Eggplant and Mozzarella Melt

I had an eggplant in my food box and wanted to try another fun recipe and this looked really good!

Eggplant Mozzarella Melt

What you need:

• 2 eggs-$.26
• salt and pepper-on hand
• 3/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat Italian)-I had this on hand but the bread crumbs are around $2.50 a container-I'll say $1.25
• olive oil for baking sheet-on hand
• 1 medium eggplant-$1.78
• 1 loaf of soft Italian bread-$1.48
• 2 cups store bought tomato sauce-$.56
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese-$3.48 for 16oz=$1.74

This is one of those recipes where you go to figure out the calorie count and it's a bit more difficult. How many calories is that loaf of bread? It didn't have a calorie count on the package since it was from the bakery area. I ended up just estimating it at 800 calories and using a break down that was already in Lose It. I made it 10 servings because 4? Way too big of a serving.

Total cost=$7.07 or $.71 a slice

This turned out good but a little bland. I think if you took this idea but used the tomato sauce mixture from this recipe it would have a lot more flavor. I think this would be good for a family potluck or with a big pot of Minestrone soup.

Taquitos 2 Ways

This is definitely not a pretty picture for these taquitos but I just made them real quick before going over to a friends for a "whine and wine night" (talk about fun!). I figured I should probably feed the family so I made these up before I left. Both recipes are put together the same way and use some of the same ingredients.

(top 5 are the vegetarian ones-I stole one to try)

Baked Chicken Taquitos

What you need:

• 3 cups shredded roasted chicken (I used 2 chicken breasts that I had boiled and shredded before hand)-1/4 of a package that was $9.58=$2.40
• 1 tsp ground cumin-on hand
• 1/2 tsp salt-on hand
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder-on hand
• 1 cup shredded mexican cheese (I use pepper jack)-$6.13 for 18 oz  ($1.36 for 4 oz used) 
• 12 corn tortillas-$1.78 for 30 (I used the rest for another recipe)=$.71
• cooking spray (I used 1 tbsp olive oil)-on hand
• toppings of your choice, such as guacamole, sour cream or salsa (not included in calorie count)-didn't use

Total is $4.47 or $.37 each

Vegetarian Baked Taquitos 
What you need:

• 1/2 cup cooked black beans-I've started buying the bagged dry beans, they are less expensive and you know what is in them- this is about 1/4 of a bag which is $.98=$.25
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels-I had these on hand but you can get a small bag for $1.00=$.25
• 1 cup shredded mexican cheese (I used pepper jack)-$6.13 for 18 oz  ($1.36 for 4 oz used) 
• 1 tsp ground cumin-on hand
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder-on hand
• 1/2 tsp salt-on hand
• 12 corn tortillas (I used 6)-$1.78 for 30 (I used the rest for another recipe)=$.36
• cooking spray (I used 1 tbsp olive oil)-on hand

Calories and total price are for 6 servings=$2.22 or $.37 each

I learned real quick to NOT skip the step of warming up the corn tortillas in the microwave with some wet paper towels. If you skip that step your tortillas will break all up. (Thus only using 6 for the Vegetarian ones, that's all I had left!)

I also brushed the tops with a little bit of olive oil since I don't use cooking spray

These would be really great for a party. Nice and inexpensive and not too high on the calories. I tried one of each and they were both great!

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

I love this recipe from Skinnytaste. Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups let you have your lasagna without all the guilt! Making them into the rolls also helps with portion control.

What you need

(forgot the cheese in my picture)

• 9 lasagna noodles-$1.48 When I make these I always cook extra in case they fall apart when cooking. This brand was probably not the best for this recipe and I had to piece a few together and use the filling as glue.
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, just one of the frozen cube ones-$.98
• 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I used low fat)-I was using this for another recipe too so I just bought a big one and used 1/2 the tub-half of $3.98=$1.99
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese-I figured this to be about 1/2 an ounce. I need to get a digital food scale to be more precise. A triangle is $4.58 for 8 ounces which comes out to $.29 
• 1 egg-$.13
• salt and pepper-on hand
• 32 oz tomato sauce-I bought a 28 oz can of tomato sauce because I wasn't paying attention. On her site she actually has this linked to a recipe for tomato sauce. DOH! I just cooked up some onions and garlic in my skillet and then added the can of tomato sauce, sprinkled in some oregano and basil and it worked out ok.-$.98
• 3 oz part skim mozzarella cheese shredded-a 16 oz ball is $3.48 so for this portion $.65

Total cost is $6.50. Serves 9 for $.72 a serving

Not too shabby! 

I love that these come out in their own little servings so you don't have to worry about which square is bigger or smaller when you go to take a piece.

Jalapeno Poppers

I got a bunch of jalapenos in my food box this last week. I wasn't quite sure what to do with them but I found this recipe for Easy Baked Jalapeno Poppers.

I picked this recipe because it didn't have bacon or need to be cooked on the grill. I probably should have asked my husband to bring me home some gloves to wear as the recipe suggests but I didn't. I decided to just go for it and wash my hands a lot while I was preparing the jalapenos. (Not recommended)

Mine of course do not look as pretty as the original recipe but they were very tasty! I was afraid to try them at first because I thought they might be too hot but they were just mildly hot.

• 12 Jalapenos-$.98 a pound, I'll say 2 pounds to be on the safe side-$1.96
• 6 oz Cream Cheese- $.97
• 1/4 cup Cilantro-$.68 a bunch, used less than half- $.34
• 6 oz Mozzarella Cheese-$3.58 for a 16 oz ball= $1.34
• 1/4 cup Parmesan (I buy the triangles you shred yourself which are $4.58. This is only a tiny bit off of that, I'll say $1.00 which is probably on the high side

Total is $5.61 for 24 pieces or $.23 each. 

Calorie Breakdown using Lose It (Free website and app)

These poppers would be a fantastic appetizer at a party. I ate a couple every day for a snack after work. They were great just popped in the microwave for a few seconds.

Julia Child's Eggplant Pizza

I got an eggplant in my food box and I was kind of just "eh, what am I supposed to do with THAT thing?" The last time I tried cooking eggplant was when I was doing the South Beach Diet and I made this big pan of roasted vegetables. Eggplant being one of them. I then proceeded to eat all the vegetables BUT the eggplant because, ick, it was nasty.

I was looking around on Pinterest when this recipe caught my eye.

Julia Child's Eggplant Pizza

It used one eggplant, which I had! and just a few other ingredients so I added them to my shopping list for the week.

• 1 eggplant-I got mine in my food box but they run about $1.78 each
• 1 Tbsp Salt-on hand
• 2 Tbsp + 2-3 tsp Olive Oil- On hand
• 2  1/2 Tsp dried Italian seasoning-I had a packet of that salad dressing seasoning left over from something else, you could probably just mix a few spices together if you didn't have that (oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt)
• 10 large basil leaves-$.49
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan-$1.15
• 1/3 cup grated low fat mozzarella blend-I just buy one of the balls ($3.58) and grate off my own $1.00
• 3 large garlic cloves-$.24
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes $.58
• 1/4 tsp oregano-on hand

Total of $5.24 for about 8 slices which makes them about $.66 cents each and calorie break down according to the Lose it calculator is 86 calories a slice.

The little pizzas turned out so good that my son actually said "I could eat these all day!". Must be good if an eleven year old wants to eat it. They were also still good the next day reheated in the microwave for my lunch.  I'm definitely going to be a regular eggplant buyer now!