It's a wrap!

Sometime last week, one of my coworkers wanted to "have lunch" to "talk".  I never know anymore if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I agreed to go anyway.

He invited me to a cafeteria - literally.  There is a local large company with an in-house cafeteria open to the public, so we went there.  It's a very short walk from our offices, so it's the "go to" place for a quick lunch, and some of my coworkers eat there every day.

The quality of the food there varies.  They have a hot lunch special every day, plus sandwiches, salads, and soups.  The sandwiches are decent, the burritos...well...it's California and I wouldn't choose a burrito there.

I like wraps and the wrap special that day was a BLT with avocado.  For some reason I was STARVING - I'm not sure why - I hadn't slept well in a couple of days, so I skipped my morning workouts, so I shouldn't have been so hungry.  Anyway, the BLT wrap came with a salad (basically lettuce and dressing).  I succumbed to a soda also (I mentioned that I hadn't slept well?  In the end, that soda, after 2 cups of coffee, was a bad idea.  I didn't sleep that next night either.)  My total bill was $9.  (Yeah, I know, I should have made him pay - he's a VP and he invited me.  But we go way back, so I didn't.)

I wolfed down that wrap and have been thinking about it ever since.  In addition to the bacon, lettuce, and tomato and avocado - it had cucumber, cabbage, carrots. Delish.  Today, at the grocery store, buying emergency coffee filters (how could I not realize that I ran out!!), I bought wrap/ burrito tortillas.  I bought the 10 inch size, and being cheap, bought what was on sale - which was not, of course, the whole wheat version.

Today for lunch I made (and wolfed down, so - no picture, sorry!) my own version of the wrap.  Here's a comparison of my version and their version on price:

Pretty amazing, isn't it?  By making my own wrap (that took 15 minutes - the length of time to walk over and back, not including waiting for them to make it), I saved $5.27.  And when you consider I don't buy soda - if I make it myself and eat it with a glass of water (which is what I usually do), then I am saving even more - $6.76.

That comes out to "earning" $6.76 in 15 minutes, or $27.04 an hour.

I know many people who eat out regularly.  I admit, I can see why.  Every night after dinner I pack lunches - 2 to 3.  I usually make myself a salad, which involves washing and chopping: lettuce, 2 vegetables, a protein (often hard boiled eggs).  I make salad dressing.  I scoop out cottage cheese and fruit.  When I make a wrap with so many ingredients, it means I am washing and chopping every ingredient - I washed the lettuce, shredded cheese, sliced the avocado, washed and sliced the radishes and cucumber.  If you are cooking for one (or two) that is a lot of work.

Alton Brown's Sardine Toast

I've got these sardines in the pantry, that I keep for emergency rations.  And I eat them occasionally too (don't want to toss them).  I did just toss a can of tuna that expired in 2011.  I mean, how long do you have to keep a can of tuna before it expires?  A really long time.  I have another can of sardines about to expire.

Why sardines?  Well, I grew up eating them.  When it comes to fish, there are certain fishes that are sustainable, healthy (low mercury/PCB's), and frugal.  Sardines and canned salmon fit that bill.  Which is probably why I grew up eating them, being from a poor landlocked family.

I remember seeing an episode of Good Eats Alton Brown discussed how he lost a bunch of weight, and this was one of his recipes.  So I made it today.  I've made it before.  Now, I don't have sherry vinegar, so I just used lemon juice.  I have a butt load of avocados from the farm and my boss/coworker.  I personally ate an entire avocado on this toast.  Now, every healthy eating and diet book I've read discusses how the proper serving of an avocado is 1/8 or 1/4 of an avocado.  Uh, no.  First of all, they don't keep. Second of all, I'd rather just eat less of something else and not waste the avocado.

I try to incorporate fish into my diet for its health benefits.  Just about everything you read discusses the health benefits of fish, and any studies of the healthiest people in the world has to include the Mediterraneans and the Japanese, both of which eat fish in abundance.  In fact, I was sitting the other day watching Forks Over Knives (I've seen it before), and hearing about the benefits of a "plant based diet".  Then I went to Denise Minger's website where she discusses many of the results in the movie (despite the fact that she has a lot of respect for most of the doctors). She reminded me that people like to skew the results their own way.  This movie is no different.  Sure, a lot of health improvements can be had by going vegan (let's call it what it is), but many of the health improvements that come with it also come with removing processed food.

Anyway, when she mentioned fish, that reminded me of the avocados and sardines.  So that was my lunch on Friday.

So, on a family note, yay husband is back.  So much easier.  Now we are in cleanup mode before cleaning lady comes tomorrow, and I have to figure out what to do with the kitchen produce.  I did so little cooking when he was gone.  I know there will be roast potatoes and some sort of zucchini dish in my future for dinner. I want to cook up a ton of food today when I have spouse at home to help with the boys.

Eggs, rice, veggie lunch - baby took a nap!

