Takes 10 minutes to brown the beef. In that 10 minutes, you can get everything else ready for the soup. And then 6.5 hours later, your meal is ready! So simple, so quick, so delicious!!! (For when you're tired of turkey and you need some beef!) Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Soup Ingredients 1.25 lb. ground chuck ($2.23) On sale for $1.79/lb 1/2 onion, … [Read more...]
Scampi Tilapia – $5 Dinner Challenge
I dug some tilapia fillets out of the freezer. I bounced out to the garden to pick some fresh parsley from the garden, thinking I was going to do the same old Lemon-Dill Tilapia thing (that's my fall back for when I'm feeling uninspired)...but of course, I opened the fridge to grab the lemon juice...and the garlic bulb practically jumped off the shelf! Parsley, lemon juice, … [Read more...]
Mango Chicken Lettuce Wraps
I have been itching to make some lettuce wraps ever since getting my lettuce transplants from the store earlier this year. I've been waiting for the leaves to grow larger enough to actually wrap...and that time is now. When I learned about Chris Lilly and his Grilled Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Mango Marinade recipe from KC Masterpiece, I was inspired. I made my own … [Read more...]
Firecracker Salmon – FAIL
Operator fail. Chef fail. I shall explain! This is the other salmon that I bought when on sale for $2.99/lb. I immediately added the marinade, wrapped it up in foil, put it into a plastic freezer baggie and froze it. Operator fail. I forgot to mark which side of the salmon was "up" before freezing it. Chef fail. I forgot to put the foil on a cookie sheet when I put … [Read more...]
Black Bean Soup
We had the pleasure of eating at Panera a few times in December and through the holidays with family and friends. I kept ordering their Black Bean Soup. Perhaps because it warmed my tummy. Perhaps because it went great with a salad. But something was amiss. I loved the consistency, the warmth, but it lacked ZEST. I *big puffy heart* Panera. I do. But I prefer a … [Read more...]
Garlic Chicken Risotto – $5 Dinner Challenge
Tonight's guest recipe comes from Susie at Susie's Homemade. She is a thriving stay-at-home mom of two wonderful girls (5 and 19) and a caretaker of my 67 year old live-in mother. On her blog, Susie's Homemade, she shares her adventures in baking, cooking, gardening, homemaking and entertaining. Garlic Chicken Risotto Yield - 4 servings Preparation Time - 5 … [Read more...]
Bachelor Stew
Kristie sent me this super easy and "throw together" recipe for Bachelor Stew. Ingredients... 1 lb ground beef (Kroger had it for 1.97/lb where I live) 1 can of Vegetable Soup 1 can of Ranch Style Beans ($.79) 1 box of Corn Bread ($.44) Cook the meat in a large pot then drain. Dump in the soup and beans, mix together, and simmer for 30 minutes. When I make the … [Read more...]
Baked Italian Chicken
BEFORE AFTER I'm often asked...well, how much do your kids eat? How much do you give them? How about a "visual" answer to that question. Above is my 2 year old's plate. Before and After. He nearly polished off the chicken, almost all of the peas and squash, and ate at least half of his rice...before declaring himself, "fuh," and asking to be … [Read more...]
Fettucini Alfredo
Fettucini Alfredo Yield - 4 servings Preparation Time - 5 minutes Cooking Time - 60 minutes Ingredients 1 lb. fettucini noodles ($1.14) 2 chicken breasts, sliced ($1.66) 4 Tbsp butter ($.40) 6 Tbsp flour ($.05) 3 cups of milk ($.30) 1/4 cup parmesan cheese ($.25) 1 cup frozen peas ($.44) 2 sweet potatoes ($.99) On sale for $.88/lb this … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Pork Roast and Mashed Red Potatoes
Slow Cooker Pork Roast and Mashed Red Potatoes Yield - 4 servings Preparation Time - 20 minutes Cooking Time - 8 - 10 hours Ingredients 1 - 2.5 lb pork roast ($4.05) I used half or less than half for tonight's meal, so we'll call it $2 for this meal! I'll show you later in the week what I do with the other half!!! Salt, pepper and garlic powder ($.05) 6 red … [Read more...]