food – NourishingWhole

Grocery Haul-Sept 24, 2018

September is almost over! Which means I am WAY behind on getting my kids Halloween costumes made… Our family theme this year is going to be incredible, just wait!

Monday, I went grocery shopping, and literally less than 5 minutes in the store I lost my list. I could. not. find. it! So I had to guess what was on it, because I couldn’t remember, I made it Saturday or Sunday and the only thing on the menu I could remember was green chili enchiladas for Taco Tuesday! Hopefully, I am not running to the store a bunch more times this week.

So here it is, ONE STORE! HEB, I got some lettuce, shredded cheese (Y’all I KNOW block cheese is cheaper, but I do not have time to shred cheese or wash more dishes, plus 2 pounds shredded for $5 is a great price.) Chicken broth, and a misplaced can that snuck in masquerading, beef broth, HEB brand Shell Mac and Cheese (I have no idea what we will do if we ever leave Texas, this Mac and Cheese is the BEST EVER, well beside homemade.) More cream of rice, sour cream, diced green chilis, hotdog buns, grapes, tortillas, and two loaves of bread (2 for $2 sale! One went straight into the freezer.) Total spent: $26.16, which leave a grocery roll over of about $20. WHOOP!

Groceries-Week of Sept 10

Grocery shopping this week, with what happened Monday, was not in budget or really planned. Plans often go out to the wayside when unpredictable things like that happen.

The whole family headed to HEB late on Monday, so it took longer and we got a handful of impulse buys. I was not in the mood to fight for the budget.

At HEB we spent $67.98 (oops! That’s the whole budget for this week!)

We got, some frozen pizzas (there was no way I was cooking dinner after my morning), lettuce, chicken breasts, oatmeal, lunch meat, granola bars, salad dressing, strawberries ($0.87 a pound! We are going to slice and freeze mosts of them.) Oatmeal digestive cookies (Baby Hercules likes these ones, I got the wrong ones last time.) Hummus, and some cheddar bunnies.

Tuesday, I made it out to Aldi, and after loading up, realized I forget the peppers and had to drag the kids back in. I spent a total of $31.94 at Aldi.

At Aldi I stocked up on some things that we need for lunches and pizza night; pasta sauce, pepperoni, trail mix, yogurt, mini cucumbers, yellow potatoes, pretzels, grapes, and bell peppers.

This week’s total on groceries was $99.42. Yikes! If I am careful, I think we can manage skipping the grocery store next week! That will help the budget, and maybe, just maybe give us a small rollover.

I also had a helper today with pictures… Good thing he is cute!

Budgeting-Groceries

Have y’all seen the grocery haul videos on YouTube? They are when some budget blogger goes over everything they purchased at the store that week and how much they spent. Usually, the person is single and able to get everything for some crazy low amount. OR they have some crazy large family and bought a ton of processed food for cheap.

Well, I am not single, we are a family of 4. We also, live on a graduate student stipend. Our grocery budget is small and not really flexible. We budget about $70 a week. Some weeks, depending on the sales, we go over stocking up on meat or something non perishable. Some months, there is more month than money.

I don’t think we eat extravagantly. But I wanted to share what a real family actually buys and eats. So I added a menu for the month. You can see it here. I usually meal plan for the week, so I will add to it every week. I have also added links to recipes for some things.

This week’s grocery shopping trip I went to Aldi and HEB, two of my FAVORITE grocery stores.

At Aldi I spent $28.49 and here is what I got:

Mango salsa, pretzels, raw honey, butter (2 lbs), organic whole milk yogurt (I love this yogurt), 2 limes, low sodium bacon, garlic bulbs, brown mushrooms, cilantro, broccoli crowns, romaine hearts, and carrots.

At HEB I spent $51.99 and got:

Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, vegetable broth (2), unbleached all-purpose flour (2), canola oil mayo, roasted red pepper hummus (2, they were out of the big tub we usually get), one grapefruit (per Mr. Z’s request), extra virgin olive oil, oatmeal digestive cookies (these are for Baby Hercules), ranch dressing, apple cider vinegar, Mexican blend shredded cheese (2 lbs bag), granola bars, instant oatmeal packets (one apple cinnamon and two maple and brown sugar).

