I mentioned before that Olivia loves her grilled cheese. Well, like all good things this phase in her life has come to an end. When the amount of crust she left after each meal grew larger than the amount she had eaten, I sensed a change in her lunch routine was imminent.

And we’ve had fun experimenting!

Our two current favorite Grilled-Cheese-Alternatives are quesadillas and omelettes.

How to make a (semi)-Healthy Quesadilla:

Ingredients:
Corn tortillas (the soft things that taco shells are made of before you bake them) – We use four inch tortillas because we have an eight-inch saute pan that they fin in beautifully.
Mozzerella cheese
Deli meat (Ham, turkey, or both (we go for both)).
Butter (Yummm…)

1. First, heat a saute pan or skillet at medium – medium high heat.
2. Then, after tearing the wrap off the end of a stick of butter, rub the butter over the hot pan until there is enough grease to satisfy your daily requirement.
3. Place the tortilla in the pan.
4. Sprinkle cheese over half the tortilla.
5. Place a piece of turkey and a piece of ham on top of the cheese.
6. Fold the tortilla over the meat and cheese.
7. Wait a bit; flip.
8. When it is sufficiently golden brown and crispy, transfer to plate and enjoy.
9. I take the additional step of using my crinkle cutter to slice the quesadilla into thirds. I think it looks more professional that way.

How is it healthy? Mozzarella has less fat than cheddar. Besides that? I’m not too sure. But it is very quick to make. And you can make two at a time on an eight-inch saute pan. Not to mention cheap. I can buy a 36-pack of 4-inch tortillas at Aldi’s for less than a dollar.

On to our next discovery:

The Omelette:

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 Tbs water
dash pepper
non-stick spray (or a stick of butter, as demonstrated in above recipe)
Desired stuffings (shredded cheddar cheese, ham, peppers, onions)

1. Heat an eight-inch saute pan over medium heat.
2. In a small bowl, beat two eggs with a fork until blended.
3. Add 2 Tbs water and a dash of pepper.
4. Spray pan, or rub butter on it.
5. Add egg mixture and stir constantly until bottom is mostly set.
6. Sprinkle desired stuffings over half the egg mixture.
7. When the egg mixture is set, but the top is still glossy and “wet looking,” fold the egg mixture over on top of the stuffings.
8. Transfer to plate and enjoy.

How is this healthy? The Incredible, Edible Egg; come on! Lots of protein, very filling, very cheap. And it’s quick enough unless you have my husband’s taste buds, which require the chopping of many stinky veggies.

For more frugal tips – hop, skip, and jump on over to Crystal’s blog!
(Can you tell how happy I am that I have my precious internet back again?!)