Budgets

I'm always looking for ways to save money on our grocery bill. I save coupons, shop on the best sale days, and utilize my husband's employee discount to the maximum. I am excited to read more about saving in this book. I'll tell you how it goes.

italian sausage soup

1 TBSP olive oil

8 oz sweet or Italian sausage

1/2 C chopped onion

32 oz of chicken broth

1 can (15 1/2 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes

1 tsp Oregano leaves

1 tsp Rosemary leaves, finely crushed

1 tsp Thyme leaves

6 oz of baby spinach leaves

1/2 C uncooked small pasta.

1. Heat oil in large pan on medium heat. Add sausage and cook. Add onion and cook until onion is tender and sausage is done.

2. Pour chicken broth, beans, tomatoes, into pan. Stir in spices. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Stir in spinach and pasta. Return to boil on medium - high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes until pasta is tender.

I liked this soup recipe much better the next day. I thought there was too much Rosemary in it. I would cut back on the spices a lot. The kids didn't mind the taste as much as they minded the soggy spinach. So, the kids didn't like it but Eric and I did.

winger's sticky chicken salad

3-4 chicken breasts

1/2 C sour cream

1 C bread crumbs

1 head of romaine lettuce

2-3 tomatoes diced

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 red onion

Dip chicken breast in sour cream and bread crumbs. Bake on a cooking stone until crispy (20-30 min) @ 350 degrees. Remove from oven and slice into strips.

Combine into saucepan:

2 1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C apple cider vinegar

1/3 C Franks hot sauce (I found it at Macey's)

On medium heat stir constantly for ONLY 1 minute. Then turn it to low and add the the chicken, stirring.

I want to introduce more dinners where salad is the main ingredient. This was a huge hit!

white asparagus with brown butter sauce

Peel 12 - 6" white asparagus spears. Boil asparagus in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat 2 oz of butter in a saute pan and add 1 C bread crumbs. Add cooked asparagus and saute until coated with browned butter and bread crumbs. Garnish with parsley.

Doesn't my picture say it all. Yuck! It was disgusting but we ate it anyway. I talked the kids into eating one asparagus each. Eric was a good sport and ate a few.

turkey or chicken enchiladas

1/2 C + 3 TBSP of vegetable oil

1 3/4 C chopped onion

1 28 oz can of enchilada sauce

5 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 tsp of green or chipotle chilies

1 C fresh cilantro, chopped

3 C shredded cooked turkey

2 C grated Monterey Jack cheese

3/4 C sour cream

12 5 to 6 inch tortillas

1. heat 3 TBSP of oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 C onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add enchilada sauce, tomatoes and chipotles. Cover; simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 C cilantro. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Mix turkey, 1 1/2 C cheese, sour cream, 1/4 C onion and 1/2 C cilantro in bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1/2 C oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 tortilla until pliable, about 20 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat.

3. Spread 1/2 C sauce in 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup turkey mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortilla. Arrange seam side down in dish. Spoon 2 1/2 C sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with 1/2 C cheese. Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 30 minutes. Use remaining sauce at dinner.

Enchiladas are not a favorite in our household but everyone liked them.

bountiful baskets

A friend introduced me to Bountiful Baskets this past Spring. The address is Bountifulbaskets.org. I went faithfully for weeks until I had surgery in June. I didn't feel well and just didn't cook enough and then I would end up throwing a lot of it away. I still sign up about every other week and I've enjoyed the yummy vegetables and fruit.

easy chicken noodle soup

Ingredients

4.5 cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

1.5 cups egg noodles

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

Directions

Combine chicken broth, onion, carrot, celery, basil, oregano, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add noodles. Cover and simmer 8 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Add chicken. Serve.

This version of Chicken Noodle Soup is not as tastier as the versions where you cook everything longer and use real noodles, but it tastes fine for how long it takes to cook.