Day 1

I had a slow start as a little pouch of instant coffee did not do much for me. And even with all the whole grains I ate today, I really could have used the second cup of coffee right after lunch. Of course on this budget I can not have good coffee, chocolate, or nuts, my usual pick me up, so by 5pm I knew I needed something, but even with low energy and the temptations while making popcorn for the kids, I stayed the course and really enjoyed the dinner. For lunch I cooked the same meal for the rest of the family. I made two separate recipes and we will have great leftovers. My recipe made a total of 10 cups and I also have another 4 cups of pinto beans for the rest of the week. See how I did it bellow.

Breakfast: 1/2 cup of milk with instant coffee, 1 boiled egg, 1 banana, 1/2 cup of oats cooked with 1/2 cup of milk and pinch of salt.

Lunch: Oven Rice and Lentils with Carrot Onion salad

Oven Rice and Lentils

Mix 2 cups of brown rice, 1 cup of lentils, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp thyme, one splash of oil and bake 375F on an oven safe dish with a lead for 55 minutes. It makes about 10 cups

Carrot Onion Salad

Mix 1 Cup of grated carrots, 1/4 of one onion (about 1/3 cup), reserve. Heat 1 TBSP oil, 1 tsp of mustard seeds and add to the salad. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. I really wished I had juice of a lemon for this one, still tasty!

Dinner: Bean Tomato Soup

I soaked 1 pound of pinto beans last night. This morning I rinsed them and I placed them on my crockpot, covered with water and cooked on low for 8 hours. For the soup, I measured 2 cups of cooked beans, 1/3 cup of tomato sauce, 1/4 of one onion, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp dried basil and several large shakes of hot pepper flakes.

Blend 1 cup of the beans with the tomato sauce and onion. Add to a pot with the remaining 1 cup, spices and simmer until very hot. Serve.

My whole family tried and wanted my dinner tonight. It was good.