More Good Eating Fast and Cheap!

So with the employment situation still not, shall we say, optimum I'm watching that food dollar pretty closely these days. But I still have to keep the meals nutritious and the sodium low for Mama's good health. We're both real fond of fish but our favorite orange roughy is generally too pricey so we've grown fond of tilapia. Winn Dixie almost always has frozen tilapia fillets buy one, get one free so I stopped over there and got a couple of packages last week. Having those fillets in the freezer means I can cook up a meal in no time flat too, I cooked some after church today and had dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes. There was a recipe on the back of the package that is similar to one I already use so I adapted what I liked from both and it was a success! Here's the whole meal start to finish:

Soak rice noodles in a dish of hot water. Mix a cup of orange juice, 1-2 tbsp of honey mustard, powdered ginger and black pepper to taste in a microwave-safe baking dish. Add 2 tilapia fillets. Cook your favorite frozen vegetable in the microwave (watch the sodium content, the ones with sauce can be way too high for a low-sodium diet.) Then cook the fish in the oj mixture in the microwave for 4-5 minutes. Drain the noodles and you're ready to eat! I did put about a teaspoon of cornstarch in the oj mixture after removing the cooked fish and brought it to a boil to thicken up the sauce but that's optional. So there you go - a nutritious, low-sodium dinner for 2 on the table in less than 20 minutes for under $5. Awesome!

Yummy peachy ginger-y pork loin... with chutney!

So for the one or two of you who are breathlessly waiting to hear how the pork loins turne out.... have you no lives? Seriously, though, they turned out really, really well. My sister & bro-in-law were later getting in on Saturday than we had first thought so we ended up eating grilled cheese & tomato sandwiches (Swiss is low in sodium) and those little porky guys ended up marinating until after church on Sunday. I had made a marinade of ginger ale, peach nectar, balsamic vinegar, dry mustard, dry ginger and pepper. I saved about a cup of that out and cooked it down in a pot with some chopped fresh peaches to make a chutney for the pork. I baked sweet potatoes and cooked some yellow squash and onions too. It was a monochromatic meal but it was extra, extra good and very low in sodium. Mama was pleased and the company enjoyed it too I think.

The Bargain Gourmet

It's been a while since I've posted anything about actually feeding Mama so I thought I'd let you in on our dinner plans. I have discovered that you can find some really excellent bargains in the meat department at Super Target. I kind of hate to mention it because I don't really want you to get there first but I am basically good at heart, so sharing that wins out. Anyhoo... I scored some pork loin roasts for unbelieveably cheap this week which is a good thing because Sister Jane and her hubby Don are driving down today from Atlanta for a short visit. So I'm going to marinate those puppies (the pork loins, not real puppies... I'm not Instapundit by any stretch of the imagination!) I'm going to cook up a ginger-peach marinade for them to soak in all day and then cook them on the grill with some fresh peaches if it isn't raining. If it is raining, which looks likely, I'll cook them in the oven and make some peach chutney to put on top. Throw in some baked sweet potatoes and whatever fresh veg looks good when I go to the store and call it dinner! No salt will be added and I'm thinking it should turn out really well. If it does I'll give you the recipe. If it doesn't... well then forget I mentioned it. Happy Saturday!

Sweet harmony or a recipe for disaster?

Here's an excellent article on seeking mediation when issues arise among siblings when one or more are providing care for their elder parents. When it works it can be great but sometimes even long buried issues or resentments can come back to haunt you. It's good to know that there are folks trained to mediate that sort of thing.

Where Angels Fear to Tread

As I previously mentioned, my son and his family will be moving in with Mama and me soon so there's a lot to be done around Casa de Feedin' Mama to make room. Yesterday they came by in the evening and we ventured into the Garage of Shame. It must be cleared out because we need the space for storage and I must confess now before God and everybody that I have a definite tendency toward pack-ratiness... so my garage is, indeed, the Garage of Shame. Inside the house I have Closets of Doom to continue the theme and they will have to be dealt with as well. This is going to be hard but I think cathartic as well for me. I've just accumulated and accumulated over the 10 years since I moved in here with Mama and it's beyond time to sort through, clear out and simplify. Scary stuff but it Must. Be. Done!!!

Anyhoo... we got a huge pile of drek dragged out to the trash pile last night, the trash pickers were busily going through it this morning and the garbage truck guys got the rest so we've gotten off to a good start. I just have to be strong and keep tossing and donating until I have it all down to a manageable level. I've got friends (and you too Janey!) that will push and coax and encourage me and who will help me get the remainder organized so God bless them. Your prayers and good wishes for courage, strength and my sanity will be much appreciated.

G'night John Boy

Well it looks as though Casa de Feedin' Mama is about to expand into a four-generation household. James the Elder will be moving his family in with Mama and me in the near future... just like the Waltons! (Although Mama has a much better temperament than their Grandma had thank goodness.) I think with the economy the way it is we're going to be seeing more and more intergenerational households forming. Overall, I think it's a good thing for young ones to grow up in extended family situations whether in the same household or not as long as everyone is on pretty much the same page. And I think it can be good for older folks as well, especially if their health is reasonably good. Having little ones around can help keep us all younger.

In our particular situation Mommy Nicole will be able to stay at home with baby Molly and be around to help Mama with her meals and rides and such while James and I concentrate on bringing home the bacon (or low-sodium meat product?). We're hoping it's a good plan for all concerned. The down side being a wish that we had more bedrooms and more than one bathroom. But like Mama said, we'll just make it work. And when baby Molly moves in, maybe Nana can influence her to get back to blogging!