You never know when your baby's nap is going to be 20 minutes or 2 hours.  Yesterday, he napped long enough that I could make lunch (which took 45 minutes), AND eat it.  I keep Trader Joe's frozen meals on hand for the short nap days.

I shredded 2 zucchinis and a half an onion.  Sauteed them until cooked through and crispy.  Tossed over reheated white rice.  I added some sesame oil and soy sauce to the veggies and rice, then topped with fried eggs.  And sriracha, of course.

The big challenge for me at home in the summer with the baby is the CSA veggies.  Getting through all of them is difficult, and I'm not into planning meals like I was last time around.

Green Tomato Relish

I had a couple of green tomatoes from the CSA, and this recipe came to my inbox.  So I decided to try it.

Now, I didn't have enough to make a big batch.  And I didn't feel like it anyway.  And I learned you should never really work on something that needs to be simmered for an hour when you are nursing a baby, as it's all too easy to lose track of time and burn the crap out of everything.

But I digress.  I scooped out the top and my husband cleaned the burned bits out of the pan.  It's very tasty.

I cut the recipe in 1/4.  I still didn't have enough tomatoes, so I added zucchini.  I cut the hot peppers in half (used only one).  I could have used two.  I'm the only one eating the stuff anyway.  I got about 1 pint. 

Yesterday, I made a ham panini on my George Foreman and slathered it with this tasty stuff.  Yum!

Vacation Eats

It's no secret that I don't like to eat out much on vacation.  When I go, I try to balance staying in places with kitchens (like family's houses, condos) or places where I can to SOME cooking (like a hotel room with a fridge/microwave, or camping).  This vacation was very similar.  We did eat out some here and there (definitely a lot towards the end of the trip because I got sick as a dog - my throat is so sore that I want to cry).

We visited with friends in the Bay Area (SF Bay Area, that is).  There was a little bit of eating out/take out, and some cooking dinner - our friends in Mountain View built their own wood burning pizza oven...okay, that makes good stuff.  Then it was offf to Yosemite and we rented a house, and we cooked.  I have to say, though it was challenging and I was tired, I very carefully planned our meals before I left (for Yosemite specifically, since there are no nearby grocery stores), and it was worth it.  I took a minimal amount of food and brought home very little.  Usually, I pack WAY too much.

Broccoli from the CSA, mac and cheese

Pancakes (from a mix that does not require eggs) with strawberries (from the Mtn View farmer's mkt) and bananas.

Sunflower seed butter and jam sandwiches (with apples and carrots!)

Rice, canned chili, cheese, avo (brought from home), and more CSA broccoli

More pancakes, and I took a page from Biz's book and sauteed the fruit to sweeten it a bit

Well, I'm sick and it's 3 am and I have insomnia, so that's all you get from me right now.  Maybe I'll share my vacationing philosophy more at a later date.  Going to try to read a bit and maybe sleep some more.

Sandwiches!

No turkey sandwiches here...you actually need a turkey.  But I did make chicken sandwiches for lunch the day after Thanskgiving.  This one had mayo, chicken, aged gouda, avocado, and fresh sliced tomatoes.  YUMMY.

I also have been on a bagel kick (sadly, a 6 pack only lasts 2 days with 3 people).  I had bagels with cream cheese and MORE tomatoes.

These are my garden tomatoes.  I realize that it's November, but apparently our tomato plants don't realize it yet.  The beauty of So Cal!

Quick and Sick Lunch

So what do you eat when you are home sick, and have been sick for more than a month?  Good question!  I finally kicked the bronchitis and came down with a cold.  My boss essentially ordered me to take today off.  In fact, I even went home early yesterday.  I missed my company's status update, which apparently also included the fact that I won an award, missed out on free Indian food, and have to wait until Monday to get a $25 grocery store gift card given to all employees.

I don't feel too bad about missing it (except for the excitement of winning an award, which I found out when my engineer congratulated me by email).  I got home, put on sweatpants, and immediately fell asleep for 2 hours, sitting upright on the couch.

I spent the rest of the day tired, and spouse and I had tickets to see Blue Man Group.  We even hired a babysitter for the first time!  (Yes my son is 5.5.  Sad.  We've swapped with friends, hired a nanny for a week - but she's not local during the school year, but that's it.)  It was an awesome show, but I almost fell asleep during it.  I woke up at 3 am again...this insomnia is killing me.

For my day off, I sent my kid off to day care anyway (such a bad mom thing to do, but I am going to pull the "sick" card here).  Got some grocery shopping done and now I'm about to take a nap.
So this was my lunch today after my trip to TJ's.  Annie's Teriyaki noodles, with extra frozen veggies tossed in, and a couple of tangerines from our tree.  The tree is laden this year.  I don't buy much fruit now, I just go outside and start picking!

Later folks.  Turkey day is tomorrow.  We aren't hosting this year, nor are we going anywhere.  A couple of coworkers kindly invited us over, but with my sickness, I really just need to be somewhere where I can nap on demand.

