Saturday Night *Take In* - "Half Homemade" Spanakopita

Lately, going out to eat is a rare occurrence.We're a family of 4 naturally but have 2 additional house guests.  With one of them being another child, it's better to be home for meals.

While we love going out for some delicious BBQ or a burger, we often choose more ethnic cuisine when dining out. Tapas, Italian and of course Greek. 

My favorite of all is the "Spanakopita" or spinach pie. Spinach, Feta, Pastry, what more could you ask for!

With a tighter than usual grocery budget, I planned my Spanakopita to comfortably feed 6 as a side dish during dinner and also be easy lunches for the munchkins and I during the week.

Not only was it delicious, but it was organic and GMO free unlike the average Greek restaurant.

Price Comparison & Breakdown:

Organic Pre-made Fillo - $5.99 (their website has it cheaper if you're not in a rush here

1lb Organic Spinach- $3.99

10 ounces Feta (Used 3/4 container) $5.64

Organic cream cheese $.99

Organic onion $.79

Grass Fed Butter $1.40 worth ( 2 pack @ costco for $6.60)

Total Tray $18.80

 

16 squares = $1.18 Per Person!

Compared to $6 per appetizer portion at our local eatery.

Without further adieu- Half Homemade Spanakopita

You Need:

1lb organic spinach

1 package organic fillo dough- 16 sheets (you'll have left overs)

2 cups feta cheese

1 cup cream cheese (room temp)

half of 1 medium onion, minced

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

about 6 tablespoons of butter, preferably grass fed pasture butter.

Salt & Pepper to taste.

*important step* 

your fillo will be frozen if purchased at the grocery store, allow to thaw on the counter for 1-2 hours.

1.  Sautee onion on medium heat in 1 TBL spoon butter until translucent

2. Add your spinach and cook until wilted

3. Add garlic, cooking 1 minute additional and turn off heat. Salt and Pepper to taste

5. Melt 5 tablespoons butter in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds

6. Brush a small coat of butter on the bottom of your baking dish

7.When fillo is thawed, Carefully separate one sheet and lay in an oven safe baking dish. 

(Fillo is 14x8, - I used a 12x12 dish and overlapped) brush top of fillo with melted butter

8. Repeat step 7 until 8 layers of fillo are buttered and ready.

9. Add Feta and cream cheese to spinach mixture and mix well until fully combined

10. Spread spinach mixture on a layer about your fillo

11. Add 8 more fillo sheets, buttering each one separately, same as before.

12. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 20 minutes, preheat your oven to 350*

13. Once out of the freezer, precut your pieces and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

For Freezing-

Wrap each piece individually with plastic wrap and freeze immediately- ENJOY!

Celebrating the little things and an easy recipe for roasting pumpkins!

My favorite season, Fall. Leaves of gold, red and brown adorn our yard and tree lined streets of our town. Our house cozy with the fire place glowing and lots of under the blanket snuggles with my family.

But alas, Fall is also the time of year when stores showcase their home decor for the holidays, their new products and the material goods that they swear you cannot live without. I'd like to live without it, and be happy doing so. The second part is the hardest.

My husband and I have always been moderately minimalists in general but being aware of the constant demand of BUY BUY BUY has got me in a bit of a funk lately.

 I love shopping just as much as the next mama but the internal need to do so more ethically and consciously is stronger than ever. In my last post I mentioned buying local clothing from local makers and the importance of keeping your dollars in your community.

While this will always be my intention, doing so within our budget can some times raise a challenge. While my husband and I build up our 4th and (hopefully) final business venture, my goals will be the following:

 1. Try to make it first. While I am nowhere near a world class crafter, the internet is full of tutorials and giving us the ability to learn. I will be trying to use this resource to our advantage.

 2. Use Cash. The best money management books and articles say that our society is so quick to get their credit cards that we forget the value of actual paper money.

 

I've recently attempted this with my children with much success. Both my 2 year old and my 4 year old earned $1 for various chores and exceptional behavior. We then went to our local dollar tree and each child was allowed to pick 1 item of their choice. My 4 yr old of course asked for a candy as well, it was the perfect opportunity to explain that all things cost money and not always can we purchase every item we would like. Not only did they leave the store feeling proud and grateful, They had a better understanding that the little square piece of plastic is actually MONEY and not mommy and daddy's magic toy/candy buying wand. So many of our children see excess on a daily basis. Bringing them back to reality may be difficult but incredibly worth it long term.

3.Work for it  I'll be honest. Before moving to Colorado, the term *Barter* was never in my vocabulary. I never considered earning a need or want without paying for it monetarily. After doing local vendor fairs and farmers market I learned the beauty of trade. I'll never forget the day a cherry juice maker asked me if I'd like some delicious cherry cider in exchange for my granola bar. What a brilliant encounter, 2 makers with different products coming together to enjoy one another's offerings without making a purchase.

 4. When in doubt- Buy Local Harvest season is perfect for stocking up at local farmers markets and artisan fairs. Combine this with #1 and make yourself a winter supply of Apple butter or tomato sauce by learning to can. Ask for a deal if you're buying multiple goods and always leave feedback to promote a local business you love.

 5. Give yourself a break. We cannot always afford a hand painted masterpiece or a winter coat made by hand from an alpaca farm and that's ok. This is where our corporate frenemies come in handy. Cut yourself some slack and understand that you are always doing your best and your best is most often enough if not more than worthy of praise. Keep on keepin' on mama ;)


And Finally...

6. Use the internet. Google FREE and low cost EXPERIENCES for your children and your family. I'll take a new adventure over a new "thing" any day of the week and so will our children. Paint a pumpkin, collect some acorns and build a nature scene. Spending time is much more valuable than spending money.

 I'll be setting up our House Of J goodies tent at a few upcoming events this season, while our new studio sets up. My favorite of all of course my daughters farm school fair. If you are a Colorado local, come and support our amazing community of Artisans, makers and community leaders.

Last Fall a good friend had asked me to create a recipe for her motherhood community magazine Birth.Play.Love

Here it is :)- Enjoy!

Roasting your fresh pumpkin
into puree

1. Cut the top stem portion of your pumpkin and then cut in half length wise.
   
2. Scrape all of the seeds and stringy parts out with a spoon.
   
3. Lay your pumpkin half on a tin foil lined baking sheet and bake for 1
   hour at 350 degrees.
   
4. Once slightly cooled enough to handle, scrap the pumpkin fruit away
   from the shell..
   
5. Using a food processor or emersion blender pulse your pumpkin along
   with 1 table spoon of organic cane sugar until smooth and creamy.
   
6. For this recipe you only need 3⁄4 cup pumpkin but a medium pumpkin
   will yield roughly 2.5 cups.
   
7. Freeze your left over puree in a mason jar or air tight plastic bag and
   

enjoy long after pumpkin season is over!