Spinach, Bean, & Avocado Salad

I found this recipe on Pinterst and I eat it alot...it is so yummy! Lots of times I don't have cilantro on hand so I will use green onions and it is just as good!

No measuring involved...I just put in as much as I feel like!

spinach
black beans (rinsed well)
cucumber
tomato
avocado
lime juice
pepper
cilantro or green onions
dash of olive oil.

Roasted Parmesean Green Beans

I found this recipe on Pinterest. This is a delicious way to eat fresh green beans!  Make sure you eat them fresh out of the oven for best results.

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

• 12 oz green beans, trimmed (make sure they are dry)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• kosher salt + fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp shredded Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum for easy clean-up.

Lay green beans out on the baking sheet and drizzle oil over them. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and toss to evenly coat.

Spread them out on the sheet so that they all lay flat and place on the lower third section of your oven.
 Bake 10 minutes, shake the pan to turn; bake 5 additional minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 1 pts • Points+: 2 pts
Calories: 62.4 • Fat: 2.9 g • Carbs: 8.0 • Fiber: 3.8 • Protein: 2.7 g • Sugar: 0
Sodium: 38.4 mg (without salt)

Rainbow Cake

I made this cake last year for my 8 year old's birthday. He loved it, and it was really easy to make. This is where I found the recipe and instructions.

Basically, all you do is mix together 2 white cake mixes according to the package directions. Divide up the batter evenly into 6 bowls. Use gel food coloring to color each bowl a color of the rainbow. Use tin foil 8 inch cake pans and put the batter into each pan. Then bake for about 8-9 minutes. You can bake 3 at a time. Then stake and frost when cooled!

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle

I made this for dessert on Valentines Day. It was delicious!

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle--original recipe source

1 batch of your favorite brownies, boxed or from scratch, cooled and cut into cubes
1 large box (5-ounce) of instant chocolate pudding, prepared and chilled
1 bag of peanut butter cups, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending on your desired level of sweetness
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
8 ounces of whipped cream cheese, at room temperature

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat heavy cream and sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to an separate bowl and stick in the fridge until ready to use. I did not even clean the bowl of my electric mixer and just began mixing the peanut butter mixture.

Add the peanut butter and cream cheese to the bowl and beat at medium speed, scraping down the sides a few times until mixture is creamy. Add in powdered sugar and mix until combined, then mix in 2 tablespoons of milk. Remove the whipped cream from the fridge and add 1 cup of it to the peanut butter, folding it in until the mixture turns lighter in color and is mostly combined.

Grab your trifle dish and begin to layer your ingredients however you’d like. I did a layer of brownies, then peanut butter, then a handful of chopped peanut butter cups, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and so on. I repeated it until I got to the top, then piped the remaining whipped cream on top and sprinkled the candy on. You really can’t go wrong with layering – just use a long spoon to serve!

Tropical Smoothie

We just got our Bountiful Basket for the week and we made a delicious smoothie! It reminded us of our trip to Cancun. I used the leftover pineapple juice from the tidbit cans that I had frozen. All the fruit was fresh, but I'm sure frozen could be substituted for them, too.

1 banana
2 small mangos
1 orange (ours was a pink cara cara orange)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup frozen pineapple juice
1/4 container frozen OJ concentrate
1 cup milk (more or less for consistency)
sugar in desired (we used 1 tsp)

Load ingrdients in the your blender placing frozen items at the top. Blend well, taste test to see if and sugar is needed. Enjoy!

*makes about 5-6 cups

Nora's Hungarian Cabbage Rolls

Nora showed Marne and me how to make these before they moved back to Hungary. Since that was a while ago, I may have forgotten some things. Nora, feel free to make any corrections to the recipe! These are definitely delicious, though.

1 head green cabbage
1- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
2-3 cups white rice
sweet paprika
vegetable soup seasoning mix (Nora used Knorr brand I think)
1 large onion
oil for sauteing
1-2 lrg cans tomato sauce (I don't remember for sure!)

Wash and core the cabbage. Steam/boil the cabbage in salted water in pot. As leaves soften, take them off and out of the water. Trim out the hard center vein and cut the leaves in half. Chop up the smaller inner leaves and reserve. Also reserve water used to steam the leaves.

Cook onion until softened in oil in saucepan. Mix raw pork, paprika, salt, pepper, uncooked rice, vegetable soup mix and onion together in bowl; season to smell.

Place 1-2 tbsp of pork mixture on a cabbage leaf and roll up tightly, tucking in the ends. Do this until all pork mixture is gone. Place about half of the reserved chopped cabbage in the bottom of a pot and arrange cabbage rolls tightly on top. Top with remainder of chopped cabbage.

Fill the pot with the water reserved from steaming the cabbage leaves. Use a plate on top of the cabbage rolls to hold them down and cook for about 30 minutes or until pork and rice are cooked. Add the tomato sauce the last 5 minutes. Bring to a boil for a few minutes to combine the tomato sauce and water. Serve with sour  cream (I mean the real stuff people...full fat!) and french bread.

Bountiful Baskets

Have you heard of Bountiful Baskets? If not, you need to check into seeing if there is a pickup in your area. Look at all the fruits and veggies that I can get for ONLY $16.50!

This is what I picked up this morning:

2 grapefruit (my friend gave me her two so I have four pictured)
8 oranges
5 apples
1 container blueberries
6 large tomatoes
4 onions
1 head cabbage
1 bunch asparagus
1 5lb bag red potatoes
1 bag (abt 2 lbs) green beans (I forgot to put this in the photo)
4 jumbo red peppers
4 medium green peppers
1 bunch romaine lettuce

Do you know how much this would cost if I bought it all at Walmart? I compared prices today.

