I have been on a bit of a quinoa kick lately.  Making it way more often than rice!

(I guess that’s what happens when you buy 8 lbs. of the stuff!)

Cinnamon Walnut Quinoa, plus a Curried Chicken Quinoa that I’ll be making this week and a Spicy Southwest Quinoa that I’ve got on the calendar to share soon!

And now…

A “new and improved” rice and beans burrito!  Using not rice, but  of course, quinoa…

With a side of “Guac de Gallo” if you will.

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When I was in Texas over the holidays, I went rummaging through my mom’s refrigerator trying to come up with a fun appetizer for a family dinner we were having. I found a mango that I was going to use in a fruit salad, but when I cut into it and discovered it was tangy and not-so-sweet, I decided we needed to add more bold flavors, to help hide the tangy mango! I ended up making for this Mango Avocado Salsa. And while it probably would have been lovely with just the fresh ingredients, I decided it needed a sweet lime vinaigrette to accompany it!

I’ve shared the Mango Avocado Salsa recipe over at SCJohnson.com.  This would be perfect for your Super Bowl gathering, or a Mardi Gras party! You can also find a few other healthy Super Bowl Snack ideas, including Homemade Guacamole, Turkey and Pepper Pinwheels and Triple Berry Trifle!

Perfect balance of colors, flavors and tastes!

The Super Bowl is just around the corner!  And there’s one thing that is always, without fail, sitting on the counter during the Super Bowl game at our house.

As far as I’m concerned, there are a few ingredients that have to be mixed into a homemade guacamole.

Must be.

There are no ifs, ands or buts about these.

Here goes…freshly crushed garlic cloves, fresh chopped cilantro leaves, lemon or lime juice, ground cumin and some salt and pepper. (And the avocados, of course!)

The rest is just optional.

This new “5 Ways” series on $5 Dinners is to help you with the optional part.

• Tomato, seeded and diced – either fresh or roasted - for some balanced delicious-ness.
• Sour cream – for a little creamy-ness and tangy-ness.
• Red and/or green pepper, seeded and diced – for some crunch and colorful-ness.
• Jalapeno, seeded and chopped – for some spicy-ness.
• Red onion, chopped - for some zesty crunchy-ness.
  

Mix and Match for your taste bud’s pleasure!

Then enjoy with some tortilla chips, crackers, veggie crudites.

Or just eat it straight out of the bowl.  There’s no shame in that! (At least that’s what I tell myself.  I have very little self-control when there is a bowl of guacamole around.)

And if you’ve never purchased an avocado before…never fear! How to Choose and Cut an Avocado.

So do tell – how do you do your guacamole?!  What are your favorite additions!?

So I could have named this recipe a number of things.

Chicken Taco Soup

Chicken, Salsa and Double Bean Soup

Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

Clear out the Pantry Chicken Soup

And in the end I settled on Chicken, Black Bean with Salsa Soup.

(Which definitely hurts the feelings of the red beans…they feel totally left out.)

Have a Fabulous Weekend Friends!

So I made these a few weeks ago…and I’m so sorry it took me so long to get them posted.  I used 2 of the smaller peppers from my garden, along with some of my cherry-like tomatoes.

And avocados. *swoon*

And I think these would be just as great with ground beef or ground turkey tacos.  Love the different flavor and texture that the avocado chunks brought to these tacos!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts ($1.66)
1 heaping Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.05)
1 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil ($.03)
2 small green/red peppers, seeded and diced from the garden
2 avocados ($2)
Handful lettuce ($.25)
Cherry tomatoes, quartered, from the garden
Taco Shells ($.69) Sale, store promo and e-coupon

Frozen corn ($.88)

Directions

1. Cut the chicken breasts into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes.  Toss in a mixing bowl with the taco seasoning.  You could certainly use cooked and shredded chicken too.

2. In a medium skillet, saute the chicken pieces in oil with the diced peppers.

3. Cut the avocado into 1/4-1/2 inch chunks and toss with the cooked chicken and peppers.  Place into the taco shells and top with lettuce, and tomatoes.  (Optional: Add shredded cheese and/or sour cream.)