In total, we spent $80.48. Yes, we are over, but I had to get a few items that are more expensive, olive oil and honey, that we don’t normally need. Without those two items we would have spent $66.03. Sometimes we spend more, sometimes we spend less. I also was able to buy a couple of duplicate items for things that we use regularly, like an extra bag of flour, extra oatmeal, and broth. Let’s see how next week goes! Budget goal is is spend less that $68.

Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

My favorite cookie is not the Chocolate Chip Cookie. Actually, for years I would not eat them. Seriously, I did not like the bitter tasting chocolate that people used in them. Then one day I discovered MILK chocolate, chocolate chips. LIFE CHANGING! And then I found out I couldn’t have milk… BUT Mr. Wonderful’s favorite cookie is the Chocolate Chip Cookie. (Actually it is any cookie without raisins.)

I stopped buying wheat flours a couple of years ago, and since moving wheat has only entered the house through “processed” foods (wheat bread for the boys, cereals, and the occasional box of crackers). It really is to help me, because as much as I know I can not handle wheat/gluten containing foods, I have no willpower. So even when Mr. Wonderful wants to make cookies, he is usually dumbfounded or annoyed he can’t read my chicken scratch recipe book.

I came home from something and caught him trying to make these cookies. It was cute, but he was flustered. His main issue was we didn’t have any “normal” four in the house.

This recipe, I *thought* was ready months ago, but it was lacking reproducibility. Which is extremely important. If I couldn’t get the cookies to turn out every time, HOW IN THE WORLD would you!?!?!

What I found it came down to was temperature.

If my kitchen was too hot, they turned out one way.

If it was cool, another.

IT WAS FRUSTRATING!

Trying to solve the problem, I found that I was going to have to do something I hate, using a special flour blend. Because, sometime the cookies, need just a little bit more and sometimes just a little bit less. I thought refrigerating the dough would help, and it doesn’t always. But feel free to chill the dough!

I hate it when you see something on Pintrest, and you look at the recipe and it uses some store bought blend. I do not use those or buy them. They are expensive and honestly it is more cost effective to buy individual flours.

This recipe uses a SIMPLE blend, that I think will change how you make gluten free pastries.

I know some people have a hard time finding speciality flours, but I have a tip for you. GO TO YOUR LOCAL ASIAN MARKET! One. They will have all three of the flours this recipe calls for: millet, potato starch, and tapioca flour/starch. Two. They have the cheapest prices on these flours.

A couple of notes on this recipe, first, you MUST mix the xanthan gum into the fat. If you don’t they will be crumbly.

Second, don’t add all the flours at once. Add about 2 2/3 cup and see if you need more. Sticky dough needs more flour. if you need to add more, than the blend you made, just mix equal amounts of the three flours and add about a tablespoon of the mixer at a time until you get the right consistency. Cookies with too much flour will be dry, and taste overly floury.

Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Gluten free cookies that are soft, chewy, and everything you miss about "real" cookies

Ashley Teare: Ashley Teare

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 3 dozen

Ingredients

½ cup (113 g) Room temperature shortening
½ cup (113 g) white sugar
½ cup PACKED (190 g) light brown sugar
½ tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup (147 g) millet flour
1 cup (190 g) Potato starch (*NOT potato FLOUR)
1 cup (130 g) tapioca flour/starch
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp cream of tartar
10-12 oz bag of chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening, sugars, and xanthan gum until fluffy.
Stir in the vanilla and eggs until well combined.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the millet flour, and starches until well combined.
In a small bowl mix together the soda, salt, and tartar.
Add about half of the flour to the fat, sugar, and egg mixture, along with all of the soda, tarter and salt. Stir, adding the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
Stir in, by hand, chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes rotating after about 8 minutes.

Notes

1) Xanthan gum must be added to the fat otherwise you will have crumbly cookies.
2) 3 cups of the flour blend, should be more than enough. If you are above sea level you might need more. The blend is easy to adjust, by adding equal portions of each flour. Need an extra cup, mix together an additional ⅓ cup of the three flour and starches.
3) If you aren't sure you need more flour, bake a couple, if they spread, you need more flour.

