Yummy Frugal Pecan Oatmeal Pie

I have never enjoyed a pie so much in my entire life! I made a pecan oatmeal pie for Thanksgiving. It was delicious! It was also VERY inexpensive to make. It only required 1/2 cup of pecans, which are about $1 at Walmart. The recipe is here. I plan to make another one in the next few weeks because we loved it so much!

Series: Cooking from the Pantry, Potato Pouches!

So two weeks ago I utilized my day off for Veteran's Day to organize my pantry with all of my newly stocked items from triple couponing. While doing this I realized I had 19, yes, 19 pouches of potatoes that I had got for about 4 cents each during triple coupons at Harris Teeter. I know these do not expire for a long time, but it got me thinking on how I could utilize all of these potatoes and I came up with a few ways I'd like to share with you.

1. Donate some! I realized that even though I could probably end up using all of these without letting them expire, donating some to a local food pantry or food drive allows me to give without breaking my very tight budget. As I cleaned out my pantry and organized, I pulled out many items that I had several of and made a donation bag. This included several packages of potatoes!

2. Cook with them! Use them in recipes! Below is a picture of my version of Shepherds Pie. Instead of real mashed potatoes on top, I used 2 bags of the redskin pouches. Tasted almost the same, and definitely delicious!


3. Use them as meal sides. There are many meals that go great with mashed potatoes. This weekend I did a slow cooker pork roast, whipped up a bag of those potatoes and a salad and enjoyed a well rounded meal. They actually taste really good, and I bet your family wont even know the difference!

Get creative, and enjoy.... Cooking from the Pantry!!

--Savvyteacher

Series: Cooking from the Pantry, Budget Update + Recipe!

How are you doing with your monthly grocery budget? As it is approaching the end of the month, it's time to check in on my budget, so I thought I would take a moment to update you on my Cooking from the Pantry progress and my new weekly budget of $20. The envelope system has been working because I feel like I am more cautious of what I am spending and it is keeping me on track with my budget. It is so easy to "swipe" your card and not realize how much we are spending on groceries. This system has forced me to be more mindful of what I am buying and how much I am spending.

Monthly Budget for November: $80
Spent so far: $69
Amount Left: $11

I am pleased with where I am at right now because this includes already purchasing all my ingredients for my Thanksgiving feast I will be cooking on Thursday, I already grocery shopped for this coming week, and I have lots of items stock piled that will last me the remainder of my month. I plan on spending the last of my budget on last minute things for the big day on Thursday. While I was actually hoping to come in under budget with money leftover, I will just settle for actually staying on budget and aim next month to challenge myself to spend less. I will be posting about prescription transfers soon, because I was able to get extra money to spend for my Thanksgiving dinner by transferring prescriptions!

I will leave you all with a recipe from my Cooking from the Pantry series that utilized my stock pile paired with fresh ingredients for a very frugal, but delicious meal!

Chile Relleno with Saffron Rice (serves 2)

Ingredients:
-One large green pepper
-Tomato paste
-1/3 pound of ground turkey or beef
-Spices (chili powder, salt, pepper)
-Mozzarella Cheese
-Saffron rice packages, cook as directed or any other rice on hand

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut pepper in half to create two bowls. Gut insides and put on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and then roast in oven for about 20 minutes. While peppers are roasting, brown the ground turkey or beef in pan on the stove. Add a couple table spoons of tomato paste and spices to taste.

Take the peppers out of the oven and stuff with the meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes.

Pair with rice, and enjoy!

Cost:
Chile: 99 cents
Meat: $1 for 1/3 lb
Rice: Free from triple coupon's
Other ingredients: Already had these on hand!

Final Cost: Just over $2 total!

Enjoy,
--Savvyteacher

Series: Cooking from the Pantry

Eating from the Pantry is going well, and it has given me the opportunity to be more creative with everyday items. On the menu this past week was spinach spaghetti with garlic toast and slaw. I used many ingredients I already had on hand, with few fresh ingredients from my weekly budget.

Spinach Spaghetti
Half box whole wheat pasta (FREE from stockpile)- follow directions on box

Sauce:-Jar of store bought sauce (I have a stockpile of this I got for 25 cents each!)
-2 cups of fresh spinach
-spices to taste

*Simmer sauce in stove top, add in spinach towards the end. I used basil and oregano plus some salt in the sauce.
*Toss the pasta into the sauce, on low, and allow for it to mix. Top with Parmesan cheese.


