On the road to Chicago (suburbs)...

Breakfast
Today we leave for Chicago. It's only for a day-just one night, really, as we will be driving back tomorrow afternoon. Travel can be expensive, and I wanted to make this trip as cheap as possible. I booked the cheapest hotel I could find, but I think the real expense with traveling can be the food. For that reason, I packed a cooler with ice and brought along some yogurt, juice and cheese. I also brought a bag full of portable pantry items: peanut butter, jelly, bread, bagels, chips, dried fruit, cereal and crackers. This would serve as "food for the road" on the way there and back, as well as breakfast in the morning. I figured we could go out for dinner, as it would be a shame to miss the cuisine this city has to offer. I had breakfast at home before we hit the road this morning, but I still wanted minimal effort (and minimal dishes), so I made a toasted bagel with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese with a 6 ounce cup of fat free yogurt. Now it's time to get moving!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 1/2 oz whole (bagel)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 3/4 cup (yogurt)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.94

Lunch-on the road
When we stopped for a driving break, I made half a bagel with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a little grape jelly. I also had a banana. A very "driving friendly" meal!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (bagel)
Fruits: 3/4 cup (banana)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 0
Meats & beans: 1 oz (peanut butter)
Oils: 1 tsp (peanut butter)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.50

Snack
We got to the hotel in the late afternoon, and decided to rest for awhile before going out for dinner. Besides, I needed to find the best place in the area to eat so I needed to do some research via the Internet! I had brought my mozzarella cheese cubes along, so I had about 1 1/2 of them with 9 All-Bran crackers (my new favorite snack!). I also had a 6 oz glass of orange juice, using the lovely plastic cup provided by the hotel.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1/2 oz whole (crackers)
Fruits: 3/4 cup (OJ)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 3/4 cup (mozzarella cheese)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.77

Dinner
I haven't had Indian food in awhile, and this place right down the street from where we were staying got really good reviews. I looked at their menu, and their prices weren't too high so we decided to go there. To my surprise, they had a dinner buffet! I love buffets when it comes to Indian food, because that way I get to try some of everything. I am not that well versed when it comes to the names of the dishes for this type of cuisine, so it really helps to be able to try a little at a time so it doesn't get wasted. All of the Indian restaurants I usually go to in St. Louis only offer a buffet during lunch. I definitely did try a little of everything-about 1/2 cup of rice with 1/2 cup each of three different vegetarian entrees, 2 different vegetable samosas, a little of each meat entree, and a couple pieces of naan. It was awesome-a bit on the pricey side but Matt took care of the check (such a gentleman). There was dessert too-rice pudding with what looked like blended up carrot cake. I did sample a little-but it was gone too quick to take a picture!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 3 oz (naan, rice and wrappers for samosas)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 2 cups (vegetable entrees plus veggies in samosas)
Milk: 0
Meats & beans: 5 oz (chicken entrees)
Oils: 2 tsp (fried samosas)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.00 (I think the buffet was about $12.00 per person)

How did I do today?
Grains: 7 1/2 oz out of 6 oz (3 1/2 were whole)
Fruits: 1 3/4 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 cups out of 2 ½ cups
Milk: 1 1/4 cups out of 3 cups
Meats & beans: 6 1/2 oz out of 5 ½ oz
Oils: 3 tsp out of 6 tsp

Total cost for the day: $2.21

1/5/09

Breakfast
I went for simple and practical this morning: I needed to find a use for the rest of the cream cheese I bought to make the enchiladas last night, so I had a bagel. I don't usually eat bagels, but we are leaving for a trip tomorrow and I wanted to buy some inexpensive transportable foods to bring along. Bagels made the list, and the most nutritious bagel I could find at a reasonable price was Lenders. They make a whole wheat variety, plus they were on sale this week. Bingo! I toasted the bagel and used about 2 tablespoons of Schnucks brand light cream cheese (not enough to count toward any serving of milk, due to the high moisture content). I also had a glass of orange juice and a latte made with 3/4 cup of skim milk. I forgot to take a picture of the latte...oops. It was a pretty good breakfast. I forgot how much I like bagels!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 1/2 oz whole (bagel)
Fruits: 1 cup (orange juice)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 3/4 cup (skim milk for latte)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.01

Lunch
The leftover enchiladas were too good to let go to waste, so I brought one with me for lunch today. I also had 1/2 cup of canned fruit cocktail sitting in the fridge, so I brought that along too. To continue keeping up with the milk products, I also had a 6 oz. cup of fat free cherry vanilla yogurt. The enchiladas were just as good the second time! I am so making these again!


