Groceries and cost of living

So, I was having a conversation with some family and friends on the cost of various things we use on a daily basis and the pay doesn't seem to be keeping up. One of the items we talked about was how much food costs. It seems that pay rate doesn't seem to be keeping up with the cost of living, which in turn makes it hard to decide where certain cuts need to be made in our personal budgets. A couple of videos caught my attention while on +YouTube.

One of them is from the +CBS Evening News and discusses "Despite the government's consumer price index showing little to no inflation, food prices have been going up, putting a squeeze on the budgets of many families across the U.S. Michelle Miller reports." The video can be found here at: CBS Evening News. The other video I found was from the +The Associated Press. This discusses, "The ongoing drought in California and other western states is starting to bump prices up at the grocery store. As AP's Haven Daley reports, beef may be the first food item to see an increase." This video can be found here at: Associated Press.

I don't think anyone should be surprised by the increase in food, as we have seen the hike in gas prices. Who knows how far the increase in food, or any other necessity for that matter, will go. I think what it comes down to is whether we can get some changes made in policy, new faces in the government who are willing to make the necessary changes based on what we the people are saying need to be changed. Even if we don't see these changes in our lifetime, the lease we can do is get a movement going to make the changes for our children and future generations to come. We as a country need to get back to having morals, values, and ways of life that we at one time grew up with. Unless we take back our rights to make a difference within our homes, teaching our children with morals, values, and discipline, schools, workplace, and any other item I've left out, we might as well kiss it all good-bye.

I would like some feedback on what you think.

Quick Tuna and Garbanzo Salad

So, I was looking for some new recipes to try out this past week, and thought I'd look at some recipes on +ZoneDiet. One of the recipes I found was this Quick Tuna and Garbanzo Salad. I love tune salad, and thought this was a twist on something I already eat. The only drawback I initially had about the recipe was using extra virgin olive oil instead of the mayo, but thought I'd give it a try. After making this recipe, I'm not sure I will go back to making regular tuna salad. I say this in part, because with this recipe I noticed that I was full for several hours after eating, which is a good thing when you pair the right foods together. I tried the lemon juice with this recipe and thought it was pretty good, don't know about the balsamic vinegar. So, if you happen to try this recipe with the vinegar, let me know what you think. 

Ingredients:

• 6 oz chunk light tuna in water - rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup garbanzo beans canned - rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup celery - finely chopped
• 1/2 cup onion - finely chopped
• 3 tbsps sweet pickle relish
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 3 1/2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsps fresh squeezed lemon juice - or balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 6 leaves lettuce
• 4 tomatoes - diced or sliced

Instructions:

In a bowl, stir to combine all ingredients except lettuce and tomato. Plate the lettuce leaves and tomatoes.

Corn Flake Crusted Chicken

This recipe is a bit of a twist on my Oven Baked/Fried Chicken recipe and a recipe my grandmother made when I was a child. It's a very good recipe and a bit more on the healthy side. Of course this is a very basic recipe, and can be adjusted to your liking as far as spices go.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 8 ounces plain yogurt
• 1 cup corn flakes crushed
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tsp paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Crush corn flakes, and put on a plate. Mix in salt, pepper, and paprika.
3. Empty yogurt into a bowl.
4. Take chicken and dredge both sides through yogurt then place into crushed corn flakes pressing down firmly on each side. Place chicken onto prepared pan.
5. Cook for 30-40 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Breakfast Casserole

Growing up I was used to the standard breakfast meals like cereal, oatmeal, cinnamon rolls, or even pancakes, eggs and bacon. However, I wouldn't have thought to have a breakfast casserole until I got into my teens. Whenever I make this recipe it seems to change a bit in the way of spice (or heat), however, it always came out good.

 Ingredients:

• 1 package ground sausage
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 package hash brown, thawed
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 package shredded cheese
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 2 cups milk

Directions:

1. Spray 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Heat oven at 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet brown sausage, and drain.
3. Dice your peppers and onion into small pieces.
4. Mix cooked sausage, peppers, onion, and hash browns. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into pan.
5. Beat your eggs and milk together, and pour over potato mixture.
6. Cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until cooked through.

