Tomato Vegetable Pasta Sauce

I am always trying to get the most out of my grocery dollar. Many people are trying to stretch each dollar, but my challenge is compounded in that we have three teenage boys to feed (one that is ALWAYS hungry!!) and a very fussy daughter. All my boys are good eaters and are happy with almost anything I feed them, but Jesse (the one who is always hungry) and Justin are more mindful of what food they eat and they want healthy, filling food and always lots of it!

My daughter is soooo picky. She always has been, since she has been two. I honestly do not know where she gets it from, but she is picky and stuborn (well, I know where the stuborness comes from!), she will dig in her heels and starve before she will eat whatever she deems "uneatable", which is alot. For her I offer lots of eggs and dairy (smoothies are great as I can hid lots in them), plus alot of quick breads and muffins with fruits and vegetables "hidden" inside. If there is something "junkie" and something healthy to choose from, she will pick the unhealthy food every time. Luckily, along with my prayers, she is starting to get some peer pressure and has been starting to nibble on some raw fruits and veggies when she is with her frineds. With the Lord's grace, her eating preferences will change.

Anyone with teenagers know that keeping the fridge and pantry stocked with healthy snacks and providing healthy and filling food on buget is a huge challenge. That is why it is so important to me to buy the most nutritious, vitamin packed foods with my grocery dollars. For instance, I would buy spinach and rominian lettuce over iceburg lettuce, or I will buy a small roast beef and cook and slice it for lunch meat instead of buying over priced and processed meats at the deli.

When I am in a pinch for something fast, easy and frugal I almost always make pasta. We have lots of veggies in our house right now and I am loving all the fresh ingredients we can get, so I totally loaded a basic tomato sauce with some of the extra vegetables in the house. This is a good way to use up any extra vegetable you have in your fridge that you do not want to go to waste. Don't worry about what vegetables you use, I always just use whatever I have on hand. This time I used onions, garlic, celery, carrots, jalapeno peppers, yellow peppers and spinach.


I always soften my vegetables first in a bit of olive oil, then add the garlic and spices, basil and oregano, and just warm them through.

Then I pour over 2 – 3 large cans of tomatoes, either diced or crushed works well.

While the sauce was simmering away, I decided to prepare spaghetti squash as well since it was on a really good sale (I also made some regular pasta for those who prefer it and so everyone could have a bit of both without breaking the bank!). If you have never tried it, you really should. You cut the squash in half, scoop out the insides, then season it with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. I cover them and put them in the microwave for 10 minutes. Once they are soft, all you do is run your fork through it and it comes out in strands that somewhat resemble spaghetti. I find that this works well for many types of sauces, but I prefer it with vegetable tomato sauces.

Once the sauce has simmered for 20 – 30 minutes and your pasta, or in my case, spaghetti squash, is done, toss in the diced spinach and give it a stir.

Fill your plate with the pasta and sauce and top with Parmesan cheese. Add a crusty whole grain bun on the side and you have a great meal that is not too heavy in our warmer weather.

It is hard to state how much a meal costs, as I have noticed that here in Canada we seem to pay more for our food, plus our dollar is different, but this meal cost me around $10 (as I made the crusty buns myself) and feed 5 adult size portions (two boys went back for seconds), one fussy dibbler, and we even had enough left over for my husband to have for lunch the next day.

For more great healthy and frugal tips check out the Nourishing Gourmet!

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For more posts like this see:

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Spice Up Your Life!

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Making Your Own Household Cleaners

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Enjoy!
Christine

Bringing Some Life to Your Pasta Sauce

Almost everyone has pasta sauce in their pantry – either homemade or store bought. Although I do not often reach for the store bought stuff, I often keep a jar around for those days that don’t quite work out the way I wanted and it is now the supper hour and I have nothing to serve. In my house, busting with 3 hungry teenage boys, having nothing for supper is quite the emergency, so sometimes I go for the jar of ready-made pasta sauce (Gasp – I know!!).

It is normal to go meatless in my house at 2 – 3 times a week, but I still want to add a nutritional punch to my quick meal. One of the best ways I have found is by doing some quick add ins from things I already have in my kitchen – like peppers, garlic, spinach and hot pepper flakes. I chop the veggies while waiting for the pasta water to boil and the pasta to cook.





Once the pasta has been cooked and drained, I pour the sauce right over the pasta and toss in all the fresh veggies. I don’t worry about cooking them or anything – I just toss and stir and then pile high the plates. We top ours with hot pepper flakes (for a kick of spice and a boost for our metabolism) and some parmesan cheese.

There you go, a quick meal in under 20 minutes!

Christine

Linguine with Lemon, Garlic, Mushrooms & Thyme (edited to add health benifits)

My family loves pasta and it is a standby for those days where everyone is busy and needs a healthy and satisfying meal that is easy to throw together before we run out the door again for our evening activities. Growing up I did not eat very much meat, and although I have developed a taste for meat as an adult, I still really enjoy vegetarian dishes (I also enjoy the money I save by omitting the meat!) and, if made right, even my meat loving boys enjoy a good vegetarian meal.

Linguine with Lemon, Garlic, Mushrooms & Thyme

4 – 5 cups Diced mushrooms
1/2 cup Extra-virgin Olive oil (good quality)
1 Lemon, zested and juiced
2 – 3 Cloves garlic
2 tsp Thyme

1½ - 2 lbs Linguine
Parmesan to taste preference

Sauté mushrooms in a bit of olive oil till cooked, add garlic, thyme and the rest of olive oil and heat though.

Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Combine pasta and sauce, adding pasta water to thicken sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.

Serve with crusty whole grain buns and you have a satisfying, yet simple meal. For more recipes see Simple and Nourishing.

Enjoy!

Christine

Health Benifits (added for ET at Titus2:3-5)

Mushrooms:
Mushrooms are very low in calories Mushrooms are an excellent source of potassium (which can reduce blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke).
High in copper. Rich source of copper, riboflavin, niacin, and selenium (fights diseases and cancer)
Fights colds and flu.

Lemons:
Smell has a natural calming effect and has even been used to treat depression
Cleanses your liver
Prevent diseases and cancer.
High in vitamin C
Can cure indigestive problems

Thyme
Aids digestion
Antioxidant
Fights colds and flus, particularily respiratory problems
Relieves mentral cramps
High in vitamin K, iron, manganese (lowers cholesterol), calcium and fibre

Garlic
Antioxidant
Helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
High in vitamin C, B6, manganese and selenium
Helps prevent weight gain.

Baked Manicotti

5 - 6 cups of your favorite Marinara (tomato) sauce
2 pkg Herb and garlic cream cheese
1½ cup Mozzarella
½ cup Parmesan
1 Egg
1 pkg Frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
24 Manicotti noodles, cooked until just tender, rinsed in cold water

Spread ¾ cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish (you may need two). Mix egg, cheeses and spinach until well blended. Spoon mixture into a large plastic bag. Cut a hole in a bottom corner and squeeze mixture into Manicotti noodles. Place stuffed noodles in the dish and pour remaining sauce over. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 35 – 40 minutes.

Serve with a big side salad and fresh buns or bread sticks.

My family loves to get crusty buns or bread and dip it in a garlic olive oil:
2 parts extra-vergin olive oil
1 part butter
LOTS of fresh garlic, minsed -but use to taste
Dash of parsley.
Heat to infuse oil and butter with the garlic flavor. Serve as a bread dip - just watch out, sometimes garlic can linger. But I have to say, this is a standby when someone is coming down with a cold!!