All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (tortilla)
Fruits: 1/2 cup (fruit cocktail)
Vegetables: 1/2 cup (salsa and beans in enchilada)
Milk: 1 3/4 cup (cheddar cheese in enchilada and yogurt)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.37



Afternoon snack

I had 12 baby carrots as a snack...this counted as a cup of vegetables. Sorry no picture!

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.31

Dinner-another experiment
I have been having a lot of luck with my meal experiments lately, so I tried another one tonight. It's from-you guessed it-CookingLight.com again. This one is called Spicy Soba Noodles with Chicken in Peanut Sauce. I wouldn't know where to find Soba noodles (recipe says they are buckwheat), so I figured the whole wheat egg noodles I had on hand would work just as well. I had everything else, except for fresh ginger and green onions, so I used dry ginger (about 1/3 of what it calls for when going from fresh to dry herbs and spices) and left out the green onions. I didn't even miss them! I only made about 1/2 of the recipe, since we're leaving town for a couple of days tomorrow and I didn't want to have leftovers. I also added extra carrots (about a cup total) and about double of the peanuts. It turned out pretty good-I will probably make it again sometime, maybe with some different veggies for variety. For my portion, I had about a cup of the noodles with 3 ounces of chicken. This is definitely one of my less expensive dinners, and relatively easy to prepare, too!

Recipe:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=665587

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (noodles)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 1/2 cup (carrots)
Milk: 0
Meats & beans: 5 oz (chicken, peanut butter and peanuts)
Oils: 2 tsp (peanuts and peanut butter)

How did I do today?
Grains: 6 oz out of 6 oz (all were whole)
Fruits: 1 1/2 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 1 3/4 cups out of 2 ½ cups
Milk: 2 1/2 cups out of 3 cups
Meats & beans: 6 oz out of 5 ½ oz
Oils: 2 tsp out of 6 tsp

Total cost for the day: $4.90

Weekly wrap-up, December 29-January 4

How did I do this week?

My average serving per day for each food group:
Grains: 5 3/4 oz.
Fruits: 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 1/2 cups
Milk: 2 1/2 cups
Meats & beans: 5 1/2 oz.
Oils: 3 1/2 teaspoons

Total cost for the week: $34.92
Average cost/day: $4.99

This was a very good week! I was very close on all my reccomendations, including milk. And...I made my budget!!! I did have one meal taken care of (NYE) but even if I had paid for that I still would have been pretty close. Yea!!!

1/4/09

Breakfast
Today I went for another new twist on oatmeal. I made the last (finally) packet of maple and brown sugar oatmeal, but this time I added a sliced banana along with about 2 tablespoons of walnuts and 1/2 cup of skim milk. It was nice to find yet another delicous way to enjoy oatmeal. I can't believe I used to eat it plain, with nothing added to it at all besides milk. This project has really helped me get out of my "comfort zone," especially with breakfast. It used to be oatmeal every day in the winter, and cold cereal every day in the summer. Aside from making breakfast more interesting, this has also helped me stay full longer and incorporate more food groups-especially fruits-into my daily intake.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (oatmeal)
Fruits: 3/4 cup (medium banana)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: ½ cup (skim milk)
Meats & beans: 1 oz (walnuts)
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.83

Late morning snack
I really enjoyed my mozzarella cheese plan yesterday-it was an easy way to include a milk product in my diet. Once again, I had 2 1-inch cubes of cheese with 9 All-Bran crackers.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: ½ oz whole (crackers)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 1 cup (mozzarella cheese)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.63

Lunch
It was a workday, so I brought lunch with me. I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread with about 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 2 teaspoons of grape jam. I also had an ounce of Baked Lays and 12 raw baby carrots (counts as a cup of vegetables). I love baby carrots because they are another easy, portable way to get vegetables. I usually eat them plain, but sometimes I eat them with low fat or fat free salad dressing for variety.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz whole (bread)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 1 1/2 cups (chips and carrots)
Milk: 0
Meats & beans: 2 oz (peanut butter)
Oils: 2 tsp (peanut butter)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.10

