Tropical Tunafish Sandwhich $2.58

Yes, I had tuna lastnight, well kind-of. I made 8 tunaballs, but had some guest for dinner, and everyone liked, so seconds were given, and like any Italian mom, I was happy to see eveyone eat and enjoy, so I went without...When I tell people after they are done eating that the whole meal came from ingredients from a convenience store the reaction is always disbelief, but I think in time people will believe!! Since I stocked up on Tuna which was on sale, I made a nice tuna sandwhich for lunch. Although I like a basic tuna salad sandwhich once in a while,
I like to funk it up a bit, so today I made it with pinapple to give the tuna so contrast. I truly DREAD cutting pinapple. It is so laborsome and I get lazy, so I dont cut close to the skin and I lose so much fruit which is a waste of nurtrients and money. Also, sometimes the pinapple isnt sweet and I dont particularly like unsweet pinapple....canned is always uniform and sweet, and other then opening the can and draining and rinsing, there is not much work involved. Pinapple gives the right balance of sweet with the tuna and nutrients that compliment the nutrients found in tunafish. Pinapple contains high contents of calcium, fiber, potassium and vitamin C. Vitamin C is important because it is an antioxident that our body needs.

makes 2 sandwiches
ingredients
1 can tuna .99
1 cup chunk pinapple .99
1 tsp olive oil .20
4 pieces whole bread .40
Total:$2.58 per serving $1.29

Tuna Meatballs in a Tomato Sauce $5.51

When I talk about tuna "meatballs" I usually get funny looks, but honestly, we have been eating tunaballs since I can remember. I like them because if someone isnt a huge tuna fan or fish fan, there are so many different flavors in this dish, that not much of a fishy taste is detectable. Tunaballs are great in a sandwhich, over pasta or rice, or simply by themselves in tomato sauce. Canned tuna, like salmon contains protein and lots of omega 3's, which are essential to our bodies. According to WH Foods, omega 3 fatty acids, play an important role in keeping our cardiovascular system functioning properly, which inturn keeps our hearts healthy. It is suggested that atleast 2 servings are consumed a week, so I try to be creative with canned tuna as well as canned salmon. On sale this week at local convenience store for .99 a can, along with tomato sauce on sale 3 for .99, im ready to roll some tunaballs.

serves 4
ingredients

2 cans tunafish $ 1.99
1 egg .10
1 slice bread(toasted in toaster or in oven).10
1 tbsp parsley.10
1 tbsp garlic powder.10
1 tbsp minced onion.10
1 tsp red pepper flakes.05
salt and pepper to taste .10
total $2.64

for tunaballs: place drain tunafish, egg, breadcrumbs, seasons in blender and blend. If you dont have a blender, blend with a fork, until a smooth, yet slightly consistency is formed. Roll into 8 round balls. place in freezer for an hour

For the sauce
1 15 oz can diced tomato $ 1.99
1 8 oz can tomato sauce .33
2 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil .40
2 tsp garlic salt .05
salt and pepper to taste .10
total $2.87

total meal $ 5.51

heat oil in sauce pan on low, add garlic salt, saute for 5 minutes
add entire contents diced tomato can and tomato sauce, simmer for 30 minutes or longer, add salt and pepper

remove tunaballs from freezer
heat skillet medium with 1 tablespoon olive oil
place tunaballs in skillet and brown them 3-4 minutes on each side
remove from skillet and gently place them in tomato sauce and simmer with sauce for 10-20 minutes
serve
optional - serve over pasta or rice

Creamy Pumpkin Tomato Sauce over Penne $3.75

I got this idea for a pumpkin sauce because I saw the recipe in a magazine and I was intrigued because- A. Ive never really had pumpkin in a savory way B. I like all the nutrients that this dish would provide C. I happen to have all the ingredients I need. There is no rule in this challenge that I can only shop once a week, but I do have a driving rule that unless I am out already in the car and need to go to my local Walgreens, I have to walk there. In other words, if Im home and discover I need something to make for dinner, I have to walk to my local convenience store,which is Walgreens,or make due with what I have. Tonight I had to make due, because it was 10 degrees out and I had no desire to walk 1/2 mile to Walgreens to get all the ingredients to make an amazing looking Pumpkin Ravioli recipe I found online, while looking fot a tomato pumpkin sauce recipe. I know the ravioli recipe sounds super ambitious, but I believe from a conveniece store, it can be done(some substitiions would need to be made, like cottage cheese for ricotta) Ill save it for another day, but I will made them, promise. Just like I am going to make pumpkin soup, pumpkin pasta with salmon, pumpkin seafood bisque....the list goes on and on. I found so many recipes online. I could not however, find a recipe with a pumpkin tomato sauce over pasta, so I did what any unorganized, undetailed, rulebreaker in the kitchen would do, I just made it up. Im sure there were some funky ingredients in this sauce recipe like sage or dill and definitely fresh garlic, but if I can get the two main ingredients, and in this case it is tomato and pumpkin, Ill find a way to make it and make it taste good!!

