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Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Enchiladas

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:51:29 +0000

I have distinct memories of blue cheese lingering on my taste buds. The flavor has been lingering for a few weeks…every since the Spicy Chicken Chili.

In clearing out the freezer, I found 2 baggies of chicken breasts that I had frozen with Frank’s red sauce as a marinade. Trying to figure out how to use it up in a fun, clever way wasn’t too hard. These blue cheese memories were lingering in the forefront of my brain. And with all the buffalo chicken dip talk with the Super Bowl happening this weekend…these enchiladas seemed to be in order.

I had corn tortillas leftover in the freezer from the last enchiladas I made, as well as the shredded cheese. I had the canned tomato sauce in my stockpile, so the only ingredient I needed to purchase for this meal was the blue cheese. I managed to squeeze that into this past week’s very small grocery budget.

And even though our green couch is in the dining room, our (we cleared out our playroom to do some painting and deep cleaning…then rearranging before we list the house) dinig table is covered with toys, an Ikea trofast shelf and more. But we needed a night in, after a few meals out earlier in the week…so I made these enchiladas for my husband and I…and I made the kids some “cheeseless” buffalo chicken wraps, using the last of the flour tortillas that we had.

Frank’s Red Hot Sauce Coupon

So here’s how it went down…

I dropped the partially thawed chicken and Frank’s hot sauce marinade into the slow cooker, high for 6 hours. Once finished, I shredded it with 2 forks.

Drop a couple forkfuls of shredded chicken into a corn tortilla, then sprinkle blue cheese crumbles on top.

Roll, seam side down…and stuff the pan full. I got 12 enchiladas into a 9×13 comfortably…probably could have squished in 2 or 3 more.

Mix taco seasoning into the tomato sauce (like I did here)…this is not lazy, it’s efficient!

Pour the tomato sauce over top. Then the cheese. Then the bake. Then cool a bit. Then let the taste bud explosion begin.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Enchiladas
Yield – 4 to 6 servings
Preparation Time – 20 minutes
Cooking Time – 25 minutes
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, or 2 cups shredded chicken ($2)
Frank’s hot sauce, as marinade (free) from a sale and coupon long ago!
4 oz. blue cheese crumbles ($3.89)
12 corn tortillas ($.50) Aldi sale!
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce ($.25) Last week’s Kroger sale!
2 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.05)
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese ($1.25)
Side of veggies…we had frozen green beans ($.80)
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Directions
Marinate the chicken breasts in the Frank’s hot sauce. (I used 1 jar to marinate 4 chicken breasts, in 2 bags for 2 meals.) Or if using already cooked shredded chicken, add 1/2 cup-ish of sauce to the chicken. Combine in a bowl.
Slow cook the uncooked chicken and sauce. Shred with forks when cooked through.
Preheat oven to 350.
Spoon shredded chicken and red sauce into the corn tortillas. Sprinkle blue cheese crumbles over top. Roll and place in baking dish seam side down.
Stir the taco seasoning into the tomato sauce.
Once the pan is full, pour the tomato sauce over top of the enchiladas. Then top with the shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling. Let cool slightly before slicing and devouring.
Cost $8.74 Definitely worth the splurge!

Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Enchiladas was first posted on February 3, 2012 at 5:51 pm.

15 Bean Enchiladas Recipe – Cajun Hurst Beans

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:12:00 +0000

Melt in your mouth enchiladas…

Yep, these are those.

I’ve made all kinds of enchiladas over the years. But never with a random mix of beans like this. Hurst Beans sent me a few bags of beans to cook with and experiment with…and it took me all over 2 seconds to know that I’d use the Cajun 15 Bean Soup mix to make some Cajun-kickin’ enchiladas.

The beans are cooked in the Cajun seasoning packet, and they soak up the Cajun goodness…that then comes out in your enchiladas.

These did not last long in our house…between my husband and I…we had the pan cleared out after a lunch and a dinner. And we ended up fighting (nicely!) over the last 2 enchiladas. Because he got the last of the Creamy Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas, I got the last of these.

Fair enough!

Cook the beans. Then add to a bowl and mix with diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, and some Mexican cheese.

Be sure to drain the tomatoes well. We want to avoid runny enchiladas.

Toss it all together.

Spoon into corn tortillas, roll and place into baking dish, seam side down.

Spread the tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Ready for the oven…and then for you to devour!

