The Whole Deal: Great Recipes for a Mom on a Budget!

I love Whole Foods Market! It bothers me that people talk about how expensive it is and ask how can I shop there if I claim I am a budget food shopper. I actually went to Whole Foods this week and spent $134.00 for my weekly groceries. For a family of 4, I believe this is a great deal. Money saving strategies that I have found helpful while I shop are: buying the 365 Organic store brand (This is Whole Food?s generic brand), using the store and online coupons, sticking to my list, and shopping the sales. I also find that shopping at a store like this with the girls alleviates impulse spending. There is not as much high fructose kid marketed temptations in the aisles. I believe in buying good food and products to cook with and that you can do this for a reasonable price!

Another great part of Whole Foods is the recipes that they have hidden in their isles as well as in there seasonal newsletter, The Whole Deal, dedicated to finding healthy foods and money saving deals. While browsing through the book I found two recipes that were must tries: Chicken Sausage Jambalaya with Shrimp and Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas.

Chicken Sausage Jambalaya
with Shrimp

Ingredients:

 2 TB safflower oil, divided
2 12-oz pkg pre-cooked spicy Italian chicken
sausage, sliced diagonally
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1½ cups water
2¼ cups long-grain brown rice
1½ tsp dried thyme
1½ tsp salt, or to taste
¾ tsp cayenne, or to taste
1-lb bag frozen 365 Everyday Value® Cut Okra
1-lb bag frozen Whole CatchTM Tail-On, Peeled &
Deveined, 41/50 Cooked Shrimp
Hot sauce for serving

The How-To:

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add remaining oil, celery, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook until softened.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, water, rice, thyme, salt and
cayenne. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 35 minutes, stirring now and then.

Add frozen okra and reserved sausage.

Add frozen shrimp and continue cooking until heated through. Taste and  season with more salt or cayenne if desired.
Serve with hot sauce.

 
A great bowl of warm Jambalaya! What a great dinner for a rainy night like this.

Here is the budget friendly break down :

Serves 12. $3.14 per serving*
Per serving (about 16oz/463g-wt.): 320 calories (90 from fat), 10g
total fat, 4g saturated fat, 85mg cholesterol, 920mg sodium, 34g total
carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 22g protein

Recipe Review: OMG Yum! It was a rainy yucky night and I wanted something that was going to warm me up. This dish was savory and rich in flavor. My husband loves Jambalaya but he extremely picky considering his Louisiana background. He loves a good Jambalaya and said that this recipe is a keeper. Yay!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas
Karina?s Kitchen, Recipes from a Gluten-Free Goddess
(http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/)

Ingredients:

Sauce
1 cup 365 Everyday Value® Organic Vegetable Broth
1 TB arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water
1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles, hot or mild
2?3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin or chili powder

Fillings
1 (15-oz) can 365 Everyday Value® Black Beans,
rinsed, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 large lime
2 cups cooked diced sweet potatoes
½ cup chopped roasted mild green chiles
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chili powder
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 TB chopped fresh cilantro

Assembly
2?4 TB vegetable oil
8 white or yellow corn tortillas

The How-To:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat. Simmer until thickened. Set aside.

In a bowl, toss together black beans, garlic and lime juice. Set aside.

In a separate bowl combine remaining filling ingredients.

Pour about ¼ cup of sauce into the bottom of
a 9x13" baking dish.

To assemble, heat a dashof oil in a skillet and lightly cook one tortilla to soften. Moisten both sides of the tortilla in the sauced baking dish. Spoon 2 of each of the fillings down the center. Roll up the tortilla and move to end of the baking dish. Repeat
for the remaining tortillas.

Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until sauce is bubbling.
 

Here is the budget friendly information:

Serves 4. $2.59 per serving*
Per serving (about 14oz/405g-wt.): 500 calories (190 from fat), 21g
total fat, 7g saturated fat, 25mg cholesterol, 980mg sodium, 64g total
carbohydrate (11g dietary fiber, 11g sugar), 18g protein

The recipe review:

I am always on the look out for a family friendly vegetarian dish. This was another keeper. I love the sweet potato texture in the enchiladas. I have seen them in many dishes at my favorite vegetarian restaurant, It?s Only Natural. I have only recently started to incorporate Sweet Potatoes in my diet as I never really liked the taste. I now can?t get enough of them :) The girls liked the sweet but spicy taste.

I was very happy that these dishes came out so well. Off to watch ER!  Happy TGIF!