See these ingredients?
What did they become? (Answer at the end.)
The next one is too easy. What did these ingredients become?
Yep, my Babchi's spaghetti sauce. I polished off the last baggie in the first dish, so I knew it was time for a new one. My timing was perfect, as my grocery store was having a sale on crushed and pureed tomatoes -- 99 cents a can. Since all the other ingredients are spices I have on hand, this batch (which will last 2-3 months) will cost me less than $5.
Other items in this week's cooking jag included prepping melon for the week, another batch of mustard coleslaw, and roasting the last Brussels sprouts of the season. They're just too big now, which means they are probably the end of the crop. See you next winter, you amazing baby cabbage heads!
The other big item I made was this spaghetti squash au gratin, from here. You know how I love my spaghetti squash; it's my pasta substitute that I eat almost weekly. I found this recipe through a link or Pinterest, and it grabbed my attention. It's almost like mac and cheese without the mac. Mmmmm. I read in the comments that someone had added ham, and I knew I would be doing the same.
You guys, it was AMAZING.
Before:
After:
I tweaked the recipe of course, replacing the butter with a splash of olive oil, and using low-fat and fatfree sour cream and cheese. Added some Canadian bacon and we were good to go. I can probably go with less cheese next time, but I needed to polish off the bag before it spoiled so I just dumped it in. The ham (and extra cheese) makes it a main dish instead of a side. which is for the best since I am more likely to portion the larger part of my plate.
All of it took about 3 hours: coleslaw, spaghetti squash au gratin, a batch of sauce, Brussels sprouts, canteloupe, and lastly, the ingredients at the beginning of the post. My grocery bill was again about $75, and we have plenty to eat all week.
I have delicious food made from whole ingredients, I spent a couple of hours cooking so I don't have to for the rest of the week, AND I saved money on food for the week. PLUS, I am now down 6 pounds since the beginning of the year.
Win, win, win, win. I am so, so, SO GLAD I have made this Sunday Cooking a habit. I love my foodstyle!
Before I go, it's time for the reveal. These were the ingredients.
Did you guess meatloaf?
Happy eating!
Teaser: I'm posting a recipe for an au gratin tomorrow that I bet you'll want to try...
ReplyDeleteWhen I really prep and cook for the week it takes me 3-4 hours as well. Time well spent once I'm in the midst of the work week craziness but I know as the better weather gets here I'll go back to grilling quite a bit so that I can spend some of that time on the beach :D
I guessed meatloaf, although I've never put carrots in mine. You are making me hungry for some good old-fashioned food! The spaghetti squash dish has me intrigued - that looks really good.
ReplyDeleteNice work getting yourself set up for a successful eating week!
I guessed meatloaf! I've never made it but it looks delicious! Congrats on the 6 lbs!
ReplyDeleteI guessed correctly... meatloaf!
ReplyDeleteSo, how does this work, do I send you my address and you send me some meatloaf ?
I got meatloaf too!
ReplyDeleteWe had an airline mishap and unexpectedly spent the night at a motel with no resturant. The taxi driver recommended the nearby Ruby Tuesday and since we had no car in the subruban jungle that's were we ate. They've got several entrees with spaghetti squash and they were quite filling while not breaking the calorie bank.
I know that everybody loves to hate Obamacare, but I do like the requirement that resturants post calorie counts. Yes, I sometimes ignore them, but they can be helpful.
Yes, I guessed meatloaf too. Yum. I'm hoping I get my sample in the mail as well. Thanks for taking the extra time to arrange, photograph, and blog about your Sunday yumminess. You inspire.
ReplyDeleteGood job on food prep and eating healthfully.
I hope the cats treated you right on Mothers Day! :)
Chrissy
I tried to add veggies to my husbands meatloaf. Let's just say that it didn't go over too well - even though I wrapped it in bacon! :D
ReplyDelete