Since being home, I have taken it upon myself to be the domestic head of the house. So far, that has mostly just involved kitchen duties--cooking, grocery shopping, coupon clipping--and I have enjoyed it quite a bit. I've been making weekly menus with creative and healthy ideas, and love seeing my family eat --and usually enjoy--my new recipes. Once I hook up Valerie's printer (she needed one at Michigan State, but won't need it for the summer, so I get to use it!), I will print out the successful recipes and add them to my newly made recipe binder. I promise to post some photographs soon of both the binder and the recipes... I just haven't gotten around to uploading them. My apologies.
Today I tried two new recipes, both involving canned pumpkin. Because the squash was canned, these recipes were so incredibly simple; I practically could have done them with my eyes closed! Last week pork loins were on sale at Meijer, so we grilled blackberry and honey glazed pork chops and froze the remainder of the loin in chops. Tonight we used a few more of those chops to make Pumpkin Pork Chops. It was ridiculously easy: combine the pumpkin and spices, then pour over the pork chops in a glass baking dish, and bake for 40 minutes. Couldn't get much simpler! Served with rice pilaf and asparagus, it was both a healthy and delicious meal as well!
The second recipe was even more effortless, if that is possible. Caroline and I made pumpkin spice muffins. The recipe? 1 box of spice cake mix, 2 cups of pumpkin, and 1 cup of water. Mix and pour into muffin cups, then bake for 20-25 minutes at 350°. They are wonderful! If you want to increase the health content of these muffins--I tried this--add a few tablespoons of ground flax seed. Flax seed is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to brain health. Can't hurt, right?
One might wonder where I am getting the inspiration for all this domestic-ness. I have been reading a book called Real Food on a Real Budget by Stephanie Langford. She is the author of a blog I stumbled upon a few months ago, and both the book and blog are wonderful. Langford discusses how to stretch a tiny budget very far, buying healthy, wholesome foods for her young family. In fact, she discusses many of the same techniques I talked about in my March 5 post: The Game of Frugality. Although I am living at home, and Mom graciously foots the grocery bill, it is fun to scout out the best deals, use coupons to save money (Did you know companies actually plan coupons into their budgets? Basically, don't feel guilty about using them!), and try recipes with cheap ingredients. Tonight I am soaking dried beans we have had in our pantry forever from our "share of the farm" a few summers ago that we never got around to using. I am making some sort of ham and bean soup, and I will post pictures and a recipe once I finish. I hope to throw in tons of veggies too--we have some dying celery in our fridge, and canned tomatoes are always an option. The ham is frozen leftovers from Easter, so this will really be a budget-friendly, hearty soup. Gotta love it!
How do you solve the food-budget puzzle? Feel free to post any great ideas or recipes!
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