Budget friendly meals - Butterbeans

The butterbean aka dried lima beans is a  Southern classic that often gets overlooked.  Butterbeans can be cooked any way you like and many people have many twists on their favorite recipes.  I'm going to share with you my favorite way to cook butterbeans. We are having them for dinner tonight with some hot water cornbread. 

Put 1 lb. of butterbeans in a pressure cooker.  (I am using the small ones but any size is ok.)
Add in 8 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp. salt & 1/4 tsp. black pepper.
About an hour before serving turn pressure on for 20 minutes.
Check for doneness.  If not done yet turn back on for about 5 minutes. (They do not take as long as some other beans.)
When done add in 1/4 cup of butter.
Stir & serve!

You can also do this on the stove top or crockpot. Just adjust cooking times.

Stovetop- approximately 1 hour, if soaked before
Crockpot- approximately 5 hours

Butterbeans make a great main dish or side dish.  Left-overs freeze well and they also taste even better the next day for lunch.

Enjoy!

My Version of Taco Soup

My crock pot is a kitchen tool I really wouldn't want to be without. On days where we plan on being busy it is so nice to come home to a nice, hot meal simmering away.  Another plus is if I'm out later than dinner time the members of my family that are home can go ahead and eat if they want to.

This recipe could easily be cooked on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker.  I just usually make it in the crock pot.

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef, turkey, or pork (your preference)
2 c. cooked black beans
1 cup corn
2 c. tomato sauce
1 c. diced tomatoes w/green chili's (or just use plain diced tomatoes if you're not into spicy)
2 T. taco type seasoning
1 T. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder (or could use 1/3 cup chopped onion)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Brown your meat & drain off any fat.  Then pour everything else into the crockpot.  Add in just enough water to where everything is just covered.  Cook on low for about 7 hours or high for about 4.

You can serve this as is or you can pour some over some tortilla or frito chips. Then sprinkle on a little shredded cheese.

This is so easy & you can adapt pretty much any of the ingredients to suit your taste.

This makes about 7 good sized bowls.

Apple Butter

Yesterday we picked a bushel of apples from the only apple tree on the homestead.  They are a green, granny smith variety.   They are much too tart to enjoy just eating plain but they make really good apple butter & applesauce. 
This year it was a family affair.  I really appreciated the help & it went much faster & we ended up with a delicious result!

I have 2 crockpots an oval traditional type and then I have an electric pressure canner that can also function as a crockpot. 

We used the apple corer, peeler, slicer and then handed that off to the next person who used a paring knife to cut off the remainder of the skin & any bad spots.  Then the next one filled up both crockpots with the slices. 

To each pot we added 2 cups of sugar, 4 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. cloves, and 1 1/2 cups water.

Now time to wait! 

Put on the lids and cook for 8-12 hours.  Depending on your cooker.  Stir every couple of hours.  I let it cook over night.

The apples will turn to 'mush' and when they are all tender and dark it's done. 

If you like it a little chunky then leave it alone.  If not use a stick blender & smooth it out.  (I did)

You can store it in the refrigerator or freezer.  If you make a lot, like we did, you can also can it.

To can your apple butter place it in pint or half-pint jars. 

Canning time is 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

(Please look up canning procedures if you have never canned before & you do so at your own risk.)

Homemade Meat Sauce

We are fortunate enough have a big garden every year & I can all of my own tomato products. --Except ketchup.  Well, I actually have made homemade ketchup but my daughter really prefers the store bought kind so I do buy ketchup.

So now on to the sauce...

Homemade Meat Sauce

3/4 - 1 lb. of ground beef
1 quart or 4 c. tomato puree
1/4 c. tomato paste
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. chopped garlic
1 T. basil
1 T. parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Brown beef & drain off the fat. ( I add some salt & pepper to the beef while browning.)
Then add in all of the rest of the ingredients.
Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.- About as long as it takes to boil the water & cook the noodles.

That's it. Serve over pasta, vegetables, etc.

*I do not add sugar to my tomato puree or paste when I make them myself. If you are buying them in the cans taste the sauce before adding in the sugar. You may not need it.

Super Easy Oven BBQ Chicken & Roasted Veggies

Last night we had a really healthy & delicious dinner of oven BBQ chicken & roasted veggies.
The best thing about this recipe is the prep is very easy & you just throw it all into the oven for about an hour.

