I love lazy Saturday mornings and big yummy breakfasts.
Most Saturdays I actually attend a mom’s group at 9 a.m., but on occasion, I stay home and relax with my family. Even when I do go to group, I tend to have time to cook breakfast and eat before rushing off since my kids are early risers (Woot! Woot! For the 5-6 a.m.-ers!…sigh.)
I made up this recipe for Christmas morning and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I basically combined a bunch of recipes I saw online and adjusted for what I had on hand – anytime that turns out good, it’s a shocker.
I get pre-cooked chickens quite frequently from Costco, because at only $5 I can’t resist. If I am careful, I can get three meals out of one chicken for my family of 3. Because I like to shred it to get more mileage from one chicken, I’ve come up with lots of leftover chicken recipes. You can see those here
One night after bringing home a chicken, I had a craving for pot pie so I came up with a recipe using what I had on hand. I thought I would share it with you, but just know that I sort of threw it together, so the measurements are approximations and it’s a loose interpretation. But don’t worry; what’s great about this recipe is that you can pretty much wing it and it will still turn out great. The great thing about the individual cups is that it cooks faster than your average whole pie, and it creates perfect serving sizes for kids and for leftovers the next day.
My battle with refusing to purchase pricey cereal rages on, and I’ve been on the lookout for other breakfast options. This week I tested a new one: whole wheat peanut butter pancakes.
We eat a lot of toast with peanut butter and jelly for breakfast in our house, as well as oatmeal, eggs and pancakes. A while back I began cutting down on the amount of cereal I purchased because it’s so darn expensive, and it usually only lasts a week at the most. With a family of three breakfast eaters, it’s simply not something I can afford. So I only purchase it when sales and coupons allow me to get it for $2.50 a box and under, and I supplement our breakfast stash with other options.
Best of all? It’s only costs $1.33 per serving according to Beth from Budget Bytes. I was so excited to find her blog, which is full of recipes that are budget-friendly. She breaks each one down and tells you how much it costs per serving so you can see what a great deal you are getting.
I’ve made chicken rice bowls before, as I’m sure you have. It’s easy to throw all your leftovers together with some rice and make a meal of it. But something about this one tasted SO good (I think the secret is in all the spices used). I didn’t really think it tasted like Chipotle as she suggested, but I think it might if I attempt to make Chipotle’s lime cilantro rice and replace the cheddar cheese with mozzarella. Yum.
I love sharing yummy, healthy, and budget-friendly recipes. When I find something I love, it’s hard not to spread the news; especially because I know how much it takes to throw together a meal as a tired working mom at the end of the day, and still keep it healthy and affordable.
I am a HUGE fan of buying the precooked whole chicken – especially at Costco where it only costs $5. It’s well worth the money considering how large their chickens are and the fact that I don’t have to clean and cook it myself (bleck to raw chicken…).
I am not a baker. I don’t like baking. I usually burn whatever I’m making, and it never looks as pretty as the picture I’m emulating. Strange, because I can definitely cook.
Anyway, when I ran across this recipe for peanut butter brownies on Pinterest, I noticed that it allowed for boxed brownie mix (yippee!) and only 3 other ingredients (peanut butter, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips). I knew I could probably handle this one.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a recipe… I guess I haven’t been experimenting much lately! But I occasionally get recipes in my email from Kraft and Pillsbury, and last week I received this one that I thought looked good enough (and healthy enough) to try. I actually had leftover chicken in the fridge and was craving pasta, so it was a match made in heaven.
The Mr. and I try and eat low calorie, low fat meals, which leaves out a lot of yummy pasta dishes (especially ones with chicken, which usually include a creamy, fattening sauce). This dish was made with a red pasta sauce and lots of added veggies.
So I tried it out last week and everybody (even my 2-year-old) loved it! It was super easy, perfect for leftover shredded chicken (and faster because the chicken was pre-cooked), and made for good leftovers too. See more leftover chicken recipes
I just recently developed a love for minestrone soup. I’m not sure what took me so long, but I’ve finally come around. I think I may have had a bad experience with minestrone soup in my childhood… I have a faint memory of a dry minestrone soup mix in my mother’s cupboard, and I think it was not a pleasant meal.
