Onion Dip with Greek Yogurt (Use it/Lose it day 3)

So far, so good! We've got plenty of food and haven't had to get too creative. Here's what was on the menu for day three:

Breakfast: Blueberry Buttermilk Bread; vanilla yogurt with blueberries; milk


Lunch: Boiled Water; apple wedges with peanut butter


Dinner: Beef Stir Fry over Rice (used the flank steak from the freezer, the Meyer lemons (called them "oranges") in my produce bin, the Green Giant teriyaki vegetables from the freezer, some fresh broccoli, onions, soy sauce, ginger, and cornstarch to make this)


Snack: Onion Dip with cucumber slices and raw broccoli (recipe follows)

Onion Dip - 1 Points Plus value per serving
Serves 12

What You Need:

• 1 cup minced onion
• 2 cups plain low-fat Greek yogurt)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• salt and pepper to taste

How it's Done:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill overnight (or all day).
2. Serve with veggie sticks, crackers, bread cubes...whatever!

Simple Refried Beans & Homemade Tortilla Chips

I love refried beans. Tasty, smooth, nutritious, and easy to make, they're a great food to have around when you're craving junk food. Nachos with homemade refried beans are much better for you than that can of bean dip or a run to Taco Bell. Just look at how simple it is to make your own batch.

Refried Beans

What You Need:

• 1/2 lb dry beans (or 2 to 3 cans of pinto beans, rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1/2 a jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• optional added nutrition: 2 to 3 small sweet peppers, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

How it's Done:

1. If you're starting from dried beans (and please do. They're so easy, affordable, and much tastier than their canned counterparts), sort through the beans and dump them in your slow cooker. Cover with water almost up to the top of the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low overnight. After breakfast,  drain the beans and continue making your refried beans. If you're using canned beans, be sure to rinse them very well.
2. Let your machines do the work for you. Dump the beans, onion, peppers, garlic powder, oil, salt, and pepper into your food processor. Process until mostly smooth. I like to leave some chunks in mine, You can make yours as smooth or chunky as you like.
3. Store tightly covered in the fridge.

Refried Beans Before Processing...

And after...

Look at these cute tortilla chips I made! I simply followed my recipe for corn tortillas, adding food coloring, then I cut them into quarters and fried them in olive oil. How fun!

I'm Exhausted...

Day 86.

I'm so tired. I apologize for not posting anything yesterday. I intended to post a homemade fig newton recipe, but my in-laws arrived, announced that they couldn't eat my planned beef recipe, owing to being a Friday in Lent (not being Catholic, I do not observe the no meat on Fridays in Lent, so wasn't expecting it), and we went out to eat at Red Lobster instead. I do not like seafood. Or blackened chicken. Red Lobster has NO vegetarian options on their menu (except for a side salad). The non-seafood options are limited to blackened chicken and steak.

Anyway, I didn't get home until after 9 p.m. and didn't feel up to the task of creating homemade fig newtons. I'll make them sometime this week.

And all day today, allllllll day today, we were out shopping. I was out shopping with no money. I hate going shopping without money. And, I had a headache. And no headache medicine.

Then, I came home (around 4 this afternoon), took a couple Motrin and went upstairs to watch a couple episodes of Friends (the ones where Ross and Rachel finally become a thing). An hour later, I felt better, so I came back downstairs and made dinner for four adults and two children. I made, all from scratch, my sweet potato yeast rolls, chicken-fried steak, salad, mashed potatoes, and corn. Plus I made an appetizer (coming up later in this post). And then I served dinner.

And everyone got their food before me. Which is fine. That's what a good hostess does.

But there were no more forks or knives for me to use. So I had to wash a set for myself.

And the only gravy left was the sticky stuff that develops a skin at the bottom of the gravy boat.

And there were no chairs left to sit on. And no one thought to grab me one from another room. So I went and ate in the living room. Alone.

And no one said thank you. And no one complimented my cooking.

And no one has volunteered to put away the leftovers or do the dishes. Guess what I get to do after I finish typing this. While other people read, color, watch television, and play computer games.

What do you do when this happens at your house? It feels rather unappreciative. Mom, if you're reading this, I love you and I thank you for every single meal you ever cooked for me. And every dish you ever washed on my behalf.

 

Hot Onion Dip

What You Need:

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 large onions, peeled and diced

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients. Pour into an ungreased 8" square baking dish. 
2. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. 
3. Serve hot with chips or crackers.  

It Feels Like Forever Since We Last Chatted!

Day 58!

Yesterday, I was going to post a delicious pork ribs recipe. After I tidied the house (because my mother and sister were coming today), and after I went grocery shopping, and after I did a bunch of things.

But instead, I felt a jolt of electricity (not real electricity, just felt like a shock) whip through my lower back, then my legs gave out and I hit the floor.

Hard.

And I couldn't get up for, like, 10 minutes. I thought about those little devices that are advertised for the elderly. Help! I've fallen and I can't...

Wait. Yes I can.

So I spent a few minutes wiggling around on the floor and got myself to a chair. I hoisted myself up onto my feet. I was in a lot of pain. I was CRYING.

But I got up. And I shuffled my way, leaning on every available surface, to my bed. I choked down some Advil and layed on my heating pad.

Because as scary as that was, it's happened to me before and I know what to do. I did it all right. And it's getting better. I am almost back to normal.

Today, my family drove to Atlanta to help my sister move out of her apartment. She's moving to Orlando to attend a new college. Thankfully, college kids don't generally own much stuff, and it only took a little while to get her loaded up and head back to my house.

We went thrift shopping (I bought a really cool triangle, which I intend to use to call my darling children to dinner), went and bought College Kid groceries to get her through her first few weeks at her new home, and ate at Carraba's (a side of minestrone and a full-size dessert qualify as dinner, right?).

Then I came home and made this. It's so easy. It's a "pantry snack," meaning that if you keep the ingredients on hand (warning! they're highly processed ingredients!), you can quickly throw together a snack for the teenagers congregating in your kitchen, or the football fans on your sofa, or your girlfriends gabbing around the table.

This is not my recipe. I think it belongs to Velveeta. But a high school friend taught it to me when we were both newlyweds and I was highly impressed. It's still very yummy.

Velveeta-Rotel Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 lb Velveeta
• 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilis
• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine

How it's Done:

1. Cut up the Velveeta and dump it in a microwaveable bowl. Dump the UNDRAINED Rotel and butter on top.
2. Microwave, uncovered, for 1 minute at a time. Stir at the end of each minute. Continue until cheese is melted.
3. Serve with tortilla chips.