Cranberry Coleslaw

-Half a small head of green cabbage
-1/2 cup of Cranberries
-2 Tablespoons of Light Mayo or Miracle Whip
-1 Tablespoon of a vinegar, I used apple cider vinegar
-Sprinkle of sugar or sweetener, I used splenda

*Chop cabbage into strips. Mix together vinegar and mayo in small bowl, whip in sweetener. Toss with cabbage, add cranberries. Soy nuts or sunflower seeds are also great in this, I just didn't have any on hand.

Garlic Toast

*Instead of spending money on garlic toast, and in order to control the butter, I usually make my own. Take whole wheat bread (or any kind of bread you have) and either spread on butter or use a spray (I used I can't Believe it's not Butter spray). Sprinkle on garlic salt and toast in oven or toaster oven. Then for an added touch if you have fresh garlic, rub on garlic glove after toasted. Still tastes great, for less $ AND calories!

Look for my update on my grocery savings, and more recipes, as I continue "Eating from the Pantry"!

--Savvyteacher

Series: Cooking From the Pantry

In October I informed you about the challenge I was about to take with my grocery budget. This challenge was to "eat" from the pantry while cutting my grocery budget. I decided that $15 a week was not enough wiggle room while I figured out how to cut my budget even more, so I changed to working on a $20 a week budget. Therefore, I would need to use most ingredients I had from my pantry and freezer and find other ways to cut my grocery budget. I started this challenge with 3 weeks left in October. I was successful, however looking back at the amount of "take out" charges, I realize that part of my budget must be reworked in order to feel the savings.

October 3 week budget: $60
Spent during those weeks: $54.39
Results: Under budget!

I am happy with this success because it included an unplanned dinner for guests as well. However, I had to make some decisions about "take out" and how I could control my spending and save more money! In the past I have used an all cash envelope system for my budget such as groceries, drug store game, and going out. This worked! With being so busy I allowed myself to get away from this... but I am back!

The Plan:

Use an envelope system with cash for groceries, going out/eating out and the drug store game (my out of pocket at stores like Walgreens and CVS). Eat from the pantry and save more this month! I have aquired some major medical expenses from last month so I am looking to find a way to pay those without taking a hit to my small teacher salary!

November:
Grocery budget: $80
Drug Store Game: $20
Entertainment/meals out: $40

Each week I'll update you on where I am at with my challenge, and look forward to pictures and posts of recipes I create as I "eat from the pantry"!

Chocolate Cranberry Rice Crispy Treats

This weekend I threw together a new recipe for rice crispy treats. They are already a low fat snack, and I wanted to add some extra stuff to them so I chopped up dried cranberries and some chocolate pieces. The results were a yummy, but fairly healthy, treat for all!

The Ingredients:
6 cups of rice crispies
1 package (10.5 oz) of marshmallows
1/4 cup chocolate chips, chopped
1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries

The Directions:
In a microwave safe bowl heat marshmallows until soft and stir in 6 cups of rice crispies. Add the cranberries and chocolate and stir then stick into a greased pan, can use any size depending on the thickness you prefer. Enjoy!

Easy Turkey Chili

Last week I made the easiest Crock Pot chili and promised several I would post the recipe here. (Sorry, no picture.)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
2 turkey thighs (1 lb. each), skin removed
1 can (15.5 oz) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed
1 can (11 oz) corn, drained
1 1/2 cups salsa
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1. Put turkey thighs on top of onion in Crock Pot. Add beans and corn. Mix all other ingredients.
2. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours until meat is tender. Remove turkey to a cutting board. Cut bite-size, discard bones.
3. Return meat to cooker; stir in cilantro

Serve with sour cream, shredded jack cheese.

Vegetable Soup Recipe

Yes, I know, applause please........I also made soup tonight! I feel very stocked up now that I added quite a bit of soup containers to my stock of freezer foods. This way I can save the cans of Progresso I stocked up on during cheap sales for when I run out. I actually prefer making my own soup since you can control the ingredients that go in it. I packaged them in several different sizes, 1 cup containers to take for work, 2 cup containers for dinners, and then I made a larger one that I'm gong to eat out of for dinners over this week. It's a perfect way to get your veggies in and the great thing is, you can throw pretty much whatever you have on hand in the pot! Each time I make it, it has been different. And the easiest part was that I had already chopped up the soup starter stuff the other day so I had that ready to go and it made it very easy. I made this pot for probably under $4 and its making 7 plus servings.

