You likely have the ingredients needed to make this homemade sloppy joe mix and sauce in your fridge and pantry! We make a.l.o.t. of sloppy joe type meals around our house and over time, I've developed this delicious homemade mix of spices to use to make my own homemade sloppy joe sauce. It's a mix of spices, that get stirred in with ground beef, ground turkey, … [Read more...]
6 Ingredient Substitutions for Healthier Cooking
If you love to cook and cook often, you might be looking for ways to make your meals healthier. Using a great deal of fat and sodium in your cooking isn’t a healthy way to live, but luckily there are ways you can tweak your recipes into healthier versions of themselves. Take a look below at 6 ingredient substitutions for healthier cooking, so you can keep creating the … [Read more...]
Perfectly Seasoned Ground Beef Recipe and “Formula”
The Formula for Perfectly Seasoned Ground Beef Keep reading to find out how much minced dried onion and garlic powder to use when browning and cooking ground beef. I use this ratio in 99.5% of ground beef recipes... Earlier this week, I shared my "ratio recipe" for barely seasoned rice. And I thought I'd follow up with another of my most used "formulas" in my … [Read more...]
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe
This is one of those snacks or lunches that I have to double up on if I want any to end up in the freezer. I do a.l.o.t. of baked breads and muffins like this for my boys' lunch boxes because they don't love sandwiches. So I often resort to these kinds of goodies. If I'm adding chocolate chips, then I bring the sugar down in the recipe so it's not too much. (Not any more … [Read more...]
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe
Homemade cream of mushroom soup or sauce is bazillion times better than the canned version. Because they taste better...fresher...and because you know exactly the ingredients that were added to the sauce. You can pronounce them all. And then there's the you can season it as you like. Give it some garlic flare. Or a punch of onion flavor. I began making homemade 'cream of … [Read more...]
Shredded Salsa Verde Chicken
If you've spent any time on $5 Dinners in the past, then you know that I'm all about recipes that are quick, easy, simple, family friendly and budget friendly. I'm all about hacking the grocery shopping experience, so I (really, we!) can spend less money on groceries. This Salsa Verde Chicken recipe is super versatile and here's why... 1. It only uses 2 (maybe 3) … [Read more...]
Italian Salad with Homemade Balsamic Dressing
I love me some balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It's a RARE occasion that I don't order it with a salad when out for dinner. And I LOVE to make it at home for my lunch salads. {More on my recent 'saladforlunch-atarian' confession.} I think balsamic vinaigrette 'goes' on just about any salad, but it's especially delicious on this Italian inspired salad. Toss this … [Read more...]
Homemade Naan
A couple of weeks (months probably...where does the time go?!?), we shared a Naan Pizza with Olives and Feta recipe and we had quite a few requests for a homemade naan bread recipe. So. Here it is! Crazy delicious, perfectly smooth and soft. And be warned...you take one bite, you'll eat several pieces! Homemade Naan 2-1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 packet)1 … [Read more...]
How to Cook Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Stretch your grocery dollars when you learn how to cook whole chicken in the slow cooker to make shredded chicken and homemade chicken broth. Learn how to cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker, and you'll end up with a double dose of $$ savings and chicken for dinner or your freezer! Welcome to the first post in the "31 Days of Freezer Cooking Recipes" … [Read more...]
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Learn how to cook bacon in the oven, and you'll never have to worry about grease splatter from the skillet burning your wrists again! Have you ever cooked bacon in the oven?! It used to be that I'd cook a few pieces of bacon from the package in a skillet, occassionally the microwave if I was in a hurry. But this growing brood of boys of mine means I'm making a full … [Read more...]