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I was able to pick up a 10 pound bag of Russet Potatoes at ALDI recently for just $1.29. This is such a rare and incredible price. I’m happy to find them for $1.99 or less but the $1.29 was just completely irresistible.  It was a great opportunity to whip up a huge batch of this delicious baked potato chowder to freeze. ALDI also has dried parsley and basil, which makes it easy to make this recipe if you don’t want to purchase fresh herbs.

This recipe is based on on the Baked Potato Chowder recipe from the Fix, Freeze, Feast, which I’m loving! This huge batch makes 4 gallon freezer bag portions, which feeds about 4 people.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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This is a great way to spice up your rice side dish. Add more or less red pepper flakes to taste. My husband thought I should have added more to my dish as it wasn’t very spicy at all. I’ve over spiced recipes before so I didn’t want to take that risk again and decided to just sprinkle the red pepper flakes  in the dish instead of measuring it out. Next time I will add a little more red pepper flakes. I also already had all the pantry ingredients and was looking for a way to use my Priano Marinated Red Peppers from Aldi.

Actually, my entire recipe was made from Aldi ingredients, which helps me save money without sacrificing quality. Read more about the Top 10 Reasons I Love to Shop at Aldi. I also love this recipe because it took very little additional time to make. I omitted the onion due to my family’s taste preference (which is the nice way to say they are picky eaters!) I really love that Aldi has instant brown rice because I can whip up a rice dish in 5 minutes! This one did take about 10 minutes because I cooked a few things before adding in the rice. Also, I used Aldi’s vegetable stock but you can easily use your own homemade version to save even more.

I would have been happy for this one as my entire meal. I had already planned the other parts of the meal which include asparagus and Gardein Crispy Tender. They look like read chicken tenders, don’t they? My daughter also made us Homemade Honey Mustard. I’ll be sharing her recipe soon!

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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Lucky Leaf sent over a fun package including several different canned fillings including the Lucky Leaf Cherry Filling. We all know you can use these fillings for pies but I wanted to do something a little different! Luckily (haha Lucky Leaf), they sent me a few recipe cards with easy recipes for delicious baked goods. If I can do it, then you know it’s easy!

Yum, yum! Guess what, I also had a package of shredded coconut in my pantry! Yay for cleaning out an item on my pantry challenge list too!

Cream the butter and the sugar. I absolutely LOVE my KitchenAid Stand mixer for this! Since I’ve purchased it, I’ve baked so much more!

Uh, awkward. No make-up, hair undid, pajama shirt. I’m intent on my baking, though. My oldest son thought it would be hilarious to take my photo while I was baking. Hilarious as he had his evil laugh on the entire time. He also got photos of Aunt Pat and his cousin Kelsey too. All of this was super hysterical. Ironic considering the kid runs when I try to take his photo. Middle school boys. {shrugs}

Then you sift the flour and salt together. I don’t know what sift really means so I just used my handy dandy wooden spoon. Then you add it to the creamed mixture. After that is mixed, add in your coconut.

Grease your favorite 9” square dish. Mine is a Longberger baking dish we have had since we got married or maybe longer.

Press half of the crumb mixture on the bottom of the pan.

Add a can of Lucky Leaf Cherry Filling.

Press remaining crumb mixture on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Then devour. It was a hit at our household!

Find the easy to print recipe below:

**Disclosure: Materials were provided to me by Lucky Leaf in order to facilitate this post. This Post was written by me and was not edited by the sponsor.  Read more on my Disclosure Policy.**

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Awhile back my son asked me to bring something to their 6th grade incentive party. Wanting to make something at least somewhat homemade, I decided to make brownies. I had a boxed mix I used for the brownies but I wanted to add a personal touch to it so I decided to make my own frosting using ingredients I already had in my pantry.

It turned out fantastic and it was so super easy to make. I don’t think I will ever go back to the the pre-made stuf. Don’t tell me how many calories are in this, though! ;)

All you need is a 1 cup of chocolate chips. I used a combination of dark chocolate and semi-sweet, which is what I had in my cabinet, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook on low until completely melted.

He didn’t bring home any leftovers so I’m guessing they were a success!

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As part of the 2013 goals and resolutions, I’m working on cooking with ingredients we already have on hand in our pantry and freezer.  However, instead of telling you what we are going to eat for the week, I’m going to tell you what I cooked last week. Otherwise, it’s just a little much when people we personally know tell the kids what we are having for dinner and it’s too much pressure to stick to that schedule!

THINGS have been insanely busy around so I skipped a week of posting about this! My husband was gone for several days for business and we’ve had so many practices, games, meets, etc! I’m trying to stay on track but it is so easy some of those nights to say let’s just get take-out!

