Do you ever have those times when you know you have something on hand and plan around that something, only to have it not be what you thought?
For days now, I have had tabouleh on the brain. It’s my favorite thing to buy at the Whole Foods hot bar – I just love it! I thought I had a nice cucumber in the crisper from my last produce box, so this week I ordered up the ingredients to make my own tabouleh, and even made a swap in my produce box to get a tomato.
I can’t seem to find small grain bulgur wheat around here, which is how I like tabouleh, but I figured out you can buy a box of Near East taboule mix and just discard the seasoning packet to get the small grain bulgur wheat. When I went to put it all together last night, wouldn’t you know it, the “cucumber” was a giant zucchini. Whoopsie!
So, the zucchini became part of some brownies (really) and the bulgur wheat got mixed with some roasted sweet potatoes and a homemade garbanzo bean burger. When life gives you zucchinis, improvise! Oh, and garbanzo bean burgers = deliciousness. I will make them again soon and share the recipe, if I can remember it, that is – it was sort of just a “little bit of this/little bit of that” creation!
Here’s this week’s damage:
Goal: $75
Actual: $68.68
| Amazon Fresh | Qty. | Extended Price ($) |
| Lemon, Organic | 1 | $0.99 |
| Italian Parsley (Flat Leaf), 1 Bunch (Washington) | 1 | $1.19 |
| Stella Parmesan Wedge, 8 oz | 1 | $4.59 |
| Basil, Organic, .75 oz Package (United States@2.49ea | 1 | $2.49 |
| Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Original Flavor, 7.25 oz | 1 | $2.98 |
| Near East Taboule, 5.25 oz | 1 | $2.59 |
| La Moderna Spaghetti, 16 oz | 1 | $1.98 |
| Bob’s Red Mill, Bulgur Wheat, 28 oz | 1 | $4.19 |
| Red Star Bread Machine Yeast, 4 oz | 1 | $7.19 |
| Bear River Valley Naturals Frosted Tumble Wheats | 1 | $3.49 |
| $31.68 |
CSA Box – $37
Budget Buddies:
- Emily Levenson
- Maria Marz
- Veggie Converter
- Dairy-Free Cooking
- Motor City Girl In the Steel City
- Veggie Burgher
- The Happy Cactus
- The Vegetarian Salmon
- Newly Vegan
- Always Sick and Tired
- Veggie on the Cheap
- MeloMeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day
- A Guy, A Girl, And a Dinner Plate
- The Amateur Low Carb Flexitarian
- The Veggie Life
- Caroline Cain Holistic Health
- Under The Apple Tree
View Comments (8)
Okay, you are not going to believe this, but I went to make this lentil ambrosia soup and needed a zucchini and pulled out a cucumber instead. Doh! The soup turned out fine and I ate the cucumber another day, but still. I totally thought it was a zuke and not a cuke in there!
YAY under budget you!
HA! That is awesome. If I only had your cuke and you had my zuke! ? Glad to see you back in business as well.
love the new look of the blog!!
and i’ve done that before. or at least though i had a key ingredient and then did not. but only figured it out halfway through cooking said recipe. good times. ?
way to go for the craftiness and resourcefulness with using the zucchini.
Thank you! It is a work in progress, but I am getting there!
2ChiliBreadBowl did not enjoy the zucchini resourcefulness nearly as much as I did. Ah well, more brownies for me…
Roasted sweet potatoes and a homemade garbanzo bean burger with the bulgur wheat sounds really good. It would be great to get the recipe!
Thank you Angela.
I’ll try Chandana! Sometimes if I don’t write something down, I can’t remember it again! But, I will make it a point to re-create in the next week or so and post.
Wow, sounds delicious! Love the way you have set your page out, I need to get some order in mine, it’s a bit hap-hazard. Will definitely have to try out some of your recipes.
Aw, thanks. It is definitely a work in progress as I have time! Thanks for stopping by – and I seriously have chocolate almonds on the to-do list for this weekend!