Tasty Tuesday – From Kisha’s Kitchen to yours!

A great friend of mine and fellow health and wellness enthusiast, Kisha Garcia, author of Fresh Fit Life, is an AMAZING cook. Just seeing pictures of what she’s concocted will make your mouth water. Best part of it all? It’s super good for you too. So even though she’s thousands of miles away and I miss her terribly, I wanted to share a little piece of one of my favorite parts of Kisha – her cooking skills.


♥  - The Bougie Budgetista 

I can’t even tell you how much I LOVE polenta. I found this recipe in the October 2011 issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers.  I did adjust the recipe to what I had at home.  Ah, the magic of cooking!

Italian Chicken & Polenta Casserole 

18oz precooked “tube” polenta

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

2 diced Roma tomatoes

1/2 cup all-natural marinara sauce

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

10 oz cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

1/4 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Coat medium pot with cooking spray and place on medium heat. Add garlic, oregano, and thyme. Cook for one minute, being careful not to burn the garlic (stir!).  Stir in tomatoes, marinara sauce, vinegar, and chicken. Bring to a soft boil, then reduce heat and cover, simmering for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, slice polenta in 1/2 inch slices. You should end up with 9 slices, not including the end pieces. Coat an 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and place slices in a single layer.

4. Spoon half of the sauce mixture over polenta. Drop ricotta cheese by the teaspoon over sauce. Add remaining sauce and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.

5. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

6. Enjoy!

Time is Money, So Save Some in the Kitchen!

A friend of mine once told me that he spent $600 per month on eating out. Ponder on that for a minute - $600 PER MONTH! Do you know how many Jimmy Choo's and Christian Louboutin's I could buy in a year with the amount of money he spends on FOOD?!? In short, tons. A really easy way to save both money and time is to plan meals and cook at home.

I know that cooking can take some time, but you'd be amazed at how many delicious, healthy meals can be made in 30 minutes or less. In half an hour, you could prepare food for at least two days (lunches and/or dinners), sometimes more. You'll need a few things to get started:

• Recipes - I love browsing the clearance section of bookstores for cheap cookbooks, but then again, I love browsing for books. If "free" is more your style, then check out AllRecipies.com or Food Network's site for boatloads of delicious fare. You can narrow down recipes by ingredients, method of cooking, and cook time. Try new fare. Be adventurous. Invite friends over for a potluck and swap recipes. Any excuse for a shindig sounds good to me!
• Crock pot - Slow cookers are a time cruncher's dream. You throw everything in, set the timer, and forget about it until it's time to eat a few hours later. Have you ever walked in a house that was just fragrant with herbs and spices that have been simmering all day? Well, once you have a slow cooker, welcome home! Those things make everyone a top notch chef. Maximum flavor and minimal effort. You can't beat that.
• Food containers - Once you've cooked up a huge batch of food (trust me when I say it's super smart to do this), you'll need to store it somewhere. Ziploc containers are easy to come by, come in several sizes and are truly inexpensive. After you're all done cooking, separate your delicious meal into individual servings and toss them in the fridge and/or freezer for quick and easy meals. It's so much cheaper than spending $10 per day on lunch and you know exactly what you're putting into your body, which makes for a healthier you and a healthier budget.

Every minute of your day is valuable, but so is every penny in your pocket. Save a little of both by throwing on your chef's hat every once in a while. As one of my favorite Food Network star, Paula Deen says, "Best Dishes," lovies!

♥  - The Bougie Budgetista