Red Pepper-Salmon Pasta

 This is a quick and low-fat meal

 Bake the salmon at 450 degrees with lemon juice, salt and pepper

Quick red pepper sauce

Ingredients:

4 boned, skinned salmon fillets

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup canned peeled red peppers

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp fresh chopped jalapenos

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

8 ounces dried angel hair pasta

Directions:

1. In a foiled lined 8-inch baking dish place salmon and add lemon juice, salt and pepper and place in a preheated 450 degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a blender smoothly puree red peppers, Parmesan, cornstarch, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro and broth: whirl to blend.

3. Pour pepper mixture into a sauce pan stirring over high heat until boiling then simmer until salmon is done.

4. Cook pasta, drain and return to pan.

5. Spoon pasta onto plates. Top with fish and drizzle with remaining sauce.

Meal Plan Saturday

Saturday- Up in Shaver for the weekend, ordering pizza.

Sunday- Leftover pizza or sandwiches

Monday- Chili Verde Enchiladas

(froze a batch of chili verde from last week)

Tuesday- Red pepper salmon pasta

(did not make it last week)

Wednesday- Buttermilk pancakes, bacon and grilled fruit

(Grocery Outlets Farmer John's Bacon is $2.99 all the time, pretty good price for bacon these days and stone fruit was $1.00 lb at the Clovis Farmer's Market)

Thursday- Marinated top sirloin, green beans and quinoa with corn and chives

(7 ears of corn at the Farmer's Market in Clovis for $1.99)

Friday- Out to dinner

Canning Tomato Sauce

 I made 8 quarts of tomato sauce from 35 lbs of tomatoes. I spent $10.50 on the jars and a couple of dollars for the onions and garlic. All of this sauce cost me about $12.00 and I will have the jars for the next batch. This is cost effective and a healthy alternative to buying pre-made sauces at the store.
HERE is a guide to get started

Recipe:

I made 2 batches, 4 quarts each batch

18 lbs (or so) tomatoes core and seeded

1 onion diced

12 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp or more salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 to 1 tbsp red chile flakes

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup dry red wine

2 tbsp lemon juice per quart
(1 tbsp per pint)

 You can process the jars in a large stock pot in boiling water (lid on) for 35-40 minutes. Filled jars sealed with two-piece caps are submerged in water to cover 1 to 2 inches.

Directions:

Wash tomatoes; drain. Remove core and blossom ends. Cut into quarters and squeeze the tomatoes to get the seeds out. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in a large saucepot. Add tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, black pepper and sugar. Stir in salt and crushed red pepper, if desired. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take tomatoes out in batches and take the skin off the tomatoes (they should be falling off). Puree tomatoes using a food processor. If you do not want any seeds you can strain the puree but it will not be as thick. Pour sauce into a stock pot and cook over medium-high heat until sauce thickens, stirring o prevent sticking. Add 2 tbsp lemon juice to each quart jar. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process quarts for 40 minutes (35 minutes for pints) in a boiling-water canner.

Cooling:

Once the processing time is complete and the jars are ready to be removed from canner, using a jar lifter, stand jars upright on a dry towel or cutting board. Space the jars 1 to 2 inches apart so they cool at a even rate. Allow to cool at room temperature 12 to 24 hours.

How To Save Money Eating Out

I come from a restaurant background working in various positions since I was 16 years old. I managed restaurants for 5 years before having kids and it was really hard having to pay for food at restaurants. You get a lot of perks working in the restaurant business. We love to go out to eat as a family and I was asked recently how we can afford eating out weekly on a tight budget. These are the tips for saving money while eating out.

1. Use coupons! Do not feel like you are going to get poor service because you handed your server a coupon (make sure you show it to them before you order). We have coupon books from SaveAround the City, ZBest and the Entertainment book. We check restaurant.com frequently as well.

