Love me some dried beans! I love cooking with dried beans...it's easy, cheaper and I love to play with flavors. Our boys love beans too...so it's a win-win situation for this busy mom! Cooking beans does take a little over an hour and they do have to pre-soak, so it does take a little pre-planning and a little time in the kitchen to get them going on the … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Taco Rice Soup
When life is busy it is even more important for my family to find time to eat together. There is something so relaxing about sitting around the table together chatting, laughing, and reconnecting. However, it can be rough to throw together a family dinner when we walk in the door a few minutes before dinner time. Yes, I can throw together a pretty decent meal in 10 minutes, … [Read more...]
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Casserole
Do you ever start out to make one dish and then end up making something entirely different? I started out to make a lemon chicken casserole with green beans and new potatoes, but then remembered that I had used all the lemons making lemonade. I decided to substitute limes, but then that meant I had to change up the spices. Once I had changed the spices, I decided I needed to … [Read more...]
Burrito Cups
We've all seen (or had) the 7 layer dip cups to serve at parties. But what about dinner in a cup. Specifically, burrito dinner in a cup. Sure burritos, require tortillas...but what if you can't eat tortillas. We have a kid who is currently off gluten (and a number of other foods) because of some chronic respiratory issues that are not being resolved with medication. Being … [Read more...]
Spicy Mandarin Orange Chicken
Emily emailed me this recipe...I've been wanting to try it, but didn't want to have to buy a jar of orange marmalade only to use a little for this recipe and then let the jar sit in the fridge. Neither my husband and I are huge orange marmalade fans, another reason I knew it would go to waste after just using a few spoonfuls. I spotted the sweet chili sauce in the fridge and … [Read more...]
Peppered Salmon with Brown Rice
I get asked frequently about seafood and how to use it to make a $5 Dinner. And to be quite honest, it's tough. The key is getting the seafood for a rock bottom price...or combining it with another protein to keep overall meal costs down (like doing a mix of chicken pieces and shrimp in a jambalaya type dish.) I often find that seafood deals are unadvertised or can be found … [Read more...]
Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole
This casserole is a nice way to add more fresh vegetables, and some whole grain rice, to the dinner menu. I used celery and broccoli since this was what we had available. You can substitute this for your favorite fresh vegetables, or whatever you have on hand. I also used a can of cream corn, to bring an added fun flavor, and a little creaminess. My teenage … [Read more...]
Curried Lentils & Rice with Caramelized Onions
Balance. This dish is all about balance. Balance of flavors. Balance of textures. Balance of sweet and heat. Cooking these lentils in the sauce, as opposed to cooking the lentils, then adding in the sauce, really makes a difference in the depth of the flavor of the entire meal. I thought about adding another teaspoon of curry powder (cuz I love me some curry!), but I … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Spicy Sausage and Peppers
This recipe is part of the 20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs from Costco for $150 meal plan. I'm often asked about my "5 minute meals". Usually by people who know someone who knows me. They get the whole time-dollar thing mixed up. But if I were to start coming up with 5 minute meals, this would be first on the list. Because it takes you less than 5 minutes to get our your slow … [Read more...]
Mexican Rice
I don't know about you, but I absolutely adore the lovely rice you get on the side at a Mexican restaurant. Tex Mex is the name of the game. After much trial and error I think I've finally recreated a recipe that's really close to what you'll find in a local restaurant. This rice pairs perfectly with any sort of Mexican dish and is super simple and cheap to put together. It's … [Read more...]