The new Black Friday?

Breakfast
Since I was home today, I decided to make a bigger than usual breakfast. I scrambled 1/2 cup of Better n'eggs egg substitute and topped it with 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons of salsa. I also had a tangerine that my Mom slipped into my bag before I left yesterday (I guess she bought more than she could use) and a slice of banana bread that I made during my "holiday baking extravaganza" earlier in the week. The banana bread recipe is from my 1,001 Low-fat Recipes book. It is a great recipe which I have made even more nutritious by using whole wheat flour, egg substitute instead of eggs, and Smart Balance instead of butter or margarine. I make these changes in all my recipes, and no one has ever known any different. In fact, I have gotten even more compliments since I have started making these substitutions.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (banana bread)
Fruits: 1/2 cup (small tangerine)
Vegetables: 1/4 cup (salsa)
Milk: ¾ cup (mozzarella cheese)
Meats & beans: 2 oz (egg substitute)
Oils: 0
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.30

Recipe:
Brown Sugar Banana Bread (adapted from 1,001 Low-fat Recipes, by Sue Spitler)

4 tablespoons margarine, softened (I use Smart Balance)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup liquid egg substitute
2 tablespoons fat free milk
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup mashed banana (2-3 medium bananas)
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coarsly chopped walnuts

1. Beat margarine, applesauce, egg substitute, milk, and brown sugar in large mixing bowl until smooth. Add banana and blend a low speed (or use a wire whisk) for 1-2 minutes.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix into batter. Mix in walnuts. Pour batter into greased loaf pan, 8x4x2 inches.
3. Bake at 350 degrees until bread is golded and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool to room temperature.

Lunch
I had a late breakfast this morning, but I wanted to eat something before I bravely ventured out to do some shopping today (apparently, the day after Christmas is the new “black Friday” this year). I just found out that my sister and her family are coming in from Chicago next week for one more holiday celebration, and unfortunately today was the only day I had free to do my shopping for them. At every store I went to, I overheard at least 10 people say "this is worse than Black Friday!" I have never gone out shopping the day after Thanksgiving, but now I understand why it's such a nightmare. I felt like, as I was perusing an item, someone was watching my every move so they could grab it as soon as I walked away. Kind of creepy! Before I left, I made half a grilled cheese sandwich with mozzarella cheese and about 2 cups of frozen Brussels sprouts, steamed in the microwave with about a teaspoon of Smart Balance and some Mrs. Dash added for extra flavor. It kept me going through all 4 stops I needed to make, and I managed to survive the bargain-hungry shoppers!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (bread)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 2 cups (Brussels sprouts)
Milk: ¾ cup (mozzarella cheese)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 2 teaspoons (Smart Balance)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.95

Dinner
I decided that some “comfort food” was in order for dinner tonight, so I made some macaroni and cheese. This is another recipe out of my Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet cookbook. As usual, I added a few additional ingredients above and beyond the 5 listed. I also only made ½ of the recipe, since I was alone for dinner tonight and didn’t want to have more leftovers than I could handle. Below is the recipe I actually used, adapted from the one in the book. I had about ¼ of the dish, which was about 1 ½ cups. I also made a small piece of chicken (4 oz) ½ cup of frozen peas and carrots, and a glass of apple juice to have on the side. I sautéed the chicken in a pan with a little olive oil and sprinkled some garlic powder and dried basil on top as seasoning. I steamed the vegetables in the microwave and made my usual additions of Smart Balance and Mrs. Dash.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 3 oz whole (pasta)
Fruits: 1 cup (apple juice)
Vegetables: ½ cup (mixed peas and carrots)
Milk:1 ½ cups (milk and cheese in sauce)
Meats & beans: 4 oz (chicken breast)
Oils: 3 teaspoon (olive oil and Smart Balance in sauce and on veggies)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.43

Recipe:
Macaroni and Cheese
6-8 oz whole wheat macaroni, or other short pasta shape (I used eggless egg noodles)
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 + ½ cups skim milk
2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine (I used Smart Balance, of course)
1 + ¼ cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons dried, seasoned breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
3. Dissolve flour in ½ cup of the milk.
4. Melt margarine in small saucepan and add flour and milk mixture, along with the remaining cup of milk.
5. Slowly bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cook over low heat until thickened-about 5 minutes
6. Stir in garlic, mustard and basil.
7. Combine drained pasta with sauce in casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup of cheese and breadcrumbs over mixture.Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly around edges.

How did I do today?
Grains: 5 oz out of 6 oz - all were whole!
Fruits: 1 1/2 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 3/4 cups out of 2 1/2 cups
Milk: 2 3/4 cups out of 3 cups
Meats & beans: 6 oz out of 5 1/2 oz
Oils: 5 teaspoons out of 6 teaspoons
Total cost for the day: $3.67