This recipe is part of the 20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs from Costco for $150 meal plan. I'm often asked about my "5 minute meals". Usually by people who know someone who knows me. They get the whole time-dollar thing mixed up. But if I were to start coming up with 5 minute meals, this would be first on the list. Because it takes you less than 5 minutes to get our your slow … [Read more...]
Savory Butternut Soup
Butternut squash is such a lovely squash. It's simple to prepare, needs little adornment, and totally delicious. The gorgeous orange color is a celebration of sorts of the glory of autumn. I like it in soup. This soup features butternut squash in a top 8 free, vegan way. It's a savory soup with just a touch heat and natural sweetness from the squash itself. We'll … [Read more...]
Savory Slow Cooker Chicken and Butternut Squash
This recipe is part of our 6th Costco Meal Plan: 20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs from Costco for $150! We've been enjoying lots of butternut squash lately, after buying some at Kroger, then more at Aldi the next week for just $.59 each! We've had this...a beef stew with butternut ...and I made the same beef stew mix for the guys to enjoy while I'm out of town this … [Read more...]
Raspberry Almond Quinoa
I recently decided to cut out all forms of white and brown sugar from my diet to find out if this elimination would help steady my energy level throughout the day. I'm proud to report that I went without sugar for the entire month of August and plan to continue down this path! I discovered a noticeable difference in my energy level, productivity, consistency and clarity in my … [Read more...]
Grilled Pork Chops, Peaches and Red Onions
A little over 3 years ago my life changed for the better. I was doing the dishes after having a meal similar to this one. And just like you'd see on a "ticker" on ESPN or FoxNews, the phrase "$5 Dinners" passed through my brain. Then it passed through again. And again. And it wasn't long before I was sitting at the computer to see if this concept had been launched in … [Read more...]
Southwest Wild Rice Pilaf
I've had some wild rice in my pantry for way too long...and it's time to use it up! I like wild rice...but not "all" wild rice. Meaning I don't like to eat just wild rice as a side dish...even when it's flavored well, cooked in stock, etc. It has a "harsh" taste, if you will. So when making this pilaf, I decided to do a combination of brown rice and wild rice...to "tame" the … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Applesauce
When you "accidentally" pick 30 pounds of apples, you've got to do something...and do it quick! That's a whole lotta apples to process! One of the easiest things to do is make slow cooker applesauce. I intentionally picked a bunch of Golden Sup apples from the orchard because I knew they were a sweeter variety, and wouldn't require any sweetener to be a good applesauce. I … [Read more...]
Tomato Eggplant Frittata
As we head into this holiday weekend, I thought I'd leave you with a simple breakfast for dinner recipe. Or it would be perfect for breakfast this weekend, as you hang out with family and friends! This may in fact be the most flavorful frittata that I've ever made. This is not to put a damper on the other frittata recipes featured here or in my Breakfast and Lunch cookbook. … [Read more...]
Oven Roasted Garlic Green Beans
If vegetables could taste like candy, these might be the Reese's of all cooked vegetables. The oven roasting gives the green beans a bit of a caramelized flavor...and the boldness and sweetness from the roasted garlic...and it's almost like they are candied vegetables. Almost. (Even though that's a ridiculous claim, you have to try them and decide for yourself.) This … [Read more...]
Grilled Ratatouille
Ratatouille is one of the most frugal dishes in my repertoire. When my garden is in full swing the only ingredient I have to buy to make this dish is olive oil. As much as I like ratatouille, I must confess it has a couple of downsides. First, if I turn on the oven on a hot July day and only have vegetables to show for it, I will have a mutiny on my hands. Which brings me to … [Read more...]