high fives - homemade veggie stock & celery soup

so i made my celery soup again the other day and tweaked it further which i'm so tickled about sharing with you today!!  here is my original post if you'd like to go back in time.  i was about to pour out the water i boiled all the veggies in and a little voice in my head yelled, STOP!  collaborate and listen...save it you fool...it's organic vegetable stock!  so then i proceeded to fill every container i had and shoved them all over my fridge.  the next day i realized there was no way i would be using it soon and i did not want my hard work to spoil.  so i googled the best way to freeze homemade stock and came up with this little gem:

how to use canning jars in the freezer

my sister in law gave me these lovelies for christmas and i cannot wait to use the crazy cute tops & striped paper straws for summer cocktails.

hello!  i had no idea i could freeze mason jars... i had visions of exploded contents all over my freezer... glad to know i'm just crazy with my imagination:)

vegan celery soup (orinigal recipe inspo found here)
this recipe will yield a double batch of veggies to freeze for later.

1 bag organic celery
1 organic celery root (didn't have it this time)
1 lb mixed organic potatoes (i had both red and yellow)
1 organic leek (most of green stems discarded - i chop & place in a separate bowl of water to rinse the grime)
1 organic fennel bulb with stems and fronds
- chop veggies in similar sized pieces and boil in salted water until potatoes are tender.  this water will turn into your veggie stock!

5 T organic coconut oil divided
1 yellow organic onion diced
2 c organic mushrooms sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
3 T gluten free flour blend
1 can light or full fat coconut milk (whichever you fancy)
2-3 cups of veggie stock water

- melt 2 T of the coconut oil and saute veggies until soft.  build a rue: melt and whisk in the additional 3 T of coconut oil and 3 T of gluten-free flour (i linked you to a great tutorial if you are clueless with rue making... i sure was before).  alternate whisking in about 1/2 can of the coconut milk and equal parts hot veggie water from the other pot.  keep alternating until you have enough liquid.  just eye ball it...the total liquid amount to add is somewhere between 4-5 cups.  add in 1/2 of the cooked veggies, cover and cook on low for about 20 minutes.  optional: use a hand held emersion blender and blend to desired texture.  i like my soup pureed with some hearty lumps of veggies here and there.

1/2 T white pepper
1 T oregano
*add in old bay seasoning to taste... this is the taste clincher here folks, just do it!!
s&p to taste

remove the rest of veggies from the stock pot and freeze (i am so happy to not have to do that part next time!!)  once the veggie stock has cooled, fill up your jars and you'll be all set for your next recipe adventure.

oh i'm just feeling all julia child over here now:) ...high five to the self!

a cash diet - day 187

have you ever done a cash diet?

well, i've tried several times and then i slide back to using credit cards.  we've been married for 12+ years and i have always done the bills.  here's the thang: when you pay the bills and are the main money spender it's quite easy to be loosey-in-the-goosey with a budget.  a.k.a have no budget.  i was an expert impulse buyer.  a very happy shopper...  chris loves to call me a "spend thrift".  ouch.

so, for some reason, during this diet change my brain decided to change too.  eating clean and buying more organic items is more expensive, however this increase cost is offset by the fact that we rarely eat out now.

more cooking=more cash.

i decided to grab my own horns and rear myself in for good.  i asked chris to take over the bills.  he was more than happy to.  i can't launder money anymore.  gasp.

the funny thing is, instead of making me feel like a juvenile who can't be trusted, it has instead given me a sense of more control, more delight when i get all my goodies under budget.  i'm rocking the casbah.  i keep all receipts (something i've never done before) put them in an envelope.  he logs them into this crazy master sheet and i don't have to worry about a thing.  he sees everything:)

it's been the most liberating thing i've ever done.

this food change has changed a lot for us...especially for me.

you could say, it helped me reign in my spending...something i've struggled to do, wanted to do for a long time...