Here’s our meal plan from the last couple of weeks using items from our pantry:

Monday: 

• Alfredo & Noodles
• Brown Rice
• Steamed Vegetables
• Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy “Chick’n”
• Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches (made from leftover crockpot chicken from last week made with my homemade bourbon barbecue sauce.)
• Croissants

Tuesday:

• Hamburger, Salmon Burgers, Salmon Chipotle Honey Fillet
• Green Beans
• Macaroni & Tomato Dish

Wednesday:

• Alfredo & Noodles

Thursday:

• Homemade Mac & Cheese

Friday:

• At ballpark from 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. so we ate out! :)

Saturday:

• Another ball park day – leftovers & ballpark food!

Sunday: 

• Out to lunch for birthday & another birthday party for dinner!
  

I made way too many meals to make everyone happy on Monday! Luckily, we will have leftovers so they can eat their favorite meals again. haha! The weekend kind of went to the dogs with all the outside activities we had going on!

This is how we did this week! How did you do? 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here. This post is part of OrgJunkie.com Meal Plan Monday linky.

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I’ve been borrowing my friend’s breadmaker and she’s probably wanting it back by now! We LOVED the Honey Oatmeal Bread that is almost straight out of the instruction booklet. Freshly homemade bread is the absolute best. It’s so simple to make but I’m still on the fence if I want to spend the money for one. I’ve had several offers from family to give me their breadmakers so I may just keep borrowing them! I really just wish I had more space on my kitchen counters for all the appliances I love using!

The recipe below makes a a 1 1/2 pound loaf.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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 Cut the chemicals and save money by making your own cooking spray. I have a Misto Spray bottle for my olive oil but you don’t even have to spend $9.99 on that container to do it yourself at home with a simple spray bottle. Just be sure to label it properly so you don’t confuse your homemade cleaners with your homemade cooking spray! :)

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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My kids all love macaroni and cheese and one of my favorite comfort foods is also creamy macaroni and cheese. Lately, I’ve been making it in the slow cooker so I don’t burn it and the cheese melts so nicely in the slow cooker. Use slow cooker liners to make it super simple clean up!

I think the sharp cheddar and smoked swiss give this mac and cheese a delicious flavor but you can adjust this based on your family’s preference. The block Velveeta cheese adds creaminess to this recipe. My two younger children aren’t huge fans of the smokey flavor but everyone else enjoys it so when I know they will be eating too I will replace with another cheese. This is also a great recipe to make when you have a variety of cheeses in your refrigerator that you need to clear out. I totally got busted on trick this the first time I made this recipe.

If you have a large family, double this batch and cook in a larger slow cooker as a single batch is basically a side dish for our family of six instead of a main meal. Otherwise, you may have a fight on your hands on the distribution of the amount of mac & cheese! I don’t know this from personal experience or anything! ;)

The printable recipe is below but you will need to cook your macaroni per package directions, then layer the macaroni and your cheeses in your slow cooker. Cook on low for around 2 hours or until cheese is creamy and delicious!

Velveeta asked me if I knew any Liquid Gold Diggers. I’ll know more soon once they taste these dishes! Why? Because Liquid Gold Diggers love the Liquid Gold of Velveeta.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Velveeta via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Velveeta”

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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Ratatouille. This is impossible for me to say properly. My kids on the other hand know all about ratatouille from some kids movie so they love to school me on the proper pronunciation. Anyway, ratatouille is a delicious meatless dish that is a great with pasta or rice or just by itself!

This recipe was adapted from the Not Your Mother’s Make Ahead & Freeze Cookbook cookbook! It is a freezer friendly recipe, which can be divided and split into plastic containers or freezer bags. Thaw and warm up to serve.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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This Cinnamon Banana Bread recipe is one that I made on my Freezer Cooking Day. I have adapted it slightly from Not Your Mother’s Make Ahead & Freeze Cookbook. Make ahead and freeze after cooking and cooling or use some ripe bananas! Makes a great breakfast, snack, or a dessert.

The instructions I’m providing is for one batch. If you want to double, triple, or quadruple for baking day, you can use this FREE online recipe conversion calculator.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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I’ve never been a huge fan of cabbage and mostly it’s because I had not really tried it. I just looked gross, smelled gross and wasn’t something I was interested in trying. Then I saw a recipe for roasted cabbage on Pinterest (I didn’t pin it though so I’m not sure where it originated!) and decided I would try it when it was on sale a few weeks back.

It’s super simple. Just toss with olive oil and sprinkle with your favorite seasonings such as salt, pepper, seasoned salt, etc! Cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until crispy. It is better the longer you cook it.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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This recipe is super simple and great for parties, snacks, or a quick dinner! Anything Pizza”ish” is always a hit at our household. Plus, it’s super customizable if you want to add mushrooms, sausage, or other pizza toppings! You can even make vegetarian by simply substituting the meat for spinach. This is also great to use up that leftover pasta sauce!

