Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

It's that time of year when pumpkin appears in everything. If you are like me, you don't mind that a bit. This is a delicious, balance fall flavored smoothie that makes a great meal replacement. 

 

This is also a low FODMAP recipe, so if you have a GI issues such as IBS, this is a great recipe that should not cause any unpleasant symptoms.

• 1 cup frozen spinach (2 cups fresh)
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup firm tofu
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Stevia sweetener to taste (see recipe for homemade stevia drops)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg
• Dash of allspice
• Dash of ginger
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1-2 cups of ice
• 1-2 cups of water

1. Add all ingredients except the ice to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust sweetener as needed
2. Add ice until desired consistency is met. Enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner! It works wonderfully in place of any meal.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
266	7	0	188	37	8	17	15

Cost of recipe (not including sales or tax) – Costco, Walmart
	Per serving
Serving	$1.88

Homemade liquid stevia drops

I love liquid stevia drops - in my tea,  oatmeal, smoothies. The list goes on. It's delicious and adds sweetness and flavor without sugar or calories. It is a little pricey though.

Naturally I was over the moon when I found a recipe for homemade stevia drops. It tastes wonderful and is 70% cheaper than buying it off amazon. I used an old liquid stevia bottle I had left over to keep costs low and the only thing I needed to buy was the powdered stevia extract which I got off amazon (link here). This will be a new staple in my recipe arsenal. I'm excited to experiment with more flavors.

Time: 5 minutes
Makes ~9.5 liquid teaspoons (76 droppers)

• 1/4 cup filtered water
• 2 1/4 tsp powdered stevia extract
• 7 tsp vanilla extract or extract of choice

1. Pour water into small saucepan and warm over medium heat.
2. Add stevia extract and stir over heat until stevia is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.
4. Pour into 4 oz glass bottle with dropper (you may need a funnel)
5. Store in the refrigerator and use as needed. Goes wonderfully in tea, coffee, yogurt, on oatmeal, etc.

Nutrition information per serving: 1/8 tsp (1 dropper full)
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Cost of recipe (not including sales) – Amazon, Costco
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
Serving	$0.03	$2.57

Thanks to Whole New Mom for the original recipe!

Alpine Valley Bread

Thrifty tip for those who live on the East side of the valley or don't mind driving to the East side.

Alpine Valley Natural Whole Grain Breads' factory is located in Mesa. If you go to their factory between 8-2:30 Monday through Friday, you can buy day old bread for $0.50 each loaf. That's right, delicious, gourmet, wholesome bread for $0.50 each. That comes down to $0.03 per slice. You can't beat it.

I work during those hours, but the sale is so good, and the bread is so delicious, that 1-2 times a month I drive down to the factory during my lunch break, buy a dozen or so loaves and stock up my freezer. It's worth it. Bring a basket or bag if you plan to buy more than a couple loaves as it can be hard to carry 12 loaves of bread around the store and out to your car.

If you want marked down bread that was baked that day, you can wait until 1:00-2:30 when fresh bread goes on sale from $3/loaf down to $1/loaf. This is NOT EVERY DAY, only WEDNESDAYS and FRIDAYS.

When I buy my $0.50 loaves, there are rarely more than 2-3 other people in the store. However, during the same day mark down sale, there may be longer lines during the special sale time (expect to wait 10-20 minutes at worst).

One last heads up: parking is scarce. It's not that the store is jam packed with customers, rather, that this is a factory and most of the cars belong to employees. Just hang tight for a minute or two. People are always coming and going and a space usually opens up pretty quickly. But it's a good habit to always take the first space you see in this parking lot.


The factory and store are located at:

300 W Southern Ave, Mesa, AZ 85211
(480) 807-2949

If you are coming from the east valley:
Take the 60 freeway west toward Phoenix.
Exit on Mesa Drive and turn right (north)
Turn left on Southern Ave.
The factory will be on your right.

If you are coming from anywhere west of Country club:
Take the 60 freeway east toward Mesa
Exit on Country Club and turn left (north)
Turn right on Southern Ave.
The factory will be on your left.

Winco vs. Sprouts vs. Costco

In case you were wondering the price differences between Winco, Sprouts and Costco, the three big bulk retailers in my area, please consult the chart below. I investiated some of my favorite bulk, dry items. The lowest prices are highlighted in dark blue. Looks like I need to shop at Winco more.

Please note if you plan to buy in bulk you typically need to call ahead and orders can take up to 2-3 days to fill.

