Family Pizza Night!

What can I say? We LOVE pizza at our house! However, it has been a little more difficult finding some pizza that my 19month old enjoys since it has to be gluten free for him. On our family pizza nights I make one pizza that is gluten free and one that is not. Enjoy! :)

Gluten Free Pizza:

Sometimes the gluten free crusts are just so chewy or flat out have no taste at all! I have been browsing Pinterest and had pinned a while back a pizza that had a cauliflower base. After looking at several cauliflower crust pizza recipes I took the similarities from all and just meshed them for the one I make. I was very surprised at just how good it was! My husband is SUPER picky and he even agreed it was quite tasty! It's so easy and CHEAP to make! Here it is;

(picture of cauliflower crust without toppings)

Cauliflower pizza crust
2 cups of grated raw cauliflower
1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 425. Steam grated in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Let the excess water drain on a paper towel when done. Combine all the ingredients. It WILL NOT look or have the consistency of dough! Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking pan and grease it extremely well so it doesn't stick at all. I greased mine with a bit of coconut oil. Next you will pour the mixture onto the parchment paper and spread it into a thin circle shape. Bake in the over for 20mins. After it has baked top with your choice of toppings and return to the oven until toppings are melted and done. Enjoy! :)



Non-gluten free crust:

Me and bread just do not mix well at all. I can't tell you how many pizza crust recipes I have tried and none of them really turn out very good. I found one again, on pinterest that is made from greek yogurt and thought I would give it a try. The original recipe is super simple so I added a little extra to it. We LOVE it!

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust:
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup SELF-RISING flour
dash of Italian seasoning
dash of garlic seasoning
1 tsp of olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Stir greek yogurt and flour together until it forms large clumps, put a bit of flour on your hands and begin kneeding the dough until it is well combined and can easily be formed into a ball. Add the seasonings and olive oil, kneed into the dough and again, form a ball of dough. Grease a piece of parchment paper pressing the dough out as flat and circular as you can (It helps to press it out with another piece of parchment paper on top so it doesn't stick). Bake in the oven for 12-15mins or until dough is cooked (check the bottom). Now remove from the oven and add toppings of your choice. Pop back into the oven until toppings are done. Enjoy! :)

Fresh and Delish, Pineapple Salsa

I absolutely LOVE fresh salsa... One of my Hubby's family members made pineapple salsa for a family get together last week and it was so good! I decided to make some using my personal, regular salsa recipe but change a few things up. Here ya go!

Pineapple Salsa

2 cups of fresh pineapple in chunks
1 cup of red bell pepper cut into chunks
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro
1/4 cup of chunked red onion
1 garlic clove minced
The juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse a few times until salsa reaches desired consistency. *Be careful not to over blend. Also, after each pulse shake the blender so that the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Enjoy!

This salsa is so fresh on the palate. I absolutely LOVE cilantro... The smell, taste, fresh green look... ahhh cilantro. What about you guys, do you share my love for it too? ;)

Homemade Peanut Butter... Yum! :)

We LOVE peanut butter but hate all the extras that come with it! Even "natural" peanut butter is many times not so natural. I decided to make my own and it was FANTASTIC!!! It honestly tastes like many of the peanut butters you get at the store! I found a recipe by Alton Brown but decided to make just a few changes to mine. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

I bought 2 lbs of raw peanuts and roasted them myself by rinsing the shells really good and drying them, than tossing them in olive oil and a bit of sea salt. I placed them on a couple of baking sheets and baked them at 325 for about 25 mins. 

Homemade Peanut Butter:

*About 1 pound of shelled peanuts

*1 1/2 tsp of Honey (add a little extra to taste if you like)

*1 1/2 tbs of olive oil (could use peanut oil)

*(optional pinch of salt)

Add all ingredients but half the oil into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth or desired consistency stopping throughout to scrape the sides and continue adding the rest of the oil. Enjoy! :) 

This yumminess keeps in the fridge for "up to 2 months"- Alton Brown

Nutrition and Lifestyle- My Story

Enjoy God's Great Bounty!

I am so over wondering what is in so much of the food we get at the store. Even though labels say ingredients are natural, many times they aren't. Things that fall under the category of "natural flavors" or "natural ingredients" on labels are things like aspartame, cellulose (processed wood pulp, most commonly used to keep shredded cheese separated), not to mention all the fancy names for high fructose corn syrup and msg. The list could go on! Over the past year I have been learning more and more about what REAL nutrition is and how I can take control of it. God has blessed us so richly with his beautiful creation! It was created in perfection and honestly, why would I need to alter it? For example, buy "regular" strawberries and organic strawberries and do a taste test. There is a remarkable difference in taste, texture, and quality! I promise you will notice a difference, I used to be a skeptic but wow, there is no denying the truth!