The Task: Homemade Vegetable Soup

The Ingredients:

-about a cup and a half each of chopped carrots and celery

-one onion chopped

-2 cloves minced garlic

-6-8 cups of chicken broth (I did 6...depends on how brothy you like it)

-Any extra veggies you have on hand (I love using cabbage or spinach but had none, so I threw in a frozen bag of mixed veggies)

- on can of diced tomatoes

-2 tbs of tomato paste

*any spices you like-- I add a few dashes of salt, pepper, thyme, and basil

*you can add rice or pasta towards the end (I threw in a cup of fussili pasta)

The Directions:

Spray a large pot with cooking spray. Saute' onion, celery, garlic and carrots, for about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, veggies, and spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes. If you are going to add quick cook rice or any pasta add it now, then simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Package how it works for you, and enjoy!

Baking Day(s) Part 3- Meatballs

Today marks the end of my prep cooking weekend. I have been pretty productive in making things in bulk/baking to freeze this weekend and plan to do this each weekend on some level.

This weekend's list included:
Party Potatoes
Baked Oatmeal
Chopped veggies for soup starter
Ground turkey w/veggies in baggie for freezer
Meatballs for freezer
*possibly working on actually making soup yet tonight. We'll see.

The Task: Meatballs for the freezer

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg beaten
1/2 onion, diced finely
squirt of ketchup and mustard each

The Directions:
I combined all the ingredients in a bowl and mixed together. This was my first time making these and I just added as needed wet or dry ingredients, use what works for you! I formed them into 14 balls and cooked them on the stove in a skillet for about 10 minutes until just cooked mostly through. I froze them on a plate to individually freeze for about an hour,then put them into freezer baggies. Now I can pop them out and throw them in spaghetti sauce, or just nuke them in the microwave for a snack! I usually buy these at Trader Joes for around $3 a bag and I made them for just over $1 (got turkey deal at Kroger $1/lb). Enjoy!

Recipe: Party Potatoes!

Second task today was to make another pan of what my family calls "Party Potatoes". I have revamped this recipe somewhat in order to lower calories and make it a healthier breakfast treat to enjoy! Making a pan this size makes 8-10 good sized servings and for a family of 4 can feed for 2 breakfasts' for very cheap...and for us single girls or a pair can last even longer! Stays good in the fridge for a few days and tastes just as good reheated! Enjoy!

The Task: Party Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 lb bag of frozen southern style potatoes (cubed)

1 bag (2 cups) 2% Milk reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 tbs diced onion (I do about half a medium onion-- can do more, less, or none)

1 cup reduced fat or fat free sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup (10 3/4 oz)

The Directions:

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large blow. Combine the next 2 ingredients in a smaller bowl. Stir the soup mixture into the potato mixture. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan. Top with crushed cornflakes or special K (whatever you have on hand- or can omit this). Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes until browned. Enjoy!

Baking Day(s) Part 2

This mornings tasks: Party Potatoes and Baked Oatmeal. I made both of these last week when I hosted a muffin party. I wanted to work on the baked oatmeal recipe and I think I got it to perfection, it was delicious!

The Task: Baked Oatmeal

The ingredients:
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup of dried fruit (can use just raisins or cranberries or omit, I used a variety pack I had with golden raisins, cranberries, cherries and blueberries and it was awesome)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon (if you aren't a huge fan, reduce-- I love a lot in mine!)
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tablespoons butter, melted (can use more, I just did a little to reduce fat/cal)
1 large egg, beaten
Cooking spray

Directions:
Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Next mix the milk, applesauce, butter, and egg in a medium bowl and then add to the dry ingredients. Mix well, pour into a greased 8x8 pan and cook for 20 minutes at 360 degrees. Makes 6-8 servings, stays well in the fridge for reheats, and is a very cheap, very delicious, very healthy breakfast! Enjoy!

Baking Day(s) Part 1

When I say baking I actually mean more like cooking for the freezer. We had our muffin party last week so I am stocked well with muffins (more about that in another post) but I had a bunch of lean ground turkey from the Kroger sale (got 1 lb 93% ff ground turkey for $1-- bought 6 of them) so I decided to turn some of it into other things to freeze.

Here are two things you can do with these ingredients. A bag of carrots, celery, and a couple onions.

Task #1 Stretching your money out of ground turkey:

This is a trick I learned not too long ago, and one of the best ones ever for me personally. It allows my ground turkey to stretch farther, to have easy add ins to foods like taco's or pasta sauce, and it is a healthy option.

I chopped about 5 good sized carrots, 1 medium onion, and about 6 or so celery stalks. Saute' on medium for about 8 minutes then add the pound of ground turkey. Cook through, drain and let cool. It nearly doubled the size and you can add as little or lot you want of the veggies.

