**This post may contain affiliate links.**
I’ve not done a “Wordless Wednesday” before, but I couldn’t resist after this scene this morning. I love my goofy kids!
How would YOU caption this one? 🙂
**This post may contain affiliate links.**
One of our favorite quick simple dishes that works great for busy nights is my Creamy Chicken Pasta recipe. It is literally one of those recipes where you dump the ingredients in, mix it up, and serve. The part that takes the longest is boiling the noodles, and while those are going you can get everything else opened up and ready to go! This is a recipe that can easily be made by a younger child that wants to be independent and helpful (my 9 year can make it all by herself) but it’s also one that my 4 and 5 year olds can “make” with my help.
1 pound of pasta (we <3 penne)
1 can chicken (in the tuna/chili section)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs parsley
1/2 Tbs onion powder
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to directions, drain and set aside.
2. Heat chicken, tomatoes, evaporated milk and soup to a boil.
3. Mix cornstarch and water, slowly pour into sauce to thicken.
4. Season with herbs/spices listed, or come up with your own twist!
5. Pour drained pasta into sauce, stir to coat.
That’s it! Quick and easy. 🙂
Side notes and ramblings…..
-The cornstarch/water slurry isn’t essential, but without it your sauce will be thin and runny.
-Breaking the chicken up with a fork before adding it into the sauce is WAY easier than trying to do it later. Trust me.
-This is a basic recipe, have fun with it! Add in broccoli, cheese, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, etc.
Cost of ingredients:
Pasta – $1.00
Chicken – $2.00
Tomatoes – $0.50
Cream of Chicken – $0.50
Evaporated Milk – $1.00
Total cost – $5.00
There you have it! My Creamy Chicken Pasta recipe, only $5.00 and less than 30 minutes from start to finish!
When the time came to plan for my daughter’s third birthday party, I knew one thing was certain: I didn’t want it at MY house! With a newborn son and a highly energetic three year old, the last thing I wanted was to set up and then clean up for a party. However, I wanted something special for my daughter, as we’d never really had a party for her yet, and since she’d had a big year, complete with becoming a big sister and all.
Within the span of a month, we took her to a -um- certain dark play place with a big mouse, and later to bouncy-type place featuring a particular primate. Then we were invited to birthday party at Catch Air in John’s Creek location, and suddenly the choice was clear: my little girl was going to have her birthday party at Catch Air John’s Creek.
Catch Air, a combination bouncy house and indoor playground, had something to peek the interest of any child. Plenty of inflatables throughout the facility for jumping, along with simulated “fitness equipment”, ball pits, slides, token games, humongous train set, “balloon house”, a hamster roller, an interactive dance floor (think: the piano scene from Big) and much all keep kids ages 12 and under occupied for hours and hours of entertainment! And there’s four locations in the north metro area, including John’s Creek, Cumming, Suwanee, and Marietta.
Overall, I was exceptionally pleased with my experience at Catch Air in John’s Creek. With a personal party coordinator leading the way, they took care of the set up and clean up (every mother’s dream!), as well as supplied the “party accessories”: table cloths, plates, forks, drinks for the party kids, and even invitations. …and if you’re an absent-minded mother, like yours truly, and forget the all-important birthday cake candle, they’ve got you covered! After 80 minutes of play in perhaps the coolest indoor playground I’ve seen, Carol got to have a “dance party” with Buzz Lightyear (her movie character du joir). Buzz then led the kids over to the double sinks, where we all washed our hands before going in to the party room. We were allotted 40 minutes in the “party room”, set up for the obligatory singing of “happy birthday” as she blew out the candles. The party coordinator assisted in bringing the cake over, then cutting it up and helping to serve. She then stepped back and let the kids have their fun.
Afterwards, I was also pleased to see the party room get thoroughly wiped down — a level of conscientiousness that I cannot say for other similar places. The bathrooms were exceptionally clean and well-lit; although the floor seemed slightly slippery with socks on. As a mother and uber-germophobe, I could really appreciate the level of attention the staff paid to cleanliness.
We were allowed to bring outside dry snacks, drinks for the adults, and the cake. You have the option of ordering Papa Johns pizza or Chick-fil-a (and those of you who know me will be shocked to hear I opted out of CFA — I still don’t know how I passed *that* up!!), for an additional fee. (Please note: the food options differ at the other locations.) Our party coordinator assisted in setting up all the snacks and beverages, which allowed my husband and I the opportunity to just sit back and watch our daughter play.
