Pilgrim's Pride Simple Lemon Herb Chicken

I found this recipe on my $1 off coupon for Pilgrim's Pride Simple Herb Chicken.  It looks simple, good and yummy!

Simple Lemon Herb Chicken

2 Skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch dried oregano
2 sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish

Cut lemon in half, and squeeze juice from 1/2 lemon on chicken.  Season with salt to taste.  Let sit while you heat oil in a small skillet over medium low heat.

When oil is hot, put chicken in skillet.  As you saute chicken, add juice from other 1/2 lemon, pepper to taste, and oregano.  Saute for 5 to 10 minutes each side, or until juices run clear.  Serve with parsley for garnish.

Bacon N Brussels

What's Yummier than Yummy?  Brussel Sprouts!  What, you don't believe me?  Is your inner child gagging at the proverbial dinner table?

Here's a great grown-up version for kids of all ages.

1  Pound of Brussel Sprouts (thaw if frozen)

3-4 Slices of bacon, chopped

2 TBSP of Butter (or oil of your choice)

Salt & Pepper

Cut brussels in half, then place in baking pan or dish with bacon.  Drop butter on top and sprinkle with salt & pepper, then roast @400 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!!

(adapted from NomNom Paleo's roasted brussels)

• WW POINTS: 14
• Servings Per Recipe: 1
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 492.6

• Total Fat: 38.4 g
• Cholesterol: 30.0 mg
• Sodium: 596.3 mg
• Total Carbs: 26.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 10.8 g
• Protein: 18.6 g

Whiting Fillets, Four Ways

I had planned to cook up some Pollock "Poor Man's Lobster" but Angel Food Ministries made a substitution and surprise!  We got Whiting Fillets.  No problem!  I hope this gives you some yummy ideas for using your Whiting Fillets.

In order of my favorite to least favorite recipe, here are Whiting Fillets, Four Ways:

The first recipe I tried was for Southern Whiting Filets on grouprecipes.com   I really, really liked this recipe.  It really neutralized the fishiness of the fillets.  The liquid hot pepper sauce gave it just a little kick.

Southern Whiting Fillets

2 pounds Whiting Fillets

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1/2 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 C. butter

3 TBSP Mayonnaise

3 TBSP Chopped Green Onions

1/4 tsp Salt

1 TSP red hot pepper sauce

Place fillets on foil in broiling pan and brush with lemon juice.  Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.  Broil fish for 5-6 minutes.  Top with sauce and return to broiler for an additional 2 minutes or until light brown.  Serve.

6 Servings
WW POINTS 7

Amount Per Serving
  Calories     297.4
  Total Fat     14.4 g
          Saturated Fat     7.2 g
          Polyunsaturated Fat     1.2 g
          Monounsaturated Fat     3.6 g
  Cholesterol     154.9 mg
  Sodium     373.2 mg
  Potassium     673.7 mg
  Total Carbohydrate     0.8 g
          Dietary Fiber     0.0 g
          Sugars     0.1 g
  Protein     39.1 g

The next recipe I tried was GREAT Fried Whiting Fillets by Great Fish Co.  Who doesn't like breaded fish?  This was really good.  Perfect to serve with a side of fries & some cole slaw.

GREAT Fried Whiting Fillets
2 LB Whiting fillets
½ C Flour
1 C Milk
1 C Bread crumbs
3 Eggs beaten
Lemon wedges
Oil for frying
Salt and pepper

Salt & Pepper fillets.  Dip in milk, then dip in flour.  Dip into eggs, and then into breadcrumbs.  Fry fillets for approx 3 min per side or until golden brown.


3rd:  Spicy Deviled Whiting Recipe on About.com Fish & Seafood Cooking by Doug DuCap
This was an interesting flavor - really spicy, but good.  If you like spicy, this is a nice, easy recipe. 

1-1/2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp Old Bay or other seafood seasoning
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 large whiting fillets (7-8 oz) or equivalent

Combine seasonings in a bowl and set aside.  Mix mayo and Worcestershire and brush fillets on one side with mixture, then coat with seasoning. 

Broil for 7 to 10 minutes until fish flakes.

Makes 4 servings of Spicy Deviled Whiting

The FOURTH way I made them was to use a method I enjoy on salmon a lot.  The flavor was ok - but it left the fish more fishy tasting than the other recipes.  I think I'll save this for less-fishy fish like Salmon.

