one perfect empanada

I've had pupusas on the brain. A few months ago I was bullied by Big Masa into buying a five-pound bag of Maseca even though I only needed two tablespoons for a recipe. Ever since then, it's been sitting in my cupboard, taunting me. "Hey!" it shouts. "Why don't you just let me sit here until I get all moldy and gross, thus being a total waste of however much I cost you!" The bag of Maseca is sarcastic and cruel.

I dug up some recipes using masa so I can finally shut that voice up. I had some leftover refried beans in the fridge so I thought I'd try my hand at pupusas--little stuffed corn tortillas. Heck, I've seen them made on tv dozens of times. I just had to channel my inner Central American grandmother and go to it.

Pupusas are hard to make. Oh sure, the Central American grandmothers make it look easy, deftly tossing the filled dough patties from hand to hand, quick as lightning, dropping them onto a well-seasoned cast iron skillet and cooking them until crisp and hot. Oh sure. It *looks* easy.

I tried to make a pupusa. Then I gave up and decided empanadas were more my style anyway. I rolled out a ball of dough, added a spoonful of bean filling, closed it all up, and fried that sucker until it looked done. And it worked. It wasn't pretty, but it sure tasted good.

I made four empanadas before giving up and calling it a night. But the important thing is, I never gave up. Oh, except I did. Twice. Whatever.

Here is a pic of the one empanada I made that looked pretty nice. It also happened to be empanada #4. I like to quit while I'm ahead.

Note the flaky golden crust. Irresistible, no?

What I Bought at Wheatsville

The rundown:

1.95 All purpose flour (2.47 lbs)
1.99 Half and half (1 pint)
1.98 Yogurt (2)
1.33 Bananas
3.71 Chocolate chips (.93 lbs)
1.47 Coconut date rolls
1.16 Green lentils (.73 lbs)
1.47 Apples (2)
.87 Russet potatoes (2)

TOTAL
Spent $15.93
Left $19.66 (including $5.59 left from last week)

My Attempt at Cooperative Shopping

I went to Wheatsville Coop the other day to see how it stacked up against the bigger stores I usually go to. I would much prefer to give my money to a store that benefits the community in some way, but not at prices that are exponentially higher than I'm used to. I have no qualms about joining a coop--my parents were members of the Genesee Food Coop for years while I was growing up--but again, not if I'm unable to make full use of such a membership.

All coops are different; some offer a flat percentage discount to members in exchange for a few hours' work in the store each month. Some offer the same discount, but in exchange for a membership fee, either yearly or lifetime. The Wheatsville Coop, as far as I can tell, offers a lifetime membership for only $70 (great deal!), but their discount is only on certain items (not-so-great deal). For example, of all the stuff I bought the other day, none of it would have been discounted had I been a member. So, unless you just happen to buy the same items they decide are discount-worthy, you're really not benefiting in any way from being a member (besides, of course, the general satisfaction you may or may not get from supporting a local business, et cetera, et cetera).

In addition, the selection of products, as I'm sure you can imagine, is limited. I had to get half and half, and only had the option of getting a pint for 1.99 or a quart for significantly more. Compare that to HEB, where I can get a quart of half and half for under 1.50. Of course, it's HEB brand half and half, and thus of unknown origin, probably chock full of hormones.

Which brings me to my current quandary: What is my objective here? Is it to purchase organic, whole foods on a limited budget, or to simply find ways to feed my family on said limited budget? If I shop at a place like Wheatsville, I'm going to spend more money on staples each week, but I'll be somewhat reassured that I'm not piling chemicals into our bodies. But if I shop at HEB or, to a limited extent, Central Market, I can get a whole lot more for my $30, including meat for Erik, but would have to kind of turn a blind eye to the content of my food. My conscience feels better after having shopped at Wheatsville this week, but I had to forgo a bunch of crucial items because they would have eaten up too large a chunk of my budget for the week. So I still have to go to HEB anyway.

Lentil Soup Recipe

As promised, here is my version of Mark Bittman's Lentil Soup:

Lentil Soup with Bacon

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped fine
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large potato, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup of red lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 bay leaf
5-6 cups of stock and/or water (I used about 4 cups of vegetable stock and another 1 1/2 cups chicken stock)
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a big soup pot, fry up the bacon until it's crispy; add in the chopped onion and carrots and cook just until slightly soft. Add the rest of ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer the whole thing until the lentils, potatoes, and vegetables are tender (about half an hour or so).

