Way back when, when I was diving into this whole budget thing, I asked a friend who happens to be a phenomenal accountant to counsel me on saving. She left an impression on me when she said:

In order to save, you either need to make more money, or you need to cut down on what you’re spending.

Seems obvious, right? Until you realize you still aren’t saving! (Check out the rest of her brilliant advice in this video.)

In the vein of both spending less and making more, I’ve been cooking for a friend and her family to help her transition into full-time work. This venture started when I found myself unemployed for the fourth time in three years after a layoff. Stephanie called me up and asked if I could help with meal planning and preparation for a month or so while her husband traveled for work.

I was more than happy to take on the challenge. I love cooking, and especially enjoy involved meals (i.e. soups that take hours to concoct, or slowly cooked meats), but rarely cook like this for myself. The deal: I could eat anything I made, which meant saving a ton on my grocery budget! The catch: Everything needs to be made with fresh, organic ingredients and be gluten-free.

That was in January. The venture has been so fun that it’s lasted well past that first month. I’ve been cooking several meals a week for Stephanie and her family for almost three months now.

I started with recipes primarily from Bon Appetit’s 2013 Food Lover’s Cleanse and have since expanded to include clean, gluten-free recipes from some of my favorite food blogs. You can find links to almost everything I’ve made at my Pinterest board, Health and Happiness. Feel free to comment and share your results!

This Week’s Menu

Dinner 1:
Garlicky roasted lamb with potatoes (paper recipe in March 2013 Southern Living)
Wilted watercress OR sautéed broccolini

Dinner 2:
Falafel-Style Lentil Burgers (sub brown rice for breadcrumbs) with tomato and yogurt sauce
Cider-glazed carrot and quinoa salad

Dinner 3 (to prep):
Ginger fried rice with egg
Massaged kale with orange tarragon dressing
Olive and orange salad

Let me know if you try out any of the recipes above!