i get my cash at the beginning of the week and when it's gone, it's gone.  money is money again and not just a swipe of the card.

i think twice before buying that super cute t-shirt or doubling up on another food item...hello, i'll be back next week...it's not going anywhere lindsey...


so, without further ado, here is our updated grocery list.  i have logged some items under multiple stores to show where i can find them.

i have been making more soups lately...more homemade bread...i'm close to perfecting an egg free gluten free bread recipe...the bread babe will be reporting soon:)  we have also cut back on eating poultry or meat 2-3 times a week...which is down from 5+ days a week.  that has really helped the budget:)

trader joe's
udi's whole grain sandwich bread & bagels (this is reduced now with my bread making!!)
organic jam
nuts
frozen wild caught fish (usually salmon or tilapia)
organic frozen strawberries
lollypops & peppermint candy (no artificial colors!)
kind bars - peanut butter dark chocolate (i buy an entire box - non gmo)
lara bars - peanut butter chocolate chip (i bue and entire box - non gmo)
organic marinara sauce
organic coconut oil
canned light coconut milk (huge huge staple)
organic ketchup
organic mustard
organic pickles
spices
yeast
aluminum free baking powder
organic/free range poultry when available
organic vegetable stock
organic chicken stock
organic beans (black, garbanzo, great northern, cannellini)
salsa
organic tortilla chips
agave/maple syrup (try to buy the bulk organic at cosco)
organic stone ground dark chocolate & other varieties
instant coffee
organic orange juice (i've gotten the kids down to a super small morning glass)
nitrate free turkey bacon

target
applegate farms oven roasted turkey (by the pound)
wholly guacamole
go go squeeze cinnamon applesauce pouches
organicville non-dairy organic gluten free ranch dressing (seriously amazing)
organic ketchup
organic barbecue sauce
organic peanut butter (or jason's)
organic strawberry jam
tinkyada pasta joy brown rice pasta (elbow and spirals are the best!)
thai brand canned whole coconut milk
kettle brand potato chips (non gmo and three ingredients)
organic tortilla chips
silk brand unsweetened almond milk
enjoy life mini chocolate chips (very clean chocolate!)

costco
packaged dried fruit (for lunches & snacks)
bunny bars (organic gf granola bars)
organic sugar
organic olive oil
nuts
maple syrup
marathana all natural almond butter
that pickle guy classic olive muffalata
organic quinoa
spices
skinny popcorn
angie's delightfully different kettle popcorn
kettle brand potato chips
veggie square crisps
organic diced tomatoes
organic hemp seed
organic frozen berries mix
organic rice milk
organic coconut oil (this has aroma and is a great price)
silk brand unsweetened almond milk (in packs of 3)

all ways healthy natural food store
large mixed (fruit & veggies) organic produce box
probiotics and vitamins
goji berries, chia seeds & plant based protein powder for smoothies
gluten free & vegan baking items
udi's cinnamon raisin bread
aluminum free baking powder
dandy blend instant herbal beverage
herbal teas
daiya cheeses
vegan parmesan
earth balance buttery soy free buttery spread & sticks
organic chocolate sauce (i put the tiniest amount in the kids' almond milk sometimes)
gf flours if i run out in a pinch
organic coconut palm sugar (i just got this - am hoping to replace all sugar with this low glycemic guy)
harrison's poultry farm local farm fresh eggs (they are not certified organic, but are fed an organic diet and sustainably raised...i'm telling you, these eggs are gorgeous in color and flavor)

vitacost/amazon/omega nutrition
sucanat
bulk (4 box sets) gluten free flours.  (i mix up quadruple batches of a gluten free flour mix from the artisanal gluten-free cooking cookbook and store it in the fridge.  i will be doing a price comparison at our garden fresh grocery store soon.)
omega nutrition organic coconut oil (aroma free - if you're wanting to bake/cook something w/o coconut essence)

see ya later...i'm off to the grocery store...

