Turkey Sloppy Joe's

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped bell pepper
3/4 c. ketchup
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. yellow mustard
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper

In a skillet brown the turkey, onions, & bell pepper.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt & pepper. When cooked through add in the ketchup, mustard, & brown sugar. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste & adjust salt & pepper to your taste.

Serve on your favorite bread or rolls.

Makes about 6 -8 servings.

*This recipe freezes well!

Menu Monday (on a Tuesday) LOL!

In no certain order...

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, homemade granola, eggs, waffles

Lunches: left-overs, salad w/boiled eggs & avocado, baked sweet potatoes

Dinners:
Chicken & Dumplings, peach cobbler
Turkey sloppy joes, layered salad
Crockpot pinto beans, rice, homemade tortillas, fruit salad
Spiral ham, potatoes, green bean casserole
Breakfast casserole w/ham, fruit salad
Southwest burritos, Mexican rice
Sushi (homemade with cooked crab & veggies)- no raw fish here! :)

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.

 

Menu Monday

Sunday: Chicken fajitas
Monday: Cheeseburger sliders, baked fries
Tuesday: Birthday dinner outdoors: hotdogs, chili, chips, cookie cake & ice cream
Wednesday: Crockpot black bean soup, tortillas
Thursday: Beef tips & rice, peas, rice, rolls
Friday: Crockpot BBQ pork, coleslaw, chips (didn't make this last week)
Saturday: Baked chicken thighs, salad, corn

Breakfasts are usually either eggs, oatmeal, or pancakes/waffles.  Sometimes just yogurt or chia pudding.

Lunches usually left-overs, salad, salmon patties, or some kind of sandwich or wrap.   Sometimes we eat what we call a cracker plate. 
This is a combo of several small things that I make on our sectioned plates.  --crackers, celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber, cheese, olives, fruit, etc.  My daughter loves days like those & you use up little things in the fridge.

Mac & Cheese

I don't know why, but my daughter cannot eat the easy mac type macaroni and cheese. When she does her lips and around her mouth turn red & it hurts.  It took a couple of times to pin it down, but that's the culprit.  This does not happen with the great value mac & cheese in the box.  There are so many chemicals in that stuff  & I don't like it anymore so we rarely have it.
Here is a fairly easy way to make your own mac & cheese.
Like most of my meals it makes a whole pot full.  I've never tried to freeze it but the left-overs reheated are good.

1 lb. elbow macaroni
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dry mustard (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 1/2 c. whole milk or half & half
2 c. shredded cheese (I usually use cheddar)

Cook macaroni according to package directions. I like it just done, not mushy.  Drain the macaroni.  While it is draining go back to the same pot and put in the butter, flour, and seasonings.  Constantly stir this with a whisk for about 2 minutes.  Then slowly add in the milk & keep whisking.  It should be like a thin gravy. If it is too thick just add in a little more milk.  When it is at the consistency you like turn the fire off.  Now stir in the cheese.  When the cheese is melted stir in the macaroni.
Yum!

*For a pot luck or company I will make the sauce just a tad thinner.  Put it in a greased casserole dish. Top with more shredded cheese & allow to bake just until the cheese is melted.  --Happy Thanksgiving :)

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.   :)

Homemade Pizza

This is my daughter's topped with some ham, pineapple, & cheese

 

One of our favorite meals to make is homemade pizza.  Most of the time I grind up my own flour blend to use, but my grinder is still at the repair shop so we did us all-purpose flour...scary...LOL.

It's still homemade & is still better for you. Also, it's fun to make your own pizza!

 

 

Crust:

1 T. yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tsp. sugar

2 T. oil

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups flour

 

In your bowl (or can use a bread maker with a dough setting) Place the warm water, yeast, oil, & sugar.   Allow to set for about 3-5 minutes.

Then add in the flour & salt.

Mix or knead it until all combined and looks like a nice soft ball of dough.

Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour.

On a lightly greased pizza pan or cookie sheet roll or press out into the shapes you want. 

Now bake the plain crust for 5 minutes on 425*

Then remove & put on your toppings.

Return to the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until bubbly and the crust looks a little golden.

This will make 2 large pizzas or about 4-5 smaller ones.

 

The left has hamburger, onion & cheese

The right had it all.

They are shaped different to fit on my cookie sheet.

Cheap & Yummy = Dirty Rice

Some of the moms in our homeschool co-op were talking about different meals. A meal swap even came up.  Sounds fun to me! 
Anyhoo, I thought I'd share a couple of really cheap & really easy meals that will serve a family.

First up:

Dirty Rice

1 lb. breakfast or Italian sausage (get in breakfast meat section)- $2.50
1 1/2 cups minute rice- (store brand)- $2.99 for whole box so I'll say 1/3 would be- $1
1/2 onion, finely chopped- .50
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped-.50
3 stalks celery, finely chopped- .25
1 1/2 c. water- free

In a large skillet add sausage, onion, pepper, & celery. Cook until sausage is browned.  Then drain a little of the grease but leave some in the pan.  Mix in the rice & then add in the water.  Allow to come to a boil & then turn fire off. Cover with a tight lid.  Allow to set about 5-10 minutes.

Serve!

