Home Cookin' - Family Time - Ways to Save

Zucchini Apple Bread (Healthy)

2012-10-13T12:27:00.004-07:00

Another great recipe out of my Taste of Home's Light & Tasty cookbook....I've been asked by a few people for this recipe now, so here you go! Sorry it took so long for me to post...hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Zucchini Apple Bread (Healthier Version)

4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

2 eggs (reduced from 5 eggs in regular recipe)

¾ cup canola oil (reduced from 1 ½ cups vegetable oil in regular recipe)

1 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce

1 cup sugar (reduced from 2 cups in regular recipe)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup grated peeled apples

½ cup chopped pecans (reduced from 1 cup in regular recipe)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the oil, applesauce, sugars and vanilla; beat until blended. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the zucchini, apples and pecans.

Transfer to THREE 8in x 4in x 2in loaf pans coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake @ 350 for 55-60 min. or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 min. before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 3 loaves

Zucchini Apple Bread

Peachy Chicken Recipe

2012-08-27T19:46:00.001-07:00

Thank you Taste of Home for yet another tasty recipe! Here's what we had for dinner tonight...

Peachy Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each) You could use larger size, there's plenty of sauce!
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I used natural blend)
1 tbsp butter
1 can (15 1/4 oz) sliced peaches, undrained (I eyeballed 1/2 of a 29 oz large can so I could save 1/2 for another use, plus it was cheaper per oz)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 envelope onion soup mix

Hot cooked rice, optional

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil and butter; remove and keep warm. Add peaches with juice, brown sugar, orange juice and soup mix to skillet; stir until combined. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 min.

Reduce heat; return chicken to pan. Simmer, uncovered for 15-20 min. or until chicken juices run clear. Serve over rice if desired. Yield: 4 servings

Peachy Chicken over Brown Rice, Green Beans

Our boys liked it, but they thought the peaches were weird with chicken. My husband really liked it, had good flavor and the chicken was juicy...but he said he didn't care for the peaches because they were too soft. SO, my suggestion would be to try adding in the peaches a bit later in the cooking process since they are canned peaches...they're soft by default! I liked it, peaches and all! :)

2 Week Dinner Planner

2012-08-22T16:01:00.001-07:00

2 Week Dinner Plan:

Monday – Cajun Breaded Chicken Tenders, Baked Basil Fries, SD Bread

Tuesday – Spaghetti

Wednesday – Chicken Baked Chops, Brown Rice, Carrots

Thursday – Sweet & Sour Beef over Noodles

Friday – Taco Nachos

Saturday – Pot Roast & Veggies

Sunday – Peachy Chicken, Brown Rice, Green Beans

Monday – Chili & Cornbread

Tuesday – Mosh Posh Night (use up random leftovers)

Wednesday – Teriyaki Turkey Burritos

Thursday – Shredded BBQ Pork Hoagies, Corn Cobs

Friday – Homemade Pizza

Saturday – BBQ Cheeseburgers, Chips & Corn

Sunday – BBQ Turkey Dogs, Pork & Beans

** Chicken, Hamburger, Pork Loin Chips & Beef Roasts were all on great sales last week at Safeway so that’s what I planned most the meals around…that and using what I already had on hand in the freezer or in my pantry. Splitting’ the big family packs into multiple, different meals keeps my grocery costs down. Examples: 1 family pack of hamburger was divided it into 3 meals (spaghetti, chili, burgers) 1 family pack of chicken breasts was divided into 2 meals (I cut 1/2 into tenders and kept 1/2 whole for peachy chicken) 1 family pack of pork loin chops was divided into 2 meals (1/2 kept as chops, 1/2 tenderize in crock pot to shred for hoagies) 1 roast divided into 2 meals (sweet & sour, leftovers for pizza topping)**

I already had leftover taco meat, a pot roast & ground turkey in my freezer for the other meals not mentioned in examples above. Keep in mind, this is what feeds our family of 5...it may or may not work for your family size!

