The Broke Girl Blog
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affordable food

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What is with the cost of living in Alberta?

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Hey fam, It’s getting more and more expensive out there to keep our food costs down, and with the extreme increases in the cost of utilities in Alberta, as well as gas price uncertainties… we’re all looking for ways to make sure we can take good care of ourselves and our families with whatever we have left over. I have a bunch of affordable food posts coming up, more gardening posts so we can all be more food secure and share with our neighbors, as well as more information on how to help make sure you’re being as energy conscientious as possible. And yes, I’ll be sharing how to make that gorgeous spelt loaf. For today, I’m resharing some favorite affordable posts and the one that started it all- How I went a month without buying any groceries. https://thebrokegirlblog.com/2016/07/04/35-day-no-buy-recap/ https://thebrokegirlblog.com/2021/03/04/my-go-to-cheap-and-easy-meal/ https://thebrokegirlblog.com/2020/04/10/garden-series-choosing-your-garden-type/ There’s a lot to the changes in cost of…

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In cheap eats

My Go-To Easy Meal

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A lot of the time, I get sad looks from people when they ask what I’m eating for lunch or dinner and I reply “veggies and lentils”. That combo, with a carb thrown in, is one of my favorites! What’s more comforting than a spiced lentil dish on a cold fall night? In the summer, I want something that I can cook outside though! Enter this dish. Thyme Roasted Carrots with Herbed Lentils 1 can green or du puy lentils 10 carrots, peeled goat feta, crumbled 1 tablespoon hummus 1 tablespoon tatziki (I make mine using Happy Days goat yogurt) milk or olive oil (to thin tatziki if you want) thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, lemon juice, dill optional: soft pita This dish is super easy. I will either roast my carrots in the oven or in the bbq, if it’s the oven I roast at 415 degrees so they caramelize.…

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In Food

Quarantine Cooking: Beef Barley Soup

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Remember that Sunday roast? We used those leftovers for this, but you can use leftover roast beef lunch meat or steak as well! This is the perfect freezer soup, or you can have it for dinner with a crusty loaf of bread and butter. Beef and barley soup is a hearty, homey soup that will help use up your leftovers to avoid food waste, and pantry staples like carrots, onions, garlic and barley. Beef and Barley Soup Your chopped beef leftovers 1 Onion, chopped 3 carrots, chopped (If you don’t have carrots, add frozen peas and carrots at the end.) 3 celery ribs including the leaves, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 cup barley (pot or pearl) 1 large can diced tomatoes 3-4 boxes of beef stock (be mindful of what stock you buy, we use low or no salt so we don’t have to worry about it getting too…

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In cheap eats

Home Made “Rice a Roni”

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One of the food memories from my childhood is of rice a roni, a comfort food I loved. My mum would make a pot of it up to quickly add a side dish with carbs to our meals. As an adult, I never tried it again because it’s a packaged food and some pastas can set off my auto-immune symptoms. My mum has been reworking recipes of late to keep our family’s sodium intake lower and introduce pastas made from substances I can eat without feeling sick. One night she said she made “rice a roni” when I was over, and I said “uhhh, okay” skeptically, but it was So. Damn. Good. This is not your packaged rice a roni. It’s creamy (thanks to the Arborio rice), nutty (thanks to the toasted pasta) and flavorful. No almonds though. My sister lost a tooth as a kid to the almonds in…

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In cheap eats

Mexican Inspired Quinoa Bowls

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Hey Guys! If you’re anything like me, you’re probably trying to find ways to incorporate more healthy meals into your diet while still enjoying the flavors that you love. Enter this healthy Mexican-inspired quinoa bowl. It’s loaded with healthy fibre, fats, and protein, so you can feel good about stuffing your face with this one! I adapted this recipe from one my sister made that she found on Damn Delicious. I mostly did this to make it more of a pantry meal with less $ required for a good outcome. I added the beans and spinach to up the protein and iron. There’s no chopping required, isn’t that cool? Just a pot, a strainer, and a spoon. You’re welcome :). Mexican Inspired Quinoa Bowls Serves 4 for $10.73, or $2.68 per serving 1 Cup quinoa – $1.67 1 can of roasted tomatoes- $1.67 1 can of black beans- $0.98 1…

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In cheap eats

White Chicken Chili

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Hey guys! Recently my sister and I had the BEST dinner together, she found The Pioneer Woman’s recipe for white chicken chili in a crock pot and loved the idea of it, but she’s just not a crock pot kind of girl. I know. We are really related, despite this. If you’d like to have white chicken chili that comes together in an hour including prep, check out this recipe! Fast White Chicken Chili $16.66 for 6 or $2.78 per serving Ground Chicken- $2.50 (to save $, I recommend using the frozen uncooked tubes like Superstore offers- you’re looking at saving quite a bit of money, $2.50 will see you adding 1 pound of ground meat) 1 box chicken stock- ~$2.00 2 cans of chopped green chilis- $4.36 3 bell peppers (chopped)- $6.12 2 onions (chopped)- $0.30 4-5 ribs of celery (chopped)- ~$0.60 1 jalapeno, tiny chop- $0.33 2 cups…

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In cheap eats

How to Host a Holiday Dinner Affordably

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Hey Guys! I hope you are all doing well as we cruise into the holiday season! Since getting my own place, I’ve loved having friends over to visit and share a meal. Especially during the holidays! That said, when you’re having a bunch of people over, with dinner, snacks, drinks etc, it can get expensive to host friends! Lots of people recommend potlucks for this type of concern, but if you’re wanting to truly “host” your friends, I have some recommendations. I apologize that I don’t have many pictures with this post- just as dinner was about to hit the table, I found a leak in my garage. The evening got a bit more interesting after that, and adulting kind of took precedence over taking pictures. You’ll be able to see more of the process and about my leak in my upcoming holiday VLOGs. Still, had I not…

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In cheap eats

Corn and Bacon Risotto

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Hi guys! I know you are not surprised that since it’s now officially FALL, I am back on the comfort food train! As if my butt needs any more comfort food, but that’s a whole other issue lol. It got very chilly and rainy (?! this is not normal for where I live) last week and after being soaked to the skin twice in one day, I knew what I needed- a warm, hearty risotto and having just finished making corn stock, I figured corn and bacon risotto would be a perfect match for the kind of day I was having. Corn and bacon risotto isn’t exactly a “traditional” risotto, it’s kind of something I just figured would be good a year or so ago, and so I made it! Cooking is all about the fun anyhow, right? Corn and Bacon Risotto $8.82 for four or $2.21 per serving 1/2…

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In cheap eats

Mushroom and Kale Harvest Bowl

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Hey Guys! I’m back with a healthy freezer-friendly meal today! This one is actually pretty simple, just a mushroom saute with kale and pancetta over a bed of mixed wild rice! The addition of loads of fresh thyme and a serious deglazing with white wine helps pack a flavorful punch. I have to admit I took a lazy kid shortcut and used pre-cubed pancetta (from my mom’s freezer, thanks @Alberta_Allie!) and pre-washed/sliced mushrooms. Sometimes, when I’m trying really hard to stock up a bunch of meals in a short amount of time, the pre-prepped ingredients really help! Mushroom and Kale Harvest Bowl $2.30 per serving, serves 8 for $18.43 1 Red Onion, chopped- ~1.20 1 package of cremini mushrooms- $3.98 1 package of white mushrooms- $3.98 1/2 package of cubed pancetta (~75 grams)- $3 10 large stems of kale (priced for frozen)- $3 3 Sprigs of Thyme – $0.39 1…

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