So this sauce contains few ingredients, but the creamy texture and flavor of pumpkin puree, gives the sauce a rich taste, without all the calories rich sauces contain. Both pumpkin and tomato contain beta carotene and vitamin E which are great sources of antioxidents. Antioxidents are instrumental in keeping bad cells out of our bodies. Pumpkinn is very high in vitamin A which promotes great vision and skin, and canned tomato is a the lycopene super star. Not only does consuming tomatos help ward off so many different types of cancer, consumption also helps lower cholesteral which can protect againstheart disease.
Here is the simple yet delicious and healthy recipe:

6 servings
1 can pumpkin puree 15 oz .88(onsale)
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce .67(onsale 2 for $1.00)
1 box pasta 1 lb, doesnt matter what shape(whole wheat always better,but not always available) $ 1.79
1 tablespoon olive oil .20
1 tablespoon garlic powder .10
1 tablespoon dried parsley .10
salt and pepper .05

Salmon Patties with Tropical Fruit Salsa $7.37

On sale this week at my local Convenience Store is canned salmon. 15 ounce cans for $1.99. Canned salmon is a great option to fresh or frozen salmon because it has all the same health benifits, but at a fraction of the cost. According to The E How website, Salmon hss tons of health benifits. The American Hearth Association even recoomends that healthy adults eat atleast two 4 ounce servings a week, because salmon contains protein and omega 3, which has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease. The Omega 3s also aid in lowering blood preasure and inflamation. Also canned salmon contains cooked bones which provides an excellent source of calcium.
I found a site a while back www.alaskaseafood.org that focuses on canned salmon and tons of cooking ideas, and have gotten many fecipe ideas off this site. Here is our version of a Salmon Burger

1 can drained salmon 14 ounces $3.89
1 egg .10
1 cup breadcrumbs(3 slices of bread baked and crumbled).30
1 tablespoon dried parsley .10
1 tablespoon dried onion .10
2 tsp garlic powder .05
1/4 cup bbq sauce or mayo, or salsa(what ever you may have to add a bit more moisture and flavor) I have added mayo. .20

$2.84 for 4 salmon patties or .71 per burger

combine all ingredients in mixer or by hand. form into 4 patties
heat oil and place patties in skillet
cook on each side for 4 to 5 minutes
serve on bun or bread or alone

To give it a bit more color and nutrients I made a quick fruit salsa which was made in no time flat, and full of vitamin C from both the fruit and tomatoes. Antioxidents from the tomatos and basically fat free, which is always good!

1 cup canned mandarin oranges(onsale at Walgreens for .50
1 cup canned pinapple .99
1/2 cup diced tomato .89
dried parsley optional .05
$2.43

rinse and drain fruit(always important to do when using canned fruit or vegetables-in doing so, atleast 50% of sodium or sugar can be eliminated)
cut mandarin oranged and pinapple in bite size peices
drain and rinse tomatoes, and toss into fruit mixture
serve with salmon

Pumkin Smoothie $1.53

A while back I stumbled upon a blog that I absolutely love. Its address is www.skinnytaste.com, and the premise behind the blog is the blogger had a difficult time finding out the weight watcher points in recipes, so she created a blog to include those numbers with all her recipes. Well, it is obviously a great site because it is in the top 2 food blogs on the internet. I like her recipes because they are obviously low in points, they look amazing,simple and many of them dont have super funky ingredients and I can work with them from a convenience store standpoint.
I found this pumpkin smoothie idea on her site, I tweaked it a bit because it called for Greek yogurt, and that I have never seen at my local convenience store, and she made pumpkin butter out of the pumpkin puree, and I thought that was too much work, so I just used the pumpkin puree straight out of the can. I loved it. I drink one almost every day and I swear not only do I feel revived when I have my afternoon fix, my skin feels and looks revived. That must be the beta carotene and vitamin A working. There are large amounts of both those nutrients in pumpkin and have been known to aid in keeping skin looking and feeling healthy, and can slow down the aging process. Beta Carotene along with alpha carotene, is also a strong antioxident and aids in keeping bad cancer cells away(yipee) Pumpkin also contains vitamin E another powerful antioxident, tons of fiber, which helps to control cholesteral and in turn is very heart smart, and vitamin C and potassium. There are no reasons not to eat pumpkin or drink pumpkin. When Im craving a healthy, filling sweet snack, this drink hits the spot.
My Convenience Store doesnt sell pumpkin puree all year long. It is strictly a seasonal item. Sometime in October I noticed it on the shelf, and now January 3 I found it on clearence for .88 a can. I stocked up on 10 cans. I have a bunch of recipe ideas other then pumpkin smoothies, so I am sure the cans will go fast.
Here is the recipe I found on www.skinnytaste.com.(altered)
makes 4 servings
1 can pumpkin puree-about two cups .88
1 cup milk .40
1 1/2 cup ice
1/4 cup brown sugar, or honey .20
1 tsp cinammon .05
put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth
total $1.53 or .38 a serving

