Cooking for a family of six is much different than cooking for one. Now that I truly only cook for myself, I've had to get creative and not just fall into the quick and easy cottage cheese and apple rut. So, here are some of my tips for cooking for one:
1. Stock up on staples. Since fruits and veggies are the base of most meals, I'll pick up whatever reduced produce I find (typically bananas, apples, bell peppers, or squash) and then whatever green is on sale (spinach, lettuce, or cabbage). I also always try to have eggs on hand for easy protein and always have beans or lentils in my pantry. Having frozen or canned fruit is also handy for smoothies which make easy meals. I also try to grab a container of yogurt or cottage cheese, again, for easy protein. I'm also learning to love frozen vegetables like green beans since they're easy to use as a base to stretch beans or chicken for a cheap meal that's easy to pack for work.
2. Batch cook. Your freezer is one of your best friends. I typically buy meat every month and then cook it in single serving portions to pull out for easy meals. (Ground beef patties, turkey sausage patties, shredded chicken, salmon burgers made from canned salmon, etc.) If I'm really on top of it, I'll make and freeze gluten free pancakes or muffins for quick breakfasts. It's an hour every month to do this but it's super easy to just pull out a serving of meat and cook whatever veggies I have on hand for a low effort meal.
3. Meal prep at the beginning of the week. This would be the time I'll cook a batch of beans or lentils to throw on salads and use for meals, or bake up some sweet potatoes or squash. I might make a batch of granola to have with fruit and yogurt, mix together a fruit crisp, or bake a batch of coconut flour scones.
4. Do everything the night before. I go to work early most days so I decide what I'm going to eat the next day and pack it in my lunch bag before I go to bed... Not because I'm on top of life, but because making food decisions at 5 in the morning when I'm not even hungry is not something I do well. :) I also get everything ready for my coffee, add more water to my perpetually cooking bone broth in the crockpot, and prep whatever I'm having for breakfast (like putting oats in my jar for overnight oatmeal or getting the fruit and spinach for my green smoothie blended or thawing a muffin).
My Go To Meals:
Scrambled eggs with veggies
Cottage cheese and celery
Oatmeal with fruit
Smoothies
Beans and rice
Salads with lentils/beans
Quinoa with veggies
Soups
Canned salmon burgers/fish with veggies
Shredded chicken with frozen green beans
Chicken/salmon/tuna salad lettuce wraps or salad
Peanut butter with fruit or off the spoon ;)
Chia seed pudding
Zucchini "noodle" spaghetti (I have Celiac and don't eat pasta, but pasta would work just as well!)
Roasted veggies with beans
What $15 a Week for Groceries Actually Looks Like:
$2 Dozen eggs
$3 Almond/coconut milk or yogurt/cottage cheese (takes me two weeks to go through each of these)
$2 Fruit ($1 will buy you 3-4 apples and 5 red-banded bananas is about 50c from the reduced section)
$2 Leafy green of the week (Spinach, kale, lettuce, etc.)
$3 Veggies ($1 will buy 3 bell peppers or 3 squashes from the reduced section, then either a frozen veg or squash/sweet potatoes)
$3 rotates to buy other staples like coffee, tea or sugar for my kombucha, baking supplies, peanut butter, beans/lentils/oats, cheese, coconut oil, nuts, butter, frozen fruit, quinoa, olive oil for homemade salad dressing, etc. or something exciting like salsa or cream cheese if it's a really exciting week. ;)
Then once a month I'll spend $10 on meat (usually a pound of natural beef/turkey for $4 and a whole organic chicken which I also use for my bone broth for $6).
Obviously my staples look different from most people's since I have Celiac so I don't buy bread, pasta, crackers, etc. and build most meals around vegetables/fruits. I eat a lot of the same things, but do manage to spice it up occasionally.
~
So there you go! What are your budget-friendly, healthy eating for one tips?
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Quick story as told by Jen
One quick story...
One of our trainings centered around cleaning and caring for cuts and wounds. About half of our students could not read and write, so our teaching was very hands-on and repetitive. It was fun to see even the poorest and oldest members of the community participate and learn.
After our last day of trainings and construction, we gathered with village leaders for a closing ceremony. While the ceremony was going on, a man was working in a field and a huge branch fell on his foot, cutting clear through to the tendon. Someone carried him back to the village, and his wife and mother-in-law immediately put their new training into practice, cleaning and bandaging the wound perfectly! Because of the severity of the wound, he had to travel to the nearest town for stitches and X-rays. This meant the village men carried him down the hill in a hammock, taking turns at intervals. It was amazing for us to see the village in action, caring for one another. And VERY fun to see their new skills (and new first aid kits) put to use!
Never complete
Never Complete
Throughout the week here in San Onofre, we have been facilitating sessions twice a day for the community. The main topics have been wound care and burns and basic dressings. Most people have seemed very interested in a topic so applicable to daily life here with nails sticking out of all the structures and cooking over open fires.