Fresh Salad

This is an easy salad to prepare and serve along side any meal, or even just by itself. This would be one of those good summertime salads since all the fruits are in season.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups lettuce - torn
• 2 cups baby spinach
• ½ red bell pepper - chopped
• ¾ cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/3 cup carrots - sliced
• ¼ cup celery - chopped
• ¼ cup red onions - sliced
• ½ cucumber - sliced
• ¼ cup grapes
• ¼ cup avocado - chopped into small pieces
• ½ cup cooked skinless chicken
• 3 tbsps Fat-Free Piquant Dressing*

Directions:

1. Mix everything together and drizzle dressing over salad.

*Piquant Dressing: 

1/4 cup Rice vinegar

2 tbsps Tomato sauce (no sugar) 
1 tsp Mustard - your favorite kind

1 Garlic clove - pressed or crushed

1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Oregano 
1/8 tsp Cumin  

Whisk everything together.

Sassy Chicken and Peppers

There are so many different kinds of chicken recipes out there, and some can be a bit boring. So, I thought to myself, why not spice it up a bit and make your chicken have some flavor to it? This is one of my favorite chicken recipes, and goes well with a salad on the side. This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons Mexican seasoning*
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 medium yellow or green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 cup chunky salsa or chipolte salsa
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• lime wedge (optional)

*If Mexican seasoning is not available, substitute 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper.

Directions:

1. Sprinkle seasoning over both sides of chicken; set aside.
2. heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add bell pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir salsa and lime juice into vegetables.
4. Push vegetables to edge of skillet. Add chicken to skillet. Cook 5 minutes; turn. Continue to cook 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pin in center and vegetables are tender.
5. Transfer chicken to serving plates; top with vegetable mixture. Garnish with lime wedge.

Bakers Cooked Twice

While getting things ready for dinner the other night, I decided I wanted to have my Oven Baked Chicken, but wanted to do something a bit different with the meal overall. I am probably one of many Americans who likes a good baked potato, especially if you're adding more than just the usual butter or sour cream. So I found a recipe that I like that involves a little planning, and making sure the rest of your meal comes out about the same time as the potatoes do. So here's a version of twice baked potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 2 baking potatoes, washed
• 3/4 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 sticks salted butter
• 1/4 cup bacon bits (fry your own!)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup Cheddar or Jack cheese (or a mix of both), plus more for topping
• 1/8 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 3/4 green onions, sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Rub them with the canola oil and bake for 1 hour, making sure they're sufficiently cooked through.
3. Slice the butter into pats. Place in a large mixing bowl and add the bacon bits and sour cream. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F.
4. With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scrape out the insides into the mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell. Leave a small rim of potato intact for support. Lay the hollowed out potato shells on a baking sheet.
5. Smash the potatoes into the butter, bacon and sour cream. Add the cheese, milk, seasoned salt, green onions and black pepper to taste and mix together well. (IMPORTANT: If you plan to freeze the twice-baked potatoes, do NOT add the green onions.)
6. Fill the potato shells with the filling. I like to fill the shells so they look abundant and heaping. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese and pop 'em in the oven until the potato is warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Buckeyes

I haven't had these in forever and think they are good, never really knew what the name of them were or even how to make them. After doing some snooping I found a recipe, so I thought I'd post it, and see if anyone had any variations on it, and had any suggestions.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat peanut butter, softened butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Place in freezer for 30 minutes, until firm.
2. Melt chocolate chips per package directions. Using a toothpick, dip peanut butter balls halfway into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Return to parchment paper lined baking sheets. With a moistened finger, smooth out toothpick holes. Refrigerate to harden chocolate; keep refrigerated until serving.

Fruit N' Nuts

If you are tired of the same old thing for breakfast every day this is an easy and healthy breakfast.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 pear chopped
• 1 1/2 cups celery sliced
• 1 cup strawberries sliced
•  1 kiwi peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cups walnuts chopped

Directions:

Add the cottage cheese to a large bowl. Add cut fruit and sprinkle with walnuts.

Oven Fried Chicken

So, I was working on my meal ideas for the week, and thought to myself that I hadn't had my Oven Fried Chicken in awhile. This recipe takes maybe about 45 minutes to prepare and cook. This is a simple recipe to make, and the chicken is always moist and tender.

Ingredients:

•  8 ounces of chicken
• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup mayo 
• 1 tsp minced garlic 
• paprika to taste 
• 1 1/2 cups Parmesan herbed panko
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix Dijon, mayo, garlic, and paprika together
3. In a separate bowl add your panko
4. Dredge chicken through mayo mix, then dip into panko pressing down on each side.
5. Place chicken on a greased pan and spray tops of prepared chicken with cooking spray
6. Bake for 35 minutes.