Oven BBQ Chicken, Roasted Veggies, & Green Beans
 

Oven BBQ Chicken:

Any chicken pieces you like.  Boneless or bone-in.  (I used chicken thighs & pulled off the skin)
BBQ sauce- any flavor
Cooking spray or non-stick foil

Spray your baking sheet with the non-stick spray or line it with foil.
Place the chicken pieces so they are not touching. 
Then paint on some BBQ sauce.
Bake at 350 until done.
Baste with the BBQ sauce 2-3 more times while cooking.


Roasted Veggies:
Any veggies you like cut up into bite sized pieces. (I used sweet potato, squash, carrots, onion, & mushrooms)
Drizzle with olive or coconut oil.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, & any other herbs you like.
Toss well & bake along with the chicken.

350 for about 30 minutes - 1 hour depending on what veggies you use.
Stir half way through cooking.

I served this meal with some green beans because I had them left-over from another meal.

Start Your Day Off Right!

Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfast foods. Actually we eat it for lunch sometimes as well.  Anyway...
I saw on an instagram  post where a woman makes oatmeal a lot and tops it different ways. 
I've also been trying to add in some 'good fats' to my diet. 
So this morning I made my old fashioned oats and then added in a tsp. of coconut oil, 1 T. brown sugar, 1 T. shredded coconut, 1 T. chopped walnuts, 1/4 c. blueberries, and 1/3 c. almond milk.
Talk about good!!!  I will definitely be doing this again!
Here are a few benefits of walnuts & coconut oil:

Grain Free Pancakes Using Coconut Flour

Let me first say I have a canister of coconut flour & I've tried a few different recipes using it and none have turned out well until today.  I have come to know that coconut flour is expensive, soaks up all the moisture so you have to add extra of that.  It also makes things 'crumbly.'  So if you have read, as I have on several pinterest boards & blogs, that it replaces regular flour in recipes that is just plain not true. 

Anyhow, being as I'm not one to let things go to waste I gave this recipe a try this morning & it is pretty good!

3 eggs (separated)

Add yolks to a bowl or blender

Add whites to separate bowl and set aside

To the yolks, add:

1 1/4 cup almond milk (or other milk)

1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or other oil)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp truvia (or pinch of stevia powder)

1/4 tsp salt

Blend then add:

1/3 cup almond flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup ground flax

1 TBLS Baking Powder

Set aside.

Beat Egg whites for several minutes until stiff peaks form when removing betters.  (This step is optional but it is the secret for fluffy pancakes so I recommend it.)

Gently fold batter into egg whites, stirring g-e-n-t-l-y just until combined.

 

In the meantime, preheat your griddle to a medium heat.  You know it is ready when drops of water sizzle when they hit the pan.  You want to cook these slowly to make sure they are done on the inside.  

Delicious Lunch Salad

This is a salad that my daughter & I just adore.  If you don't like blue or feta cheese it may not be the one for you, but if you do...yum-O.  The combination of the salty bacon & cheese paired with the tart apple & sweet dressing...divine!

Salad:

1 small head  romaine lettuce
4 slices turkey bacon, cooked crisp
1 small apple (we like jonagold best)
2 Tablespoons crumbled blue or feta cheese

Chop all ingredients and divide among 2 salad bowls.

Dressing:

1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. dried mustard
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Place all dressing ingredients into a jar & shake well.
(This will make enough dressing for about 4-5 salads so you won't use it all this time)

Pour dressing over salad.

Refrigerate left-over dressing.

 

Cheep & Yummy = Crockpot Red Beans & Sausage

Crockpot Red Beans & Sausage

1 lb. red kidney beans (or could substitute small red beans) $1.50
14 oz. pkg. smoked sausage  $2.50
1 T. Mexican seasoning blend (could use taco seasoning)  .25
2 tsp. salt
2 c. rice $1.00

Soak beans over night if you want but it's not really necessary with kidney beans.
In crock place washed beans, salt, & Mexican seasoning.
Cover with water to about 2x over the beans.
Turn crockpot on high & cook for about 4 hours.
Now add in the smoked sausage, sliced.
Allow to cook another hour or two or until beans are tender.

Cook rice in another pot according to package directions.

Place a scoop of rice in a bowl and ladle over a big scoop of the beans & sausage.

$5.25  for the entire meal.  Serves 6-8.

Now this is a whole yummy meal but my husband insists it needs a big hunk of cornbread on the side.   :)

Gluten free pasta

Of the several gluten free pastas we've tried the brown rice pasta is the BEST.  You can use it in place of regular pasta in everything I've tried so far.  We don't even taste a difference. It does look a little pale brown & not yellow/white but other than that it's good.
I must say that we've tried the ones made out of potatoes & a couple other things & we did not care for them. If you even barely over cook it, mushy, yucky, goo!