Cilantro Lime Fish

Use:
Whiting Fillets,
1/2 Stick Butter
Tsp Garlic Powder
Tsp Lime or Lemon Juice
Tbsp Dried or Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Melt butter with lime or lemon juice, garlic powder and cilantro in a bowl in microwave for about 30 seconds and set aside.  Cook fish in frying pan on stove in a little bit of oil or cooking spray until it flakes with a fork.  When fish is done, pour cilantro on top of fish & Serve.

Cool Tips:  Do you know how to skin a fish fillet?  It's not as hard as you think.  Use a fillet knife to get under the skin, and slide it from one end of the fish to the other.  I've found it is easier for me, if I actually start in the middle.  There are some good videos on youtube that show you how to remove the skin.  Also, did you know you can actually eat fish skin, if you don't want to remove it?

When you're done preparing your fish, put out a small bowl of white vinegar to help remove the fish smell from your home.

Protecting your Refrigerated Food

Just some quick tips to protect your food:

• If you are expecting a power outage due to bad weather, set your fridge and freezer on the coldest setting and DO NOT open the door unless absolutely necessary. 
• Check with your Home and Renter's Insurance Agent about coverage for your food.  If there is a power outage, will it be covered?  Also. ask them about policy in case of plain old mechanical failure.  
• Last, but not least - keep your freezer locked.  The two times I've lost everything in my freezer was due to my toddler opening the door.  I found the freezer full of defrosted food hours later.

August 2011 Order Meal Plans, Box #1

BBB Box #1 + Premium Fresh Fruit & Veggie Box

Baked Chicken – Martha Stewart

with Steam Ready Rice & Veggies

Side of Honeydew & Cantaloupe

Burger Steak & Gravy,

Red Potatoes, Carrots

Lazy Italian Wedding Soup

suggested side – Italian Bread

Sausage Dogs
Steak Fries

suggested side – Baked Beans

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu – Taste of Home

California Blend Veggies

suggested side – Green Salad

Turkey Meatballs, Spaghetti & Sauce

Cheese Broccoli Chicken Casserole

Baked Pollock "Poor Man's Lobster"

Corn

Twice-baked Mashed Potatoes

Tangy Pork Chops

Green Beans

Leftover Mashed Potatoes

suggested side – Green Salad

Carrot, Potato & Cabbage Soup

suggested side – Bread

Green Onions & Hash Browns – Rachael Ray

suggest to serve with eggs for breakfast

SHOPPING LIST:
1 Bountiful Blessing Box
1 Fresh Fruit & Veggie Box

For Additional Ingredients:*

Salt
Mrs. Dash ($1 Off Coupon on Facebook while they last!)
Pepper
Italian Style Bread Crumbs

Bacon (You can buy the cooked kind, or a can of real bacon bits)

milk
Butter
Eggs
Sour Cream

Cheddar Cheese
Swiss Cheese Slices

Grated Parmesan Cheese


Bell Pepper

Cooking Oil
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Hotdog Buns


Garlic
Tomato paste
Canned Whole tomatoes

Spaghetti Noodles
Rice
2 cans chicken breast or 2 Cups Leftover Cooked chicken
Baked Beans

Chicken stock or broth
Beef Broth

*I tried to use items that are included in the Pantry Box this month, so hopefully there won't be too much extra shopping!

Cheese Broccoli Chicken Casserole

Cheese Broccoli Chicken Casserole

• 2 Cans Chicken Breast (from your Pantry Box) OR 2 C. Cooked, shredded chicken
• Bag of Broccoli (10 oz), cooked
• 1 Package Frozen Cheese Broccoli Soup, defrosted
• 2 C. Cooked Rice
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine First Four ingredients in a bowl, then pour in a casserole and top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes

Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes

4 Medium Potatoes

1/2 stick butter

1/2 C. Sour Cream  

Garlic Powder 

Green onion, chopped (optional)

4 Slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (or real bacon bits)

Salt, Pepper to Taste

1/2 C. Grated Cheddar Cheese

Boil and mash potatoes with butter and sour cream.  Add garlic powder, bacon and green onions if you like, then stir with salt and pepper to taste.   Place in casserole dish, top with cheese and bake at 350 until cheese is melted.

