Reposting from “Happy, Strong Home” Blog: Wholesome Recipes & Money-Saving Tips

Reposting from my friend Julie at Happy, Strong Home:

How to Feed a Family (of 4) for $125/Week at Whole Foods

Julie says:

“When we switched to organic and natural foods about six or seven years ago, the sticker shock was brutal! We transitioned item by item every few months to adjust our menu without adjusting our budget too much.

 

I often hear how expensive it is to eat organic (not gonna lie, depending on what you buy, you can blow your budget on products with the “organic” label!).

 

But I’m here to show you how to create a menu to feed a family (of four!) on just $125 per week.”

We don’t have a Whole Foods Market in my neighborhood in Uruguay, but I’m planning to check out some of the recipes Julie shares in this post...

Check ‘em out!

Thanks, Julie! J

Recipe for Greens & Rice Casserole (Modified)

I recently modified the recipe for the Greens and Rice Casserole, using one pound of fresh spinach I had frozen and adding grated carrot. We were pleased with the results!

This really does make a great meatless meal!

 

I also cut the original recipe in half:

Ingredients:

1½ cups frozen spinach, cooked (measured after cooking, not before)*

1½ tsp dried onion

¼ tsp “Mrs. Dash” seasoning (optional)

½ cup carrot, grated

1½ cups cooked whole-grain rice (measured after cooking, not before)

1½ cups shredded cheese (1 cup medium cheddar + ½ cup mozzarella)

½ cup “broth” from cooking the spinach

3 eggs, beaten

½ tsp salt (optional)

 

*One pound of fresh spinach equals approximately 1½ cups cooked. I used Taylor Farms Organic Baby Spinach from Sam’s Club. (Definitely great quality!)

 

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, cook the frozen (or fresh) spinach in about one cup of water until tender. Reserve at least ½ cup of the “broth” for baking. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into an oiled 8x11-inch (or 9x13-inch) baking dish.

 

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until set in the middle. (Test with a fork.)

Notes:

• I sprinkle a generous portion of extra (mozzarella) cheese on top!
• Next time, I plan to increase the grated carrot to one whole cup.
• I’m still hoping to try this recipe with chopped or grated zucchini instead of greens...

Favorite Recipe: Tomato Bread

An experiment just over three years ago resulted in a favorite recipe for our family: Tomato Bread! (Click the link for the recipe.)

 

It’s a pleasing pumpkin-color – and is very yummy! (I need to take a picture to post.) I recently (and successfully!) substituted cooked, mashed acorn squash for the pumpkin puree.

 

I most recently served this bread with Lentil & Ham Soup, and we took the leftover bread as a snack on a recent trip. It’s also great as sandwich bread – just put your imagination to work!

Recipe for Lentil & Ham Soup

Right before Christmas we were given a ham bone. I had lentils on hand so I looked up my recipe for Lentil & Sausage Stew, compared it to a recipe for Split Pea & Ham Soup, and came up with this one! We enjoyed this simple yet hearty soup, served with homemade Tomato Bread.*

 

I made one huge batch and froze the rest for later. (It freezes well.) The following recipe, paired with homemade bread, easily makes two meals for our family of four. (For a smaller batch, divide the recipe in half.)

Ingredients:
3 cups dried lentils
12 cups water
1 Tbsp dried onion
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt (optional)
4 to 8 medium carrots, grated (approx. 2 to 4 cups)
(I like to add lots of veggies!)
1 meaty ham bone

Instructions:

Rinse and drain lentils. Put lentils and water in a large pot and bring to a simmer. (Add onion, thyme, and salt.) Add ham bone and then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until lentils are tender and ham is “falling off” the bone. Remove the bone and chop (or break up ham pieces to desired size). Add grated carrots and simmer 15 minutes more before serving.

Garnish with freshly ground pepper, freshly grated carrot, etc.

(Yields approximately ten 1-cup servings.)

*Tomato Bread pairs perfectly with this soup!