Edamame and Vegetable Fried Rice

 

While visiting my brother for Thanksgiving, we went to a sushi restaurant, where my brother's kids, aged 3 and 18 months respectively, fell upon the edamame and tofu like it was candy. Nugget not so much. But after observing his cousins for a while he did come around to the edamame and ate a ton of it. So when we got home I quickly set about capitalizing on this new source of nutrition. It carried over, even though I bought shelled edamame -- next time he wants it in the pod. The fried rice he wouldn't touch, but while helping me make it he ate a lot of the vegetables (even the broccoli! and it was still frozen!), so it didn't really matter. Brown rice should put this meal up into excellent territory, as soon I get through my five pound bag of jasmine ...

Ingredient	Nutrition	Cost
Frozen Edamame (shelled)	Fiber (5 g/20%), Protein (14 g), Vitamin A (2%), Vitamin C (21%), Calcium (11%), Iron (10%). Good source of Vitamin K, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper; very good source of Manganese.	$1.96
Frozen broccoli	Fiber (1 g/3%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin A (6%), Vitamin C (19%), Calcium (1%), Iron (1%). Very good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate and Manganese.	$0.49
Frozen red bell pepper	Fiber (1 g/3%), Vitamin A (25%), Vitamin C (49%), Iron (1%). Very good source of Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, and Manganese.	$0.96
Fresh organic baby carrots	Vitamin A (77%), Fiber (1 g/3%). Very good source of Vitamin K and Manganese.	$0.50
Jasmine rice	Good source of Manganese and Selenium.	$0.88
Eggs	Protein (17 g), Vitamin A (15%), Calcium (10%), Iron (10%). Good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, and Phosphorus; very good source of Selenium.	$0.63
Total	Fiber (8 g/29%), Protein (32 g), Iron (22%), Calcium (22%), Vitamin A (125%), Vitamin C (89%).	$5.42

Cost per person: $1.55
Nutritional Goals: Excellent Vitamin A and Vitamin C; Fair Fiber, Iron, and Calcium. Vegetarian. No whole grains.

Basic recipe for fried rice here

Macaroni & Cheese with Quinoa and Peas; Spring Green Salad with Cucumber, Orange, and Sunflower Seeds

I pretty much stopped buying salad greens when I started making one meal for the whole family. It seems really unrealistic to me to expect a preschooler to eat lettuce. Maybe that's just an excuse for Trent and I not to have to eat salads ... But my mother-in-law left a big container of spring mix greens at our house, so I felt obliged to eat it. It was a good complement to the macaroni & cheese casserole I made for Nugget. I gave him a bowl of chopped cucumbers with a few leaves of lettuce, and counted it a success that he ate one leaf. It is probably good for him to see us eating salad. Sigh. And in fact it was quite good, for a salad. I dressed it with the juice of 1 lemon, a dribble of olive oil, splash each of white balsamic vinegar and OJ, and a pinch of sea salt, and tossed the greens along with some chopped cucumber, roasted sunflower seeds, and chunks of orange. My casserole, with the quinoa and peas, turned out really well. I loved the nutty taste and creamy texture the quinoa added, and even my pea-hating husband thought the peas were a good addition.

 

