February Challenge: $100 Budget

February, new month, new challenge!

Meal planning is coming along, with a big hand from batch cooking. We have gotten better about identifying what soups, stews or other prepare-ahead-of-time dishes that we want to enjoy throughout the week. Some favorites are venison chili, chicken soup and corn chowder. Also, one large batch of shredded chicken for build-your-own tacos keeps great in the fridge and tastes even better on day two or three.

In a similar vein to last month's culinary motif this month we will be focusing in on the amount of money that we are spending each week on food and drink.

Yup, we're capping the grocery bill at $100 a week. 

Again, by getting into gear now we hope to make the transition to Intern Year smoother. By having good cooking/planning/prepping habits we will be able to keep eating clean/healthy and by tracking and paying closer attention to spending we should be able to maintain our goal budget of $100 a week.

WHY? You ask... because we love to travel, to dance, to live. By no means will we be starving ourselves, but we will cut out impulse buys, late night pizza ordering and other financial/health potholes. 

Heres to another month, and a new challenge!

Hickory Smoke Chili

I love a hot bowl of body warming chili in the winter. I hope you enjoy this recipe for my favorite chili, its quick to make, simple, healthy and best of all tastes even better as it rests over night. Make a batch to warm up the house on a cold winter day.

On a recent trip to Texas I picked up some new spices, special salts and new jams and preserves. This recipe revolves around the Hickory Smoked Sea Salt I found while in Fredericksburg, TX on vacation. Check your local grocery or specialty store for a similar ingredient.

This recipe produces a wholesome, mild chili with great undertones of smokey flavor. You may want to adjust the seasoning once everything is together to make it hotter or smokier.

Ingredients:

• 2lbs Ground Meat - lean beef or venison 
• 1 Red Bell Pepper - coarsely chopped 
• 1 Yellow Onion - coarsely chopped
• 1 Head of Garlic - cleaned and cloves crushed, not minced 
• 1 Guernica Pepper - clean and chop into small pieces 
• 1 Can Dark Red Kidney Beans - no salt added
• 1/2 Can Tomato Paste - no salt added
• 1 Can Diced Tomatoes - no salt added
• 1 Can Crushed Tomatoes - no salt added 
• 1tbs Olive Oil

Spices:

• 2 tsp Hickory Smoked Sea Salt 
• 1tsp Smoked Paprika
• 2 tbs Chili Powder 
• 1 tbs Ground Cumin 
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cayenne 
• 1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder 

In a large pan heat the olive oil, as it heats mix the seasoned salt, ground pepper, and paprika thoroughly with the ground meat then brown the seasoned meat in the hot olive oil. As the meat browns, add the crushed garlic cloves to the pan. Once the meat is cooked through transfer it to the slow cooker set on high.

Using the same pan, sauté the peppers and onion until translucent and browning. Transfer to the slow cooker and mix well with the meat. 

Clean and open the kidney beans, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes. Add each of these to the slow cooker stirring thoroughly after each addition. Finally, add the remaining seasonings and mix well. Allow the slow cooker to cook on high for at least three hours, adjust seasoning to taste and enjoy!

January Challenge: Meal Planning

It's January, its cold and windy here in Missouri and I'm not a fan of heading to the grocery store when I  want something to eat.

Cold Missouri Morning on Rt 63

Friends of ours are trying out Paleo Meal Planning, they are both busy medical students, with a baby and very healthy conscious. They have been going strong for the last six months, and love the once a week grocery trip, as they get more time at home with each other and their little one. Not to mention less time in the freezing wind on icy roads.

Paleo you say? Sounds interesting.... but I love beans, corn and other restricted foods too much to go strictly Paleo.

Once a week grocery shopping? Count me in!

Having a plan for dinners, and not using precious mental power to think about what to make? Sweet!

But, lets talk about other options. Earlier this month Tom and I went through the Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef app, identifying new recipes that looked tasty, fresh and relatively simple. We are both good cooks, with lots of practice (there are no good restaurants in Kirksville) and discerning pallets (East Coast and Texas raised). Using the app we built a grocery list, checked off the items we had at home already and hit the ground running.

One week of cooking together, new flavor combinations and a flop or two got us hooked on the idea of meal planning. Why not layout what you want to eat, with flexibility of course, and buy everything for the week in one go?

This week we are trying a slightly different take on the idea: Batch Cooking. Check out this post on Batch Cooking 101 on Nutrition Stripped for an over view of the idea.

This morning I had some free time (how weird) so we put together a batch of venison chile and a pot of chicken soup. Since we only ever eat dinner at home having two homemade and oh so tasty options for dinner doesn't seem like a bad idea. We spent quality time preparing the food while we had a moment, and now can simply re-heat the better-the-next-day dishes while we are busy during the week.

Soups, chili and stews lend themselves perfectly to our plan, as they tend to taste better the next day anyway. Also, at the end of the week what ever left will go nicely into the freezer and become an emergency dinner down the road.

Benefits:

• One trip to the store
• Cooking when there is time, not when you're tired
• Fresh, healthy food on hand
• Freeze leftovers for emergency meals
• Less time in the kitchen, more time with family

I recommend making a batch of my favorite Balsamic Venison Stew to start out, or a body warming Hickory Smoke Chili.