Fermenting and Whole30

We are EIGHT days from January being over and we are ready. I have being doing Whole30 this month with a tight budget, but it is going well. I have had plenty of “I am giving up” moments but thanks to my friend’s support group, they have helped give me that extra push. Plus Mr. Wonderful has helped a lot!

A couple of weeks ago we got some cabbage, and it’s not something we normally have so I was looking for some things to do with it. Then I remembered that sauerkraut is fermented cabbage and when it is raw it has tons of gut health probiotics. So I made some with the help of my helper!

Then I got adventurous and made a mexican taco topping inspired vegetable ferment. If it works, I will share that one later.

I used to ferment wheat for bread and other things, think sourdough starter. It was a lot of work, and I had problems, but it is something I want to do more of. I think this summer I might bring that back.

One of the great things about fermenting is that it is doesn’t require any new equipment. Most home cooks have a glass jar, knife, salt, and a something to smash down the vegetables. I am looking forward to some probiotic full vegetables.

Perfect Hamburgers and Ketchup-Whole 30!

I love hamburgers. To me they are the the epitome of summer; grilling, summer nights outside, enjoying family and friends.

In Texas, summer lasts almost all year round, so having potato salad a burgers for dinner didn’t seem strange on a hot November night (High of 85! It’s definitely not soup weather!)

I try to avoid corn (I have a weakness for buttery popcorn), it is hard to find an affordable ketchup without sugar or corn syrup. I found a ketchup recipe a few years ago, and I liked it but a half a cup of chopped dates seemed like a lot of sugar to me. Plus does ketchup really need to be sugary?

Not at all! Mr. Z loves this ketchup, and it is the perfect topping for a bunless hamburger. I hope you enjoy this simple ketchup recipe, along with this simple Hamburger recipe.

The Ketchup has options to be vegan, onion free, and Low-FODMAP! If you haven’t tried warm ketchup, do it, LIFE CHANGING!

We currently do not have a grill. (Mr. Wonderful is getting a new smoker for Christmas! Shhh!) Plus, setting it up and prepping the charcoal for hamburgers is more work than I want to do, we use my George Forman Grill I got as a high school graduation present! (I am not telling you how long ago that was…) Cooking them this way is fast and we can have grilled burgers all year round.

Perfect Hamburgers and Ketchup-Whole 30!

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

35 mins

This simple ketchup recipe will replace the traditional store bought sugar and corn syrup filled ones. The accompanying hamburger recipe is perfect for topping with your homemade ketchup. Adding just enough flavoring these hamburger are much better than just a meat patty.

Ashley Teare: Ashley Teare

Recipe type: Whole 30

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4 burgers

Ingredients

For the Ketchup:
5 large dates, pits removed (about 60 g)
6 oz tomato paste
14.5 oz can Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, diced
½ cup Bone Broth (or water for vegan or onion free/FODMAPs)
2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Garlic granules*
1 tsp Onion Powder*
1 tsp salt
½ tsp Allspice
For the Hamburgers:
1 pound ground beef, 80/20
1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 TBSP Almond Flour
1 tsp Garlic Granules
½ tsp Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions

For Ketchup:
Make sure the pits are removed from the dates, chop or leave whole.
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan bring to a low boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and Simmer for 10 minutes.
Pour the contents, CAREFULLY, into a blender and blend until smooth.
Return the saucepan and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until desired thickness is achieved.
For Hamburgers:
Place the beef in a large bowl.
Add the Dijon Mustard.
In a separate small bowl, add the remaining spices, mix and then add to the beef.
Mix well and shape into 4 patties, about 3 inches in diameter and about an inch thick.
Grill or pan fry.

Notes

FOR KETCHUP:
VEGAN OPTION: Use water or vegetable broth
FODMAPs: Omit dates and onion powder, replace the garlic with 2 tsp of garlic infused oil in the ketchup. Simmer the ketchup for a minimum of 30 minutes.

What We Did This Week: Halloween Edition

This week’s ‘What We Did’, will cover a little more than a week, because I can’t save Halloween for next week! Maybe I should change these to ‘What We Did This Weekend’, cause our week is pretty boring.

Wednesday we went to JoAnn’s and spent too much money on Christmas present stuff. And I started Mr. Z’s Halloween costume.

sewing-halloween-20161027 — Finshed Mr. Z’s costume with just the right amount of bobbin!

