Gluten-Free Comfort Bowl Recipe on a budget

A downsized food budget has forced me to get more creative with my meals. Being gluten free, soy free as well as allergic to cashews and peanuts adds to the challenge. I can no longer just run over to Chipotle when I don't feel like making dinner. I can't justify spending $10 on one meal when I could make multiple meals with that same $10.

After I get home from the grocery store, I tend to spend the first couple of days eating all the tastiest food. By the time I get to the last days there is very little in the cupboard or refrigerator that tempts me. After I consumed all the fresh vegetables and fruit this week; I was left with the canned and packaged. Taste meter: Blah

Tricolor Quinoa $4.99

Whole Kernel Corn $0.89

Organic Black Beans $.99

Crumbled Goat Cheese $2.99

Yes, the crumbled goat cheese was in the refrigerator and it falls under one of the items I eat in the first days. There was only about a spoonful left in the container. I love cheese. I would say that cheese is my favorite ingredient. For health reasons and budget reasons, I've stopped buying half and half and the five different kinds of cheese I adore. Goat cheese is my exception. I justify this tasty splurge because it has a higher nutritional value, its easier to digest and the goats are generally treated more humanely than cows.

Also from the fresh zone was a small amount of Whole Foods house made guacamole. Normally this is a luxury item but it was on sale ($2.60 for a small container) which is less then it would cost me to make it from scratch. 

I made one serving of quinoa with leftover Bone Broth for extra protein but water is all that is required to make it. I heated both the corn and black beans in separate glass containers mixing in yellow curry with the corn for more flavor. 

Bowl:

layer of quinoa

layer of beans

layer of corn & yellow curry

salt and pepper to taste

topped with a spoonful of goat cheese 

2 spoonfuls of guacamole or sliced avocado

There was enough of everything but the goat cheese to enjoy this dish 4 times this week. If I'd had a full container of goat cheese I could have made it stretch. There's still enough quinoa for multiple dishes.