Nutrition to me is making sure I am giving my body the best chance to absorb it to begin with, without chemicals getting in the way. It's a slow process to completely change over to eating the way I want my family to eat, but I find that this slow process is actually giving me a chance to really soak in and learn. I had my second son last February and at my last appointment before his birth I weighed 173. I am 5'5" and had gained 24 lbs during my pregnancy. Granted that was 1 pound below the max recommended, but subtract the 24lbs from 173 and you will get my unhealthy weight before pregnancy. I weighed 149...
What do I weigh now? 128.3 as of today. But most importantly my body fat and BMI are down by a large amount!
I didn't use anything to help me loose the weight, I just quit eating so much processed junk! I also work out 2-4 times a week and stay active constantly throughout each day. As of 2 weeks ago I did start drinking a whey protein shake for breakfast in the morning. After much research I settled on one that is absolutely FANTASTIC, it's sweetened with stevia and contains 25grams of protein!!! Check out, Jay Robb's Whey Protein Powder. (Only cold-processed cross-flow microfiltered whey protein isolate is used as the protein source and this material comes from farm-raised, pasture-grazed, grass-fed cows not treated with the synthetic bovine growth hormone rBGH. )- Taken from the Jay Robb website

How my fridge looked than and now...
You used to be able to find a few convenience meals in our fridge along with frozen pizza, frozen veggies with seasonings and cheese in a steam-able bag, etc... Now you find, frozen meat, a couple of bags of organic veggies, and fresh veggies and fruit that I have frozen.
In my fridge, you used to find a variety of shredded cheeses, but now it has been replaced by blocks of minimally processed cheese (Trader Joe's has a great selection or a price that's reasonable!). But my biggest change is the large amount of space all the produce takes up! I swear, I need half of my fridge to just be produce drawers! I LOVE fresh fruits and veggies!

With all this said...
Do I still buy processed foods? Um, yes, unfortunately, it's almost unavoidable. Some people make that change completely, but I find it very hard to do from a full time working mommy standpoint.
Do I buy all organic? No. I use my "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15" lists and try to buy as locally as possible without breaking the bank (I spend less than $200 a month on groceries for a family of 4).

Overall, I feel a million times better than I did before! I fill like I am keeping my body more as a temple, my family is better taken care of, and I spend less time thinking about and lusting after foods.
I hope this is inspire to some who might be struggling with the same food battle. You can make it work in a food budget. A slow change will allow you to budget properly.

White Chicken Chili

Today has been super cold and snowy and just screamed, "soup for dinner!" It has been forever since I have made my White Chicken Chili and it just so happened I have all the ingredients. This is my very own recipe and I am quite proud of it. I do have to say though, if you like more of a think typical chili texture this is not for you, it is more on the soupy side. Here it is, enjoy!

Megan's White Chicken Chili

1 Tbs coconut or olive oil

1 med. onion diced

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 4oz cans of chopped green chilies

4 cups of shredded chicken, more if you want it thicker. 

2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 cans of great northern beans drained and rinsed, sometimes I use 3 cans

6 cups of chicken broth
1 cup grated Monterey Jack Cheese plus more for toppings

pepper

cilantro (optional)

sour cream (optional)

Heat oil in a large pot on med/high heat. Add onions and saute them until they are translucent. Add garlic, chilies, chicken, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Sautee for about 2 mins. Add beans and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, than reduce heat to simmer for about an hour or two. Add 1 cup grated cheese and stir until melted to thicken it up. season with pepper and salt if you like. Serve with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro as garnish. 

OUT WITH THE SUGAR!!!!!

I have felt like a SLUG lately because of all the sugar that has infiltrated my house and my body! I decided I was going to get rid of the evil lurkers in my house. I don't mind to have something sweet every now and then but I honestly have little self control when it's sitting around my house so I'm purging it!
Last weekend we had a fantastic marriage retreat with our bible fellowship class but I ate so much junk I can't even begin to tell you what even went into my body... All I remember was devouring these delicious cookie dough balls covered in brownies, chocolate, and chocolate chips... nachos topped with velveeta rotel dip and bbq... Trader Joe's power berries... Ok, I'm stopping there...
Sunday when we got back we had a chili cook-off that ended in a piece of 4-layer chocolate cake.
Monday we celebrated my birthday by eating out, that dinner also ended with a piece of the same 4-layer chocolate cake.
Wednesday was my birthday and my best friend from work surprised me with a cake.
And yesterday and today involved pie as a celebration of "pi" day at work!

