Guacamole Tacos!

I'm sure this idea is out there somewhere in the inter-webs, but my husband felt pretty genius when he came up with it on a night we were set to have boring soft guacamole tacos. I'm so glad he decided to be adventurous because these are amazing! They remind me a bit of the nacho cheese chalupa that Taco Bell sells. Before caring about where my meat came from, I happily devoured many nacho cheese chalupas! I am glad to have a yummy home alternative that is even better for me! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, golden, warm and comforting- it doesn't get any better than that!

Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil over medium heat. Fold a small flour tortilla in half and place in oil. Use a fork to prevent the tortilla from opening if it starts to bubble over. After 30-45 seconds, flip to the other side and allow to become golden brown. Remove carefully and place standing up on a paper towel or napkin, allowing to drain any excess oil. If you have a cooling rack, that might work better. Fill with guacamole, tomatoes and lettuce. Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday 10/3-10/9

Last week, I spent $85 on our food for the week! That's $15 below my $100 budget! But I ended up not buying buffalo for our burgers (we had leftovers instead), and I made sure to stay out of Target all week to avoid temptation. This week, my goal is to stay below $90. This is only for food as toilet paper, diapers, toothpaste, wipes, dish soap, laundry soap, dish washer detergent, shampoo, etc. come out of my $50 per month household budget. I have a few things on hand in our pantry like onions, buns, garlic, oats, flour and the basic staples, but our fridge is almost bare by the end of each week! Oh and we haven't eaten out except for once or twice in the last several months! Woohoo! Here we go! Linking up with Menu Plan Monday and Keeper of the Home's Plan It, Don't Panic, Week 2.


 Fall has arrived! 

Breakfast Options:

We always have some home-brewed coffee in the morning or my favorite- an iced vanilla latte.

1. Pumpkin muffins
2. Oatmeal with mango and walnuts
3. Bacon, egg and cheese Biscuits
4. Practically Perfect Pancakes
5. Zucchini Slice
6. Toast with peanut butter

Lunch Options: 

1. Leftovers
2. Wacky Mac Pasta
3. PB&J's
4. Miso Ramen
5. BLAT's 
6. Bean and cheese crisps

Snack Options:

1. Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins 
2. Fruit and yogurt
3. Pretzels and cheese

Dinner Options:

1. Hamburgers and home-made wedges
2. Sun-dried tomato Alfredo pasta
3. Soft tacos, Spanish rice and beans
4. Roasted vegetable lasagna and salad
5. French onion soup and rosemary bread
6. Mushroom Gougere
7. Pizza

Beverage Options:

1. Water
2. Iced Tea
3. $5 white wine (for use in the French onion soup and for drinking)

Green Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas are my husbands favorite meal, and they have recently become a favorite of mine as well. When we were living in New Zealand, it was hard to find enchilada sauce, and the cost of other ingredients made this meal impossible to make. Thankfully, Dad thoughtfully put together a package of tortillas, beans, enchilada sauce and instant margarita mix in a box and even included a $20 for the chicken, green onions, cheese and cilantro (called rocket or coriander in New Zealand-no wonder I couldn't find it at New World!) and shipped it half way around the world to us. We followed Dad's enclosed recipe and enjoyed a yummy Mexican dinner for the first time in many months- it was delicious.

So this recipe was inspired by the one Dad sent us, but includes cilantro because that is the way my Sis makes hers, and ever since having that way, there was no going back!


Green Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

6 large flour tortillas
2 chicken breasts
Mexican blend cheese
enchilada sauce (our favorite is green Las Palmas)
black olives, sliced
green onions, chopped
cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Boil and shred chicken breasts. Add about 1/2- 1 cup of sauce and mix together.

Prepare the olives, onions and cilantro.

In each tortilla, spread a few spoonfuls of the chicken mixture, then sprinkle some olives, onions and cilantro, to taste. Top with a handful of cheese and roll up. Make as many as you want. Then cover with sauce to taste and bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted, the edges are brown and the sauce is bubbling.

Serve with Spanish rice and refried beans. Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday 9/26

Here's our meal plan for 9/26-10/2. We rarely eat out, and when we do (once or twice a month tops) it's Taco Bell- $10 or less. Knowing we can make our own burritos for 1/4 of the cost is quite the incentive to planning and making our own meals. Starbucks coffee beans is our only planned indulgence, twice a month. :D

My goal is still to spend $100 a week (or less would be great), and while I made the goal last week, we went to Target for a re-stock of fruits and milk on Friday- so the true number would be closer to $125.  