Black Olive, Diced Tomato Fritata $3.90

Does anyone remember the "Incredible Edible Egg" compaign? Eggs are small, inexpensive and super versitile. There are so many ways to cook eggs and so many accompiments, that we could do a whole blog on eggs. Starting with boiled, scrambled, fried, poached, over easy, over hard, quiche, fritata, strata, omlette, eggs benidict just to name some of the ways to prepare eggs. That doesnt even include all the healthy accompnimants that can be purchased at convenience stores. Cheese, deli meats, canned vegetables, salsas, herbs.....the list goes on and on. For .16 an egg(roughly-sometimes much less, if on sale) an egg packs tons and tons of nutrients. They contain high quality protein, iron and zinc. Eggs play a big role in weight management, muscle strength, and healthy pregnancies. Eggs also contain vitamin A and E. Vitamin A aids in vision and general cell growth, which aids in healthy skin. Vitamin E, which is an antioxident that works along side vitamin C and selenium to prevent damage from free radicals.
This egg fritata is not only healthy due to the eggs, it also contains canned tomatos which are high in beta carotenes, and Vitamin E and C, and ofcourse lycopenes, which is a great antioxident. Black Olives contain high amounts of iron and vitamin E, which is another great antioxident.
serves 6
8 eggs .80
1/2 cup milk(lowfat, 2%, vitamin D) .15
1 cup diced tomatos(drained).85
1 cup black olives $1.15
1/2 cup shredded mozarella .65
2 teaspoons olive oil .20
salt and pepper.10
Total $3.90
per person: .65
in a bowl combine eggs, milk, tomatoes, olives, cheese and salt and pepper
grease pie plate, or a cassorole pan with olive oil
pour in egg mixture and with a spoon make sure it is evenly dispersed through out the pan.
bake for 25-30 minutes or until egg is golden brown and knife comes out clean after testing
when done cooking, cool for 5 minutes, cut and serve

Baked Rigatoni Al Forno $ 8.07

Happy New year!! A year ago we kicked off our first food blog that got us shopping, cooking, saving money,being organized and most importantly - Healthy. This year we are taking it a step further, and blogging, creating, and cooking as if we live in a food desert and dont have access to full service grocery stores. There can be NO excuses to eating healthy, just solutions, even in a food desert. Since it is New Years Day, and Rose Bowl watching day, I made a nice hearty pasta dish. Anytime, a recipe calls for canned tomato sauce, or diced tomatoes, and they can be found at a convenience store, I think they shoud be purchased and used. Tomatoes are high in Antioxidents-beta carotene, vitamin E and C. They are also very high in the carotenoid lycopene. All of the nutrients play a role in keeping heart risks at bay as well as cancer. Interestingly enough, canned tomatoes contain even more nutrients then fresh, it seems the canning process enhances the nutrients found in tomatoes. This dish also calls for cheese which provides dairy and calcium, and pasta which gives the body carboydrates. I found many versions of this dish on tons of websites, from Weight Watchers, to Giada, to Mario Batali to the Food Network, and most every recipe was a bit different. This pasta dish will definitely be made again and again with variations. Pasta and cheese, how can you go wrong? This recipe is very basic and I found it on the Food Network site. The only fresh ingredient that we are missing is fresh garlic, and I think for flavor garlic powder does a great job in intensifying flavor.

serves 6
1 lb tube pasta $ 1.50
1 1/2 cup mozarella cheese $1.69
1/2 cup parm cheese .40
1 can 15 oz tomato sauce $1.99
1 can diced tomato $1.59
1 tablespoon olive oil .40
1 tablespoon garlic powder .20
2 tsp dried onion .10
2 tsp dried red pepper flakes .10
2 tsp dried basil .10
Total
$ 8.07 $ 1.35 per person
At my local convenience store tomato sauce and diced tomatoes as well as pasta are on sale quite often. As we get going on this blog we will cordinate recipes with sales items for the week, as well as searching out recipes from healthy blogs, and chefs and health professionals as well.

heat oil on low, add onion,garlic powder, basil, red pepper and saute for few minutes
add diced tomato and tomato sauce
simmer on low for an hour
boil pasta noodles
drain
pour in baking dish and toss in sauce
toss in 1 cup mozarella cheese
sprinkle remaining mozarella cheese and parm cheese on top of pasta and bake for 30 minutes on 350