This is one of those “it just came together” meals…

A few weeks back, we took the kids downtown during Fiesta week to go to the River Parade. They were serving some delicious tex-mex options in the section where our seats were located. They had fajitas, as well as bean and cheese tostadas. The kids had never had a tostada before, as I rarely made them in Ohio because the tostadas were quite expensive. Now that we are here in south Texas, there are tostadas practically on every corner, and they are cheap.cheap.cheap.

(Did I mention they were cheap?)

So I’ve added them to the “regulars” section of my grocery list. My grocery list consists of “regulars,” or items that I buy every week, along with deep discount and sale items like produce and BOGO offers, and lastly the “stockpile” section for products that I can get free or nearly free by matching sales with coupons or other store offers.

Two of the 3 older boys love refried beans on the tostadas…just like that. The other turns his nose up at beans, so he likes the other toppings. And while I rarely “short-order cook,” this meal is great…as the kids got to pick what they wanted on top!

We recently had Mexican Haystacks, and this is super similar…just seven layers, on top of a tostada. My tostada is pictured above…

• Refried beans
• Shredded chicken
• Homemade Guacamole
• Chopped orange pepper
• Black Beans
• Salsa
• Shredded cheese

Other topping ideas include: sour cream, black olives, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, red beans, avocado chunks.

This meal really just came together…I had all the right fixings and ingredients in the pantry to make a well, rounded and delicious dinner that we all enjoyed!

What would you put on your Seven Layer Tostada?!?

(Also, you might need a fork!)

My five kiddos love all types of fresh fruit and that makes me very happy, but sometimes we get a little bored and want to spice it up a little. This method of “baking” apples in the microwave is super fast and easy, it only takes a few ingredients and you can make as much or as little as you like. We also have a favorite restaurant that serves “fried apples” and when the kids decide it’s time to go eat out but momma isn’t ready I can usually appease them by making them these apples at home – win, win!

My husband called me while waiting in an airport for his flight home last week. It soon became obvious that he was hungry because he started telling me how much he loved my wraps. Then he started sharing ideas for wraps that I could make him in the future. I was pretty sure by “the future” he meant for dinner shortly after he arrived home that night. One of the good things about wraps is you can prepare them on short notice.

Instead of using a mayonnaise based dressing to coat the tortilla, I used a mixture of refried beans and salsa to create a low calorie, but flavorful topping for the tortillas. One of the benefits to using a mixture of refried beans and salsa in place of dressing is that it is much less likely to drip than dressing.

So this past weekend, this happened. It happens about once a year, and goes against all that I teach, preach and live by.

I went to the grocery store without a list. 

Danger. Danger. Danger.

I caution you against shopping without a list. I did it, but ended up making a list in the store. On the notes app on my phone. Then I arrived on the baking aisle and the following ran through my brain…”shoot, I’m hosting our church small group this weekend.”

Then, “Oh thank goodness, I remembered while I’m still in the store.”

Then, “Great, now I have to back track and ‘go against the flow’ to get the other things I’ve already passed up.”

So I pulled over to the side out of the way, started another list on the notes app on my phone, this time for the handful of ingredients that I needed to make this punch, and the other dishes I planned to make. After the big back-track, I wheeled over to the juices section to get the limeade for the punch. That’s when I saw that Minute Maid already made a cherry limeade. I could have just dropped some cherries into that, but decided to go full-on. So I grabbed a carton of the cherry limeade, as well as the limeade. Then it was off for the frozen cherries and finally the checkout.

I made it home with everything I needed, especially grateful that I wouldn’t have to return to the store. I still haven’t decided which is worse…shopping in the snow and slip sliding around the parking lot slush. Or shopping in 100 degree weather and sweating as you load up your groceries. Jury’s still out on that one.

(Also, this is my Try 13 Challenge Recipe this week. Anyone else tried a new recipe?!?)

It’s berry season everywhere. Which means prices are low, low, low. And you should be adding them to your grocery list to take advantage of the savings. This is a great time to stock up your freezer with berries too. Make desserts, salads and other yummy recipes with the fresh berries, and store the extras in your freezer to use later for smoothies and baking!