Ingredient	Nutrition	Cost
Enriched white flour pasta (Garofalo Rotini)	Fiber (1 g/4%), Protein (4 g), Iron (5%), Thiamine (18%), Riboflavin (8%), Niacin (10%), Folic acid (18%)	$1
Organic Quinoa	Fiber (3 g/13%), Protein (6 g), Iron (12%), Riboflavin (50%), Phosphorous (23%). Very good source of manganese, good source of magnesium.	$1
Aged extra sharp white cheddar (Tillamook)	Protein (14 g), Vitamin A (12%), Calcium (40%), Iron (4%).	$4.06
Skim milk	Protein (4 g), Vitamin A (5%), Vitamin C (1%), Calcium (15%), Vitamin D (13%).	$0.44
Frozen baby peas	Fiber (3 g/9%), Protein (3 g), Vitamin A (20%), Vitamin C (15%), Calcium (1%), Iron (5%). Very good source of Vitamin K, Thiamin, Manganese. Good source of Niacin, Folate, and Phosphorous.	$1
Fresh spring mix salad greens	Fiber (1 g/2%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin A (40%), Vitamin C (13%), Calcium (4%), Iron (3%).	$0
Fresh cucumber (no peel)	Fiber (1 g/3%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin A (1%), Vitamin C (5%), Calcium (1%), Iron (1%). Very good source of Vitamin K. Good source of Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium, Copper, and Manganese.	$0.89
Roasted sunflower seeds	Fiber (1 g/5%), Protein (2 g), Calcium (1%), Iron (3%). Very good source of Vitamin E.	$0.33
Fresh Valencia orange	Fiber (1 g/6%), Vitamin A (3%), Vitamin C (49%), Calcium (2%).	$0.53
Fresh lemon juice	Vitamin C (21%)	$0.59
Total	Fiber (11g/42%), Protein (35 g), Iron (29%), Calcium (64%), Vitamin A (81%), Vitamin C (104%).	Mac: $1.40/person Salad: $0.94

Cost per person: $2.34
Nutritional Goals: Excellent Calcium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C; Good Fiber; Fair Iron. Partial serving of whole grains. Vegetarian. 


Casserole Recipe: Melt 5 T butter in large pot over low heat, adding 3 T flour and whisking; pour in 2.5 cups warmed milk and whisk over low heat 3 minutes; add 6 cups shredded cheddar and remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups (as measured when dry) cooked pasta, 1 cup (as measured when dry) cooked quinoa, 1 cup steamed peas. Pour into greased casserole dish and bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Grilled Cheese, Succotash, and Oranges

"That grilled cheese was so good. Did you do something different?"
"I used butter."

Ingredient	Nutrition	Cost
Frozen baby lima beans	Fiber (5 g/20%), Protein (6 g), Vitamin A (3%), Vitamin C (11%), Iron (10%), Calcium (3%). Very good source of Manganese.	$1
Frozen sweet corn	Fiber (2 g/4%), Protein (2 g), Vitamin A (2%), Vitamin C (6%), Iron (2%).	$1
Canned organic tomatoes	Fiber (1 g/4%), Vitamin A (10%), Vitamin C (20%), Calcium (2%), Iron (2%), Selenium (50%), Folate (5%)	$0.96
Whole grain multigrain bread (Dave’s Killer)	Fiber (10 g/36%), Protein (12 g), Calcium (4%), Iron (14%), Thiamin (24%), Riboflavin (6%), Niacin (14%), Folic acid (6%), Vitamin B6 (7%), Vitamin K (2%), Zinc (10%), Manganese (90%), Copper (14%), Phosphorous (20%), Selenium (46%), Magnesium (18%), Pantothenic acid (4%)	$1.03
Aged extra sharp white cheddar (Tillamook)	Protein (21 g), Vitamin A (18%), Calcium (60%), Iron (6%).	$0.50
Fresh valencia oranges	Fiber (3 g/12%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin A (6%), Vitamin C (98%), Calcium (5%), Iron (1%). Good source of Thiamin, Folate and Potassium.	$1.57
Total	Fiber (21 g/76%), Protein (42 g), Iron (35%), Calcium (74%), Vitamin A (39%), Vitamin C (235%).	$6.06

Cost per person: $2.42
Nutritional Goals: Excellent Vitamin C, Fiber, and Calcium; Good Vitamin A and Iron. Two servings of whole grains. Beans as protein source. Vegetarian. 


Succotash recipe here (I use 2 or 3 T of olive oil instead of the butter)

p.s. Can you tell I bought a gigantic box of oranges at Costco? I think I won't do that again ...

