$0.68 per serving ~ Lentil Bean Soup

I was feeling vaguely creative and had to use the crock pot. I threw this together on a whim...

Lentil Bean Soup~ $6.75 total cost, $0.68 per serving
1 cup dried lentils ($0.75)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed ($0.80)
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed ($0.80)
1 28 oz. can chunky crushed tomatoes ($1.00)
1 cup chopped carrots (free from the garden)
1 large sweet onion, chopped ($0.40)
4 cups vegetable broth ($2.00)
4 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp. coriander
1 tbsp. black pepper
grated cheese

1. Place all ingredients in crockpot. Stir to mix.
2. Cover, cook on low 7-8 hours
Makes 10 servings

The Verdict
Julia ate a lot of this, but wore more than she ate. What a mess! Josh enjoyed it, but liked the fresh bread dunked in it best. Jim liked it, and I loved it. Plenty of leftovers. Next time I'll add more spices.

Josh's Star Wars Stew

Josh is obsessed with Star Wars. As in, he watches it every day if we let him. So last night when he was grumpy and didn't want to eat, we named everything in the stew after Star Wars...

Josh's Star Wars Stew ~ $5.75 total cost, $0.96 per serving
1 lb. ground beef ($2.00) May the Force beef with you...
3 potatoes, chopped ($1.00) Darth Taters
2 beets, chopped (free from our garden) Obi-Wan KenoBeets
5 carrots, chopped (free from our garden) Lando Carrotrissian
1 head bok choy, chopped (free from the CSA) ChewBokChoy
1 red onion, chopped (free from the CSA) Qui-Gonion Jinn
12 oz. beer ($1.00)
1 cup chili sauce ($1.50)
1/4 cup brown sugar ($0.25)

1. Brown ground beef and place in crock pot.
2. Mix chopped vegetables together and add to crock pot.
3. Mix beer, chili sauce and brown sugar together. Pour over meat/veggie mix.
4. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Makes 6 servings.

The Verdict
Julia ate more than she wore, which is a triumph right now. Josh enjoyed it, but liked the bread fresh from the breadmaker better. Jim said it was delicious, and I ate two helpings. I will definitely use that sauce again in different stew combinations!

A brief Puttanesca update...

I don't know if anyone is still reading, but I apologize for my absence. Marching band season is drawing to a close... we only have one more competition, and after that it is only football games. I've had no time to get creative in the kitchen. But I will return in a week or so with all new, fun recipes!

Like everyone else, my family budget is feeling the pinch of this economy. We had to switch daycares, which meant more outlay of cash. So I will do my best to continue to create delicious, different recipes on a meager budget. I won't let the money crunch stop my food fun!

So I have a question for you, if you are still paying attention... what's your favorite way to stretch your food dollar?