All you really need is mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce,  pepperoni, and a roll of refrigerated pizza dough. Roll it out flat. Add about 1/2 cup of pizza sauce. Layer the pepperoni.

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.

Roll from end to end into a loaf. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until dough is done!

Slice when done! I made these for a Christmas party this past year and they were a huge hit!

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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As part of the 2013 goals and resolutions, I’m working on cooking with ingredients we already have on hand in our pantry and freezer.  However, instead of telling you what we are going to eat for the week, I’m going to tell you what I cooked last week. Otherwise, it’s just a little much when people we personally know tell the kids what we are having for dinner and it’s too much pressure to stick to that schedule!

We were on vacation this past week! We did eat many lunches in our hotel room and had a couple nights of FFA (free for all) on leftovers and lunches. I am back at meal planning for this upcoming week! We have a busy schedule of baseball, tennis, track, and soccer so a meal plan is essential for the upcoming week. Plus, I just picked up 40 pounds of chicken from Zaycon foods, which I plan on making into quick freezer meals tonight! :)

Before we left for our road trip, I loaded up on easy car snacks and made up a batch of delicious sweet Chex mix, which I will share soon!

How did you do? 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here. This post is part of OrgJunkie.com Meal Plan Monday linky.

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Traditional tacos one night, taco wantons later in the week! This Leftover Makeover is super simple and it freshens up a meal so that your family might not even realize you are using the same taco meat as the night or two nights previously. These were a hit at our house and would also make a great appetizer for a party.

What do you do with extra taco meat?

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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Recently I added a Tipton Library educational program on Spring Cleaning. Some of the many tips that were compiled was making your own cleaners. I’ve been trying out several of the recipes and will be sharing them here on the blog. All of the ones I will share will be easy to make, work as well or better than store bought cleaners, and will save you money.

This recipe claims to be a year’s worth of laundry detergent. Time will tell for our household of six if this does last us a year.

• 1 box Borax – $3.38
• 3 bars Fels-Naptha Soap – $0.97/each = $2.91
• 1 box Washing Soda – $3,24
• 2 cups Baking Soda – $0.56 (8 cup box costs $2.24)
• 1  containers of Oxyclean  - $7.52
• Fabric softener crystals (optional) – $5.99 on sale at Meijer

Total Cost: $23.60

Use 1 – 2 tablespoons per load of laundry. If you have a HE washing machine, put directly in with your laundry. I haven’t had any issues with my laundry or my washing machine do so.

So if I did my math correctly, this makes this laundry detergent around $0.07 per load. For comparison purposes, Amazon sells Tide with Downy powder detergent for $17.90. This makes 53 loads or $0.33 per load! If you used coupons or bought an inexpensive brand, you could save even more on your store bought detergent.

Looking at these numbers, making your own at home seems to have significant savings and it takes less than 30 minutes to make. The part that took me the longest was going to the store and finding the ingredients. Walmart seems to have everything you need. The Meijer I went to first, did not have the Fels-Naptha or Zote, which you can use in lieu of the Fels-Naptha. The Walmart I did visit only had a 5-6 bars of Fels-Naptha left even in their store.

You can hand grate the Fels-Naptha soap or you can use a food processor or a Ninja Kitchen Prep like I did. Be careful using your food processor because I’ve read that some people have ruined their food processors trying to do this. The Ninja Kitchen Prep handled it with ease, though! :)

Several pulses with my Ninja and it looked like this….

Note: I rinsed with hot water several times before putting in the dish washer. It doesn’t have a soapy taste to it at all. In fact, it looked cleaner than it has for awhile! LOL

After that is done, mix all the other ingredients together in a large container or use a kitchen trash bag if you don’t have a large container.

Then you can put it in smaller containers for your laundry room. I used a ice cream bucket that I knew I was saving for a reason.

I purchased several measuring cups and spoons for $1 and I”m using the tablespoon to measure out for the detergent.

Find more DIY Household Cleaners and Spring Cleaning and Organizing posts.

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 This makes for a yummy lunch or quick dinner for the vegetarians!

Morningstar Black Bean Veggie Burger, heated per instructions
Slim Sandwich Bun
Slice Pepper Jack Cheese
Sprouts
Jalapeno Ketchup

I would add a slice of onion too!

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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As part of the 2013 goals and resolutions, I’m working on cooking with ingredients we already have on hand in our pantry and freezer.  However, instead of telling you what we are going to eat for the week, I’m going to tell you what I cooked last week. Otherwise, it’s just a little much when people we personally know tell the kids what we are having for dinner and it’s too much pressure to stick to that schedule!