Total cost:  $4.75 and I think it could even be a little less depending on the type of onion and pepper you choose.

If you have it in the budget serve with a side salad.

This makes quite a bit.  Left-overs are good & you can freeze them also.
Something else good is to reheat the left-overs in a skillet & scramble in a couple of eggs. 

Cheap & Yummy = Vegetable Barley Soup

Vegetable Barley Soup

1 can tomato paste- .50
3 quarts water -free
3 beef bullion cubes- (I get the ones in the Mexican section)- .50
1 T. oil - .10
1 bag mixed vegetables $1.50
1 cup barley $1
1 T. Italian seasonings -.25

Mix all in a soup pot. 
Bring to a boil and allow to simmer about 45 minutes.
Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
When the barley is tender it's done.

Total cost:  $4.35

The barley will fill you up. Of course you could add meat or other vegetables but that would add to the cost.  Served with a loaf of French bread to sop up the delicious broth would add about $2 more to the meal if store bought or make your own for about $1.  Still a good, comforting, cheap recipe!

This freezes well!

Farm to Fork

A cheap & easy meal that my family enjoys is purple hull pea soup.  I make it in the crockpot & I like to eat mine plain in a bowl with the broth.   It's a whole healthy meal in itself but you can make a pot of rice & cornbread to go along with it & it's over the top yummy!  The other night after class we made grilled cheese sandwiches to eat with it & that was good too.

Purple hull pea soup (Totally Farm to Fork or homemade version)

4 cups frozen purple hull peas (picked from the farm just down the road)
1/2 c. chopped green onions (from my garden & frozen)
1 quart chicken broth (I make & freeze)
pinch of cayenne pepper (from my garden, dehydrated & then ground up)

Put all in a crockpot & set on low for about 6 hours.

Done!

Of course you can make this with store bought ingredients & it's good too but there's just something special about knowing it all came from close by.

2 Weeks of Meals

This post is mainly for my sister-in-law... :) I'm going to try to plan & shop for 2 weeks at a time. We went Saturday & have everything stocked for the following meals.

Breakfasts:
eggs
bacon
toast
tortillas
oatmeal w/raisins or blueberries
waffles
muffins
juice/milk

Lunches:
tuna salad, gf crackers, carrot sticks
soup and toast
left-overs
chef salad
-Also bought sandwich fixings & small bags of chips for the guys. Mostly they take left-overs.


Dinners:
chicken stir-fry, rice
bean & cheese quesadillas, chips, salsa
spaghetti w/meat sauce, peas
crockpot bbq pork, coleslaw
oven tacos, mexi salad
meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas
black eye peas, collard greens, rice, cornbread
creamy crockpot chicken  broccoli over rice, rolls, apple crisp
Mexican cornbread casserole, beans
bean burritos w/peppers, onions, cheese, and salad
salmon patties, macaroni salad
chicken broccoli supreme, rolls, jello

I did not buy any cokes. Drinks will be coffee, ice tea, water, & lemonade.
Cheese- I bought a 2 lb. block and divided it up into freezer bags. Burger & chicken the same.

Next week I will probably have to restock on milk, lettuce, and maybe some fresh fruit but that should be it.

Chicken noodle soup

2 Quarts chicken stock (homemade long-cooked stock is best for the healing properties)
2-3 chicken breasts or boneless thighs
1-2 cups carrots (depends on how many you like)
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. parsley, chopped
12-16 oz. pasta

Pour stock into a big soup kettle.  Add chicken and vegetables. Boil until chicken is fully cooked. (Veggies should be cooked by then too.)  Remove chicken and chop or shred it up. Add back to the pot & bring up to a boil.  Add in the noodles and cook for about 10 minutes until pasta is tender. 

Serve up a big bowl of comfort!

This is my go-to meal when anyone in our home or friends are sick. The long-cooked chicken stock I make homemade and freeze in bags or mason jars in quart portions.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

This is my adaptation of the "fotato" soup recipe that's been going around.

1 bag frozen cauliflower
4 cups water
4 tsp. tomato/chicken bullion
3 wedges light laughing cow cheese (I used the vegetable flavored one)
1/4 cup bacon bits
salt, pepper, garlic powder

In a soup pot put the water, bullion, and cauliflower.  Cover & let simmer for about 10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.
Now remove from fire & use a stick blender (or could put about 3/4 of it into a regular blender)  Blend up until most of the cauliflower is mashed. Leave a few 'chunks' or blend it all.
Now put back on the stove and add in the bacon bits & cheese. Stir until cheese melts & then add seasonings to taste.
This was a really great, low calorie lunch with a small salad.  It made about 4 good sized bowls.

If you try any of my recipes I'd love to hear your comments.

Salmon Patties

2 cans salmon
1/2 c. old fashioned oats
2 eggs
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 T. Dijon mustard

Mix all up well with a fork, breaking up the bones & skin. (yes I leave them in but don't tell my kids)
Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Take out and make into patties. -Whatever size you like.  Either little ones or big enough for a "burger."
Fry in a skillet with a little coconut oil. When golden on each side drain on paper towels.

We all love these and sometimes I make them with tuna instead of salmon.  They are also great on top of a salad for a healthy lunch!