Again, my experience with Catch Air was fantastic. For $5-8 a visit for walk-ins (depending on your child’s age), and discount codes available frequently on their Facebook pages, you can’t go wrong taking the kids here. There’s even free wifi for parents, as well as coffee and a snack bar available. There’s four locations (Johns Creek, Cumming, Marietta, and Suwanee) in the north metro area.
Care to try out Catch Air? I highly recommend “liking” Catch Air on FB, since they frequently post “passwords” to get you discounts for walk-in visits! Also, here’s a few more suggestions for snagging discount tickets to Catch Air: Groupon has tickets from time to time, but you can also buy a 10-visit pass and save directly at your location. You’ll want to ask if your location’s pass is good at other locations; some allow it, others don’t. 🙂
The inspiration for this recipe came from a yummy Pinterest pic by A Nutritionist Eats. I loved the idea but just can’t follow a recipe to save my life. 🙂 So I added in some potatoes, peppers, and onions, tweaked a few of the herbs and spices, and voila!
Ingredients:
3 c. baked, flaked salmon
3 c. shredded potato (squeeze dry)
2 eggs
1/2 c. bread crumbs
3 minced garlic cloves
2.5 T mayonnaise
1/3 c. chopped sweet bell pepper
1/3 c. chopped onion
1 tsp dried parsley
4 tsp dried dill weed
salt and pepper, as desired
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
2. Scoop out 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of mix, form into 3″ cakes.
5 T mayonnaise
1 T lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper as desired
Today I’m sharing my favorite delicious restaurant-style fried rice recipe that you can make at home for super cheap!
Ingredients:
4 c. cooked white rice (chilled)
1/4 c. cooked bacon, chopped
1/4 c. browned ground beef, finely chopped
3 Tbs butter (unsalted)
1 Tbs bacon fat (save when cooking bacon)
3 large eggs
1/4-1/3 c. soy sauce (low sodium)
1/4 c. chopped green onion
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Directions:
1. Preheat griddle to 400.
2. Melt butter and bacon fat on griddle.
3. Spread out the chilled rice on the griddle. It should be sizzling and start to brown.
4. Mix in the beef and bacon with the rice, then move the mixture to one side of the griddle.
5. Whisk eggs and pour on the empty side of the griddle. Keep moving them with the spatula, they will cook quickly at 400 degrees.
6. Once the eggs are no longer runny, but not yet brown, combine with the rice.
7. Add in the soy sauce, onion, salt, pepper, and sesame seeds. Stir until combined, then remove from heat and serve.
We love getting fried rice from our local Chinese restaurant, but the cost is just way too high for 8 of us. We can make this at home for much cheaper, less than $5.00 for eight servings!
Cost of ingredients:
Rice – $0.50
Bacon – $0.30
Beef – $0.30
Butter – $0.25
Eggs – $0.45
Soy sauce – $0.20
Remaining ingredients – $0.20
Total cost for four servings – $2.20
That’s only $0.55 each serving!
This recipe is healthy, simple, and packed with flavor. Less than $1.50 per serving as well!
Ingredients:
Stuffed Chicken Breasts:
3 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless (about 2 pounds)
6 lightly packed cups of raw spinach
3 medium Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 garlic gloves, minced
2 Tbs basil pesto
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Bread crumb coating:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs parmesan
1 Tbs plain bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp parsley
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Roughly chop spinach. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just makes the stuffing easier.
3. Combine garlic, tomatoes, pesto, salt, pepper, and onion powder in a mixing bowl. Add spinach and stir until mixed throughout.
4. Trim fat from chicken breasts, if needed.
5. Place one breast at a time into a bag and pound until flat. Repeat for each piece of chicken.
6. Spread spinach and tomato mixture across 2/3 of each piece of chicken. Roll toward the end without filling.
7. Place stuffed chicken into a glass baking dish, cover with foil.
8. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
While you are waiting on the chicken to bake, mix together all of the bread crumb coating ingredients (except the oil) and set aside. If you are going to serve your chicken with pasta, go ahead and put the water on the stove to boil as well.
9. Remove chicken from the oven after 45 minutes, brush with oil and sprinkle with bread crumb coating.
10. Place back in the oven at 350 degrees, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes.
(Be sure the internal temperature of your chicken is at least 165 degrees before serving.)
We served our chicken with linguine, but it could easily go with salad or rice as well.
Cost of ingredients:
Chicken – $5.40
Spinach – $0.50
Tomatoes – $0.50
Pesto – $0.40
Remaining on hand ingredients – $2.00 (I stink at this part)
Total cost – $8.80 (for six servings of 1/2 breast each)
Cost per serving – $1.47
So I have literally been on the phone ALL DAY LONG dealing with my children’s insurance company and trying to get some emergency room bills covered. So, when I realized it was 5:30 and I hadn’t even started dinner, well…..
