Crabby Patties

This turned out decently...I haven't ever made anything like this before so I didn't execute this to perfection.  The salad side dish was delicious though!!

Crab Cakes

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 lage eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbs parsley
• 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning (I used more...)
• 2 tsp mustard (I used horseradish mustard...)
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 2 lbs lump crab meat or salmon (I recommend either getting flakes or chopping up the meat b/c I used lump and it didn't hold well together as a patty)
• 1/2 C Mayo
• bread crumbs
• flour

1. Beat eggs & add parsley, Old Bay, mustards, Worcestershire, lemon juice, salt & pepper.
2. Combine with meat and mayo, then add just enough bread crumbs to get things to hold together.
3. Shape into cakes or balls, dip or roll in flour.
4. Heat oil and/or butter in a pan and cook cakes until browned on each side.

Snap Pea Salad

Time: at least an hour for refrigeration

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb sugar snap peas
• 1 bunch radishes, trimmed
• 2 Tbs fresh chives or green onions (I used a bit more...)
• 1/2 C peas

Spinach and Meat Cakes

LOVE this one!!  James did too...Next time I'm just going to try to use fresh spinach b/c the frozen stuff made the meat a bit soggy so it didn't fry very well.  Tasty dish though!

Spinach and Meat Cakes

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb chopped spinach (frozen should be thawed and well drained)
• 1/2 small finely chopped onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• salt and pepper
• 3 C brown rice

1. Preheat frying pan (no oil)
2. Combine all ingredients except brown rice in a large mixing bowl.  Mix well.
3. Form mixture into 12 small balls.  Place in frying pan and flatten into patties using a spatula.
4. Cook over medium heat until cooked on both sides.
5. Serve over brown rice.

Mac & Cheese

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 C Macaroni
• 1/2 C chopped onions
• 1/2 C evaporated milk, nonfat
• 1 beaten egg
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/4 C finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Cook macaroni according to directions.
2. Spray a casserole dish w/ nonstick cooking spray
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Lightly spray saucepan w/ nonstick cooking oil and add onions to saute for about 3 minutes.
5. In another bowl, combine macaroni, onions and remaining ingredients and mix.
6. Transfer into casserole dish and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly.  Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

10/21/10

This was very good!!  The meat for the dip comes out more like pulled beef however it tastes great and is super easy to make when your time is limited!!  Definitely a keeper...

French Dip

Time: 7 hours

Ingredients:

• 4 lb rump roast
• 1 (10.5oz) can beef broth
• 1 (10.5oz) can French onion soup
• 1 can of beer
• 6 French rolls
• 2 Tbs butter

1. Trim the excess fat from the rump roast and place in slow cooker.  Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer.  Cook on low for 7 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Split French rolls and spread with butter.  Bake 10 minutes.  (I baked for 10 and then broiled for 2)
4. Slice the meat and place on rolls.  Serve the sauce for dipping.

My side for this was homemade french fries but you could do the frozen kind that you bake as well.  A salad would work too!!

10/20/10

This meal was pretty good...If I do it again, I will use boneless chicken because the marinade makes the meat look yellow and its difficult to "digest" visually, haha!!

Curry Chicken

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbs butter
• 1/4 C Dijon mustard
• 1/2 C Honey
• Curry powder, to taste
• 8 pieces bone-in chicken (FYI, I would recommend boneless...)

1. Melt the butter and stir in the mustard, honey and curry powder.
2. Put the chicken in the baking pan and pour the sauce over it; coating the chicken.  You can cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the chicken 30 minutes, then turn the pieces over.  Bake another 25-30 minutes and if you want it crispy, broil for the last 5 minutes.

'Mato Rice

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 slices bacon
• 1/2 C chopped onions
• 1/4 C chopped red bell peppers
• 1 (14.5oz) can chopped tomatoes (reserve the juice)
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• salt and pepper
• 2 C cooked white rice
• 1 C water and tomato juice

1. Fry and chop the bacon.  Drain most of the bacon fat.
2. Cook the onion and peppers a few minutes, then add everything else.  (Drain the tomatoes into a 1 C and top off with water.)  Bring to a boil and cook 3-4 minutes.  Turn down the heat, cover and cook another 15 minutes or so.

*Also had a side of salad...

