Turmeric Egg Drop Soup
BUDGET FRIENDLY HEALTHY-ISH VEGETARIAN MEALS
Committing to starting and owning a new business that operates successfully under New Age principles has to be the hardest thing we’ve ever tried to do. (The two philosophies often conflict!) While I haven’t had the emotional strength or mental capacity to blog about it in real-time during the chaos of making my way through it, I have learned so much about myself in this past year alone. Happy to say, the fog is finally clearing so I can truly begin to appreciate all the hardships and lessons and take a new perspective on the current challenges I’m facing too!
One thing’s for sure: This year we are getting even more serious when it comes to energy conservation and sustainability within our lives and business, and money is 100% energy! We understand that we can only set solid foundations for ourselves and any business we believe in if we are consciously focusing on sustainably nourishing ourselves (and our business) with habits that make sure we continue to keep on doing just that.
We’ve already cleared our cabinets before the new year, Marie Kondo style, by getting rid of excess things that don’t bring us joy. Now that we have a little more clarity, we are turning our attention to finding value in and appreciation for the things we do have in our cabinets by creating more intentionality around them! Inspired by this, I thought it would be fun to share a week of budget-friendly, resourceful meals that we’re eating this week. Don’t worry, they won’t dare lose the spirit of excitement and edginess we keep around mealtime.
First off, here’s some simple TIPS FOR VALUE SHOPPING we try to keep in mind:
Utilize the Bulk Bins: The bulk bins at supermarkets usually price their items much lower than pre-bagged, branded items. It also allows you to get the exact amount you need for your recipes, which eliminates waste, but also unnecessary plastic bags! Plus it’s my favorite way to save on buying expensive or specialty spices!
Buy Dried Beans and Legumes: Not only are them much cheaper per lb. than canned, they are more nutritious and even taste better too! Fight me!
Make A Couple Extra Servings: It’s always best to make enough so there are leftovers for your next day’s lunch. But making extra also saves time, which saves energy, and again, energy is money. :)
Don’t Overlook Those Weekly Ads: See what weekly specials are happening in your area. Use these ads as a guide, and get creative by building your weekly meal prep off of the specials! Bonus tip: sometimes they even update the ads online so you don’t have to make the trek out to the store first.
Grocery Shop on Off Days- Our work-around when buying expensive but indispensable produce like avocados is to hit up our local Latin Supermarket (El Rancho or Fiesta for us) on Wednesdays when they are having their weekly sales. While it may feel like a hassle to plan a mid-week shopping haul, we’ve decided that it’s not nearly as hard as wrangling through Saturday morning lines when we’d rather be in bed. Plus we have a history of hitting harvest gold-mines with deals like 20 limes/ $1 or $3 /5 avocados when we’ve planned it out well, which makes it doubly worth it.
Buy Frozen Vegetables: To avoid waste due to veggie spoilage, buy vegetables frozen that still hold up once they’re defrosted. My favorites: Spinach, peas, corn, riced cauliflower, green beans, and carrots!
Get Creative: Plan your weekly shopping keeping in mind how you can use a particular ingredient across multiple meals. For me, this time I went heavy on the scallions!
I like stocking up on scallions, not just regular onions. ($0.49/ bag at ALDI!!) Scallions are essentially two onions in one--so in my mind, I’m getting more for my money! Since they are split between green leaves and white bulbs, and both have a different flavor--the whites of the scallions are a little stronger, like regular onions or garlic--I like to separate them from the greens and cook them to round them out and bring out their sweetness. Because their green stems are still packed with flavor but are mild enough to eat raw, they make the absolute perfect garnish to bring a little color and flavor to the dish right at the end.
For a fun snapshot, here is what we bought with our grocery budget this week and what we will be pulling from.
OUR GROCERY HALL:
A loaf of Sourdough Bread ( you can make it yourself if you want to save even more money because all it ultimately requires is flour)~ 2.97
2 Bananas~ .70
1 carton vegetable broth (you can make this yourself too, if you have lots of scrap veggies or produce teetering on the edge)
1 dozen Eggs ~ .99
Scallions ~.49
Garlic ~ .99
3 White onions~ .89
Bag of Red or orange bell peppers~ 2.29
Sriracha~ 1.76
8 Limes~ 1.00
Lemons~ 1.59
Egg Noodles ~.99
Dried Seaweed ~ 1.19
½ lb Dried Lentils ~ .46
Corn Tortillas~ 2.19
Frozen Peas~ 1.58
1 Avocado~ .89
3 bushels of cilantro 3/ $0.99
16-ounce bag raw Almonds ~ $4.50 (to make a vegan cheese sauce, almond butter, and 1 pint of almond milk for the week)
Notes:
We already have a few staples like certain spices, oils, soy sauce, (of course, s+ p) and rice on hand and hopefully you have these too.
Usually, we buy and eat cheese, but it was cheaper for us to cut it out this week, so all of the recipes will be vegan.
I use virgin coconut oil in some of the recipes because I have a huge vat of it in the cabinet and I like the additional flavor it adds, but it is definitely not necessary--you can use any mild to neutral oil you have on hand.
My major takeaway after a few weeks of extreme budgeting:
It is SO satisfying and nourishing (and even FUN!) challenging ourselves to be this resourceful and creative with what we already have!
🎶Ain’t No Stopping Us Now 🎶
FRIDAY- Turmeric Egg Drop Soup
I’ve marked Fridays as the perfect soup day because soup is so light on my stomach! I figure that after an exhaustive week whizzes by, I’d rather spend my energy digesting what just happened to me than spend energy digesting a heavy meal, especially if I’m trying to keep my Friday night peppiness going for potential late-night festivities.
Plus, with all the good stuff I’m encouraged to steep in my soup broths like ginger and turmeric, I’m able to give myself an extra anti-inflammatory boost, which is always welcomed.
What I love about this recipe beyond its tummy healing qualities is that it only takes a handful of minutes to come together. The impromptu “wonton” chips are definitely optional. We had a lot of extra corn tortillas left from taquito night, so we cut them into strips, tossed them in a little oil and popped them in the air fryer at 370 degrees for maybe 12 minutes until they curled into crunchy bronze ribbons. I’m sure you can attempt this in a high temp oven too. I hope you’ll try them--they bring a satisfyingly solid texture to the creamy soup.
3 Corn tortillas, cut into strips (optional)
2 tsp coconut oil
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
2 Scallions chopped
4 cups veggie broth
1 tsp soy sauce. plus more to taste
Fresh cracked pepper, plus more to taste
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
3 large eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
If making the chips: Cut the tortillas into short strips (about 3 inches), and toss them in a tablespoon of neutral oil. Season lightly with salt and pop them in the air fryer at 370 degrees for around 12 minutes or until they’ve curled into crunchy bronze ribbons. Set aside to later dunk into the soup.
Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the coconut oil to melt. Add in the ginger and whites of the scallions (reserving the greens for garnish) and heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until softened and fragrant. Reserve ¼ cup of veggie broth and add the rest of the broth to the hot pan with the ginger and scallions. Season with soy sauce and pepper. Bring to a boil.
In a separate small bowl combine the cornstarch and turmeric. Add the reserved veggie broth to the mixture, whisking until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan, whisking until dissolved. Bring to a boil until the broth thickens and then reduce the heat to simmer.
Using a fork, swirl the broth vigorously to create to a whirlpool, and then slowly pour in beaten eggs while continuing the stir. The eggs will cook quickly. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt, soy sauce, lemon juice, and/or pepper. Sprinkle over the green scallions and serve with chips!
