So I have a new item on my stockpile list: crushed pineapple. That way, I can make this any time I want. Because I will be making it often. Being a food blogger, I’m always trying out new recipes and mix-n-match concepts with the food that I have on hand and what’s on sale at the grocery store. We have a very small “regular rotation” of recipes because of this…but this meatloaf is being added to the regular rotation. I’m so glad that I doubled this recipe…I doubled it so that I could make a regular loaf pan of meatloaf, and muffin tin meatloaves as well.

Huge. Huge. Huge hit!

The leftovers went into the freezer and made for quick and easy lunches. Below you’ll find the doubled recipe…cut it all in half if you just wish to make 1 meal’s worth. (But I highly recommend making extra to freeze!)

(Note: I tagged this recipe as Gluten Free…just sub the regular bread crumbs for gluten free bread crumbs.)

{Follow Erin on Pinterest!}

So I still find myself in survival mode. Jim Gaffigan says…”having a 4th kid is like you’re drowning and someone hands you a baby.” While it might not be quite that bad… sometimes it feels that way. I keep my head above water most days…and on the days that it feels like I’m being pulled under come dinner time, I turn to my list of fast five meals. My list of meals that take me less than 20 minutes to get on the table. Because that’s usually all the time that I’ve got to work with…homework, baby needs to eat, baby needs diaper change, toddler spills over a flower pot, toddler brings the hose into the house, 5 year old can’t get his shoelace un-knoted.

You get it. Come time for the hectic “witching hour” having an arsenal of these quick meals that you can almost throw onto the table is the only way anyone will get anything to eat.

The idea for Fast Five Meals comes from the Savings.com coupon classes…where attendees are encouraged to keep a list of 5 meals that your family enjoys, all of which can be made in less time than it takes to order a pizza! If you’d like to find a class in your area, visit the coupon classes page.

Do you have a favorite meal that you can quickly throw together?

(Besides Mac n Cheese, or Spaghetti perhaps!)

Please leave a link in the comments so that we can add it to our Fast Five Meals Board.

{$5 Dinners - Rice and Beans Budget Board}

I discovered lentils when we lived in the Dominican Republic. I don’t think I’d eaten them ever in my life before moving down there. At first, I wasn’t too sure about them…as they way we cooked them while in the DR, they were still fairly bland. But I’ve since learned that if you give them enough flavor and mix in some delicious and fresh ingredients, lentils can come alive!

As they do in this lentil stew.

I adore the flavor combinations in this dish. The tomatoes with the red onion. And a hint of sweetness from the carrot sticks. The creaminess from the sour cream garnish, and the bite from the cilantro…seriously, the lentils come alive. Oh, and the crunch and salt from the pita chips. Lentil perfection.

You’ll have to try it and see.

(Also, feel free to add some heat with extra pepper or crushed red pepper. I kept it mild for my boys.)

Helpful Dried Beans Recipes

• How to Cook Dried Beans
• Rice and Beans Budget Recipes
• Rice and Beans Budget Pinterest Board

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Hurst Beans. Recipe, thoughts and experiences are my own.

Last Thursday night we ended up having leftovers. I had a meal plan in place for each night last week, but for some reason we had lots and lots of leftovers. So in an attempt to keep things from falling off the shelves in the refrigerator, we had leftovers…and I immediately made the decision that a pantry challenge was soon in order.

I’ve still got some great produce leftover from last week’s trip to Sprouts, and I decided that it was worth a trip in over this weekend, as they had organic canned pumpkin and fresh bags cranberries on sale for $1. I happened to be right nearby visiting my precious new niece, and I’m glad I stocked up. The cranberries are in the freezer…waiting for Thanksgiving day homemade cranberry sauce and the rest I will use for Cranberry Chicken.