Lazy Italian Wedding Soup

Who can be bothered with making meatballs? Not me!  I love Italian wedding soup, but make a simplified version of it.

Lazy Italian Wedding Soup

1 TBSP Oil
1 Chopped Onion
2 Diced Carrots
2 Diced Stalks Celery
1 pound ground meat
2 TSP Italian Seasoning (Or 1/2 tsp ea. basil, garlic, oregano)
2 Boxes (32 oz) Low Sodium Chicken Broth 1 pound spinach (fresh or frozen)
2 Eggs
2 TBSP Grated Parmesan Cheese (not the canned kind)
2 Boxes (32 oz) Low Sodium Chicken Broth

Cooked chopped onion, carrots & celery in oil in stockpot until soft.  Add cooked meat and seasonings until meat is browned.  Drain excess fat.

Add Broth, and bring to a boil.  Add spinach and cook until tender.  Whisk eggs and parmesan together in a bowl, and slowly add to stockpot while stirring soup.  The egg mixture should form thin strands.  Add salt & pepper to taste. 

September Meal Plan for August, 2011 Order

"The Pantry Principle" (according to Amy Dacyzyn of "The Tightwad Gazette")  is stocking your pantry with the lowest priced foods which you then make your meals from, and I believe using Angel Food really helps to do that. 

We'll be planning ahead a little based on the food we'll be picking up on 8/27, with only minimal extras from the store.


My order:

3 Bountiful Blessing Boxes and
1 Fresh Fruit & Veggie Box

You'll notice some of the items on the shopping list are from the Shelf Stable Pantry Box, although I opted not to buy it, as I keep most of those items in stock already.

Next Post:  Box #1 Meals & Shopping List

Food Storage

Using coupons to match to sales, is a great way to start your families food storage, along with just picking up a couple extra items to add to your pantry each month. Buying in bulk is a great way to save on items you know you will be buying anyway and that store well for long term. We generally buy 25lb bags of rice and popcorn at Sam's club along with sugar, Olive oil and cheese. Often, you can ask your local bakery if you can have their 5 gal food grade buckets to store your bulk purchases in. I do invest in mylar liners for many of my buckets and those can also be sealed. Be sure you use food grade buckets not all are food grade like the ones from the hardware store.

Food storage is a great investment because our basic needs are food, water & shelter. With the loss of job, illness, you and your family will always be in need of food. Not to mention beating the ever rising food costs! Some #10 cans of long term food storage can last 30 years!!

I have about 200 days of long term food storage for my family of 5. I havent updated my inventory lately so it could even be more by now. This does not include my pantry or freezer items. Mainly the dairy lasts 5-10 years unopened. I lean to the 5 year range and once opened 1 year. Things like beans, tvp if stored properly can last 30 years! Imagine buying food at today's prices and eating it when you are retired and what groceries will cost then!

If you are low on space, its common to store underbeds, in closests anywhere you can. Preference for the shelf life is dry and cool! Here is a photo of my coat closet that houses some of our food storage items. Some items are freeze dried (more expensive) or dehydrated. We love the morning moo's chocolate drink mix and buy it in a 37lb pail. Powdered cheese for home made mac n cheese is so nice to have on hand along with drink mixes like apple, orange, peach and more. I watch the daily sales on www.augasonfarms.com and when what I am wanting goes on sale I will stock up 2-6 cans :).

We as parents must make sure our children are well provided for, especially in times of need and even if money is tight or not there at all to start a food storage, I encourage you to look up all your local foodbanks, churches with food closets and start making rounds to them to get a nice food storage set up so you will be prepared and able to care for the ones you love. If your car breaks or you are snowed in and cant make it to an Angelfood pick up, you loose your job and food stamps take months to get, you will find this preparation to relieve lots of potential stress! Often churches where I live will accept your childrens too small clothes or kitchen items as a donation when you pick up the bag of pantry food they give out to those in need. That is a great way to help while being helpped and never feel bad about doing all you can to put food on the table for your little ones, or well big ones heheh I think my son at 10 is going to be way bigger then I am all to soon :)

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup!

I love using the crockpot in the summer because it doesn't heat up the house the way the oven does.  I can also start a meal then take the kids swimming and come back later to a ready meal!

