Last Tuesday night I thought was going to be like any other night. I headed over to my friends’ house to go out for ice cream. Little did I know they had a life-changing activity in store for me. As we sat in a local coffee shop, enjoying our Whit’s ice cream, they turned to me and said they would love to help me think through a budget.
I think my hands automatically got sweaty and my heart started racing. If you know one thing about me know this: Numbers are the death of me. I promise I’m not being dramatic. If you want to see my eyes glaze over and my mind shut down start talking numbers and it is bound to happen.
However, I know that being a good steward of my money honors the Lord and that having a budget is part of adulthood so I tried not to shut down right away. I don’t know if it was the ice cream coma I was in or just the fact that I have really fun friends but somehow we ended up back at their place, Macs out and Excel up, figuring out a reasonable budget for me.
You can read more about my friends’ mind-blowing tips here. Trust me. You want to check it out.
Anyway, since that fateful Tuesday night (which I recognize was only a week ago) I have developed this new game. Instead of just buying what I want without regard of cost I’m determined to only buy the things I really need before handing over the cash divided among my little stack of envelopes. There really is an emotional attachment to those dollar bills!
Part of this game is a new desire to use up every last bit of anything I buy. This has radically changed how I am in the kitchen. I’m probably the most wasteful cook you’ll meet. I hate eating the same thing over and over again which results in me either throwing away a lot of fresh produce or having 80-bajillion different kinds of pasta because I want a new kind every time I go to the store (Seriously, who thought of putting pasta into the shape of wagon wheels or bowties? Genius!).
So today when I was about to grab my reusable shopping bags and head to my favorite place ever, Kroger, I paused and looked over my supplies. Turns out I had everything I needed for a healthy, well-balanced meal right at my fingertips! And it turned out so delicious I thought I’d share it with you. This game keeps getting better and better!
Chicken and Spring Veggies Quinoa
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients: 
1 chicken breast
½ cup of dry Quinoa
1 cup of water
Garlic
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Red Wine Vinegar
Butter
Salt and Pepper
1 cup of favorite chopped vegetables (I had a bag of frozen mixed vegetables on hand)
Recipe
(1) In a small skillet, heat a quarter-size drop of olive oil and a tablespoon of minced garlic. While heating, rinse off chicken and pat dry.
(2) Add chicken to heated skillet with lemon juice, salt and pepper, all to taste. While the chicken is cooking, add quinoa, water, salt and a teaspoon of minced garlic to a saucepan. (I’ve found that quinoa without added flavor can be bland. Another option is to use chicken broth instead of water when cooking it). Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed.
(3) As quinoa is simmering, flip over chicken and add the cup of vegetables and red wine vinegar to taste (I also added more lemon juice, salt and pepper just to the veggies). Cook until chicken is done.
(4) Once all the water is absorbed in the quinoa, add a little sliver of butter for flavor and fluff.
(5) Cut chicken breast into small pieces. Combine quinoa, chicken and veggies together. Season to taste.
What are recipes you have come up with using just what you have on hand?
Fully Convinced 