From drab to fab

 Last week I went on a much needed vacation.  Grad school is officially finished and I have my life back! That means fun refurnishing sewing projects can commence.  Sadie girl and I took off to the beach then stopped by  Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown on the way back.

I love checking out thrift shops when I travel, so off I headed to the local DAV just minutes from my hotel in Williamsburg.  And I stumbled upon this adorable little side table with a price tag of a whopping $3.99!!!  In the back of my car it went.

Once I got home I rushed off to the paint store and found a taster jar of off white paint for only $0.50!!  Several sandings and coats of paint later...

That wire looks super weird in my photos I just realized.  It's my hanging lamp.  Too lazy to take more photos.  :)  

Broccoli with brown sauce

I was craving broccoli with brown sauce tonight after work and almost stopped at the Chinese restaurant.  Then remembered I am broke and went to Shoppers instead to buy broccoli.

So glad I did because this meal is alot cheaper than the $6 or more I would have paid.

Did you know that brown sauce was so easy to make??

1 1/2 c. cooked. Jasmine rice $0.50
2 c. Steamed broccoli $0.98
3 garlic cloves. $0.10
1 Tbsp sesame oil $0.10
2 Tbsp brown sugar $0.10
4 Tbsp soy sauce $0.16
1 1/2 c water
1-2 Tbsp corn starch $0.10

Brown garlic in oil.  Add brown sugar, soy sauce, water.  Cook until sugar dissolves.

Add corn starch.  Cook until sauce thickens.  It will brown up some more as you cook it.

Ass broccoli.  Serve over rice. 

Enjoy!

Total cost $2.04

I thought I was going to eat all of this, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach. So I have lunch for manana! Cost per serving. $1.02

 

Veggie soup

I love the winter.  I love the snow.  I love having four seasons. 

I do not love being cold. 

And for the past week I have been cold all the time.  At school, at work, in my car, at home.  Today I decided to warm up with some yummy veggie soup.

Veggie soup is great to make because you can pretty much use any left over veggies in your fridge or freezer.  And you don't need stock.  I used a veggie bouillon seasoning, but there have been plenty of pots without it.

I had leftover spaghetti sauce from pizza I made the other week and threw that in for more flavoring.

A big bowl with some crunchy toast makes a perfect winter warm-up!

Veggie soup
1/2 onion $0.17
2 carrots. $0.34
1 c. Frozen corn. $0.25
1 c. Frozen okra. $0.30
1 c. Frozen broccoli $0.25
1 c. Frozen cauliflower $0.30
1/2 c. Barley
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce $0.60
2Tbsp veggie bouillon
6 c. Water
salt & pepper to taste

Total cost $2.20

I can get about 3 bowls from this pot. 
Noms noms!

what veggies do you put in your soup?

Veggie Cous-Cous

I may have posted this recipe before only because I love this dish.  I am all about the quick and the easy and this dish is both.  The crunchy veggies mixed with the soft cous-cous is a perfect combo. 

I used Israeli cous-cous for this recipe.  I cannot get enough Israeli cous-cous.  I enjoy it more than the small pearled cous-cous.  Up until I moved I was a member at Costco and could buy huge 5 pound bags for around $9.  I still have about half a bag left. 

You could use any mixture of veggies, I used what I had left in the fridge.  I am guessing on the cost for the cous-cous because I have no idea how many cups are in the bag.  I don't keep the bags and have it stored in a metal container.  Also the carrots are a guess, I bought a 3lb bag and I didn't count how many carrots are in the bag.   I will need to pay attention more on the next trip! 

I also can't keep track of how much spices costs, especially everyday spices like salt & pepper.  You can pick up everyday spices for super cheap at the Dollar Store or even Big Lots. 

Veggie Cous-cous

1 1/2 cup dried cous-cous $0.56
3 c. Water $0
4 carrots $0.75
1 sm onion $0.37
1 red or yellow bell pepper $1.50
1/2 bag spinach (couple of handfuls) $1
Salt & pepper to taste
Italian seasoning to taste

Total cost: $4.18

I can get about 4 meals out of this, cost per meal: $1.05

Noms noms!

Vegan Pancakes

I woke up this a.m. craving french toast with Kings Hawaiian bread. However I am out of eggs and bread, so pancakes it was!

I originally got this recipe from a vegan cookbook and love it! It's super quick to make and has a mild sweet taste without added sugar.

1/2 cup rice flour $0.25

1/2 cup buckwheat flour $0.18

2 Tbsp coconut oil. $0.10

2tsp arrowroot. $0.12

Dash cinnamon

1/2 can peaches. $0.50

3 Tbsp Maple syrup. $0.49

1 1/2 cup almond milk. $0.56

Cook peaches in a pot until soft.

As peaches cook, Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add more or less depending how thick you like your pancakes.

