As we find ourselves staying home and getting creative with the items we have on hand to pull dinner together, this list of rice and bean pantry recipes and tips are a stellar resource to save! I present to you... QUARAN-Beans and Rice!!! Even though the recipes we share on this site are mostly on a $5 per meal budget, there are times in the month that you … [Read more...]
How to Make Brown Rice in the Instant Pot
Learn to Cook PERFECT Brown Rice in the Instant Pot Brown rice can be a bear to cook on the stovetop. It doesn't always cook evenly, it takes a full hour, and it sometimes leaves a "crusted" layer on the bottom of the pot. Well - you don't have to worry about any of those things anymore. Enter "Instant Pot Brown Rice." It cooks and fluffs perfectly - in a fraction of … [Read more...]
Homemade Pesto Pilaf
Sometimes it just takes a slight twist to a cooking method, and a simple ingredient addition to really dress up a meal or a side dish. And this Pesto Pilaf is just that... This recipe has a list of simple (and inexpensive ingredients!) and is a great way to use up any extra pesto, or a good excuse to buy pesto (I LOVE ME SOME PESTO....both the homemade variety and the store … [Read more...]
Keto Steak Fajitas
LOW CARB ALERT! If you're eating low carb, wanting to eat Keto, check out this amazing recipe. (Of course, you can swap the cauliflower rice for brown rice or tortillas for a "regular" meal. Other ingredients are all ketogenic diet friendly!) Saute the peppers in onions in large skillet or Dutch oven. Then set aside. Saute beef with garlic and … [Read more...]
Instant Pot Chicken, Broccoli & Cheddar Rice
Chicken and Rice Night is about to get an upgrade in flavor! If you love chicken and rice casseroles, here's a popular one made in the Instant Pot! Here's a pictorial for you... Cut chicken into bite size pieces and saute with oil, garlic and onion. Add the rice and stock. Pressure cook. Fluff the rice and chicken, after it's been pressure … [Read more...]
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
You wanna make that amazing "chipotle rice" in your Instant Pot? Here's how... I've taken our Instant Pot Sticky Rice recipe and given it the Chipotle twist and the result is, wellllll...you can see for yourself. You can almost taste it, can't ya! With this cooking method, we are going to "toast the rice" and then "shock the rice" and then "pressure cook the … [Read more...]
Chicken Green Curry
This is a "fight for the leftovers" kind of curry. I make red curry often. And it's my favorite lunch take-out - a yummy treat a few times a month. But this green curry got a "Whoa, babe. This is delightful!" from my husband. And then we fought over the leftovers. It's certainly the most common thing we fight about - who gets the leftovers ;) Fighting is probably the … [Read more...]
Cuban Chicken Bowls
I spent 6 years in my 20s living in the Dominican Republic. I met my husband there. My first son was there. A ministry and school near and dear to me are still there. And I hope to take our family back there one day soon. In the years that I spent there, I learned to cook and shop and meal plan. (Because when you have to walk to the grocery store and carry your bags home, … [Read more...]
Kung Pao Chicken
Fakeout takeout are some of my favorite meals - especially the Chinese inspired ones! This is a simple Kung Pao Chicken with veggies and use a store bought Kung Pao sauce. I've tried to make a homemade sauce a few different times and ways and it's just not the same as what you'd get...so for this particular meal, I default to store bought Kung Pao sauce :) If you have a … [Read more...]
Unstuffed Peppers
I'm just gonna put this out there...I'm not sure why it took us 9+ years to get an Unstuffed Peppers recipe here onto $5 Dinners. 9 years. We've had stuffed peppers, slow cooker stuffed peppers, walking stuffed peppers, poblano stuffed peppers and more. Finally, we get to unstuffed version. This is a simple ground beef skillet meal...brown the ground beef, add the … [Read more...]