A New Challenge & Pearl Cous Cous

I mentioned in my post on Sunday that I was going to start feeding us out of what we have here.  I said it like this:

Every now and then I decide that we need to try and eat out of our pantry, freezer, fridge and garden. There are often a few factors that go into my deciding this. One is that sometimes when we are extremely busy, I feel like planning a menu and then going to the grocery store could send me over some sort of imaginary 'edge' ! Two is when we've made a large purchase (like putting solar panels on our house!) and not shopping for a week would help pay for them. Three is when I look into my pantry and freezer and see that what's in there could probably feed a family in Africa for a month. And so, I get creative .... 

Then yesterday I was looking around on the internet and I stumbled upon this challenge ! It starts Monday and I'm going to join them !  It goes for four weeks and basically it's about eating out of your freezer and pantry in an effort to save money.  Tomorrow I will make an inventory of what I have in the house ... I will share that with you.  At the end of each of the weeks (I'm going to do the whole four week challenge) I will share with you what we ate (as per usual) but I will also share with you what I had to buy (I do plan to keep feeding my family fresh fruit, veg, milk etc ...)  and how much I spent each week.  My grocery budget, including toiletries, is $350 a week.  I do pretty well keeping within that most weeks.  I'm very interested to see how much I can save over the four week challenge !  And also what interesting meals we will come up with ...

Tonight's meal was just something I threw together in a hurry.  It was nice.  Simple. Easy.  I had all of the things in my fridge, pantry and garden.  I made it in the afternoon and refrigerated til we were ready to eat.  It was only the kids and me tonight.  Had Rory been here, I probably would have grilled some chicken to go with it.

Pearl (Israeli) Cous Cous

1 Roasted Red Bell Pepper, chopped small

1 Tomato, chopped small

1 Spring Onion, sliced

A couple spoonfuls of sliced black olives

A small handful of salted capers

Garlic, chopped,  to taste

Juice of 1/2 a lemon (or more to taste)

Boil cous cous according to package instructions.

Sautee garlic in olive oil til golden brown. (maybe 1/2 tablespoon of oil)

Drain cous cous.  Mix cous cous with other ingredients, including oil you cooked the garlic in.  Squeeze lemon juice on top and mix. 

Can be served hot or cold.

PS ... If I'd had feta in the house, I would have put that in too ...

Burrito Bowl

This is such an easy meal ... I love it.

We just throw everything on the table, or on the kitchen counter, and everyone

makes their own bowl to their own liking.

Here's what we have in ours, but you can do whatever you like, that' s the beauty of the burrito bowl !

Brown Basmati Rice, cooked and mixed with lime juice and fresh coriander (cilantro)
Black Beans
Grated Cheese
Spring Onions, Sliced
Black Olives
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Salsa (optional)
Jalapenos (optional)

That's it ... then just fill your bowl with whatever combination takes your fancy ...



My bowl.



Rory's bowl.

**

yum

Black Olive Salad

This has been my favorite salad for my whole life !
So simple. So delicious.
This is why my Mom mails Italian Dressing mix to me !!
(can't buy it in Australia and the ready made ones just aren't the same !!)

I use iceberg lettuce because it is so crispy !
Sliced black olives but only because they are the only ones I can buy pitted.
Onion. Thinly sliced.
Italian Dressing.

DONE.

Baked Potato Bar

This is such a quick an easy meal.
I did it for the kids the other night.

All you do is ...
Bake the potatoes.
You know, wrap 'em in tin foil, into a hot oven for 30 minutes or so.
Have a bunch of stuff out to top them with.
I cooked a bit of bacon.
Cheese and sour cream and the kids were set.

Normally I'd do beans, salsa, avocado as well ...
Olives
Mushrooms
Onions and Chives
Garlic

You name it ... it can go on top of a baked potato !!

Tapenade

Years ago, my friend Dawn gave me these two delicious tapenade recipes. I've been making them ever since. I like the olive one best but I'll give you both recipes ...

The one I made tonight isn't either. That's one thing I love about these recipes ... they are so flexible and taste good pretty much regardless of measurements or forgetting to put things in or not having the right ingredients ... my sister in law Gina's kind of recipe !! :)

Last night at dinner, my brother in law Steve mentioned that he'd like this recipe. I don't know why I don't have it on the blog yet but I don't so I had intended doing it soon to put it up.

Tonight, I was trying to figure out what on earth to feed the kids for dinner since tomorrow is shopping day and the fridge is close to empty !! Rory and I are having aliolio later, after he gets home from church ... but it's not really good leftover so I didn't want to cook that for them and .... oh, never mind !! Boring details !!

I had some leftover plain pasta in the fridge. I had some olives and sun dried tomatoes and so I whipped up some tapenade, mixed it through the pasta and topped with a bit of Parmesan cheese.

Here's how you do it.

Sun dried Tomato Tapenade

Sun dried tomatoes in oil ( large jar )
1/2 bulb fresh garlic ... crushed
2 TBLS pitted black olives
1 tsp salt
Blend in food processor until smooth

Olive Tapenade

Black Pitted Olives (large jar or can)
1/2 bulb fresh garlic ... crushed
2 TBLS capers
Sun dried tomatoes in oil (small jar)
1 tsp salt

Use some of the vinegar from the olives and some of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes, blend all ingredients in food processor til smooth.

The Tapenade I Made Tonight

Black Pitted Olives 1/2 jar
Kalamata Olives 1/2 jar
2 TBLS capers
Sun dried tomatoes in oil 1/2 jar

I forgot to put in garlic and salt. I'd normally do the garlic but not the salt. I think the olives make it salty enough !!

Use some of the vinegar from the olives and some of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes, blend all ingredients in food processor til smooth.

Delicious !

I have packed all of our lunches for tomorrow with some tapenade and crackers ... and I even had a snack since I am waiting for Rory to get home before we eat.

Did the kids like the pasta ?

I'll let the empty bowls speak for themselves ...