Budget Fresh. Food, that is.

I'm growing things!

2010-05-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not good at growing things. I'm far better at collecting things. Like, oh, clutter and dust. I'm not completely convinced I'm genetically related to my family because I can. not. grow. things. I'm talking, I can cause the demise of a fake plant.

The bright lights and shiny objects in the Dollar Spot at Target tempted me the other week, and I up and bought some herbs to grow. I have chives, basil and oregano lined up on my kitchen window. It's a bit ghetto, but it works for now.

Uh, excuse the fact that my kitchen window clearly needs to be cleaned.

I've even remembered to water them and look! There are things growing!

Why am I tempting my black thumb? Because fresh herbs are expensive! Have you bought fresh herbs lately? You can drop $3-$4 on a small bunch! Craziness.

Cutting the budget, and fresh herbs for recipes? I like it!

Delivery Day!

2010-05-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

In the box:
2 oranges                                                 .5 lb strawberries
2 avocado                                                 1 bunch celery
1.5lbs fava beans                                     1 head lettuce
1.5lbs pearl potatoes                               2 bunches carrots
1 grapefruit                               1 container cherry tomatoes
1 lemon                                                       1lb zucchini
1 bunch broccoli

It makes for a full veggie drawer!

My menu planning is a little off because I'm hosting my family on Saturday for a belated Mother's Day/2 family birthdays party. I'll be turning the lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, some cucumber, and maybe even some zucchini into a salad.

The menu for Saturday is:
Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Quinoa and black beans
Green salad

Dessert will be Avocado pound cake with whipped cream (and strawberries, I think).

Honestly, beyond that, I have not thought out. I am easily distracted by bright and shiny objects, and party planning. I'll figure out next week...uh...next week :P

I miss bacon.

2010-05-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

When I decided it was time to be consciously aware of where my food comes from, what it's made with, and what's happening to it before it makes it to my kitchen, I started by reading Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food." This book resonated with me, strongly. I could feel the light bulb in my brain flip on. Every few pages, I would turn to my husband and say "listen to this!" and read off a sentence or a paragraph.

I began researching CSA's in earnest, and that's when I decided to order from Farm Fresh To You. By the way, if you are interested (and in California), email me, and I'll send you a code for $5 off your first order.

I then began reading Jonathan Safran Foer's "Eating Animals." Oh goodness, that was a difficult read. Within a few pages, my stomach had been turned to the idea of eating meat. I have eaten meat once since, and that was because it was in a quiche and I didn't make it.

Thing is, I really do enjoy meat! I eat turkey all the time, and bacon (or even better pancetta or prosciutto) is darn yummy. Only lately, it's like I have an aversion to it.

Today, for instance, we went to Island's for lunch. I love The Wedge with avocado. LOVE. The Wedge is what they call a BLT. I get The Wedge every time I eat there. Every. Time.

I couldn't do it. I ordered the veggie burger. It was really yummy and I have always enjoyed veggie burgers, but they ain't bacon.

I don't think I'll remain a (ovo-lacto) vegetarian, but for now, it is what it is. I do miss bacon, though. Stupid crisis of conscious :P

I did say budget, didn't I?

2010-05-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

In the past, I have tried to make my food budget the smallest part of my monthly expenditures. After some thinking, and some reading, I've come to agree with Michael Pollan's thoughts from "In Defense of Food." We should spend more on food, and eat better. I eat less when I eat fresh, I feel better instantly, I have no food regret, and I know the long term effects are better. I'm choosing to spend a little more now, to save on costs down the road.

My weekly budget is $100. I'm feeding 3 people, and that budget is inclusive of my weekly produce delivery. I make 3 meals + 3 snacks a day for my daughter, and Lance and I need breakfast and dinner every day. I also try to make my lunch most days. Ultimately, my goal is to make lunch for Lance and I every day.

I went shopping today, for this weekend/the upcoming week. I am shopping more at Whole Foods, where I can take advantage of their 365 Everyday Value brand and their standards on meat and poultry. I would like to be even more local, but that will take a but more time as I do some research. While Whole Foods is an amazing market, it's not really the place to shop for some staples, so I didn't get everything I needed today.