Corn Dog Muffins

2012-07-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Corn Dog Muffins
2 pkgs (8 1/2 oz each) corn bread/muffin mix (Jiffy is a good, low cost option)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk (you can use regular or fat free)
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn, drained (if all you have on hand is creamed corn (14 oz, undrained), add 5-7 min. cook time)
5 hot dogs, chopped (I use turkey dogs)

In a bowl, combine corn bread mix and brown sugar. Combine eggs and milk; stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Stir in corn and hot dogs (batter will be thin). Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake @ 400 for 14-18 min. (or add 5-7 min.) or until golden brown. Serve immediately and be sure to refrigerate any leftovers. Yield: 18 muffins

Corn Dog Muffins

Our whole family likes these muffins for either lunch or dinner; pair it with some fresh fruit and you've got a well balanced meal that's KID FRIENDLY!

Oatmeal Brownies

2012-07-29T17:41:00.011-07:00

Oatmeal Brownies
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats (I use old fashioned oats instead)
1 cup M&M miniature baking bits (These rarely go on sale, so it's not often that I add them)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 pkg fudge brownie mix (13x9x2 pan size)

In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Pat the remaining mixture into a greased 15x10x1 baking pan OR a 13x9x2 baking dish. Prepare brownie batter according to pkg directions. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle with the reserved oat mixture. Bake @ 350 for 25-30 min. for 15x10x1 OR 28-31 min. or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: depends on pan size!

Oatmeal Brownies

This recipe is pretty versatile for your taste. You can change up the candy chips or change the type of chopped nuts...whatever fits your fancy!

Barbecued Meatballs (Easy Homemade Sauce!)

2012-07-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

This recipe is straight from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking Cookbook, it's perfect just the way it is and we all love it...alot! The texture is different than most meatballs, but it's such a minor detail...the taste is delicious!

Barbecued Meatballs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 can (5 oz) evaporated milk (I have substituted 1/2 cup regular milk when out of evap, it works fine)
1 cup quick-cooking oats (If you're out of quick oats use 3 packets of regular instant oatmeal, works great!)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (prefer 93/7)

Sauce:
     1 cup ketchup
     3/4 cup packed brown sugar
     1/4 cup chopped onion
     1/2 tsp liquid smoke, optional (gives it a great flavor, try it!)
     1/4 tsp garlic powder

In a bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1 in. balls and place in a greased 13x9x2 baking dish (you'll need 2 dishes, trust me!). Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 18-20 min. or until meat is no longer pink. Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 min, stirring frequently. Pour over meatballs. Bake 10-12 min. longer. Yield: approx. 48 meatballs

Barbecued Meatballs

Support Your Schools One Code At A Time

2012-07-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you how easy it is to make a difference in your community and show support for your local schools...with the help of a program called My Coke Rewards. I'm sure many of you have noticed on coke products there are codes on either the packaging or in the lids. Those codes can be collected and redeemed for school supplies or athletic equipment for the registered school of your choice. If your school isn't already registered, sign up to be a coordinator! I did!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that my mind is always goin' a 100mph...always thinkin' of ways to save $, always thinkin' of ways to reuse/recycle/donate, and always tryin' to find ways to help others by whatever means I can, most times for little or no cost. Thinking outside the box, turning nothing into something...it's an entertaining challenge sometimes!

My latest venture, was finding a way for our local Little League to give back to the community by showing support to the families that help support us. I came across the My Coke Rewards for Schools program and a light bulb turned on...I thought to myself, I'm in charge of Concessions this year for North Mason Little League and we're gonna be selling ALOT of coke products in there! I can collect all the codes and redeem them for one of our local schools...so that's what I did. I chose the school my sons go to, contacted the principal, and asked for permission to sign up as the coordinator. This year I only collected codes from our Concessions and our home, but for next year, the principal has asked me to get our student's parents involved too and really see what kind of reward pts we can rack up!

Our active baseball season came to a close last night with the ending of All Stars, and our grand total Coke Reward pts was 797! At the request of our principal, I redeemed the pts for school supplies for the classrooms....and to benefit the most students, I opted to redeem the pts for pencils. Lots of pencils...132 to be exact, 11 (12 ct) pks of HB #2 pencils will be arriving at our school in 2-4 weeks!

