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Three Ingredients and a Slow Cooker Dessert
Most of you know I like to keep a full pantry. A couple of times a year I sort through it and begin using the older supplies. Last week (a surprisingly chilly one for this time of year), I wanted something gooey and sweet for dessert. I had a box of Devil’s Food cake mix that needed using and soon. A quick search of the rest of the pantry yielded candied ginger and a can of sliced pears. The combination sounded too good to pass on and with the help of the slow cooker, this dessert was ready in a couple of hours. I topped it with Greek yogurt but…
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A Budget Friendly Appliance-The Slow Cooker
One kitchen appliance I love for saving me both time and money is my slow cooker. Actually I have two of them. If you haven’t tried using one to cook a couple of meals a week, here are some resources I gathered up to help you- Converting Recipes I have lots of recipes using the slow cooker that I use over and over again. And yes, that’s the problem. I wanted to convert some of my other recipes to this style of cooking but didn’t know where to start. I found this useful guide from a site called Saving Dinner…you can sign up for the newsletter too. http://savingdinner.com/articles/crockpot-troubleshooting/ Lots of Good Recipes One…
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Three New Recipes to Try
I always love the recipes the folks at Pringles send my way. Here are three that look easy to make but I’m sure delicious. I’m told the chicken fingers are especially good. And with fish going on sale next month when Lent rolls around, the fish nuggets will make an ideal meal. Chicken Pringlers INGREDIENTS · 2- 6.38-ounce cans of Pringles (BBQ, Honey Mustard, Xtreme Blastin Buffalo or any of your favorite Pringles flavors) · 2 pounds of boneless chicken breast or chicken tenders, cut into 1 1/2” nuggets · 2 cups of skim milk or buttermilk DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle. 2. Place nuggets in milk. 3. Puree the…
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Another Budget Buy-Green Split Peas
Last month I featured black beans as a favorite budget find. This time it’s split green peas. Like beans, split peas are also a fat free, high in fiber food. And they’re inexpensive…this bag cost just 99 cents. Unlike beans, they need no presoaking. All they require is a wash and rinse to make sure they’re free of dust and the odd small stone that can sometimes creep into the mix. One of my favorite recipes is split pea soup. I had one I’d used for years but it took a long time to cook. Unless I continually monitored it, I was always faced with split peas and potatoes that got stuck to the bottom of the pan.…
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More Ways to Stretch Your Food Dollar (and some recipes)
Entering the Grocery Challenge contest? Here are some more ways to help stretch your food dollar along with some recipes. Shop at the Drug Stores Don’t just think of the supermarket when you’re buying groceries. Sometimes you can get better deals at places like Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy. Friends with Memberships You might not want to pay $50 for a membership to a warehouse club but for this challenge ask if friends, family or co-workers if they do and stock up some pantry essentials. When I had a membership to Costco I found things olives, sun dried tomatoes and most cheeses were great deals. And if you want to make…
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Budget Foods and Ideas to Check Out
Everywhere you look these days, food companies are offering suggestions for low cost recipes. Even the local supermarkets have arrows pointing to great deals. I’ll admit some bargain foods taste awful and they can get boring after you’ve served them a couple of times. Here are some foods I got on sale and have to say they tasted anything but bland or inexpensive. The first one is the Chef Boyardee pizza kit. Remember money saving experts say you should look on the bottom and top shelves because that’s where the bargains are. It’s true because this pizza kit was sitting on the top shelf and cost only $3.45. And it…
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Fall Soups
One thing that recharges my energy after an afternoon of raking and bagging leaves is a bowl of soup. Fall’s the perfect time to make soup, not only for eating now, but enjoying in the dead of winter. And best of all, soup’s an economical meal. And if you pair it with a side salad and bread, you’ve got yourself a complete lunch or supper. Here are my tips for making the most out of fall soups. Buy In Season One way to make your food dollar stretch even further is to use ingredients that are in abundance now. Things like squash, parsnips, potatoes, and yes, even apples. They make…
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The Budget Smart Cook Has a Nutritional Make Over
If you made a New Year’s resolution to eat more healthful foods but have fallen by the wayside, here’s your second chance. March is National Nutrition month, and it’s a great time to start evaluating what’s sitting in your fridge or pantry. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Check out this Web site, www.5aday.com. Five servings of fruit and vegetables a day is the recommended amount, and it’s not that difficult to squeeze them in. I try to eat at least one at each meal, including snacks. For example, I’ll eat fruit on cereal or waffles for breakfast, an apple or orange for a mid morning or afternoon snack. A salad…
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