Today I tried something different for breakfast. Instead of going straight for the orange juice when I got up (I still had my coffee, of course), I decided to make a smoothie. I have been looking as smoothie recipes for awhile now. They seem like such an easy breakfast, not to mention a good way to get more fruits into your diet. I guess it took this project to really get me to branch out and finally try it! I made a peanut butter and banana smoothie: 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 medium banana, ½ cup of skim milk, and a few ice cubes. All I had to do was press the button on the blender and breakfast was ready! I added a slice of whole wheat toast on the side to incorporate some grains as well. I used about a teaspoon each of Smart Balance Light and some pumpkin butter I had in the fridge. This meal was very easy, and allowed me to get 4 different food groups into 1 meal – change can be good...and efficient!
All togethe
r, this meal provided:Grains: 1 oz. whole (toast)
Vegetables: 0
Fruits: ¾ cup (medium banana)
Milk: ½ cup (skim milk)
Meats & beans: 2 oz (2 Tbsp peanut butter)
Oils: 1 tsp (Smart Balance)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.94
Lunch-an unexpected surprise
Planning meals ahead of time can be great, but sometimes things change. Today, I was going to make a bean burrito for lunch when I got home from my meeting. However, to my surprise, Matt had a pizza waiting when I walked in the door. I could have refused and gone ahead with my plan, but rule # 1 of eating on a budget is: Never turn down a free meal! Believe it or not, pizza can actually be a very healthy choice. What makes it unhealthy is when you pile on the greasy, fatty toppings like sausage, pepperoni, bacon or extra cheese. Lucky for me, Matt knows this and the pizza he got had grilled chicken, tomatoes, a moderate amount of cheese and pesto instead of red sauce.
The only problem with a meal you did not prepare yourself is that you don’t know precisely how much of the ingredients were used. I had two small slices, and estimated the portions as best I could. I had a glass of 100% Blueberry Pomegranate juice on the side to add some fruit.
All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz. (pizza crust)
Vegetables: ¼ cup (tomatoes)
Fruits: 1 cup (100% juice)
Milk: 1 cup (about ¼ cup mozzarella cheese on pizza)
Meats & beans: 1 oz (chicken on pizza)
Oils: 1 tsp (pesto sauce on pizza)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.37 (not counting the pizza because I didn’t pay for it)
Dinner-going ahead with the plan
Since I didn’t have the bean burrito for lunch, I decided to make it for dinner and “jazz it up” a bit. I sau
téed some onion that I had sitting in the fridge, along with some frozen, pre-sliced red, green and yellow peppers. These are a great alternative to out-of-season fresh peppers right now. I had never used them before, but when I saw that the price of just one fresh pepper is up to 1.99 at the store, the frozen option became the right choice at 1.59 for a one pound bag. The fact that they were frozen made no apparent difference in the flavor or texture, and I even got out of chopping. What a deal!Beans are a great cheap alternative to meat in almost any dish, and they also have the added bonus of providing fiber. I rinsed a can of black beans (to remove excess sodium) and heated them up for a few minutes in the microwave. I topped 2 whole wheat tortillas (7 inch Manny’s brand) with ¼ cup of black beans, ¼ cup of peppers and onions, 2 tablespoons of reduced fat cheddar cheese (store brand), and 2 tablespoons of salsa each. Because I needed some more vegetables to fulfill my daily requirement, I steamed a cup of broccoli (also the frozen variety) and had it on the side with a teaspoon
of Smart Balance.Room for dessert
I stilled needed ½ cup of milk to fulfill my daily requirement, so I had a scoop of fat free frozen yogurt for dessert. I love the Blue Bunny brand-they have some wonderful “guilt-free” choices. I had vanilla tonight, but they also make a great fat free strawberry cheesecake variety. Besides satisfying the craving for something sweet, frozen yogurt also counts toward a serving in the milk group.
All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 3 oz. (2 whole wheat tortillas)
Vegetables: 1 ¾ cups (1/2 cup peppers/onions, ¼ cup salsa, and 1 cup broccoli)
Fruits: 0
Milk: 1 ½ cups (1/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar, ½ cup fat free frozen yogurt)
Meats & beans: 2 oz (1/4 cup beans=1 oz, so 2 oz total)
Oils: 1 tsp (smart balance)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.24
How did I do today?
Grains: 6 oz. out of 6 oz. (4 oz. were whole)
Vegetables: 2 cups out of 2 ½ cups
Fruits: 1 ¾ cups out of 2 cups
Milk: 3 cups out of 3 cups
Meats & beans: 5 oz. out of 5 ½ oz.
Oils: 3 tsp out of 6 tsp
$3.52 total for the day
Not too bad-I was a little short on the vegetables and meats & beans, but I’ll try to make up for it tomorrow.
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