Crockpot Chicken and Cornbread Dumplings

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Here is the recipe that Renee sent me!

Chicken & Dumplings
1 pound chicken ($1.77)
1 can cream of mushroom soup ($.75)
1 can cream of chicken soup ($.75)
1 small onion sliced or diced ($.20)
1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (I use country style) ($1)
1 can of Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits ($1) or less...these are often on sale and there are always coupons and "ecoupons" for these. Use paper + ecoupon when on sale to maximize savings :)

Follow same directions as below.

Cost $5.47 (based on my guess of how much the cream of soups cost??!!!)

I had to make a few modifications since we can't eat cream of soups or biscuits. I included a cost breakdown of her recipe as well.

Here is how I made this "from scratch"...

Ingredients
1.5 lbs chicken breast ($2.65)
1 16 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables ($1)
Homemade GF White Sauce or Homemade White Sauce ($.50-$.75)
1/2 cup water
2 slices GF Cornbread ($.35) Leftover from Thanksgiving
2 Broccoli Heads ($.75)

Directions
1. Place chicken breast in crockpot. Pour frozen veggies over the chicken (no need to thaw). Pour 3-4 cups white sauce (or cream of soups) over the chicken and veggies. Add water to completely cover chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours.
2. About 1 hour before the crockpot is done cooking, add the cornbread, crumbled into pieces (or top with the biscuits).
3. Steam broccoli in steamer for 3-5 minutes or microwave for 3 minutes. Serve on the side with chicken and dumplings.

Cost $5.25 (hopefully there will be leftovers! I think this is my most expensive dinner yet!)

VERDICT: Banana Stuffed French Toast

The Verdict is IN!

Loved it! Both boys loved it! (I did serve it with GF syrup, which is probably the real reason they liked it!) This will definitely become a regular addition to the breakfast rotation. And maybe even for lunch on occasion!

I loved it too! Of course, there needed to be some adult quality control involved too! The bread soaked up all the egg/milk moisture and was very soft and easy to eat.

The only thing I would change...not have as much bread in there. Not just because its expensive. Because there was some pieces of bread "above" the egg mixture as it cooked, and these pieces turned out very hard. All the bread "below/in" the egg mixture was perfect!

Other goodies you could add into the mixture...dollops of natural PB in with the bread pieces. Or spread PB onto the bread before putting it into the dish. Do the same with cream cheese. Add in fresh (or frozen) strawberries after you pour the egg mixture over the bread. Garnish with mixed berries after it's baked.

I froze the extra pieces, cut into meal size portions for the boys, and will just pull them out as needed!

Indeed a yummy breakfast dish!

Cheese (or Beef) Enchiladas with Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Thanks to Alaina for this "Your Blog is Fabulous" Award! I'm flattered and really appreciate it!

And also to Jolene for the "Proximidade Award". I am honored!

Ingredients
10 corn tortillas ($.69)
1/2 lb ground sirloin ($.90) See the deal I got here.
1/2 onion, chopped ($.15)
2 cups cheese ($1.50) or cheaper with the Shortcuts.com "ecoupon" I already used mine up!
Enchilada Sauce ($.25) I used free Muir Glen tomato paste instead of the tomato sauce. It's often on sale for $1 or less + $1 coupon = Free! Chicken broth = Free when homemade!
1 cup frozen corn ($.75)
1/4 cup dried black beans ($.10)
1/4 cup salsa ($.15)

I ended up making 6 enchiladas with cheese for Hubs and I in one pan. And made the other 4 enchiladas without cheese for the boys (to make them GFCFSF). The sauce is delicious and these would be fine without the cheese...despite their name :) The cheeseless variety shall be called "Beef Enchiladas"! Genius :)

Directions
1. Make enchilada sauce according to Sherry's instructions. It's a lovely sauce!
2. Brown the ground sirloin with chopped onion. Drain fat. Put back into skillet and add 1 cup of enchilada sauce.

3. In baking dish, spread about 1/2 cup of sauce. Then place tortilla open. Add ground beef/sauce in line in middle of tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up tortilla. Repeat using all tortillas and beef sauce. Spread remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
4. Bake 15 - 20 minutes at 350 until cheese melts and sauce is "bubbly."

5. Cook frozen corn as directed.
6. Soak beans. Then boil 1.5 - 2 hours until tender. When done cooking, cool by running cold water over them in a strainer. Mix with corn and salsa for a great side dish.

