Visual Appetite

Last week Ryan and I made a pretty exciting purchase. We bought a Canon DSLR T3 camera. The camera we had before was so junky and we knew with a babe on the way we wanted something that would really capture some great moments. Ryan has always had an interest in photography so we decided this would be worth the investment.
This past week we spent a lot of time taking pictures of random things around the house to get used to the insane amount of features this thing has. Naturally, that lead me to the idea of sharing pictures of our meals this week. Ryan has definitely learned how to use this faster than I have, so you can assume any of the pictures that actually look good were taken by him ;-)

Sunday: Blackbean & Quinoa Burrito's

Blackbeans sauted with yellow pepper, cumin & chipotle pepper, over quinoa mixed with salsa, topped with tomatos and avacado. Delish!

Breakfast: Smoothies & coffee

During the week Ryan and I have the same thing for breakfast every day. A smoothie (banana, strawberries, other fruits, flax, kefir and a little milk) and a cup of coffee with just a little creamer and a good amount of cinnamon. So good!

Monday: Maple & Mustard Chicken with roasted sweet potatos

Chicken breasts cooked in olive oil and glazed in a sauce made of maple syrup, spicy mustard & red wine vinegar. On the side was chopped sweet potatos roasted in olive oil & S&P. Easy!!

Tuesday: Valentines Day!!

 Ryan's famous chicken marsala with okra on the side (followed by some amazing cupcakes from Pearl's)

Read about our Valentine's day tradition here.

 And here is how we felt after cupcakes! haha...

Sorry Bumper, no cupcakes for diabetic kitties!

Wednesday: Pesto pizza with mushrooms & fresh mozzarella

 Whole grain pizza crust topped with pesto, mushrooms & sliced mozzarella. We were so hungry when this came out of the oven we inhaled it without taking an after shot! oops!

Thursday: Thursday I came home with a craving for mexican so we ate out and naturally did not think to take pictures! haha...

Friday: Island Chicken

 To read how to make island chicken, click here.

Well that is a fairly typical menu for a week in the Shannon Casa. We are still learning how to use this camera, but I have to say some of these pictures came out pretty good! I am excited to get even better with this and be able to post some really awesome food photos!

Happy Eating!

Frugal Foodie

Ryan and I pride ourselves on our ability to live frugally. I choose to live this way because I like controlling how and when I spend my money (yes I have control issues ;-) Ryan (being a financial analyst) is really focused on saving for the future, so living frugally is a priority for him as well. Food expenses can be a huge drain on any one's budget. Considering how much we appreciate food and love to eat, being frugal in this area is a big focus for us.

Below is a list of things we do on a regular basis to save money on food, without having to sacrifice quality or taste. Some of these ideas might work for you and others might not. Some ideas might be new, others you may be doing as well. These are just things that we do that work very well for us.

1. Menu Plan - This is the number one tactic I use to save money when it comes to food. I grocery shop weekly and I always make a list ahead of time with 5-6 planned dinners before I step foot in the store (we then decide what meal we want to eat each night). This allows me to ensure everything I buy has a pre-planned purpose, hardly anything is wasted and there are far less trips to the store for little forgotten things throughout the week. Think you don't have time to menu plan? Leave a note pad on your coffee table and do it during commercial breaks when you are watching TV.
2. Use your rewards card & read the weekly specials - my grocery store allows me to manage my rewards account on line. It keeps a list of things I buy often and tells me about coupons. It also provides me with a copy of the weekly specials which I often use when meal planning. The biggest perk I get from this card though has to do with gas savings. I watch that very closely and have saved a lot on gas from using this program. (p.s. I hear the Kroger rewards program is great and you can even load coupons electronically on your card. My grocery store hasn't done this yet, but I'm optimistic!)
3. Coupon carefully - couponing seems to be a way of life for some people. Sure those people on extreme couponing are saving some serious money, but do you see the food they buy? Gross! It's often overly processed, filled with preservatives or shelf stable junk. The thing to be careful about here is not falling into the trap of buying things you normally wouldn't because you have a coupon. I always make my grocery list first, then go through my coupons to see what matches my list. I rarely go to the store with more than 2-4 coupons each week. The other thing is that we eat a lot of fresh produce and there are generally not coupons for the produce section which leads me to my next money saving tactic....
4. Buy produce from the salad bar - I make a big salad for dinner usually once a week. I often use spinach as a base and when buying a prepackaged bag or box I used to spend $3-4 per bag. Ryan and I might use half of that for our salads so then I am left trying to figure out how to use the rest of it before it goes bad. I recently started buying the exact amount of spinach we will need from the salad bar and it costs me less than a dollar! Love it.
5. Grow your own - We bought our house last March and with the move and getting settled, we were unable to plant a garden. However, we have been planning since last summer to get a good garden going this spring. We are going to grow things we eat often to save some serious dough. We started composting last year so we have some great soil to use and we will be making a rain barrel to save costs when watering the garden.We are anticipating some big savings on produce and fresh herbs. We also have some good friends who are starting their garden this year too and will be growing fruits & veggies slightly different than ours so we can trade any surplus!
6. Balance the cost - If we know we want to go out for a nice seafood dinner or a steak dinner one night, then we will simply plan for a less costly dinner another night. We hardly feel deprived and this keeps the food budget in line while still allowing for splurges.
7. Cut back on Meat - I'm not saying we cut it out completely, but reducing how often we eat it and the amount we eat has saved us loads of money and allows us to buy better quality meat (not to mention the health benefits!!). Being flexitarians, we eat vegetarian meals about half the time and when we do eat meals with meat, we eat less meat. For example, I may buy a pound of turkey sausage and use half for one meal and half for another instead of using the whole pound for one dinner. (i.e half for beans & rice and then other half for homemade pizza - this is where meal planning is critical!) I know if you are feeding a larger family, this might not work, but just cutting back the meat portions overall will make a difference.
8. Eat out strategically - I love to cook (obvi) so we eat dinner at home about 5-6 times a week. However we do love to eat out and try new things so I am always on the look out for deals from groupon, living social & restaurant.com (not kidding you, we currently have 6 gift certificates each for $25 that we paid $7 for total).
9. Brown bag it (when it makes sense) - Taking your lunch each day can save you a ton of money! In my last job I used to bring my lunch about 4 days a week and eat out once. However, at Capital One we have so many cafeterias and an AWESOME wellness program in place where healthier food actually costs less. I often get a soup & salad or soup & sandwich and my lunch costs between $3-$4. With lunch costing that little, I definitely buy my lunch most days here. Ryan on the other hand loves leftovers and will usually eat whatever he finds in the fridge.
10. Potlucks with Friends - we are lucky to have a close knit group of friends who are also very frugal minded. We very often get together for Potlucks or dinners at home. This allows us to enjoy a night with our friends without spending a fortune. Plus it doesn't hurt that our friends are awesome cooks! =)