So I begrudgingly walk rush into the kitchen and start grabbing things off the shelf. I had some leftover chicken from some quarters I had roasted last week, some canned veggies, two wrinkly squash, 3 carrots, you get the idea. Thank God I have the ability to make dinner from nothing, because none of this food alone was enough to feed my army! See the recipe below and the delicious looking pot pie finale!
Ingredients:
2 cups chicken (chopped, shredded, canned, whatever you have on hand)
1 can corn, drained
1 can green beans, drained
1 can evaporated milk (I used skim)
2 wrinkly squash-that-should’ve-been-thrown-out-but-they-aren’t-moldy-just-yet (or fresh, ya know, whatever), chopped
3 carrots, chopped (preferably from the back bottom of your fridge, hiding under cheese and leftovers)
1 container of Bob Evans Garlic Mashed Potatoes (got them for dirt cheap, otherwise I’d use 2 big potatoes)
2 cans of cheap-o store brand biscuits (or some bisquick mix, if you’ve got that on hand)
Directions:
Set the biscuits aside.
Dump everything else in a big bowl and microwave it for 5 minutes.
(I like to add in garlic and onion powder, parsley, salt and pepper as well. Be creative!)
Stir, then pour into a pan, and cover with the biscuits.
Pop it in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.
Relax.
Take a bubble bath.
Shave your legs.
Let’s be realistic. Run around cleaning up the table so there’s room to eat.
20 minutes later, pull that delicious smelling pot pie out of the oven and wow your family with your awesome baking skills!
Deliciousness achieved, and it only took a few minutes!
Next time you think you should just order pizza because you don’t have time to cook, think again. For me to get enough pizza/fast food for my family of 8, I’m looking at a minimum of $20 if not $30. Yikes! Instead, I sucked it up for 5 minutes and put together a tasty dinner that was fairly healthy!
Cost of tonight’s tastiness:
Chicken – $2.00 (I buy leg quarters and roast them for cheap chicken for dishes)
Canned corn – $0.50
Canned green beans – $0.50
Evaporated milk – $0.50
Mashed potatoes – $1.00 (on sale w/ a coupon)
Carrots – $0.25 (buy the big bag, they keep for a while)
Squash – $0.65 ($1.29 for a pack of 4 at Aldi)
Biscuits – $1.00 (packs of 4 at Kroger for $2.00)
Total: $6.40
Woot! That’s for a good 8 servings, so only $0.80 per person! I’ll take that over $30 in pizza any day!
We went to Whole Foods last week (our monthly treat) and picked up some pretty tasty corn relish. Kenneth and I ate almost the whole container in the car on the way home! However, at $8.00 for a 16 ounce tub, it isn’t something I’ll be likely to purchase in the future. Lucky for me, Whole Foods lists ALL of their ingredients on their deli item labels. I ended up making a MUCH cheaper version that is absolutely delicious, and I think my husband just fell in love with me all over again. 😛 Check it out, make it, tweak it to fit your style, and let me know what you think!
Ingredients:
6 c. of frozen sweet corn
1/2 c. oil (approximately, I forgot to measure!)
1 vidalia onion, diced
1/2 c. diced green bell pepper
1 Tbs minced fresh parsley
1 tsp minced fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c. halved cherry tomatoes
2 inch piece of jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 tsp lime juice
Directions:
1. Toss corn in oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast in oven on low broil until slightly browned.
2. Remove from oven and mix with remaining ingredients.
3. Try not to eat half the bowl immediately.
It is a REALLY simple recipe, but here are some shortcuts and tips to make it even easier.
-Let the corn thaw slightly before tossing with oil. Otherwise you just end up with a big frozen chunk of corn.
-Put your parley, basil, jalapeno, and seeded jalapeno in the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
-This salad is delish hot or cold, and is even better the second day.
-It’s not just a salad, try it on a taco or burger as well!
My version cost somewhere around $4-$5 to make about 10 cups. That would have cost me $40 at Whole Foods! This salad is definitely a keeper, I just need to remember to make 2x as much next time!
Any good couponer has experienced that invigorating coupon high, but what happens when you find yourself going to extremes, all in the name of saving a few bucks? There’s been quite a buzz in the blogosphere created in recent months thanks largely in part to TLC’s Extreme Couponing. Many viewers are left with the impression that couponing creates, or encourages hoarding, shelf-clearing of sale items, and downright obsessive behavior.*
What’s not so easy, but must be done, is taking a step back and realizing that a good deal will always come back around. As a couponer, one must take on the responsibility of keeping oneself in check, to keep from going to extremes.
