My basic recipe starts with about 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef.  Season and brown with at least 1 chopped onion.  Next add a large can of diced tomatoes with juice and a large can of tomato sauce.  Stir in two can of beans, drained and rinsed, either black, red or kidney.  Season with lots of salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and a little cumin.  Add cooked macaroni and you are all set.  This is a true 30 minute meal!  

My variations have included using chicken instead of ground beef or adding corn with the beans.  Both are ways are equally delicious.

Finally, we always like to have toppings like shredded cheddar, Parmesan cheese or  sour cream.

Your budget should say thank you for this one. About $5 for the ground beef. 1 onion is maybe a quarter. 4 cans of beans/tomatoes for an average of 75 cents each. 1 box of macaroni is $1.50 for the kind I like.  Equaling about $9.75. Not bad!

You need about 8 cups of apples, peeled and sliced, so I would estimate, about 6 - 8 apples.  Mix the apple slices with 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour and 1 1/2 tsp. apple pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice). 

Put everything in one pie shell, then moisten the edges and put your second pie shell on top. Cut a few slits in the top, put it on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for about 50 minutes.

It is seriously that easy.  The pie shells cost less than $2 and you can usually find apples for about $1 pound.  So way cheaper than anything you could buy and way tastier.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and now it’s on to my favorite, the holiday baking season!!

Appetizers - $10 -  Chips, veggies and dip.  That’s it, you don’t want your guests to get full.

Turkey - $20 - You should already have your turkey thawing in your fridge. If not, hopefully you can still find a deal, and get it in your sink, in cold water, tomorrow.  I usually just rub down the skin with a little olive oil and season it up real good.   The oven bags look pretty good for keeping your turkey nice and moist, but I haven’t tried them.

Stuffing - $3 - Buy the bag (not box) of dried bread cubes.  They are usually cheaper because they are not seasoned.  Find your favorite slow cooker stuffing recipe and get that going.

Potatoes - $3 -  I usually try to make these the night before, because peeling all those potatoes is very time consuming.  There are lots of great make-ahead mashed potatoes recipes.  Reheat on the stove.

Cranberrries - $2 - The whole cranberries are the way to go.  Very healthy and quick. Just use the recipe on the back of the bag. However, there are many people who feel strongly about the “can shape” so it’s pretty easy to have both on hand if necessary.  Get the berries cooked up and then let them cool down a bit so the sauce can thicken.

Green Bean Casserole - $3 - Every year I debate on this one because green beans are not a family favorite, but it is tradition.  The standard cream of mushroom soup casserole is about as easy as you can get. Get it mixed up and in the oven as soon as you take the turkey out.

Salad - $6 - I always like to add an extra salad.  If I am feeling up to it, I make my Seven Layer Salad.  Otherwise, Ceasar Salad is perfect. Easy and healthy, you can make it while the other dishes are cooking.

Dessert - ?? - I’ll leave that one up to you.  I might try my hand at sweet potato pie this year, but we’ll see. I won’t be disappointed if someone brings pumpkin!

I would probably budget a little more than $50 for misc. extras, but overall, your dinner shouldn’t break your bank or your back!!  Happy Thanksgiving!!

The recipe I used was straight off the box and did involve eggs, which concerned me a little, but you do cook them really quick, so I guess that’s all they need.  The only changes I made were to the fat content, I used 1% milk instead of whole, and half-and-half instead of whipping cream.  That may be why the consistency was not like store bought.  It was really hard straight out of the freezer, but then when you let it sit out a little bit, it just turned into a milk shake. 

The good news is that it tasted great! Just like you would expect homemade ice cream to taste.  The recipe was not too complicated and the ice cream maker was very easy to set up and clean.  So we will definitely be doing it again.

Next I want to try frozen yogurt.  I would really like to perfect an awesome frozen yogurt recipe because that would be the ideal dessert.  One of the biggest advantages to making your own is that you use real yogurt, which has all the good active cultures in it.

