I have really been trying to watch my spending recently since we are working towards saving to buy a house- Woof… Naturally, my downfall is groceries. I love going to the grocery store, and typically go more than once per week. Half because I forgot something and half because I like going. And more often than not, I come out with way more than I went into get… Oops? When we moved out of downtown Detroit we literally though “we will be so much closer to grocery stores”… dietitian priorities….
I usually do the bulk of my shopping on Tuesdays, because that is my day off and Aldi is so much more bearable at 11am in the middle of the week- I get “cart-rage” when there are too many people in an aisle. So, when it was Sunday, and I realized I hadn’t bought/planned anything for meatless Monday, I was determined to get a little creative and use whatever I had on hand.
The result? Black bean “meatballs” and me questioning why I had never tried this before…
This meal cost a total of less than $3. And I was rounding up, seriously. That’s $1.50 per serving. **Holds for applause**
Black Bean “Meatballs”
Yield: 10 medium-sized Meatballs
Serves: 2 (5 meatballs each)
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1/3 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg white
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients except oregano into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Form 10 medium –sized meatballs. Place meatballs in a greased mini-muffin pan or on a baking sheet.
- Bake for ~12-15 minutes, until no longer fragile.
Nutrition Information: 153.5 calories, 0.39g fat, 28.1g carbohydrates, 8.8g protein
I made some whole wheat rotini, warmed garlic-herb pasta sauce, and steamed broccoli to go with, adding a finishing touch of parmesan and oregano. My final nutrition count for the meal: 458.5 calories, 4.2g fat, 87.3g carbohydrate, 24.2g protein.
As we were eating Joe says to me “You could even add a little worsterchire sauce to these for a more “meaty” taste.” …. The student has become the master? Yeah right… But good tip, my dear, we’ll give it a try.
Feel free to adjust the spices as you like. If you haven’t noticed we LOVE cumin, and add it to just about everything. I feel like it adds a little need warmth, but to each their own.
Penny pinching and a happy tummy make for a great day.
mittendietitian.wordpress.com 