Score with the meatless meatloaf

Couple of weeks ago I tried this recipe. Now when trying things for the first time I go by the ingredients and instructions with rare exceptions (my butter Indian chicken). When we made it the last time I found the onion too hard / raw in the loaf and not soft enough for my taste, I'm never a fan of biting into onion chunks cooked or not. So I modified it my saluting the onion with some celery and carrot to soften the texture and to slightly sweeten the taste. I also added about 1/3 cup of store bought BBQ sauce. The result a very passable substitute for meatloaf at a fraction of the cost. My only amendment would be more sauce or substitute the tomato sauce entirely for BBQ sauce for that kick.

This is a keeper of a recipe for me. Now it takes more time than regular meatloaf as you have to precook the lentils but it's oh so worth it and a fraction of the cost of making a true meatloaf. I also religiously let the loaf stand resulting in flawless presentation on he plate.

I am a cheating vegetarian

Well dropping meat makes a difference in the food bills. Seriously. So in order for me to do other things as you have been reading I've been dropping meat. There are however exceptions. Stock. It's almost impossible to buy vegetable stock cheap and in bulk yet chicken is easy to come by. So I allow myself to use that. Maybe I'll get around to making my own but for now I'll stick with what I can get. I may buy meat for one meal during the week and most of the time that is for our Monday meals and not our family meals.

My current favorite goto is lentils for protein however I'm branching out this week I'm gonna experiment with mung beans. Apparently they are a great superfood and they are very easy to cook! So I'm gonna experiment in the kitchen with them this week. After all we do need a break now and then from the staples.

James is being a real trooper and if his Dad saw half of what I feed my husband hehe. But in my mind you gotta do what you gotta do. Some meals I've not been jumping over the moon about. I did a soba noodle recipe last week I did not love, however adding a dressing I had in my fridge it's palatable enough and I've been chewing down on the left overs for lunch. A south Indian lentil curry I did last week I found a little bland so probably won't do that one again.

However the meatless meatloaf was pretty decent. I'm gonna make it my own this week using the basic recipe and tweaking it. By not going vegetarian I'm able to use meat stocks eggs and other ingredients this makes it so much easier! Eggs are not taboo neither is milk or cheese. I'm making my own breads (try it it's easy and saves so much money!) plus you know what you are putting in it. I do want to invest in a dough hook for my food processor tho...

Anyway here is a snapshot of my meal plan. I have a vodka tomato soup in the freezer and some of the Indian lentil soup too which will tide me over two meals. Then on Thursday I'm gonna make up a mung bean dish from ideas on the web. Excited a little bit and hoping I can keep within my budget!

Rehashing reusing

Ok these two weeks are challenging to say the least to keep within budget. But lentils and beans seem to be big features. I also had great success with the corned beef and bread so gonna use that again next week as there is plenty of meat in the freezer and flour to make more bread. It was hugely more economical to make my own rather than buying and I need nothing to make it next week.

Lentils I really should read up on the different varieties and colors. I tend to stick with red for now but I'm certainly entertaining the idea of expanding on that. Tonight's far is gonna be a slow cooked Indian lentil curry which smells amazing already. I'm also going to jazz up my rice with cumin seeds. My only trouble was not knowing what the seeds are known in the Indian store. Phone to the rescue! I'm also excited to use fresh curry leaves. This is gonna be an adventure!

Now tomorrow it's my turn to cook and looks, I'm trying to keep it simple and do my beef stroganoff and I'm also making dessert all done in crock pots! Hopefully it will be pretty easy.

Next week it's a case of more beans and lentils and keeping it basic. I am just go grateful right now my hubby is not complaining.

Oh and I have some lovely naan bread in the freezer from the last batch I made so I'm gonna convert them into homemade French onion pizzas! One of my favorites and really cheap as I won't have to worry about the bases I can splurge for the bacon.

Meatless meatloaf

Ok it was pretty darn good. However it needs a tweak here and there to be amazing. I used red lentils as its what I had on hand, darker would have given a better look. Also I want to add in BBQ sauce, it would have made it amazing. And use lots of Pam! Mine still stuck resulting in me not having a good dish to snap. Don't ask. But the girls enjoyed it and it was pretty easy to make so it's gonna go on my great budget list. In addition there is no reason why carrots and celery could not be added. Oh and I would add a step in to sweat and slightly caramelize the veggies for better texture and flavor.