Helpful Resources

Handmade Clay Bean Pot Giveaway is still open! Enter now…

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
15 Bean Enchiladas
Yield – 12 enchiladas, 4 to 6 servings
Preparation Time – 15 minutes to assemble enchiladas
Cooking Time – 1 1/2 hours for the beans, 25 to 30 minutes for enchiladas
Ingredients
Sauce
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
Enchiladas
3 cups cooked beans, recommend 15 Bean Soup Cajun beans from Hurst Beans
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, well drained
1 1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
12 corn tortillas
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
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Directions
Cook the Cajun flavored 15 Bean Soup mix. Drain.
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9×13 inch glass baking pan.
Prepare the tomato sauce by mixing the taco seasoning into the sauce.
In a medium bowl, combine the cooked beans, diced tomatoes, cheese and taco seasoning. Spoon into the corn tortillas. Roll and lay seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat until use all 12 tortillas.
Pour the taco-tomato sauce over the top. Then sprinkle the Mexican blend shredded cheese over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and cheese has melted.
Let cool slightly before cutting and serving.
Serve 15 Bean Enchiladas with salad, corn cobs or other favorite side dish.

Disclosure: This post is part of the Hurst Beans campaign. I was provided with ingredients for cooking and compensation. Recipes are my own invention. Opinions are my own. Giveaways are for you!

15 Bean Enchiladas Recipe – Cajun Hurst Beans was first posted on January 18, 2012 at 5:12 pm.

12 in ’12 – Meal Ministry Ideas

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:01:00 +0000

For 2012, I’ve decided to run a monthly/bimonthly/weekly series called 12 in ’12. It will be a list of 12 related items, recipes, slow cooker meals, etc. that will help you along your way in spending less on groceries and being creative in the kitchen!

Next in the series…Meal Ministry Ideas!

There are many times throughout the year that we are called on to make a meal for someone we know and love…birth of a new baby, adopting a baby, surgery or prolonged illness, job loss and more. If you’re looking for some new ideas of inexpensive, but delicious meals to take, here are a few ideas for you:

Basil and Garlic Chive Lasagna

Beef Burrito Skillet

Chile Cheese Bake

Enchilada Stuffed Pasta Shells

Italian Stuffed Shells

Lightened Up Chicken Parmesan

Mexican Chicken Casserole

No Boil Freezer Manicotti

Thai Beef Cabbage Roll Bake

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

Chicken Fajita Melts (Assemble and don’t bake. Send with baking instructions.)

Spicy Southern Chili in Bread Bowls

Another resource to use is Take Them A Meal, which has a great listing of simple and quick recipes to take to someone in need.

And, two more quick recipes from Mom on a Mission: Meatballs with Marinara and Turkey Cheeseburgers.

Check out the rest of the 12 in ’12 Series here.

12 in ’12 – Meal Ministry Ideas was first posted on January 16, 2012 at 1:01 pm.

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas – $5 Dinner Challenge

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:30:00 +0000

I made these enchilada gems for my husband and his dude friends…just before Christmas. We hosted a guys night and I made 2 pans of these for the guys to snack on. (And I may have had a few…in the name of quality control!)

The recipe is written for 2 pans…but you could easily half the recipe to make it for just 1 pan.

And before you go all “these can’t be real enchiladas…they don’t use corn tortillas”…calm down. I realize that these don’t use corn tortillas. I don’t like enchiladas that are “cream sauce” based, or “green sauce” based that are made with corn tortillas. For some reason they don’t mix well or taste good to me. So I apologize to all you “enchilada purists”. And I encourage you to give the flour tortillas a try in your next “green or cream sauce” enchiladas!

Freezer Friendly: These would also freeze nicely either before or after they are baked. Thaw completely before baking at 350 for 30 minutes to reheat. Make in a disposable foil baking pan for easy delivery to those in need of a meal!

Fixins for the spinach sauce for inside the enchiladas.

Rolled up.

Sauce-ified. Cheese-ified.

Ready for the oven.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas
Yield – 2 9×13 pans, or 14 to 16 servings
Preparation Time – 20 minutes
Cooking Time – 30 to 40 minutes
Ingredients
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
16 oz. container sour cream
2 10 oz. boxes frozen spinach, cooked and well drained
4 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
2 Tbsp minced onion
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper
18 to 20 soft taco size flour tortillas
2 10 oz. cans green chile enchilada sauce
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Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 9×13 glass baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, sour cream, spinach, 1 cup of the pepper jack cheese, minced onion and garlic, cumin and some salt and pepper.
Spoon the mixture into each of the tortillas. Roll, and place the tortillas seam side down in the baking dish. (I can generally fit 8 to 10 enchiladas in a pan, depending on how full they are and how tight they are rolled.) Fill both pans.
Then pour 1 can of the green enchilada sauce over the top of 1 pan, and repeat with the other can. Sprinkle the remaining 3 cups of pepper jack cheese over the 2 pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and begins to golden, and sauce is bubbling.

