Banana nut muffins with peaches, oats, and cinnamon

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Martha White Banana Nut Muffin Mix ($.99)
• 1/2 cup of skim (fat-free) milk (had at home)
• 1/2 cup of 100% whole grain old fashioned oats (had at home)
• 1/2 cup of frozen peaches thawed and chopped into small pieces (had at home)
• 1 tsp of cinnamon (had at home)

Directions:

Combine all of the above ingredients. Place 6 muffin liners in a muffin pan and lightly grease with cooking spray. Add mixture until filled to the top. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

**Adding oats and peaches adds more fiber to these muffins**
**You can use any kind of muffin mix and add oats and chopped fruit and this recipe still tastes great!**

Total Price:

$1.00-$6.00 depending on what ingredients you have at home

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of olive oil (had this at home)
• 1 medium chopped onion ($0.75)
• 2 tsp of minced garlic (had this at home)
• 2 cups of reduced-sodium chicken broth ($1.72)
• 3 tbsp of flour (had this at home)
• 1 tsp of cumin (had this at home)
• 2 pinches of ground pepper (had this at home)
• 1/2 cup of light sour cream ($0.88)
• 3 fresh chicken breasts ($4.76)
• 1 can of corn - drained (14.5 oz.; $0.67)
• 1 can of black beans - drained (14.5 oz.; $0.62)
• 1 cup of shredded reduced-fat mexican cheese blend ($1.86)
• 1 can of chopped green chiles (4.5 oz.; $0.78)
• 8 whole wheat flour tortillas ($2.72)
• 2 tbsp of chopped tomato ($0.23)
• 2 tbsp of chopped green onion ($0.10)
• 1/4 cup of salsa ($1.96)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Trim chicken breast of fat and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about half the size of a chicken nugget). Place chicken into a non-stick skillet and cook on medium-high heat until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from heat. In another skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and add onions and garlic, saute until softened (about 5 min). In a medium bowl, stir chicken broth, flour, cumin, and pepper with a wire whisk until blended. Add the chicken broth mixture to the sauted onion and garlic, stirring constantly until thickened into a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream until well blended. In another medium bowl, add cooked chicken, corn, black beans, 1/2 cup of cheese, chiles, salsa, and 1/2 cup of the sauce. Fill each tortilla with 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the mixture. Roll up tortillas; arrange seam sides down, in baking dish. Top enchiladas with the remaining sauce. Cover with foil.

Bake for about 25 min with the foil on and then remove foil and add the rest of the cheese and bake for the remainder 5-10 minutes. Sauce should be bubbly. Sprinkle the enchiladas with the chopped tomatoes and green onion. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

The majority of this recipe is from the website http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/.  I served the enchiladas with whole grain rice.

Total Price:

$17.05 (makes approximately 4 meals)

Wheat Thin Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 box of sun-dried tomato flavored Wheat Thins ($2.98)
• 4 fresh chicken breasts, pat dry ($4.76)
• 1/4 cup of egg beaters (already had at home; leftover from egg casserole recipe)
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• pinch of paprika

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in a large ziplock storage bag (make sure all the air is let out). With a rolling pin or pounder (meat tenderizer), pound out chicken breast to a 1/2 inch thickness. In another large ziplock storage bag, crush Wheat Thins with a rolling pin or a pounder until they are the consistency of bread crumbs. Place egg beaters in a large bowl and the crushed wheat thins in a separate large bowl. Dip chicken breasts one at a time into the bowl with egg beaters, then into bowl with Wheat Thins (make sure both sides are coated), and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Do the same for the remaining chicken breasts. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 min. Slice through the middle of the largest chicken breast to check if they are done (no longer pink = done).

Total Price:

$7.74 (makes approximately 2-3 meals for two people)

: : These are really good on top of a bed of greens, on a sandwich, or even by themselves : :

: : You can even do chicken tenders or nuggets instead for the kids : :

Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Betty Crocker Spice Cake mix ($0.89)
• 1 15oz. can of Libby's pumpkin ($1.50)
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries (had this at home)
• 1/4 cup of slivered almonds (had this at home)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, can of pumpkin, and 3/4 cup of water until combined and there are no longer any clumps. Stir in dried cranberries and almonds (you can do this recipe without these and it's still wonderful). Place in a 9x13 in. cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Stick a fork in middle and if it comes out clean it is done! Enjoy!