Dinner
I knew I had a can of black beans sitting at home, and really wanted to find a way to incorporate them into a meal. Once again, CookingLight.com was my savior! I found a recipe for enchiladas that sounded really good, so I stopped by the store to pick up the remaining items I would need to make them: enchilada sauce, reduced fat cream cheese, and Manny's whole wheat tortillas. Instead of using soy crumbles, I opted for the frozen chicken I had on hand instead. I also used about 1/2 cup more cheddar cheese than the recipe called for: you can never have enough cheese, plus I use the reduced fat kind so there's less guilt :) They turned out really good...Matt definitely approved! I put two on my plate, but only ate about 1 1/2 because they were very filling. I also had a glass of orange juice, which seems like a weird combo, but actually worked quite well.

recipe:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=549755

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz whole (1 1/2 7" tortillas)
Fruits: 1 cup (orange juice)
Vegetables: 1 cups (1/2 cup beans-counting as a veg this time + 1/4 cup each of salsa and enchilada sauce)
Milk: 2 cups (1/2 cup of cheddar cheese)
Meats & beans: 2 oz (chicken)
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.89

How did I do today?
Grains: 6 oz out of 6 oz (all were whole)
Fruits: 2 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 ½ cups out of 2 ½ cups
Milk: 3 1/4 cups out of 3 cups (I actually went over?!)
Meats & beans: 5 oz out of 5 ½ oz
Oils: 4 tsp out of 6 tsp

Total cost for the day: $5.44

1/3/09

Breakfast
I tried something different for breakfast today. In perusing CookingLight.com for recipes that call for yogurt (I’m trying to find a use for this huge tub of fat free plain that I bought), I came across a breakfast entrée that sounded good. As usual, I used what I had on hand to make this recipe: regular peanut butter, not reduced fat (Skippy Natural to be exact), the plain fat free yogurt, a whole wheat tortilla, and regular wheat germ (I wouldn’t even know where to look for honey-crunch wheat germ). I made just one tortilla, using 2 tablespoons of peanut butter mixed with 2 tablespoons of yogurt, and sprinkled about a teaspoon of orange juice and wheat germ over it with a little cinnamon. I used a whole medium banana cut into small slices and rolled it up. It was so good, and kept me going all morning without a snack! Overall, I would rate this as an easy, nutritious, great tasting and inexpensive breakfast-the best kind :)
The recipe isn’t really needed, but here it is anyway:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=549754

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 ½ oz whole (tortilla)
Fruits: ¾ cup (banana)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 0 (the yogurt wasn’t really enough to count toward anything)
Meats & beans: 2 oz (peanut butter)
Oils: 2 tsp (peanut butter)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.80

Lunch
I had leftover falafel for lunch today. I was out of the yogurt sauce (should have made more-it was too good) so I topped 2 chickpea patties with about 2 tablespoons of feta and a cup of spinach. Unfortunately, the patties were a little dry after heating in the microwave. It would have been nice to reheat them in the oven, but I didn’t have one available since I was at work today. The sandwich fell apart pretty badly, but it didn’t stop me from eating it-I just used a fork and knife! I also had about an ounce of Baked Lays potato chips on the side.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz whole (pita bread)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 1 ½ cups (spinach, chips, and counting one chickpea patty as ½ cup)
Milk: ¼ cup (feta cheese)
Meats & beans: 2 oz (chickpea patty)
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.78

Afternoon snack
The leftovers I had for lunch were good, but I had a feeling I would be hungry later in the day, since I was working today and would not get to eat dinner until after 8. I had another plan to get more milk products into my diet, which I was ready to execute today. I bought a large (16 oz) block of mozzarella cheese and cut it into 1-inch cubes. I had two cubes with 9 whole wheat (All Bran) crackers. Each cube counted as ½ cup of milk, for a whole cup total. What an easy (and delicious) way to get milk products in!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: ½ oz whole (crackers)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 1 cup (mozzarella cheese)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.63