Cost $4.49

Holiday Help from the Doughboy and my old friend Betty

Aren't those snowman cookies adorable? Sign up HERE for the recipe, as well as, meal ideas, coupons, and more from Betty Crocker.

And that Christmas tree appetizer! Get the recipe and others from Pillsbury by signing up HERE. Coupons included :)

If you haven't requested your "Dinner Made Easy" 30 minute meals "enewsletter", you can do that here! More great meals delivered right into your inbox!

Mango Avocado Soup

"It's the thrill of the bargain!" I love this phrase, and wish I could claim it as my own. It is indeed thrilling to catch a great deal. Slightly addicting perhaps.

This phrase belongs to my friend MW. She is a fellow bargain shopper all across the board. Including groceries!

On sale at Meijer this week are mangoes and avocadoes. $1 for each one. Making this soup cheap and yummy! Her little man loved it, so it's been marked "Toddler Approved!"

This Mango-Avocado Soup recipe from Recipezaar.com looks amazing. And I've been looking for a good chilled soup! She suggested leaving out the water for a thicker soup. Recipe and directions here. If you added some "hot out of the oven" homemade buns, this meal would cost around $3!

Got a Meijer nearby? Go grab some mangoes and avocadoes. Don't know how to pick them out. It's the same for both. Give them a gentle squeeze and your thumb should be able to make an slight indentation. Hard = not ripe. Don't trust the "ripe today" stickers that indicate they are ripe. Soft = yummy soup tonight! Enjoy!

Thanks MW for the great recipe that perfectly matches a great produce sale!

For other great "Works for Me Wednesday" tips, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer!

Honey Dijon Fish

"A Month of Meals" Ebook Winner...

Here are your random numbers:66
Timestamp: 2008-12-02 22:16:13 UTC

#66 - Ranae is the winner of the ebook. Ranae is a SAHM with 7 "constantly moving, constantly hungry grasshoppers"! Congratulations!

A big thanks to Jamie for giving away a copy of her ebook. Didn't win? You can buy one here.

Don't forget to be thinking of the meal that you want to make for the $5 Dinner Challenge.

Ingredients
4 Whiting fillets ($2.25) Tilapia would be a nice alternative! I used preservative-free frozen fillets for this meal.
3 Tablespoon honey ($.25)
3 Tablespoon rice vinegar ($.05)
3 Tablespoon dijon ($.15)
a few pinches of cajun seasoning ($.02)
2 lb mashed sweet potatoes ($.74) (Remember how I made a big batch...)
1-2 cups frozen organic peas ($.75)

Directions
1. Season fish with cajun seasoning.
2. In bowl, whisk honey, vinegar and dijon.
3. Place fish on aluminum foil. Pour honey dijon sauce over fish. Wrap foil around fish fillets.
4. Place foil packet straight onto the rack in the oven. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, until fish flakes easily (time will vary depending on the thickness of the fillet).
5. Bake sweet potatoes at 350 for 1 hour in baking dish with 1/4 inch water. Cover with foil. Remove and let cool about 10 minutes. Peel skins off of the potato and mash. Serve with cinnamon and butter if you like. We eat them "plain".
6. Cook peas as directed on packaging.
7. Serve fish with side of sweet potatoes and peas.

Cost $4.21

Banana Stuffed French Toast

So I'm doing a little research today. I wanted to see how the really "dry" GF bread would do as "stuffed french toast"...This recipe is gluten free, casien free, and soy free. (I have added in parenthesis the options using milk and wheat bread.) We'll see how the boys like it for breakfast tomorrow!

Ingredients
1 loaf of GF brown rice bread (or 1/2 loaf whole wheat bread)
10 eggs
1/2 cup rice milk (or 1/2 cup 2% milk)
1/2 cup apple juice
2 small ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
1. Tear bread and place in bottom of glass 9x13 baking dish.
2. In large bowl, whisk eggs, rice milk, apple juice, vanilla, bananas and cinnamon.
3. Pour egg mixture over the bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours (I recommend overnight).

4. To cook, remove foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until eggs begin to golden on top.
5. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Serve with side of fresh fruit or juice.

Verdict: I'll let you know tomorrow :) I'm hoping to add this to our "breakfast rotation".

Grocery Shopping Trips

Yep...2 trips today...to 3 different stores! In the snow. With the kids. Oh boy!

Why??!!?? Well, I had a $10 gift card to Meijer that I wanted to use to get some produce. They had a decent amount of produce on sale, so I stopped in while we were already in the area (there are 2 Meijers about 20 minutes from my house...too far to go there regularly!). And I needed to drop into Trader Joes to grab a few things for the boys, mainly Rice Milk. Thankfully, TJs is right near Meijers!