It didn't cost our league any $ to benefit/donate to a school in our area, we were going to be selling the coke products anyways...but now, one of our schools will benefit from it and COMMUNITY SUPPORT COMES FULL CIRCLE. If you're interested in doing something similar for your kids' school or local community check out this website below and it'll explain everything you need to know on how to get started. It doesn't have to cost you a thing to make a difference!!

http://www.mycokerewards.com/mcrSchools.do?tab=1

Turkey & Broccoli Filled Lasagna Rolls

2012-06-28T06:07:00.004-07:00

Turkey

and Broccoli Filled Lasagna Rolls

4 dried lasagna noodles

½ pkg ground turkey (approx. ½ lb)

¼ cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped broccoli

¼ cup water

1 beaten egg

1 cup (8 oz) low fat cottage cheese

½ tsp dried thyme

1 ½ cups meatless spaghetti sauce

¼ cup shredded cheese (parmesan or mozzarella)

Cook lasagna noodles according to pkg instructions until tender but still firm. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water. Drain again.

For filling, in a large skillet cook ground turkey and onions until turkey is no longer pink. Drain fat. Stir in broccoli and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 5 min.; drain.

In a mixing bowl, stir together egg, cottage cheese and thyme. Add in turkey mixture. Lay out all 4 lasagna noodles on a cutting board or clean counter, divide up filling mixture evenly among the noodles and spread it out on top of the noodle. Roll up each noodle, jelly roll style and place in a 2 qt square baking dish. Spoon spaghetti sauce over lasagna rolls.

Bake, covered, @ 375 for about 30 min. or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Makes 4 main dish servings.

Turkey & Broccoli Lasagna Rolls

When you roll up the noodles, just know that it's a messy task! Excess that falls out when rolling, I just toss back in to the baking dish in the empty spaces so it's not wasted. My kids pick out the broccoli, but they're missing out! It's a delicious combination! Hope you like it.

A Menu in Motion

2012-06-19T07:09:00.001-07:00

2 Week Meal Plan (Dinners):

Saturday – Burritos

Sunday – Meatloaf, Pan Fried Potatoes, Side Salad

Monday – Meatballs in Spaghetti Sauce, Cheesy Focaccia, Side Salad

Tuesday – Hamburger Stroganoff, Side Salad

Wednesday –

Turkey

Pasta Soup, Homemade Biscuits

Thursday – BBQ Hot Dogs, Cheesy Broccoli Macaroni

Friday – Grilled Pork Loin Chops, Pasta Side Dish, Carrot Sticks

Saturday – Canadian Bacon Cheeseburgers, Chips, Corn on Cob

Sunday – Mosh Posh Night

Monday – Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Tuesday – Turkey & Broccoli Filled Lasagna Rolls, Side Salad

Wednesday – Taco Salad

Thursday – Grilled Chicken, Asian Linguine Salad

Friday – Loaded Baked Potatoes

Nothing like finishing the meal plan partway through the week...Sat-Mon have already been made, consumed and checked off the list. In case you're wondering, Mosh Posh Night is my way to use up random leftovers.

Creamy Apple Crumb Pie

2012-06-17T18:48:00.004-07:00

Creamy Apple Crumb Pie

1 pastry for single-crust pie (9 in.)

6 cups cubed peeled tart apples (about 6 medium)

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground allspice

1 cup (8 oz) reduced-fat sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

½ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup packed brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp cold butter

Line a 9 in. deep dish pie plate with pastry; flute edges. In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and allspice. Combine sour cream and vanilla in a small bowl; stir into apple mixture. Spoon into pastry shell.

For topping, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Sprinkle over pie filling.

Bake @ 400 for 25 min. Reduce heat to 350; bake 25-30 min. longer or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Store in fridge. Yield: 8 servings

Pastry for Single-Crust Pie

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

1/3 cup shortening

4 to 5 tbsp cold water

Stir together flour and salt. Using a fork or pastry blender; cut in shortening until pieces are pea size. Gradually add water a tbsp at a time, mixing pastry as you go until all the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball.

