Save Money. Buy FRESH Herbs!

I know I haven't published a post in over a month... pretty pathetic... but all that matters is I'm posting NOW!

I will admit, this super awesome trick I discovered was not conjured up from my own imagination. I stumbled upon it online, tested it out, and now am sharing it with you... so you can do super awesome things too! 

Here we go....

Fresh herbs... are expensive. Organic, fresh herbs... are even more expensive. That is why most people opt out for the crappy little shaker bottles of basil, parsley, dill, and whatever else you can get dried and bottled up. I discovered a budget friendly option for those of us who prefer to use fresh herbs, but don't want to spend tons of money getting the best. This is how I did it...

I'm totally obsessed with "Manager's Specials" at Kroger. Sometimes 50% of my groceries from my weekly shopping trip have those bright orange and yellow "Manager Special" tags. I LOVE IT! This week I found FRESH, ORGANIC herbs with those GLORIOUS manager special tags on them!!!! SCORE! (Always, Always, ALWAYS carefully inspect anything with a manager's tag on it because it typically means the expiration date is getting close, the item is wilted, or has already gone bad . If you are as lucky as me, these items are still in almost perfect condition, because food is usually good a little past the expiration date.) I purchased a container of basil and another of sage. The were each just around $1.19 which is less than half of their regular price- about $3.50+. I was super excited to get these home to test out the tricky trick I discovered online the day before. (This tip is also useful to do when you have an excess of herbs and don't want them to go bad before you use them up.)

Once you get your super-dooper cheap herbs home, wash them, and pluck them off the stems. Take an empty ice cube tray and split the herbs between the ice cube holes. If desired, cut the herbs or you can just leave them as whole leaves... I left mine whole. Next, fill the ice cube tray with enough water to  cover the tops of the herbs. 

Basil on left, sage on right.

Then place the ice cube tray in the freezer until the ice is completely solid. Finally, you can pop out the ice cubes and put them in labeled freezer bags until you want to use them in a recipe.

When you're ready to use these handy-dandy little suckers you can thaw them on a plate or run them through cold water until they are back to their original leafy state. Cut and use them for whatever dish you are making.

I plan to stock up on fresh herbs every time I see my favorite "Manager's Special" tags on them- reducing them to less than half the original price. I hope you appreciate this nifty little trick to the same extent that I do! ;) 

Mexican Stuffed Acorn Squash

I've been holding on to an acorn squash I purchased probably 2 weeks ago. Luckily, squash seems to last forever, and it was still far from rotten!

Usually, I just roast squash and eat it or puree it into soup with onions and vegetable broth..... but NO, NO, NO not this time! This time I was determined to make something different. I've been making tons of "Mexican" food recently (the quotation marks are because... how Mexican can a white girl really cook...). It seems like every other thing I make is Mexican or Mexican inspired. This dish would have to go into the "Mexican Inspired" category. I must admit, this dish was purely an experiment. I had my fingers crossed while cooking, hoping I wouldn't have to pinch my nose to get this stuff down....

To my surprise, my experiment turned out exceptionally delicious.... so delicious I decided to take pictures of it and give YOU step-by-step instructions of how to make this festive, fall, Mexican Stuffed Acorn Squash.

Here we go...

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe acorn squash
• 1 Tbsp of each: olive oil, salt, pepper
• 1/2 c cooked quinoa
• 1/2 c cooked lentils
• 1 onion (any kind) diced
• 2 large carrots diced
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 1 can organic, unsalted tomatoes
• 1 c kale
• 1/2 jalapeño (optional)  
• 2 Tbsp garlic
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1-2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1-2 Tbsp cumin
• 1/4-1/2 c fresh cilantro minced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees... 
2. Cut acorn squash in half (between 2 grooves), take out the guts, lightly coat each side with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper 
3. Bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees.
4. While the squash cooks, get busy on the filling!
5. Cook the quinoa and lentils (separately) according to the packaging (should take about 15 minutes each)
6. Heat a large skillet with a splash of olive oil, garlic, and jalapeño
7. Dice onions, carrots, and celery and add to hot skillet, cover
8. Add the 1-2 tbsp of chili powder and cumin according to taste
9. After the carrots are almost soft add tomatoes in their juice, uncover
10. Let the liquid cook down a bit, then add kale, lime juice 
11. Turn off heat and let sit for a couple minutes
12. Add cilantro, lentils, and quinoa to the skillet (still off)
13. Add more salt/pepper to taste
14. Serve with salsa, avocado, or my husband's and my favorite.... green tobasco sauce!!!

*You could also use a can of black beans in place of the lentils to make it more "Mexicany"... I just really like lentils!

Pumpkin+Banana+ChiaSeed+Dark Chocolate Muffins

Fall is in full swing. The leaves are past their peak and slowly dropping... reminding us of the reality of winter. I enjoy every season, but what could be better than an Earth filled with yellow, orange, and red? 

