another good egg

So i have an announcement.... Baby Watts #4 is on the way! The due date is February 14th and everything is going well - thank you Jesus.  I took a little break from blogging while i went into a state of slightly nauseous hibernation for several weeks, but now i'm feeling much better.

With this pregnancy, I've had all kinds of food aversions and cravings. One minute i want Chinese, then Mexican, then 3lbs of granny smith apples. In an effort to eat as healthfully and economically as possible, i've created some interesting dishes to satisfy the hunger beast. One healthy recipe i go to when i want mexican food is huevos rancheros. The kids love it and it's packed with protein, calcium and vitamin C from all the peppers, tomatillos, and tomatoes. Slightly spicy and super easy to make, this recipe for Mexican eggs is really cheap b/c it doesn't contain any meat! I don't think this is the traditional way to make this, but it has all of the Latin flavors i like.

You'll need*:

6-8 eggs

2 cloves of garlic

1 onion

4-5 tomatillos

1 can or 2 large fresh diced tomatoes

1 green pepper

1/2 c chopped cilantro

1 tbsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 c cheese

salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste

*this is a great way to use up left over chili too! Use the chili to crack the eggs into and top with cheese and cilantro.

Saute garlic, onion, pepper and tomatillos in a drizzle of oil until soft.

Then add tomatoes, cilantro (reserve a sprinkle of cilantro to garnish at the end), and spices. Stir together on medium heat.

Make "holes" in the mixture with the back of a spoon and crack eggs into the holes. Top with cheese and cover with a lid to trap the steam.

Cook on low for about 10-15 minutes. I like my eggs cooked through with hard yokes....i can't handle a runny egg yolk. If you like a runny yoke, cook for about 8 minutes. Top with a few dashes of hot sauce, a squirt of lime, and the remaining cilantro. You can serve this with black beans, rice, tortillas or refried beans.

Our local farmers market has a discount buggy where they bag large amounts of slightly over ripe fruit and veggies. Each bag is only 99 cents! During the summer months, it's full of tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos. I can make this dish for less than a couple dollars if i use discount veggies.

I've heard it said that fresh food is so much more expensive than "junk" food. It can be ...depending on how you shop. However, if you shop seasonally for produce, stock up when things are on sale, and don't eat meat at every meal i guarantee you can eat healthful and fresh food on a tight budget. Granted, i don't do the whole organic thing - we just eat very little processed and convenience foods. I hope you enjoy this recipe:)

greek yogurt on the cheap

Greek yogurt is a fridge staple at our house. I like to feed it to the kids instead of ice cream. It’s great on cereal, baked apples, tacos and baked potatoes. It can be substituted in any recipe that calls for sour cream to lower the calorie count.  This yummy stuff has double the protein of regular yogurt and is full of calcium. The rich creamy, texture is so satisfying. I enjoy it with a packet of splenda to indulge a late night sweet tooth.

The only downer to greek yogurt is the price. It costs at least twice as much as regular yogurt… so, of course I had to figure out how to make it on the cheap. Our local discount food store usually has soon to expire pints of plain yogurt for $1.15. Plain yogurt often goes on manager's special at other grocery stores too. Yogurt is one of those foods you can eat after expires. I feel that way about most food, but yogurt really won’t begin to sour for a few weeks after the expiration date.  I take my discount store yogurt hoard and convert it to greek in a few simple steps with supplies that are already in the kitchen.

You’ll need:

- A mesh strainer

- a deep bowl or container

- a few paper towels

- 8-12 cups of plain yogurt

Simply line the strainer with a few paper towels and place over deep bowl. Pour yogurt into strainer. Place in the fridge over night and wake up to a glorious blob of pure deliciousness! 

Dump strained yogurt into another container and remove paper towels. Stir and enjoy.

The bottom of the bowl will be filled with the excess liquid from the yogurt. I use this like buttermilk as it has a similar tang to it. It makes great waffles, pancakes, and cornbread.

In addition to seeing one’s children come into this world, one of life’s greatest joys is eating cheap, healthy greek yogurt from a giant gallon bucket at 2 a.m. I hope you like it as much as I do!