tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77454008960993383622024-03-18T21:43:02.535-07:00The Amateur Low Carb FlexitarianCulinary ExperimentationEnter: Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447107825025695467noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7745400896099338362.post-71922488277269371642011-03-19T06:34:00.000-07:002011-03-19T06:34:54.444-07:00Project Food BudgetThis is my first week participating in Project Food Budget. My budget during the month of March is $65.00 per week. This is a bit high simply because I am still stocking the pantry with "staples" as I try out new dishes. Ultimately I would like to eat for under $50 a week soon and I do believe I can get there. I have found that since I am eating less meat I am saving a ton of money. I had stocked up on beans, rice, and those sorts of staples but after 2 weeks of eating that way I decided that not watching my carbs was a mistake. (I did not want to eat less meat and carbs at the same time) The project now is to <strong>slowly</strong> move those beans and rice dishes out while I revamp the pantry. <br />
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This week I concentrated on simply getting a decent breakfast made ahead of time and getting lots of fresh veggies in the house. I went to my local grocery store this week. I do attend the Farmer's Market and Whole Foods here every few weeks, but both are a little trip so for ease I chose the local store. I stayed in under budget and find that I have <em>plenty </em>of food. I spent $55.00. I got both fresh and frozen veggies so that I had quick options and planned my purchases around things I already had at home as well. The only thing that I was really "missing" was fruit and salad mixings. I decided that I needed to choose though if I was going to stay under $65. So mid week (I shop on Monday's typically) I bought some oranges and pickles. I know a strange combo but I was a BJ's and they have my most favorite pickles. This was just under $10 so I did make it on $65 and then some<br />
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This weeks menu's included:<br />
Breakfast Egg Bakes - made two different ones for the week great for anytime<br />
A Portobello "pizza" - sauce, cheese leeks on top of cap - yum<br />
The Veggie Stir Fry w/ Peanut Sauce listed<br />
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I also had left over soup - Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili - that I had made and freezed. I have plenty of food in the house still (Mon-Sat) I did go out to dinner last night and spent way too much $ but I feel like I am allowed to treat myself now and again after a long week. I don't count that as my budget either, however two drinks a super meal and tip left me spending moe than half of my food budget. It was then I knew that I needed to watch this too! :)<br />
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What is everyone else doing this week?<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Participating Blogs: </div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://emilylevenson.com/custom-made-blog" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Emily Levenson</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://www.mariamarz.com/category/foodie" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Maria Marz</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://www.veggieconverter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Veggie Converter</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/b/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Dairy-Free Cooking</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://thesteellife.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Motor City Girl In the Steel City</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://veggieburgher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Veggie Burgher</span></a> </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://the-happy-cactus.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Happy Cactus</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://vegetariansalmon.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Vegetarian Salmon</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://testkitchentuesday.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Test Kitchen Tuesday</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://www.newly-vegan.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Newly Vegan</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://alwayssick.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Always Sick and Tired</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://veggieonthecheap.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Veggie on the Cheap</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://melomeals.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">MeloMeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><a href="http://aguyagirlandadinnerplate.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">A Guy, A Girl, And a Dinner Plate</span></a></li>
</ul>Enter: Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447107825025695467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7745400896099338362.post-19202993759822847352011-03-15T18:44:00.000-07:002011-03-15T18:44:57.913-07:00Peanut Sauce - Who Knew?Ok so why have you all been hiding the fine taste of peanut sauce? True, its a bit high on the calorie count for a sauce, but a girl who does not eat bread on a regular anymore still needs her peanut butter. Tonight's meal was a Veggie Extravaganza and it was delious!! Red and Green Cabbage cut into thin slices and tossed in pan with olive oil for 10-15 minutes - still crunchy please as this is going to be my "mock rice". Seperately: Leeks, Red & Yellow Bell Pepper Tofu and Bean Sprouts all cooked in Hot Chili Toasted Seasame Oil. Then basic peanut sauce - used the crunchy natural peanut butter with no heat added as was a first attempt. And then layer Cabbage, Stirfry and Sauce on the side - just in case I did not like it - but no I loved it and used my whole "side" upon the stirfry. Can you say YUM<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNEmK1LuW8uKI89ZkGNk2cpWyuSWf6yBiUjpF9HsqpG95KqE1yuQNhihWWbxssqC7hHrrDLm4zGyHaoGtkNEKcEdplUs8PHNIcd4B6_wFcElI9k9txhTN5u3azZpXpI0A4mAuSIfyVPzT/s1600/IMG00016-20110315-2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNEmK1LuW8uKI89ZkGNk2cpWyuSWf6yBiUjpF9HsqpG95KqE1yuQNhihWWbxssqC7hHrrDLm4zGyHaoGtkNEKcEdplUs8PHNIcd4B6_wFcElI9k9txhTN5u3azZpXpI0A4mAuSIfyVPzT/s320/IMG00016-20110315-2000.