If I could make more homemade foods, I would do it in a second! However, my grocery budget doesn't allow me to buy a lot of "additional" foods. Right now I have learned how to feed Karel and myself for less than $80 a week but I tell ya, it isn't easy eating healthy, maintaining our weight and trying to improve our performance on a budget. The people at the checkout station must think I am crazy when I say "that is great!" to them when they hand me my receipt but I just love saving money.
Luckily, however, I have moved on from a grad-school diet of only PB&J (ok, I still do that), oatmeal and free samples at Whole foods...ok, I still like all of those :) I try not to get too excited when I go into Whole Foods or the organic section at Publix because it is expensive to eat natural and organic. One day Karel and I will add more natural and organic foods in our diet but for now, I do the best I can to eat lots of fresh food and little processed food. In my opinion, you can still gain weight and be unhealthy with natural and organic foods. To me, there is nothing better than a home-cooked meal and the fact that I know exactly what I am making and I can control how much or little I put in it.
I attempted wraps/tortillas the other night. Ever since Karel made my crepes I just love the idea of a thin pancake for a meal. I am still working on this recipe because I haven't really gotten the perfect mixture of flour and water but the recipe is still good. Karel said he never wants me to buy wraps again and he says this is one of his favorite things I have made.
Homemade Tortilla:
Makes about 4 large tortillas.
-About 1 tsp. of every spice in your house. I used the following:
Curry powder, italian seasoning, garlic salt, pepper, paprika, chili flakes and thyme.
-1 tbsp. parmesean cheese
-2 tbsp. Italian bread crumbs
-2 tbsp. Taco sauce
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1 tbsp. Olive oil
-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
-About 1 cup water.
You add all of the ingredients in a large bowl, EXCEPT for the water. Start by adding 1/2 cup water and then slowly add water and mix. You want to the mixture to be soupy but not too watery. When the mixture quickly drips from your fork (or whisk) after at least 1 cup of water is added, it is ready. You want the mixture to be soupy so that it spreads out thin when you put it on the non-stick pan.
Be sure your non-stick pan is on low heat. If your pan is too high, the batter will cook right when it touches the pan. You can use Olive oil spray for the non-stick pan.
Pour a little less than 1/4 batter in the pan and move the pan around (off the burner) so that the batter spreads all over your large non-stick pan.
The second time I tried making the tortillas I put them in the oven (about 350 degrees) to finish them off and they had a nice crunch to them after they were folded around our veggie mixture. I stuffed the tortillas with our normal "go-to meal" foods.
For the inside:
1/2 can beans and rice
1/2 can chickpeas
Tofu
Mushrooms
Veggie burger
Onions
Tomato
Corn
Salsa
The wraps take a few minutes on each side to cook so I had some time to take some pictures of my animals.
Luckily, however, I have moved on from a grad-school diet of only PB&J (ok, I still do that), oatmeal and free samples at Whole foods...ok, I still like all of those :) I try not to get too excited when I go into Whole Foods or the organic section at Publix because it is expensive to eat natural and organic. One day Karel and I will add more natural and organic foods in our diet but for now, I do the best I can to eat lots of fresh food and little processed food. In my opinion, you can still gain weight and be unhealthy with natural and organic foods. To me, there is nothing better than a home-cooked meal and the fact that I know exactly what I am making and I can control how much or little I put in it.
I attempted wraps/tortillas the other night. Ever since Karel made my crepes I just love the idea of a thin pancake for a meal. I am still working on this recipe because I haven't really gotten the perfect mixture of flour and water but the recipe is still good. Karel said he never wants me to buy wraps again and he says this is one of his favorite things I have made.
Homemade Tortilla:
Makes about 4 large tortillas.
-About 1 tsp. of every spice in your house. I used the following:
Curry powder, italian seasoning, garlic salt, pepper, paprika, chili flakes and thyme.
-1 tbsp. parmesean cheese
-2 tbsp. Italian bread crumbs
-2 tbsp. Taco sauce
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1 tbsp. Olive oil
-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
-About 1 cup water.
You add all of the ingredients in a large bowl, EXCEPT for the water. Start by adding 1/2 cup water and then slowly add water and mix. You want to the mixture to be soupy but not too watery. When the mixture quickly drips from your fork (or whisk) after at least 1 cup of water is added, it is ready. You want the mixture to be soupy so that it spreads out thin when you put it on the non-stick pan.
Be sure your non-stick pan is on low heat. If your pan is too high, the batter will cook right when it touches the pan. You can use Olive oil spray for the non-stick pan.
Pour a little less than 1/4 batter in the pan and move the pan around (off the burner) so that the batter spreads all over your large non-stick pan.
The second time I tried making the tortillas I put them in the oven (about 350 degrees) to finish them off and they had a nice crunch to them after they were folded around our veggie mixture. I stuffed the tortillas with our normal "go-to meal" foods.
For the inside:
1/2 can beans and rice
1/2 can chickpeas
Tofu
Mushrooms
Veggie burger
Onions
Tomato
Corn
Salsa
The wraps take a few minutes on each side to cook so I had some time to take some pictures of my animals.