Lightly flour a flat surface such as your table or countertop; slightly flatten dough with your hands. Using a rolling pin, continue to roll out the dough into a circle (about 12 in diameter). Transfer to 9 in. pie plate. Turn excess edges underneath and use your fingers to flute the edges.

Creamy Apple Crumb Pie

Our oldest son, Kody, and I made this for a special dessert tonight...Happy Father's Day!!

Savings at Safeway!!

2012-05-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't signed up yet, you should see what you're missing out on! Safeway has added even more features and great savings to their e-coupons you can upload to your Safeway Club Card. E-coupons are just paperless coupons...it's easy peasy, and savings you'll get without doing much at all.

http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/Offers-Landing-IMG

Right now, if you sign up you get a free dozen eggs...just for signing up. I was already signed up for their e-coupons before, so that didn't apply to me...but I did notice that some things in their coupon center such as "personalized coupons" you can add and "club specials" and it'll show how long the sale is running for each item and how much of a savings it is from their regular price. These are one time coupons, the registers are programmed to accept these first before paper coupons...BUT, in theory, I also read before that they're supposed to accept the higher value coupon regardless. What it does do, is basically give you an extra chance to get a great deal when your paper coupon has item quantity limitations on them. You cannot use the e-coupon and a paper coupon for the same item, but it doesn't stop you from buying multiple identical items using multiple coupons, with the exception of when it says limit one coupon per customer. In which case, that's when doing a separate transaction comes into play. A new transaction, the register doesn't know it's not a new customer and you can continue to receive great savings.

Give it a try! It's worth the time to upload coupons to your Club Card!

Teriyaki Turkey Burritos

2012-05-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

Teriyaki

Turkey

Burritos

(1) 10 ct pkg regular tortillas (soft taco size) – (original recipe calls for fat-free tortillas but they don’t wrap well so I use regular)

(1) 1.25 lb pkg lean ground turkey

½ cup chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

(1) 12 oz pkg broccoli coleslaw mix

1 tbsp canola oil

1/3 cup reduced sodium teriyaki sauce

½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp pepper

1 ½ cups shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend

Warm tortillas in microwave. In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion and garlic over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink; drain. Place turkey mixture in a bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, stir-fry the broccoli coleslaw mix in oil for 2 min. Add teriyaki sauce, five spice powder, garlic powder and pepper; cook and stir for 1 min. Stir in turkey mixture and cheese; heat through.

Lightly grease 13x9x2 baking dish with cooking oil spray. Spoon ½ cup filling onto center of each tortilla. Roll into burritos and place side by side in baking dish. Cover dish with foil and bake at 350 for 20 min. or until heated through. Yield: 5 servings (2 burritos = 1 serving)

Teriyaki Turkey Burritos with Side Salad

ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!

The Importance of Family Time

2012-04-19T14:51:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share a little story with you that I'm sure you'll get a kick outta, but I'm hoping you'll also take with you a lesson learned about the importance of spending time together as a family.

In my many things I do on a day to day basis being a stay at home mom to 3 kids (ages 10, 7 and 2)...I also volunteer my time for our local Little League and have done so for years. This year I've taken on the task of being in charge of Concessions as well as being Treasurer. Unbeknownst to me, neither of my boys wanted to play baseball this year...but I'd already signed on for another year 4 months prior to registration. I'd taken on a pretty big job and was not willing to back out and leave the league hanging just because my boys decided not to play. So, as you can imagine...balancing my obligations to my family as well as the league has been quite a daunting task, but one I signed up for voluntarily and truth be told...I truly ENJOY being a part of BOTH!

Running Concessions is nearly an every day event, whether it be shopping for food/supplies or actually physically being in there working a shift, or two or more...of this, trust me I was forewarned that it'd be this way...but still I wanted to face the challenge and see how good a job I could do and try to make it as big of a success for the league as could.

Our family is used to eating dinner together nearly every night and is something that I didn't realize we ALL look forward to each night until we suddenly no longer had that luxury with me being gone nearly every night down at the fields for one reason or another. I used to take pride in the meals I'd make, many of which took quite a bit of time and effort to prepare...now to be substituted with quick and easy meals that either my husband can prepare for the kids or something I could just slap together for them before I left the house. Quickly I've come to realize that I took for granted the simple joy of sitting around the dinner table and listening to the stories of everyone's day and the sibling bickering that also always seem to happen in between bites.

