Stretching the Budget

Unfortunately with travel prices and numerous debts to be paid, we are stretching thin this month money wise. To keep from using the credit card too much on groceries, I have been using up our food storage that will soon pass its one year mark of being in our possession.

So, what is a girl to do when she has a husband who used to live off of the Wendy's value menu, she is vegan, and she is trying not to go shopping all that often? Well, to me the answer was casserole! The good ol' family go to meal.

I went to the store this morning and managed to only spend 5 dollars on our groceries! Yes, you heard right. The reason? Because I only bought bananas, celery, and romaine. The plan: Make a filling, delicious meal that even T will love.

I have tons of mashed potato mix from our food storage. The stuff is good and you don't really have to add a lot to them. I have lots of vegetable stock. I have tons of carrots, celery, and onion.
So, chop chop and a little saute and I came up with a make due Shepherds Pie that anyone will love.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp margarine
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, medium dice
1 celery stalk, medium dice
1 carrot, medium dice
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup vegetable stock
1- 1-1/2 cups mashed potatoes
salt and pepper tt

1. Cut all the veg and put in a pan coated with margarine over medium heat.
2. Saute until the veg is soft.
3. Add the flour and 1 Tbsp margarine.
4. Stir like crazy.
5. When it becomes nutty smelling add the veg stock 1/4 cup at a time.
6. Season to your taste.
7. Put in a small casserole.
8. Top with the mashed potatoes.
9. Heat the oven to 400 F.
10. Cover the casserole with foil and place in oven for 10 minutes.
11. Uncover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the mashed potatoes are crispy.
12. Enjoy!

Craisy Pumpkin Cookies

For Halloween my mom made these awesome pumpkin cookies. They were beautiful and smelled wonderful. She told me what was in them and I felt safe eating one, until she told me that her margarine that she used had milk in it.

It was at that point that I decided I had to have one of these cookies and I had to have one soon. I used cake flour, so they were really fluffy and light.

Craisins were my mom's special touch. The recipe actually called for raisins, but she wanted them to be a little healthier. So, not only are the very tasty, they are also an antioxidant. You gotta love that!

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup pumpkin

1tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup craisins

1 cup raw sugar

2 cup cake flour

1 tsp soda

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream the margarine and sugar.
3. Add the pumpkin and vanilla.
4. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and gradually add them to the pumpkin mixture.
5. Fold in the craisins.

6. Put spoonfuls of batter on parchment lined cookie sheets.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

Warming Chili and a New Perspective

I've been freaking out about school lately and the fact that I can't feel completely vegan if I am having to butcher animals, cook food I would never eat, and take classes that I don't really care about anymore. Because of this, I have decided to change my major to Nutrition and transfer to the University after I get the basics done with. This change is so exciting for me, but you know what is even more exciting to me? The fact that it will be in the mid 40's tonight.

For the occasion of cooler weather, I decided to make chili for lunch. It turned out to be the tastiest chili I have ever had and it is a meal worthy of a cold loving girl.

One of the ingredients that made the chili so awesome is the chili style tomatoes I used. You can buy them in the store, canned, and they have seasoning in them and everything. I tried the Boca microwavable chili a few days ago, but I never feel good about microwaving everything in a meal. I don't want to destroy any nutritional value that is in the food!

Ingredients
1 small onion, small dice
1 medium carrot, small dice
1 package Boca Ground Beef
1/2 can fat free black beans
1/2 can chili style tomatoes
1 cup water
1/2 TBSP chili powder
1/2 TBSP ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Cut the onion and the carrot.
2. Put them in a pot over medium-high heat sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Add the frozen Boca.
4. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and seasonings.
5. Add the water.
6. Heat until warmed through.