Here’s our meal plan from the last couple of weeks using items from our pantry:

Sunday: Crockpot Mac & Cheese

Monday: Shrimp, Burritos (made on Freezer Cooking Day)

Tuesday: Taco night (taco meat from batch cooking from freezer) and Potato Chowder (from Freezer Cooking Day)

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza Night (Spinach & Cheese and Pepperoni/Leftover Taco Meat using our favorite pizza dough recipe)

Sofia: Mommy, why does this sausage taste funny.

Mom: Uh, because it’s not sausage, it’s ground beef (incoherent from the taco meat.)  

Thursday: Leftover Pizza & Free For All.

Friday: PB&J sandwiches for lunch, dinner at Cracker Barrel using a gift certificate!

Saturday: Dinner out

Sunday: Easter Dinner with Family

This is how we did from the pantry this week! How did you do? 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here. This post is part of OrgJunkie.com Meal Plan Monday linky.

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These delicious sugar cookies can be customized for any holiday or event to match your theme! Plus, it is a fun, inexpensive family activity to make these cookies. Both girls helped me with these, though, the oldest did not want to be photographed! (Apparently, her hair and make-up were not done – ha!)

I’m guessing you have most of these ingredients around the house. You can use any amount of JELL-O gelatin packages that you wish! We used several different brands and colors that we had in the pantry as part of the pantry challenge. I will say the Baker’s CorNER orange, which is a ALDI brand was my favorite cookie flavor!

Just for fun, she insisted on being in the photograph as you can kind of tell from the above picture and definitely from the below picture!

I used my KitchenAid stand mixer, which I absolutely love to mix the butter, egg, vanilla, and sugar together until creamy. Mix together the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. She LOVES to help!

Slowly add the flour mixture to the creamy mixture.

Split into the amount of sections of packets/colors you wish to use. After your child washes their hands thoroughly, they can help add the gelatin to each section. Approximately 8 tablespoons total. If you have four sections, you use 2 tablespoons for each section, etc.

Knead it real good.

It’s fun.

Shape into 1″ balls and roll around in the excess gelatin.

Place on baking sheet. Parchment paper is your friend for easy and quick clean up.

Flatten with something. I used my Pampered Chef Spatula.

Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes. Cool. Enjoy!

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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Are you tired of the humdrum daily routine? Sometimes, especially on holidays or other occasions, I like to bring back memories of a special trip or vacation I took by serving friends or family a unique recipe that I discovered while I was away. At Easter time, I like to remember a trip I once took to Las Vegas by preparing this Strawbunny Smoothie that I first had while staying at the Cosmopolitan, one of my favorite hotels in Las Vegas. Here is my own version below!

Strawbunny Smoothie

(makes about 2 cups)

Ingredients:

• -1 ½ cups frozen strawberries
• -4 teaspoons low-fat vanilla yogurt
• -2 teaspoons peanut butter
• -½ cup skim milk
• -Marshmallow Peeps®

Directions:

Place ingredients last four ingredients in blender. Add a few strawberries and puree the mixture. Continue adding a few strawberries at a time and blending until all strawberries have been pureed into the mixture. Pour into glasses and serve with Peeps® as garnishments. Makes about two cups.

These festive smoothies make great treats for Easter morning. I like to serve each smoothie in a glass on a plate filled with edible Easter grass and garnished with a few chocolate eggs. They go great with other brunch dishes like omelets or pancakes and sausage.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it can be adapted for those with food sensitivities or allergies. Reduce the amount of sugar by replacing the vanilla yogurt with unsweetened plain yogurt. If you prefer to use fresh strawberries, simply replace the skim milk with five or six ice cubes. I have also enjoyed making blue bunny smoothies by using blueberries instead of strawberries, and a favorite version for my young nieces is a wild bunny smoothie made with mixed berries.

Since Peeps® are now available for multiple holidays, you can make these festive treats for other occasions as well. Use heart-shaped Peeps® to garnish a Valentine’s Day treat for your sweetie. Top the smoothies with ghost-shaped Peeps® for a haunted Halloween treat. However you choose to serve this delicious goody, I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as my family does. Who says you need to leave town to experience the joys of going on vacation?

About this Author: Kendra Thornton: Travel advocate, TV spokesperson, PR businesswoman, proud wife and mama of 3. I am a long time travel expert who has been packing my bags and traveling the world since I was 3 months old! I’ve found my utmost desire in life is right here in my own home. I have mixed my excitement for travel by bringing the taste of authentic cuisine to my own home with some of my unique recipes. Enjoy!

