Let’s talk about the price of inflation. Not really – but I know if I even mentioned that to my Papa, who turned 92 last month, that I would get to sit near him and listen to his rant on the government and it would take the same amount of time as it would for me to let bread rise! But seriously, when did food get so expensive?
This whole living on a grocery budget is really hard when you like to cook. We are tighter but when you have two growing toddler boys and a mister who needs three meals a day and you are trying to eat healthy – it is hard. Fresh produce is expensive and we don’t want to live entirely off of chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and peanut butter sandwiches. Couponing is something I don’t have a lot of time for, don’t want to do, and most of the items we buy don’t come with coupons.
So, we will get through this month because God is good and my boys won’t starve and I’m not going to gain 5 lbs.
Spaghetti (because I already have some sauce in the freezer from when I doubled a recipe before)
This week I’m still cooking normal for my misters, but I’m still trying to go without breads or pastas or sweets, so we eat a little differently then we normally do. My mister’s metabolism is such that he still needs carbs, so I make some things just for him!
Zucchini Muffins
Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Spaghetti. This was probably the first PW recipe I remember making back in 2008 when I made it for a friend’s meal after she had her baby. She loved it. My boys thought it was ok. My husband thinks he will love it.
Roasted zucchini and beets
Green Berry Smoothies and Strawberry Beet Smoothie
For Cinco de Mayo we are doing buffalo chicken tacos (but I’m making my own buffalo sauce) and guacamole. Later in the week I’m doing some salsa verda chicken.
Individual egg quiches are always a winner with my family.
I always feel better when I eat low-carb, but it is such a difficult lifestyle to maintain. When I eat too many carbs I always feel bloated and gain weight (mainly because I eat too much of the yummy bread of baked cheesy noodles – or cookies, cakes, brownies, etc).
These low-carb quiche are perfect for this lifestyle, but also are really quick to cook up one day and have for the rest of the week. My kids were downing the ham as I was assembling them so they would most likely be kid friendly too. And you can just pop them in the microwave as you head to school, work, or to the gym.
Low Carb Ham and Cheese Quiche
Recipe Type: Brunch
Cuisine: Eggs
Author: kd316
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 11 Quiches
Ham is your quiche crust and a veggie filled scrambled egg center. These are low carb and very tasty.
Ingredients
22 thin style deli ham (get a saltier ham, not a sweeter ham)
5 eggs
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar (jack cheese would be good too)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup finely diced veggies (I used carrots and orange bell pepper)
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Spray muffin pans (I made 11 muffins)
Lay out your ham slices as a “cupcake liner” in your muffin tins. I put two per tin.
Mix up your egg filling mixture.
Pour in each muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until egg mixture is set.
I’ve actually made a full menu this week and I’m trying not to eat out as much (especially with the boys). I’ve also done some things prior to menu planning in order to help us save money.
1. Start with my freezer. Since it is my smallest place for food, I don’t like to let it get too crowded (maybe in a few more years I’ll have room for a deep freezer). Then I plugged in some ingredients into Pinterest and came up with a few meals.
2. I made a shelf in my pantry for all the items I will need this week. That will help to ensure I have everything I need and also help in time management. It is much easier to look on one shelf than 5 shelves, especially with two toddlers wanting to help.
English Muffin Pizzas (Little Chef recipe coming soon)
Chili (freezer meal) and spoon bread
Vietnamese Chicken Salad. Good thing about this salad is the one thing I needed to buy was some of the produce. I love having a diversely-stocked pantry and spice cabinet
Fusili pasta with veggie sauce
Oreo Brownies with homemade chocolate sauce and homemade caramel sauce and whipped cream (for a grill out with friends)
This is a bit of a different week for us, but I still always want to be about using my creative nature in the kitchen for my family and others.
And lest you think I always cook, the drive-thru ladies at our neighborhood McDonalds and the guy at Wendy’s know us! And our boys love making them laugh and saying hello!
A pound cake for a special person and a guest coming over (real whipped cream on the way, folks)
