Dining on the budget: Lima beans cakes

#healthyeating #easyfoodcreations #onthebudget

I hear over and over again that you have to spend a fortune if you want to eat healthy. It is a myth!

You have to smart about your grocery shopping, get deals where you can. Also, I use the practice of one luxury item each weak (except holidays), which I call everything that cost over $8 per kg. 

Although I am not great with coupons, as I tend to forget about them, I see more of them for fresh produce in the supermarkets. I am trying hard to change my habits and start using them.

I make frequent visits to the bulk stores - Bulk Barn in Canada is the place where I get all my dry food - beans, lentils, grains, spices, even some tea. Again, each week they have specials so I time my visits accordingly. Two or three times a year they have coupons (they keep them in the store!), so that brings additional savings.

Canned food, I only buy when it is on sale - tuna, corn, tomatoes, tomato paste or at Costco if it turns out to be cheaper. Right now I have a good understanding how many cans I need until the next discount period, but I had to experiment for a little bit. 

I find a lot of pleasure in finding deals, having those luxury items each week, and keeping holidays extra special with food that I try to reserve just for these days. 

Ingredients:

3 cups, cooked Lima beans (I soak and cook them myself, but you can use canned)

3-5 tbs Scottish oats

Salt, pepper

2-3 tbsp dried herbs (I used czubryca which I got in Poland, but any mix of herbs will work)

1 onion, chopped

3-5 garlic cloves, pressed

6 tbsp breadcrumbs

Water, as needed

Little bit butter

Oil for frying 

 1.  Melt the butter and sauté onion and garlic for a few minutes.

 2. Use a blender to blend Lima beans with onion. You may need to add some water to help it blend.

 3. Mix in the bowl blended beans with onions, add remaining ingredients except breadcrumbs. Mix everything well with a spoon. You should have a fairly dense consistency so you can form patties with your hands. 

 4. Roll patties in breadcrumbs.

 5. Fry for a few minutes on each side. 

 6. Enjoy!

Sunshine Breakfast: Millet pancakes

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #millet

We did not eat pancakes for a while so I though it was time to experiment a little bit to create something new. The result is a super simple recipe that is based on 5 simple ingredients. Since millet is high in protein and fibre these pancakes are very filling so one or three per person are enough. 

Makes 10 pancakes

Ingredients

1 c millet

1 large apple

1 banana

2 tbsp flax seeds

1-2 tbsp grape seed oil (you can use other oil or butter of your preference)

1. Grind millet into a flour. Usually I do it in 2-3 batches, that way you get a smoother consistency.

2. Grind flax seeds, add 4-6 spoons of water, let it sit.

3. Grind an apple and banana into a sauce. Depending how juicy is your apple you may need to add a little bit of water. 

4. Mix all ingredients together, add oil and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

5. Fry on a medium low heat for a few minutes on each side. There is no need to add any more oil for frying. 

6. Enjoy!