Really Good Vegetarian Meatloaf (Really!)

Ingredients
1 tsp Basil, shredded
Black Pepper
3/4 cup Cheese Brick Extra Sharp White
1 Eggs, beaten
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 cup Lentils
1 cup Oatmeal
1 Onion, chopped
1 tsp Parsley
Salt, chicken
4.5 oz Tomato Sauce
2 cups Water
Wide egg noodles

Notes / Directions
Add salt to water and boil in a saucepan.

Add lentils and simmer covered 25-30 minutes, until lentils are soft and most of water is evaporated.

Remove from heat.

Drain and partially mash lentils.

Scrape into mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Stir in onion, oats and cheese until mixed.

Add egg, tomato sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, seasoning salt and pepper.

Mix well.

Spoon into loaf pan that has been generously sprayed with Pam (non-stick cooking spray) or well-greased.

Smooth top with back of spoon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30- 45 minutes until top of loaf is dry, firm and golden brown.

Cool in pan on rack for about 10 minutes.

Run a sharp knife around edges of pan then turn out loaf onto serving platter.


Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/really-good-vegetarian-meatloaf-really-33921#ixzz1oUahrsY7

New car new ideas and insurance

Yay I'm getting a new car! Not so yay car insurance will go up. This means if I want an entertainment budget I need to find it from my food grocery allowance. I feel like cracking my knuckles. Ok it's on! I'm gonna try comparison shopping looking at grocery outlet, trader joes. Costco I'm gonna be looking for staples, tomatoes, beans, stocks. Meat I'm gonna have to really think about and compare prices.

I'm gonna be hitting up Asian and Indian supermarkets too for rice and beans and their specialties such which they buy in bulk. I've suggested to James we take out the budget in cash then I spend that when it's gone it's gone. This way hopefully I can save some money. We are by no means poor but if we want vacations and luxuries we have to budget. We want a day out museum or a meal out we have to account for it somewhere.

I am gonna have to start planning meals two weeks at a time me thinks as that will give me a more accurate costing than a week by week basis.

Creativity and lateral thinking

So I'm looking at saving some money in the next couple of weeks for other things. I'm really thinking about groceries and seeing where I can find some more savings.

That being said I really want to make sure we get enough to eat with good nutrition and I do not want to sacrifice flavor. I am trying to step out of my normal comfort zone. Now we eat one fish one veggie in general once a week and I'm seeing one of the biggest expenses is meat. So I'm trying to use more beans and yes lentils. I'm looking to India and the Middle East to expand my repertoire.

I've actually sat down and thought about meals for the next couple of weeks so I can budget myself out. I want to make sure we have variety and not make it boring but I'm reducing our meat intake significantly. The other bonus to this is our figures. James is now down to 236 lbs which he's not been at in over twelve years. Me I'm almost back to my post pregnancy weight. I keep hoping for the goal of 200 by the end of the year.

Tonight we were back to one of my old favorites a vegetable lentil stew. It's easy simple and uses a single pot so clean up is a breeze. But I'm really looking forward to trying a meatless meatloaf recipe on Tuesday. I'm gonna serve it with wheat egg noodles, I'll let you know! I am wondering what else I can get away with hehe.

Frugal shopping

Wow food prices are really starting to become a problem and it's the staples, milk, bread, yogurt that quickly add up on the shopping list. Meat is starting to really become a luxury. Now we have a generous budget but the rising costs of food I'm really having to stretch a buck. This week I have $80 actually a
little less and I have to provide lunch dinner for four but here is the kicker, I have meat in the freezer for only one meal. This means I'm gonna be using a whole lotta lentils. Yes Donna I have your son eating lentils!

One of my big go tos is a red lentil veggie stew. I cheat and use chicken stock but hey it still sorta counts. And this week I'm gonna try a veggie lentil meatloaf. I'll keep you posted! Lentils are actually a great source of protein so it's a great meat substitute. I just hope most of the guys at work can stay down wind!