It's dark, it's cold, and I'm ready for comfort food. At the same time, food prices have jumped in the past few weeks and I'm looking for ways to use the things I have in my pantry and like rice, noodles, dry beans and canned tuna. So here's a menu based on inexpensive comfort foods! Monday: Tuna Noodle Casserole + cooked mustard greens + peach/grape smoothie New casserole recipe, not my favorite, but it sure was easy! If you have a beloved tuna casserole recipe, please email it to me! nicolebuhlerRD@gmail.com We are doing tuna casserole for cooking class in January and I'm determined to find a recipe that is easy and yummy. Tuesday: Bean Burritos + canned corn + apple slices. I cook my own beans in a pressure cooker, it requires no soaking and is so easy. Here's how you can do it yourself. image from Budgetbytes.com Wednesday: Smokey Black Bean Soup + crockpot roll recipe (trying it for thanksgiving!) + apple slices image from budgetbytes.com Thursday: Butternut squash risotto + green salad + canned pears (this recipe is a bit involved and is gourmet, but I have squash, apples and sage from my garden I want to celebrate!) image from SeriousEats.com Friday: Homemade pizza with zuchinni, pepperoni and pesto (all in the freezer!) + green salad + applesauce Image from me! Taken this summer. Saturday: Cottage cheese spinach lasagna + green salad + whatever fruit is left in the house This is my favorite lasagna recipe, it's easy, it's yummy and my 11 year old is making it for us. image from foodandfamily.com Have a good cozy week!

This week, I want to introduce you to a concept called COOK ONCE, EAT TWICE. The idea is that you double a recipe with the intent of eating leftovers another day. I'm going on a trip and leaving the kids home with a sitter - so this will make things easier while I'm gone. The important thing to remember when cooking once, eating twice - is to choose meals you know your family likes. Our favorite meals are: hummus/tzatziki, rice and bean salad, and tortellini soup. Here's the menu! Monday: Green salad with hard boiled eggs, cheese, walnuts, garbanzo beans, apples and bacon! Homemade breadsticks (I love this recipe! Image below is from the website melskitchencafe.com) Tuesday: Cooking class: chicken with rice + butternut squash + green salad + pears I'm so excited to see you guys on zoom! Wednesday: Cooking class leftovers! Thursday: Elk tacos (which are just like regular ground beef tacos), cabbage w/lime juice, cantaloupe, Rice and bean salad, tres leches cake to celebrate a family member’s birthday! Friday: Tortellini Sausage Soup + apple slices (recipe and image from budgetbytes.com) Saturday: Hummus, tzatziki and naan bread before trick or treating Sunday: Leftover rice+bean salad with cheese tortillas and fresh fruit (whatever is on sale this week) Monday: Leftover hummus, tzatziki, naan bread Tuesday: Leftover tortellini soup + cheese sandwiches Wednesday: cottage cheese pancakes + scrambled eggs w/any veggies in the fridge (I’ll just be getting home and will need something simple + fast, this recipe I created has more protein than regular pancakes!) Thursday: leek cabbage soup + whole wheat bread and green salad Friday: out to eat with friends at a Thai restaurant

I'm back from fall break. I came home to an empty fridge, so I had to quickly make a meal plan and get to the store. I hate shopping without a plan and list, but when I've got a meal plan and a list of what I need, it's much less stressful! Sorry this is low on photos, I'll take some this week so there will be photos next time I post these recipes! Here's what I already had: chopped leeks in the freezer, elk roast apples from a friend's tree the last tomatoes and peppers from the garden roasted red bell peppers from the freezer frozen peaches from a friend's tree Here's my menu: M: Mollie Katzen Tortilla Soup (uses up all those tomatoes, peppers and roasted peppers from the freezer) + quesadillas and avocados T: Elk roast on whole wheat tortillas with salsa and cheese (pretty much a taco), peach smoothies, lettuce from the garden W: Crock Pot Leek soup, sliced apples, green salad, cheese sandwiches Th: Tacos, my 11 year old daughter found some new recipes she is going to try. F: Squash Goulash + the last melons from the garden + green salad + toast S: Vegetable Tortellini Soup + sliced apples + whole wheat bread (image from budgetbytes.com) S: Make something creative with leftovers

It's fall break this week and we are going to stay with family, which means I get a break from cooking! Here's what I'm making at home and making ahead to eat on the car ride. Things I need to use up: yogurt (other than that my fridge is essentially empty!) garden stuff: lots of pears!, cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, squash, melons Monday: Chicken & Rice + Roasted Butternut Squash + Fresh Pears (this is October's cooking class recipe, it's not to late to signup if you haven't yet!) Tuesday: Spaghetti Squash Goulash + Pesto Bread + fresh pears Wednesday: Pear Pasta + Green Salad, I use milk instead of cream to save $ (image from allrecipes.com) Thursday-Saturday: FALL BREAK! Things we will eat while traveling: Rice and Bean Salad https://www.ddinutrition.com/riceandbeansalad Hummus and Tzatziki https://www.ddinutrition.com/hummusandtzatziki Some great recipes from previous cooking classes that I would probably make if I was home: Broccoli Cheese Soup https://www.ddinutrition.com/broccolicheesesoup One Pot Pasta https://www.ddinutrition.com/onepotpasta Have a great week!