I think I might just curl up and have a heart attack now! However, I do feel better after exposing my sugar consumption. Maybe you have had moments like this as well, where you get caught up in life and don't even notice what you are consuming until it's already down the throat. Now that the sugar highs are wearing off, I'm definitely feeling the effects and I can't stand it! I generally strive to be very conscious of what I am putting in my body and use things like sucanat, and honey instead of processed white sugar but we live in the world of super processed foods and it's bound to catch up with even the most health conscious at one point in their lives.
I'm taking back control! Maybe you will join me?

Here's what I found...

Jon brought these cupcakes home from work yesterday! AHHHHH!!!
Girl scout cookies (hubby better put these in his car), cookie butter (I think I might cry, I love this stuff),  a bucket that has candy from Valentines, Christmas, and even Halloween (you can tell we don't allow much candy consumption around here, LOL), and a random box of Russell Stover candies (I'm not really sure where these came from, probably Jon's work).

A closer look at the bucket of candy.

BYE, BYE!!!!! 

Meal plan: March 16-23

I have a lot of people ask me about meal planning. For me, meal planning is the biggest thing that reduces our grocery budget. If I don't plan, than we over spend that portion of our budget and chances are we aren't eating as well either. It's the part that keeps me accountable. Plus, it gives me great piece of mind knowing I am making sure my family is well planned and cared for as far as food goes. Of course any of these meals are subject to change if something comes up in the week, but I like to at least have a plan/guideline to shoot for. So here are this week's meals;

Saturday- Chicken Tortilla Rollups w/ Spicy Avocado Crema

Sunday- Spinach leaf salad with grilled chicken, strawberries, oranges, and vinaigrette dressing

Monday- Spaghetti
(Tuesday lunch- leftover spaghetti)

Tuesday- Chicken, sweet potato, and spinach quesadillas

Thursday- Italian marinated chicken with veggies

Friday and Saturday-There will be a "leftovers" night one night and possible night out for a friend's birthday

*lunches are always things like sandwiches, raw veggies, chips, hummus, crackers, yogurt, fruit, etc. I usually just pick a few of these items up at the store and we decide on a day to day basis based on what is in the fridge.
**Breakfasts are things like fruit smoothies, yogurt, fruit, or cereal (I always have a few boxes of cereal stocked in the pantry that I get in big sales)

Since I have decided what we are having I go through the ingredients and check my cabinets to see what I already do or don't have. Once I have done that I make my list. This week I will only  have to buy;
*Green onions
*1 lime
*Tortillas
*Avocado
*Spinach
*Strawberries
*Oranges
*Carrots
*Bread (for the hubby's lunches)
*1lb of beef/turkey (depending on which is cheaper)
*Broccoli
*Multi-grain crackers
*Bananas
*Greek Yogurt
*Milk

Notice there is no soda or juice... These are generally things we don't buy because they are not necessities  Our kids are just fine with water and get all their important nutrients strait from the fruit they eat rather than the juices made from concentrate.

Country Club Chicken (Pinterest Recipe)

I have seen this recipe pinned on Pinterest several times and decided to give it a try... Boy, I am glad I did!!! Wow! I have to admit, if you are planning on eating low fat only, this is not the recipe for you! However, it is nice sometimes to have something thick, flavorful, and just plain chalked full of calories. At least it has an apple, onions, and lots of mushrooms right!? Here it is! Enjoy!

Country Club Chicken

(Some ingredients have been changed or omitted for personal preference) 

1 pound of spaghetti

3 chicken breasts ( I halved all of mine so it made 6)

1 onion

7oz mushrooms

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

4-5 slices of bacon

1/4 cup chicken broth (this was supposed to by dry white wine)

2/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese (I use Trader Joe's block of natural sharp cheddar and grate it myself)

1 apple

butter

salt and pepper

Start by mincing the onion and apple (make sure to peal your apple first). Slice your freshly washed mushrooms. Set those things aside. Cut your chicken breasts into halves if they are large to make 6 and lightly salt and pepper each side. 

