Monday, 1/23/12: Happy Chinese New Year

We always celebrate Chinese New Year. Karen says it's because Angel is Chinese. This year Doris' Chinese/Vietnamese friends gave cards/money, so that added to the fun. While I made dinner, Karen and Doris made a calm jar, ala Moody Cow. Doris was having a very Moody Cow day and when I suggested she read this book with Amma, she said yes, like she knew it would help her calm her emotions down. It seemed to work and we had a much better night.

I didn't plan for this meal. We have a lot of food at home so we aren't going to the grocery store for a while, so I didn't plan and buy stuff for this meal. I just made what I had. And amazingly, I had a lot. Except for rice. We only had a little left but it worked out to be enough.

I made some spring rolls in the toaster oven. I made a dipping sauce of lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce, and hoisin sauce. It was pretty good. Karen's taking the leftovers for lunch today.

I made Orange Mandarin Chik'n by Gardein. This is really good. It says on their package that it's their most popular product and I can totally believe it. Last time I made it, Doris wouldn't touch it, but this time she ate a lot of it. Most Gardein products are way too expensive, but this one is affordable so I buy it. Doris liked it so much that she is eating the leftovers for lunch today.

I made a tofu and veggie stir-fry with a Thai style peanut sauce. I used fresh mushrooms but the rest of the veggies were frozen. I used half a bag of green beans and a quarter of a bag of Asian stir fry veggies. The sauce was made of peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili sauce, and lemon juice. It was quite tasty. Doris ate a lot of the tofu. The only problem with making dishes like this is that Doris can't take the leftovers to school because of the peanut butter so I try not to make them too often. I'm eating these leftovers. Two lunches worth.

Rice: 40 cents
Spring Rolls: $3
Chik'n: $4
Tofu: $4
Mushrooms: $2
Green beans: $1.50
Veggies: 75 cents
Sauces: $1

Total: $16.65 ($5.55 per person)

That's a lot. We could have probably done without the spring rolls, which would have brought it down to 13.65, which is still a lot. We had some leftovers but only enough for lunches, not dinners. So this is okay for a holiday but not otherwise. Probably the chik'n, though cheaper than other Gardein products, is still not a value product.