Produce Power!

Tuesdays are grocery day in the Colescott household.  The pantry and refrigerator were looking pretty thin...I actually cried this morning because we were out of bananas...well, almost.  I had to improvise and toss some chopped apple and dried cranberries into my groats instead of a banana.  ;-)  I've discovered that sometimes if I am in a rut I just need a little inspiration.  One sure-fire way to breathe new life back into my meals and snacks is to go walk through the produce aisle.  Meijer is one of the BEST places in Kokomo to do just that.  They carry some fruits and veggies I haven't even heard of and many that I have never tasted.  So today my two sons and I leisurely walked up and down the aisles in the produce section to grab some favorites as well as some new finds for the week.

I call it my pRoDuCe pOwEr - my ammo to fight for another week.  The bad guy? Junk food. The good guys?  See below...

For those of you who are still convinced that eating healthy is way to expensive...and also to the coupon clipping, deal-seeking peeps out there...here is what I came home with today: 

And here is everything unloaded...

How much do you think I spent??  There are 2 kinds of apples, bananas, mangoes, potatoes, red pears, oranges, zucchini, yellow squash, spaghetti squash, asparagus tips, Veggie Shreds, Flat-outs, Cheerios, 3 different salads, a small veggie tray...and some other packaged items like Kashi bars and pretzels...

The total was $96 and some change!! I was pretty excited about that!  Our budget for the week is $120.  This will more than feed our family for the week!  Of course I have some other staples already at home like beans and rice and Quorn products and I also have turkey burgers for the kids and veggie burgers for me.

Yes. We like bananas...and oranges...and apples. :-)

Lots of "free" fruits and veg!

Here are my "inspiration" foods for the week - above from L-R: turnips, rutabaga, and fennel.  The plan is to roast them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Anyone know what I can use the fennel fronds for?

And these interesting beauties? Prickly Pears. The label said "intense berry flavor" - sounds intriguing!

This was a recipe experiment from tonight. Sometimes I feel bad that I use my family members as guinea pigs, but most of the time I enjoy it.  Haha.  It's my payback for all of the dirty diapers!  This is my veggie version of a Shepherd's Pie.  It was actually quite smashing, love (said in my best brit accent).

In case you might want to try it out this week...here is the recipe!  Sorry the picture looks like barf.  I don't take very good food pictures.

Veggie Shepherd's Pie

Olive oil

1 medium onion

garlic (I added about 6 cloves b/c I am a garlic freak)

2, 8 oz packages of sliced baby bella mushrooms

1/2 bag Quorn grounds

1 bag frozen peas

1/2 bag frozen green beans

1 can carrots (I don't like frozen carrots at all!)

5-6 small yellow potatoes

salt to taste

pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne pepper

2-3 T cooking sherry

1 1/2 cups veggie broth/stock

4 T flour

1 1/2 cups plain soy milk

1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Cut potatoes into halves or quarters and boil until tender.  Spray olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions, mushrooms, and garlic and saute until onion is soft and mushrooms release their juices.  Add Quorn grounds and heat through.  Add peas, green beans, and carrots.  Continue to heat through for about 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper, a pinch of cayenne, and the sherry.  Whisk the flour with the veggie broth and stir into the vegetables.  Continue to stir until the "gravy" thickens and then add the milk and Worcestershire.  Pour into a 9 X 13 casserole pan.  Mash potatoes (I add a little Earth Balance butter, garlic, salt and pepper, and plain soy milk to mine).  Spread potatoes on top of veggies and place into a 350 degree oven until warmed through - about 10 minutes.  For 1/12 of the total dish, the P+ value is 3!  Score! (ps...I ate 2 servings for a P+ value of 6)