That's my list of the most frequent ways I save money in the food department. What other ideas are you using to save money on food? I seriously LOVE getting a good deal on anything so I am always on the look out for ways to save a little cash!!

Happy Eating!

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with White Beans, Fresh Herbs & Parmesan

I have always loved squash. I love summer squash, acorn squash, butternut squash and spaghetti squash among others. In an effort to cook more seasonally I decided to try a new spaghetti squash recipe that turned out to be delicious! Ryan raved about it and I was surprised at how good this simple meal was.

Roasting the Squash
Spaghetti squash can be really hard to cut through when uncooked, so I poked a few holes in it and threw it on a pan in the oven whole. You're going to want to cook it at 375 degrees and I would suggest checking it after 45 minutes. I cooked mine for a little over an hour and it was over-cooked.
Once it is cooked (you can tell if it's fork tender), cut it in half length wise and spoon out the seeds. Then gently scrape out the flesh with a fork in long strands.

The rest of the meal:
Meanwhile, saute two chopped shallots and a large clove of garlic in about 2 tblspn butter. Cook just until softened and then add about a cup of cannellini beans, a tspn fresh chopped thyme and a tspn fresh chopped rosemary (your kitchen will smell amazing at this point). Stir in squash strands and heat the mixture through. Serve with fresh Parmesan on top and crusty bread on the side.

Note: We are buying a fancy new camera this week in preparation for Mr. Baby Shannon, so my future food pics will be so much better than these iPhone shots!

Happy Eating!

Mini Broccoli & Cheddar Quiche

Now that I am pregnant, it's more important than ever to focus on getting enough protein in my diet. I just can't bring myself to eat meat every single night though, so I turned to my trusty, protein rich friend the egg. Now I love breakfast for dinner and have since I was a kid (it was a weekly staple in the Cook household), but Ryan is just not a huge fan. I started looking up other egg "dinner" recipes and found one for mini-quiche made in a muffin tin. How fun! As I always do, I tweaked the recipe a little and came up with something that turned out to be surprisingly delicious and something we both (or all 3) loved.

Mini Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche
- about 2 cups broccoli florets - cooked just until tender & chopped
- 1 cup milk (1% or higher)
- 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
- I cup graded cheddar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt & pepper to taste
- a tspn nutmeg

Heat the oven to 350 and grease the muffin tin. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, eggs & egg yolks. Stir in cheese, salt, pepper & nutmeg. Add chopped broccoli. Pour egg mixture into prepared muffin cups, filling each one. Bake about 25 minutes or until set and no longer jiggly. Let them cool slightly, then invert onto a baking sheet.

These were very tasty as made, but the great thing is that you could add different things to switch it up. We're thinking next time we might try turkey sausage and mushrooms. I served these with french fries and biscuits (because I'm pregnant and I wanted curly fries and bread ;-) But they would go great with a side salad, roasted asparagus or maybe fresh fruit for brunch.

Happy Eating!

Easy Apricot Chicken

Wow, it has been too long since my last post. I have to tell you though, pregnancy really messes with your taste buds. I really haven't been eating (much less cooking) anything worth blogging about. Unless of course anyone would want to read a weekly review of Papa John's and kraft mac n cheese. However, now that I am fully in the middle of my 2nd trimester, I have been feeling much better and my taste buds have been more cooperative. I have also found myself with much more energy and have actually felt like cooking again! Yay!