Chicken in the Crock-Pot

Another throwback from when I first started my inexpensive meals...

Chicken in the Crock

Time: 5 hours

Ingredients:

• 5 slices bacon
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 10 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup OR 10 oz jar of alfedo sauce
• 1/2 C mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 C diced Swiss or Havarti cheese

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon and drain on paper towels.  Crumble bacon and set in refrigerator.
2. In bacon drippins in skillet, cook chicken over medium heat 3-5 minutes or until light brown, turning once.  Place in 4-6 auart slow cooker.  Top with mushrooms and onions.  In skillet, heat soup and pour into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
3. Top chicken with cheese slices and sprinkle with bacon.  Cover and cook on high for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*I used frozen chicken w/out thawing and followed the same directions so that the chicken would take longer to cook.  The cooking time went up to 7-8 hours which is perfect for a full-time workin' mama!!

Rice Pilaf

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 C white rice
• 2 C heated chicken stock or broth

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Heat the oil over medium high heat in an oven proof saucepan.  Add the rice, stir to coat with the oil and heat the rice utnil it sizzles.
2. Add the hot chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Cover and place in the oven.  Bake until all the moisture is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Toss with a fork and serve!!

Crocked Carrots

Time: 7 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 lb back baby carrots
• 1-1/2 C Water
• 1/4 C honey
• 2 Tbsp butter
• salt and pepper

1. Combine carrots and water in a 3-4 quart crockpot.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until carrots are tender.  Drain carrots and return to crockpot.  Stir in honey, butter, salt and pepper and mix well.  Cover and cook on low 30 minutes until glazed.

Meatloaf...

Here's a recipe I did 2 weeks ago when I started this whole process:

 

Meatloaf

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

 

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 C quick oatmeal
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoning (you can create your own if you don't have it...)
• 3 lbs ground beef

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute onion in olive oil until tender.  Place in large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes to cool.
2. Add eggs, tomato sauce, oats, salt, pepper and Lawry's seasoning; mix well.  Let stand 10 minutes and then add beef.  Gently mix until thoroughly blended.
3. Form into two loaf shapes on a broiler rack with slits and a bottom section for catching drippings (I just "created" this by putting a drying rack over a cookie sheet, fyi in case you don't have this type of pan like me!!).  Bake for 65-75 minutes before slicing.

 

Sides!!

*I made Scalloped Potatoes from a box
*Did the Spicy Apple Carrots recipe (listed under "Monday Night")

Solo Dinner...

So last night I was on my own for dinner...I was going to spoil myself and get take-out, but Jax had other plans.  He needed to get home to play with his toys.  SOOOO, I managed to put together a meal for myself that included leftovers for both me and James.

All I did was take the leftover "insides" from our calzones yesterday and added it to some fettuccine noodles that I had in the pantry.  I also had an artichoke in the fridge that I steamed for 45 minutes and WHALA!! Dinner for one, and it was delicious!!

I'm looking forward to the next two day's dinners though! I've got some good one's comin'!!

Repeat Offender...

So James has requested a repeat of the calzone (the chicken in puff pastry) recipe tonite!  I will be changing it up a bit however, for an adventure!  I'll follow pretty much the same cooking directions however I'm substituting out the ingredients to make a more "Italian Meats" style. 

Here's what I'll be combining to make the "insides" of the calzone:

• Italian Sausage
• Pepperoni
• Ricotta Cheese
• Italian Cheese
• Spaghetti/pizza Sauce (pick your fav!!)
• Mushrooms, sliced
• Onions, chopped

Went to the grocery store to get these items (yes, I broke the once a week shopping rule for the sake of the Broncos) and it cost $9.52.  I already had the cheeses and sauce so that obviously made it so inexpensive!  I would estimate this to be about $12-$15 normally depending on what brands/quality is purchased.

For the side dish, I just bought a pre-packaged salad and already have the Italian dressing at home!

Simple, fast and YUMMY!!  

The Weekend...

I was bad this weekend...whoops!  Friday we went bowling so we had bowling ally food and on Sunday we went to the Bronco's game so we spent an absorbent amount on a braut for our meal and then Taco Bell on the way home!  Saturday was an at home dinner but no recipe necessarily to share; we had a steak and some crab since snow crab was $5.99/lb at King Soopers.  That meal cost around $15 for the both of us so still very inexpensive (and DELICIOUS)!!

