Quinoa - A Miracle Food for Meatless Monday

For the past month I've been following an eating plan (NOT A DIET, yeah right!) based on the Glycemic Index.  I'm including this link in case you'd like to check it out for yourself. In a nutshell, if you eat foods that are low on the glycemic index chart you will feel full longer because they digest more slowly. "Cool beans" as my daughter would say. As a comparison think of slow-cooked oatmeal (LOW G.I.) as opposed to Cornpops (HIGH G.I.), or dark chocolate (LOW G.I.) vs jelly beans (HIGH G.I.).

The proof is in the pudding so they say, or in this case the oatmeal - I've been eating oatmeal every morning at 6:30am and having NO problems making it til my lunch time (11:30am) without snacking. The chart is my bible. I've discovered things about food I never knew before.

For instance, apples are very low on the index, whereas watermelon is very high. Who knew? Not me! So guess who's eating an apple everyday for her after school snack?? YUP - me, that's who! I've been learning about complete proteins (meat, eggs and dairy) as opposed in incomplete proteins (grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes). If you're not eating meat, eggs or dairy every day you're not getting all of the essential  amino acids your body requires! Shame on you!  There are, however, two plant-based foods that are complete proteins: quinoa and soybeans. 

Since I've discovered quinoa I've been eating it almost every day! I add it to my homemade soup and put a couple of tablespoons on my salad. I really LOVE the chewy crunchiness of it and besides, it looks really CUTE!  Just look!

 Awwwww, it IS cute!!

So, it's possible to have a meatless meal (which is good for you AND the environment) and still have a complete protein! That's the good news. The great news is this link for one of my favourite quinoa recipes: Puy Lentil Quinoa. With this recipe not only do you get to enjoy quinoa, you also get another of my fave food - LENTILS!! Let's hear it for LENTILS -YAY!!  I have modified this recipe by adding any old veggies kicking around in the bin that need to be used up...like mushrooms.  So when you're browning up the onions add some diced mushrooms, broccoli or whatever. This recipe is DELICIOUS!! I kid you not.

Here's an extra benefit - quinoa and lentils keep in your pantry for a really long time. And they're CHEAP! Especially the lentils. The quinoa is costly until you look at the price spread over the length of time you have it in your pantry. I paid $17.00 for a bag of the red quinoa from the Bulk Barn back in September (the white is cheaper and there is NO difference in the quality) and I still have lots left! And NOT eating meat a couple of times a week will also save you money. Your body will thank you for it on a regular basis:)

So, quinoa is a complete protein, it tastes great, it keeps you full longer so you don't eat so much snack food, it's fairly frugal AND it's cute! What more could you ask in a food??

OK I Need to Stop Spending NOW!

Well here it is February 28th and we're spending March's money already. That's what happens when my pay goes in on the weekend before my actual payday. However, groceries needed to be bought and what we bought will last us to the middle of the month when I get paid again. One thing we are learning around here is how to make our food budget stretch. We really are handling our food preparation in a more economical way. We're eating a lot less meat and building meals around a wider variety of staples such as lentils, chick peas, kidney beans, navy beans, rice, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

BUT I need to put the brakes on spending! Have you ever noticed that once you start spending you want to keep on spending!!! We ended our weekend splurge yesterday by going to the Black History Month gala (which was wonderful by the way - one of our good friends Charmain sang - she's amazing) but it cost $12 each and then when it was done we were starving (we thought they'd have food but there wasn't!) so I suggested we go to our favourite Vietnamese restaurant for soup and "something". The "something" for me was shrimp pad thai and for Michael spring rolls and curried chicken and we shared a large sweet and sour soup. Scrumptious!! All in all it only came to $30 including tip so it wasn't expensive.  BUT we need to get back into the groove of spending less, eating at home and following our budget!

It's startling to realize how quickly spending a bit extra here and there can develop into a full-out binge and before you know it the budget is in tatters. So I'm reining in the spending and putting a lock on my wallet. Gotta get back on track. 

Luckily "Princess" is on tonight followed by two episodes of "Til Debt do us Part". Gail Vaz-Oxlade will get me back on the straight and narrow like NOBODY else can while I pedal like mad on my bike. I've missed pedalling my way east for awhile but I'm feeling well enough to get back in the saddle so OFF I GO!  I did 15km on Saturday and will try for 25km tonight. I'm heading past Cornwall and will soon be in Quebec - La Belle Province!

Tally ho!! Zoom zoom zoooooooooooooooooommmm!!!!!



Beat ya!!



