Thursday, March 19, 2009

Spaghetti and chickenesque meat(less)tballs....mmm mm

Who doesn't like spaghetti and meatballs?? Since we had a package of the Yves Veg. chicken ground (which I absoloutely love, however not everyone carries it!), and I had been craving spaghetti and meatballs, we made it happen!
Pappi made the Meat balls....I dealt with the spaghetti! The "meat" was mushed up with some seasoned breadcrumbs, and went into the oven with a little oil. They smelled and tasted fantastic! I love Yves ground round, but when they came out with the chickenish one, I almost died! It is so delicious, and there is something about the texture that is just so good!


Well here they be....




And again!!


And the inside shot!!

The picture didn't turn out too hot, since it was rather dark, but delicious none the less. It was such a comforting meal....it made me feel all warm and fuzzy!!!

Back later on with more shizz...and an update on the frugal living!!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Shredded Tofu??



On our last trip to the Asian market, we picked up a package of Shredded Tofu. Mind you it just looks like a giant slab of smoked tofu....and once opened it smelled and tasted like it was smoked as well, but it actually looks like it shredded and then pressed together. And since it is a fairly big package we can get at least 2 meals out of it!!! Frugal, Frugal....




The possibilities are endless!



I grilled it in the panini grill/press for a wee bit, and then off to the oven with some BBQ sauce, and green onion.


And the inside shot!



and one more...



As a side I made "sorta" stuffed potatoes, nuked for a few minutes to get them softened up, then cut in half. A little margarine, green onion, and cheese, and smoke paprika. Into the oven they went!! They turned out quite good. But then again it's a potato!! They can't be bad, and yes I LOVE potatoes!


Back to the tofu for a moment, I think it would be great for something fishy....meaning it would be great for fish sticks...Based on texture alone....Just bread it and fry it....There you go Pappi you can have your fish sticks!!!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Cheap Living=Pantry Living

Wow....it's been a long time....but here I am. Having decided to go back to school, money has become extinct. Money extinction is a popular theme these days. So what are we to do....Pantry Living is where it's at. Most people can survive on the items in their pantry for at least a few weeks whether they know it or not. That is what we are currently doing.
We did a big grocery shop yesterday to replenish some of the things that were depleted in the good old pantry.

  • Flour (whole wheat and white) apparently necessary to make bread...who knew!
  • Produce and some other "necessities"It's amazing how quickly it adds up. But I figure, the only thing that we will purchase are fruits and veggies, and live off the pantry.
Some of the item in the pantry include:
  • A nice assortment of dried legumes ( chickpeas, romano beans, great northern, butter beans, lentils, black eyed peas)
  • Rice (basmati, long grain white, brown, sushi)
  • A ton of canned tomatoes ( Momma G grows and cans them every fall)
  • Spices galore
  • Quinoa
  • Pasta/Noodles in all shapes and sizes ( I smell a lot of casseroles)
  • TVP
  • Dried Bean Curd
  • Dried Fruit
  • Nuts
  • Panko
  • Oats
...and some more random items

The goal here is to spend as little as possible, and only buy produce (preferably local), and necessities.

So here we go....let's kick of the "Pantry Living" season.....coming later day 1!!