Quinoa and Lentil Curry with Broccoli

So here is the deal…..I am, as of recently, on a low-inflammation diet. It is a healthy, balanced diet with a decent amount of restrictions. Though I am glad there are a lot of great foods on my "yes" food list, I am still stomped at times when trying to come up with dinner. Today I am cooking dinner out of our stash of food so as it turns out none of us are eating the same! What my kids and my husband are eating I cannot have so ....what is mamma having????

Once I had cleared out the fridge for my husband's and my kids' dinners I did one last fridge/pantry/freezer raid in a desperate attempt to find some dinner for myself. And that is how this Curry recipe was born! Hope you enjoy J

Arg!!! Grease Stains

My daughter has a purple t-shirt that is nothing special really, it wasn't even expensive. 

It is a basic, solid colored, dark purple shirt. 

I like this shirt because it is simple and no-frill and it looks cute on her.

It is one of those great basics to have on hand. 

As you can tell I am quite fond of this shirt :)

Now imagine how I felt when I pulled it off the drying rack, 

after the last time it was washed, and it looked like this!!

I have NO IDEA what in the world my child did or spilled on this to make it look like this!

AFTER being washed!

HeartyTurkey Meatballs

The inspiration for my turkey meatball recipe comes from a recipe for Hearty Turkey Meatloaf which I found in Joy Bauer's book Food Cures. 

Below you find my modified recipe. Enjoy!

Hearty Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

- 1 lb lean ground turkey (or beef or chicken)

- 2 medium sized carrots, (peeled and minced or finely shredded)

- 1 cup quick oatmeal (can be GF)

- 1/2 - 3/4 cup finely chopped white mushrooms

- 1 Tblsp dried basil

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mash aka "Yummo"

The first time I made this mash for my kids they responded by saying it was Yummo! Therefore anytime they ask what we are having for dinner and this is on the menu, that's the name "Yummo"

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mash (Yummo)

Ingredients:

Approx. 2 lbs sweet potato
1 lb frozen cauliflower, thawed
butter (can omit for dairy free)
salt and pepper to taste

My New Favorite Flourless Chocolate Chip Blondies

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt from Ambitious Kitchen and I made them for dessert yesterday. I am in love!!

The recipe is grain-free and gluten free and it can be dairy free, corn free and egg free etc. but what it lacks in ingredients it makes up for in flavor, gooey-ness and deliciousness! And, it is actually pretty healthy too so I hope you give it a try :)

Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies

Ingredients
Cooking spray (or butter if not dairy free)
1 can (15oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup all natural almond butter or other nut-butter (I used almond)

Feeding our family of 5 for a month for less than $185!

So I know we are well into February by now, but I still want to take a look back at January and how my food/household spending challenge worked out.

I set myself a goal of not spending more than $1/person/day on food and $1/day on other household items. This worked out to 

($1 x 5 people x 31 days) + $1 x 31 days = $186 total for the month.
**take a look at the very end if you would like some perspective on how much this is**

My original post about my belt tightening is here, and I point out that this budget includes all food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, paper goods and diapers.

I tallied up all my receipts and I came to a grand total of $184.93!! YAY! 
($25.14 on household and $159.79 on food)

Creamy Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding

I came across a recipe for avocado chocolate pudding by Martha Stewart and, though extremely skeptical at first, I decided to give it a try. It was easy and quick and I have to say I was pleased by the end result. And yes it is dairy free but not calorie free :)

Here is my modified recipe:

Creamy (Dairy Free) Avocado Chocolate Pudding

1 serving

Ingredients:

1/2 large avocado, ripe

2 - 2 1/2 Tblsp light brown sugar

1/4 - 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 Tblsp unsweetened cocoa powder

sprinkle of sea salt