Our meal plans are flexible, so if we want breakfast for dinner instead, we just improvise and move a meal to a later date. No food gets wasted, but we're not being forced to eat food that sounds unappetizing to us either. 

Linking up with Plan It- Don't Panic as well as Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfast Options:

We always have some home-brewed Starbucks coffee in the morning... either Yukon blend or my favorite- an iced vanilla latte.

1. Bagel with peanut butter and fruit or egg
2. Oatmeal with mango and walnuts
3. Sausage, Hash-browns and eggs
4. Pancakes (James' favorite)
5. Zucchini Slice

Lunch Options: 

1. Bean Burritos or Quesadillas (family favorite for lunch)
2. Tuna Melts
3. Wacky Mac Pasta
4. Leftovers from Dinner

Snack Options:

1. Banana Nut Muffins
2. Fresh Fruit and yogurt
3. Pretzels or Triscuits and cheese

Dinner Options:

1. Lentil Shepherd's Pie
2. Pizza and Salad
3. Dad's Enchiladas, Spanish Rice and Beans
4. Buffalo Burgers and Wedges
5. Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo Pasta
6. Nachos
7. Roasted Vegetable Lasagna and Salad

Dessert Options:

1. Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins 

Beverage Options:

1. Water
2. Iced Tea

The Best Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've made these twice this week. They are light and fluffy, simply scrumptious! 

Chosen for us by size by my husband, I snagged the biggest one (how embarrassing!), he got the medium and our little one happily gobbled his- unaware of the size difference. I tried to glam up the picture on photobucket because the lighting was bad and I'm not a professional photographer, but trust me, these babies are beautiful IRL. :)

The Best Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

1.5 cup flour
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 cup water
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil, vinegar and water. Mix well. Add chocolate chips and blend. Scoop into greased muffin tin and bake at 350F (180C) for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out relatively clean. Cool for as long as possible, then enjoy!

These are about 100 times more delicious than my older recipe. The egg made them too dense for my liking- maybe better for a brownie pan. Let me know if you these! :)

Mushroom Spinach Alfredo Lasagna

I love white sauce lasagna's and this one is my new favorite! Hope you like it as much as we did!


Mushroom Spinach Alfredo Lasagna
inspired by this recipe

Ingredients:


6 oz fresh spinach, chopped (or you can thaw frozen and pat dry)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
8 oz ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt (this makes it pretty flavorful, use less if desired)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 jar of Alfredo sauce, divided (Newman's Own is our favorite)
1/2 box lasagna noodles
1 egg


Directions:


Boil lasagna noodles according to package directions for al dente preparation- be sure not to overcook them. Add some vegetable oil to your boiling water to prevent sticking. 

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Combine spinach, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper in large bowl; set aside.

• Spread 1 cup Alfredo sauce in 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle extra cheese if desired. 

• Layer 4 lasagna noodles, then 1 cup Alfredo sauce and 1/2 the ricotta mixture; repeat. Top with remaining 4 noodles and Alfredo Sauce, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

You can double this recipe and use a  9 x 13- inch pan as well. Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday 9/19

I have fallen off the wagon with my meal planning since we've been back from NZ, so this week is the first in a long while that I am happily participating in Menu Plan Monday and it sure feels good to be back!
 Here's our menu for the week of 9/19-9/25. My goal is to keep our grocery bill below $100 this week (I used to be so good at this- must get back on track!)- right now, my estimation is that it will cost $99.29....so we will see. Here we go!

Breakfast Options:

We always have some sort of coffee in the morning... either brewed Yukon blend or iced espresso with almond milk.

1. Bagel with peanut butter and/or fruit preserves
2. Egg in a Hole
3. Oatmeal with fruit and nuts
4. Pancakes (James' favorite)
5. Zucchini Slice

Lunch Options: 

1. Bean Burritos
2. Quesadillas (family favorite for lunch)
3. Tuna Melts
4. Baked Potatoes
5. Leftovers from Dinner

Snack Options:

1. Chips and Salsa
2. Pretzels or Triscuits and cheese
3. Smoothies

Dinner Options:

1. Lentil Shepherd's Pie
2. Miso Soup and Veggie Sushi
3. Mushroom Gougere and brown rice
4. Vegetable Tian and brown rice
5. Un-Baked Ziti and salad
6. Spinach Alfredo Lasagna and salad
7. Pizza and salad

Dessert Options:

1. Banana Nut Muffins
2. Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins (recipe coming soon)

Beverage Options:

1. Water
2. Iced Tea