Mediterranean Scramble and Oranges

I needed to use up that spinach I made that no one liked, and eggs seemed like the perfect vehicle. I made "hash browns" by chopping potatoes into skinny little pieces and sauteeing them in olive oil, and added the leftover spinach/feta/garlic/onion, a can of tomatoes, and some scrambled eggs. I would have added more feta while cooking but I was being nice to Trent. I just piled it on my own plate after the fact, and man was it good. Feta is the perfect addition to these flavors.

Ingredient	Nutrition	Cost
Russet potatoes (with skin, chopped and sauteed in olive oil)	Fiber (4 g/15%), Protein (4 g), Iron (10%), Vitamin C (28%), Calcium (3%). Good source of Vitamin B6, Potassium.	$0.38
Frozen spinach (sauteed in olive oil with garlic and feta)	Fiber (5 g/18%), Protein (6 g), Vitamin A (366%), Vitamin C (14%), Calcium (20%), Iron (16%). Very good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper, Manganese and Selenium.	$0.50
Feta	Protein (7 g), Vitamin A (6%), Calcium (10%). Good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, and Phosphorus.	$0.70
Canned organic tomatoes	Fiber (1 g/4%), Vitamin A (10%), Vitamin C (20%), Calcium (2%), Iron (2%), Selenium (50%), Folate (5%)	$0.96
Fresh organic eggs	Protein (17 g), Vitamin A (15%), Calcium (10%), Iron (10%). Good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, and Phosphorus; very good source of Selenium.	$1.56
Fresh valencia oranges	Fiber (3 g/12%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin A (6%), Vitamin C (98%), Calcium (5%), Iron (1%). Good source of Thiamin, Folate and Potassium.	$1.05
Total	Fiber (13 g/49%), Protein (42 g), Iron (39%), Calcium (40%), Vitamin A (397%), Vitamin C (160%).	$5.15

Cost per person: $2.06
Nutritional Goals: Excellent Vitamin A and Vitamin C; Good Fiber, Iron, and Calcium. No whole grains. Vegetarian.
I am sort of cheating by dividing the total cost of the ingredients by 2.5 because I didn't even bother serving this to Nugget. He is really down on eggs lately. Serving him his own meal goes against the feeding philosophy I've adopted, but I had a bunch of other leftovers and he's been sick and I knew there was no way he'd eat this but I wanted to make it for myself so ... Anyway, there was enough left over after Trent and I were satiated that he could have eaten, so I think dividing by 2.5 was justified. Especially since I fed the leftovers to the dog. Who has been acting like we starve her lately and was most appreciative.

Contentment

Hummus & Feta Quesadillas, Carrots, and Smoothies

A quick and easy dinner designed to use up some of the perishables I had sitting around.

Ingredient	Nutrition	Cost
Whole wheat tortillas	Fiber (3 g/12%), Protein (4 g), Calcium (8%), Iron (6%)	$0.90
Hummus	Fiber (1 g/5%), Protein (2 g), Vitamin C (4%), Calcium (2%), Iron (2%). Good source of Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and Copper; very good source of Manganese.	$0.47
Feta	Protein (7 g), Vitamin A (6%), Calcium (10%). Good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, and Phosphorus.	$1.40
Canned organic tomatoes	Fiber (1 g/4%), Vitamin A (10%), Vitamin C (20%), Calcium (2%), Iron (2%), Selenium (50%), Folate (5%)	$0.96
Fresh white onion	Vitamin C (3%).	$0.27
Fresh cilantro	Vitamin A (5%), Vitamin C (2%)	$0.69
Fresh lime juice	Vitamin C (1%)	$0.20
Fresh organic baby carrots	Vitamin A (266%), Fiber (2 g/9%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin C (5%), Iron (1%), Calcium (2%). Very good source of Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, and Manganese; good source of good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, and Potassium.	$0.50
Bananas	Fiber (2 g/8%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin A (1%), Vitamin C (12%). Good source of Potassium and Manganese; very good source of Vitamin B6.	$0.26
Almond milk	Fiber (1 g/4%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin A (10%), Calcium (45%), Iron (4%), Vitamin D (25%), Vitamin E (50%), Riboflavin (2%), Phosphorous (2%), Magnesium (4%), Zinc (2%), Copper (4%), Manganese (6%)	$0.95
Canned pineapple juice, fortified	Fiber (1 g/2%), Vitamin A (10%), Vitamin C (120%), Vitamin E (10%), Iron (4%), Calcium (4%)	$1.10
Frozen strawberries	Fiber (3 g/13%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin A (1%), Vitamin C (102%), Calcium (2%), Iron (6%). Good source of Folate, Potassium. Very good source of Manganese.	$1
Total	Fiber (15 g/61%), Protein (17 g), Iron (25%), Calcium (75%), Vitamin A (310%), Vitamin C (269%).	$8.70