Add some coconut oil to the skillet and drop about 1/4 of the batter onto the skillet. Cook til done.

I topped off my pancakes with walnuts adding about $0.50 to the cost. Any other type of nut would be just as yummy!

Noms noms!

Total cost $2.20

I get about 8 pancakes out of the batter making my cost per pancake $0.27!

Homemade kombucha

Several years ago I hopped on the Kombucha bandwagon and became addicted.  I knew that brewing homemade kombucha was possible, but it was just one more item to add to my "Becoming a Domestic Goddess" wishlist.

Until I started grad school and became super broke.

After several months of not drinking the sparkling sweetness, I decided to try out the brew.  I did not want to, or rather afford to buy a SCOBY so I grew my own from store bought kombucha.  Now there are a ton of resouces online about  growing SCOBYs and not  growing SCOBYs from store bought kombucha.  I decided what they hey, I should just try it.

And I think it worked!

After about 8 weeks my jar had a leathery 1/4" thick mass floating on top of my liquid.

I added what I hoped was my SCOBY to my tea/sugar mixture topped it off with cheesecloth and set it in my cabinet to brew away. I used Irish Breakfast tea and organic sugar for my tea.  If you do want to brew kombucha, please do lots of research as to what type of teas and sugar to use.  I'm not going to bore you with dos and don'ts - there is better info out there than what I can give you. Cultures for Health has a plethora of info on kombucha (and lots of other yummy stuff too).   http://www.culturesforhealth.com/kombucha 

After about two weeks (which was yesterday), I checked in on my experiment.  And this is what I found.

My kombucha is turning into kombucha!!!  I  tasted a bit and oh my it is delish.  It smells like kombucha, tastes like kombucha - so it must be kombucha right???  It's starting to carbonate and has a lovely smell.

I'm going to let it sit for about two more weeks, but so far I am pleased.  I sent this photo to my friend who is not on the kombucha bandwagon and her response was "Gross! Are you going to drink that?"  LOL!

I'll keep you updated on my kombucha progress.

Have you tried homemade kombucha?  Do you have any favorite flavor combos?

Hearty breakfast

Weather men are calling for some crazy snow storm today - i heard 7 inches.  As a result schools are closed so no student teaching for me today. 

I decided to start my day with a yummy bowl of hot cereal.  I love Hodgson Mill Oat Bran hot cereal (you can find it in the cereal aisle near the oatmeal).  I prefer to oatmeal, something about the texture of hot oatmeal just doesn't do it for me.

The flavor combos with this oat bran cereal are endless, really almost any fruit/nut combo tastes delish.  Today I added apples & walnuts -noms noms!

Hot oat bran cereal
2/3 cup oat bran cereal -  $0.22
1 1/4 cup almond milk - $0.52
1/2 apple $0.37
1 Tbsp butter - $0.10
2 Tbsp brown sugar. $0.10
Cinnamon
2 Tbsp maple syrup. $0.25
Handful walnuts. $0.56
2 Tbsp Hemp Seeds. $0.25
Dash of salt

Total cost: $2.37

Saute the apples, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a saucepan until apples are soft.  Add oat bran cereal and milk. 

Cook for about 2 minutes.  Be careful the milk does not scald!  Add male syrup, walnuts, salt, and hemp seeds.   Eat up!

Veggie egg rolls

Since I am on the go a lot I like making easy finger foods that transport well and do not need to be reheated.  Today I made a delish batch of veggie spring rolls.

I baked mine, but you could just as easily fry them.  You can also fill them with whatever veggies you have in the fridge (or meat).

I use egg roll wraps from the produce section.  They are usually near the herbs.  You can also use wonton wrapers and make dumplings.  There were 16 wrappers in the package and I was able to make 14 egg rolls.  I guess I'll need to find something to do with the other two wrappers now!

Whatever you decide to fill them with, you will not be able to eat just one!

1 package wraps. $1.50
1 small onion $0.37
2 carrots. $0.32
1/4 head small cabbage $0.50
1/2 package mushrooms. $1.00
1/2 carton tofu diced. $0.75 1 inch piece ginger $0.05
1 Tbsp sesame seed oil $0.10
3 Tbsp soy sauce. $0.05
3 Tbsp fish sauce. $0.05
1 Tbsp sugar. $0.05
2 Tbsp rice vinegar $.10
2 Tbsp oyster sauce $0.10

Total cost: $4.94

Saute onions, carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms in sesame seed oil until soft. Add tofu and sauces. Cook for about 3 minutes more. Turn off heat and let veggies marinate in sauce. Add a spoonful to eggroll sheet and wrap. Bake at about 350 degrees until tops of rolls are brown.

Cost per egg roll - just $0.35!!  You can't beat that anywhere!