well hello mr kohlrabi, nice to meet you

my hot mama girlfriend christina (who just happens to be a high school foods teacher) brought these stranger danger veggies over last week.  as she handed the bag over to me, she asked, "have you ever heard of kohlrabi?"...and i said, "ko-habi WHAT!?"  never in a million years had i ever heard of this alien species.

how lucky am i to have a friend who brings random, bazaaro veggies to my house?  cheers to our new year's food resolution:  more veggies for our bellies.

the bulbs look like predator eggs or something from star wars...and how in the world to cook them?...oyeeoye.

somehow, i figured out how to spell it, searched "kohlrabi and potato recipe" and found this little ditty:

adapted from scalloped kohlrabi and potatoes from foodiefresh

2 organic russet potatoes

2 kohlrabi bulbs

dried onions

dried herbes de provence

2 cups (rice milk + coconut milk)

6 T earth's balance buttery spread soy free (broken up to spread over 2 layers)

s&p

notes:

i followed her directions to a T - it's a 3 layer repeat: 1. the potatoes 2. the kohlrabi 3. shake and bake the onions/butter chunks/herbes (oh just eyeball it...give it a nice healthy layer please) and repeat for a total of six layers.  easy peasy.

the recipe is ahmazing and i plan to use it for all future things scalloped in my life - kohlrabi in the house or not!  i used a pairing knife to cut off the kohlrabi's hard outer shell (kinda like an apple but much thicker skin).  it is similar in taste and texture to jicima, and i loooove jicima.  

i get a lot of questions about my genius rice/coconut milk mix for dairy free baking and cooking.   i simply stop short of whatever amount i need (2 cups in this example) and add the coconut milk to reach the exact amount, as if it's the cream in the coffee.  if i want it creamier, i add more coconut and less rice milk.  badda bing badda boom.  no crazy measuring, just do it.  pretend you know what you're doing for cryin out loud.  i mean, look at me...crazy lady.

the potato layer...

the kohlrabi layer...

here is the middle herb and butter layer.  shake and bake!!!

this is all that was left from the two casseroles i made up.  yippeeeee!  it made excellent left-overs that made it for my lunch and another entire family side dish the next day.  gone.

sneaky sneaky... chris and the kids had no idea there was an alien vegetable invasion in the potatoes.  he fed this to the kids without me (i prepped it, put it in the oven and he served it up while i zoomed off to work). 

so, don't be afraid of the kohlrabi, my little jedi's, the force will be with you.

ps

rené, if you're reading this, you must add this into your jicima and avocado salad.  

it would be a ridonculous addition.

pps

trying to figure out how more organic food can fit into your tightening budget?  check this out:

8 ways real families on real budgets can afford organic foods

hot mamas - it's "rice" honey!

hello

can you get any cuter?!

my hot mama friend stacey and her crew wanted to share with the mullies today!  

"tried quinoa today for the first time.  told them it was rice and 2 out of the 3 devoured it.  we had it as a side with broccoli and vegetarian fed/hormone free chicken.  i mixed mine all up into a stir fry-yum!"

love it!

thanks so much for spreading the food love stace!!

i am really loving this tribe wellness site i stumbled upon yesterday.  

their suggestions for being budget conscious were really helpful and of course i had to pass them along.  

eating clean on a budget

between my hubbie and i, we were buying take out or going out to dinner at least 2-3 times a week before our family food revolution happened.  that really adds up.  that money alone has paid for the organic box of fruits and veggies we are now getting for $46 a week.  my goal is to get my other food purchases to fall between $100 and $200 a week.  yes, that's a big swing, but some weeks i gotta go to cosco and we all know what happens when you go there....oye.  

if you're still skeptical about the affordability of eating clean, here's a link to the family who did it on less than a food stamp budget.  100 days of managing a $125 weekly food budget.  

now that's impressive. 

i guess we really don't have any excuses now, do we?  HA!

clean budget victory!