The adventure will continue again tonight and I will post that recipe soon.

Thursday Night

I chose to do this recipe because it sounded like a challenge/fun.  Turned out great and was even good as a leftover!!

Pesto Stuffed Burgers

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 C pesto (I buy the little packet that you can find by the Italian foods...its cheaper then the alternative)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1/4 C pesto
• 4 tin slices Havarti cheese
• 4 English muffins, split
• 2 Tbs butter

1. Prepare and preheat grill (if you don't have a grill then a Foreman or a skillet will suffice).  In medium bowl combine beef, 1/4 cup pesto, salt and pepper and mix gently until combined.
2. Form into 8 thin patties and divide 1/4 C pesto between 4 of the patties and top with slices of cheese (I broke up the slices so it would fit within the patty).  Top remaining thin patties and press sides to seal.
3. Cook hamburger to your desired temp.  For a medium cooking temp. I did 5 minutes on each side over medium heat on the grill.
4. Spread butter on cut sides of English muffins and toast on grill or you can toast them and them add the butter.  Serve patties on muffins.

Sweet Potato Salad

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
*I make this as early as possible since it can sit in the fridge for as long as need be.

Ingredients:

• 2 (15oz) cans of sweet potatoes, drained (I get the 30 or 32 oz can of Yams)
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 C mixture of ranch dressing and mustard
• 1/4 C Mayo
• salt and pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix and mash with potato masher.  Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Wednesday Night

Okay...This was deemed as the best thing I've ever cooked.  I don't know if I agree because my ribs are pretty dang good, but James LOOOOOVVVVEEESSSS pizza and when he ate this he saw endless possibilities! HAHA!  I'm going to attempt other fillings with this recipes on other days.

Chicken and Bacon in Puff Pastry

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (I cut the chicken when its still halfway frozen and word to the wise, make the cubes as small as possible!)
• 1/2 C chopped onion
• 1 (3oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1 sheet of pizza dough (I just bought the tube of pizza dough that's located by the cinnamon rolls and such...)
• 1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In medium skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove and drain on paper towels, crumble and set aside.  Drain pan but do not wipe out.
2. Add olive oil to pan and add chicken and onion.  Cook together until onion is tender and chicken is no longer pink and then remove with a slotted spoon to a medium bowl.
3. Add cream cheese and bacon to chicken mixture and mix well; you can add some seasonings of your choice at this point. 
4. Roll out dough into a 12" square and then cut into four 6" squares.  Divide chicken mixture among the squares and fold in half.  Seal edges and press with fork then place on cookie sheet and brush with egg.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown.  Remove to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Green Beans Amandine

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1 Tbs butter
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper

1. In heavy saucepan, place green beans in cold water to cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 8-10 minutes until crisp and tender.  Drain well and set beans aside.  Melt butter and olive oil in saucepan and add garlic.  Cook until garlic is popping and add beans along with lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Toss and gently coat.

*I also had a potato side dish: suggestions are Scalloped (from a box) or mashed (homemade)

Tuesday Night

To be honest, James didn't like the main portion of this meal...he said it was too bland.  I didn't think it was necessarily bland, but it did lack the "spice" I normally put into my recipes!  So I'll put it like this, this one will likely be a hit for the kiddos and adults who aren't looking for something spicy...

Meatballs w/ Orzo

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 2 C beef broth
• 1 C uncooked orzo pasta
• 3/4 lb frozen cooked meatballs
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained (*I got the Italian kind so if you wanted some spice you could get a more mexican food style can)
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning (*Again, here you can create your own seasoning to spice it up a bit)
• 1/3 C grated Parmesean cheese

1. In large skillet, cook onion in olive oil until tender.  Add beef broth and bring to a boil.
2. Stir in orzo, meatballs, tomatoes and sesasoning; stir.
3. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low, simmer 7-8 minutes until liquid is reduced stirring occasionally. *The orzo tends to stick so scraping the bottom is a good idea!
4. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Asparagus

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb asparagus
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• *if you like garlic, I added a bit of it to the mix

1. Cut off ends of asparagus to your liking then toss in olive oil, salt and if you choose, garlic.  Place on heavy baking pan and roast at 425 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes until tender and begins to brown.