Begin cooking your bacon in a deep skillet. When your bacon is done let drain on a paper towel. Leave the bacon grease in the pan and melt about 1/2 and tbls of butter in it. Next, use the grease and butter mixture to brown your chicken breasts on both sides. After it is browned put them in a casserole dish and set aside. 

Put your onions in the skillet and let them cook for about 3 minutes than add the mushrooms. Let them cook another 3 minutes with the onions and add in the minced apples. Again, cook for about 3 minutes. Next, add bacon, crumbling it up, and the chicken broth. After everything is mixed well, add the 2 cans of cream of mushroom and stir until mixed well. Grate sharp cheddar into the sauce. 

After everything is melted and well mixed, pour it over the chicken in the casserole dish. Place the casserole dish in a preheated oven on 350 for 25-30 mins. 

While the chicken is cooking, boil 1 lb of your choice of spaghetti noodles until done (I used GF corn noodles for myself, and regular for the rest of my family).

Serve the chicken and sauce over noodles with your choice of side. ENJOY!!! :) 

Chicken Fajita Soup ("Clean Recipe")

A little cheese and fresh cilantro on top makes for a yummy finish! 

Dinner was yummy tonight! Our family has been battling nasty colds for almost 2 weeks now so tonight soup sounded like a fabulous thing for dinner! I came across this recipe on pinterest, but as usual, decided to change it up a bit to make it my own rendition. We also have been making an effort to eat pretty well. I hate thinking about all the weird and wacky ingredients that are in so many foods. It makes me shutter to think they use things like wood pulp to keep shredded cheese shredded. So here is a great recipe that is "clean." If you aren't familiar with "Clean Eating," it means that you eat foods in their natural state or as close to it's natural state as possible.

Enjoy! 

Clean Eating Chicken Fajita Soup

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1/2 of an orange pepper, 1/2 of a yellow pepper, both chopped

1 tbsp. oil (I used coconut oil, I LOVE coconut oil!!!!)

2 large chicken breasts cut into cubes

8ozs of frozen sweet corn

4 cups of chicken broth

1tbsp. cumin

1tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. fresh cilantro

cheese of your choice for garnish

extra cilantro for garnish

 Melt coconut oil in a large pot than saute onions and peppers for a few minutes.

Next, add chicken and saute with peppers and onions until the chicken is almost done. After cooking the chicken for about 8mins, add the frozen corn. Cook until corn is thawed. Add broth and spices. 

Let it simmer for another 15 mins. Serve and enjoy! :) 

I Love My Husband...

Tonight's post is a dedication to my husband, a man that I have been best friends with for 12 years, dated for 8, and been married to for 5! God has blessed me richly with a wonderful man! He is a strong leader in so many way but most importantly, spiritually!

Acting silly on the way to our honeymoon. 

It's amazing to see how much we have grown in the past 12 years! When I met Jon we were in high school. I was a sophomore, he was a junior. For me, it was instant, although, try as I might, I wasn't very good at keeping that a secret... Oh silly little girl love... Little did I know that "silly little girl love" would turn into a beautiful God ordained marriage! We were best friends, had many ups and downs, cried together, fought together, laughed together, and most importantly blossomed into Jesus freaks together. The Lord had it right when he said, "Two shall become one," he completes me in every sense of the word completion. :)

As I look back on the beginning of our relationship, I realize Jon is no longer the boy I "feel in love with" but rather the man that I grew to love even more! How amazing is God that he gives us this amazing opportunity!?!

