1.19.09

Breakfast
Today I had a little larger serving of oatmeal than usual. I microwaved about 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup of quick oats with 1 cup of skim milk, then added a sliced banana, 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts, and a little Equal and cinnamon. I also had the last of the Schnucks orange juice, which was about 6 oz, or 3/4 cup.


All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (oatmeal)
Fruits: 1 1/2 cups (orange juice and banana)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 1 cup (skim milk)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.17

Lunch
I threw together a quick pasta lunch today, which ended up being 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat rotini pasta tossed with 1/2 tablespoon of pesto sauce (Classico), 1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes, and topped with a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. I also had a 6 oz cup of Schnucks fat free lemon chiffon yogurt on the side.


All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 3 oz whole (pasta)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 1/2 cup (sundried tomatoes)
Milk: 1 cup (Parmesan cheese and yogurt)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 1 teaspoon (pesto sauce)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.36

Dinner
I made three recipes out of my Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet cookbook for dinner tonight. They were all quite simple recipes (as the name of the book suggests), and I had all the ingredients I needed on hand. I made Maple Roasted Carrots, Spinach Rice (I used brown rice), and Baked Apples with Yogurt for dessert. I have tried the first two before, but the apples were new for me. They turned out pretty good, except they were a bit soggy from the water I put in the pan with them. Next time, I will probably use less water as it wasn't needed. I sauteed some chicken breast (I know, it kind of goes against the vegetarian theme) in a little olive oil and seasoned it with Mrs. Dash. I had a 4 ounce piece of chicken, 3/4 cup of the spinach rice, and 1 1/2 cups of carrots. For dessert, I had 2 apple halves topped with about a tablespoon of the walnuts with sugar and cinnamon, and about 3 oz of fat free vanilla yogurt.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (brown rice)
Fruits: 1 cup (apple)
Vegetables: 1 3/4 cups (spinach and carrots)
Milk: 1/4 cup (yogurt)
Meats & beans: 4 1/2 oz (chicken and walnuts)
Oils: 4 teaspoons (1 from walnuts, 1 from Smart Balance in rice, and 2 from olive oil)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.27


Maple Roasted Carrots (From The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, by Nava Atlas)
Ingredients:
1 16-oz bag of baby carrots
2 tablespoons maple syrup (I used the "lite" variety)
1 tablespoon light olive oil (I used regular(
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir together. Arrange on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake, stirring gently every few minutes, until the carrots are tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes, and serve.


Spinach Rice(From The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, by Nava Atlas)
Ingredients:
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 tablespoons non hydrogenated margarine (I used Smart Balance Light)
1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 to 2 scallions, thinly sliced (I left these out and it was still good)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a simmer with the bouillon cube in a medium saucepan. Stir in the rice, cover, simmer gently until the water is absorbed, about 35 minutes.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and continue to cook just until everything is heated through. Serve at once.


Baked Apples with Yogurt (From The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, by Nava Atlas) (I only made 1/3 of this recipe, to serve 2 people)
Ingredients:
6 medium sweet cooking apples, such as Cortland (I used Empire)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, optional
1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt, or soy yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Core the apples carefully with a small sharp knife, and place them in a baking pan.
3. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and optional walnuts in a small bowl and stir together. Divide the mixture among the hollows of each apple.
4. Fill the baking pan with about 1/2 inch of water. Cover with foil and bake until the apples are tender, about 45 minutes.
5. Allow the apples to cool until just warm, fill the hollows with a little yogurt, and serve.

How did I do today?
Grains: 5 1/2 oz out of 6 oz (all were whole)
Fruits: 2 1/2 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 1/4 cups out of 2 1/2 cups
Milk: 2 1/4 cups out of 3 cups
Meats & Beans: 5 1/2 oz out of 5 1/2 oz
Oils: 6 teaspoons out of 6 teaspoons

Total cost for the day: $4.79