken Salad

Brussels sprouts???? I know what your thinking, somehow this poor little veggie has been programmed to make it to one of the top disliked foods in America. I may have not conducted any formal survey but growing up it seemed if there was one vegetable in particular that people didn't like it was Brussels sprouts. Perhaps we have all been scared by overcooked sulfuric smelling sprouts, bad enough to turn any nose. Honestly, I think we need to give this cruciferous vegetable another chance! Touted for it's cancer preventing, detox support, and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits you may want to give the sprout another look. Fresh sprouts are nothing like their frozen counter-parts and have a great mild taste.This salad is delicious, super healthy and perfect for warm summer days.

Yield: 4 Servings

Super Food Brussels Sprouts and Chicken Salad

3 cups fresh Brussels Sprouts, finely sliced
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup fresh mango, diced
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Large handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette dressing
1/2 cup unsalted hazelnuts
Parmesan cheese, shaved

Combine Brussels Sprouts, celery, red pepper, mango, chicken, black pepper and cilantro in a large bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and raspberry vinaigrette over the salad. Stir and taste. Add additional olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste. Serve and top with hazelnuts and Parmesan cheese.