(And who knows, we might even see that rare coupon for berries show up too this month. I’ve seen it a few times in the past, and fingers crossed that it appears again.)

*Update: found a coupon for berries!  Print a $0.50/1 Driscoll’s Berries when you sign up for their rewards program!  (Thanks, Faithful Provisions!)

Best Berries Recipes

Recipes Pictured Above

1. Whole Wheat Banana Strawberry Crumb Muffins
2. Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal
3. July 4th Red White and Blue Smoothie
4. No Sugar Strawberry Freezer Jam
5. Fruit Pizza Waffles
6. Simple Berry Cheesecake Trifle
7. Ginger Pear and Blueberry Cobbler
8. Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad
9. Blackberry Muffins
10. Raspberry Coffee Cake
11. Summer Fruit Kebabs with Honey and Coconut

More Strawberry Recipes

• Strawberry Sorbet
• Spiced Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
• Banana Strawberry Peach Smoothies
• Fruit Smoothie Popsicles
• July 4th Red White and Blue Smoothie
• Mixed Berry Bread
• Simple Berry Cheesecake Trifle
• Strawberry Crumb Bars
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
• Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
• Lemon Berry Cheesecake Bars
• Yummy Strawberry Pie
• Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
• Easy Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake
• Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cake with Strawberry Icing
• Stawberry Pretzel Salad
• No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
• Banana & Strawberry Popsicle
• Strawberry Brownie Shortcakes
• Strawberry Bread
• Strawberry Apple Homemade Sweet Tea
• Homemade Strawberry Beerita
• Strawberry Basil Mojito
• Strawberry Spinach Salad

More Blueberry Recipes

• Simple Blueberry Cobbler
  
• Almond, Raspberry, and Blueberry Muffins
• Blueberry Buckle Cake
• Blueberry Pie
• Chocolate Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping
• Blueberry Squares
• Cheesecake Filled Blueberry Muffins
• Blueberry Dessert Pizza
• Blueberry French Toast Bake
• Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
• Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
• Blueberry Wild Rice and Butternut Squash

More Raspberry Recipes

• Raspberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream
• Mango Raspberry Smoothie
• Raspberry Brownie Dessert Parfaits
• Raspberry Crisp
• Chocolate Chip Raspberry Pancakes
• Mixed Berry Bread
• Almond, Raspberry, and Blueberry Muffins
• Raspberry Vanilla French Toast
• Raspberry Mint Tea

Other Berry Recipes

• Blackberry Cobbler
• Easy Blackberry Cobbler
• Blackberry Vinaigrette
• Homemade Whipped Cream – perfect for lots of different berries!

How to Stock up & Freeze Berries

{Repin It}

Blueberries – How to Stockpile Blueberries

{Repin It}

Raspberries – How to Freeze Raspberries

{Repin It}

Strawberries - How to Freeze Strawberries

Do you have a favorite berries recipe?

There’s a small family owned restaurant near my house called Philly’s. I am addicted to their mac & cheese bites and needed to find a way to make them at home because Philly’s isn’t open 27/4. I also try to bake instead of fry and these mac & cheese balls are perfect. I suppose they are supposed to be for an appetizer or side dish, but frankly nothing else gets eaten when these are made.

Do you know how next day mac & cheese is clumpy & thicker than when it’s fresh? That’s what you want. So, I make 2 batches of mac & cheese and the next day or day after is when I use the left overs to make these balls.

 

So we’ve turned up the A/C downstairs to help keep the utility bill as low as possible, and I’ve already found myself not using the oven much anymore! That means the majority of our dinners are being cooked outside. (And those that aren’t grilled are “no-cook” dinners, as in the case of last night, when I served fruit and cereal because Steve was out of town!) I always say that “every penny counts” when referring to the grocery budget, and I now I’m adding “every degree counts” when referring to the stifling summer heat here in TX.