Can you spot the red 40% off "quick sale" sticker...paid "summer time" price for that watermelon :) The super expensive GF bread is hiding in the back...I want to make French Toast Casserole (similar to this one) for the boys for breakfast to see how it turns out, and if they like it! The bread seems hard, but soaking it the egg/rice milk mixture might help...one of my many GF experiments! Anyone with more GF experience...chime in :)

Total from Meijer $.95 after Gift Card
Total from Trader Joes $11.46

Later I stopped by Kroger for the essentials...

Highlights from Kroger...$.49 Cottonelle, $1.50 bag organic frozen corn, $1.75 1 lb. ground sirloin (Manager's Special - $.75 Shortcuts.com "ecoupon") to be used for 2 meals this week, $5 Coconut Oil (reg. $9), 4 packages of Tyson chicken breast/tenderloins at 1.77/lb, all produce on sale, and Kroger brand salsa for $.50 (on sale $1 - $.50 Shortcuts.com "ecoupon")

Total spent $45.45
Total saved $33.40 (42%)

Total for the week...$57.86

I have been really nervous about how being on budget with starting on the GF diet. It has been a challenge, but I do believe that baking their snacks has made a big difference in helping keep costs low. Thankfully, the GF baking supplies have been on sale at Kroger, so I'm all stocked up and should be good to go for a while :) It helped me know when the sale would expire...so I could buy one package of the GF mix each week and not run over my weekly budget! Yeah for saving and stockpiling!

AND...it's December 1st which means there are LOTS of new on the coupons.com widget in my sidebar. So...get to printing, as once they've reached their max print limit they will "disappear". Even if you think you might buy the product at the end of the month or even in early January...now's the time to print!

I'm off to eat Thai food with Hubs...hoping the spices will help clear my head!

Another Coupon Booklet

I've got another coupon booklet for you to sign up for...Click on the image or HERE to sign up for more coupons!

Also check out the new Pillsbury Holiday Recipes and the Betty Crocker Holiday Recipes. More coupons! Love those FREE coupons!

$5 Dinner Challenge and Giveaway (is now Closed!)

It's finally here.......The $5 Dinner Challenge!

Your mission...if you choose to accept it...is to challenge yourself to make a wholesome, balanced meal for $??? or less!

Why the ???...Well, $5 works for me and my family. Perhaps your family is smaller...or larger...or you live in a region of the country that has much higher prices than the middle of the Midwest where I live. I'd venture to say that prices in the middle of NYC or SF are much higher than those that I see in my grocery store. I'd also venture to say that it does indeed cost more to feed a family of 8! Or even 6! Especially if teenage boys are involved :)

The goal is to set a dollar amount for yourself based on your family size and grocery prices in your region that will CHALLENGE you to make meals for less than that amount! Every one is feeling the pinch on the budget these days. Staying in one night a week and doing the $5 Dinner Challenge will save you hundreds of $$$ over the course of a year! Start with this simple way to save :)

I can't wait to read all the inexpensive dinner recipes that you all come up with!

For a complete listing of the guidelines, click here!

To kick off the $5 Dinner Challenge, I've got a great prize to give away!

Jamie from Baby Get Green has written an ebook titled "A Month of Meals". "A Month of Meals" is all about meal planning and the basics of grocery shopping. It is filled with recipes, shopping list, and weekly meal plans for a month. Jamie loves saving money and wrote this book to help other moms who need to have a strict grocery shopping budget, but may not cut coupons and all. The book puts meals together that have similar ingredients so that food is not wasted and families save throughout the weeks.

"A Month of Meals" is a 71 page book valued at $19.95. As a busy wife and mother, Jamie has felt the pressure of getting simple and healthy meals on the table. She strives to live in peace and simplicity. Along with her eBook, she has free information on meal planing that you can sign up to get on her blog - Baby Get Green where she blogs about living simple, cheap and green. Be sure to stop by and sign up!

THIS GIVEAWAY is NOW CLOSED! Just leave a comment below letting me know you'd like to win a copy of "A Month of Meals", and you'll be entered into the giveaway. If you do not have a blog, please leave your email so I can contact you! Contest will close at 5 pm on Tuesday, December 2nd. Winner will be announced in Tuesday night's dinner post.

It's YOUR turn to make frugal and nutritious meals! Starting next week, every Monday night I will post a Mr. Linky for you to link up your favorite frugal dinner meal from the week.