Frugal Mexican Meal!

Hello everybody! Here's another "frugal post" :)  ... Today I am planning on sharing a super quick "recipe" with you... it is hard to call it a RECIPE because it is more like a tip on how to prepare your beans... Beans have amazing health benefits... they are a great source of fiber and vegetable protein, they also have a very low glycemic index, which means that they don't cause a rapid sugar increase in your blood, they are a very healthy complex carb... If you didn't grow up eating beans then they might have some unwanted "secondary effects" but that can be fixed by soaking your beans in plenty of water (3 parts water for 1 part of beans) all night and then draining them and filling them up with water again now for cooking. Soaking the beans will also help you reduce the time of cooking which will save you money on your energy bill.

So... let me tell you how I make beans to have them be a great accompaniment to a meal or a perfect lunch option!

First of all cook your beans (pinto, black or cannellini, for this recipe I prefer pinto or black), to cook them just boil them in plenty of water WITHOUT SALT and with about 3 cloves of garlic (whole cloves, not chopped, just peeled) - Add the salt when they're "mid-way cooked", if you add the salt from the beginning they will harden and take longer to cook, if you add it at the end you might need to use more salt- until they are tender (there should be NO resistance when you bite into one of the beans)- once your beans are cooked you will serve them in a bowl (right away) and use the following for garnish

BASIC GARNISH -for a side dish-:

(All of the ingredients should be finely chopped)

• cilantro
• fresh tomato
• white onion
• freshly squeezed lime juice 

 

 Toss it all together and add on top of the beans, then add some freshly squeezed lime juice (to taste), season with more salt if necessary, you can also add a bit (just a very little bit) of ground cumin to season and for more flavor.

More elaborate GARNISH - to make it a more complete meal-

Serve your beans in bowls and just have different plates with the garnishes for people to add, it is FUN and your kids can participate in the making of "their own meal"


(all of the ingredients should be finely chopped)

• Crumbled Queso Fresco or "Queso Panela"
• Cubed Avocado (cut it up right before serving to avoid oxidation, toss with a bit of lime juice for the same reason)
• Cilantro
• Serrano peppers (optional, that's for the grown ups! YUM!)
• White onion
• Lime Juice (you can cut your limes in wedges and let people "squeeze away")
• Ground cumin and extra salt for seasoning if desired.

I hope you will like this idea... Hubby always thought he hated beans... well... he had only had baked beans, those that have molasses or sugar in them... You might like those but trust me... I think you will LOVE these... They have such a great flavor and are soooo good for you (particularly without the sugar) ... You can have a delicious piece of Mexico's cuisine (yes, I am so proud of our Mexican food) at your table without having to go out!

Let me know how you like this idea... if you are not convinced yet, let me throw some facts about Pinto beans and their great nutrition right here: (black beans have very similar numbers)

Pinto Beans, cooked
Nutrient:

  (1 cup)  DRI/DV

 molybdenum285%

 folate73.5%

 fiber61.5%

 copper41.1%

 manganese38.5%

 phosphorus35.9%

 protein30.8%

 vitamin B127.5%

 vitamin B622.9%

 magnesium21.3%

 potassium21.3%

 iron19.8%

 Did I convince you yet? I hope so!

Please don't forget to leave a comment and/or share/pin :).

Note: If you are following the Trim Healthy Mama Plan then you need to know that this is a perfect E side dish (just use the BASIC GARNISH only - no avocado or cheese) and have some lean protein with it like chicken breast or turkey or you can go all the way and enjoy it with EVERYTHING as a great and very healthy crossover.

Love, 

Paloma.

Kroger, HEB, Randall's Best Deals of the week

Hello everybody! I woke up today, went for my run and then visited Kroger, I live in Texas so we have Kroger, HEB, Randall's, Aldi, etc... I will be including some of our Texas deals everyday and also some National Deals... If there's a specific store you'd like me to learn more about and share here I can do that once a week... Just let me know!

As you know I am sharing coupons, deals and offers, not all of them, just those things that help moms that just like me are trying to balance living a healthy life in a tight budget, sometimes there will be organic products, non-gmo, gluten free and sometimes other products that might not meet all those requirements but that are more inexpensive and still a better option than all artificial/super processed foods ... as I mentioned in my first post... My focus on this blog is a more conservative approach to couponing... so... I hope you like today's deals: (Offers Valid from 08/06/2014 - 08/12/2014)

For now... Here are the deals  of the week I got from Kroger,  HEB and Randall's:

KROGER:

Clairol Herbal Essences Hair Care (on Sale for 2.50 with Kroger Card) - final price 1.50 with coupon
 + Printable coupon is for $1.00 off Herbal Essences Shampoo or Conditioner
Printable Coupon

CRAZY Good deal - Gillete Razors (includes Max and Gillete Body) on sale for 6.99 (reduced from 7.99) and you can get the digital coupon for an extra $5.00 off!!! here

Kashi Cereal (13-14 oz) (on Sale for 1.99 with Kroger Card) - final price $1.49 each with coupon
+ Printable coupon is for $1.00 off of any TWO Kashi Go lean Cereals
Printable Coupon

Nature's Bounty Vitamines Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
+ you can use a MFG coupon from Red Plum Coupons for $1.00 if you get those coupons on the mail

Smuckers Fruit Spread 12-18 oz on sale for 1.49 with Kroger Card

Sargento Shredded Natural Cheese 5-8 oz on sale for 1.99 with Kroger Card
 
 Tide Laundry Detergent 46-50 oz (on sale for 4.99 with Kroger Card) -final price $3.49
+ Printable Coupon is for 1.50 off
Printable Coupon

 Dawn Dish Soap 19-24 oz (on sale for 1.63 with Kroger Card)
+ you can use a MFG coupon from P&G Coupons for $0.25 if you get those coupons on the mail


Bertolli Olive Oil, 50% Off (on sale with Kroger Card) Final Price: 6.00
Personal Note: Aldi has really cheap Olive Oil.