I really enjoyed the sweet and tangy flavors of this sandwich. I marinated the chicken breasts in BBQ sauce before grilling them, and I added a little extra BBQ sauce to my sandwich. My husband asked for his with honey mustard (pictured above), and he really enjoyed it with the sweeter flavors. Either way, you won’t go wrong. You could also add cheese immediately after pulling the chicken and pineapple off the grill, so that it melts nicely on the sandwich.

We enjoyed these outside, under the shaded part of our back deck the other night. It was a tasty and delicious way to end the day!

(Also, this is my first Try 13 Challenge recipe. I’ve had this one on my “to try” list for awhile. Have you tried any new recipes yet?! Would love to hear which one and how you liked it!)

Can we talk about popsicles for a few minutes?

My boys are obsessed with them. I buy a box, they are gone in seconds. Well, maybe minutes…but it feels like seconds. They would eat 5 in a row, if I let them. But I tell them they can’t because I’m afraid they will turn into a popsicle. Hehe.

This summer, I’ve decided to take the homemade approach. For 2 reasons. One. It’s cheaper. Two. It’s healthier. My plan is to make them everyday, I’ll blend up a big batch of fruit smoothie every morning, drink my portion and pour the rest into the popsicle mold. By the time the killer heat comes through in the afternoon, we’ll have a perfect drippy snack ready to go in the freezer!

Below you’ll find a few of my favorite popsicle molds, as well as some delicious homemade popsicle recipes!

Best Popsicle Molds

• Ikea’s Popsicle Mold - super cheap, super effective, super easy to rinse, clean and repeat. 
• Paper Dixie Cups & Popsicle Sticks - super cheap, fat popsicles, disposable. 
• Zoku – not super cheap!, super FAST popsicles, super easy to rinse, dry, freeze and repeat.

(This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thanks for helping keep $5 Dinners a free resource for all!)

Best Popsicle Recipes

Homemade Coconut Mango Popsicles - Dairy Free!

(My heavens…this child has changed in 3 years! Although he still has the fabulous blue eyes and dark eyelashes, and curly blond locks!)

Homemade Fudgsicles - Chocolicious!

Watermelon Mint Popsicles - Real Fruitsicle!

Creamy Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles from Katie at Good Life Eats – Meltilicious!

Cherry Limeade Popsicles by Katie at Good Life Eats – Sonic-copycat-ilicious!

What about you…do you have a favorite homemade popsicle recipe? What’s your Popsicle Plan for this summer?

Y’all…the grilling bug has hit our house. It seems we are outside grilling and eating at least 3 nights a week these days. The last few weeks have been out of town on the weekends, so during the week it’s been a “pantry and freezer clean-out.” Literally…clean out the food and then clean out the cabinet and freezer. (See.)

Much of the meat that we had in the freezer ended up out on the grill, as you see above!

 

I’m sharing the details on these delicious kebabs…the perfect meal to enjoy outside on a warm summer night!

Disclosure: I am a Mushroom Channel Ambassador and paid freelance writer for the Mushroom Channel blog. Recipe and opinions are my own.

I really enjoy the Korean Barbecue Chicken at one of our local restaurants and occasionally find an excuse to stop in. However a while back I realized that for less than the cost of one meal at the restaurant, I could make enough at home to feed my whole family and the neighbors. Seriously! And it isn’t that it is that expensive for the meal – just $5.99 per person, but for that price I can cook a whole meal for 6 – 8 people.

How do I do it? I stock up on boneless, skinless chicken thighs when they are on sale. I buy sesame seeds from the bulk bins instead of on the spice aisle. I buy fresh ginger and then freeze it, so none goes to waste. Finally, I buy specialty ingredients from the Asian market where they cost much less than they do at the local grocery store.

I think my Korean Barbecue Chicken tastes very much like the chicken at our local restaurant, but I make no claims to it being authentic. I created it by taste and modify the recipe based on the ingredients I have on hand. Which brings me to another way I save money on recipes: be flexible on the ingredients! Once when I didn’t have any apple juice, I used lemonade in this recipe instead and nobody could tell the difference. Even though apple juice isn’t that expensive, the time and gas involved in going to the store for a single ingredient adds up.