Today we did a women's health teaching as Nicaragua leads in deaths from cervical cancer in all of Latin America. The lack of education about female anatomy and health in general is a bit stifling but the women here were very grateful for the teaching and the opportunity to ask questions.
I actually learned a lot at today's teaching as well, as sexual health isn't a common topic I find myself needing to research. But it made me realize that both at home and in the developing world, we are all always still learning. I am sure no one ever thinks they know everything, but a substantial health education here is a basic understanding of germ theory and wound care so in moments it feels as if your medical knowledge is more than adequate in comparison. Then on days like today when I was really enjoying learning a lot of new information, I am reminded we always need to be seeking growth. (And maybe sometimes we learn and grow more than we had bargained for! :))
No one is ever complete. We are not complete in our knowledge or skills or profession, but neither are we ever complete in our walk with Christ or our relationships with others. Called to daily pick up our cross to follow Jesus, it's clear that we must continually seeking Him and we won't reach completion during our lifetime.
Knowledge is finite but relationships and people are so much more. If something finite must be continually sought after and improved, how much more should we pour into our everlasting relationships. I'm convicted and encouraged, and thankful God uses situations of teaching others to teach me.
Throughout the week here in San Onofre, we have been facilitating sessions twice a day for the community. The main topics have been wound care and burns and basic dressings. Most people have seemed very interested in a topic so applicable to daily life here with nails sticking out of all the structures and cooking over open fires.
Today we did a women's health teaching as Nicaragua leads in deaths from cervical cancer in all of Latin America. The lack of education about female anatomy and health in general is a bit stifling but the women here were very grateful for the teaching and the opportunity to ask questions.
I actually learned a lot at today's teaching as well, as sexual health isn't a common topic I find myself needing to research. But it made me realize that both at home and in the developing world, we are all always still learning. I am sure no one ever thinks they know everything, but a substantial health education here is a basic understanding of germ theory and wound care so in moments it feels as if your medical knowledge is more than adequate in comparison. Then on days like today when I was really enjoying learning a lot of new information, I am reminded we always need to be seeking growth. (And maybe sometimes we learn and grow more than we had bargained for! :))
No one is ever complete. We are not complete in our knowledge or skills or profession, but neither are we ever complete in our walk with Christ or our relationships with others. Called to daily pick up our cross to follow Jesus, it's clear that we must continually seeking Him and we won't reach completion during our lifetime.
Knowledge is finite but relationships and people are so much more. If something finite must be continually sought after and improved, how much more should we pour into our everlasting relationships. I'm convicted and encouraged, and thankful God uses situations of teaching others to teach me.
San onofre
San Onofre
There's something utterly amazing about entering a village. Seeing the simplicity, the community, the unique aspects of rural life during that initial glance as you begin to take in your new environment -- I hope to experience many more of these moments.
I told some friends that a week in a village is kind of like camping. Although I have never particularly enjoyed camping, I am coming to realize that it's not the lack of showers or technology or conveniences that I don't like about it. Rather, I think it's more that I don't like the all the amenities we attempt to integrate into camping. We try to make life so much more complicated than it needs to be.
How many times am I guilty of peering over the simple solution to something in exchange for stress and worry, making something far more difficult than it actually is. I'm reminded of how we do this so often in our walk with Christ. Daily, follow Him. That's it. Whatever that looks like, the bottom line is simple.
I love the quiet moments, face to face conversations, refreshing bucket baths, and open air of this rural community. (So far I am still enjoying gallo pinto and corn tortillas three times a day too!) The community has welcomed our team and despite the language barrier, their love and hospitality is so special.
The health material is basic information that most kids in the US will learn by the time they're out of middle school. But it's so needed. Simple is needed.
As we spend time with the community members teaching, interacting, practicing, and sharing, I am praying for the eternal purpose of God to be worked in and through us.
I have established a reputation amongst the team for being able to sleep whatever the circumstances. I just put in my dollar store earplugs, pull my mosquito net down, nestle into my cot, and I am out. But tonight I am just so riled up about the beauty of these moments, the beauty of these people, the beauty of the God we serve, that I am compelled to spend some time writing before sleep. So often it seems life moves so quickly we forget to reflect and give thanks.
So I am thankful for the teaching we get to do with these people to empower them to take care of one another for many years to come. I am thankful for the quiet break from routine, the relationships being built, the bucket baths that are refuge from the heat, and all the gallo pinto. :)
There's something utterly amazing about entering a village. Seeing the simplicity, the community, the unique aspects of rural life during that initial glance as you begin to take in your new environment -- I hope to experience many more of these moments.
I told some friends that a week in a village is kind of like camping. Although I have never particularly enjoyed camping, I am coming to realize that it's not the lack of showers or technology or conveniences that I don't like about it. Rather, I think it's more that I don't like the all the amenities we attempt to integrate into camping. We try to make life so much more complicated than it needs to be.
How many times am I guilty of peering over the simple solution to something in exchange for stress and worry, making something far more difficult than it actually is. I'm reminded of how we do this so often in our walk with Christ. Daily, follow Him. That's it. Whatever that looks like, the bottom line is simple.
