THRIFTY THURSDAY

MORNING EVERYONE

Last day to get your recipe to me for the Giveaway...Here is hoping that the ideas I gave you yesterday for kids lunches was a help.. Today we are going to do lunches that you can take to your workplace....Just doing that is thrifty in itself but I will still give you an idea at the end of the posting...

 

1. Tomato and White Bean Salad

Beans are a great source of protein, and when you get them from a can, they’re a snap to prepare. I mix white beans with halved cherry tomatoes, dried basil, salt, pepper, and a little olive oil the night before and leave it on the counter in a Tupperware container (refrigeration alters the flavor of tomatoes). Leaving the mixture out overnight allows the flavors to meld, and by lunchtime, this simple combo is quite tasty. The tomatoes release their juices and mix with the olive oil, and a nice roll to sop up the liquid makes this a good meal.

2. Chicken Salad with Cranberries

Tuna salad is a little smelly for the workplace, but whenever you roast a whole chicken, you reserve some breast meat for chicken salad. You toss shredded chicken and craisins with my homemade vinaigrette: two parts olive oil to one part cider vinegar and one part Dijon mustard, seasoned simply with salt and pepper. The vinaigrette keeps the chicken moist.You can add some lettuce to bulk this up, but it should be carried in a separate container and added at the last minute. Otherwise, the vinaigrette will cook the lettuce and leave it soggy.

3. Roasted Potatoes with Peppers

The idea for this meal came from the typical Italian combination of fried peppers and onions. Instead of frying, I roast slices of red pepper, rounds of red onion, and quartered new potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little cayenne. This dish is good hot, but it still tastes great cold.

To bulk it up, you can sometimes add some white beans, but it’s also fine on its own.

4. Greek-Inspired Chickpea Salad

Yet another recipe using canned beans, but this one also lets you clean out the refrigerator. You take canned chickpeas and toss in whatever veggies you have lying around: red and green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers…anything goes. You can even finish off a

jar of roasted red peppers, olives, or marinated artichokes.

Add a little bit of feta or goat cheese and some oregano, mint, salt, and pepper. Dress the salad simply with olive oil and red-wine vinegar. Once again, if you want to add lettuce to this meal, you should do it at work as opposed to the day before. And if you add tomatoes, remember to store the salad on the counter and not in the fridge!

5. Yummy Coleslaw

4 cups of coleslaw

1/2 cup of coleslaw dressing (depends on how creamy you want the salad).

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup sliced fresh cremini mushrooms

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1/2 cup green olives

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 cup Italian or Greek salad dressing

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup pine nuts

In large glass bowl, combine all ingredients except pine nuts, cover and refrigerate 4-6 hours to blend flavors. Sprinkle with nuts just before serving. This makes lots so you can have some for a couple of day or serve as a side with dinner another night.

THRIFTY THURSDAY
This is both a tip and a way to save money..Instead of buying expensive shaving foam you can use baby oil . I think it works much better, you can see if you have got all the hairs on your legs and what not and leaves them lovely and smooth.

Well off to finish my tea and listen to those wonderful birds chirping outside this morning..
Cheers
Granny