Early this week I'd promised our middle child, Tommy, that I'd keep Concessions closed for the night so we could all eat dinner together and have family time afterwards...he wanted us to play a game of H-O-R-S-E. However, the next day I realized that I'd have to break my promise because I'd forgotten I had a volunteer coming for a shift and I'd have to be there to open Concessions and train him because he was a newbie...I had to think of a plan to blend both worlds and not let Tommy down. So, I explained that I'd made a mistake and asked what he thought about having a picnic at the fields instead...to this he replied, "Sure, that'd be ok." I asked what we should have..."ham and cheese sandwiches and water" he replied. I thought that was a bit odd, but agreed. Of course, the weather did not cooperate that day and began to rain...so not wanting to cancel our plans yet again, I decided we could just bring a couple blankets to sit on and eat inside Concessions...just the 5 of us. My husband joined us at the fields when he got off work and I locked us inside so no one would disturb our family dinner. Ham & cheese sandwhiches, trail mix, carrot sticks, bottled water and little chocolate chip cookies for dessert.....we laughed, we talked, we engaged in m&m catching contests.....and then it was time for my family to go home and my newbie volunteer arrived for his shift.

My family got their smiles back, Tommy was satisfied with the change in plans and we got to spend some much needed family time together.

SO...I leave you with this...never take for granted the little things, the simple joys in life AND remember that if you want something bad enough, you CAN find ways to make it all work...even if it is found by sitting on a concrete floor eating ham sandwiches, IT WORKS.

Make A Wish & Blockbuster Team Up!

2012-04-06T09:01:00.001-07:00

http://www.blockbusterexpress.com/makeawish

JOIN US THIS APRIL IN SUPPORTING WORLD WISH DAY^®

When a wish is granted, powerful things can happen. That's why, from April 1-30, 2012, BLOCKBUSTER Express will donate 10% of all first-night Family, Kids and Animated movie rentals to Make-A-Wish^® in honor of World Wish Day. Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. For more information, visit wish.org.

Throughout April, we will be featuring family-friendly movies from NCircle Entertainment in our kiosks, including:

April 3: Super Mario Bros: Box Office Mario, Dino Dan: Dino Trackers

April 10: Yo Gabba Gabba: Live!, The Cat in the Hat: Up and Away

April 17: Fairies: Meet the Fairies, Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic Goes Green

April 24: Gruffalo

Celebrate family with us in the month of April and help us make the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions come true.

BLOCKBUSTER Express will make a minimum donation of $30,000, up to a maximum of $60,000.

Here's a coupon code to help you help Make A Wish:

Pizza Pasta Casserole Recipe

2012-04-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

Pizza Pasta Casserole

2 lbs ground beef (use 93/7 to lower fat!)

½ large onion, chopped

2 jars (28 oz each) spaghetti sauce

1 pkg (16 oz) spiral pasta, cooked and drained

4 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

8 oz. sliced pepperoni (I use turkey pepperoni, it's way less fat!)

In a large skillet, cook beef and onions until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pasta. Transfer to two greased 13x9x2 baking dishes, evenly. Sprinkle with cheese on both. Arrange pepperoni over the top of both. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Bake the second casserole, uncovered, @ 350 for 25-30 min. or until heated through.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in fridge overnight Bake @ 350 for 35-40 min. or until heated through.

Yield: 2 casseroles (8-10 servings each)

Pizza Pasta Casserole

Sloppy Joe Recipe (Healthier)

2012-03-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sloppy Joes
1 1/4 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup ketchup
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp bbq sauce (I'm a fan of Jack Daniel's bbq sauce!)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
6 hamburger buns, split

Using the brands I use for my family.....1 sandwich = 315 calories, 8 gm fat (73 cal are from fat)

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the turkey and onion over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink; drain if necessary. Add garlic; cook for 1-2 min. or until tender.