I bought:

Shaved Parmesan (so worth it to buy the good stuff, a little goes a long way!) - $4.14
Eggs - $2/dozen (on sale)
Stonyfield Farms Squeezers (an organic, healthier version of Gogurts) - $3.29
Flax seed frozen waffles - $2.39
whole wheat elbow pasta - $1.79
whole wheat linguine - $1.79
Vegan cane sugar - $3.99
boneless, skinless chicken breasts - $12.58 (4 half breasts, and they were on sale at $5.99lb)
whole wheat pizza dough - $3.29
garlic - $1.78
onions - $2.17
spinach - $2.49
food bar meal (I was taking some "me" time and bought lunch from their hot bar to enjoy) - $7.75
bottle of iced tea (part of said lunch) - $1.44 (including CRV)
Vegetarian Times magazine - $4.99 (note to self to resume subscription
- $0.20 refund for bringing my own grocery bags
Total - $56.78

Now, the food bar lunch, drink and magazine count towards my entertainment budget, not my grocery, so I'm not going to count them. Subtracting that $14.18 out, my grocery total was $42.60.

Adding the Farm Fresh To You delivery in, and my total for the week is at $74.10.

I still need to pick up orange juice (my husband is very particular about his oj), tortillas, enchilada sauce, and some bulk bin items - pinto and black beans and jasmine rice. I'm not sure why I didn't get the bulk items today, other than I wasn't thinking. I may also need some hummus, or something else with protein for Emma's lunches (the chicken will be turned into baked chicken nuggets for her)

Not bad!

Delivery day!

2010-05-04T19:18:00.001-07:00

I do love delivery day. It's like Christmas, every week! Emma likes to take everything out and hand it to me. There is a lot, the box is filled!Carrots with the tops still on makes me giddy

What's in the box, and what I plan to do with it:

4 zucchini - I just made zucchini muffins out of the zukes from last week. This week, I intend to make zucchini gratin.

2 grapefruit - breakfasts. Might broil one this weekend.

2 avocados - last night I made lemony potato and avocado salad. Waaaaaaay yummy and what a fabulous potato salad alternative to the old mayo based standby! This will make my summer gathering rotation, me thinks. I really want to make this avocado pound cake. I'm talking need to make it. I'm hosting a Mother's Day gathering the weekend after Mother's Day, and I think it would make for a lovely, unexpected dessert.

2 oranges - breakfasts

1.5lbs fava beans - now, this makes me pause. I've not had a fava bean before (and whoa! the pods are HUGE!) and I can't help but think of the movie "Silence of the Lambs." I shall not be serving them with anyone or any thing's liver. Or Chianti. I do, however, think I shall make fettuccine with fava beans.

1.5lbs Klamath potatoes - probably use some for crash hot potatoes, but I'm not sure yet what else.

1 lemon - oh, this will go somewhere...

1 bunch broccoli - I'm thinking I might make some pesto with it. Then I might make a pesto pizza.

1 bunch celery - I have really been enjoying celery with peanut butter! It's a great breakfast for me. Tonight, I also made vegetable stock with some. The house smells outstanding.

1 bunch carrots - Emma was very excited to see the carrots, so I may have to alter the plans I had to make carrot apple muffins.

1 head iceberg lettuce - salad, sandwiches, cheese and lettuce wrapped in a tortilla

1 bunch radishes - oh, yum! I think these will be tossed in olive oil and a heavy sprinkle of Lake Short Drive seasoning, then thrown on the bbq.

.5 lb strawberries - these are about gone already :)

Love delivery day!

Back to reality...

2010-05-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

My daughter's party left me a few days behind on cooking, and with extra veggies and strawberries to do something with. Trying to catch up with my box before the delivery tomorrow, I have been busy in the kitchen making:

maple glazed carrots - honestly, they were not a complete hit with me as I think I prefer carrots savory. That said, they will probably make my menu rotation again though because, in a rather shocking moment, Emma not only ate the three I put on her plate, she asked for seconds!

broccoli, rice and cheese casserole - My husband has a fondness for 50's style casseroles. This one was really good. Sure, I used canned cream of mushroom, but I'm trying to use up some pantry stock

roasted radishes with soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds - Oh. My. God. These are good. Good. I don't know if I've even had a radish before, but I absolutely will again. Mmmmmm.....

lemony potato avocado salad - what a fabulous take on potato salad. I can't wait to eat the rest for lunch tomorrow.
tabbouleh - I have two rules when it comes to cooking: when it doubt, turn to Tyler Florence or Paula Deen. They will not steer you wrong.

strawberry cake - I baked these in cupcake liners and we are eating them life muffins, sans frosting. In fact, I just ate one. Yum. What I love most is how cute these look in my new (to me) copper canisters.
Delivery tomorrow! Off to make a grocery list!