Buying things on discount and freezing them saves money on food costs. Growing a garden and freezing the extras also saves money. The only things I'm going to have to buy at the store this week are milk, garlic, curry powder and flour. Are you interested in gardening? Family Advocates will be sending out information about how to join a community garden this week. If you even have mild interest, I encourage you to sign up! Gardening is a great way to get exercise, spend time and save money! Things in my fridge: leftovers sour cream yogurt quart of tomatoes Things in my freezer: garbanzo beans I cooked and froze in a gallon bag deer and elk meat chopped cabbage from spring chopped leeks from spring frozen mangos from winco naan bread, bought on discount and frozen Things in the garden: tomatoes herbs: dill, thyme, basil, rosemary cucumbers bell peppers lots of lettuce kale pears carrots potatoes Menu: Monday: leftovers from last week (spaghetti squash gumbo, shown below) + apples + garden salad Tuesday: tzatziki + hummus + naan bread + mango smoothie (frozen mangos and milk) Wednesday: stew (I'll use deer) + crackers + pears Thursday: leek cabbage soup (uses, leeks, cabbage, sour cream) + homemade whole wheat bread Image from food.com, link above Friday: garbanzo bean curry + naan bread + green salad + chopped apples Photo is of my daughter who used to hate curry when she was in kindergarten. She's 9 now, and it's one of her favorite meals. Got a picky eater? Just keep serving what YOU like to eat and they will learn to like it. Saturday: red lentil kale soup + crackers + fresh pears Image from Oh She Glows food blog, link is above Sunday: Use up leftovers and make something creative!

If you read "The Weekly Spread" last week, you know that I always start my meal planning with things I have in the house that need to be used. From now on, I'll start every post with that list so you can see how I use up leftovers. Things I need to use up: cottage cheese eggplant (from the garden) tofu lots of lettuce spaghetti squash (from the garden) carrots and beets (from the garden) What I'm planning to make: remember that each meal needs a fruit, vegetable, grain and protein Monday: Green salad w/garbanzo beans + stir fried tofu, hard boiled eggs, croutons, cantaloupe Tuesday: Eggplant parmesan (image below from "Cooking for Keeps" blog) with frozen broccoli, fresh pears and store bought french bread Wednesday: Easy Spinach Lasagna (image from myfoodandfamily.com), green salad, chopped apples Thursday: Spaghetti squash filled with ground elk and rice, chopped apples on the side (I basically cook ground beef, add a can of salsa and leftover rice, then top with cheese and put it over cooked spaghetti squash, it's one of my favorite things to do with all of the spaghetti squash I grow in my garden) Friday: Garbanzo bean and eggplant curry, brown rice, canned pineapple, naan bread Saturday: kids will choose something new to make and we will go to the store for ingredients Sunday: Elk roast with roasted potatoes, beets and carrots

What is in your fridge? It can be a scary question....but it's one I ask myself every week before meal planning. This is an unedited photo of my fridge today. Every week, when I plan my menu, I like to scan the fridge, pantry, freezer and garden before I choose what to make. It saves money + reduces waste! This week I need to use: from the fridge: mushrooms, a jar of tomatoes, homemade pickles, cottage cheese, eggs, zucchini, leftover pesto sauce, cream from the freezer: cabbage and roasted bell peppers from last year, pepperonis, naan bread and pizza crust that I bought on discount and froze (did you know that you can freeze bread, it's a lifesaver!) from the garden: leeks, lettuce, cucumbers, melons, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots from the pantry: last year's applesauce This week's menu: Monday: applesauce baked oatmeal, mushroom egg muffin cups....Novembers cooking class recipes (coming to the website soon!) Tuesday: COOKING CLASS! Black bean soup and cornbread with honeydew melon Wednesday: Cooking class for the childcare families! We don't like to eat the same thing 2 nights in a row, so I'm making some cottage cheese pancakes and tomato soup before class starts. (I will freeze the soup for another night and eat the cornbread with soup on Thursday) Thursday: cabbage, leek and potato soup with sour cream and fruit from the garden Friday: pizza with pesto sauce, zucchini, pepperoni, and fruit from the garden Saturday: hummus, tzatiki, naan bread, garden lettuce and tomatoes Sunday: roasted red pepper pasta w/green salad + applesauce What are you going to make from the things lurking in your fridge/freezer/pantry?