Stir in the sugar, flour and pepper. Add the ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-10 min. or until heated through. Serve on buns. Yield: 6 servings

Sloppy Joes with Carrot Sticks & Ranch

Our kids love it!

Mongolian Beef Recipe

2012-03-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

Mongolian Beef
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp sesame oil (I used olive oil and sesame seeds instead because I forgot to buy it)
1 lb. boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut into thin strips (I used london broil instead, it was on sale!)
1 tbsp olive oil, divided
5 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces (I diced them instead to help hide them from the kids)
2 cups hot cooked rice (I added a diced carrot in pot while rice cooked to add a veggie and also thinking ahead to leftovers I can use later on.....freeze leftover rice w/ carrots, comes in handy for a quick homemade Chicken 'n Rice Soup later!)

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and chicken broth until smooth. Stir in soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in 1 1/2 tsp hot olive oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, stir-fry the onions in remaining olive oil for 3-4 min. or until crisp tender. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 min. or until thickened. Reduce heat; ad beef and heat through. Serve over rice. Yield: 4 servings

Mongolian Beef, Brown Rice & Carrots, Fried Shrimp

Southwestern Chicken Salad Recipe

2012-03-13T17:02:00.002-07:00

Southwestern Chicken Salad
2 flour tortillas (6 inches), cut into 1/2 inch strips
Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 in. cubes
1 tsp olive oil
6 cups ready-to-serve salad greens
1 can (15.25 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained (I'm using reduced sodium)
2 cups chopped tomatoes, divided
1 medium green pepper, diced
1/2 cup cubed jicama or sliced water chestnuts (I'm using jicama)
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I'm just using regular cheddar)
2/3 cup fat-free ranch salad dressing
4 tsp barbecue sauce

Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet; spritz both sides of strips with butter-flavored cooking spray. Bake @ 350 for 4-5 min. or until crisp. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat until no longer pink; set aside.

Combine the salad greens, corn, beans, 1 cup tomatoes, green pepper, jicama and onions; arrange on a serving platter. Place chicken in center of salad; sprinkle with cheese and remaining tomatoes. Arrange tortilla strips around chicken. In a small bowl, combine the ranch dressing and barbecue sauce; serve with salad. Yield: 6 servings

Southwestern Chicken Salad
(BBQ Ranch Dressing not shown in pic)

Dinner Ideas

2012-03-06T10:41:00.002-08:00

2 Week Meal Plan (Dinners)

1- Southwestern Chicken Salad

2- Mongolian Beef w/ Long Grain Rice

3- Sloppy Joes w/ Carrot Sticks

4- Apples ‘n Onion Topped Chops & Garlic Green Beans

5- Coffee Cake, Scrambled Eggs & Banana

6- Oriental Chicken Thighs w/ Long Grain Rice

7- Mosh Posh Night (use up leftovers)

1- Shake ‘n Bake Pork Chops, Sautéed Brussel Sprouts & Mashed Potatoes

2- Spaghetti w/ Side Salad

3- Coney Island Dogs w/ Corn

4- BBQ

Turkey

Burger w/ Chips

5- Jam ‘n Cream French Toast w/ Fresh Strawberries

6- Pot Roast, Red Potatoes & Green Beans

7- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup w/ Crescent Rolls

I'll try and post recipes as I can for these meals, some of them don't have recipes though. Hopefully my menu isn't too ambitious for the next couple weeks! It's gonna be pretty busy around here!

Banana Apple Bread Recipe

2012-02-28T13:09:00.001-08:00

I wanted to make banana bread today, but only had 2 ripened bananas left...so I added shredded apple to make up for the 3rd banana and made a new bread for my family to try! It smelled amazing while it was baking!

Banana Apple Bread
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
2 mashed ripe bananas (approx. 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup shredded apple (quarter, core & peel first makes it easier to shred)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cooking oil

Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8x4x2 loaf pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside. In another bowl combine the egg, bananas, apple, sugar, and oil. Add moist mixture to dry mixture, stir until combined well. Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle batter with a light dusting of cinnamon before placing in oven. Bake @ 350 for 50-55 min. or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 min. Remove from pan and allow to completely cool on rack before wrapping for storage. Let rest overnight, serve the next day. Letting it rest overnight lets the flavors mellow and and makes the loaf easier to cut.

