When life is busy it is even more important for my family to find time to eat together. There is something so relaxing about sitting around the table together chatting, laughing, and reconnecting. However, it can be rough to throw together a family dinner when we walk in the door a few minutes before dinner time. Yes, I can throw together a pretty decent meal in 10 minutes, … [Read more...]
Low Carb Hash Browns with Summer Squash
A low carb hash brown with summer squash and potatoes - grated and grilled to perfection! It's a simple combination of grated potatoes and summer squash that makes for a delicious, lower carb option for hash browns. It's that time of year. The time of year when I struggle with my morals. Is it dishonest to hide squash in recipes? What if I adopt the "don't ask, don't … [Read more...]
Strawberry Sorbet
As a mom, I love sorbet. It is lower in sugar than ice-cream and my kids are getting a healthy dose of fruit on their ice-cream cone. However, the frugalista in me winces every time I look at the price of a pint container of sorbet. This recipe is an easy and frugal alternative to store-bought sorbet. When I buy strawberries on sale, I can make twice as much sorbet, for half … [Read more...]
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Casserole
Do you ever start out to make one dish and then end up making something entirely different? I started out to make a lemon chicken casserole with green beans and new potatoes, but then remembered that I had used all the lemons making lemonade. I decided to substitute limes, but then that meant I had to change up the spices. Once I had changed the spices, I decided I needed to … [Read more...]
Chicken, Pineapple, Pepper Kebabs
This weekend I was really craving some teriyaki kebabs...I knew I had the canned pineapple (new coupon out for Dole...save and use with $1 sale for $.50 cans!), the chicken and we had a few peppers in the fridge that we didn't use last week. So I thought teriyaki kebabs would be perfect. I figured I had some teriyaki sauce on hand...because I usually keep some, "just in … [Read more...]
Loaded Slow Cooked Potatoes
Slow Cooker Loaded Potatoes are the ultimate side dish! Load and go. Yep, that's how I'm rolling this week! I made these the other night, using the some of the bacon from the package that I cooked up on Wednesday. I used the rest of the bacon for the wedge salads I made last night (recipe coming soon!). These potatoes were simple, delicious and the perfect busy … [Read more...]
Burrito Cups
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 … [Read more...]
Cinco Layer Dip Recipe
Seven Layer Dip just got a little skinnier and a little cheaper for Cinco de Mayo! As tradition dictates, parties for Cinco de Mayo happen all over the country to celebrate Mexican heritage and pride. This year at our house, we'll be celebrating with cinco layers and not seven. Overall, it's the traditional Seven Layer Dip, minus the olives and tomatoes. I've removed … [Read more...]
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Mango-Black Bean Salsa
Years ago when we had our oldest on a gluten free diet, I quickly learned that the best way to do that diet on a budget is to avoid gluten all together. And bake sparingly, and from scratch. I learned to base our meals around sweet potatoes, potatoes and brown rice. Adding in brown rice pasta, as our budget allowed. At the moment, we have 1 kid off dairy and soy, another kid … [Read more...]
Asian Chicken Salad with Quinoa
I love Asian chicken Salad. It is second only to chocolate on my list of favorites. I enjoy trying new variations and often experiment with it at home. When I discovered quinoa while going through my pantry, I knew I had to try it in this salad! Quinoa, with its nutty flavor and crunchy texture, is a natural addition to this type of salad. In this easy recipe, I used quinoa … [Read more...]