Dinner on the go is never fun, so I decided to plan ahead. Between work, picking up the kids, dropping one off at Ballet, another off at Karate, picking one up from Ballet, coordinating with our sitter, and then picking up the kid I dropped off earlier at Karate... I still managed to make dinner for 7 people. I'm not telling you this to show off, I'm telling you this to inspire you to plan. No matter how busy you are, you can make a great meal for cheap!
Don't know what it is, but I love eggs! Especially poached eggs! The flavor of a poached egg is the purest and most true "egg flavor" of all preparation methods. It's just boiled. That's it. The white cooks and the center is runny. A quick stab with a toasted bagel and that rich, creamy center soaks into the millions of air pockets transforming a lowly breakfast item, usually reserved for cream cheese, into a delicacy!
So, a couple of days ago Andrea mentioned she heard of a recipe where the egg whites were separated and whipped. She then went on to say the yolks were placed back in and the whole thing was baked.
As you can see, we have a better photo as promised, but... I have to be honest. Taking photos of split pea soup are never as rewarding as the taste. Speaking of taste, these Ziploc soups do a bit of melding while awaiting consumption. Andrea and I both agree, there is some flavor enhancement taking place... I guess soup is like a fine wine, better with time.
Andrea makes the best chicken tenders on the PLANET!!! We call 'em chicken nuggets so the kids will get excited about them. In fact, we have joked about having a chicken nugget side by side taste test. Andrea would win for sure!
Nitrate/Nitrite Free All Natural Oscar Mayer Oven Raosted Turkey Breast Lunch Meat - $0.20
Yum ... this was the best turkey sandwich I have ever had!! And for all you skeptics on those prices, let me break it down for you. The 99 cent store has won my heart once again!! I went in there today and found that Oven Roasted Turkey Breast described (ever so well) above, 8 oz for a buck!! I was skeptical myself at first. You know "all natural" can mean anything these days. Willie did a commercial for 7up and they even called those empty calories "all natural." However, I read the label closer, and sure enough it was Nitrate and Nitrite free!! Those are the preservatives they put in most cold cuts to lengthen their shelf life. Usually meat like this at Whole Foods or even Trader Joe's can run you anywhere from $10-15/pound! 
Remember what I said about "free" the other day? Well, yesterday a friend had Noe over for dinner and gave me the leftover pizza because they are vegetarians. The funny thing is, I was just thinking how I missed a good ol' piece of pizza. Totally not healthy, however, I had one slice not the whole pie and accompanied it with a nice salad. 
Dinner was a little difficult for me today. Not really really feeling it, if you know what I mean. I was so tempted to throw in the towel and order out. However, I decided to dig deep. Deep in the freezer that is. I found some Trader Joe's Veggie Burgers. They really are quite delish. Threw some cheddar on there and I was in business. 
Can eggs benedict be made in a healthy way and still taste amazing? Drum roll please ... not a chance. Come on, let's face it, eggs benedict is a white English muffin, Canadian bacon (ham, basically), and eggs with a creamy (fatty), delicious sauce poured all over it. If you wanted to try and make it "healthy," well then it just wouldn't be "eggs benedict" anymore now would it? It would be like trying to call Miller Lite a beer, when in reality watery beverage that resembles beer. 
Hudson and I wanted to watch a movie together while Noe was at her friend Jack's house. And it was also dinner time. Hudson asked if we could have smoothies and as for the popcorn ... what would a movie be without popcorn? 
Heuvos Rancheros is one of my favorites, but with spinach instead of tortillas it really gourmet-ify-ed it! If that's even a word. Sometimes I'm over doing it on bread products and sometimes I skip 'em. Spinach is an amazing bread substitute. Tastes nothing like it... feels nothing like it, but it goes with almost anything savory.
I hate to break it to you, but you can't... I can't, and health experts agree. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day! Was I rushed today? Yes. Did I have time to make a gourmet meal? No. Is there a ton of nutrition in this breakfast grab bag? Yes. With a bottle of water, I felt great all the way to lunch and stayed on budget!
There's an old song called "If you don't know me by now" by Harold Melvin and it's quite applicable to this blog. If you don't know I like eggs by now, you'll never know I like eggs. What is it? If I don't have eggs in the morning, I gotta have 'em at lunch... or even dinner. As far as I can tell from this challenge, they are the most nutrition packed and protein potent food out there.
This is one of the best feel good, warm comfort meals on the planet! This is the trimmed down version, cause we usually bake a chicken and pour gravy on the grain/rice accompanied by a delicate Pinot Noir or heavy Cab. Let's all say it together, "Mmmmmm". This meal is still extremely satisfying sans vino & pollo. Hometown favorite. I learned this combo from Patrish (Mom) and have shared it with many.