With all I have on hand, there’s not need for any shopping again until it was time for Thanksgiving feast preparations, and some of what I’ll need I already have in the pantry. That leaves me with about 9-10 days worth of meals that I can make with items I’ve got in the pantry, fridge and freezer, so….it’s time for the…

Pre-Thanksgiving Pantry Challenge

What I’ve Got On Hand

Freezer

• 1 meals worth of pork chops
• 1 Cran-Apple Pork Roast (recipe coming tonight)
• 2 meals worth of stew meat
• 3 meals worth of ground beef
• 1 pkg chicken breast
• Pkg corn tortillas
• Couple packages frozen vegetables
• Individually packaged Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal (will be sending these in lunchboxes!)
• Other random ingredients

Pantry

• Canned corn, black beans and corn
• Pasta, several bags of different varieties
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 jar pizza sauce
• Tuna, coconut milk
• Taco shells
• Organic canned pumpkin

Produce

• Spaghetti squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Butternut Squash
• Baby carrots
• And more

What I Plan to Make

• Pizza Meatball Subs
• Spaghetti Squash and Chicken Medley
• Taco Night with Corn-Black Bean Salsa
• Sweet Potato and Chicken Curry
• Cran-Apple Pork Roast (recipe coming tonight!)
• Chili with Pumpkin and Cinnamon
• Dutch Oven Beef Stew with Butternut Squash
• Cilantro-Lime Chicken Enchiladas
• Spaghetti
• Coconut Rice and Beans

What I Plan to Bake

Anyone else cooking from their pantry/freezer/fridge this week?

{Imagine a countertop with 10 gallon size baggies. If you’re curious, they look like this.}

In order to prepare for all the craziness that will become my life in the next 4 weeks, I’ve decided to take the stress out of at least 1 area of my life…dinner. Between the contracts, earnest money checks, meetings, inspections, bubble wrap and packing tape, there’s the last week of VBS so the boys can spend every last minute with their favorite friends. And there’s the good-byes with our friends and church family. And our family.

And there’s the actual moving out of the house. And the cleaning of the empty house.

Plus there’s a weekend trip to Los Angeles for more Savings Nation training. Followed by a weekend trip to New York for BlogHer.

Then we move.

Crazy times ahead, friends.

C~R~A~Z~Y

In an attempt to maintain some level of sanity (although I feel like there is very little left in there), I made up some slow cooker packs. These are mostly for the guys to enjoy while I’m away. Plus I made 2 “stir-fry” packs to make while I’m home.

Simplify.

I know myself well enough to know that I’d be way too tempted to just go out for dinner, order a pizza or bring in take-out. But I also know that we are pinching every single penny that we have to make this move possible. I pulled out many of these ingredients from the pantry and freezer (because cleaning out the pantry is crucial at this point!), then bought the rest of what we needed. So now we’ve saved both time and money on dinner. Oh, and sanity too. (That’s most important at this point!)

I spent an hour yesterday morning making up 10 packs for the freezer…8 for the slow cooker, 2 to stir-fry. With each of these, I dumped all the ingredients in a gallon size ziploc. To cook, I will thaw partially, then slow cook on low for 8 hours. For the stir-fry packs, I will thaw partially, then stir-fry and serve over rice.

Chicken Stir-Fry

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
• 4 cups frozen stir-fry veggies
• 2 tsp Sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Beef Stir-Fry

• 3/4 lb stir-fry beef
• 4 cups frozen stir-fry veggies
• 2 tsp Sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Beef Curry (2 packs)

• Used this recipe with 3/4 lb stir-fry beef, instead of chicken thighs

Chicken Curry (2 packs)

• Used this recipe with chicken breasts, instead of thighs
• Note: This is one of my boys’ all-time favorite meals!

Black Bean, Corn, Salsa Chicken (2 packs)

• 2 chicken breasts
• 15 oz can corn, drained
• 15 oz can black beans, drained
• 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• Salt and pepper

Italian Beef and Potatoes

• 3/4 lb stir-fry beef
• 2 cups baby carrotis
• 2 cups red potatoes, quartered
• 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp minced onion
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper

Italian Chicken and Potatoes

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cups baby carrots
• 2 cups red potatoes, quartered
• 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp minced onion
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper

And the moment I finished, I felt like I got about 1/4 of my sanity back. Because now I don’t have to worry about dinner. Now I can use that 1/4 of my sanity to make sure all the paperwork is in line for the move, make sure my children have clothes on before we leave the house for VBS, and make sure that we get to all of our last doctor and speech/OT therapy appointments before we head south.

If you think about it, say a prayer for our family as we make this transition! Thanks friends!

