Finally found time to get my hair done! Yay. Not super thrilled with it, but it’s ok. Here’s the only pic I have of the highlights… in my favorite place in the whole world. My bed 
I have to do a post on mobile homes first though.
So… Matt made the decision to eliminate animal products from his diet. I was okay with it since I really don’t like meat… much. I do like grilled steak, chicken, burgers, hot dogs (kosher beef of course). But being the supportive wife I am I decided to join him in this quest for health.
So Sunday evening instead of eating the leftover burger (with bacon and guacomole)… or the leftover grilled brats with the chili I made Saturday… we had meatless spaghetti. I had some pasta that was whole grain with omega-3 and flaxseed, I sauteed garlic, onions, mushrooms and black olives in a little olive oil. I added a jar of roasted garlic pasta sauce and some spices. Matt mixed some pressed garlic with a little olive oil and toasted on buns. It was delish!
Last night I made stir fry. I cooked some whole grain brown rice… then sauteed stir fry veggies adding some garlic and squash from dad’s garden, mixed it with rice when it was ready and put some soy sauce. Delish! We had some pita chips with roasted red pepper hummus on the side.
Tonight I made red beans & rice. I cooked a pound of small red beans with some cumin, onion, garlic, peppers from garden, and cilantro. I had plain whole grain brown rice leftover from last night. I put the beans over the rice and some salsa to top it off. Dad’s delicious potatoes were the real treat to me! I microwaved a few small potatoes in the steam bags and then sliced them and sprinkled kosher salt and chives on them while they sauteed in a non stick pan until golden brown. We had some corn from dad’s garden too. Yummy.
Later tonight I was reading a few recipes and made some dairy free mayo and then some sandwich spread for Matt… He said if he didn’t know already he would think this was tuna when I gave him a sample on whole wheat toast. I didn’t try it yet.
- 1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons sweet or dill pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise (I used the non dairy homemade version)
- 8 slices whole wheat bread
- lettuce
- tomatoes
- mustard
Mash beans with a bean masher. Place in a bowl and add celery, onions, relish, lemon juice and fat-free mayonnaise. Mix well. Chill to blend flavors.
Spread bread with mustard, if desired. Place about 1/2 cup of the spread on four of the bread slices. Add lettuce, tomatoes, close up and eat.
I’m not missing the meat. At all.
This is what I plan to cook tomorrow!
Chip and Salsa Soup
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 15 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1 1/4 cups fresh salsa, mild or medium
- 1 tablespoon canned diced green chilies
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 2 cups fat-free tortilla chips, broken into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup avocado chunks
Place the broth, beans, salsa, corn, green onions and chilies in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes to blend flavors.
Place 1/2 cup of chips and 1/4 cup of avocado in each of four bowls. Ladle the soup over the avocado and chips and serve at once.
Mexican Bean Burritos
Servings: 10-12
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
- 2 cups dried pinto beans (using leftover red beans from tonight)
- 8 cups water
- 1/2 to 1 cup bean cooking liquid
- 2 chopped tomatoes
- 1 chopped bunch green onions
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 cup shredded soy cheese (optional)
- Assorted Mexican salsas
- 10-12 whole wheat flour or corn tortillas
Place the beans in a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat slightly so they don’t boil over, and cook until tender, 3 to 4 hours. (This step can also be done in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 8-10 hours.) Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
Mash the beans with a hand masher or portable electric beater. Add some bean cooking liquid after mashing and mix until the beans are a soft, moist consistency.
Place all the ingredients in bowls, except the tortillas. Let each person make their own burrito by layering on the ingredients of their choice. For instance, take a tortilla, spread a line of beans down the center of the tortilla, then add some tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Spoon a little of your favorite salsa over all of this, roll up the tortilla and, either place on a plate and eat it using a fork or pick it up and eat it using your fingers.
HINT: Make rice for the next two days’ meals.
I spent the entire day cleaning out my closet and my room. Ugh. But it’s done and since I’ve been working things like that get harder and harder to get to. Tomorrow I have to do work. I have to get a lot done and meet with the engineer asap to get this batch of spill plans out!
Amanda got her housing assignment at OU. She has been emailing her roommate. (She’s from St. Louis and a mechanical engineer major). I am so excited for her. Gotta start looking for a mini-fridge now. Her roommate is bringing a small microwave for their dorm room and amanda will take her television.