4. Cook the frozen corn as directed on the package.

5. Serve Avocado Chicken Tacos with Corn.

Cost $5.56

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Simple. Fuss-free. Tasty.

(The only thing I wish I’d done before serving these was toast the tortillas in a hot skillet…just 30 seconds per side…give them a little flavor boost.)

I have been waiting to make these since the beginning of March! Rather, these have been waiting for me to make them since the beginning of March!!!

Adapted from Stephanie’s Slow Cooker Carnitas

Ingredients

1.5 lb pork shoulder or loin, cubed ($2.83)
2 Tbsp oil ($.05)
1 teaspoon ground cumin ($.05)
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves ($.10)
1/4 cup lime juice or juice from 1 lime ($.10)
1/4 cup water

8 corn tortillas ($.50)
Salsa, diced avocado, sour cream dollops to garnish ($.50)

Corn Cobs ($.80)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, toss the pork cubes in the oil and ground cumin. Season with a few dashes of salt and pepper.  Place in the base of the slow cooker.  Add the garlic, lime juice, and water.  Set on low and cook for 8 hours. Remove, let cool slightly, then shred with 2 forks.

(Toast the corn tortillas in a warm skillet.)

Boil corn cobs and serve as a side item.

Spoon the carnitas meat over the corn tortilla and top with salsa, diced avocado, and/or sour cream.

Devour.

Cost $4.93

This makes me want to move to Spain. Or Mexico.

Anywhere Spanish speaking would work! (I miss saying Hola and Buen Dia all the time.) Ever since playing “Twitter translator” (where I would send Twitter DMs with common Dominican phrases to my friends who were in the Dominican Republic), I’ve been itching to speak Spanish. I find myself talking to the boys in Spanish and teaching them new words and phrases.

I used to speak about 75% of the time in Spanish with Ryan when we lived there, but I stopped when we learned he had apraxia of speech. I figured it was going to be difficult for him to speak in English, it might not be the best thing to be throwing 2 languages at him. But now that most of his speech issues have resolved, I’ve been speaking more and more with them in Spanish.

I digress.

Please…please…please…the next time you make guacamole, do yourself a favor and add some diced red peppers. I usually add diced tomatoes or salsa, but not this time. I had red peppers on hand, so I added those and what a fabulous flavor combination!

(I made this for a party…and it made LOTS.)

Red Pepper Guacamole

4 avocados, mashed
1 red pepper, diced
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Mash avocados.

2. Mix in diced red pepper and chopped onion.

3. Add in the lime juice, ground cumin and salt and pepper.

4. Optional: For a creamier guacamole, add 1/4 cup sour cream.

5. Serve with tortilla chips or veggies crudites.

6. And don’t be afraid to lick the bowl. It’s allowed!

Cost $...I don’t know and I don’t care. It’s got avocado and I’d make it if it were $100. (Well, maybe not.) But since I think that guacamole deserves it’s own food group, we’re going to let the cost of this one go.

If you must know, it would be around $5.50, depending on your avocado prices.

Brown rice.

It’s my preferred rice.  We have white rice on occasion, usually when I’m running behind and forget to start the brown rice in time to cook (it takes at least 45 minutes to cook.)

But I have found that I only like brown rice “fresh.”  Therefore, I typically don’t make “extra”, unless I’m planning to make rice pudding for breakfast the next morning.  Last week the boys we not feeling well and were not eating their meals with gusto as they normally do.

So I was left with half a saucepan of brown rice. That needed to be repurposed. A fancy word for “Leftover-ized.”

Wait, maybe “leftover-ized” is better?!?

LEFTOVER-IZED: Verb. The art of transforming cold food from a previous meal into a fresh new meal.  Syn. Repurposed.

Think Webster would take it?!?

Anyhoo…leftover brown rice reheated with cooked beans and homemade salsa isn’t half bad!  Served over organic corn chips (the gluten and dairy free version) or rolled up in a tortilla with that little bit of leftover shredded cheese (the be thankful you don’t have food allergies/intolerances version!).