Dinner
Tonight I made a pizza for dinner. I got a pizza stone as a gift, and was eager to try it out for the first time. I made my whole wheat crust (recipe in an earlier entry) and topped it with pesto sauce, fresh steamed spinach, sautéed chicken, sundried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. The pizza stone worked great and gave the pizza a much more evenly cooked, crispier crust. The only problem was that the pizza totally stuck! I guess I should have oiled up the stone a little better before I placed the pizza on it. With some effort (along with two knives and a spatula) I was able to retrieve the pizza, mostly intact. I had 3 slices, along with a large glass (10 oz) of 100% apple juice…it was very good!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 3 oz whole (pizza crust)
Fruits: 1 ¼ cups (apple juice)
Vegetables: 1 ½ cups (about 2 cups spinach and ¼ cup of dried tomatoes on my portion)
Milk: 1 ½ cups (about ½ cup of mozzarella cheese on my portion)
Meats & beans: 2 oz (chicken)
Oils: 2 tsp (pesto sauce)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.58

How did I do today?
Grains: 7 oz out of 6 oz (all were whole)
Fruits: 2 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 3 cups out of 2 ½ cups
Milk: 2 ¾ cups out of 3 cups
Meats & beans: 6 oz out of 5 ½ oz
Oils: 4 tsp out of 6 tsp

Total cost for the day: $5.79

Finally...relaxation!

Breakfast
The holidays are finally over-and I am actually very glad! I enjoy spending time with family and friends, but I have hardly been able to relax during my time off from school. Today I have the day off, and I plan to do some shopping with gift cards that I received as presents. Gift cards are always the perfect gift, in my opinion. Some people would say it's too impersonal to give a piece of plastic (or maybe even just a printout) but I like them because you can think about how you want to use it. I even made a list of possibilities before I headed out so I wouldn't just pick up the first thing that looked good.
For breakfast on my first "real day off," I made a simple meal that did not require much work, except a little measuring. I mixed a cup of plain, fat free yogurt with 1/2 cup of dry granola cereal and 1/4 cup of dried blueberries. I added a packet of Equal because the last time I used the plain yogurt, I really thought it lacked sweetness. It was much better this way, and the dried blueberries were a very nice touch. I have only seen these at a decent price at Trader Joes. I bought them awhile back to put in muffins and have now found a new use for them, it seems!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (granola cereal)
Fruits: 1/2 cup (dried blueberries)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 1 cup (yogurt)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.21

Lunch
I had a small piece of chicken (2 ounces) and about 1/2 cup of brown rice left over from last night, so I decided that would be lunch today. I also added a cup of canned fruit cocktail on the side. This is another good substitute for fresh fruit during the winter months. I only buy the kind that is canned in fruit juice (this one was in pear juice) rather than syrup. This way, I get only the fruit, without the added sugars. I find fruit to be sweet enough as it is! I used almost the whole can (generic store brand) for this meal, but the unused portion is easily refrigerated for later in a plastic container. The one benefit missing from canned fruit is the fiber, but I try to make up for that by eating as many whole grain products as possible.


All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (brown rice)
Fruits: 1 cup (fruit cocktail)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 0
Meats & beans: 2 oz (chicken)
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.21

Afternoon Snack
All that shopping wore me out! I guess everyone is still off work from the holiday, so the stores were pretty crowded. When I got home, I made a sugar free caramel cappuccino with 1 cup of skim milk. I also had a slice of banana bread (the last one-yea!) with a tablespoon of peanut butter. It was a pretty good combo, as I suspected. Peanut butter and banana usually is!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (banana bread)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 1 cup (skim milk)
Meats & beans: 1 oz (peanut butter)
Oils: 1 tsp (peanut butter)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.39

Dinner
One of the items I bought with my gift cards was a large food processor/chopper. The one I have is tiny-only holds about 2 cups-and it's impossible to prepare anything substantial in it. This one has a 10 cup capacity, so I decided to plan a meal that I could prepare with it. I decided to make baked falafel, another recent discovery on CookingLight.com. Falafel is essentially a patty made from chickpeas, served inside pita bread. I have had it many different ways, but never prepared it myself. This recipe sounded relatively easy and got good reviews so, armed with my new food processor, I decided to give it a go. Luckily, I had most of the ingredients on hand. I bought the chickpeas and whole wheat pita bread, used fat free yogurt instead of whole, white onions instead of green, dried cilantro instead of fresh, skipped the tomatoes (they are way too expensive right now), and added feta cheese and spinach instead. I used dried chickpeas this time, partially because they are cheap, and partially because I couldn't find any canned ones at the store. The fastest way to prepare dried beans is to place them in a pan with about 6 cups of water for every pound, bring to a boil for a few minutes, and then turn off the heat and let them sit, covered, for about an hour. After they sat for 1 hour, I simmered them until they became soft (It took about an hour for that to happen). I made a spinach salad with dried cranberries, walnuts, feta cheese and raspberry dressing as a side dish. I had 1/2 of a pita with two patties topped with 2 tablespoons of the yogurt-tahini sauce (so yummy!), 2 tablespoons of feta and a cup of spinach, along with 2 cups of the salad with 2 tablespoons of dressing. We had guests for dinner tonight, and everyone really liked this recipe. I was so glad my "experiment" turned out so well. The new food processor was a huge help-it would have been a nightmare with the old one.
Baked Falafel Sandwiches with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1687658