Banana Apple Bread

2 Week Meal Planner

2012-02-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

2 Week Meal Planner (Dinners)

1 – Farmhouse Dinner with Side Salad

2 – Popcorn Shrimp & Homemade Jo-Jo’s

3 – Harvest Hamburger Casserole

4 – Crispy Chicken Strip Salad

5 – Pancakes

6 – Make Your Own Taco Night! (make extra taco meat for meal next week)

7 – Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Homemade Rolls

1 – Loaded Baked Potatoes (chili, cheese, sour cream, onions, etc)

2 – Baked Italian Chicken, Long Grain Rice, Brussel Sprouts

3 – French Toast

4 – Taco Omelets with Homemade Hash Browns

5 – Glazed Meatloaf, Carrot Sticks, Side Salad

6 – Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Side Salad

7 – Meatball Sub Sandwiches with Carrot Sticks

Get Rid of Clutter and Make Money!

2012-02-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

Become a seller on Ebay! It's easy to do! Right now I sell my excess coupons on Ebay using my FREE 50 listings each month, but pretty soon...it's time for spring cleaning and then I'll be selling our "clutter" and making some extra spending money for family time activities this summer!!

List FREE:
Up to 50 Auction-style items per month. Additional optional Feature fees apply when used. 9% final value fee applied to the total amount of the sale—including the cost of the item, shipping, and any other fees a seller may charge (for example, engraving or gift wrapping), excluding any sales tax. Does not apply to eBay Store subscribers and Vehicle categories on eBay Motors

Pay nothing unless you sell.

HOW TO SELL DEMOS

SELLER INFO CENTER

SELL

DEALS

Sell to your heart's content
It's free to list!

List up to 50 items per month

Pay zero listing fees

Pay nothing until you sell

See Terms & Conditions for full details.

Chuck E Cheese Reward Program

2012-02-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

This a fun way to help your children achieve new things...they have a bunch of different reward calendars to choose from such as potty training, being a good eater, good manners, etc. The only catch is you do have to use them with a food purchase, but you can readily access coupons on their website or sign up for the coupon emails and it can still easily be a budget friendly fun family outing!! Also know, that you can bring in your child's good grades report card from school and also get FREE TOKENS for that as well!

http://www.chuckecheese.com/

Cannellini Comfort Soup

2012-02-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

Cannellini Comfort Soup
1/2 lb reduced fat fully cooked smoked sausage, cut into bite size pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can (19 oz) cannellini or white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups coleslaw mix

In a large saucepan, cook sausage in oil for 2 min. Add the green pepper, onion and garlic. Cook and stir 2-3 min. longer or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the 1/3 cup wine or broth; cook about 3 min. longer. Stir in the broth, Italian seasoning and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 min. Stir in beans and coleslaw mix. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until beans are heated through and cabbage is tender. Yield: 4 servings

Cannellini Comfort Soup with Garlic Bread

Thank you 2006 Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Cookbook for this wonderful recipe! Delicious!

Vegetable Quiche Cups To Go

2012-02-10T11:46:00.001-08:00

This recipe is from the original South Beach Diet Cookbook; it's wonderful because you can make a batch and store them in your freezer...so they're ready for a quick, easy healthy breakfast when you're in a hurry and on the go! Also...you can substitute whatever veggies you like to make it your own!

Vegetable Quiche Cups To Go
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach
3/4 cup liquid egg substitute (or you can use 3 regular eggs)
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheese
1/4 cup diced green bell peppers
1/4 cup diced onions
3 drops hot pepper sauce (optional)

Microwave the spinach for 2 1/2 minutes on high. Drain the excess liquid. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups. Spray the cups with cooking spray.

Combine the egg substitute, cheese, peppers, onions and spinach in bowl. (or mix eggs well using a fork/whisk in a bowl and add the rest). Mix well. Divide evenly among the muffin cups. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on baking rack before freezing...or you can eat them while they're hot!

Serves 6