"Chipotle" on the cheap

Since I'm pregnant, I'm craving Chipotle all.the.time!  It's killing my budget, though.  So I went searching on the web for Chipotle recipes.  I found this website, and it was a great starting point for some awesome food!  I used Rayma's recipe there for Cilantro Lime rice and it has turned out perfectly 2 out of 3 times.  I was trying to get a more fluffy rice one time, and ended up with rice that was a little bit crunchy...so don't be shy with your heat--I haven't had a batch get even close to burning yet.  Considering I got the rice for free, I only paid about $0.50 for 5 servings of cilantro-lime rice (yay!).  I actually pick through the corn salsa at Chipotle because I don't like raw onions or the jalapenos.  So, starting with their Chipotle Corn Salsa recipe, I crafted my own salsa with the ingredients I like.  So, here goes:

Chipotle Corn Salsa (Mild Version)

1 poblano pepper (~$1)

1 lb. bag of corn, thawed (10/$10)

1/2 vidalia onion (~$1)

2 T. cilantro paste (in the produce aisle--$0.50 per tablespoon {$3.50 per tube})

1 T. lime juice (I used the one in the plastic bottle *gasp* and that's $0.19 per tablespoon)

salt to taste

Slice the onion into 1/2 in. slices.  Roast onion and pepper in 400 degree oven until onion is soft and slightly browned--about 30 minutes (I've also done this on the stove top and it worked fine.  You can roast your corn too, but I like the taste of "fresh" corn.).  Put pepper in a brown paper bag for a few minutes to steam off the skin (it should already be bubbly) while you finish chopping onion into "corn-sized" pieces.  Peel skin off of poblano and chop.  Combine cilantro paste (or fresh minced cilantro--2 T.) and lime juice in medium bowl, add pepper, onion, and corn, mix well.  Refrigerate salsa until chilled (an hour is plenty).  Serves 6 ($0.70/serving)


I also doctored up a can of black beans ($0.75) with 2 t. of chili powder, 1 c. of water (since I drained the liquid off) and 3 T. minced onion.  I let that simmer while my rice was cooking and it tasted really good.  Between the rice, corn salsa and black beans, my "Chipotle" meal costs $0.90/serving, which is great!  If you're a "meatatarian" or like sour cream and cheese (I've learned that I can't taste them) with your dish, you could be looking up toward $1.50/serving (these are coupon prices, mind you), which is still a great deal, considering it's $8 in the store (plus, I like mine better ;D).  What's your favorite way to eat Chipotle?  Do you go for a chicken burrito or a steak salad?  Do you ever make your own take out?

My Lunch: Stove Top Mac-N-Cheese

If you feel like you're betraying your inner food snob when you eat Velveeta, try this recipe from my all-time favorite TV chef: AB's stove top mac-n-cheese.  The egg makes it sticky--definitely more like Velveeta than your blue-box mac.  Your inner child will be happy and you can still show your face at the country club.  =D

My Lunch--Chicken Noodle Soup

Summer is almost over and it's starting to get cold.  I had a hard time finding anything warm enough for us this morning!  Thankfully, there was one outfit's worth of clothes for Timothy to wear. 

I got the bug to cook something wonderful this afternoon.  Chicken noodle soup sounded puuurfect.  ...and it was.  I used a sweet potato ice cube to cool my bowl down and it turned the broth a beautiful shade of yellow.

Now, before you go thinking I'm superwoman, I did take some shortcuts that really turned out well:  I used canned chicken (which is surprisingly good in soup) and a frozen "chicken noodle soup mix."  I had to use my own spices and chicken base ("Better Than Bullion"--most awesome ingredient since hot sauce) because the seasoning packet had MSG in it.  Even though I couldn't use the seasoing, I really liked the product and would buy it again (on sale, of course).  This was as good as any real homemade soup that I've had!

Now I'm off to have leftover birthday cake for dessert.  What?  It was Jesse's birthday on wednesday and we can't let perfectly good cake go bad.  Doesn't everyone eat "lunch dessert"?

It's a Lifestyle.

Sometimes, "hidden savings" mean more than the ones printed on your receipt. For instance, you may pay $20 ("full price") when buying a haircutting system, but you'll save $15 every other month when hubby doesn't have to visit the barber.

Or you may pay a premium when buying "organic" produce, but when you use it to make your own baby food, you've saved tons of money!

Of course, the best deals are the ones that "stack" hidden savings with the more visible type, e.g., you may get a great deal on all-natural applesauce and feed it to your baby (if it only consists of apples and maybe Vitamin C) instead of buying "baby" applesauce in jars. 

I made my own baby food last week and I'm pretty proud of myself. Yes, I paid full price for organic apples (one of the "dirty dozen"), but I saved a bunch by avoiding those cute little jars (and it tasted purdy awesome!).

I took a short cut with the carrots and used the "baby-style" ones (not "organic"), so all I had to do was dump them into a pan with some water and let 'em go!

Honestly, peeling 3 pounds of apples wasn't really worth my time. Next time, I'm just going to go "label shopping" and get the adult applesauce with just apples in it.

A friend mentioned that frozen vegetables whirred in the blender makes great baby food. I definitely plan on trying that!

By the way, yesterday, I cut hubby's hair for the first time.  I think I did a pretty good job! What's your best "hidden savings" tip? I'd love to hear it!

Chick-fil-a at the low low price of our dignity!

Chick-fil-a had a promotion yesterday that you got a free meal if you dressed up like a cow.  Of course, we (Becky and I) had to participate!  The restaurant was filled with cows!  Awesome!!

My lunch: Steak-adilla with ranch dip

Steak-adillas

Last night we had steak (super sale at Weis--this is the life!).  Since they were huge, we had leftovers.  Since everything's better with cheese, I made steak-adillas with it for lunch.  Delicious!  But needed more hot sauce.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. steak, chopped (pretty small--unless you want to pull it all out with the first bite)

2 taco-sized tortillas

6-12 drops of Hot sauce (I like Cholula with the wooden cap)

1/4 c. Colby-Jack cheese

2 t. veg. oil

Make it:

Heat saute pan with veg. oil on medium heat. "Dip" one tortilla (big bubble side down) in the oil and "swoosh" around.  Set it aside.

Toss steak with hot sauce and microwave 15 seconds.

Place non-oiled tortilla in pan and "swoosh" around.  Add half the cheese, followed by the warm steak, and the other half of the cheese (you want the cheese "glue" on both sides).  It'll want to fall out b/c it's too much filling, but that's what makes it good. 

Top the stack with the oiled tortilla (oil side up). "Smoosh" down the whole thing with your spatula (you're basically making a grilled cheese sandwich here).

Cook ~ 1 min. (I really don't know how long it is, but just check every 30 seconds or so for golden-brown deliciousness).

Flip (easier said than done, but put your hand on the cool side to try to keep the filling in).  Cook on second side until golden-brown (this always takes less time than the first side and usually less than I was expecting).

Remove to plate and slice. 

I ate it with ranch dip (made with sour cram and the dip packet).  Yummm!!