Garlic Bread

Time:30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 loaf French bread
• 5 Tbs butter, softened
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed (less if you don't like garlic...its pretty potent)
• salt and pepper

1. Cut bread into 1/2" slices. In a small bowl mix butter, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Spread evenly on the slices.
2. Reassemble the bread to form the loaf and wrap in foil.  Place in 425 degree oven for 10-20 minutes or until the bread appears done.

Monday Night

So here's the recipe that I did last Monday night...James was a fan commenting that it tasted really great and he didn't feel like he had to go to bed right after!  Hopefully its a big hit with others as well!



Crisp Polenta w/ Salmon Cream

Time: 35 minutes
*Prepare the polenta the night before or before you go to work b/c it will need to chill for 8 hours!!

Ingredients:

• 3 C water
• 1 C yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs butter
• 2/3 C sour cream
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lb salmon fillet (*I used 1 lb for extra salmon flavor but that's to your discretion!!)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/2 C salsa

1. In large saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add the cornmeal slowly, stirring constantly with a wire whisk and cook over medium-low heat until cornmeal thickens.  Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbs butter and stir until smooth.
2. Grease a 9x9 pan with butter and pour polenta into pan.  Cover and chill until very firm, at least 8 hours.
3. In medium bowl combine sour cream, green onions and cheese; mix well and refrigerate.  Sprinkle salmon fillets with salt and pepper.
4. Combine olive oil and 2 Tbs butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add salmon; cook for four minutes, turn and cook 2-4 minutes longer until just cooked.  Remove to plate and refrigerate.
5. Cut the chilled polenta into 9-3in squares and cook the squares until brown and crisp.
6. While polenta is cooking, flake salmon and stir it into the sour cream mixture.
7. Briefly drain polenta on paper towels, then place on serving plate and spoon the salmon mixture over and top with salsa.

Spicy Apple Glazed Carrots

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 C sliced carrots OR 10 oz pkg baby carrots
• 1/3 C apple juice
• 2 Tbs apple jelly
• 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

1. Place carrots and juice in medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, cover pan and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
3. Uncover and add jelly, mustard, salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat stirring frequently, until carrots are glazed.

The Way This Will Work...

So what I do each week is compile seven days worth of dinner recipes and then create a grocery list of items that I don't already have at home (i.e. pepper, salt, certain condiments...you get the idea) and then, here's the most important part of the savings process, I go to the grocery store ONCE, let me repeat, ONCE a week.  When I'm shopping at the grocery store, I do make a conscious effort to find the least expensive option, but every now and again for the sake of quality, I may get a higher priced selection.  The attempt with all my meals is to stay under $10 per meal which is how I manage to stay under $70 per week on grocery expenses!

My intent is to post the meal I have planned each day of the week and eventually, (hopefully), someone else can find use from my meal plans!  Since I've been at this for almost two weeks now, I will post the previous recipes and the feedback that I recieved from my oh-so honest husband (its true, he can be brutal sometimes). 

Please feel free to comment on recipes that you may try at home and let me know what you think or if you have suggestions on how to make it better!!

The Beginning...

Once upon a time, I would spare no expense when it came to grocery shopping, purchasing anything and everything that looked appetizing!  I love to cook and I love to try new things so the grocery bills could get very pricey and I honestly wouldn't even look at the total when checking out of the store!

Then one week, my husband and I were on our last $20 until the next payday over a week away and it was time to reorganize our financial situation...When investigating how our paycheck-to-paycheck lives came to be, there were many factors that lead to the deterioration of our available balance.  Although there were many contributors, one was by far the most money hungry (pun intended), FOOD!!  We regularly had up to $150 in going out to eat expenses on top of grocery charges daily that would add up to nearly $100 a week.  This needed to change if we were ever going to create some sort of savings...

So I started doing a little research (through Google of course), to find complete meals that wouldn't cost a lot to make but would still satisfy our craving for a delicious variety of food.  It was actually pretty easy once I got the hang of it, and for two weeks now, our grocery bills have stayed under $70 per week and have provided not only dinner, but lunch for work the next day!

I've decided to share this experience in hopes that other's either in similar situations as me or just looking for a challenge will find this a great resource and possibly contribute some ideas as well!  We all gotta eat ya know!!