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Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas – $5 Dinner Challenge was first posted on January 2, 2012 at 5:30 pm.

Ways to Spend Less – 12 in ’12

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

For 2012, I’ve decided to run a monthly/bimonthly/weekly series called 12 in ’12. It will be a list of 12 related items, recipes, slow cooker meals, etc. that will help you along your way in spending less on groceries and being creative in the kitchen!

First up…Spending Less!

Coupons

There are lots, and lots, and lots of coupons out there. Coupons are free money people. And if you can get them organzied, they don’t take much time at all! We will share the best and hottest coupons with you…the ones that will help you spend the least on groceries. (You can sign up for express delivery of the latest coupons to your inbox.)

Printing Coupons

Digital Coupons

Newspaper Coupons

Discounted Newspapers

Freebies

Lots of great freebie options out there…and don’t forget that freebies often come with coupons. And “junk email”…so be sure to use a separate email address when signing up for freebies!

Remember to set up a junk email account to use when signing up for freebies!

Daily Deals

There are hundreds of daily deals sites…here are a few of my favorites!

Groupon
Living Social
SaveMore
CouponDealsDaily
Eversave
Saveology
Zulily (Daily Deals for Moms and Babies)
Craftsy (Daily Deals for Craftsy Folks!)
Couptivate (This one organizes all your deals from all the daily deal sites!)

Cash Back

Earn cash back on all your online purchases. Percentages vary from 2% to 50%, depending on the store.

Ebates

Coupon Codes

Get online coupon codes for thousands of stores. And they can often be used in store as well, just have the cashier type in the code.

Savings.com

Meal Planning

Meal planning is a life saver…and a penny saver too.

Food on the Table

Earn

Earn points and “bucks” that can be redeemed for gift cards.

So maybe I got a little carried away…more than 12 resources here. But I wanted to bring it all together in an easy to see format. Now you can decide the best place to start spending less on groceries, and on other things too!

Happy Spending Less!

A

Ways to Spend Less – 12 in ’12 was first posted on January 2, 2012 at 10:00 am.

Erin’s Pumpkin Pie French Toast – $5 Dinner Challenge

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:30:00 +0000

I so wish I’d doubled this recipe while I was making it. Tripled, or quadrupled even!

These were so delicious…perfect for the fall season.

It’s really simple…you just add some pumpkin and spices to the egg-milk mixture.

Then make French toast as you would.

Le photos…

The eggs, milk, pumpkin and spices.

Whisked.

It will be thick.

Don’t fret.

They will cook just fine.

Cook in skillet or on griddle.

Greased.

Well greased.

Grease in between batches too.

The flipped side.

With the leftovers, I cut them into “french toast sticks” and froze them. They freeze beautifully and the kids got to enjoy them for lunch a few days later!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Pumpkin Pie French Toast
Yield – 4 servings
Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cooking Time – 15 minutes
Ingredients
14 slices whole wheat sandwich bread ($1.50)
3 eggs ($.30)
1/2 cup milk ($.05)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin ($.75ish)
1 tsp homemade pumpkin pie spice ($.05)
Butter and syrup for serving ($.50)
Fresh fruit or smoothie as side ($1)
Add this recipe to ZipList!
Directions
Set out the bread for dipping.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin and pie spice until smooth.
Dip each side of the bread and cook on a hot, greased griddle or skillet. Flip after 1 – 2 minutes.
Once all are cooked, serve with butter and maple. And a side of fresh fruit.
If freezing, let cool completely to reduce freezer burn.
Enjoy this perfect fall “breakfast for dinner”!
Cost $4.15

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Erin’s Pumpkin Pie French Toast – $5 Dinner Challenge was first posted on October 17, 2011 at 5:30 pm.

Erin’s Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:30:00 +0000

As promised, my homemade pumpkin pie spice.

You’ll notice that it’s very similar to the apple pie spice…just adds ginger and a bit more cinnamon.

And just like I said the other day, “why buy a jar of spice that you only need 1-2 teaspoons of when you can mix up your own with what you’ve got already?!”

Over time, you accumulate all the spices you need to make up your own mixes!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Yield – almost 3 Tablespoons
Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cooking Time – 0 minutes
Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
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Directions
Place all ingredients in small, sealable container and mix together. Use as directed in recipes that call for apple pie spice.
Store in a dry place, up to 6 months.

Other Homemade Spice Mixes from $5 Dinners

Erin’s Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice was first posted on October 17, 2011 at 1:30 pm.