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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After trying this recipe for homemade vanilla caramel coffee creamer, you may never go back to buying the store bought version! I tried this recipe after running out of my normal brand and I’m hooked! It may not be that much cheaper to make on your own but it has less unpronounceable additives and chemicals in it. Plus, I’m sure you could customize this with other extracts if you want a different flavor.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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When I visit my dentist office, I not only get great dental care, I come home with cleaning tips for my home! Somehow we got talking about homemade cleaners and Mindi told me about this great trick she found on Pinterest for cleaning your tub and shower. It really works and I know many of you can find cheap or free Dawn dishwashing detergent to use with this homemade cleaner.

Find more DIY Household Cleaners and Spring Cleaning and Organizing posts.

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I have found the perfect homemade pizza dough recipe. The family loves it as much as our favorite local pizza place. It is a simple recipe from the instruction booklet from a friend’s bread maker. Pizza also makes a great leftover makeover when you have extra marina sauce.

Pizza is always a family favorite as it can be customized pretty easily to fit each group’s taste preferences. Homemade pizza is also a freezer friendly recipe – assemble your pizza onto a baking pan and freeze before cooking. Then cook directly from frozen state. I’ve been doubling the batch and making two pizzas  - one for dinner and one for the freezer, which is a quick way to fill our freezer with homemade meals.

It will be hard to go back to anything but the homemade pizza dough (recipe here) but you could use your normal pizza dough if you don’t have time to make your own.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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As part of the 2013 goals and resolutions, I’m working on cooking with ingredients we already have on hand in our pantry and freezer.  However, instead of telling you what we are going to eat for the week, I’m going to tell you what I cooked last week. Otherwise, it’s just a little much when people we personally know tell the kids what we are having for dinner and it’s too much pressure to stick to that schedule!

Here’s our meal plan from the last couple of weeks using items from our pantry:

Monday: Homemade Mac & Cheese; Homemade Bread

Tuesday: Take-Out (caved again!) What is about Tuesdays? Oh, yeah, it’s a night we have a thousand things going on! (Need to plan better for Tuesdays!)

Wednesday:  Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders (Freezer Meal) + Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Freezer Meal) ALDI has Potatoes on sale this week so it might be a good week to do this freezer side dish again! The pecan crusted chicken tenders are such a hit at our house! The kids said they would love to have them at least weekly BUT they don’t know they have pecans in them! :) I’m out of this freezer meal at the moment but once I get my Zaycon chicken order in April, I’ll be doing this recipe again!

Thursday: Baked Shrimp, french fries, and ravioli

Friday: Family Mexican Dinner Night (was too annoyed to cook – haha!) Totally regretted this after our bill was almost more than our weekly grocery bill – ack! 

Saturday: Kids Freezer Pizza; Parents at Murder Mystery Dinner

Sunday: Ratouille (Freezer Meal) with left over rice

Breakfasts: Cinnamon Banana Bread (from Freezer Cooking), Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs (thanks Aunt Jane for the Farm Fresh Eggs!)

This is how we did from the pantry this week! How did you do? 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here. This post is part of OrgJunkie.com Meal Plan Monday linky.

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This homemade garlic butter is simple to make and can be used for a variety of things including bread, potatoes, rice to name a few. The picture above is garlic bread I made with a homemade loaf of Honey Oat Bread, which was delicious!

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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My kids are loving this Cake Batter Rice Krispies Treats Recipe, which can be adapted for about any holiday! It’s super easy to make and you can get all the ingredients you need at ALDI for less! Right now, ALDI has the Spring Sprinkles out with little eggs, flowers, and ducks in spring time colors, which makes it super fun!

Gather your ingredients. If you are a blogger, you arrange them in such a way that photography is possible! :)

Melt your butter in a large pan over low heat.

When butter is completed melted, added your mini-marshmallows.

Cook over low heat until melted. Then add in cake mix.

Remove from heat. Mix in crispy rice cereal.

Add in sprinkles.

Press into greased pan. Use any size desired depending on how thick you want your treats. I use parchment paper to press down as it doesn’t stick.

Let cool for 20-30 minutes before cutting.

Something about adding in the cake mix gives these treats something extra. The kids say they are the best.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

A gift certificate was provided for ALDI for me to gather these materials. Rest assured, this Post was written by me and was not edited by the sponsor. Read more on my Disclosure Policy.

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Recently I added a Tipton Library educational program on Spring Cleaning. Some of the many tips that were compiled was making your own cleaners. I’ve been trying out several of the recipes and will be sharing them here on the blog. All of the ones I will share will be easy to make, work as well or better than store bought cleaners, and will save you money.

The recipe of dishwashing detergent is very simple with just three ingredients: Borax, baking soda, and unsweetened lemon Kool-Aid packets. If you can find citric acid, you can use that instead but it’s easier to find and probably cheaper to use the packets.

Mix together and use 2 tablespoons per dishwashing load. Use 1 tablespoon if you are only doing half a load. I’m finding my dishes are just as clean if not cleaner than they were when using the packets.