Financial Goals for 2010-2011

Having joined a challenge to "Spend Consciously" for an entire year (yikes) I thought I should set out some goals so I could remind myself what I am doing this for.  It's fairly obvious that I need to maintain a balanced budget which is stretched to the max due to purchasing a retirement property while still living in my condo which I won't be selling until I retire and also while maintaining my trailer in Bayfield. Whew! What am I, nuts? Hopefully not. (rebuttals anyone??)

So getting down to specifics here goes:

• save $1000 a month, $5000 of which will go into my slightly depleted TFSA and the rest to use next summer to: replace old septic system at my new old home in PEI and purchase appliances for it
• save $90 a month for my RRSP (max allowable due to my teacher's defined pension plan)
• save $100 a month for the Emergency Account
• pay down my line of credit $1000 monthly plus interest
• pay off Visa (balance is only around $70)
• save enough for Christmas - guessing around $750
• contribute "creatively" to Crofter's Lane savings jar every month (this month I have 2 HUGE boxes of LPs that a friend was going to THROW out which we will take to a dealer who exchanges them for cash; also partner is going to put his tips into the jar)
• donate $100 to charity monthly
• cut down on gas and mileage of shared vehicle: use bikes more, daughter to contribute to HER share of the gas; co-ordinate rides to use the least amount of gas possible
• cut down on electric and natural gas bill (switched my natural gas to a different and much cheaper provider - second year I've done this and it made quite a difference), power down computers
• cut down on entertainment expenses by borrowing movies and books from the library instead of renting movies and buying books; eat out less
• buy coffee at Tim Hortons (or make at home) instead of expensive Starbucks Lattes)
• cut down on grocery bill by eating less meat (Meatless Monday every week) and using up leftovers in soups and stews; planning a list by using store flyers
• write all purchases down on my newly minted monthly budget form; stick to alloted amounts for groceries and gas

And finally, feel good about making an effort to live and spend consciously with the support of fellow bloggers Sam, Sharon and Maureen.  (I'm sure there are others I'm not aware of - if so, please let me know!)

Sweet Potato Casserole

Last summer I discovered sweet potato fries and fell in love. (Can you have a relationship with a vegetable? Yes, I think so...) I fell in love with S. P. because he was sweet, rich and delectable. He smelled sooooooo good and made my old potato pale in comparison. It was love at first bite!


I first met him at a take-out window - I didn't really know what to do with him so just lightly salted him. That was ok but then I encountered him again at Harry's, on Main St. in Bayfield, and he came with a dip made from mayo and maple syrup. Well, I thought I had died and gone to heaven - a perfect match. From that moment on I was devoted to S.P. He is so wonderful I just had to share him with you.


Let me assure you he's the real deal - I googled S.P. and he's really as humble and honest as I thought he was. As an added bonus he's chock full of vitamins, especially A & C and other anti-oxidants and one good-sized S.P. only has about 95 calories. And rarely have I had to spend more than a dollar or two on him!





**In honour of Meatless Monday I've included an S.P. casserole recipe from their website. I'll give it a try and see if I rave about it as much as last weeks 3 bean chili. At only 116 calories per serving I'm raving already! (Did I say he was cheap?)

SWEET POTATO
CASSEROLE
Serves 6
• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• Vegetable oil spray
• 1 T. butter or Smart Balance
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 T. chopped walnuts
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
Cook whole sweet potatoes in
boiling water 25 to 30 minutes
or until tender. Meanwhile,
preheat oven to 375º F.
Lightly spray a 1-quart ca s s e ro l e
dish with vegetable oil spray.
Remove potatoes from heat and
add cold water until potatoes are
cooled slightly. Peel and mash.
Add remaining ingredients and
mix thoro u g h l y.
Place in ca s s e role dish and bake
u n c o v e red 25 minutes. Serve hot.
Calories: 116
Carbohydrates: 20g
Total Fat: 4g
Saturated Fat: 1g

Three Bean Meatless Chili is Sooooo Good!

Mmmmm, I just finished a yummy bowl of that Three Bean Chili I linked to yesterday at the Meatless Monday website. I guess that makes this Meatless Tuesday not Meatless Monday but who cares? Not me.

Man I'm a good cook. Either that or this is just an extra-good recipe. But I think it's me.

Course, I didn't know what "northern beans" were, and didn't see any at the grocery store so I substituted black beans. And I didn't see any "small red beans" either so I used brown beans. (Actually, truth be told I didn't have the recipe with me when I was grocery shopping after school today so I sorta winged it.)

I didn't have any tomato sauce either so used a half jar of leftover roasted red pepper spaghetti sauce along with the can of diced tomatoes. And I doubled the amount of chili powder (could still use a smidgen more I think). Then of course I had to add some frozen corn as my daughter likes corn in her chili and really, who doesn't?