You may have noticed that my meal plans have a lot of "parts." Those "parts" are the keys to healthy eating. To maximize nutrition, I try to have these 4 parts in every meal: 1)protein 2)fruit 3)vegetable 4)grain. Each food group has different nutrients, to get everything your body needs, it's important to include something from each food group. This week, I'm going to label the parts of each meal I've planned so you can see it more clearly. I hope you are enjoying the weekly spread! Monday: chicken and rice..next month's cook class recipe! (protein + grain), green salad (vegetable), canteloupe (fruit) Tuesday: Lentil Lettuce wraps (protein and vegetable), grapes (fruit), brown rice (grain) Wednesday: Cobb Salad w/hard boiled eggs and bacon! (protein and vegetable), watermelon (fruit), baguette (grain) Thursday: Fall Harvest salad (vegetable + fruit...it has apples in it), chicken corn chowder (protein and vegetable), apple bread (grain) - these recipes are from a kid's cooking kit we subscribe to called Raddish, if you have older kids, it makes a great Christmas present. Friday: Homemade pizza using WINCO whole wheat pizza crust (grain, protein, and vegetable), green salad (more vegetable), watermelon (fruit) Saturday: Miso soup with greens (protein + vegetable), Rice (grain), mango smoothie (fruit) Sunday: Elk tacos or leftovers!

Hello again! I hope you enjoyed last week's menu! Here's the spread for Sept 6-11: Monday: Lunch: ground elk tacos + bell peppers, lettuce and canteloupe (pictured above) Dinner: spaghetti using jar sauce + ground elk, garden green beans and garden grapes (my husband hunts, so we have ground elk instead of ground beef) Tuesday: trying out this sausage sheet pan dinner for October's cooking class + bread/butter + watermelon Wednesday: red lentil lettuce wraps (similar to this recipe online) + canned pineapple + garden cucumbers + rice Thursday: hummus + tzatziki + naan bread + tabbouleh + garden grapes Friday: trying out this tofu sheetpan dinner for October's cooking class + brown rice + watermelon Saturday: trying out this fajitas sheet pan dinner for October's cooking class + whole wheat tortillas + canteloupe Sunday: baguettes with toppings like brushetta, pesto, tomatoes, and chicken salad + garden salad + garden grapes

I've had a few requests for my family's weekly menu, so I'm going to try to post them here once a week. Click the links for the recipes. If you make something off of this list, send me an email to let me know how you liked it (or didn't!). Monday (pic above): Garden Minestrone Soup + baguette + fresh garden grapes, nectarines and cucumbers Tuesday: One pot mac + cheese + fresh garden grapes! (I pureed a big bag of cauliflower into the cheese sauce, used less cheese, and whole wheat penne noodles) Wednesday: Stir fry (garden veggies + tofu) + brown rice + melons from my garden! Thursday: rice and bean salad with tortillas + mango smoothie Friday: Hummus, Tabouleh and Tzatziki on naan bread + fresh garden grapes (we are taking this camping, it's great make-ahead camping food. Saturday: Clam Vermicelli (I only cook it for like 30 minutes+ I use fresh basil!!) + fresh garden salad w/cucumbers + you guessed it....fresh garden grapes (or a melon if there is a ripe one in the garden) Sunday: Easy Bean Burritos (tortillas, refried beans, cheese) + garden peppers and fruit on the side Have a great week! PS Are you wondering what I cook for breakfast and lunch? Breakfast: oatmeal, everyday for everyone. Here's my recipe Lunch: leftovers, everyday for everyone (except the kids who take school lunch) If there aren't any leftovers, then tuna sandwiches, cottage cheese and crackers, or a quick soup from garden vegetables (like this one)

Do you hate cooking when it's hot? Me too! To prevent myself from eating cheese tortillas for every meal, I make a big bowl of my favorite summer salad. This recipe just screams "summer" to me, it's full of summer veggies and is very refreshing. You can find the recipe HERE. I usually make Rice and Bean Salad on Saturday and then we eat it for 5 days until it is gone. This recipe is easy, healthy and versatile. It's good as a main dish, side dish, or inside a tortilla/burrito. I even like it for breakfast! It's also perfect to pack into a lunch. I put it in old sour cream containers with an ice pack and take it on picnics or vacations. If you want to try out this recipe, JOIN US for cooking class! Sign ups close Wednesday, August 18th, so ask your Family Advocate for help signing up today!

My house is HOT. Our air conditioning doesn't work well, and by noon it's usually 80+ degrees inside the house. So the oven is off limits for meal prep from June to September. One of my go-to-no-oven summer meals (other than watermelon) is curry. It's fast, easy, and accommodates any kind of veggie I have growing in the garden. Right now I make it with peas, onions, chard, cauliflower and cabbage. In a month I'll be adding eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes and green beans. It's a healthy hot meal that doesn't heat up the house. You can find the recipe by clicking this link. The recipe you'll find there is made using ingredients that are inexpensive at the store year round, but you should use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Spices are expensive when you first buy them, but they will last for many many recipes. To cut costs, I buy spices in bulk at Winco or Sprouts. Here's some other curry recipes to try that you might like more than my version! Have a fun and HOT summer day! Cauliflower Curry from Budget Bytes https://www.budgetbytes.com/easy-cauliflower-and-chickpea-masala/ Curry Recipes from Vibrant Soul (look under the soups and stews tab) https://www.vibrantsoulful.com/recipes.html Red Lentil Curry from Allrecipes https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16641/red-lentil-curry/ P.S. This is the recipe for cooking class this month. If you missed the cooking class sign up, be sure to watch for next month's sign up list. We will be making hummus and tzatziki, another favorite summer meal!