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz whole (1/2 of a large pita)
Fruits: 1/2 cup (dried cranberries)
Vegetables: 2 cups (spinach, plus I counted one of the chickpea patties as a vegetable. You can do that-beans can go either way!)
Milk: 3/4 cup (feta cheese)
Meats & beans: 2 oz (I counted the other chickpea patty here)
Oils: 1 tsp (salad dressing)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.46

How did I do today?
Grains: 5 oz out of 6 oz (all were whole)
Fruits: 2 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 cups out of 2 ½ cups
Milk: 2 3/4 cups out of 3 cups
Meats & beans: 5 1/2 oz out of 5 ½ oz
Oils: 3 teaspoons out of 6 teaspoons

Total cost for the day: $5.27

Happy 2009!

Breakfast
I didn’t get to bed until 3 am last night, and I had to be up at 9 to get ready for work. Yes, work. I have to work every other holiday, and lucky me-today was my turn! At least I got a later shift, rather than an early one. I was definitely half asleep and on autopilot today, so I just had a packet of oatmeal with ½ cup of skim milk and ¼ cup of raisins along with a small (4 oz) glass of orange juice. Of course, I also had a big cup of coffee-I will need a lot more before the day is done, I’m sure.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (oatmeal)
Fruits: ½ cup
Vegetables: 0
Milk: ½ cup (skim milk)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0
The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.74
Lunch-2nd run of leftovers
I had leftover pasta, meatballs and sauce for lunch again. This time it was 1 cup of pasta, ¾ cup of sauce, 3 meatballs and 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese (I’m determined to use this stuff up!). I also had 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce with some cinnamon that I added myself. This is another easy and inexpensive way that I have found to get fruits into my diet, especially in the winter when produce prices are through the roof. I bought a large jar of the store brand applesauce (I always buy unsweetened-I don’t think it needs the extra sugar). It’s very easy to portion out, and all it needs is a little cinnamon to top it off.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz (pasta)
Fruits: 1 cup (applesauce)
Vegetables: ¾ cup (pasta sauce)
Milk: ½ cup (Parmesan cheese)
Meats & beans: 3 oz (meatballs)
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.77

Dinner
I had a plan to use up more of the leftovers from the other day. I still had a lot of green beans left, so I made a meal that would go along with them. I sautéed some frozen chicken breast (about 4 ounces for my portion) in olive oil and garlic and served it over ½ cup of brown rice. I heated up about a cup of green beans for myself, and split a large sweet potato (baked in the microwave) between me and Matt. As usual, I added about a teaspoon of Smart Balance light to the potato along with my newfound addition, a few shakes of cinnamon. Very good, and I got to use up more leftovers, too! After dinner, I was still craving something sweet so I had a piece of banana bread. I heated it up in the microwave for about 20 seconds…it was almost as good as if it had just come out of the oven!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz whole (rice and banana bread)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 1 ½ cups (green beans and sweet potato)
Milk: 0
Meats & beans: 4 oz (chicken breast)
Oils: 2 teaspoons (Smart Balance and olive oil)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.63

How did I do today?
Grains: 5 oz out of 6 oz (3 were whole)
Fruits: 2 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 ¼ cups out of 2 ½ cups
Milk: 1 cup out of 3 cups (oops-should’ve had a cappuccino today!)
Meats & beans: 7 oz out of 5 ½ oz
Oils: 2 teaspoons out of 6 teaspoons

Total cost for the day: $4.14