2. Bring your own drinks or drink water. Beverages are marked way up. If your kids like a certain beverage with their dinner, bring it. I have never had anyone tell me that I could not bring in my kids drinks. I always order water and if we are on vacation I just bring it in with me.

3. Do NOT order kids meals! This will save so much money. Kids meals are pricey at some places and the drinks are not included, though you think they are and now you just spent another $1.99. Restaurants give you way too much food in the first place. To save money and calories share with your kids and if you do this from the start they will not know any better (or have your kids share a meal).

4. Sign up for every club there is. Chili's has free Queso if you sign up for their e-mail club. Many places give you free food for your birthday. For example you can get a free burger at Red Robin and or a free drink at Starbucks. Panera has a great rewards card. I have received a lot of free pastries and coffee using my rewards card. If you look, you will find something for free.

5. If you are not satisfied with the meal and you are not eating it, it's okay to ask for something else. The server is not offended, no one is going to spit in your food if you ask for them to fix it. If a restaurant truly values their customers, they will make you happy (just be polite about it).

6. Make sure to tip your server based on their service. If they were accommodating and you appreciated their service then tip them well. If you want to save money on tips then eat at places like Chipotle, which I love and we eat at often.

Our eating out money comes out of my grocery budget. And if we run out of money before the next paycheck, then we don't eat out. We have a budget and we stick to it. I just make sure I leave money in my budget for this expense.

Here are a few sites where you can get points for gift cards:

My Points I enjoy the $10 Panera cards.

Swagbucks I usually cash mine in for Paypal $$, but they have different gift cards as well.

The Dirty and Clean Dozen List

I have been trying to buy more organic products for me and my family, but can't afford to buy organic all the time. I really found this list useful in saving money when knowing what to fruits and veggies to buy organic and which ones I do not need to.

The fruits and vegetables on “The Dirty Dozen” list, when conventionally grown, tested positive for at least 47 different chemicals, with some testing positive for as many as 67. For produce on the “dirty” list, you should definitely go organic — unless you relish the idea of consuming a chemical cocktail. “The Dirty Dozen” list includes:

• celery
• peaches
• strawberries
• apples
• domestic blueberries
• nectarines
• sweet bell peppers
• spinach, kale and collard greens
• cherries
• potatoes
• imported grapes
• lettuce

All the produce on “The Clean 15” bore little to no traces of pesticides, and is safe to consume in non-organic form. This list includes:

• onions
• avocados
• sweet corn
• pineapples
• mango
• sweet peas
• asparagus
• kiwi fruit
• cabbage
• eggplant
• cantaloupe
• watermelon
• grapefruit
• sweet potatoes
• sweet onions

Meal Planning 101

A little about me: I am a wife and a mom of a 3 and 6 year old. I work 7 hours a week as a fitness instructor and I am going to school part-time for my special education credential. I am busy just like every mom and I am on a limited budget. What I bring home from my 7 hours a week is what I have to spend on groceries. I love to cook and eat well and my family likes to eat well too. I pack my husbands and son's lunch, we eat breakfast at home and I cook dinner 5 nights a week.

Here is how I buy the freshest ingredients while being on a tight budget.

Now, how do I meal plan and save money?? This may seem a lot at first, but really it takes less time than staring into the frig and wondering what you are going to come up with or waiting for a pizza to be delivered.


1. First off, meal planning alone can save you a lot of money. If you have a plan and a grocery list and stick with it, right there you will save money. Do not impulse buy!

2. Every Wednesday I get the store ads in the Fresno Bee and look at them to see what is on sale. If I see a good deal on meat or an item I can stock up on I will and will use that item in my meal plan. I then look at what coupons I have in my coupon clutch that match up with the sale item. This takes me about 15 minutes on a Wednesday morning. Once you know what you are looking for, it does not take a lot of time. I also look for coupons on coupons.com and smartsource.com.