2 grapefruit @ .54 each = $1.08
8 oranges @ .48 each = $3.84
5 apples@ $1.17 lb = $2.34
1 container blueberries = $2.98
6 large tomatoes@ $1.34 lb = $1.34
4 onions@ .46 lb = $.55
1 head cabbage@ .46 lb = $.70
1 bunch asparagus@ $3.48 lb = $2.61
1 5 lb bag red potatoes = $2.97
1 bag (abt 2 lbs) green bean@ .44 lb = $.88
4 jumbo red peppers@ $1.14 each = $4.56
4 medium green peppers@ .78 each = $3.12
1 bunch romaine lettuce = $1.48

Total $29.10, with tax total would be $30.17.

That is a savings of 45%! Not overly huge, but something. It is over a $10 savings, and that is good for me!

With Bountiful Baskets you never know what you are going to get, but it is always 50% fruit, 50% vegetables. Try it out if it is in your area!

Chicken and Biscuits

This is an easy crockpot meal. Perfect for Sunday dinner. Our family loves this meal with our favorite Drop Biscuits. I usually make this at least once a month in the fall and winter.

Sorry, no photo!

· 2 envelopes chicken gravy mix
· 2 cups water
· ¾ cup chicken broth
· 1 garlic clove, minced
· 1 Tbl minced fresh parsley
· 1-2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
· ½ tsp pepper
· 1 large onion, cut into wedges
· 3-4 chicken breasts (I use two and it is plenty for us)
· 3 Tbl flour
· 1/3 cup cold water
· 10 biscuits

Directions: In a slow cooker, combine gravy mix, water, broth, garlic, parsley, bouillon, and pepper until blended. Add the onion and chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. At this point, shred your chicken if you want it shredded. Increase heat to high. In a small bowl, combine the flour and cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook for 1 hour (but I usually only cook for 20 minutes and its just fine!) Use chicken gravy to top biscuits.

Can also serve on top of rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.

Drop Biscuits

We love these biscuits at our house. I make them all the time! They are fast to throw together too. Because they are drop biscuits it takes less time than rolling and cutting.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk (can also use homemade buttermilk: 1 cup milk & mix in 1 Tbl white vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda onto a sheet of wax paper, then sift again into a bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. (There will be small butter lumps. Don't worry, they cook in nicely.)

Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until a dough just forms (dough will be moist). Drop onto baking sheet or baking stone with a spoon.

Bake until pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature. Makes 6-10 biscuits, depending on the size you drop them.

Make Your Own Condensed Soups

Back in 2008 I learned how to make my own condensed soups...specifically cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and cream of celery. But I most often use cream of chicken. Making these soups yourself is so much healthier! And it is SO easy! I got away from doing this for awhile but I am back doing it again. It has helped me with my 2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan.

Here is the recipe for cream of chicken soup. I made it just last night for my family to use in gravy for Hawaiian Haystacks. It tastes so much better than the canned version. Plus, it helps me use my food storage.

Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
1 c. Magic Mix
3/4 c. Chicken Broth (either from a can, bouillon, or liquid from canned chicken)
1 t. Dry Parsley
Dash of Onion Salt

Mix together with wire whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.


Magic Mix
2 1/3 c. powdered milk
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature (NO margarine!)

Combine together in a mixer bowl. I use my Bosch. Whip up nice and thoroughly until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Put in the fridge and use for a variety of recipes, including condensed soups. (Using it for chocolate pudding is really good!) Will keep in the fridge for several months.

Quick Chicken & Rice Burritos

This recipe is FAST, easy and delicious! It is now a regular on our menu. Everyone loved it at our house.

Original Recipe Source

• 1 (12.5 oz) can canned chicken, drained
• 1 pkg taco seasoning mix (or 1/8 c. homemade mix)
• 1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed Tomato Soup
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup uncooked instant white rice (like Minute Rice)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 12 flour tortillas

1. Add chicken to a skillet and break up into pieces.
2. Mix in the seasoning mix, soup, water, and rice. Bring to boil over medium heat.
3. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 5 minutes until the rice is tender and water is absorbed.
4. Place 2 Tbsp of shredded cheese in the center of each tortilla. Add some of the chicken/rice mixture to the center on top of the cheese and roll up burrito style.

2012 Menu Planning

I blog for Pinching Your Pennies and this month I am doing a series I am calling the 2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan. Here is what I am doing this year to cut down on my grocery bill:

CRACK-DOWN PLAN
1. I would like to spend no more than $300 per month for my family of 6. We are starting to eat more fresh foods so I am leaving my budget flexible at the beginning until I see how much we eat and how much things will cost. I will adjust if necessary.
2. We will eat out no more than once per month. That includes Little Ceaser’s Hot N Ready Pizza (which has become too much of a friend to us).
3. I will plan my menus out a month at a time. I would like to get 6 months at a time if possible. Meal planning always helps me spend less at the store and takes the headache out of the end of the day.
4. Cook from scratch as much as possible.
5. Start couponing again as much as possible for the foods we eat.
6. Use supplies from my food storage and stockpile to fuel my meals. This will get us used to the food I store as well as rotate what I have.

In case you are interested, here is my January Menu Plan. It is a pdf file in Google Docs. I am starting to plan out my menus a month in advance. I have already done January and February! It feels so good.

You can follow along if you like. Through the next  month I am posting about my progress, if I am staying on budget or not, and lots of tips and helpful hints. Here are the posts I have made so far.

2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Menu Planning
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Menu Planning Binder