Here we are once again with another Friday Food Challenge. Today I tackled the letter 'E' and let me tell you, it wasn't easy. I was battling all day with what to create and/or try. We had gone to a local Mexican grocery store for some conchitas (conchas - delicious Mexican bread) and it hit me, enchiladas! I love enchiladas, but sometimes people just don't have the funds or time to create the delicious dish. So we head to Trader Joe's to see if they had any alternatives. I ended up finding a pack of cheese enchiladas and chicken enchiladas, both in the frozen aisle. Along with purchasing the two frozen enchilada meals ($1.99 each) I also purchased and a frozen eggplant parmigiana meal ($2.49). I was impressed with just how inexpensive they were, so all I needed to do was taste them. We found the panda (if the kids find the stuffed animal - in our case panda - that is hidden around the store, they get a lollipop), paid for our purchases, and headed home.
Both enchilada packs came with 2, creating just enough for 2 meals per dish, totaling 4 meals overall. The cheese enchiladas were a lacking a little bit of flavor, even though they were filled with loads of cheese and topped with ample sauce. I ended up adding a little Tapatio to spice it up. My son wasn't a huge fan either, but it was still a good cheap alternative. The chicken enchiladas were my favorite. They were packed with shredded chicken - I was a little worried they would put chunks for some reason - and topped with ample sauce as well. Tapatio was added, but it wasn't for flavor purposes.. Love me some spicyness! My son did enjoy this one more than the cheese one, but he still wasn't amused. He's had real enchiladas too many times, to accept these as actual ones. Can you say picky? I ate one cheese enchilada and one chicken enchilada, which left me stuffed, but I still wanted to try to eggplant parmigiana I had prepared as well.
The eggplant parmigiana was a HUGE miss for my son, but I actually enjoyed it. I'm not a huge fan of eggplant, but this one - which was grilled - had a very subtle taste that was covered with a delicious sauce. The sauce is very similar to their tomato basil marinara sauce and just as equally tasty. This - I feel - is an excellent healthy meal option and relatively cheap. The serving size would really only suit one person, but still an awesome meal.
Both the enchilada and eggplant meals take roughly 45 minutes - in the oven. While you can microwave for a quicker dinner, I personally think food prepared in the oven or on the stove-top, just tastes better.
We also purchased edamame at Trader Joe's, which is my son's favorite snack. You can choose to purchase them in the pods or out. We choose in, because my son likes a little bit of sea salt sprinkled on top, licking the salt, the popping the seeds into his mouth. The edamame was only $1.79 and worth either 4 snack portions or 2 meals for a toddler. Or at least my toddler.
Before I forget, the juice pictured in the photo is Trader Joe's Dixie Peach juice. An absolute favorite of ours! In case you were wondering, it's $3.99 for a 64 ounce and it's SO freaking good.
Overall I was stuffed at the end of the day and paid roughly $6.50 for both the enchiladas and eggplant meals. It was a little too much for me and I would've preferred to have had the enchiladas on a separate day than the eggplant, but I don't like wasting food. Therefore, I ended up with an extremely stuffed belly. All well, at least I won't be lurking in the kitchen at midnight looking for a snack. Who am I kidding? I'll still do it.
Once again we've completed a Food Challenge Friday. Completely successful? No, merely because my son is the judge I'm trying to impress. No bother. I will still be re-purchasing the eggplant parmigiana for myself! Personally I've been spoiled - like my son - with real enchiladas, so I think I'll just hold out until we're able to get the real deal. Like I said before, it's a good alternative, just not perfect.
Have a wonderful Memorial weekend guys (USA) and stay safe! We live within a few minutes of Downtown and near-ish to the local beaches, which - unfortunately - means drunk drivers. Therefore, we won't be going anywhere until Monday. We will be having a little family day at my dad's house, avoiding the hustle and bustle of public celebratory parties. Just how we like it!
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