Black bean & corn burgers

So if you hadn't noticed this is my second burger post in a week.  I love making burgers.  Not only can I whip out a weeks worth of lunch, they are cheap to make.  In addition the ingredient possibilities are endless.
Today I made spicy black bean and corn burgers.   I love black bean and Cuban combo and the added paprika topped with avocado makes it all more delish.

The other, more like third great thing about burgers is they are easy to transport and do not need me to reheat.  This means I can throw one in my bag for class or work in a cinch.

I used dried beans and frozen corn in this recipe because it's cheaper.  But you could certainly use canned beans and fresh corn (when in season of course).

Spicy black bean burgers
2 1/2 cups cooked black beans  - $0.59
1 cup corn - $0.30
1 sm onion - $0.50
2 clove garlic $0.26
1 cup oats  $0.72
Olive Oil  $0.25
paprika, cumin, salt, pepper to taste  $0.10

Total cost:  $2.72
Package of hamburger buns $2.99

Cost per burger + bun: $0.84

Can't buy such a cheap delish burger at any restaurant!!

Saute onion in  a little bit of oil until soft.  Add garlic and spices.  Cook about 2 minutes longer.
Pulse oats in food processor until they look like flour.
Combine beans, corn, onion mixture into food processor.  Pulse until smooth.
Form mixture into patties the size that you want. I made about 8 patties.  Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Butternut squash bread

I don't remember where I found this recipe, but since I have it has replaced zucchini bread in my kitchen.

I have to make sure I make some sort of bread or muffins each week or I spend a ridiculous amount of money buying muffins.  Since my 2nd seasonal job is finished today I have to eliminate the extra money I allocated for eating out.

To say that this bread is delish is an understatement, moist, sweet, and fluffy all make this a excellent choice for a breakfast bread or an afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

The original recipe calls for 1cup sugar and 1/4 cup water.  Today I substituted honey for the white sugar and omitted the 1/4 cup of water.  The original recipe also calls for white flour and I used some white/wheat combo bag I accidently picked up. 

Every time I make this bread it only lasts about two days before I eat it all.

Total costs for the loaf $4.33.  Much cheaper than buying $2 muffins every day.  I included .25 for the spices.  They have been in my cabinet and I don't remember how much I paid and calculating cost from a bottle of salt gives me too much of a headache now.  I buy my spices from an Indian grocery and get huge bags of cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, etc for about $2. 

Recipe

1 c. Butternut squash puree (see recipe below)
2 eggs - .66
1/2 c. Oil (I used olive) - .44
1/2 c. Honey - .68
1/2 c brown sugar - .38
1 3/4 c. Flour - . 34
1 tsp baking soda - .04
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamon

Butternut squash puree
1/2 cooked butternut squash $1
6 Tbsp butter - .56
2 Tbsp brown sugar -  .05
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of salt

Head oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly oil a loaf pan (or muffin tin).
Combine ingredients for puree in food processor and combine until smooth.  You might have to add a bit of water. 

In mixing bowl, mix eggs, puree, oil, honey, and brown sugar until smooth.  Add flour and spices and mix until just combined.

Pour mixture into an oiled loaf pan, bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until done.

Delish veggie burger

I am always on the hunt for a yummy veggie burger.  Eating the same same all the time gets more than a little boring for me.  As a grad student veggie burgers on the cheap are always an A+.  That means the staples for the burger will be beans, something that I eat o'plenty.  This recipe uses chickpeas and red lentils.  I really threw in what I had left in the fridge, hence the 1/4 sweet potato (leftover from breakfast)

I don't remember where I adopted this recipe from, but there are a ton of chickpea & lentils in the land of internet.

I am estimating the measurements below, you can add or subtract for your taste preference. 

You can use can or dried chickpeas.  I used dried, well because they are cheaper and I can flavor them as they cook. 

Makes about 8 palm size burgers

1 1/2c. Cooked chickpeas
1 c. Dried lentils (not sure how much this is cooked)
1 sm onion
2 carrots
1/4 sweet potato
1 c oats
Cumin
Salt & pepper
1 Tbsp Tahini
Cilantro
Garlic
1 egg
Olive oil

Cook the lentils.  As the cook sautee the onion, carrot, and garlic until the onions are tender.  Season with cumin, salt, & pepper.

Grind oats into flour in a food processor.  Dump into a bowl. 

Grind chickpeas, onion mixture, tahini, cilantro, and egg in food processor.  Dump in a bowl.

Grind sweet potato in food processor.  Dump in bowl.

Add lentils to bowl (this is the same bowl with all of your other ingredients).  This is where you get dirty...mix everything with your hands.  Add more oats as needed.

You want the mixture to be moist, but not soggy. 

Form into patties, lay on wax paper and stick in the fridge for about 1/2 hr - 1 hr. 

Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and brown patties on each side.

Serve with your favorite toppings.  And yes tator tots are okay! I am a fan of spinach and avocado! 

Noms noms!

What do you add to your veggie burger?