Well, the kids asked for pizza again today. Since I had nearly everything I needed to make it, I indulged them. For the "grown-up" pizza, I used some fresh spinach, roasted red peppers and banana peppers. Since I left the cheese off my half, I made sure to put lots of sauce on it. YUM. Today we took the kids to see Horton Hears a Who, and that was lots of fun. We all enjoyed it.Yesterday, I made a really nice soup. It was a leek, pea and broccoli soup from the Vegetarian cookbook. It also had some potatoes in it, which gave it a nice and creamy texture. It had no oil or dairy in it, so it was fat-free and loaded with veggies. It was seasoned with a bay leaf, fresh parsley, salt and pepper. The whole thing was pureed at the end. It was a lovely green color. So good!
Friday evening I attempted to make falafel. The recipe was also from Vegetarian. It was a recipe for bite-sized, deep-fried falafel nuggets. I wanted to make pan-fried patties. I don't know what went wrong, but I noticed the falafel mixture seemed awfully wet. I wasn't too sure what would happen. I formed it into patties and put it in the pan. It sort of fell apart. I managed to salvage two of the patties, and they crisped up nicely on the outside, but were complete mush inside. They tasted really, really good though. The rest of the patties sort of fell apart and weren't really edible. I definitely plan to try it again. Maybe I didn't drain my chickpeas enough? Maybe the recipe was strictly for deep-fried falafel nuggets? I don't know, but if anyone has any advice, I'd welcome it. (Oh, and once again, I forgot to take pics of this and the soup!)
Has anyone else noticed their grocery bill skyrocketing? Holy crap! I used to spend between $75 and $100/week. I can't get below $150 now! I feel like I'm not even buying as much as I used to. It's really frightening to me. If something doesn't change, this blog will become very boring. I'll have to change the name to: Chez Mama: How to Get Creative With Beans and Rice. I have a feeling the worst is yet to come. I don't know how people are going to manage. I'm glad we'll have the CSA this spring/summer. That will help for sure.
5 comments:
I'm right there with you on the grocery bill thing. Remember when we first started our blogs and we both posted a weeks worth of groceries that we got for $100?
My bill is right at $150 now and I don't buy nearly as much "convenience" food as I used to. I know part of my increase is buying allergen free foods, but I mean, come on, how are we supposed to spend $600 a month on groceries and have anything left to do anything else with??
I do remember that, Carrie. As a matter of fact, I was driving home from the store today just stewing about what I had gotten for $150. I was thinking I should do that post again to show what I'd gotten for $150 because it seems so outrageous!
We just had the only grocery store close to us torn down. Apparently the new one will be finished in winter this year.
As it stands, there is only an Urban Fare and a Capers in walking distance (read:$40/meal for two people).
I can totally relate. Grocery bills are through the roof. Direct me to the non-organic chicken.
Who needs a subscription to Cooking Light. I'll just bookmark this site for ideas. Good stuff.
Agree w/ carry. Commodities are rising fast!
IF: Seriously! I've pared down the organics as much as possible in an effort to save some money.
M@: Welcome, and thanks!
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