I even used my old tablet container to store my new mix in, which saves money on not having to buy a new container. I picked up a few sets of measuring spoons for just $1 for each set at the Deal$ store.

I wrote in Sharpie on the top of the container the instructions so when the kids use the dishwasher, they will know exactly what to measure out.

So easy!

It cost around $8 for all of the ingredients but I didn’t even use half of the box of borax or baking soda! Be sure to pick up those lemonade packets when they go on sale for 10 for $1!

Find more DIY Household Cleaners and Spring Cleaning and Organizing posts.

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This is a great recipe to use up about any cheese you have in your refrigerator. I used the cheeses we had in our refrigerator for this slow cooker macaroni and cheese recipe and it worked up really nice with a mixture of Sharp Cheddar, Colby Jack, and Smoked Swiss. Add in a little butter and milk and you have a easy and delicious dinner!

For easy clean-up, use a slow cooker liner. You may want to spray this with non-cook spray so your cheese doesn’t stick to the liner. This seriously saves so much time. I was resistant to them at first because of the price but the time I save not scrubbing down the slow cooker pan is totally worth it. Amazon has a variety of slow cooker liners for sale.

Cook your macaroni. Layer one is half of the cooked macaroni.

Layer half of the shredded Colby Jack cheese on top of the macaroni.

Layer half of the Sharp Cheddar cheese.

Layer half of the Smoked Swiss Cheese.

Repeat layers. Top with butter. Pour milk over.

Cook on slow for around 2.5 hours.  You can then mix it all together! Cheesy delicious!

Most of the family enjoyed this but the little kids didn’t like the flavor of the Smoked Swiss cheese but I think it gave this macaroni and cheese a whole new dimension.

Need a new slow cooker? Find a great deal on a slow cooker over at Amazon.com.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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As part of the 2013 goals and resolutions, I’m working on cooking with ingredients we already have on hand in our pantry and freezer. I haven’t done a Meal Plan Monday post in years (March 15, 2009 to be specific) and thought I’d start back up! However, instead of telling you what we are going to eat for the week, I’m going to tell you what I cooked last week. Otherwise, it’s just a little much when people we personally know tell the kids what we are having for dinner and it’s too much pressure to stick to that schedule!

Here’s our meal plan from the last couple of weeks using items from our pantry:

Monday: Spaghetti

Tuesday: Take-Out (caved!)

Wednesday: Taco Wontons (Leftover Makeover!) + Leftover Asian Take-Out

Thursday: Lasagna (meat) & Vegetable Lasagna

Friday: Crockpot Mac & Cheese

Saturday: Leftovers & Freezer meals (busy day at high school basketball game)

Sunday: Pancakes using Bulk Cooking batch and Sausage; Homemade White Bread, Alfredo & Noodles

This is how we did from the pantry this week! How did you do? 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here. This post is part of OrgJunkie.com Meal Plan Monday linky.

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We’ve found our favorite pizza dough for our family! It is almost straight from the borrowed bread maker’s instruction booklet. We find it to be like the dough from our local pizza joint. Hint: It’s by the tracks.

Top with your favorite flavors. For this particular night, I made half meaty and the other half vegetarian. You will note the so called buffer zone so we make sure there is not any rogue meat on the vegetarian’s portion.

The dough takes about two hours total to complete with the bread maker. I’ve been doubling the batch and making two pizzas  - one for dinner and one for the freezer, which is a quick way to fill our freezer with homemade meals.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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Overnight French Toast. The kids absolutely love this one. If you follow me on Facebook, my youngest son responded that he would have oatmeal that particular morning unless I was cooking something from the pan again like that good french toast or eggs! “From the pan” cooking! :)  As a treat this week, I made up another batch of this super simple and super delicious french toast even though it requires me getting up to put it in the oven and then going back to sleep.

The first time I made this with part of a french bread loaf that needed to be used up and regular bread slices. This last time I used Texas Toast bread, which works out nicely because it is a little thicker! I also had just 1.5 cups of half & half left after making potato chowder as part of my freezer meal plan. I love it when I am able to utilize leftovers!

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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This recipe was a hit at our household with the picky eaters! A few weeks ago, I picked up several packages of chicken breasts at nearly rock bottom price at $1.79/lb. I found a recipe from the Fix, Freeze, Feast cookbook that I modified for our family’s needs and what we had in the pantry. This is super simple, easy, and delicious according to my people!

I’m loving these mini-freezer sessions I’ve been having to fill our freezer with healthy meals that my family will love. It is looking like we are going to have a crazy busy Spring and Summer schedule so I’m trying to get prepared.

I used my favorite appliance – my Ninja Prep to finely ground my pecans but you can use any food processor.