Eat on $30: Concluding Remarks

The week is over. I spent much less than I expected, and it was easier than I thought it would be. Why? Because I cheated, sort of. As far as I can tell, the folks in the blogosphere who have done the $30/week challenge have restricted themselves to eating only what they buy within their budget for the week. So, that would mean no lentil soup, fresh bread, or brownies for me, since they all used ingredients I had on hand. But my objective was not just to see if I could do something for a week; I was really trying to see if this way of eating would be feasible for my family for the long term. I now believe it is, and so I have no intention of going back to my old ways of shopping and eating. I have no doubt this will get increasingly difficult as my on-hand supplies dwindle, but I expect my skills in the kitchen and with shopping on such a tight budget will only grow.

I've really struggled with my "food identity" throughout my life. I have bounced from extreme restriction to gluttonous indulgence and have dilly-dallied everywhere in between. Right now I'm focused on finding a balance in everything I do, and that includes food and eating. I know that by grocery shopping on only $30 a week I am not going to save the world; I also know that, to some people, restricting our grocery budget while not restricting our dining-out budget may seem hypocritical, but again, what I'm looking for is balance. Not eating out at all would be, for us, not unlike punishment, as there are so many wonderful restaurants in Austin. But I hope that, by cutting back in other areas, we can strike that elusive balance between eating out every night and cooking everything from scratch.

Eat on $30: Day 7

Last night was Erik's company Christmas party, so we got to dine like quasi-royalty for zero dollars. We left Eliza with our friend Akina for the evening, and they both had a great time. I was worried about leaving Eliza for the first time, but it was really nice to get to act like a grown-up for a while. Of course, after a couple of hours we both missed Eliza something fierce, and couldn't wait to get her back in our arms. A big THANK YOU to Ms. Adderley for being brave enough to take on a separation-anxious seven-month-old.

Dinner tonight is going to be scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and that last big honkin' potato. I love having breakfast for dinner; it's oddly sinful, and feels kind of like you're violating the space/time continuum.

I've yet to use the ground turkey or the chicken thighs I bought, so I'm going to freeze them for future use. So, even though I've been using up the cache of odds and ends in my kitchen, I am also adding to the stores. I have no doubt the frozen meats will come in handy some week when our budget is stretched to its limit.

I picked up coffee yesterday, for a grand total of $2.69. So, unless something comes up today that requires another purchase, we're well under budget for the week. If I decide to continue this experiment for another week (which I probably will), I'll roll that $5.59 into next week's budget.

TOTAL
Spent: $24.41
Left: $5.59

Eat on $30: Day 6

Well, I caved into peer pressure last night and ate dinner out. In a restaurant. After the church-stravaganza, it was suggested that a bunch of us go get something to eat. We didn't go anywhere fancy, but I was definitely aware of how much more it costs for a simple hamburger in a restaurant as opposed to making it yourself.

I'm not going to factor in our dining-out costs with our grocery budget; I never said we were going to avoid dining out entirely. We've done a great job at cutting back, though, as that was the first time I'd eaten in a restaurant in weeks. As enamored as I currently am with Not Eating Out in New York, it's not for me, at least not right now. Too many rules can backfire so very quickly.

I'm not going to let myself feel guilty for eating out last night. Instead I"m going to focus on my successes: I've made delicious soup, bread, brownies, and dal from scratch and we are currently under budget for the week. I feel much more confident in my skills as a cook and whereas a week ago the thought of shopping on $30 a week was an entertaining notion in which I didn't have full confidence, I am now wholly sure it's not only doable, but a much more healthy way to eat.

I've been asked by more than one person, "But what will you do when your cupboards and fridge resources are depleted? How can you stay under budget and still buy all the stuff you need?" Well, that's the point, isn't it? The average food benefit that someone on government assistance (SNAP) receives per month is only $101. So, there are a lot of people who have to live on even less than $30 a week. And that's just in the U.S., one of the richest nations in the world. Besides, these guys have been eating on $30 a week for over a year now and they haven't died, or exploded, or even just quit. Maybe once my overflowing cupboards have stopped flowing and all those bits and pieces stashed in the freezer are gone I'll have to rethink things, but in the meantime, ONWARD!

TOTAL
Spent $21.72 (not counting dinner out last night)
Left $8.28