Meals for 06-23-14

Breakfast: carrot and cranberry granola with milk
Lunch: leftover chicken sausage and bean soup, grilled cheese sandwich, nectarine
Dinner: tuna salad, crackers, pear, banana
Snacks/desserts: none today
Beverages: Coke Zero, water

I was worried about getting the tuna salad through TSA. They are usually pretty ok when it comes to employee lunches, but every now and then you get that one TSA employee that is super by the book. I have heard stories. No issues today though. 

I know Jeremy ate the rest of the whole-jar-of-salsa chicken and rice for lunch, and he skipped breakfast. He left no clues as to what he had for dinner, other than a dirty saucepan in the sink.

He says his GFR is still at 23, which is good. I had been under the mistaken belief that they would not refer him out for pre-transplant testing until it dropped to 20 or lower, but it turns out that he just won't get credit for time on the transplant list until then. If it works out that we can find a live donor, then it may not ever be an issue.

Tomorrow I don't work until 2, so I may just spend part of the morning doing another pantry/fridge/freezer inventory. The single biggest money saving strategy I employ when it comes to food is to plan my meals based on what we already have.

Meals and snacks for 06-22-14

Jeremy made dinner

Jeremy made dinner last night. His recipe is a closely guarded secret, but I know for sure there was chicken, brown rice, reduced fat sour cream, and an entire jar of salsa. I liked it, anyway.

After dinner we walked to Yogurtland on Broadway. I stumbled upon this website called Raise.com, where you can buy previously loved gift cards at below face value. I bought a 10$ card to Yogurtland, because we either go there or to Menchie's once a week on average. It cost me $8.80, and the shipping was super fast. We spent $10.92 total, so after the gift card discount it was $9.72. I'll be keeping my eyes open for more Yogurtland gift cards on there. Jeremy got the new raspberry lemonade sorbet topped with pineapple and mandarin oranges, and I got peanut butter cookies and cream with cookie dough balls and chocolate sauce.

Here's what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast: French toast with cherry pear compote
Lunch: coconut Greek yogurt, had boiled egg, cherries and strawberries
Dinner: Jeremy's chicken, salsa, sour cream and rice stuff
Snacks/desserts: frozen yogurt with toppings
Beverages: Crystal Light, water

Jeremy had French toast for breakfast also, and I think he had lunch, but I'm not entirely sure. He did mention drinking one of the energy drinks that was on top of the fridge.

Today I am working the late shift at the airport, so I won't be cooking anything. Just eating some leftovers, maybe make a sandwich for work. Whatever.

Jeremy is at his kidney doctor now. He said he's getting referrals to begin the transplant process. That must mean his GFR has dropped to 20 or below. It's kind of good, but I don't know that we are financially ready for this. I don't know if we would ever be. He is also supposed to get surgery to remove a cataract in about 6 weeks.

French toast with cherry pear compote

This is worth getting up early for, people.

French Toast

4 slices of bread (we used Franz old fashioned buttermilk)
2 eggs
1/4 cup half and half
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 T oil

Beat together eggs, half and half, and seasonings. Pour half of it into a plate or shallow bowl. Heat a skillet on medium. Add half of the oil. Soak two slices of bread in the egg mixture, and cook until each side is golden brown. Add the remaining oil to the pan, and egg mixture to the plate, and repeat with the other two slices of bread. This recipe makes two servings. Nutrition info is for two slices of toast. You can add powdered sugar on top to taste. The NI does not include powdered sugar.

Cherry Pear Compote

1 cup pitted cherries
1 ripe pear, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup water
zest and juice of one small lemon (about 2 T juice)
1 T cornstarch
1 t honey

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes until fruit is soft and sauce has thickened. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Nutrition info is for 1/2 of the recipe.

This compote would also be awesome on it's own, served over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, on top of your oatmeal, whatever. The lemon gives it a nice tangy summery flavor.

What we bought and what we ate, 06-21-14

I picked up the following from QFC:

1 lb strawberries $1.88
8 oz reduced fat sour cream $1.25
16 oz. salsa $1.00 (on sale for $2.00, plus it had a coupon for $1.00 off on it)
8 oz. shredded fiesta blend cheese $1.99
bulk cinnamon $.84
bulk nutmeg $2.80 (@ $39.99 a lb. Who knew nutmeg was so expensive?! Geez!)

Total: $9.76

Jeremy also bought a 2 liter of Coke Zero, and a Mt. Dew Kickstart, which he said was four dollars and something. So for tracking purposes I'll call it $4.50. I asked him why he was buying energy drinks when we have 12 of them on top of the fridge already and he said, "Because your mom."

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: carrot cranberry granola with milk
Lunch: strawberry Greek yogurt and a banana
Dinner: pasta with white cheddar sauce, tuna and carrots
Snacks/Desserts: cherries, nectarine
Beverages: water, Coke Zero

Jeremy ate a tuna sandwich for breakfast and the last frozen entree for lunch. And presumably a Mt. Dew Kickstart and some Coke Zero. And some strawberries.

Pasta with white cheddar sauce, tuna, and carrots

the carrots are all hiding

I make some variation of this basic recipe on a regular basis. You can use pretty much any kind of cheese, any veggies, any meat (or none at all if you so desire), and any starch. There are infinite possible iterations, and it's fast, easy, simple, and tasty. Here's what I used this time.

3 medium carrots, sliced
2 cups dry shell pasta
4 oz. white cheddar cheese with black pepper in it
3/4 cup half and half
1 T corn starch
1/2 cup water, divided in half
1 5 oz can tuna, halfheartedly drained

Boil water for pasta, and add pasta when it's come to a rolling boil. Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain it and set it aside. If you're a good multitasker you can do this at the same time you make the carrots and sauce. Add carrots and half of the water to a non-stick skillet, turn onto med-high heat and cover. While your carrots are steaming, grate up 4 oz of white cheddar, and mix the corn starch with the other half of the water. Turn heat under skillet down to medium and add half and half and the corn starch mixture. Simmer until the sauce thickens, then stir in the grated cheese until it's melted. Add the tuna and mix in thoroughly, then fold the pasta into the sauce. Makes 4 smallish servings, 3 good sized servings, or 2 very large servings. The nutrition info is for 1/3 of the recipe.

Carrot and cranberry granola

doesn't taste like carrots

This pan of granola has two whole carrots in it. It tastes nothing like carrots. It really just tastes like granola. Heck, you can barely even see the carrots. If you have a kid who refuses to eat carrots, but for some reason they love granola, put grated carrots in their granola. They will never ever know.

This is the exact recipe I used, but I ran out of both cinnamon and nutmeg making this. If I had had any more I'd have used more. It's not bad as is though.

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup steel cut oats
1/4 cup whole grain teff
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 scant T cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 whole egg
5 T melted coconut oil
2 grated carrots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except for cranberries together in a large bowl. Spread mixture evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes. Allow granola to cool, then break up into chunks, and mix in dried cranberries. Makes about 6 cups of granola. Nutrition info is for 1/2 cup.

Meals and snacks for 06-20-14

My lunch salad. Hella good. 

Breakfast: leftover chili with muenster cheese and a fried egg
Lunch: strawberry Greek yogurt, and a salad with butter lettuce, strawberries, grilled chicken, gorgonzola, and raspberry walnut vinaigrette
Dinner: chicken fajita pizza
Snacks/desserts: banana, cherries
Beverages: Crystal Light, water

Jeremy had a frozen entree and a tuna sandwich earlier today, in addition to the pizza for dinner. He's feeling much better. No more puking.