Homemade Chicken Fajita Recipe-Zone Diet

Not to long ago I wrote a post about the Zone Diet. My physician recommended this diet as a way for me to lose weight. He also told me that this was something recommended for diabetic patients wanting to control their weight as well. Me being pre-diabetic this is a good diet for me to be on, because you eat 3 meals, and have snacks in between. By having the snacks in between meals it reduces your chances of having your blood sugar spike when you eat meals. Essentially it helps maintain your blood sugar levels throughout the day. 

One of the recipes that I had mentioned in my post was a chicken fajita recipe that I thought was really good. Honestly, I don't think this homemade recipe comes anywhere near the $10-$12 you would spend at a restaurant, and you can control the ingredients put into the recipe. If you like this recipe please let me know, and by all means share the recipe. 

Chicken Fajitas

 

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces boneless chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons salsa
• 2 tablespoons bottled lime juice
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup water or more
• 1/3 green pepper, cut into quarters, seeds and membrane removed
• 1/3 red pepper, cut into quarters, seeds and membrane removed
• 1/3 yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch-wide rings, and microwaved on high for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute
• 1 fajita-size (8-inch) tortilla
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 4 tablespoons guacamole

Instructions:

1. Slice chicken breasts crosswise into 1/2-inch strips. Place in a glass dish with salsa, lime juice, salt, and pepper and enough water to cover. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. Into a large skillet, over high heat, pour in the liquid from the chicken and cook to reduce by half.
3. Add the chicken strips and using a wide wooden spatula, toss frequently. When chicken turns opaque but is not yet thoroughly cooked, add the peppers and onion. Continue cooking and tossing the mixture.
4. Cook until the liquid has evaporated and it begins to sizzle. Give one more toss and remove from heat. Serve with tortilla and condiments.

Cookie Mix in a Jar

I think cookie mixes in a jar is a neat idea for any time of the year. I do realize this isn't something that is new, as I have seen them around, but this is still a creative idea. Depending on the time of season you give this mix, will depend on the decorations for the jar. I've seen jars with colorful, bright labels and some kind of decoration on the lid, to having a tag with the description on it as part of the decoration on the lid. So, it's all a matter of what creative method you want to use to decorate the jar without taking away from the actual contents of the jar. The recipe I'm going to share with you is just that, a cookie mix. You will need a 2 quart jar, the recipe makes 3 1/2 dozen baked cookies, and take about 13 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 1 2-quart jar
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup red and green M&M's Minis

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine 1 3/4 cups of the flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, blend cocoa and remaining 1 cup flour.
2. Spoon half the flour-cocoa mixture into jar. Press down to flatten, using small spice jar. Spoon half the plain flour mixture over cocoa layer; compact. Repeat. top with brown sugar and granulated sugar, compressing each. Add chips and M&M's to jar.
3. Attach baking instructions: blend 2 sticks cooled, melted unsalted butter with 3 eggs, 1/3 cup milk and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Stir in cookie mix until blended. Drop by heaping tbsp onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 13 minutes or until firm. Cool on pan for 1 minute, then remove to a rack.

Chocolate-Berry Cheesecake

Today I am posting two different versions of cheesecake. Both are diabetic friendly. The first one I posted was a Chilled Cherry Cheesecake. This one is a bit richer than the previous one I posted, but none the less is still diabetic friendly. Oh and don't worry if your cheesecake starts to show "cracking" while baking. It's okay. This recipe serves 16.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
• 1 container (12 ounces) fat-free soft cream cheese
• 1 package ( 8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cholesterol-free egg substitute
• 2 tablespoons fat-free (skim) milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons no-sugar-added raspberry fruit spread
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray bottom of 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray; press chocolate wafer crumbs firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven; cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325.
2. Beat cheeses in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat in sugar until well blended. Beat in egg substitute, milk, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in mini chips. Pour batter into pan.
3. Bake 40 minutes or until center is set. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack. Carefully loosen cheesecake from edge of pan. Cool completely.
4. Remove side of pan from cheesecake. Blend fruit spread and water in medium bowl until smooth. add strawberries; toss to coat. Arrange strawberries on top of cake. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Chilled Cherry Cheescake

Who doesn't love cheesecake? I know I am one of many people who love a good cheesecake, and you know as well as I do there are a variety of them out there. However, how many of those cheesecakes are made for diabetics and still taste good? Well I have two different versions of cheesecakes that are easy to make, easy on your wallet, and as Mr. Food says "Oh so good."