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabbage Mock Rice<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWHULOcrp82z-YYHdc9MaBunFDjU53_1cZyAqwQp2Ui67FxbvQDtkjI-KuU-8FZDwKGIBnynTumJxdKzqTolDGdjD17_0DgK-qKgnBvJP61RmkrOd1xVRDTskyJw9ssV17Bd2lxgbFb2z/s1600/IMG00017-20110315-2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWHULOcrp82z-YYHdc9MaBunFDjU53_1cZyAqwQp2Ui67FxbvQDtkjI-KuU-8FZDwKGIBnynTumJxdKzqTolDGdjD17_0DgK-qKgnBvJP61RmkrOd1xVRDTskyJw9ssV17Bd2lxgbFb2z/s320/IMG00017-20110315-2000.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stir Fry before laying</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunzpXjuQXrFQ5PrFJA8hd_RpjtZEqBD4ZAW5PcRyFHJglKQCDa9372gcsth0LijFqFHt7Vz_rHepmzD2xRZjRpkva1upvJfiFcJjOtDDEMaimZ0kKXsZTz6LUN4MDgGNkI-lJs-6EhyPD/s1600/IMG00018-20110315-2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunzpXjuQXrFQ5PrFJA8hd_RpjtZEqBD4ZAW5PcRyFHJglKQCDa9372gcsth0LijFqFHt7Vz_rHepmzD2xRZjRpkva1upvJfiFcJjOtDDEMaimZ0kKXsZTz6LUN4MDgGNkI-lJs-6EhyPD/s320/IMG00018-20110315-2000.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peanut Sauce and YES it is better than it looks! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKjcipgcgNicCEADpeT1RaF4xj-30XsgequQLTTAem6spt1c27KzfNglpzIdNSnGe8e7YSi5Zb6vtLvEfp9hPYrcqynpjjHLi0zTzmnYlolVB4_QuyJONzhGyR_-mAh-QrPZ59OkKzrMx/s1600/IMG00019-20110315-2003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKjcipgcgNicCEADpeT1RaF4xj-30XsgequQLTTAem6spt1c27KzfNglpzIdNSnGe8e7YSi5Zb6vtLvEfp9hPYrcqynpjjHLi0zTzmnYlolVB4_QuyJONzhGyR_-mAh-QrPZ59OkKzrMx/s320/IMG00019-20110315-2003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So pretty all together (except sauce) <br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
And that was dinner under 500 Calories! Worth all the work for sure!Enter: Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447107825025695467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7745400896099338362.post-1760334751261070172011-03-14T14:22:00.000-07:002011-03-14T14:26:46.971-07:00Love it, Make it, Eat it - Miraculous Make OverIt has been a spinach and feta weekend - two ingredients together that I just adore. I wanted to make a Spanakopita, which is something that I love but have never attempted. For those of you that have never had, its a yummy Greek dish of mostly feta and spinach between phyllo dough. I set out to try and make one on my own after reading a few versions. Too many tablespoons of olive oil and a pan full in my belly within 24 hours left me realizing this dish needed a big make-over to fit into my new lifestyle. Yes it was meatless which is a priority, but it was loaded with a lot of calories and fat that I did not need at all - I knew that I could get a similar taste with less abuse to the body. It also made me realize that the carbs in it were contributing to my cravings - its not normal to eat this in a day - unless you ARE a crowd!!!!<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Enter: The Spinach Leek and Egg Bake </span><a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1536685"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><strong>(Full Recipe)</strong></span></a><br />
As an on and off low carber I tend to eat a lot of eggs and adore making any sort of egg bake that I can find. They freeze well and make great last minute dinners and lunches not to mention breakfast of course. I found that eggs along with the creamy cream used in most of these egg bakes were the contributing factor to the majority of my calories the last time I was low carbing so I have chosen to find "fillers" this time when I do egg bakes so that I still get protein but lower the calories per serving and of course not sacrifice the taste. The Spinach Leek Egg Bake does all of this and let me tell you I started to have my doubts for a moment as I thoought maybe I needed less spinach or more egg - but no this was PERFECT. I might go for a wee bit more feta next time but I am a big feta freak so I will leave that decision up to you!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_S7GBDQjE3HpVKw8H0iI0OmHtmOyiTDFhVcZFzDx4_pnBlb_-EaJ7F6eVuccNQ9Xked69OidU023SbXldz3UwowPO5S670llJnVVacuDp6JNt1MESOJPCUkhTpmxVpxW4eeoiS7BzVp8/s1600/IMG00010-20110314-1445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_S7GBDQjE3HpVKw8H0iI0OmHtmOyiTDFhVcZFzDx4_pnBlb_-EaJ7F6eVuccNQ9Xked69OidU023SbXldz3UwowPO5S670llJnVVacuDp6JNt1MESOJPCUkhTpmxVpxW4eeoiS7BzVp8/s320/IMG00010-20110314-1445.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
If you like Spinach and you like Feta you must give this a try, it was great. It was a make over winner at 130 Cal a serving 3 Net Carbs and 12 grams of protein! It is not Spanakopita, but its a great alternative when your craving such. I also know that it will not need to be eaten hot, cold spinach/egg bakes taste great. Also cut it up as an appetizer. So functional!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWP87THmFML9NSs3XSyTaNHGhJiKcpwqlatnFW9ChoHeDcOlnkxV2wPAQYEH9clxepYh7VjkWmZL1A2SLM6lDgFpdw360bIzoiQGXZDTMaq7wJ-r1ey1lbQWfP1W2zkgGwpvHP8xuKr1S2/s1600/IMG00009-20110314-1444.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWP87THmFML9NSs3XSyTaNHGhJiKcpwqlatnFW9ChoHeDcOlnkxV2wPAQYEH9clxepYh7VjkWmZL1A2SLM6lDgFpdw360bIzoiQGXZDTMaq7wJ-r1ey1lbQWfP1W2zkgGwpvHP8xuKr1S2/s320/IMG00009-20110314-1444.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This was my lunch portion! <br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><strong>Full Recipe Found Here: </strong></span><a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/cookbooks.asp?cookbook=347427"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><strong>Spark Cookbook</strong></span></a>Enter: Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447107825025695467noreply@blogger.com0