College

With all this said, I have to say, one of the most humbling moments for me as a wife is when I go to God in prayer for my husband. My favorite time to do this is when I feel frustration with him. Yes, I get frustrated with him... shoot, I even argue with him sometimes! (GASP!!!) Back to what I was saying.... One area I have to say I pray often for is the area of submission to my husband. Ephesians 5 says we are to submit to our husbands. This word seems to have gotten lost in meaning today. We live in a world where feminism is at an all time high and I believe we have completely overstepped our bounds! I know this statement will not make me popular with friends or family that believe women should have complete equality with men, but I have to say, where in the Bible does it ever say "men submit to your wife?" It doesn't... So here is the breakdown; God created man (male), God saw that it wasn't good for man to be alone. (¹⁸ And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Gen. 2:18)  Wait a second! For the first time in the days of creation, God says something WASN'T good! Don't miss that! God creates woman (female) and they are joined as one! (²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Gen. 2:24) Isn't that a beautiful picture! God is so good!!!!
Throughout the Bible a woman is described to be, "reverent, submissive (Eph. 5:22, Col. 3:18), have noble character (Proverbs 12:4), etc. The argument can be made that these verses and views of women are a cultural thing, and are outdated. However, lets look at Eve. There is a reason why God give the role of head of household and spiritual leader to man. Eve started us out by allowing herself to be deceived by the serpent in the garden. Adam wasn't deceived, Eve was.  "¹¹ Let a woman learn in silence with all submission...¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴ And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." 1 Tim. 2:11, 13-14
Just so you know, a few years ago I cringed at the concept of "submission." Over the years God has opened my eyes and softened my heart to understand what the true meaning and picture of submission is. It doesn't mean that husbands are "lord" over you. It merely means that when Jon and I are facing a huge decision, we may discuss it together and we voice both of our opinions, but ultimately, Jon makes the decision. See why it's so important to pray for them! Submission is like the ultimate form of respect and honor for our husbands. It's not my place to question him, or throw it in his face down the road if it turns out his decision was "wrong." So pray ladies! Pray that if need be, God softens your hearts to be more submissive! Pray that God give your husbands strength and courage to follow in the ways of our Lord and Savior! If you need direction on how to pray for your hubby, I came across a great blog post from Renee Swope this evening. It's called, "Praying for my husband." It's a beautiful prayer with scripture to pray for our husbands from "head to toe." Make sure to check it out! Click Here! 
I will be praying for you all and I pray that you pray for me as well.

Delicious Grilled Salmon

Tonights dinner was delicious! I know my page is about budgeting and eating "healthy cheap," but sometimes it is cheaper to fix something a little more pricey at home than to go eat out somewhere. We had grilled salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Now, hubby is not a fish guy at all unless it's fried grouper... However, I made this grilled salmon tonight and he said, "Ok, it's actually pretty good." That's a score then! :) As always, I looked at a few recipes but decided to use one as a guide with my own adaptations. Here it is...

Grilled Salmon

1 to 1 1/2 lbs of wild caught salmon (I had 1.39lbs, this was more than enough for our family of 4)
a few sprinkles of garlic powder
a few splashes of lemon juice
a couple cranks of ground pepper
1/3c low sodium soy sauce
1/3c brown sugar
1/3c water
1/4c olive oil

Cut the salmon into serving size portions and use the first 3 ingredients to season your filets. Next, mix soy sauce, brown sugar, and water until the brown sugar is disolved, than mix in the olive oil. Pour over the salmon and let it marinate for up to 2 hours (I only did mine for 1 but you could tell it would have been even better had I let it marinate longer). After marinating cook about 7mins on each side on the grill or until your fish easily flakes. You could also use a George Forman type grill.
Enjoy! :)

Easy Clam Chowder

I have made clam chowder before but didn't really like the outcome that much. It's one of those things I LOVE and wanted to find the perfect recipe. After looking over about 5 different ones I decided I would take bits and pieces from each and make my own. Hubby loved it and so did my 2 year old! I have to admit, I was quite pleased myself!

Easy Clam Chowder
makes about 8 servings

2-3 (6.5oz) cans of clams minced
1/2 cup of minced onion
1/2 cup of celery
2 cups of cubed potatoes
1/2 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3-4 cups milk (I started with 3 but added about another cup after everything was mixed to thin it out a bit)
salt and pepper to taste

optional: garnish with pieces of bacon and cheese

Place onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes into a pot. Drain the juice from the clams over the vegetables and reserve the clams for later. Next, pour just enough water into the pot to make sure the vegetables are covered with liquid. Cook over medium heat until tender.

While veggies are cooking use a large pot to melt the butter. Once butter is melted whisk in the flour than add the milk and continue whisking until the liquid is a completely mixed and starting to thicken just a bit. Next add veggies with their liquid and mix well. Stir in the clams and add salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

Enjoy!!!

I'm back!!!!

It has been waaaayyyyy too long since I have blogged about budgeting! I started back teaching in August and added a job on the weekends to the mix. Now, I'm no longer working the weekend job and I am so excited about getting back to sharing with you guys!

Since I have been gone, I inherited a KitchenAid mixer that has changed my life! No joke, the bread hook is AWESOME!!! I will share my bread recipe shortly. As well as other recipes that will tickle your budget friendly fancy. :)

Today's post will be short and sweet. Have a good night y'all!!!