Day 2 - Quiche-y Goodness

Today was shopping day. $71.64 of our $150 - 2 week budget. I won't bore you with details (unless you want me to) but it involved various fruits and vegetables, tuna, chicken breasts and a big hunk of beef that we will get 2+ meals from.

I wanted to clarify something that I don't think I was so clear about yesterday - We had a chest freezer and pantry full of food before I ever went shopping. I mostly shop to replenish said freezer and pantry, and to replenish our stock of fresh fruits and vegetables. The $75 per week challenge is just something I thought I would do, but I have no problem at all going over that budget if I come across a great deal, or find myself with access to things all of you big city slickers take for granted. We are aiming for $75 a week, but it is not something I am going to stress over. (Read: I am going to Birmingham in a few weeks and am planning to spend some major bank at Whole Foods. I can get whole wheat couscous and whole wheat orzo among other things there - things that are but a dream in Podunk Mississippi. There, I said it.)

Being able to spend "major bank" - which really, will be less than $100, I'm sure - is one of the things that makes spending $15 per person per week on groceries easier. :o)

Dinner tonight-
Quiche and apples. Yummy, yummy quiche. I have always made my quiche with a potato crust, and now that I am following the Weight Watchers Simply Filling Technique, a potato crusted quiche fits right in.

Hey... Have I mentioned yet that I have lost 27.5 lbs? Booyah!

Ahem... anyway. The quiche recipe I use is from - brace yourself - The Tightwad Gazette. I have made a million and a half versions of Amy's universal recipe, tweaking it as I go. This is what we did tonight:

I made 1 - 9" pie pan quiche and 1 9x13" quiche. To make the 9x13, just double the milk/egg mixture, and use your choice of fillings. Clear as mud?

Crust
Shred potatoes, rinse well. You want about 3 cups. Squeeze to remove as much water as possible and spread into a sprayed 9" pie pan. Press down and up the sides. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes, or until it starts to brown.

Basic recipe:
4 eggs
1 cup milk (I used skim)
2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
Fillings of your choice (I used 5 slices Canadian Bacon, 1 onion, frozen spinach I had blanched and frozen before it went bad, 2 cloves garlic - all sauteed in 2 t. olive oil.)

Grate cheese and prepare filling ingredients (cook 'em, chop 'em... whatever you have to do.) Beat eggs, milk and seasonings of choice (I use homemade Paula Deen's "House Seasoning") together until just combined. Spread filling ingredients in crust, top with cheese, and pour egg/milk mixture evenly over all of it.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven until done - usually 30 minutes or so.