After our week long Cinco de Mayo celebration, I was pretty sure margaritas would be put on the back burner for a while…and they were. However, last weekend was gorgeous and what made sitting by the pool a LITTLE better? That delicious Jalapeno Margarita! We aren’t fussy when it comes to tequila, mainly because when you mix it with limeade the real taste isn’t important so there’s no reason to splurge on something costly. I tried Sauza Tequila this time, mainly because they had a $5 rebate through iBotta App ( other money saving apps ). If you follow me in Instagram ( @livinglarochelife ) you already saw this little gem. Makes me drool every time.

Ingredients:
Tequila
Jalapenos – sliced
Frozen Limeade
Limes – sliced in a wedge
Ice

First, I like to infuse my tequila with the jalapenos ( you can choose to add the jalapeno directly to the drinks, but you don’t get the same spicy bite as when it has been infusing for a while ). We don’t have tequila any other way, so a bottle of spicy tequila never goes to waste. Slice 1/2 – 1 whole jalapeno and add it to the tequila. Allow to infuse at least 30 minutes. Prepare the limeade as directed on package.

Fill a shaker with ice, add 1 1/2 oz jalapeno infused tequila, 8 oz of prepared limeade, juice from a slice of lime and shake. Pour into a solo cup and jump in the pool!

Oodles and Oodles of Zucchini Noodles! We get so many fresh veggies in our weekly CSA share that sometimes we need to be extra creative. That’s when I turn to Pinterest and do some searching until something peaks my interest…I look at the recipe…see if I have all the ingredients…see if there is anything I need to substitute and then make it my own. Last week we got about 7 skinny mini eggplant and another five yellow squash and zucchini. I originally thought chicken parm with eggplant…I know, boooorrrring. Instead, I pulled the trigger and ordered a Spiralizer to hop on the zoodle bandwagon! It was a pleasant surprise to see it was on sale AND had an additional discount!!

Eggplant Meatballs with Zoodles

Prep – 30 minutes / Cook – 20 minutes

Ingredients:
7 small or 1 large Eggplant – cubed
1 small Onion – chopped
Garlic – chopped
Chickpeas – rinsed & drained
1/4 – 1/2c Breadcrumbs
2-3 small Zucchini – spiralized
Tomato Sauce
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Heat olive oil in pan on medium high heat and cook eggplant, onions and garlic about 10 minutes until just about tender / remove from heat and let cool slightly / in a food processor, add the eggplant mixture and 1/4c breadcrumbs pulse until everything is incorporated ( like a ground meat texture )

Adjust liquid or breadcrumbs so the mixture is easy to form into balls / roll into about 1-1 1/2″ “meatballs” and saute in pan of oil until brown on all sides / meanwhile, make zoodles ( or thin slices on a mandolin ) and allow to drain

Spiralizer (other options here, here and here)

After eggplant balls are brown on all sides, remove from heat and add the zoodles to an oiled pan and cook 2-3 minutes until slightly tender

Add sauce to zoodles until warm / top zucchini noodles with eggplant balls and serve, topped with cheese if desired

We were so happy with how this meal turned out! It is a little more work and prep than I would prefer, but really not bad at all. I cooked the eggplant, pureed it and formed balls the night before. After work the next night, all Kevin had to do was make the zoodles and heat everything through. This was so delicious and a great way to get veggies into us and our kids! Adding the beans to the eggplant balls gives a little more texture and protein. Definitely something we will be making more often!

If there are any recipes you want to see or an item you want to see me incorporate in a meal, let me know!

I may be the oddball here, but I actually enjoy Grocery Shopping. I like to shop the sales and see how cheap I can make my shopping trip every week. However, that does not mean I skimp on quality or taste. Here is a full meal for two adults and a toddler for $10, not per person – total! The items you should have in the pantry are not included in the cost.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Balsamic Glazed Wax Beans

Chicken Cordon Bleu
5 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs – $6.23
1/4lb Low Sodium Deli Ham – $1.30
1/4lb Swiss Cheese – $1.89
Breadcrumbs
Egg

Roasted Sweet Potato
1 Large Sweet Potato – < $0.79
Spices

Balsamic Glazed Wax Beans
1lb Wax Beans – from our CSA – ( ~$1.99 typically)
Balsamic Vinegar
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Butterfly chicken. Place one piece of ham and one piece of cheese on top, roll the chicken / dip in egg / dip in breadcrumbs / use a toothpick to secure if necessary / lay seam side down on a greased baking sheet / sprinkle with Mrs. Dash no salt seasoning / peel and cube sweet potato / drizzle with olive oil and spread on same pan with chicken / bake 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Boil wax beans just until tender / drain and add back the pan with a drizzle of vinegar / let simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve immediately.
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The above was enough food for three of us, plus two lunches for the following day. Cooking healthy does not have to break the bank. If you pay attention and shop the sales it can be extremely affordable – or buying just what you need! The chicken was on sale this week “buy 1 get 1 free” so technically the above package cost me just over $3 and I have another package for later. Cold cuts tend to go to waste in our house so I chose to buy only what we needed for this meal which was just enough! Shopping a little differently can save you time and money in the end.

I always try to have potatoes (regular and sweet) in the pantry along with vinegar and sauces, spices, eggs and breadcrumbs because they can be so versatile to make a basic dish much more tasty!

Pizza has never been food that got me excited. I probably fall within a small fraction of people that could take it or leave it (mostly leave it). However, we discovered Naan Pizza a few years ago and is easily something we make multiple times a week. I had to laugh thinking Brandon will go to a friends house one day, they’ll have pizza and he won’t know what it is because Naan will be “pizza” to him. #poorkid

We make lots of different varieties of pizza but this has got to be one of the staples (besides buffalo chicken!)

BBQ Chicken Naan Pizza
Prep – 5 minutes / Cook – 15 minutes

Ingredients
Naan
Chicken / cooked and diced or shredded
Black Beans / drained
BBQ Sauce (recipe below)
Shredded Cheese

Top Naan with cooked chicken, black beans, bbq sauce and cheese / bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes // or grill for 15-20 minutes until bread is crispy and cheese has melted.

**tip / short on time? use frozen (and cooked) chicken tenders or rotisserie chicken. What else you can do with Stonefire Naan and Flatbreads, get inspired!