Anyways...I've been holding on to two cans of [organic] pumpkin that I got from Whole Foods (2/$4) and have been waiting for some spare time to  make something delicious with them. I also purchased my first bag of chia seeds ($6.99, originally $12.99) from Whole Foods (because I heard they were outrageously good for you).  Then when I stopped by Kroger yesterday I found more chia seeds in a 1lb. container for only 10.99 on manager's special (originally $21.99). I'm pretty good at getting things on the cheap.

I read up on how to use Chia Seeds (40 ways to use chia seeds) and why they are so good for me (chia seed health benefits). Here's a break down of my findings of why chia seeds are so ourgageously good for you:

• supports heart health
• stabilizes blood sugar
• energizes
• anti-inflammatory properties
• weight loss
• detoxification and elimination
• high quality protein
• antioxidants
• provides fiber and other nutrients
• brain power

I encourage you to research chia seeds for yourself and then find ways to sneak them into your diet!

Ok... so all this mumbo-jumbo was to get to the main point... MUFFINS! I concluded that the best use for these chia seeds today would be to put them into delicious, festive muffins. What is more festive than pumpkin muffins? Nothing. Let's get started....

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c oat flour
• 2 super ripe bananas (mine were black)
• 1 can organic pumpkin (buy online here)
• 3/4 c almond coconut milk (or any other non-dairy milk)
• 5 drops vanilla stevia (buy online here)
• 3/4 cup Stevia in the Raw (buy online here)
• 2 TBSP [ground] chia seeds + 1/4 cup water (also known as a chia seed egg) (buy online here)
• 2 TBSP milled flax seed (buy online here)
• 1tsp nutmeg
• 1TBSP cinnamon
• 1tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2-1 c dark chocolate chips (I used these, but got them for around $3.50 from Kroger)... optional
• 1/2 cup chopped raw (or roasted) sunflower seeds (or any other nuts)... optional

Put 'em togehter:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Mash the bananas and mix with the ground chia seeds and water
2. Add pumpkin, milk, and stevia drops... mix well
3. Add oat flour, stevia in the raw, flax seed, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt...mix well
4. Add dark chocolate chips and seeds/nuts... if desired... mix it all up!
5. Divide mixture between 12 muffins tins (makes 12 LARGE muffins)                                            (I didn't grease mine or put in papers and they didn't stick.)
6. Bake for 35 minutes at 350
7. After the 35 minutes, turn oven off and let set INSIDE the over for an extra 10 minutes
8. Remove and let cool for a few minutes.... then eat one... or two.... or maybe three.... haha
9. Actually, just eat one... because too much of a good thing become a bad thing :)

*WARNING: These are not your "typical" dessert-like muffins. These have a hearty, thick texture (yet  moist and soft) and are a perfect breakfast when paired with a large cup of caffeinated coffee! AAAND if you didn't notice... they have no sugar added (besides the chocolate chips). I gotta say, it doesn't get much healthier than this...

The Beginning (Simple Granola)

For quite some time now, I have been conjuring up the idea to start a vegan cooking blog that centers around budget friendly recipes. There is a common misconception that eating a vegetarian or vegan diet is more expensive than a standard "carnivores" American diet. I have found that purchasing no meat actually CUTS DOWN my grocery costs. Join me on my quest to prove that vegan and cost efficient can exist harmoniously in the same sentence!

One of my favorite things to make happens to be a breakfast food.... GRANOLA! You know... that stuff that costs $4+ per box in the grocery store and contains extreme levels of sugar and calories! Making it home not only cuts the calories and sugar, but is so cost efficient you will make it over and over again!!!

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups Whole Oats
• 1/2 Cup Milled Flax Seed
• 1/3 Cup Honey
• 1/2 Cup Raw Almonds (Chopped)
• 1/2 Cup Raw Sunflower Seeds
• 3 Tbsp. Non-Dairy Milk (Soy, Almond, Rice, etc...)
• 2 Tbsp. Stevia (sugar)

Directions:

• Preheat Oven to 300 degrees.
• Combine dry ingredients: oats, flax, almonds, sunflower seeds, and stevia
• Then add in the honey and sugar and mix until the honey is no longer clumpy.
• Spread out flat on a large baking sheet.
• Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, and mix every 15 minutes. If it starts to look golden before time is up.... TAKE IT OUT! (I have burnt so many batches of granola)
• After the 45 minutes is over, give it one last good mix, turn the oven off, and let it sit in the oven for another 20 minutes. (This makes it extra crunchy).

When all is said and done.....

...this is your final product! :)

Enjoy a large bowl of granola with fruit and your favorite non dairy milk- mine is Organic Unsweetened Silk!