It just took a quick look through the fridge, pantry and freezer to know that this week would be a pantry challenge week! We are fully stocked up with plenty of food to make it through the week. We’ve got what we need for grilling out a few meals, and enough for spaghetti and homemade pizza too. And the GF pizza crust and GF spaghetti that I ordered from Vitacost.com came yesterday, so we’re all set for the week!

We’ve got plenty of chicken from the last $1.99/lb sale, and I scored some discounted steaks at the store last week that we’ll grill up this weekend. Bring it on, Summer!

The only things I need to pick up from the store this week…bread, toilet paper & some polish for our hardwood floors (keeping them extra shiny while the house is for sale!). It will certainly be strange just having 3 things in my cart!

So here’s what we’ll be eating…

Our Pantry Challenge Week Meal Plan

• Monday – Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry
• Tuesday – Grill Brats
• Wednesday -Spaghetti (Brown extra ground beef for tacos next week)
• Thursday -Slow Cooker meal (I’ll be up in Canton for a Savings Nation Coupon Class!)
• Friday -Homemade Pizza
• Saturday -Grill Chicken
• Sunday – Grill Steaks
• Monday – Memorial Day Potluck-Grill Party with Friends! (Check out my Summer Food board on Pinterest for ideas of what to make this weekend!)

We’ll likely pick up a few things for Monday’s potluck we’re hosting…but the menu has yet to be determined! Otherwise, we’re set for the week!

Anyone else on a pantry challenge this week?

Last week I decided to tack onto my batch cooking plan…doubling up on browning some ground beef. I ended up doing spaghetti for dinner one night and saved the other half of the beef I ground. I thought I’d use it later this week or next week…but ended up making this goulash over the weekend. I had all the other ingredients on hand…and it was perfect for a chilly, dreary weekend!

After slow cooking what you see above, I stirred in some sour cream into each serving and served it over noodles.

Simple, easy weekend meal…just what I needed after a busy week!

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Have a Frugal and Healthy Recipe to share?

Post the recipe on your blog and then add the link below. Other guidelines can be found here. To make it easy for other readers to find your recipe, please leave the link that leads directly to your recipe post. Any links that lead to your homepage will be deleted. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to leave your recipe in the comments section!

We’ve all seen (or had) the 7 layer dip cups to serve at parties. But what about dinner in a cup. Specifically, burrito dinner in a cup.

Sure burritos, require tortillas…but what if you can’t eat tortillas.

We have a kid who is currently off gluten (and a number of other foods) because of some chronic respiratory issues that are not being resolved with medication. Being the “aggressive, get to the bottom of it mother” that I am, coupled with the fact that one of his brother’s has other food allergies,we’ve decided to stick to mostly gluten free dinners. (And the GF diet seems to be helping him, yay!)

We find ourselves eating at Chipotle when we need a quick and inexpensive dinner out…and this is where I was inspired to make these “cups” rather than “bowls.”

When we had these for dinner the other night, I found less of a rice mess on the table. When rice in a bowl, or on a plate, it tends to end up all over the table and under the table. And stuck onto the chairs. But there was much less mess with these cups. I guess because the rice was easier to scoop out of the cup and not fall all over the place.

Yay for less mess!

And since the entire meal was served in the cups, there was less mess to clean up after dinner too.

Win. Win. Win.

I laid out all the ingredients as if we were having a taco bar. Then started filling cups!

Simple as that. Hope you enjoy these as much as we did (and will!)…

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Have a Frugal and Healthy Recipe to share?

Post the recipe on your blog and then add the link below. Other guidelines can be found here. To make it easy for other readers to find your recipe, please leave the link that leads directly to your recipe post. Any links that lead to your homepage will be deleted. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to leave your recipe in the comments section!

MMMMmmmm. Yes, please! Love these simple ingredients…most of them (all of them?) are pantry staples!

• Chicken Tortilla Soup in the slow cooker from A Slob Comes Clean

(Dana also has a super cool ebook out too. She herself is tons of fun, super energetic and she’s super helpful…so I know her ebook will be that way too!)

If you are looking to get organized this year, check out all of these FREE pantry labels over on The Happy Housewife.