Happy Hump Day y’all! I cannot wait for the holiday weekend even though it means little in my life of teaching yoga! I don’t get to have as much fun as everyone else tomorrow night because I teach bright and early at 6:15 a.m. and I’m sure my usual cast of characters will be there, ready to breathe! That’s the thing with being a teacher of any kind. You always have to be “on”. You can’t show up to class looking tired and haggard and expect students to take you seriously, let alone actually listen to what it is you want them to do. So I have to sacrafice fun for work sometimes… what are you gonna do? You gotta work right?! What I really need to do is start playing the lottery…!
Wine tasting at Saucelito Canyon.
There’s so many summer activities on the Central Coast right now that I’m having to narrow my options down each weekend which is not a bad problem to have at all! And because I’m spending more money on concerts, car rides, and libations, I’m trying to streeeeetch my budget by walking more, therefore spending less on gas, and by creating cheaper meals at home. (The MapMyWalk app that I use on my phone just told me I’ve walked 85 miles since January 1st. Wow!) So this week I made these two yummy, cheap dinners at home and they cost me less than $15 at the grocery store for both of these recipes together! Yup, $15 for two meals serving two people averages out to $7 bucks a meal, divided by two people, means we’re eating dinner for around $3.50 per person per day! SCORE!
Splurging on dinner at the Shell Beach Brew House.
Andy prides himself on keeping a low food cost at work and I try to do the same at home. I remember when my Ma used to cut coupons and organize them in this alphabetical binder and she would get so excited to see how much we’d saved on the way out. I miss that. I wonder if people cut coupons anymore? I know I don’t but I mostly do my shopping at Trader Joe’s where the eating is cheap anyhow. How do you save money? Do you have any tips to share?
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Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms- serves 2
Ingredients:
-2 portobello mushrooms
-12 Brussel sprouts
-5 cloves garlic
-1 white onion
-1 Habanero pepper
-1 lime
-2 T honey dijon mustard
-1 T apple cider vinegar
-2 T coconut oil
-olive oil
-salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Cut the stems off the shrooms and scrape out the insides.
3. Drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper on the shrooms and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
4. While that is baking, chop up all of the veggies and add them to a large sauté pan with the coconut oil.
5. Once the veggies begin to brown, add the cider vinegar, mustard and lime juice. Stir well.
6. Take the shrooms out of the oven and stuff with the veggie mixture. Easy peesy dinner! Enjoy!
Delish!
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Stuffed Portobello Black Bean Burgers- makes 6 burgers
Ingredients:
-Portobello mushrooms (one for each person)
-1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
-1 8.75 oz can yellow corn, rinsed and drained
-1 small habanero pepper
-1 small Serrano pepper (skip it if you don’t like too much heat)
-1 white onion, chopped finely
-1 bunch cilantro, chopped finely
-1/4 cup bread crumbs
-1 egg
-1 tsp cumin
-salt and pepper
-hamburger buns (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Cut the stems off the shrooms and scrape off the insides.
3. Drain the corn and beans and place in a large bowl with the chopped veggies, egg, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and cumin. I put this concoction in my Kitchen Aid and buzzed it up.
4. Then take the black bean mixture and stuff it into a portobello cap. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
5. When the shrooms are soft and the bean mixture is browning, take it out and let cool before you ENJOY!
Easy Peesy! Check out my other Black Bean Burger recipe here!
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I’m about to indulge in my usual- a cuppa tea and a good book! After just finishing David Sedaris’ Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, a short compilation of stories and essays, I’m ready to sink my teeth into something longer and juicer! Hence why I was the first one at the library when they opened their doors at 10 this morning! I picked up What Alice Forgot, my second read from Liane Moriarty who wrote the very excellent novel, The Husband’s Secret. I’ll be sure to let you know how it turns out!