The recipe I am going to try is for cherry frozen yogurt.  All you need is 2 c. cherries, 4 c. plain yogurt, 1 c. whipping cream, 2/3 c. sugar and 1 tbs. vanilla.    Couldn’t be simpler!

I haven’t yet actually broken down the cost of making your own vs. buying or the fat content yet, but I intend to.  I have to know how much money and calories I am saving!

I am absolutely convinced that being even semi-vegetarian is healthier and definitely cheaper.  For me the issue is more what do I cook for my family to replace the meat in our diet.  I would have to completely re-do my entire menu rotation, but if it’s cheaper and healthier, why wait?  Well,  . . . I like tacos, and meatballs, and beef stew, and a good steak everyone once in a while.  And my family likes all that too.  It’s one of those healthy eating roadblocks I face.

And what would I cook to replace the missing protein?  Apparently people only need about .36 grams of protein per pound, so on average about 50 grams for females and 63 for males.  Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds contain some protein.  In fact, I found out that all plant based food contains some protein, because its plant structure comes from protein.  Hmmmm, maybe this won’t be as hard as I am expecting.

I think my plan of action is going to be to slowly start substituting in more eggs, fish and beans dinners. If possible, I would like to get to the point where we eat only one red meat meal a week.  I don’t know if that will ever happen, but it’s worth trying. I will definitely be posting my recipes and the results I get from my family.

I mean, when I see the articles talking about how there is bacteria in meat, and all the statistics showing eating less red meat is healthier for you, I think it’s time to put up a fight, and advance slowly into the Healthy Eating Battle!  :)

Start with about 3 -4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into bite sized pieces.  Season, coat with flour and fry.  Your choice if you prefer pan-fry or deep-fry.  Once they are done, saute up garlic and green onions.  While those are cooking, you need to make the Orange Sauce.  

Combine 3 tbs. each soy sauce and orange juice with 1/2 c. each sugar and vinegar.  Stir well.  Add the sauce to the pan and thicken a little with about 1 - 2 tbs. cornstarch.  Then add the chicken back in.  Heat until the chicken is coated and the sauce is nice and thick.

Serve over rice, topped with a little orange zest or a few orange slices.

That’s it.  Super fast, super easy and super cheap.  This dinner serves approximately 4 - 6 people and should run you under $10.  Just out of curiosity, I checked out the nutritional info on the Panda Express website, and a serving of Orange Chicken will run you about 500 calories and 27 grams of fat!! %@#! This recipe is about 300 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving.  So guess this time the real savings is not the money, but the calories!

One of the best things about breakfast is that it’s cheap.  Eggs usually cost around $2 a dozen, are super nutritious and so easy to make. I try to buy the kind with Omega 3’s added in because it’s one of those nutrients that is extremely important and getting it in your eggs is easy and inexpensive.

I like to scramble up eggs with anything we have on hand, onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes and ham are all great in any combination.  When the eggs are just about done, sprinkle on some grated cheddar. 

I also like to make egg sandwiches.  Just fry up an egg and melt a slice of cheese over the top.  Toast your bread, add a slice of ham, and yum!

One breakfast item  I have yet to conquer is pancakes.  No matter how much times I make them from scratch, they do not come out as good as they do from the box.  If anyone has tips for making homemade pancakes all nice and fluffy like the box ones, please let me know.

Potatoes are also great for breakfast.  Dice them, add butter and onions and just fry until they start getting a little crispy.  They are great with eggs or alone. Homemade hashbrowns  are something I don’t really do.  All the grating  is a little too much work in the morning. 

Sausage and bacon are a nice breakfast treat, but really not necessary.  Not very nutritious or low in calories, but it’s nice to have every once in awhile.

Fruit is a must with a big breakfast.  Strawberries, cantaloupe and grapes are my favorites.  I have some extra apples on hand, so this weekend I think I am going to try making sauteed apples.  Just saute them up in your pan with butter and cinnamon until nice and soft, mmmmm!