The results: measure them out into whatevr size portions you want. Put them into freezer bags and they are ready to go! I divided mine into four bags which is a good size for serving 1 or 2 people.

Each bag cost about $0.50 to make!

Task 2: Soup Starter

Using the same 3 ingredients, onion, carrots, and celery you can chop for a soup starter that you would have paid $3 for in the store. Chop a cup or so each of carrots, celery, and onion. I also chopped 2 garlic cloves. I tossed them into a container to stick in the fridge for making soup. Im going to add chicken broth, a bag of frozen veggies that I have, and maybe some rice or noodles. While you are chopping veggies might as well take an extra few minutes for this!

I made mine for about $0.50....why pay $3 at the store?

Next Steps:

-Make soup with starter

-Make pan of baked oatmeal

-Make meatballs to freeze

-Make pan of party potatoes

A Day Off = A Baking Day!

This weekend I really wanted to try this scone recipe, but I had no butter and no motivation to go out and get some. So I finally got to make them today, and WOW they are delicious. I love anything pumpkin though so I may be biased, but I see them in my future coffee shop as a crowd favorite!

Recipe: (Thanks to mommystayshome http://mommystayshome.blogspot.com/2008/11/cranberry-pumpkin-scones-and-banana.html)

Cranberry Pumpkin Scones

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour (Just to help make them softer)
1/4 cup sugar or honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup butter (no substitutes) cut up
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cranberries

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1.) Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
2.) Cut in the butter until it resembles fine crumbs.
3.) Add pumpkin, applesauce, nuts, and cranberries, stir just until moistened.
4.) Transfer dough to a greased cookie sheet and pat down into an 8 inch circle.
5.) Use a knife to cut dough into 8 wedges, do NOT separate wedges.
6.) Sprinkle with brown sugar
7.) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

**I had to add more flour because my dough was SO sticky. So you may need to also!**

Next Post I'll post about the pumpkin dinner rolls I am making (and that will hopefully turn out!).

Super Baking Sunday!

Well it was a super baking Sunday! Not sure what got into me today, but I spent the day making frugal recipes using what I had on hand, and everything turned out delicious!

First up was pumpkin muffins. I used a weight watchers recipe so these may not be the taste for everyone since they use less sugar they aren't very sweet. But they are 1 point for the mini's and 3 for the large ones. I froze them in baggies I can throw in lunches and a batch to take out for next week.

Yesterday I got ground turkey burger from Costco. I learned about a trick to stretch your ground burger by adding veggies (carrots, onion, and celery) when cooking it up. So I sauteed the veggies in the pan before adding the burger. Then I put into individual baggies so this will make for a easy and frugal protein to toss into pasta or tacos or on tortilla chips and its already pre-cooked! I highly suggest this, a time saver in the future!

Next up was making crock pot chili. I pretty much made my own version of this based on several recipes that I have tried.

One Pot Crock Pot Chili

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 6oz can of tomato paste

1 can of kidney beans drained

1 can of black beans drained

1 onion chopped

3/4 cup carrots chopped

basil, oregano, salt and pepper, chili powder to taste

Stir together in crock pot and let simmer on high or 4 hours or low for 6-8 hour

Lastly I made carrot cake! This was my first time ever making this, but all those carrots I had inspired me to use them in a new way. I again used a weightwatchers recipe that used less sugar and also wheat flour, and it came out really tasty. Even supportiveheels approves! I am going to experiment with the batter for muffins for our upcoming muffin swap!

Bake Away!

Today I planned to cook and bake several things, but I got a little lazy. I didn't want to go to the store for a list of ingredients. I stumbled onto this recipe for rolls and realized I had everything I needed! Yippee. I found the recipe at http://www.mywoodenspoon.com/, an interesting website with many cheap recipes. I'll be going back there.
When Harris Teeter did triple coupon week last month, I bought 4 packages of Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast because they were free plus overage. This recipe was SUPER cheap to make as I used the free packages of yeast. I think I'll make more and freeze them for later.

Lori's Quick Rolls
1 pkg. RapidRise Yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. oil
Salt
3 c. flour

DIRECTIONS:
Dissolve 1 package yeast in 1 cup of warm water. Add to sugar, oil, salt, and flour. Mix and knead well. Let rise in warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Roll out 12 rolls and place in a greased pan for 12 to 15 minutes at 400′.

A Frugal Dinner for Two

So after a very successful and cheap grocery shopping this weekend, I made my first meal of the week with my money saving meal plan. Read about how I made dinner for two with enough left over for lunch the next day and a side for tomorrow's dinner, all for just $3.62 along with the ingrediants and recipe for you to create it yourself!