Birthday party madness!

2010-05-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

My daughter turned 5 last week, and her party was on Saturday. I love to craft and make things, but I forget how I also love to procrastinate, so life before a party is always a whirlwind. That said, the party was so fun and my daughter was just ecstatic.

Although the theme was Strawberry Shortcake, I really took the green and pink of the updated character and ran with that. We had a bounce house in the front yard, which kids always love.

I used a table in our entry way to set the favors on. I made the little runner with some vintage Strawberry Shortcake fabric. The favors were washcloth cupcakes I made. I am the owner of Celtic Cloths and have a plethora of bamboo fabric at my fingertips. I am in love with bamboo terrycloth because it is so incredibly soft and even more fabulous when wet. I made washcloths by backing bamboo terrycloth with flannel. I happened to have strawberry flannel on hand, so I used that.

The food table.

Popcorn Cones!

I made the popcorn cones. I was inspired by Simply Creative Insanity's Winter Candyland Party. I first saw the cones on her site and emailed her immediately to ask "how'd you do that?" Brandy was very nice to tell me the secret (wooden skewers!) and I started planning to do them. I came across some adorable fabric, and decided to make fabric cones (making them out of fabric was an idea inspired by a Sew, Mama, Sew! post).

While they sew up quickly, I wasn't incredibly pleased with my execution. The kids, however, LOVED them and didn't care that they were a little wilty. When I do this again, I'll either make paper cones or I suppose add interfacing to the fabric cones to stiffen them. They are worth doing, I think, because everyone is just amazed to see cones sticking up like that! (even wilty ones)

Fruit and veggies!

When I came across that simply adorable white picket fence planter box at Joann's, I had to have it. The menu was snack foods as the party was at 2pm. I thought it would be fun to serve the veggies in the planter box, and that's what I did! The strawberries are in little strainers I found at Michael's on clearance.

Snack BuffetInspired by the fabulous parties posted at Kara's Party Ideas and The TomKat Studio, I really wanted to have a buffet. While candy buffets are popular, my daughter is a type 1 diabetic, and I didn't want to serve anything at the party that she shouldn't have. I filled the containers with pretzels, Teddy Grahams and Goldfish. The kids LOVED scooping the treats out, and I just loved how it looked. I will absolutely do that again! Notice the vintage Strawberry Shortcake tray?

The party was a success, with about 20 yelling, happy, playing kids running around. And momma may have gotten her own work out in by jumping in the bounce house after the kids were gone....

Thursday delivery!

2010-05-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

A few days late...but I've been executing my daughter's 5th birthday party and that sent me into a whirlwind.

Thursday morning, our box arrived, and the contents for the week are: 3 navel oranges (and jeezly crow they are huge!), 2 grapefruit, 2 avocados, 4 zucchinis, 2 cucumber, 1.5lbs sweet potatoes, 1 lemon, 1 bunch red radishes, 1 bunch celery, 1 head red butter lettuce, 1 bunch brocolli, 1 bunch carrots, 1/2 lb strawberries.

Thursday night I made Sweet Potato Enchiladas, a recipe I found on the Whole Foods site. Oh, oh my. They are so good. So yummy, crazy good. I will admit that I used a store bought enchilada sauce. I haven't really cooked with chiles before and I wasn't feeling making my own sauce.

I highly suggest making this as soon as possible. Yum.

Recipe, from the link above:

Quickie Green Chile Sauce
1 cup light gluten-free vegetable broth
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water
1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles, hot or mild
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin or chili powder, hot or mild, to taste

Enchilada Filling
1 (15-ounce) can organic black beans, rinsed, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 big juicy lime
2 heaping cups cooked diced sweet potatoes
1/2 cup chopped roasted mild green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder mild or spicy
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Assembly
2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, as needed
8 white or yellow corn tortillas
4 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Choose a baking dish that would hold 8 rolled enchiladas. Make your Quickie Green Chile Sauce by combining the broth, dissolved arrowroot, green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer until thickened. Taste test and adjust seasonings. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the Enchilada Filling, using a mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans with minced garlic and lime juice. Toss to coat the beans and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the cooked sweet potatoes with the chopped green chiles; add the spices. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the Quickie Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

To assemble the enchiladas, grab a skillet and heat a dash of oil. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them, one at a time, as you stuff each one.