Cost per person: $2.90
Nutritional Goals: Excellent Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Fiber; Fair Iron. One serving of whole grains. Vegetarian. Beans as protein source. 

Hummus Quesadilla recipe here (scroll down to #25).

Spinach Lasagna and Pear Pie

Tastes better than it looks

 I'm really pleased with this meal.The lasagna recipe is an old favorite of mine, and substituting whole wheat lasagna didn't make it any less delicious. To my surprised delight, Nugget ate it without complaining about "green stuff," as he has been wont to do of late. Making the pears into pie was unnecessary but yummy. To get this under budget, I could make the pie with frozen fruit and find a better deal on the lasagna noodles, cottage cheese, and mozzarella.

Ingredient	Nutrition	Cost
Whole wheat lasagna noodles	Fiber (6 g/23%), Protein (7 g), Iron (10%), Thiamin (40%), Riboflavin (15%), Niacin (20%), Folate (35%).	$3.29
Frozen spinach	Fiber (1 g/4%), Protein (2 g), Vitamin A (50%), Vitamin C (2%), Calcium (8%), Iron (4%). Good source of Phosphorus and Zinc; very good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper, Manganese, and Selenium.	$2
Canned organic tomato sauce	Fiber (2 g/6%), Vitamin A (16%), Vitamin C (16%), Iron (4%). Good source of Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, and Phosphorus; very good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Niacin, Potassium, Copper, and Manganese.	$1.17
Fresh parsley	Fiber (1%), Vitamin A (17%), Vitamin C (22%), Calcium (1%), Iron (3%). Very good source of Vitamin K, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper, and Manganese.	$0.69
Fresh yellow onion	Fiber (1%), Vitamin C (1%), Calcium (1%). Very good source of Vitamin K.	$0.33
2% cottage cheese	Protein (14 g), Vitamin A (4%), Vitamin C (2%), Calcium (10%). Active probiotic cultures. Good source of Riboflavin, Phosphorus, and Selenium.	$2.66
Low-moisture part-skim mozzarella	Protein (7 g), Vitamin A (4%), Calcium (20%). Good source of Vitamin B12 and Phosphorus.	$2.99
Parmesan	Protein (11 g), Vitamin A (4%), Calcium (35%), Iron (1%)	$0.35
Fresh Bartlett pears	Fiber (7 g/29%), Protein (1 g), Vitamin A (1%), Vitamin C (16%), Calcium (2%), Iron (2%)	$2.13
Frozen pie crust	Protein (1 g), Iron (2%).	$0.77
Total	Fiber (16 g/64%), Protein (43 g), Iron (26%), Calcium (77%), Vitamin A (96%), Vitamin C (56%).	$16.35

Cost per person: $3.27
Nutritional Goals: Excellent Fiber, Calcium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C; Fair Iron. One serving of whole grains. Vegetarian. 

Recipes:
Simple Spinach Lasagna
Pear Pie (I left out the top crust and the butter)