Grocery Haul for Two and Cajun Brown Rice Medley

This week was a quick and easy grocery haul. I'm currently on a freezer challenge. I'm using up what I already have in my freezer. I only needed to purchase some basic items.

The one and only stop this week was at Winco...

I purchased a lot of fresh veggies. I got spinach, kale, celery, butternut squash, carrots, beets, mushrooms, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and sweet potatoes. 

 

I also picked up our weekly supply of fresh fruit, apples, oranges and bananas. 

 

Some brown rice pasta in the bulk section.

And finally, milk and cookies (the perfect combo! :).

Total for Winco and my grand total for the week: $31

Not bad! Now to keep my freezer challenge going! :)

How many of you do freezer and/or pantry challenges?

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Cajun Brown Rice Medley

I started this recipe with the thought of making jambalaya. I ended up varying so much from the recipe that I had my own thing.

The only thing I used my Instant Pot for was cooking the brown rice. So you can obviously cook it in the way you normally would if you don't have an IP.

This is a really flexible recipe. You can use as many veggies as you want or have on hand. The measurements I give are an approximation.

For the veggies I had celery, onion, peppers, and mushrooms. I sauteed these until they were soft. 

 

I added 2 link sausages. These were Louisiana Hot Links that I purchase from Costco. They are spicy tasting. And I added a handful of chopped kale. I cooked this until the kale had softened and wilted and the sausages were hot. 

 

After the sausages were heated up I added cooked cut up chicken. I had taken my leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken and froze it. I used part of what I had and still have enough meat left in the freezer for another meal. 

 

I also added all the spices and the brown rice and one can of diced tomatoes.

We enjoyed this meal a lot. I had enough for us to eat for 2 nights and to put some in the freezer in individual containers.

Cajun Brown Rice Medley

1 to 2 T oil

1 cup chopped celery

½ a green or red pepper, chopped or 3 to 4 mini peppers

1 onion, chopped

2 large mushrooms, sliced

2 link sausages or kielbasa, cut into small pieces

1cup (or large handful) chopped kale

1 ½ cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces or shredded

1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes

2t Tony Chacheres Cajun Seasoning

1t granulated garlic

½ t Italian seasoning

¼ t salt, or to taste

pepper, to taste

3 cups cooked brown rice

In a large frying pan or soup pot on medium high, add oil. When oil is hot add celery, red pepper, onion and mushrooms. Cook until veggies are soft. Add sausage and kale and cook until kale wilts and sausage has heated through. Add chicken, diced tomatoes and seasonings.

Turn heat off and add brown rice. Stir and serve warm with a big salad or any side of your choice.