3. I start thinking about what I would like to eat for dinner. Yes, I said "I". If I asked my kids I would get, cheeseburgers and spaghetti and meatballs every time (and funny enough those 2 dinners are in my meal plan). My husband just tells me whatever is good, so I just do not ask most of the time.

4. I look through my resources (recipes). I like to try new recipes all the time. We do not eat the same food every week. I love getting the Food Network Magazine and I thumb through my collection when I want to change dinners up. There are also sites you can go to where you can pull up a recipe with what you have on hand.

5. I start to make my list of dinners for the week and write my grocery list. I may go to 3 grocery stores if I see great deals at all three. I try to do my shopping on a Wednesday or Thursday when there are less people. I am lucky that I have 4 grocery stores within 2 miles of where I live, so it makes it pretty easy.

6. Know prices of items you buy! Make a list at the beginning of the staples you keep on hand and go to the different stores to see where you can get them for the least amount of money. Make it a habit to look at prices when you are going down a aisle when you are shopping.

Time breakdown:
*Looking at ads and cutting out coupons 15-30 minutes per week
*Preparing a meal plan 15 minutes (usually when I am watching T.V.)
*Grocery Shopping on average 1 hour (Big savings weeks 2 hours at the most, some weeks I only go to the Farmer's Market if I am stocked up).

Here is an example of what I will make based on sales:

Saturday- Cheeseburgers, fruit and corn on the cobb
Got a great deal on hamburger meat at Whole Food for $1.99lb early bird special last week.

Sunday- Chili Verde, pinto beans, homemade salsa and tortillas (A friend gave me a bunch of tomatoes that she grew).
I want to make a big batch of chili verde so I can freeze some for dinners on busy nights. I know I can find the best deals at Foods Co. Shopping at Foods Co. when I want to make Mexican food will save me about 50% of what I would pay at a Save Mart of Vons.

Vons has a sale on tortillas 2/$3.00 and canned refried beans for $1.00. I keep these items on hand to make burritos or baked chimichangas for a quick dinner. Vons always has a 50% off rack in the back of the store. Make sure you go through it every time you go shopping.

Monday- Spaghetti and turkey meatballs
This week I saw that Smart and Final had ground turkey on sale for 2/$5.00. This is a great price and I will buy as much as the store will allow me. Always look for the limit. I use ground turkey for meatballs and hamburgers.

Tuesday-Roasted red pepper pasta with salmon
Great sale on salmon Friday only at Whole Foods.

Wednesday-Leftovers
Great way to strech a dollar.

Thursday- Going to dinner at my in-laws.
My father-n-law is a great cook!

Friday- Out to dinner
We go out every Friday (using coupons of course)

Black bean and corn taco salad

Ingredients:

*Use what you have on hand. Add olives, bell peppers, whatever veggies you and your family like. I used:

1 head red lettuce
2 fresh corn on the cobb
1 can black beans rinsed
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 jalapeno diced
1/2 bunch scallions
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/2 basket cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup crushed Tostitos chips
Flour tortillas
1/2 cup jalapeno jack cheese
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce (key ingredient for making the dressing spicy and smokey)
*Freeze the rest of the chipotles for another time.

Directions:

1. Cook corn and cut off the cobb.

2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Once oven is up to temp. place your tortillas on a cooking sheet lightly spraying them with olive oil or Pam. Sprinkle a little chili powder on the tortilla and bake until crispy. Once crispy add some cheese to each tortilla and melt.

3. While the tortillas are in the oven, dice your onion and jalapeno. Add a little oil to a saute pan over medium high heat and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the black beans and corn and season with salt. Cook until heated through and remove from heat.

4. Cut your lettuce, scallions and cilantro and any other veggie you would like and mix it into a large bowl.

5. Mix ranch dressing with the chipotle sauce.

6. Take the crispy tortilla with cheese and place on a plate. Mix salad together adding the black bean and corn mixture, tortilla chips and dressing.

7. Place salad on top of tortilla and top with more cilantro and crushed chips if you like.