I picked up several packages of this chicken at the nearly rock bottom price. I also have an order for pick up in April for just $1.79/lb with Zaycon Chicken. Check out Zaycon to see if they are coming to a city near you! It’s a great price for bulk meat purchases! 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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Yes, it is possible to make delicious tasting chocolate chip cookies for just under 60 calories! My calculator tells me 59.77 calories per cookie. These cookies satisfy your cravings without breaking your calorie bank!

My first week on the Shaklee plan, one evening I was craving something sweet soooooo bad. I couldn’t get chocolate and cookies out of my mind. Then I remembered, I had a vegan recipe for cookies somewhere that was low in calories. The recipe called for a few things that I did not have so I substituted with what I had in my pantry.

My version worked out well and when I got home from work the next day all the cookies were gone so someone else in the house enjoyed them too!

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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As part of the 2013 goals and resolutions, I’m working on cooking with ingredients we already have on hand in our pantry and freezer. I haven’t done a Meal Plan Monday post in years (March 15, 2009 to be specific) and thought I’d start back up! However, instead of telling you what we are going to eat for the week, I’m going to tell you what I cooked last week. Otherwise, it’s just a little much when people we personally know tell the kids what we are having for dinner and it’s too much pressure to stick to that schedule!

Here’s our meal plan from the last couple of weeks using items from our pantry:

Monday:

Pecan Chicken from Freezer Meals (recipe will be posted on Wednesday!), mashed potatoes from freezer meal, and wild rice. We really LOVE this cookbook: Fix, Freeze, Feast cookbook!

Tuesday: 

Zucchini Lasagna (Recipe here) – This was awesome! Wish our grocery store would have had MORE Zucchini but since it’s not really in season I had to make do. I’m going to mark this recipe as one to make sure I do in the summer and make into freezer meals!

Alfredo Sauce and Penne Pasta for the kids (from the pantry)

Wednesday: 

Homemade Pizza – yum! I used the recipe for dough from the breadmaker’s instruction manual and it’s perfect! I recently borrowed a breadmaker from a friend to see if I liked it!

Thursday: 

Tacos & Leftovers

Friday:

Kids at grandmas……dinner out…we used a Groupon we had purchased earlier in the year!

Saturday: 

Kids at basketball games, coupon class – Free For All

Sunday:

Leftovers & Overnight French Toast

This is how we did from the pantry this week! How did you do? 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here. This post is part of OrgJunkie.com Meal Plan Monday linky.

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My youngest son loves his morning oatmeal. So much so that if we don’t have any in the house, it may cause a incident. He is very specific on the way he wants his oatmeal to taste from the amount of brown sugar to how milky it should be. We must adhere to these guidelines or school mornings will not be pleasant.

In the past, I’ve purchased the instant oatmeal packets at the grocery store or ALDI as it is worth the price of around $1.99 – $2.50 for a package of 10 to keep him happy in the morning. However, then he started eating two packets each morning, which means one package would not last long in our household, especially if someone else wanted oatmeal in the morning. We do have six people in our household so a box of instant oatmeal packets could be wiped out in one meal!

During my most recent bulk and freezer cooking day, I adapted slightly the recipe from the Your Mother’s Make Ahead & Freeze cookbook. They have been a HUGE success! I was a little concerned that he would be unhappy because they weren’t from the same packets as his normal brand. Instead, he has told me it is the best oatmeal ever. Success! Plus, I’m saving so much by making my own packets instead of buying oatmeal packets as a huge container of quick oats are just around $2.19 at ALDI. I only used half of the container to make 24 DOUBLE packs of oatmeal. The cost of the brown suger, powdered nonfat milk, and salt are insignificant as I already had these things on hand.

Let’s compare costs: 

10 Pack of Oatmeal Packets – $1.99  - $2.50 = $0.19 – $0.25/packet

versus

48 packs (or 24 double packs) Homemade Version approximately $1.09 (half the cost of the canister) + $0.50 (estimated cost for the additional ingredients) = $0.03/packet!

You may need to add in the cost of packaging for your single packets or you can combine all together and scoop out on a daily basis. For time savings and to be sensitive to the morning routine, I made my own single packets with snack size serving storage bags. These are usually around $1.99 for a package of 50, which is $0.04/bag. This makes your packets $0.07, which is still significant savings.

This is super simple to do and it is easily customizable if you like different varieties.

Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal Packets, single serving

• 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon powdered nonfat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal Packets, single serving

• 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1-2 tablespoons dried apples, chopped

Cinnamon Raisin  Instant Oatmeal Packets, single serving

• 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1-2 tablespoons raisins

Cinnamon Spice Instant Oatmeal Packets, single serving

• 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Cocoa Instant Oatmeal Packets, single serving

• 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking cocoa

Other ingredients you could mix in would be small pieces of walnuts or almonds, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried banana chips, or other dried fruits. There are so many delicious possibilites.

