Philly Cheese 'Steak' Sandwiches

$7.45 total / $1.86 per sandwich

Having just bought a house, Jake and I are really sticking to our monthly grocery budget. We are also sticking with buying food from our local Co-Op. We can get a box of groceries for $27 every week; each share includes meat and produce. It's been a wonderful solution to helping keep our budget intact while also keeping me on my toes as to what we'll have. It's not pizza every night in this house! (Although, if we HAD to have grilled pizza EVERY night, I think Jake and I would get by :D Yum!) Anyway, this recipe is just me getting creative with the ingredients we had on hand. For a true Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, you'll want to buy steak and slice it extra thin instead of the hamburger used here.

Nutritional Highlight: Grass Fed Beef. Does it really matter? The answer is a resounding YES!!! Cows naturally eat grass. When cattle are fed corn and soy products, their digestive tract becomes acidic resulting in higher numbers E Coli strains within their system. The reason corn and soy products are so attractive to feedlot owners is because they are subsidized, which make them cheap, and they also make the cows fat in a short amount of time. Both of those create a larger payout. However, cows that are grass fed are healthier. They require little to no antibiotic treatment and their meat does not have to be sterilized with ammonia (that's what is happening to your meat from a CAFO - Read this: NY Times Article)! Grass fed beef also tastes better! Sorry to get you all grossed out but we can't assume that the food we eat is 'natural' any more. Many food products are processed/changed in some way when you don't realize they are. 

 

Philly Cheese 'Steak' Sandwiches   (serves 4)

4 Hoagie Buns
1 lb. Lean Ground Beef
1 Green Bell Pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1 Red onion, cut into strips
4 Slices Provolone
Butter

Heat a large skillet to medium high. Cook the hamburger until about 3/4 of the way through. Add the peppers and onions. Cook until the beef is all the way browned and the vegetables are softened. Drain off any excess fat. Lay provolone slices on top of the beef and vegetable mixture, cover and take off the heat.

Butter the hoagie buns, and toast on a different skillet set to medium. You may have to spray the pan first with Pam just to make sure the buns don't stick and it creates a nice crust. I had a bit of trouble with one of mine!

Once the buns are toasted and the cheese is melted, you can use tongs or a spoon to layer up your sandwich!

Nutritional Analysis:

Per Sandwich: 570 calories, 16.4g fat, 59.5g carbohydrates, 29.8g protein. High in calcium and iron.

Garden Fried Rice with Chicken

$5.80 total / $0.73

I've been getting food from my local food co-op for several months and it is always so fun to make up recipes after getting a surprise mix of fruits and vegetables from our standard share. This week we got a head of broccoli, some carrots, and zucchini, among other things, in our order. I was delighted after I realized that I still had some eggs, peas and green onions that I needed to use. My dinner menu practically made itself with what I had on hand. I love it when things come together like that!

Nutritional Highlight: Loaded Up On Vegetables. Fried rice is one of those things that can really be horribly fattening and full of calories. It can, however, become a vehicle to get your kids (or your husband) to eat a variety of vegetables all at once! I have 5 different kinds of nutritious vegetables packed in this recipe, four of which are GREEN. Play around, be creative. There really is no 'wrong' way to make fried rice. You can put in whatever you like or whatever you have on hand. 

Pictured: 2 cups 

Garden Fried Rice with Chicken
Serves 6-8


4 cups cooked rice, chilled
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 scallions, chopped, white & green parts separated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup peas
1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into small pieces
2 eggs
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce


Heat wok and oil to medium high, then add the white part of the scallions along with the garlic. Cook, while stirring, for 30 seconds. Add all additional vegetables except the green scallions. Toss to coat and cook for 2-3 minutes for the vegetables to soften.

Add in the chicken, soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha. Mix all ingredients and cook, turning occasionally for 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Now its time to add the rice. Mix well and try to get most of the rice towards the bottom side of the wok. Reduce heat to medium and let the rice sit and cook for about 5 minutes without stirring to make the rice crispy.

Increase heat back to medium high. Make a well in the center of the wok and break in two eggs. Scramble the eggs while they cook. When the eggs are almost set, mix in with the rest of the ingredients. When eggs are fully set, mix in the green tops of the scallions for garnish and you are ready to eat!

Nutritional Analysis:

Per 1 cup serving: 185 calories, 4.1g fat, 30.7g carbohydrates, 4.5g dietary fiber, 6.9g protein. High in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Folate, Manganese, and Phosphorus.

BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza

$4.43 total / $0.56 per serving

Who would have thought to grill pizza? I really don't remember where this inspiration came from but what I can tell you is that it is an absolute brilliant idea. It has turned into my favorite way to eat pizza at home. At first, the thought of putting floppy dough onto the grill without burning myself seemed daunting and I thought I would fail miserably. It's honestly not that bad. The hard part is keeping the dough from folding onto itself. So, my husband and I tried several other ways to make that process easier and we came up with a keeper. Lucky for you, I have it all worked out here and ready to present to you!

Nutritional Highlight: Grilling. Cooking foods on the grill is an easy way to pack in a lot of flavor without any additional fat. However, charring meats can release compounds within the proteins that can be carcinogenic, so be careful not to turn the grill up too high. Grilling also takes far less time than other cooking methods. Bonus!

BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza  (makes 4 pizzas)

Favorite Pizza Dough
Red Onion
1 Chicken Breast
BBQ Sauce
Cheddar Cheese
Cilantro
Olive Oil
Foil

Prepare the pizza dough about 2 hours in advance.

Heat grill to medium-high.

Once the grill is to temperature, place chicken on the grill. Cut the red onion into thick slices horizontally, keeping the rings intact. Brush both sides of the onion with olive oil. Place onions on the grill with the chicken. Flip chicken over after 10 minutes of cooking, then brush with BBQ sauce. Use tongs to flip the onions over after chicken is flipped. Chicken will cook another 10-15 minutes until done.

Let the chicken and onion rest 5 minutes before slicing into bite size pieces. Prep all of your toppings for the pizza.

Meanwhile, prepare the dough for grilling by rolling it out on a floured surface and stretching to the desired width. Tear off a piece of foil for each pizza. Place the stretched dough on top of the foil and brush the top side of the dough with olive oil. Place the dough onto the grill with the foil still underneath it. Once the dough starts to bubble, use a spatula to flip it over off of the foil.

Now is the fun part. You want to dress your pizza as quickly as possible. Brush with BBQ sauce, layer with chicken, onions, and cheese. Finally top with cilantro. The dough will set up rather quickly. Go ahead and turn the grill off and close the lid to allow the cheese to melt. Remove from the grill after a couple of minutes and enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis: (this is tricky because it will really depend on the type of BBQ sauce as well as the quantity of sauce and cheese you put on your own pizza. I will use the calorie count for how I make mine.)

Per 1/2 pizza:  246 calories, 7.8g fat, 30g carbohydrate, 15.55g protein. High in Vitamin B-6, Calcium, Niacin, Phosphorus, and Selenium

Nectarine Muffins

$3.03 total / $0.26 per muffin

Summer is such a wonderful time for so many different things, but one of my favorites is all of the summer harvesting of berries and other tasty fruits that only ripen in the summer heat. There is nothing better than when I can finally get my hands on some nectarines! I love them so much. There is one thing about them though... Once they ripen, you have a small window of sweet tangy deliciousness before they start to bruise and go bad. Don't stress out too much. I came up with a recipe to make use of those nectarines that have seen better days. If there is nothing better than a ripe nectarine then there is nothing worse than having to throw out several that went bad before I knew it!

Nutritional Highlight: Nectarines. Foods that are brightly colored in red, orange and yellow (plant foods...sorry, cheetos don't count!!! :D) have a wonderful nutrient called Beta-Carotene, which is very important in human health. Beta-Carotene helps the body to produce Vitamin A, which is crucial in maintaining function of the immune system as well as your sight. Another important nutrient found in nectarines is lutein, an antioxidant that helps protect the body from damage to the skin and eyes through fighting free radicals in the body.

Nectarine Muffins (makes 12 muffins)

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
3 ripe nectarines, pitted and diced (cut out bruised spots, if needed)


Preheat the oven to 375°; grease your muffin pan.

In a mixer or large bowl, combine all ingredients except fruit. Mix well. Fold in diced fruit.

Fill muffin tins with 1/4 cup scoop of batter. Sprinkle tops with brown sugar.

Bake 18 - 20 minutes.

If you can, let them cool. Enjoy!

(These are best right after you bake them. If you need to store them overnight, the fruit may cause them to get soggy. They are still delicious but the texture is changed somewhat.)


                  

Nutritional Analysis:

Per 1 muffin serving: 203 calories, 7.2g fat (.8 saturated, 2g polyunsaturated, 3.8g monounsaturated), 32.5g carbohydrates, 3.6g protein. High in Vitamin E, Calcium, Folate, Iron, Manganese, Niacin, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Selenium, and Thiamin.