So I guess I didn't really follow the recipe at all except that there are three kinds of beans in my chili.....oh and I did grate some cheddar on top of my bowl before shovelling it into my pie hole.

Oh well, maybe next time.

Meatless Monday - Chili Anyone?

A week ago Tami, from the Meatless Monday website said "skipping meat one day a week reduces your saturated fat intake by 15%, which is an easy way to decrease your risk of illness." I know she's right because my daily newspaper once again ran an article about the recent study released by the U.S. National Cancer Institute. (Not much news on Easter Monday, I guess)

However, the point is worth repeating - the more red meat you eat the highter the risk of heart disease, strokes and cancer, particularly colon cancer. I won't get into the yucky details about your colon, just trust me on this one.

Today is Chili Monday over on the Meatless Monday website and here's a link for a meatless chili recipe that I'm going to try!

Here's a short blurb from the Meatless Monday website:
Meatless Monday is a national public health campaign to help Americans prevent heart disease, stroke and cancer. The goal of the campaign is to reduce the consumption of saturated fat in America by at least 15% by 2010 – by encouraging people to be moderate in their eating and meal planning. Meatless Monday is a non-profit organization working in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Twenty-eight other public health schools across the country also support the campaign. The campaign provides tools and resources to help Americans cut the saturated fat once a week. Beyond Monday, Meatless Monday helps Americans make other healthy lifestyle choices, too.

To find out more about Meatless Monday, check out our website every week: www.meatlessmonday.com

Money Saving Tip of the Week - Meatless Meals

I'm a big fan of eating meatless meals. My daughter and I haven't had a hamburger for over two years since watching the movie "Fast Food Nation". That was a personal choice motivated by the mistreatment of animals shown in the movie, the horrible pollution of land and water caused by factory farms as well as not wanting to take the chance of being served a helping of sh-t mixed with the hamburger.

Since then I've been hearing much more about the benefits of eating less meat. On March 29th headlines were made when the results of a ten year study by National Cancer Institute researcher Rashmi Sinha were released proclaiming a shorter lifespan for men and women who eat red meat and processed meat.

Also, it was shown that those people who ate the most white meat (turkey, chicken and fish) were about 8% less likely less likely to die than those who ate the least white meat. So not only is red meat BAD for you but white meat is GOOD for you!

Living a loooooong life after I retire is a crucial part of my Five Year Plan - I want to suck that teacher's pension plan dry! Hee hee. I don't eat much meat but when I do it's only chicken, turkey or fish. So far this week I've had chicken 3 times: homemade chicken caesar salad, lemon chicken and rice and leftover chicken pieces in my homemade soup. I have supplemented my diet with kidney beans, yogurt and cheese (as in my Hot n' Ready cheese pizza tonight to celebrate the long weekend - hey I'm not perfect)!

Tami, a reader who works over at www.MeatlessMonday.com wrote the following in a recent comment:

"Meatless meals can cut a lot of time off of cooking and prep, plus cutting back on meat is one of the simplest things you can do to improve your health. Did you know that meat consumption has been linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer?"

Well yes, yes I did, and I'll be over to your website for more meatless menu ideas. Meatless meals are indeed faster to prepare (Black Bean Burritos, for example).

And last but not least meatless meals are CHEAPER to prepare. Since I've been eating at least 4 meatless suppers per week my grocery bill has been substantially reduced. So if I'm counting correctly that's a WIN WIN WIN WIN situation! Hey, I'm down with that! (or up?)

Meatless Monday - Easy Black Bean Burritos

In order for me to cook I need recipes that have the following qualities or forget it: convenience, the minimum number of ingredients and the least time needed for preparation. Easy Black Bean Burritos fits the bill for all of my requirements and is also meatless to boot! These are great for a quick supper or take them with you for lunch.

Ingredients:

1 15-oz. can vegetarian refried black beans

4 flour tortillas

2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded

2 tomatoes, sliced

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 avocado, sliced

1/2 cup salsa

(and if your cholesterol is low spring for some shredded cheddar!)

Directions:

1. Heat the black beans on the stove or in a microwave. Warm tortillas, one at a time, in a large dry skillet, flipping to warm both sides until soft.

2. Spread warm tortilla with approx. 1/2 cup of bean mixture.

3. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, avocado, and salsa (& cheese...or sour cream if you're livin' on the edge!)

4. Roll tortilla around filling and enjoy.

Since there is no meat to cook this meal takes about 15 minutes to make.

For more recipes like this check out MEATOUT!