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Budget Meal-Calzones
Calzones can be made with just about any ingredient and this version uses ground beef and some taco seasoning for extra taste. If you can make your own pastry that’s great but if not, you can pick some up next time your supermarket has a sale. What you’ll need… 1 (15-oz.) package refrigerated pie crusts 1 pound ground beef 1 (4-oz.) can diced green chiles 1/4 cup water 1 (1.25-oz.) package Taco Seasoning Mix 1 cup shredded mild Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, divided Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Brown the beef in a large skillet and then drain off the fat. Add the chilis, water and seasoning…
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Budget Meals-SALSA CHICKEN & RICE
Here’s an easy meal that’s perfect to make when chicken is on sale. What you’ll need- 2 cups cooked white rice, kept warm 1 tablespoon oil 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips 1 medium onion, chopped 1 small red bell pepper, sliced 1 jar (16 oz.) Salsa 1/2 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese Sour cream (optional) Chopped fresh cilantro (optional) Over medium high heat and in a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the chicken, onion and bell pepper and cook stirring occasionally for 10 to 12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the salsa and bring to a boil then remove it…
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Speedy Chicken Curry
Here’s a recipe to try when chicken’s on sale. If you want to reduce the cost of making this dish even more, try using chicken thighs. Lots of supermarkets have deals on skinless and boneless chicken thighs. Sometimes it makes for a tastier dish for less and I always use them for curries and pot pies. Here’s what you’ll need- 2 teaspoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons curry powder 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 boneless chicken breast halves, cut in bite-size pieces 14.5 ounce can chicken broth or if you have homemade on hand, you’ll need about 1-3/4 cups 1 1/2 cups orange juice 1 1/4 cups long…
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Friday News You Can Use
It’s Friday and lots of you told me how much you enjoyed me digging through the Budget Smart Girl archives and finding past posts to include in News You Can Use. I had people who have been subscribers from the very beginning tell me they enjoyed seeing these articles again. Others, brand new to the site, appreciated me bringing these tips and hints to their attention. So, with that in mind, I’ve pulled out three more. It’s time to getting gardening and this first link will take you to a post from 2008. Isn’t it funny how old topics become new again and this one also from 2008, tells you…
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Friday News You Can Use-More Budget Meals
It’s Friday already and time for news you can use. Stretching your food budget is a concern for many people right now so I thought for this week, I’d find three sites that focus on budget meals. This first site, is one of my favorites. I have Beth’s cookbook…highly recommend it. https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/ This site lets you pick how much you want to spend per meal which I think is a great feature- And finally, Taste of Home. These recipes look delicious and it’s hard to believe they’re budget friendly. I think I’ll give some of these a try and post a review on my food and cooking site www.cookinggrubhub.com and…
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Friday News You Can Use-Budget Meals
I t’s the first Friday of March. Here are three useful articles I stumbled upon this week- I found this site called The Balance Money which has lots of great articles, but I thought this one about budget worksheet was especially good- https://www.thebalancemoney.com/basic-monthly-budget-worksheet-1289585 Another new to me site, Be The Budget has these easy to follow budgeting tips- And as I’ve had more requests for budget meals, I found these goodies on The Spruce Eats- https://www.thespruceeats.com/affordable-budget-meals-for-families-4845538
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Money Saving Tip-Spice It Up
Sometimes cheaper cuts of meat, even budget stretchers like beans can be bland. One thing that can make everything taste like gourmet fare is herbs and spices. Things like garlic and ginger can make a bland soup or stew taste like a professional chef made it. Grow your own or buy one herb or spice each time you go grocery shopping.
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Money Challenge-Day 11-Food Sites
Today is about cookbooks and food sites that are focused on budget meals. Try and find some to bookmark or put on your bookshelf. Here are two sites to get started- https://www.budgetbytes.com/ https://goodcheapeats.com/
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A Cup of This and A Slice of That…
Have a cup of mashed potatoes, half cup of green beans, a slice of turkey… Looks like you’ve got the makings of your own TV dinner. Some people love leftovers while some hate them. Seeing the same meal or even the same ingredients more than once can send some running. One way around it, (and also to save money), is to take leftovers and come up with your own version of the infamous TV dinner. While the store bought ones are most likely full of preservatives, too much sodium etc. yours will be healthy and have items you love. First step is to buy some of the meal prepping containers.…
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Don’t Waste It- Five Ways to Use Leftover Bread
I hate wasting anything….even more so now that prices are going higher. Besides keeping a loaf of store bought bread in the freezer, I make all my own bread. One downside is because it’s preservative free, it gets stale a lot quicker. Oftentimes, before the whole loaf is eaten. I’ve found lots of ways to put the stale bread to good use rather than throwing it away. If you’re faced with the same problem here are some ideas- Breadcrumbs Save money on breadcrumbs by putting pieces of stale bread in the blender or food processor and then put them in container or freezer bag and keep them in the freezer.…