HEB:

Marble Composition Book, 100 sheets- limit 6 for .50c each

Personal Note: Hubby says they will be even cheaper at Wal-Mart after school starts, he bought a big box last year of these notebooks for .10 c each... but I had to share this great deal at HEB for now.

Shop Walmart's Back to Class Savings Event from 8/1-8/10 at Walmart.com!

Grapes Seedless, Red, per lb - .97 cents (61% savings from the regular price)

Central Market Organics Milk, gallon $3.98 each. (20% savings from regular price) 

RANDALL'S:

Lysol All Purpose Cleaners 22-32 oz (on sale at 1.50 with Club Card)

qualifies for Clean Up & Save Promo, BOGO, lesser item free, mix and match, final Estimated price .50 cents if you also use a MFG coupon from SmartSource Coupons for 0.50 cents if you get those coupons on the mail.

Chicken of the Sea Chunk Light Tuna 5-oz (on sale for .69 cents with Club Card)

+ Printable coupon is for .75 cents off when buying 3 Chicken of the Sea Chunk Light Tuna (Final Price would be 0.44 cents each after coupon)

Printable Coupon

Those are the biggest deals that got my attention for this week from those 3 different stores... You choose what you pick... and remember to print your coupons here!!

I hope my tips and deals help you reduce your grocery bills! Don't forget to leave your comments! They are a great encouragement!

Love, 

Paloma.

Don't put a price to your health... yeah, right!

I have joined several health/Diet/Nutrition groups in social networks during my search for a healthier lifestyle... I have been consistently working out and watching what I eat, avoiding unhealthy stuff, etc... for over 2 years now... I have always tried to feed good things to my family but it was just 2 and a half years ago that I took it to a whole new level for myself and started to make some other drastic changes for my family as well...

So... a consistent thing that I saw whenever someone mentioned something like "well... I can't afford this or that" was always kind of a judgmental response like: "Don't put a price to health!" ... People would even dare to mention "I can't understand why some people choose food that is not organic" ... WHAT?! Yeah... we choose to eat not organic because we prefer pesticides and fertilizers in our food... has nothing to do with the fact that we CAN'T afford it! Especially if I want to serve my children all the recommended number of servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each day! ... "Don't put a price to health" to me sounds actually cruel, when the person who hears it doesn't respond it might just be because they realize there's nothing they can say for the other one to understand... saying that "phrase" implies that a mother would say "yeah... I wish I could give you something healthy but I care more about the money I can save than about your health!" ... I am sure there might be cases like that but for the most part it's not like that!(particularly if we're in HEALTH groups is BECAUSE WE DO care about our health and our family's).

Others would say: "Just think about how much more money it would be if you get sick". I do agree... doctor's bills are insane and way more expensive than buying organic food... so if you CAN afford it... go organic all the way! We're all happy for you! But would you please not pretend to even begin to "understand" the reasons behind a mom who has to choose to buy a lot of "filler" food? I will also be sharing tips on how to make better choices... I understand sometimes we don't even know where to begin (and to make matters even worse it is hard if you have a picky eater)... remember beans, quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal (preferably steel cut oats) are great, healthy, nutritious, usually more inexpensive ingredients that go a loooong way when cooking... they provide protein combined with healthy carbs and fiber... And if you can afford to buy some ground turkey or other ground meats you can combine to add more protein and make it a more complete meal. I also agree that water -for example- is always best (and the cheapest option) I am not making excuses to just go eat the worst possible ingredients in the shelves... We can still try to make the most of what we have... BUT... BUT... I will NEVER TELL YOU "Don't put a price to health" ... *I* don't put a price to health but stores and clinics certainly do! I can't just go to the cashier and instead of paying say "hey! Don't put a price to health!" ... The price is there... whether we like it or not ... and it is painful when you realize that if you want to live with a really, REALLY small amount of money or if you have to visit the dollar stores most of the things are loaded with glutamate monosodium, corn syrup, yellow #5 or other artificial, highly processed ingredients...

Where am I going with all this? I don't know! Perhaps I am just venting and perhaps I just want to let you know that you're not on your own... You're a good mom! I know you're not putting a price to health... But I know that health does have a price... we just have to find the way to pay the least to get the best we can within our means.... Like I said in a previous post... Try to do your best and trust God with the rest. Would you please share this post to encourage other moms who have heard that "Don't put a price to health" quote as well? I am sure I am not the only one who has felt frustrated with it.

And just for being such a good reader... let me share with you a great coupon I found, this coupon is for a Bob's Red Mill Product, I absolutely love their products but they are sometimes not affordable for me... I was able to buy a bag of delicious muesli for my girls' yogurt with this coupon... you can use it for your favorite Bob's Red Mill item:

This is not the actual coupon, click on the link to print  http://www.bobsredmill.com/coupon-1-off.html

Love,

Paloma.