$21 a Week Challenge: Day 4

Hi guys! Happy weekend :) Does anyone have anything exciting going on?
I'm more than halfway through my Challenge now- I think it is going quite well. Despite my failures at meal planning, I have been coming up with interesting things to eat every day, and my tummy is happy!

Yesterday for breakfast I had:

A very simple bowl of oatmeal with cantaloupe. I never skip the "pinch of salt" step when I make my oats and I feel like the tiniest hint of salt makes sweet toppings pop!

Oatmeal: .09
Cantaloupe: .57

I have been lacking in my greens lately so for lunch I had:

Raw "Tabbouleh," which was just a chopped up bunch of parsely, along with one diced tomato, a teaspoon of ACV, and sea salt and cracked black pepper. After a drizzle of olive oil, this was yummy! I ate half of this.

I also had 2 slices of whole wheat bread with olive oil spread, and an apple:

Very filling!

Tabbouleh- 2 servings
1 bunch parsley: .88
1 tomato: .36

2 slices whole wheat bread: .18
1 apple: .61

That lunch kept me full for quite a while and I made a very late dinner around 8pm. I found a recipe online for Ethiopian Ginger Vegetables and I knew I had to try them!
I halved the recipe and used coconut oil instead of olive oil, and sautéed the onions and jalapeños together:

I kept the jalapeños in large strips just in case the dish turned out too spicy- I can pick the pieces out easily this way!
I then I added ginger powder, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. The fresh ginger I had in the fridge was leftover from my Indian cooking last week and it had gone all spongy. Ew. I sautéed the spices with the onions and peppers for a few minutes, then added my pre-boiled carrots and potatoes:

This smelled divine- the entire house smelled so good while this was cooking- the coconut oil + ginger are made for each other :) I also didn't have fresh green beans like the recipe called for, just a can. So, I added those last.
I made a rookie mistake of not using a big enough skillet and had to transfer the entire mixture when I added the green beans:

This dish came out so well! I loved the flavors and the mouth-watering smell. I can't wait to try it with fresh green beans and fresh ginger. I also think this would be great made with sweet potatoes and a sprinkle of cinnamon- I will be trying that soon! This recipe would probably be amazing prepared in the oven- Roasted ginger veggies anyone?!

I'm not a huge fan of white potatoes, but I wanted to stick to the original recipe the first time I made it. Also, Raine likes potatoes so I made it this way in case he wanted any.

I had my serving with a whole wheat tortilla. The recipe made about 3 servings.

Ethiopian Ginger veggies (3 servings)
3 small potatoes: .77
can green beans: .64
2 carrots: .22
2 jalapenos: .24
wheat tortilla: .20

Total: $4.76

If you're wondering why today's total is so much higher than totals from previous days, it's because of the Tabbouleh recipe along with the Ethiopian Ginger Veggies. The Tabbouleh made 2 servings, and the ginger veggies made 3. Gotta love leftovers :)

Have you tried Ethiopian food? I have been to an Ethiopian restaurant in Dallas and it was outstanding! I love injera bread and all of the flavors in the veggie dishes.