Eat Like a Rabbit

Thanks to Leann Georgeson, our dear friend from Seattle, for this great recipe idea. She says it's a fine way to mix in lots of nutrients--even spinach--so her son, Jeremy, will eat it. I thought the recipe was smart for keeping burritos from being too boring, and it proves how easy it can be to make the filling go as far as it needs to for however many mouths you are feeding. When you run out of flour tortillas, you can just use the beans as a base for nachos.

Cost to Make Burrito Filling

• $0.79 Organic Fire-roasted Tomatoes (Publix, plus coupon)
• $1.19 Taco Bell Vegetarian Refried Beans(Publix)
• $0.86 Black Beans (Walmart)
• $0.86 Pinto Beans (Walmart)
• $0.25 Corn (Aldi)
• $0.50 Onion (Costco)
• $4.45 Total serves 6-8 persons depending on size of burrito

Recipe for Bean Burritos

• 1 diced onion, sauteed
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can sweet corn (or frozen bag of equal portion)
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can black beans

Cook onions in a skillet first. Open the cans and add the ingredients, stirring until mixed and warmed through. Place in serving bowl and on dinner table with warmed tortillas to make burritos. Toppings may include but are not limited to, salsa, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salad greens, and black olives.

The luncheon item in question is in the center right of the photograph. It is a package very similar to the Uncle Ben's 90 second Wild Rice packs that I love. I heated it at work and dumped only 3/4 of it out onto a plate with all eyes on me, amazed that such a tiny package could contain so much. It actually contains two servings, and I could barely eat half of it. I think for a guy, like Paul, it would easily make a full meal.

I was very impressed by the minimal ingredients in the jambalaya and the good amount of protein and fiber per serving (4g, if I remember correctly). The package says gluten-free, which is a wonderful thing--both that it is gluten-free and that the company is known for putting such important information on the front label. On the other hand, I was surprised that butter was one of the ingredients. I don't require butter in my rice when I make it. Why would I expect it in other rice packages? Perhaps the biggest reason that the thought upset me is because I might have accidentally served it to someone I knew who was allergic to dairy without thinking. Such an ingredient just isn't expected.

The photo is from the $0.25 per ear of corn (Publix) we had last week. This week, I could only find it for $0.33 each (Freshfields Farm). But, I know corn on the cob is good for you and is a rarity. So, I'm taking advantage of the deal and just watching this week's budget a little more carefully to ensure we get some while it's still around. A Healthy. Happy. Life. had a great post on the nutritional value of corn. I had no idea corn was that good for you. I've been inspired to make sure it's on a plate a week throughout the season.

Next, Brent and Lisa sent us some very appropriate cookie cutters. Rabbits! A big one and a small one. Paul immediately said he wanted oatmeal cookies out of them. I wasn't so sure I could work that out. And, I feel bad making more sugar around the house when we still have all that dark chocolate from Trader Joe's! Ironically, I came across two stories over the weekend that fit my dilemma perfectly. Naturally, they are geared toward kids, but I don't see why I can't make rabbit-themed anything!

My cupboard, fridge, and freezer looked really full; so, for a few weeks I did limited to no grocery shopping. Toward the end of the cleaning-out-the-cabinets process, I was left with the ingredients to try a recipe from the Vegetarian 5-ingredient Gourmet. I thought I could get away with using the frozen corn in my freezer and the canned Hunt's tomatoes in the cabinet that I was stuck with after our educational experience with the pasta taste test. The concept was really good, but Paul's comment solved any question as to whether or not the soup was good.

This salsa went over so well at the group dinner, that I decided to take the same recipe and make it again in the form of enchiladas. Paul was confused because I used flour tortillas--which made it look more like burritos--instead of corn tortillas. However, it was quite the success because a few people came up specifically to shake my hands when it was done. As was common on those nights, there was a line for the food when I arrived, which gave me no time to take pictures. The above picture was a plate of leftovers we made for someone who was late. On the night of the enchiladas and Spanish rice, there wasn't a bite of anything left except the chips and salsa.

Too dark for pictures.

I was invited to a dinner by a drug rep. The speaker as he stood up said he couldn't believe the turnout. He said the restaurant must be good. The 60-ish number of medical professionals laughed. A waiter came around asking our orders. There were three options, but being a vegetarian, I didn't catch what they were. I simply requested a vegetarian plate. Some time later, a waiter came by with salads and atop mine (just like all the others) was a nice strip of crispy bacon. By this point, the lecture had started and I quietly whispered a request for a bacon-less salad. The waiter very kindly obliged, but failed to remove the offensive salad. I suppose if I had thought about it, I would have just passed it down to the next individual. Instead, I shoved it toward the center of the table and out of my line of sight.

Baked potatoes are good for you and have so many options for changing the style and taste. Our microwave even has a "Baked Potato" setting on it so I can turn it on and forget about them until it beeps telling me they are perfectly done. Granted, most people say microwaved baked potatoes are technically steamed, but they still taste soft and rarely mushy. Real ovens take around an hour to bake completely and risk overcooking. I have been told loading a crockpot down with potatoes yields very nice baked spuds. Note, that when there is a big crowd and spuds are small, the more toppings, the farther the dish goes.