Uh oh...

Thanks to my friend Sam, it looks like I have a new addiction. Just loaded up Words with Friends on my iPhone. As if I don't goof off enough already. Oh well. Wanna play? My screen name is michelle961. See you there!

Pancakes

I have been playing around with my pancake recipe since I started making them from scratch. I don't really like the big fluffy pancake. I prefer a slightly softer and thinner pancake. I think I've finally gotten the consistency and texture down to my liking.


2 cups white flour (or half and half wheat and white)
3t baking powder
1t salt
2T sugar
2 eggs
1t vanilla
2 cups milk
3T oil

Heat pan or griddle to medium heat. Meanwhile, put dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Mix eggs, vanilla and milk in a small bowl, and then add to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add oil and whisk in like you would salad dressing.

Place batter by spoonfuls onto pan and cook until pancake is bubbly with dry edges. Flip and cook another minute or so. I like to keep my pancakes warm on a plate in a 200 degree oven.

Looks like we have a winner!

This recipe is linked to the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap. I love Gayle's blog, and it looks like there are some awesome recipes linked up this week!

Willpower, baby!!!

Another day at the desk, eating a thrilling lunch. But I'm proud of myself. I'm eating this.

Instead of this.

Or this.

Or one of these.

There's about 4 boxes of those muffins at the front desk and I'm having to walk past this stuff all day. Torture. I looked at the info on the muffins...33g of fat in one little muffin. Ack.

I'm proud of myself. I'm eating salad. And if I get a wild hair afterward, I'm gonna eat this-

That's me. Living dangerously.

The better late than never menu plan week of 5/17

I normally put together my menu plan and post on Sundays--- this Sunday was pretty hectic, though. I spent a couple hours in the kitchen making food for a friend that just had hip replacement surgery, then went to visit. I spent some time in my garden (after helping some friends plant their garden on Saturday), and then Sunday night we ended up having dinner with some family friends.

So here's what the rest of the week looks like-

Tuesday-
chicken w/ gravy $2.25
mashed potatoes .50
buttered carrots .50
spinach salad .75
$4.00

Wednesday-
skillet nachos $3.50
corn on the cob $1.00
$4.50

Thursday-
grilled pork chops w/ orange glaze $1.75
baked sweet potatoes .75
spinach salad .75
$3.25

Friday-
cheese manicotti $3.50
salad .75
green beans .40

Saturday-
grilled chicken $2.00
buttered orzo .50
asparagus .75
salad .75
$4.00

Sunday-
smoked pulled pork sandwiches $3.00
french fries $1
cole slaw $1

Angel Hair w/ Sundried Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella

For anyone that thinks you can't make healthy, sophisticated meals on a budget, I present you this pasta dish. It also points out how valuable a garden really can be, all year round.
I'm gonna call this more of a "method" than a recipe, because it's very flexible to what you have and like, and feel like throwing in. We make some variation on this dish pretty often, depending on what we have. Here's what I used tonight:

1/2 box whole wheat angel hair pasta (.40)
1 small zucchini (.40)
1/2 medium vidalia onion, chopped (.25)
8oz. button mushrooms, sliced ($1.29)
1 cup rehydrated and diced sundried tomatoes, reserve the liquid you rehydrated them in (.00- homemade from my garden last year)
1 small red sweet pepper, sliced (.20- I got a 1lb. bag of these for $1.99 and they are awesome- I am actually growing a few of these plants this year- can't wait)
1/2 container of pearl sized fresh mozzarella, drained ($1.98)
2T olive oil
2T balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper, garlic powder
2T fresh chopped oregano from garden
1T fresh chopped basil from the garden


Get your water boiling for pasta. Meanwhile, heat your saucepan to medium-high, add 1T olive oil, onion, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and a pinch of salt and pepper. Once onion is translucent, around 4-5 minutes, add sundried tomatoes, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar and a little bit of the reserved tomato-water. Let simmer another 5 minutes, then add fresh herbs, and an additional pinch of salt and pepper. Turn heat to low. Drop pasta into boiling water, add a pinch of salt, and cook according to time on box. Drain. Return pasta to your pot, add 1T olive oil, your tomato mixture and toss. Add some more of the reserved tomato-water if you need to, then toss in the cheese.
Yum! This made enough for 2 adults, 2 kids that like pasta, and enough leftovers for lunch (or for a hubby emptying the fridge at 1am)

I paired with a light caesar salad kit ($1.50) and bread and butter (.30)

Total for this meal was $6.02. You could reduce the cost by about $1.25 by substituting grated mozzarella or parmesan for the fresh mozzarella. You could also make your salad from scratch, or serve a vegetable. If you don't have sundried tomatoes, you could certainly use canned, diced tomatoes...or you could use fresh roma tomatoes that have been cut in half, placed on a cookie sheet, drizzled with olive oil and baked at 450 for about 30 minutes. I am using roasted tomatoes more and more in dishes, and I just love them!

Check out many more affordable, healthy meals at The $5 Dinner Challenge.