I was having a "what to have for lunch" moment the other day. I've been having salads for lunch lately. A lot of salads. And while I love them for a variety of reasons, it was time for a change. A salad wasn't going to work for me, hence the "what to have for lunch" moment. Then it occurred to me that I have quite a few boxes of pasta in my stockpile from recent sale. I … [Read more...]
Cashew Caramel Brownies
I have had these brownies bookmarked since I started this whole "dessert of the month" thing back in January. And when it came time for a sleepover this past Friday night, I thought a pan of these was in order! Now the question...was I making these for the kids, or for me?! (5 boys, 6 & under...husband out watching the hockey game with a friend...a pan full of … [Read more...]
Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix Recipe
Whisk up these homemade spice blends to save money, starting with this easy Homemade Ranch Dressing mix recipe! I love, love, love my homemade taco seasoning mix. It's convenient, cheap and oh-so-tasty. And I'm mixing up a new homemade seasoning mix today...this time for ranch dressing! This past weekend I planted some lettuce and other cold weather veggies. I … [Read more...]
Lasagna Buns
I want to thank Sue for sending this recipe idea along. I don't have much time to spend surfing around the internet looking for fun new ways to get creative with ingredients and leftovers, so I'm super grateful that she sent this to me. It was instantly one of those "I must make this soon" recipes...and definitely a new family favorite! I love getting creative with spaghetti … [Read more...]
Tortellini Soup
Last week I was craving minestrone soup, but many of the vegetables that I use in it are not in season. Buying imported, out of season veggies would have greatly increased the cost of the dish, so I decided to replace them with something that is always in season: tortellini! :) I reduced the cost of this soup, by using homemade chicken broth. I also used dry beans that I … [Read more...]
Curried Quinoa with Chicken and Peas
So here we have it. The curried chicken quinoa with peas recipe that I will be making 3 times a week, just for Tyler. Well, maybe not that often...but it's certainly one I will be adding to our regular rotation! Tyler, Tyler, Tyler. I normally give him small portions, about 1-2 tablespoons in size, at a time. And if I were to give him more, he'd end up dumping it … [Read more...]
Spaghetti Frittata
Do you ever end up with just a couple handfuls of spaghetti noodles?! And you don't know what to do with them?! Several weeks ago the boys had MRIs. It happens every year. This year, they asked if I thought Ryan could do the MRI without sedation. He would have the chance to watch a movie through the "magic googles" and would get to wear heavy headphones to both hear the … [Read more...]
Spicy Mexican Omelet
I'm often asked during news interviews and radio interviews..."Is this really possible to do this $5 Dinners thing?" And my typical reply is... "Of course, a key part of this whole frugal cooking business is being creative with the ingredients that you get on sale, or even discounted, from the grocery store. If you score a fabulous deal on butternut squash and you don't know … [Read more...]
What to Make When…Ground Beef
It's time for another version of "what to make when." Every several weeks ground beef, ground chuck and ground round will go on sale, ranging from $1.49/lb to $2.99/lb...depending on the type. I prefer ground chuck and stock up when it's on sale for $1.99/lb, but will also pick up ground beef when it hits the $1.49/lb sale mark. Ground round doesn't usually go on sale for … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken
This was one of those meals that sorta came together and ended up "balancing" perfectly. I started out with chicken and pineapple in the slow cooker. Then as dinnertime drew closer, I decided that rice would be a nice complement, and found a side of the red cabbage apple slaw in the fridge! (How to Shred Cabbage here.) Voila! Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken Pineapple … [Read more...]