menus for home

It is remarkably difficult to come up with meal ideas day after day that are healthy, affordable and satisfactory to the palate of two adults and a 4 year old. I see so many shows and websites that make it look easy. What they don't tell you is just how much that meal costs. Or that half of what they use can't be found in the average grocery store. How about meal ideas for real people on a tight budget? Is that to much to ask?


I need three meals a day and three snack a day. Every day. For two people. Lower protein dinners, high protein lunch and breakfast. As few processed carbs as possible. Little if any sugar, salt or processed crap. Did I mention the budget?

Ideas:

• pulled pork for sandwiched and what not
• salads are always good, for me anyway
• chicken fingers breaded with flax and bran (tastes better than it sounds)
• homemade fish sticks with the same type of breading
• fritatas of various flavors and fillings
• tomato soup
• beans beans and more beans
• baked chicken
• roasted chicken
• BBQd chicken
• more damn chicken
• I love some fish but it's damn pricey in the winter
• turkey burgers
• turkey meatloaf
• turkey breast
• fajitas (thanks Amanda)
• tacos and taco salad
• burritos with homemade tortillas

See how this goes? The ideas get few and the menu gets redundant. Boring. Though I have some pulled pork cooking in the crock pot, we'll see how it comes out. Much of the stuff I like I simply can't afford on my current budget. All the things I don't want to be eating are cheap. Pasta, potatoes, things that come in a box. I can eat cheaper at a fast food joint than I can cook a meal.

I'm cutting way back on red meat so that limits options even more. I avoid hamburger. Not because I don't like it, hell, I love it. But because of all the crap that is put in beef these days and the fat content. Most food, unless specifically organic, has a lot of junk it, especially meat. But red meat has more than most. Growth hormones and all kinds of tasty stuff. Unfortunately I can not afford to go organic, I would if I could.

I'm also working on eating far fewer forms of pasta and what I do eat is whole wheat pasta. But really it's not so much the pasta that gets you as it is what you put in or on the pasta. I love white sauces, with a butter and heavy cream base. Yup, nice and fat filled. Yummy. Other options? Pesto? Expensive.

I scour the net frequently, have a stack of books, read blogs, anything I can think of to find healthy, inexpensive, logical and edible meal ideas. But man, it seems to get harder and harder.

Some recipes:

Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork

Rated: Submitted By: cmccreight Photo By: TTV78 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 5 Hours Ready In: 5 Hours 15 Minutes Servings: 8

"Texas-style pulled pork simmers in a tangy chili-seasoned barbeque sauce with plenty of onion, then pulled into tender shreds to serve on a buttered, toasted bun."

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 (4 pound) pork shoulder roast 1 cup barbeque sauce 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 extra large onion, chopped 2 large cloves garlic, crushed 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme 8 hamburger buns, split 2 tablespoons butter, or as needed

Directions:

1.	Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker; pour in the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic, and thyme. Cover and cook on High until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 5 to 6 hours.
2.	Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices.
3.	Spread the inside of both halves of hamburger buns with butter. Toast the buns, butter side down, in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Spoon pork into the toasted buns.

Oven Chicken Fingers

Rated: Submitted By: Mary Peterson Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 35 Minutes Servings: 6

"Oven Chicken Fingers are tender, golden strips of breaded chicken with two tempting sauces for dipping. The recipe comes from Mary Peterson of Charlestown, Rhode Island."

Ingredients:

1 cup Italian bread crumbs 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves CRANBERRY ORANGE SAUCE: 1/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 cup water HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE: 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 cup water, divided 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup prepared mustard

Directions:

1.

In a plastic bag, mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese; set aside. In a small bowl, combine garlic and oil. Flatten the chicken to 1/2-in. thickness; cut into 1-in.-wide strips. Dip strips in oil; coat with crumb mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add cranberries, orange juice and water; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes more, crushing the berries while stirring. For honey mustard sauce, dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan. Add honey, mustard and remaining water; bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve with chicken for dipping. Of course all the recipes I have here and there can be modified with other ingredients and I suppose that's probably one of the biggest things with eating better. Flax seed can be substituted for eggs and other things, cottage cheese works great for a cream base. I use agave syrup instead of sugar. There are a huge number of possible substitutions for various ingredients.

Split pea Soup Serves 4 Ingredients For the chive cream 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh chives, plus long cuts for garnish 3 tablespoons fat-free plain yogurt 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk 1/4 teaspoon sugar Pinch of salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 yellow onion, chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 cups dried yellow or green split peas, picked over, rinsed and drained 3 cups water 3 cups vegetable stock or broth 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup chopped lean ham Directions To make the chive cream, in a small blender or food processor, combine the chopped chives, yogurt, buttermilk, sugar and salt. Process until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until needed.  In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and lightly golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Add the carrot and saute until the carrot is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the split peas, water, stock, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer until the peas are tender, 60 to 65 minutes.  In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth and return to the saucepan over medium heat. Reheat gently. Ladle into warmed individual bowls. Top each serving with a drizzle or swirl of chive cream and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped ham and a few long cuts of fresh chives. Serve immediately. Nutritional Analysis (per serving) Calories 393 Monounsaturated fat 6 g Protein 23 g Cholesterol 7 mg Carbohydrate 56 g Sodium 695 mg Total fat 11 g Fiber 12 g Saturated fat 1 g           Chili  Serves 8 Ingredients 1 pound extra-lean ground beef 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 large tomatoes (or 2 cups canned, unsalted tomatoes) 4 cups canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup chopped celery 1 teaspoon sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder or to taste Water, as desired 2 tablespoons cornmeal Jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped, as desired Directions In a soup pot, add the ground beef and onion. Over medium heat saute until the meat is browned and the onion is translucent. Drain well. Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, celery, sugar and chili powder to the ground beef mixture. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Uncover and add water to desired consistency. Stir in cornmeal. Cook for at least 10 minutes more to allow the flavors to blend. Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with jalapeno peppers, if desired. Serve immediately. Nutritional Analysis (per serving) Calories 254 Cholesterol 40 mg Protein 20 g Sodium 348 mg Carbohydrate 27 g Fiber 10 g Total fat 8 g Potassium 378 mg Saturated fat 3 g Calcium 74 mg Monounsaturated fat   3 g