Friday, our MOMS Club had a little Fall/Halloween Party. The kids played and we all ate some yummy and fun halloween treats. Some of the kids also did a skeleton craft. We brought ‘Spiders’ on the Log (recipe at the end!).

moms-club-party

craft-time

a-ghost-and-his-alien-skeleton — Mr. Z made an alien skeleton with multiple heads.

Saturday, our church did a little community Truck or Treat in the parking lot and Mr. Z got to go and enjoyed himself. At the end, he was SWEATING!! It was 85 outside at 6 pm! Such a strange thing for us for Halloween.

trunk-or-treat

truck-ot-treat-2 — Hot and tired, “I just take a little rest right here.”

Sunday morning, Mr. Z and I loaded up and drove down to my mom’s parents to spend some time and to take Mr. Z trick or treating.

We had a great time, and even though the whole time Mr. Z kept asking to go home, he didn’t want to leave when it was time to come home. I am grateful that our move to Texas has brought us close to family. Mr. Z doesn’t get to grow up knowing my mom, but he gets to know her parents and a couple of her siblings that live close.

‘Spiders’ on a Log! This is really ants on a log, we just called them spiders because it was Halloween. I am always surprised when people tell me they never heard of this snack before. So now, world, enjoy a classic after school snack!

spiders-on-a-log-1

All you need to some celery, peanut butter, and raisins.

spiders-on-a-log-2

Wash and cut the celery stalks into “logs”, about 3 inches long.

spiders-on-a-log-3

Fill peanut butter.

spiders-on-a-log-4

Top with Ants! or Spiders! (or really with raisins!)

quality-control-20161028

ENJOY!

'Spiders' or Ants on a Log

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

A classic after school or afternoon snack that you or your kids can enjoy

Ashley Teare: Ashley Teare

Recipe type: Snack

Ingredients

Celery
Peanut Butter (or nut butter of choice)
Raisins

Directions

Wash and cut celery stalks into 3 inch "logs"
Fill with peanut butter.
Top with raisins (ants/spiders).
Enjoy!

Breakfast Favorite

I love food. I love to eat it. I love to make it. After years of saying I did not want to become a food blogger, I have given in and here I am. I want to make recipes that are easy, that do not require you to special order ingredients from Buddhist Monks in the high Himalayan Mountains. Finding a recipe that has a weird ingredient that you can’t find at your local grocery store is just annoying.

One of my favorite meals is breakfast. I do not understand how people can just have a cup of coffee for breakfast, even a bowl of cereal is too boring for me. Since going gluten free it has been harder to find decent breakfast pastry or baked goods, especially waffles and pancakes.

These waffles, I believe are so close to the real gluteny thing that you will never miss them. Add some real maple syrup and some butter, and it’s Saturday mornings as a kid all over again. We would have waffles on a regular basis a kid growing up. We always looked forward to dad making them.

Pure Maple syrup is a little strong, taste wise, for me, so I like to make Strawberry Syrup. We always have strawberries in the freezer, I use them a lot in smoothies (another breakfast favorite of mine!). If you start the syrup first they should finish about the same time, and you’ll have wonderfully warm syrup for your delicious waffles.

I am a syrup dipper, but Mr. Wonderful and Mr. Z are both “syrup must be in every square” people. I feel a little better about letting Mr. Z have a syrup soaked waffle went it is mostly fruit.

Quick note: You can just add all the egg in at one time, instead of separating and beating the whites, but it will make them a little denser. Be sure to gently fold in the whites, because they help to make the waffles light.

Enjoy these on you next lazy morning or start a new Saturday tradition with them! They are ours.

Perfect Gluten Free Waffles

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

These waffles will feel you with memories of soft glutenous waffles of your childhood.