Whole Wheat Banana Strawberry Crumb Muffins (with no sugar!)

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:30:00 +0000

I don’t remember the last time that I made muffins “from a box.” And I’m afraid if I tried muffins from a box, I wouldn’t like them. They may be extra sweet…but I’m afraid they wouldn’t taste real. Or good even.

Since I gave up processed sugar and white flours this month, I’ve had to get creative with baking. I did get some wheat berries and sucanat to help make some sweeter treats that didn’t have white flour or sugar involved. And I thought adding a crumb topping would be helpful since sucanat isn’t quite as sweet as sugar. The sweet crumb topping was a perfect addition to these muffins.

These were phenomenal.

I did not think the kids would like them because they were made with all whole wheat flour (I’ve generally made muffins with half white and half wheat flour). I thought the density and thickness of the muffins from being made with all whole wheat would be a turn off.

Well, let me tell you…there were none left to freeze!

Between afternoon snack and being requested again that night for dessert, these guys didn’t even have a chance to get into the freezer.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Whole Wheat Banana Strawberry Crumb Muffins
Adapted from
Yield – 4 servings
Preparation Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 18 to 22 minutes
Ingredients
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sucanat
1 egg
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mashed strawberries
Topping
2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sucanat
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp butter or margarine
Add this recipe to ZipList!
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 12 muffin tins or line with paper cups.
In a large stand mixer or mixing bowl, beat together the bananas, sucanat, egg, oil and applesauce. Beat in the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently fold in 1 cup of mashed strawberries.
In a small mixing bowl, add the whole wheat flour, cinnamon and sucanat. Cut in the butter with fork or pastry blender.
Pour the batter into the greased muffin tin and then divide the topping evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool slightly before serving.
Serve warm with butter.
Makes 12 muffins.

Whole Wheat Banana Strawberry Crumb Muffins (with no sugar!) was first posted on August 29, 2011 at 7:30 am.

Erin’s Chunky Spaghetti Sauce – $5 Dinner Challenge

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 22:30:00 +0000

When I first learned that Ryan did indeed have an allergy to dairy (after having suspected it for many months), I really started scouring labels. I knew for the most part what did and didn’t have dairy or milk, but it can very sneaky and often finds it’s way into a wide variety of processed foods. One of the items I quickly discovered that contained milk or cheese was jarred spaghetti sauce. There were/are a few that don’t have milk or dairy, but none that I liked!

So I had to start making my own. Not a big deal at all.

I quickly figured out that crushed tomatoes make the best spaghetti sauce with the right mix of garlic, onion, spices and pinch of sugar.

The boys have been so patient with me over these last few months trying new meal after new meal as I tested recipes for the One Dish Dinners cookbook. I ditched the meal plan last week and decided to make them one of their favorites…spaghetti.

But as I went to get the crushed tomatoes, there were none. No tomato sauce left either. Not even tomato paste.

*ruh roh*

I did, however, have plenty of diced tomatoes.

So I had to make do with what I had…and this was the result.

(We thought it was excellent for being an improv sauce, made on the fly!)

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Erin’s Chunky Spaghetti Sauce
Yield – 4 servings
Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cooking Time – 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef ($1.49)
1 Tbsp minced onion ($.10)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.05)
2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained ($.40)
2 tsp Italian seasoning ($.10)
1 tsp sweetener (I used honey while on my no sugar challenge) ($.05)
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinchful of fresh herbs (garden)
Shredded or grated parmesan, couple pinchfuls ($.10)
Directions
In a large skillet or saute pan, brown the ground beef with the minced onion and garlic. Drain and return to skillet.
Ad the diced toamtoes, Italian seasoning, sweetener, salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling, then reduce heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Garnish with fresh chopped herbs and parmesan cheese.
Serve my Chunky Spaghetti Sauce over noodles with side salad or spinach. Or corn. Or whatever.
Cost $2.29 for the meat sauce

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Erin’s Chunky Spaghetti Sauce – $5 Dinner Challenge was first posted on August 22, 2011 at 5:30 pm.

Back to School Lunch Week Recap

Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000

It’s all the great lunch time ideas from “Back to School Lunch Week” in one place…

Organization and Time Saving Tips

Themed Lunchboxes

DIY and Clever Lunchbox Ideas

I will continue to add ideas and links to this list as I find them. Let this be your best resource for making your lunch prep as simple and easy as possible!

And finally, don’t forget to check out the list of Erin’s favorite lunch websites!

Happy Munching and Lunching to everyone in your family!!!

Back to School Lunch Week Recap was first posted on August 20, 2011 at 11:00 am.