The first cheesecake that I am posting is a Chilled Cherry Cheesecake. I cheat a little on this one by swapping the graham crackers for a pre-made graham cracker crust that I find in the baking aisle at my local grocery store. Of course you are more than welcome to try this recipe either way and see which way you like the best. This recipe serves 9.

Ingredients:

• 4  chocolate graham crackers (I sometimes use a pre-made graham cracker crust)
• 12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
• 8 ounces vanilla fat-free yogurt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 can (20 ounces) light cherry pie filling

Directions:

1. Sprinkle cracker crumbs onto bottom of 8-inch square baking pan. Beat cream cheese, yogurt, and vanilla in medium boal with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy.
2. Sprinkle gelatin into water in small microwavable bowl; let stand 2 minutes. Microwave on HIGH 40 seconds; stir and let stand  2 minutes or until completely dissolved.
3. Gradually beat gelatin mixture into cream cheese mixture with electric mixer at low speed until well blended. Pour into prepared pan; refrigerate until firm. Spoon cherry filling onto cheesecake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Oreo Snowman Recipe

So over the next few days I'm going to be posting some recipes that may inspire a few ideas for gatherings at your home or as something fun to send to school with your kids for holiday parties. There are a few good ideas like Oreo Snowmen or even a cookie mix as a possible gift for a friend, boss, co-worker, or even your child's teacher. I know I enjoy making food stuff during the holidays at my house, and if it something easy I try and get my little peanut in the kitchen with me to do a little cooking.

So, for the first recipe that I will be posting is an Oreo Snowman recipe that would be a neat idea to send to school with your child or to take with you to work.

Ingredients:

• 24 white-chocolate-coated Oreo cookies
• 24 lollipop sticks
• 24 Mike and Ike small orange candies
• 1/2 cup canned dark chocolate frosting
• 1/4 cup canned vanilla frosting

Directions:

• Insert a lollipop stick into one end of each cookie (You may first need to use a toothpick or small skewer to make a hole).
• Spoon frostings into separate resealable bags and snip a small corner from each with scissors.
•  Using dark chocolate frosting, pipe eyes and mouth onto cookies. Pipe a dot of vanilla frosting in center of each cookie and place an orange candy on it. Allow cookies to dry for about 30 minutes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This has to be one of my favorite soups to make, because it is super easy to make and it's a crockpot recipe. I know when I make this recipe and come home and smell the aroma of all the ingredients it seems to just warm me up before I've even eaten a bite.

I found this recipe by chance when I was looking for some quick ideas for meals that I could make with my crockpot and came across this one from the Campbell's Soup website. I change this recipe up a bit sometimes and use rotisserie chicken or I buy canned chicken (like with tuna) and flake the chicken into all the other ingredients. To me that's part of the fun in trying new recipes and finding a way to make them your own. This recipe serves six. The recipe is as follows:

What You'll Need

• 1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
• 2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 soup can water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into strips
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

How to Make It

1. Stir the picante sauce, soup, chicken, corn, beans, water and cumin in a 4-quart slow cooker.
   
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.
   
3. Stir the tortillas, cheese and cilantro into the cooker. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Serve with additional cheese, if desired. 

Fall Recipes

I was looking on the Internet this evening at a website that I hadn't visited in awhile, +MomsEveryday on the +Kake.com website, and came across this article by +Jen Lennon Fall is in the Air...so what's cooking in your house? I will have the link to Lennon's article at the end of my post if you would like to read it.  And it got me thinking about some of the recipes I cook at my home that end up being served a couple times a month.

I think if I were to sit down and plan my weekly meals I would have baked chicken, lasagna, various crock pot meals, and meatloaf. I think my favorite crock pot meals would be chicken tortilla soup, chili, and pot roast. I love using my crock pot on cold days, because it is a quick way to cook meals and after a long day at work what is better than coming home to a meal that has been cooking all day? As far as favorite smell that comes to mind during the colder months of the year would be that of pot roast. I remember when I was little and visiting my grandparents we would have pot roast, potatoes, and baby carrots on Sundays after church. I just remember all the ingredients melding together and seamlessly melting in my mouth with each bite. I remember this meal would always fill me up and make me feel warm inside.

What is your favorite recipe to cook and why? The other question would be what is your favorite Fall smell that brings back a positive memory? If you would like to share how to cook your favorite recipe, you are more than welcome to post it. I know I am a bit adventurous and like to try new recipes.

The link to Jen Lennon's article is:
http://www.momseveryday.com/wichita/momtomom/headlines/?article=172647761