Ashley Teare: Ashley Teare

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 9-6 inch round waffles

Ingredients

For Syrup:
1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
2 T water
¼ cup Pure Maple syrup
For the Waffles:
2⅔ cup (432 g) Basic Gluten Free Flour Blend
¼ cup (57 g) sugar
1 t salt
4 t baking soda
½ cup butter (Shortening or Earth Balance makes a few great dairy free butters)
1½ cups milk of choice
2 eggs, separated
Dash of Cream of Tatar

Directions

For the Syrup:
Combine all the syrup ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. (I like my syrup without chunks, so I pour it into the blender and puree it all together, and then let it simmer for a few more minutes.)
For the Waffles:
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Be sure to whisk the baking powder and soda in very well.
Next combine the yolks, milk, and cooled melted butter.
Add that to the flour mixture and stir until incorporated, but some lumps will still remain.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. You can add a dash of cream of tarter to help stiffen the whites. I do this by hand, its a great little mini workout 🙂
Gently FOLD the whites into the batter.
Cook according to your waffle iron manufactures directions.

Peanut Noodles

I love Thai food.

Mr. Wonderful, not so much.

Years ago, I found this recipe that was so simple, Thai inspired, and Mr. Wonderful would eat! I have long since lost the recipe, but it is one we make regularly, and it an easy pantry stable dinner. We have changed the original recipe to fit my needs, gluten and soy free.

This is a good meal that is quick, a kid pleaser, and gets everyone to eat some vegetables. Mr. Z is a good vegetable eater, and this dish is one he loves. If you like the Thai spring rolls with the peanut sauce, you will love this recipe.

One thing to know about getting the rice noodles for this dish, if you want to just go to your local grocery store and get some in the Asian/Ethnic food aisle, you can. Or if you have one, go to an Asian market. You will have a wider selection and usually the price is much cheaper.

As written this recipe is not vegan, but that is simple, just use 2 TBSP soy sauce for Coconut aminos and Fish Sauce. If you are a soy free vegan (How? Tell me your secrets!) you can try using 3 TBSP of just Coconut Aminos.

Want to add a little more protein to it? Poached chicken is great, or if you are a shrimp fan toss some in too.

For the Peanut Butter, be sure to use a natural peanut butter, the sauce will not work with the “cheap” stuff. Make sure the ingredients are just dry roasted peanuts and salt.

For the Peanut Sauce:
130 g (½ cup) Creamy Natural Peanut Butter
1 ½ TBSP Coconut Aminos*
1 ½ TBSP Fish Sauce*
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
¼-½ tsp Chili Garlic Sauce
⅛ tsp ginger powder

Rice noodles, pad thai type, about half a 16 oz package
Frozen vegetables, 16 oz bag
Fresh Basil, optional
Cilantro, optional
Lime wedges, optional

In a large pot boil about 3 quarts of water. While waiting for the water to boil mix of the ingredients for the peanut sauce.

Once the water is boiling, add the noodles and set a timer for 3 MINUTES continue to keep the heat at high.

After the timer goes off add the bag of vegetables and continue to cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove about ½-1 cup of the cooking water.

Slowly add this to thin the sauce, it should be thick, but not runny, think thick white school glue.

Drain the noodles and vegetables, and rinse under cold water. Rinsing the noodles stops the cooking so they don’t over cook and become brittle. Mix sauce noodles and vegetables, with desired amount of sauce.

Serve immediately, and if desired garnish with fresh basil, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Printable recipe link here.

Don’t Cry Over… Potato Salad

On Friday, our church had a “get to know you” activity for the congregation. We live in a congregation heavily populated by college students. We are new, and here for school, so it was fun evening, plus I didn’t have to cook!

We were asked to bring a side dish, salad, or a dessert for the BBQ provided by the church. I signed up to bring a potato salad: simple, cheap, easy, and my favorite BBQ side. The only problem, I couldn’t remember my mom’s recipe, and that is what I really wanted. My Mother’s potato salad.

When, I couldn’t remember the recipe, I picked up my phone and started to call my mom. That is when it hit me. It’s been just over 4 years, and it doesn’t get any easier. The last few months there has been many times I have want to call, but couldn’t. This time was different. Knowledge, I needed from her, was completely inaccessible.

After pulling myself back together, I texted my two sister’s. Surely, one of them would remember, or at least we could remember enough together to figure it out. My younger sister told me to just go to the store, cause she doesn’t know. The other, told me that I was just missing mayo and mustard.

But when I had it all made, it was just missing something.

It is moments like that, that just make me realize I need to be writing down my recipes and the other things that we do. I hope that for someone, it either helps them find a new food or helps them to grieve a loss too.