I love the quiet moments, face to face conversations, refreshing bucket baths, and open air of this rural community. (So far I am still enjoying gallo pinto and corn tortillas three times a day too!) The community has welcomed our team and despite the language barrier, their love and hospitality is so special.
The health material is basic information that most kids in the US will learn by the time they're out of middle school. But it's so needed. Simple is needed.
As we spend time with the community members teaching, interacting, practicing, and sharing, I am praying for the eternal purpose of God to be worked in and through us.
I have established a reputation amongst the team for being able to sleep whatever the circumstances. I just put in my dollar store earplugs, pull my mosquito net down, nestle into my cot, and I am out. But tonight I am just so riled up about the beauty of these moments, the beauty of these people, the beauty of the God we serve, that I am compelled to spend some time writing before sleep. So often it seems life moves so quickly we forget to reflect and give thanks.
So I am thankful for the teaching we get to do with these people to empower them to take care of one another for many years to come. I am thankful for the quiet break from routine, the relationships being built, the bucket baths that are refuge from the heat, and all the gallo pinto. :)
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Settling
There's this odd sense of déjà vu and yet the same feeling of anticipation of new things coming back to Nicaragua. I took a shower this afternoon and as the cold, cold water cascaded over me, I just smiled. My favorite part of last year's trip were these quiet moments to reflect and be refreshed. A seemingly insignificant thing like cold water spoke to my heart, "You are here."
I've struggled a lot leaving behind the things from home. Stress, tasks, busyness... Somehow it's been hard to not allow those things to dominate my mind as we settle in Nicaragua. But I'm reminded to be present. Be present in the moments we have here in Nicaragua, focusing on what God has for each day and minute rather than worrying about other things.
As we spend the next two days here at the Isaiah House, it feels like we are preparing for the days of outreach to come. In ways, it doesn't seem as if we are very far from home as we are enjoying the same sorts of conveniences the developed world is accustomed to. But in ways, my mind is shifting to that be present mentality and gearing up for why we are here.
Today, Sheldon at the Isaiah House shared with us a brief overview of why they do what they do and why we are here to help them. I was struck by the fact that all these areas of injustice or lack -- hunger, poverty, disease, and more -- that we are not the answer. There are so many physical needs that people have. Jesus healed people. Jesus fed people. But Jesus healed souls and changed lives also.
Jesus is the answer. Medicine, food, and education are all so important. But in and of themselves, they won't last. Unless we seek to glorify Christ in our work, and unless we act from His compassion and will, what we are doing is ultimately temporal. I am praying that as we seek to do ministry like Jesus -- meeting physical needs and spiritual needs both -- that His kingdom will be furthered and lives will truly change.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
READY
The long work hours, the crazy late night packing sessions, the prayers and hugs, the errands and food prep, the team meetings -- it's ALL DONE.
The last few days have been long and insane, and I'm thankful for these few hours of rest and quiet and calm.
Tomorrow morning, the adventure begins!
The last few days have been long and insane, and I'm thankful for these few hours of rest and quiet and calm.
Tomorrow morning, the adventure begins!
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Life is Beautiful
Constant in my life is that I'm always thinking, pondering, questioning, processing. Whether it's just a quiet moment by myself reflecting on life, critically thinking about a task I'm setting out to conquer, or simply observing a situation, I find myself thinking often.
Recently, I've been devoting some of my thoughts to life -- purpose, time, reasons. Often, words seem as if they fall short in putting meaning to the motivation for why we walk through life and do what we do each day. Although I firmly believe that your actions speak what your priorities are in life, I do find it helpful to articulate these things on occasion.
Life is beautiful. Sometimes moments more so than others, but we are loved by a faithful God who has so much more in mind than we can ever imagine.
Recently, I've been devoting some of my thoughts to life -- purpose, time, reasons. Often, words seem as if they fall short in putting meaning to the motivation for why we walk through life and do what we do each day. Although I firmly believe that your actions speak what your priorities are in life, I do find it helpful to articulate these things on occasion.
Life is beautiful. Sometimes moments more so than others, but we are loved by a faithful God who has so much more in mind than we can ever imagine.
Life is beautiful because we have new life in Christ.
Life is beautiful because God is gracious to work through our mistakes to further His purpose.
Life is beautiful because there's joy in the little things.
Life is beautiful because we get to experience relationships with friends and family.
Life is beautiful because God cares for us and we get to care for others.
Life is beautiful because we can always learn something new.
Life is beautiful because this world shouts the glory of its Creator.
Life is beautiful because hugs speak what words can't.
Life is beautiful because there is greater purpose in pain.
Life is beautiful because laughter refreshes.
Life is beautiful because change happens and yet the important things remain.
Life is beautiful because there's reward in diligence.
Life is beautiful because we are never forgotten.
Life is beautiful because there's virtue in a genuine heart.
Life is beautiful because my walk with God is not dependent on how good of a person I can be.
Life is beautiful because of what we can learn in unexpected places.
Life is beautiful.
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