Lunch...Today and Tomorrow

Well, not a lot of cooking this weekend due to a party yesterday and our anniversary dinner (out) tonight. But I did cook a couple of things today for lunches and dinners during the week. Especially since tomorrow's dinner I will be at the track (so they will need to start without me), and Tuesday I'm going out (again) with some mom friends to say a fond farewell to my friend Sarah, who is moving to Arizona.

Yes, my lunch today was an avocado and radish sandwich on Ezekial. Which is my new favorite bread. I was starting to realize how much sodium is in regular bread. At Trader Joe's today, I was perusing the breads and the helpful staff wondered what I was looking for and I said "low sodium". They had a 75 mg per slice and a zero. I went with the 75 mg. It's sprouted whole grains, so very very healthy. And tastes delicious, and the slices are small.

Lunch tomorrow, my favorite Shithi's lentils, and I *never* remember to make a double batch until it is too late!

Lunch!

Total: $1.85

1 cup grapes: 0.93
1/2 cup aloo gobi (cauliflower and potatoes) 0.29
1 salmon patty with 1 T ketchup: 0.42
2 celery sticks with 1 T peanut butter: 0.21

Simple Stew

On Sunday, I made a black lentil soup/stew. I had this package of black lentils from TJ's from long ago...and decided I should try and use them.

Black lentil soup

1.5 cups black lentils ($1.00) -just guessing, 'cuz I've had 'em for awhile

2 carrots (0.20)

2 celery stalks (0.28)

1 onion, diced (0.23)

2 cloves garlic (0.08)

1/2 ice cube of pureed chipotle (0.10?)

cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper (0.15)

1/2 leftover pkg of taco seasoning (0.50)

32 oz homemade chicken stock (free)

2 cups water

2 T olive oil (0.22)

Total: $2.76 for 8 cups, or $0.35 per cup

Saute onion in olive oil until soft in a large stockpot. Add garlic, celery and carrot and saute 5-10 min more. Add cumin and taco seasoning (or your own spice mixture) and saute one minute.

Rinse and pick through lentils. Add lentils to pot. Add stock and water. Cover, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 min. Do NOT add salt yet! If you add salt, the lentils may never soften.

Test the lentils to see if they are done. When done, add chipotle, salt and pepper to taste.

Soups always test better the next day, so we didn't eat this until Monday night. Here's a pic of Tuesday's lunch box. The stew is on the upper left corner (with some cheddar cheese - everything is better with cheese).

I also steamed some beets and tossed them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, blue cheese, and toasted almonds.

Sunday Suppers

aka...Monday lunches.

Today was a nice laid-back, frugal kind of day. Mostly. It started cool and foggy, with a 5k race. I finished in 27:50, which is my best time ever. Not a very hard thing to do, because it's the first 5k I've ever fully run (walked a couple). But that's an average pace of just under 9:00 per mile, which is awesome!!

Then it was cooking, playing with my son, cooking, trying (unsuccessfully) to get my 2-year old to take a nap, more cooking, hanging out with my naked toddler in the kiddie pool (giving me the chance to soak my feet, and do a little pedicure...soak off a couple of months of junk on my toes). Said toddler is looking pretty tired after no nap.

The only non-frugal thing was the purchase of a sunshade type of thing, 10'x10'. Our back patio gets hot and has little shade. It will come in handy. It was on sale for $69.

Onto the major topic...dinner. Tonight I made my sister's calico beans and tabouli. The picture is actually from our lunches for tomorrow. I seem to forget to take pictures on our fine china (aka, hand-me-down Corelle).

Calico beans
1 lb ground beef (2.99)
1 can pinto beans (0.69) (original recipe left these out)
1 can kidney beans (0.69)
1 can baked beans (1.09)
1 can cannelini beans (1.29) - recipe actually called for butter beans
4 slices bacon (0.50)
1/2 cup ketchup (0.17)
3 T cider vinegar (0.08)
1 large onion, diced (0.35)
1/4 cup brown sugar (0.25)
salt and pepper to taste

Total: $8.10 for 8 servings, $1.01 per serving (per cup). Original recipe says it serves 10-12, I assume for a side dish. We used it for the main course. I could have made it cheaper by cooking the beans from scratch and subbing higher-fat meat.

Directions: Brown meat, onion, and bacon. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low all day.

Tabouli
1 cup bulgur ($0.44)
1 cup boiling water
1 cucumber, peeled and diced (CSA, ?0.70)
2 tomatoes, or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced (CSA ? 1.00)
1 bunch green onions, sliced (0.50)
2 cloves garlic (0.08)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup cider vinegar (0.21)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (0.44)
3 T lemon juice, or juice from one lemon (free from neighbor's tree)
1/2 cup chopped parsley (0.35)

Total: $3.72 for about 4.5 cups, or $0.83 per cup.

I'm guessing on the cucumber and tomato costs, as we get them from the CSA.

Man I love this stuff. I make it every single week when cukes and tomatoes are in season.