Some weekends I like to get creative, but if you want that big breakfast taste without all the work, these ideas should do the trick!

 Now if you have been reading my blog for any length of time you know I am a big fan of cooking at home and I like to stay within a budget.  However, there are times when I don’t feel like cooking or didn’t get to make my lunch and fast food is what is needed.  The $5 footlong subs at Subway are perfect for these occasions. 

For about the same price, you could go to McD’s and get a value meal with fries and a drink, but that is a complete waste of money, an addition of an insane amount of fat and calories, and no nutritional value whatsoever.  Seriously, none!

When you go to Subway, you can choose your bread, so choose the wheat.  You can also add veggies, so go crazy, I add them all.  And then they have a whole bunch of low-fat condiment options, so again, add what you like.  Being healthy does not mean you always have to skip the good parts, make your sandwich filling and taste good!

I think Subway is the best deal out there if you are looking for a healthy, tasty and affordable fast-food meal. 

The first layer is the lettuce.  I usually use a mix of iceberg and romaine because iceberg has absolutely no nutritional value and romaine adds a little extra greenery.  The lettuce is going to be your biggest layer, about 3/4 of the salad.

Next is a layer of celery.  Add as much or as little as you like. Because it’s also green it doesn’t really affect the look of the salad.  The celery add a little extra crunch, but just make sure not to overdo it.  Next is radishes, yum! You will need either a whole bag of the prewashed or about 1 to 1 1/2 bunches. I just slice them.  Then chop up one bunch of green onions.  Again, like the celery, make sure not to overdo it or they will overpower the salad.

Now comes the good layers. :)  The bacon layer is one of the keys to what makes this salad so awesome.  When making a large salad you’ll need a whole package of bacon. Chop it up and sprinkle it on. You can use any variety you like.  Turkey bacon is good if you are trying to go healthy.  The next layer is peas, and always use frozen.  Just thaw them out in the microwave and drain real good.  You can kind of dry them out a little on a kitchen towel. Make sure the peas cover the top of the entire salad.

The salad dressing is next.  You can use either ranch, Miracle Whip or mayo.  Personally, I love it with mayo!  The low fat mayo is good, but I don’t really like the fat free kind.  You’ll need to use a spatula to spread it all over the peas.  Pour it on in kind of large piles and then very slowly spread it around completely covering the peas.  Then sprinkle on a layer of shredded cheddar cheese, completely covering the dressing.

That’s it! Chopping the veggies can be a little time consuming, but as you can tell, this salad is super easy to make and very inexpensive.  It should run you less than $15 and can feed like 10 to 15 people.  It’s a very impressive looking dish to bring to all your holiday dinners that will be a sure hit with everyone!

I started by boiling 3 large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts in a pot. You really could cook them anyway you wanted, or even buy one of those pre-made rotisserie chickens from the grocery store.   Next, chop up 2 onions, 6 carrots, 6 stalks celery and saute them in a dutch oven with a couple tablespoons of butter. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, dill, garlic powder and onion powder.  I would have added a little basil also but discovered I was out.  Big oops! Basil is a must have for my kitchen. 

While the veggies are getting nice and tender, get the water boiling for your noodles.  In a separate bowl mix up two-thirds cups flour with 2 cups of milk.  I used whole milk because I was worried it might not get thick enough, but after making this dish I think any kind of milk will work well, and I really prefer not use whole milk due to its high fat content.

Once the veggies are tender add about 6 cups of water and heat to a boil.  If you prefer, you could add some chicken bouillon or maybe substitute half with chicken stock.  Next chop up your fully cooked chicken and add to the veggies.  Slowly add the milk and flour mixture, stiring well. Add the cooked noodles and any additional seasoning to taste.  Mine needed a little bit more of everything.

Your result should be a nice big pot of homemade chicken noodle stew.  This meal fits any budget, at less then $10, and covers all the food groups!