You’d never know the difference!

And I totally added some avocado slices on top. Because I *heart* avocados.

Leftover Beans and Rice Recipe – in “ish” form

2 cups-ish leftover brown rice
2 cups-ish black and red beans
1 cup-ish homemade or store bought salsa
Some cheese
Some chips
A few tortillas
Part of an avocado

Cost $ – What do leftovers really cost?!?  I’ve never been sure of how to calculate the cost of leftovers!  While the food is not free, the cost has been calculated from another meal.  Hmmm…

We’ve talked about adding beans to taco meat to stretch the protein out a little further. But now, it’s time to take it even further. To “three bean” tacos.

So my idea for “three bean tacos” turned into a “two bean” taco!  If you look close enough, you’ll notice that there are only 2 beans in these tacos. Only the black beans and pinto beans made the cut.

I accidentally grabbed the bag of just pinto beans from the freezer.  Last time I made a batch of dried beans (how to cook dried beans here), I froze some red kidney beans with some pinto beans in the same baggie…knowing that I’d be using them for this recipe.

BUT.

Since I grabbed the wrong bag…you’ll just have to image some red kidney beans in there.

And this meal is just the beginning of my new love affair with avocados.

Ingredients
1 lb. ground chuck ($1.79)
3 cups cooked beans, pinto and black in this case! ($.60)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained ($.29) Bought on sale with coupon and store discount
3 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.10)
8 hard shell tacos ($1) Bought on sale with store discount
Handful or so shredded lettuce ($.05)
1 cup rice ($.20)
1 avocado, sliced ($1)
Couple drops of lime juice ($.01)

Directions

Brown the ground chuck and drain.  Return it to the skillet and add the cooked beans, diced tomatoes, and homemade taco seasoning.  Let simmer for 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, slice the avocado. (How to select and cut an avocado. You can’t always believe that “Ripe for Tonight” sticker!)

And cook the rice as directed on the package.

Squeeze gently so the slices pull away from the avocado.

Assemble the tacos with the lettuce and taco meat. (I left out cheese, but my all means, sprinkle some on top.)

Place the avocado on top of the rice and add a few drops of lime juice. Divine.

Serve Three Two Bean Crispy Tacos with Avocado-Lime Rice.

Cost $5.04…This easily made enough taco meat for 8 adults!

And here’s my leftovers idea for you…

Leftover meat and a tortilla, warmed…with a few avocado slices.

(There’s that avocado again. Must be true love.)

Now that summer is here, let’s consider some tasty, healthy and low-cost treats that can serve as an alternative to ice cream.

Avocado Banana Smoothie

1 ripe avocado ($.68 from Aldi)
2 very ripe bananas ($.10)
2 cups milk ($.22)
Dash of cinnamon ($.01)
1/4 tsp vanilla (Free) I got it free at Easter when my store had a sale on it and I doubled a $1 off McCormick coupon!

Total cost: $1.11

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Add ice cubes for a cold treat or drink through a straw like a milk shake.

We have tried all kinds of variations with this recipe including: adding a touch of honey if we want increased sweetness, substituting vanilla soymilk for the regular milk and vanilla, decreasing the milk to 1 cup and adding ¼ cup of vanilla yogurt.

The ripe bananas make this a naturally sweet smoothie that is very healthy and low cost. If you are new to using avocados read Erin’s post here about how to select and cut one.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

2 cups milk ($.22)
4 tablespoons hot cocoa mix ($.06)
2 tablespoons corn starch ($.20)

Total cost: $.48

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Allow mixture to boil for 1 minute then remove from heat.
Cool in the refrigerator for one hour and serve.

Carrie is founder of Pocket Your Dollars an organization committed to helping you keep your money where it belongs – in your pocket. Weekly shopping lists that match the sale items with available coupons and money-saving tips for every area of life are available at pocketyourdollars.com. Training, motivation and practical get-started advice are provided through speaking engagements and workshops to corporations and civic groups.