**This recipe omits the oil and eggs used to make the cake so it ends up with 0 cholesterol and a small amount of fat**

I received this recipe from Kel's aunt, Lanette. Thanks for sharing this recipe Aunt Lanette!

Total Price:

$2.39

Low Carb Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet yellow onion- $0.85
• 1 1/2 tsp. of jarred minced garlic- already had at home
• 1 pound of Honeysuckle White turkey sausage links- $2.38
• 1/2 to 3/4 of a loaf of multi-grain bakery bread- $2.50 (for entire loaf)
• 4-6 oz. of jarred roasted red peppers (leftover from turkey burger recipe)
• 1 cup of low fat or fat free cottage cheese- $1.78
• 4 whole eggs- $1.64 (1 dozen)
• 1 cup of egg substitute- $2.49 (16 oz.)
• 1 cup of fat free milk- already had at home
• 1 cup of reduced fat cheddar-jack shredded cheese- $1.99 (8 oz. or 2 cups)
• 3-4 Tbsp. of fresh cilantro- $0.89
• pinch of salt- already had at home
• 1 1/2 tsp. of ground pepper- already had at home

Directions:

Remove sausage out of casings into a skillet, crumble, and cook through.  After the sausage is properly cooked, remove it from the skillet and place it in a medium size bowl.  Dice the yellow onion and saute with the minced garlic until softened in the same skillet used to cook the sausage.  Add the sausage back into the skillet and stir until it is mixed in with the garlic and onion.  Season the sausage mixture with the salt and pepper.  Slice the multi-grain bread into 1/2 in. cubes and place in the bottom of a greased 9" X 13" baking dish.  In a food processor or blender, add the cottage cheese and process until smoothe.  Add the eggs and egg substitute to the cottage cheese and process again until smoothe.  Remove the cottage cheese/egg mixture and place into a medium size bowl.  Stir milk into the cottage cheese/egg mixture.  Place the roasted red peppers on top of the cubed bread, followed by the sausage mixture, and topped with the cottage cheese/egg mixture.  Use hands to press down ingredients so bread is thoroughly soaked.  Sprinkle the cheddar-jack cheese on top and then chop up the cilantro and sprinkle on top of cheese.  Cover and place the baking dish in the refrigerator to set for 4-12 hours.  Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown on top and eggs are cooked through.  Let it set for about 10-15 minutes before cutting into. Enjoy!

Total Price:

$14.52 (should make 9-12 servings)

New Dietary Guidelines for 2011

Tips to help translate the new dietary guidelines:

1. Enjoy your food, but eat less.
2. Avoid oversized portions.
3. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
4. Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
5. Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and choose the foods with lower numbers.
6. Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Check out the executive summary here: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/PolicyDoc/ExecSumm.pdf

Greek-style Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbs. of red onion (diced)- $0.84 (whole onion)
• 9 oz. of box of frozen spinach (drained)- $1.28
• 4-6 oz. of roasted red peppers (diced)- $1.92 (12 oz. jar)
• 3/4 of a 6 oz. container of reduced fat feta cheese- $2.48 (6 oz. container)
• 20 oz. of 93/7 Jennie O ground turkey- $4.99
• 1 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder- already had at home
• pinch of salt- already had at home
• 1 tsp. of ground black pepper- already had at home
• pinch of paprika- already had at home
• 1 Tbsp. of olive oil- already had at home
• 1 tsp. of worcestershire sauce- already had at home
• 6 whole wheat buns (Nature's Own 100% whole wheat)- $2.46 (pack of 8)
• roasted pine nut hummus (Sabra)- $2.98 (10 oz. container)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all of the above ingredients, with the exception of the buns and hummus, and then score the meat into 6 medium size patties.  Grill or saute the patties until cooked through or the meat is no longer pink in the middle. 

Toast the whole wheat buns in the oven, remove the buns, and spread an even layer of hummus on one side of the bun.  Place one patty on each bun and enjoy!

Total Price:

$16.95 (made approximately 3 meals or $5.65 per meal for 2 people)

NOTE: We served home-made sweet potato fries with our burgers and also had a small side salad.  These were items we already had at home so these were not included in the total price of the meal.

Welcome to our blog!

Hello everyone! Kel and I decided to create a blog for the purpose of sharing recipes that are healthy, budget friendly, and most of all YUMMY! We plan on sharing grocery store costs, recipes, and nutrient content. We will also occasionally post things about life happenings, thoughts, and Scripture. Hope you enjoy!