	Winco
	$/lb	Total wt	total cost
Black beans	$0.95/lb	25	$22.57
Garbanzo beans	$0.98/lb	25	$23.28
Kideny beans	$1.29/lb	25	$30.64
Brown lentils	$0.70/lb	25	$23.04
Brown rice	$0.66/lb	25	$15.68
Rolled oats	$0.68/lb	25	$16.15
Steel cut oats	$0.69/lb	25	$16.36
Whole wheat flour	$0.42/lb	25	$19.95
White flour	$0.42/lb	25	$21.00
Quinoa	$4.98/lb	25	$118.28
	Sprouts - 10% discount
	$/lb after discount	Total wt	total cost
Black beans	$1.52/lb	25	$38.02
Garbanzo beans	$1.34/lb	25	$33.52
Kideny beans	$1.79/lb	50	$89.55
Brown lentils	$1.52/lb	25	$38.02
Brown rice	$0.89/lb	50	$44.55
Rolled oats	$0.89/lb	50	$44.55
Steel cut oats	$0.89/lb	50	$44.55
Whole wheat flour	$0.89/lb	50	$44.55
White flour	$0.89/lb	50	$44.55
Quinoa	$5.39/lb	25	134.77
	Costco
	$/lb	Total wt	total cost
Black beans	Not available
Garbanzo beans	Not available
Kideny beans	Not available
Brown lentils	Not available
Brown rice	$0.82/lb	12	$14.69
Rolled oats	$0.84/lb	10	$8.39
Steel cut oats	Not available
Whole wheat flour	Not available
White flour	$0.26/lb	25	$6.59
Quinoa	$3.72/lb	4	$14.89

Home made Ricotta

There is something magical about making dairy products, like yogurt and cheese, yourself. It tastes SO MUCH BETTER than store bought. It's also a little bit magical to see the transformation from plain, old milk to something quite different.

Ricotta is fairly easy to make and has a very rich, creamy taste. You can add it to recipes or have it on whole wheat toast or crackers. The only tool which you will need (and you may not already have on hand) is a cheese cloth. It's worth the investment and makes cheese making quite a bit easier.

Time ~1 hour
Makes 2 1/2 cups

• 8 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice
• optional: fresh or dried herbs

1. Place milk, cream and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. As soon as a bubble comes to the top, add the vinegar, stir the milk and remove from heat. The vinegar causes the whey and cream to begin to separate.
2. Line a sieve with cheese cloth or two layers of paper towels and place over a large bowl.
3. Let the milk sit for 5 minutes. If it is still milk, add 1 more tbsp of vinegar and let sit for a few more minutes.
4. Pour the mixture into the cheese-cloth lined sieve, allowing the bowl under it to catch the whey. Leave for 30 minutes to allow it to drain.
5. The cheesecloth should be full of white cheese. Depending on the kind of milk you used, it may be crumbly or creamy. I've read this can depending on whether the milk was pasturized or not. Either way, it will tastes wonderful.
6. Add more salt if needed or herbs if desired.
7. Eat immediatly or use within 3 days. Store in airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition information per serving: 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
108	8	5	104	2	0	0	7

Cost of recipe (not including sales) - COMING SOON
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
Serving

Recipe from Good and Cheap: Eat well on $4/day.

Spaghetti Squash Sausage Lasagna Boats

All time best "healthy" comfort food. If you can get the spaghetti squash on sale, this recipe is a must. Dried basil can work in this recipe and is usually cheaper. If you can get the basil on sale or grow it yourself, use fresh basil.

Time: ~45 minutes
Serves: 4

• 2 medium spaghetti squash
• 1/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
•  1 tbsp chopped parsley or basil
• 3/4 cup fat free mozzerella cheese, shredded

For the sauce:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 14 oz. lean Italian turkey sausage
• 1 can diced tomatotes, drained
• 2 tbsp chopped basil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 °. Stab each squash 2-3 times, being careful that the cut marks are in line where you will cut the squash in half after cooking.
2. Microwave for 8 minutes on one side, flip it over, then microwave for another 8 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and parsley.
4. In a deep pan, heat the oil and add onions and garlic. Sautee for 1 minute. Add sausage and cook, breaking it into smaller pieces until it is browned and cooked through.
5. Add diced tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer.
6. Cut the spaghetti squash in half longwise, so that it forms two even “boats”. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds. Use a fork to scrap out the flesh into a large bowl. Be gentle with the shell so that it can be used again.
7. Toss the squash with the sauce. Spoon the mixture back into each squash shell. Top each with 1 tbsp. ricotta cheese and 2 tbsp. mozzarella cheese.
8. Place in the oven on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and the mixture is heated through.

Nutrition information per serving:  ½ spaghetti squash boat
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
382	14	4	1119	33	7	13	30

Cost of recipe (not including sales) – Costco, Walmart
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
½ spaghetti squash	$4.57	$18.29

Inspired by original recipe from Skinny taste.com. Thank you for this gem! Delicious!