Tonight I whipped up a yummy, super easy staple in our house and decided it would be worth sharing. It's inexpensive, healthy & completely flexible!

Apricot Chicken
- chicken breast
- salt & pepper
- apricot preserves
- spicy mustard

That's it. Seriously. The recipe is wonderfully flexible as well. Basically season the chicken well with salt & pepper and cook it. Sometimes I cook it stove top and sometimes I bake it.You could probably bread or fry it if you wanted. Next, to make the sauce heat 2 parts apricot preserves and 1 part mustard in a small sauce pan (taste and add more mustard or preserves if you like). Heat slowly while stirring until well blended. Simply pour the sauce over the chicken and enjoy.


I promise you will be surprised at how tasty this easy meal is. I usually make this with a side of roasted veggies. I think sweet potatoes and red onion go really well.

Happy New Year and Happy Eating!!

Guest Post - Spaghetti Squash!

One fun thing about being a foodie is having friends who are also foodies! I asked one of my best friends Kristy to write and share the post below. She is a vegetarian and has a way of making wonderful vegetarian food that tastes delcious and is so filling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fall is in full effect, which means some of the tastiest veggies are in season. One of my favorite vegetables is squash, and there are so many varieties to choose from. There are several kinds of squash I haven’t tried yet, but as of now my favorite is spaghetti squash. It’s easy to prepare, extremely nutritious and you can use the veggie itself as a serving dish!!  

This particular recipe was created by our lovely friend Chloe. She made it for me one night, and I’ve been hooked ever since. The best part about this recipe (aside from its deliciousness) is that it’s flexible. You can add or omit ingredients based on preference, and it doesn’t require precise measurements.  So, go ahead and get creative with this one! These are the ingredients I always include, but the possibilities are endless! If you’ve never had tempeh, I highly recommend trying it. It’s a product derived from soybeans, similar to tofu, but it’s higher in protein, fiber and vitamins, has a firmer texture and an earthy flavor.

Spaghetti Squash Bowls
1 large spaghetti  squash, halved
Minced garlic
1 can chopped fire roasted tomatoes (the fire roasted ones add a lot of flavor!)
½ can chickpeas
2 cups spinach (frozen)
½ block tempeh
Teriyaki or stir fry sauce
Feta cheese

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (leave the skin on, no need to peel), and scoop out the seeds and pulp with a small spoon so you’re left with two “bowls.” Bake the two halves for about 30-45 minutes on a cookie sheet, turning them over halfway through. You’ll know they’re done when the inside is soft enough to easily poke a fork through. 

While the squash is baking, heat a small amount of olive oil and minced garlic in a large skillet. Place tomatoes, chickpeas and spinach in skillet and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently until the liquid consistency disappears.While the mixture is simmering, cut tempeh into small, bite size pieces. Heat olive oil in a small skillet on low to medium heat. Sautee tempeh slices for 8-10 minutes, until heated through. Pour a generous amount of teriyaki sauce on the tempeh and let simmer for a few more minutes. Stir tempeh slices into the spinach and tomato mixture.

 

When squash is done baking, allow the halves to cool for a few minutes. Then fill the squash “bowls” with the spinach, tomato, chickpea and tempeh mixture. Sprinkle a generous amount of feta cheese on each bowl and serve hot. While eating, use your fork to scrape the squash away from the skin, so it becomes part of the mixture. Enjoy! 

Easy and Delicious Pumpkin Bread!

Every year when summer comes to an end, I am always sad and slightly reluctant to welcome in the fall. However, this year we had such an insanely hot summer in VA, I was surprisingly happy to feel the cooler weather. I do have to admit fall does bring some pretty awesome things; football, fall fashion, pumpkin spiced lattes, beautiful changing leaves and of course delicious seasonal recipes. I am not much of a baker (too many exact measurements for my style) but in my new found excitement for the season, I found this wonderful recipe. With a few small changes I turned it into a healthier recipe that was absolutely delicious and reminiscent of all things fall.


Pumpkin Bread (or muffins in this case)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar (I only used one to cut back on the sugar and they were still amazing. If you are comfortable with splenda you can use that too - I am slightly afraid of the stuff)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 t baking powder
- 1 t baking soda
- 3/4 t salt
- 1/2 t cloves (I substituted all spice here)
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- 1/2 t nutmeg
- 1 2/3 c flour (I used half whole wheat and half all purpose)
- 1/2 c oil (you can substitute applesauce but I went with canola oil here)
- 1/2 c cold water
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin (make your own or use store bought)
- 1/2 c walnuts (the recipe did not call for this, but I had some in the pantry and thought they would be a nice add-in)

The best part about this recipe? You simply mix all of these ingredients together in one bowl, pour into a greased pan and bake at 325 degrees.
Bread (one loaf) = 75-90 minutes
12 muffins = 45 minutes
24 mini muffins = 25 minutes

I made 12 muffins and they were absolutely delicious!! I love that you can really adjust this recipe based on your preferences and what you have around the house. This is an inexpensive recipe and has lots of antioxidants from the spices, pumpkin and walnuts. A nice side benefit to making these is that your house will smell like fall all day!

Happy Eating!