budget tip: eat-what-we've-got week

i think this will become a new standard for the last week of the month in our house - in an effort to cut down on the grocery bill (and to use up as much as possible before we go away), we decided to skip the regular monday grocery run and see if we could make a week's worth of meals on what we already had in the house.  it took a bit more thinking but it worked out pretty good!  we made one trip to the grocery store to replenish the fruit bowl and buy more milk, but other than that, every meal we prepared was with ingredients we already had.  here's what we ate this week:

• breakfasts were surprisingly varied, including the last of the cereal, eggs and toast, waffles (with peanut butter and honey since we're out of syrup and jam), and homemade granola with some frozen blueberries i dug out of the back of the freezer.  yum!
• lunches were mainly leftovers and soup, but there was the odd salmon or tuna melt in there too.
• pasta and sauce with cheese - can't have a "clean out the cupboards" week without expecting one spaghetti night in there.  good thing we love spaghetti.  :)
• black bean chili - i had a bag of dried black beans so i made a huge pot for potluck last weekend and a smaller pot for us.  i wasn't really in the mood for chili this week, but it was still good (and half of it will come on our trip with us).
• turkey barley soup - i made stock from frozen christmas turkey bones, and then soup from fresh stock, barley, and a few veggies (recipes below - some of this is coming with us too).
• chicken kabobs - these were so simple and so good!  frozen chicken breasts, some peppers, onion, and pineapple (which i had from the week before, intending to make these but never getting to them - recipe below)
• chick pea and coconut curry - this is a recipe i haven't made in years but it was so good and so simple!  a can of chick peas, a can of coconut milk, some spices and some rice.  we both loved it (i'll post the recipe next).
• veggie stir fry - the last of the peppers and snow peas with some carrots, onion, and garlic.  it made a strange plate companion to the curry, but it tasted delish.
• we snacked on fruit, chips and salsa, and fresh oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (because i reeeeally wanted some!)

the thing i'm most excited about is that i haven't thrown out one bit of rotten food!  usually there are a few things that get away from me - there always seems to be one container of leftovers that gets pushed back too far in the fridge and i can never use up a whole bunch of celery for some reason.  but when we leave tomorrow, we are leaving a head of garlic, half a bag of carrots, and two parsnips - and i'm pretty sure they'll all survive til we get back.  the bread is gone, our leftovers are eaten or frozen, and we have just enough milk and cream for breakfast.  i love it.  we're not wasting food, we're still eating pretty healthy (i had visions of being reduced to mr. noodles all week), and we saved a bit of cash.  win win win.  

of course, we'll have to shop like mad when we get home... but it's a step in the right direction.  ;)

honey barbecued chicken kabobs

i wish i had taken a picture of wednesday night's dinner, it was so pretty!  but it was also sooo gooood and i was ravenous and it was gone before i had any thoughts of photos or blogging.  so you'll have to use your imagination.  but trust me, it was a pleasing plate full of colours and deliciousness.  quick to make and easy on the budget without lacking in flavour!


Honey Barbecued Chicken Kabobs
prep time: 10mins  cook time: 10-20mins
serves 2

1 chicken breast, cut into chunks
1/2 of each red, yellow, and green peppers, cut into chunks
1 onion, cut into 8ths and separated two or three layers thick
a bit of fresh pineapple, cut into chunks

sauce:
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
sprinkle of ginger powder or some fresh grated ginger

arrange the ingredients on wooden skewers (pre-soaked) in a colourful and delightful manner.
brush with sauce.  barbecue until the chicken is done, brushing with sauce occasionally.  devour.


these would make really nice summer company food, but since the husband doesn't mind barbecuing in february, they also make a really nice mid-winter meal!  they'd be great served with a grain and a salad - we had edamame with ours, which was also very yummy, but more importantly, quick.  i already want this dinner again!

turkey barley soup

mmmm, my house smells a little like christmas.

we're going away for the next two weeks, and i've been frantically cooking and freezing food we can take with us so we don't get trapped eating out for two weeks straight!  i've also been trying to use up all the bits and pieces of vegetables so we don't leave anything behind to spoil.  so the other day i made turkey stock from the other half of the christmas turkey bones that have been taking up space in my freezer, and today i'm turning that stock into turkey barley soup.  i made some of this at christmas too and, though simple, it has been a wonderful comfort food to pull out of the freezer over the last month.  i'm looking forward to having some more!


Turkey Barley Soup
prep time: 30mins  cook time:  45mins
serves 4-6

3-4 cups turkey stock
2-3 cups water
1/2 cup barley, rinsed well
1 cup leftover turkey, diced - i had closer to 2 cups, so our soup will be a bit more meaty!
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 cup snow peas, diced - add whatever vegetable you want here - this was just what we had on hand.  mushrooms are especially good with barley!
sprinkle of rosemary
sprinkle of sea salt
1/2 tsp or less olive oil

in a soup pot, saute onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil with rosemary and sea salt until the vegetables are softened.  add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until the barley and vegetables are tender.  enjoy!


How to make Turkey or Chicken Stock:

8 cups of water
1 turkey or chicken carcass (or 1/2 if it's really big)
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 medium carrots, chopped
2-3 medium stalks of celery, chopped
2 leeks, white parts only, rinsed well and chopped - i didn't have any this time, but they're good
1/2 tsp each rosemary and thyme - or some poultry seasoning, or whatever you like
1 bay leaf
a few whole peppercorns
a sprinkle of sea salt

add all the ingredients to a large stock pot and mix well.  bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  cook on low for 2 hours or until the bones fall apart easily.

strain the stock into a large bowl and put in the fridge overnight.  the next morning, skim the layer of fat off the top.

once the bones cool, remove any meat and set aside for future soup making adventures.

for the super-frugal:  separate the cooked vegetables from the bones and blend them in a blender or with a hand blender.  add a bit of the stock until you get a consistency you like.  grate some cheese over top and enjoy a small bowl of vegetable soup!