To serve, add milk or water to get to desired consistency. Microwave on high 1-2 minutes. 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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As part of the 2013 goals and resolutions, I’m working on cooking with ingredients we already have on hand in our pantry and freezer. I haven’t done a Meal Plan Monday post in years (March 15, 2009 to be specific) and thought I’d start back up! However, instead of telling you what we are going to eat for the week, I’m going to tell you what I cooked last week. Otherwise, it’s just a little much when people we personally know tell the kids what we are having for dinner and it’s too much pressure to stick to that schedule!

Here’s our meal plan from the last couple of weeks using items from our pantry:

I’m a little late with last week’s meal plan! You can check out my 5 Meal Planning Tips for Busy Families post over here.

Monday:
I had a coupon class so I made “Delicious Porkchops” and had ready to bake for the family.

Tuesday:
Baked Potato Chowder from Freezer Plan I made a couple weeks back. (recipe adapted from Fix, Freeze, Feast cookbook)

Wednesday:
Homemade pizza

Thursday:
We went to my brother’s wrestling meet and my youngest son had a school program! Kind of crazy night but we used a couple ideas from our Fast Five Meal Ideas including Quesadillas and Nachos instead of going out to eat.

Friday:
High School Basketball Game – It was basically a Free for all. Kids had cereal or leftovers.

Saturday:
White Bean Chili (with blackbeans because I didn’t have white beans ready!) and instant brown rice, steamed vegetables

Sunday:
White Bean Chili leftovers, brown rice, steamed vegetables and leftovers

This is how we did from the pantry this week! How did you do? 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here. This post is part of OrgJunkie.com Meal Plan Monday linky.

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Just in time for St. Patrick’s day, here’s a healthy alternative to the Shamrock Shakes that may be tempting!

Here’s one of my recipes I have been making with my Ninja Master Prep:

Read more about my fitness and weight loss journey as well as specific posts with the Shaklee-180 program. Find more Shaklee 180 Smoothie Recipes here.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation blogger program. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own. People following the weight-loss portion of the Shaklee 180™ Program can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week. This Post was written by me and was not edited by the sponsor.  Read more on my Disclosure Policy.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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I love the delicious creaminess of this particular smoothie recipe! If you have never tried PB2, which is powdered peanut butter, you need to as it has 85% less calories from fat than traditional peanut butter. Plus, it’s super easy to add to smoothie recipes. I also used half of a frozen banana. I love using frozen fruit so I don’t have to blend in any ice as that takes more time to blend.

Here’s one of my recipes I have been making with my Ninja Master Prep:

Read more about my fitness and weight loss journey as well as specific posts with the Shaklee-180 program. Find more Shaklee 180 Smoothie Recipes here.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation blogger program. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own. People following the weight-loss portion of the Shaklee 180™ Program can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week. This Post was written by me and was not edited by the sponsor.  Read more on my Disclosure Policy.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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As part of the Shaklee 180 program, you replace two meals a day with smoothies or meal replacement bars using the Shaklee Smoothees powder. This one is super simple and I also used up a frozen blueberry container as part of my pantry challenge!

Here’s one of my recipes I have been making with my Ninja Master Prep:

Read more about my fitness and weight loss journey as well as specific posts with the Shaklee-180 program. Find more Shaklee 180 Smoothie Recipes here.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation blogger program. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own. People following the weight-loss portion of the Shaklee 180™ Program can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week. This Post was written by me and was not edited by the sponsor.  Read more on my Disclosure Policy.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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As part of the Shaklee 180 program, you replace two meals a day with smoothies or meal replacement bars using the Shaklee Smoothees powder. When I first made this one, I used 4 cups of baby spinach but that seemed a bit thick, so I’d use about half of that in the future.

Here’s one of my recipes I have been making with my Ninja Master Prep:

Read more about my fitness and weight loss journey as well as specific posts with the Shaklee-180 program. Find more Shaklee 180 Smoothie Recipes here.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation blogger program. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own. People following the weight-loss portion of the Shaklee 180™ Program can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week. This Post was written by me and was not edited by the sponsor.  Read more on my Disclosure Policy.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

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This is one of my favorites and I was also able to use up half a bag of frozen peaches as part of my pantry challenge, which includes the freezer too!  

Here’s one of my recipes I have been making with my Ninja Master Prep:

Read more about my fitness and weight loss journey as well as specific posts with the Shaklee-180 program. Find more Shaklee 180 Smoothie Recipes here.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation blogger program. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own. People following the weight-loss portion of the Shaklee 180™ Program can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week. This Post was written by me and was not edited by the sponsor.  Read more on my Disclosure Policy.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.