Lay the first hot tortilla in the sauced baking dish; wet it with the sauce. Spoon 1/8 of the sweet potato mixture down the center. Top with 1/8 of the black beans. Wrap and roll the tortilla to the end of the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce. Top with a sprinkle of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are piping hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Cream rises to the top.

2010-04-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

I'm defining local as California, because So Cal isn't known for it's agriculture and farms. I was at Whole Foods the other night, and saw milk in a glass bottle. I immediately wanted to put on a cute apron and a strand of pearls! Being easily amused, I bought the milk and came home.

A day or two later, I was making dinner, and grabbed the glass bottle. I opened it, ready to pour, and immediately saw chunks. Sigh. Great. Spoiled milk.

Uh, no. You see, I had picked up milk from Straus Family Creamery and they make cream top milk. Hello, I feel stupid now.

Can you see the difference? There is a different colored ring at the very top of the bottle. You might call that color cream.

Straus milk is awesome. I often make my own butter (it's reeeeeeeeally easy!) and I added the cream to what I was making. Mmmmmm. The milk is great, and knowing that it's healthy, with no hormones or antibiotics, from a farm that cares about animals? It gets my vote. I will be buying their milk and cream (and oh! the cream! Just wait till you see that bottle!) often.

I've discovered eating my vegetables is enjoyable.

2010-04-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

I heard the word "locavore" for the first time recently. I chuckled when I heard it, thinking to myself that society really loves to label anything someone does. A locavore is someone who eats food grown or produced locally within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles (thank you, Wikipedia definition).

The word stuck with me, though, and started to resonate. I have always enjoyed supporting local, supporting small business, supporting friends. The idea of eating locally, and therefore seasonally, is something I'm drawn to. I started to research what is local to me, and in doing so, started to research what is in the food I eat.

Goodness, THAT has opened a can of worms for me. Or, rather, a box of produce. I ordered a produce box from Farm Fresh To You. I set my initial order for an every other week delivery of a Regular LA box. The first delivery came on 4/15.

Oh. My. Goodness.

It's awesome. Fantastically awesome.

The delivery arrived before I left for work, and it was like Christmas! My daughter and I brought it in, and she was so excited to open the box and go through it. My daughter, E, is about to be 5, and really loves getting into the kitchen with Momma.

In our delivery: one bunch each of celery, carrots, red leaf lettuce, collard greens, red chard, red onions, asparagus, a container of strawberries, a pear, a couple apples, a couple sweet potatoes, several little red fingerling potatoes, a couple lemons, a grapefruit, a couple tangelos, a couple avocados...

It's a crazy amount of food! That box was $31.50. I haven't actually gone to the store to try to obtain the cost for the same amount of produce, but I'm fairly aware of prices at the grocery in general, and I know I'd have spent 50-100% more at either the grocery or the produce stand (which is what I call a local produce "farmer's market"). In fact, just the week before, I picked up a good 50% less and spent $25, so I know I'm not far off the mark.

I didn't think to take photos, but I will start doing that. From my produce box I have made:

Breakfast and snacks. Most of the fruit was consumed quickly for breakfasts and snacks.

Red Chard Gratin. It came together easily, but I'm not a lover of bitter veggies, so it was a little "eh" for me. I would make it and eat it again, though. And E tried it...she didn't eat more than 2 bites, but she tried it!

Collard Green tacos Now, I love me some Rick Bayless. Watching him cook is like food porn for me. I'm not kidding that the next vacation I plan will be based on my ability to get a food reservation to his restaurant. That said, collards are maybe not my favorite food, so I got about a taco and a half before I just took the collards out and had onion and cheese tacos.

Fettucine with asparagus in a lemon cream sauce. This recipe was on the newsletter included in my delivery.

Crash Hot Potatoes. Words can not express how utterly wonderful these are.

Sadly, I steamed the sweet potatoes one night, in order to be able to more quickly make Sweet Potato Enchiladas, and promptly got busy and didn't get them made in time :( I feel the guilt. However, sweet potatoes are coming in my next delivery, and I shall not let them suffer the same fate.

A delivery is coming this Thursday, and weekly from that point. I can't wait!