Don't be afraid of the green stuff!  It's just some dried Jalapenos on top! :)

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts from my Angel Food Ministries Box

1 Box of  Chicken Broth from Aldi ($1.49)

1 Jar of Herdez Salsa (After $1 off coupon was $.67)

1 can Black Beans, drained/rinsed ($.79)

Half a Bag of Frozen Corn from Aldi ($.99)

Dump everything into the crockpot and put it on low for 6-8 hours.  Before serving, shred the chicken while still in the crockpot with two forks.

4 Servings

WW Points: 3

Amount Per Serving
  Calories     208.5
  Total Fat     1.3 g
          Saturated Fat     0.3 g
          Polyunsaturated Fat     0.4 g
          Monounsaturated Fat     0.3 g
  Cholesterol     30.9 mg
  Sodium     1,727.1 mg
  Potassium     761.0 mg
  Total Carbohydrate     24.4 g
          Dietary Fiber     4.9 g
          Sugars     5.5 g
  Protein     20.0 g

Depreciation of Goods & Why We Love Good Will

Most people know that when they buy a new car and drive it off the lot, it automatically depreciates and is "USED" instantly. Think of the thousands of dollars that are lost! You could actually be in the hole in a matter of seconds! EKKKKK

Have you ever thought about the depreciation of you home goods?

We previously donated our dishware to Good Will, as we were planning to sell our house and didn't want to move breakable items, nor have all the dishes to wash when the house had to be in pristine shape daily to show to potential buyers so we switched to paper goods. (The cost for bowls, plates & cups from Sams about $40 a month for a family of 5, stay home mom, work at home dad and 3 home schooling children)

Now that we have taken our house off the market paperware seems like an extravagence and waste of money, not to mention the planet earth! My husband Gabe, went to Target to price dish sets. Gabe said for about $50 he could get two sets but that we really didn't need some of the items in those sets so he went to our favorite Good Will and got everything above for $20. If we would have not botherd to price them and look for a cheaper option we would have wasted $30 of our families money!

Think of that as home goods depreciation! $50 new and that they would depreciate $30. Well that is how I think anyway :) and it will save you money!

I have been a spoiled clothing shopper, but I have also discovered Good Will and recently found Juicy Couture, Ed Hardy, True Religion and more! Imagine the hit of depreciation on those babies!!! Not to mention the resale value if you needed cash! (Think Ebay & Craigslist or trading boards like thredup.com)

Good Will & Thrift Stores are all amazing ways to save your family a lot of money. If you think your car is to fancy, your handbag is to fancy or that you will feel weird, no worries you will find people of all varities, means and style there and they run sales too! Often when you drop off items to donate they will give you a % off your purchase and if they are not doing that when you go remember to get your receipt to cliam the donations on your taxes.

Next time you are out shopping new home goods, do some pricing and figure out the depreciation and how much money you could be saving your family. It is also good to let family, friends and neighbors know what you are in need of as they might have it sitting around that they are not using which equals FREE!

We often have bags or boxes up in our hall closet with clothing, shoes, bathing suits etc our kids have outgrown to pass on to friends or neighbors that have kids in smaller sizes then our own. We also do a laundry basket for our kids to toss things in that they outgrow so mom can sort through when its full and figure out who to pass it on to or to send to goodwill.

I shop at Good Will, I am very fashionable and like to think I have good taste and you know what my wallet is also fatter because I do :) Give it a try! Meet up with some friends or family and see what all you can find! Do challenge for Christmas and give your kids a budget and say you have so many dollars to get gifts for everyone and make a couple trips to good will. The toys are amazing and range from 50cents to $2. Lysol battery operated ones and wash all others on hot and dry on hot to kill any germies that may or may not be there. Ill post some goodwill finds in the future!

How to Use Coupons

Today, our guest writer, Justice Sanchez reveals how to use coupons to save money on your groceries.

How To Use Coupons by: Justice Sanchez

Coupons have long been a staple of newspapers across the country. There was a time when most consumers just threw the coupons out with the trash not bothering to see the value on those little pieces of paper. There used to be an unspoken taboo when it came to couponing. NOT ANYMORE! Thanks largely to a struggling economy, a need to make budgets stretch and the popularity of shows such as TLC's Extreme Couponing; couponing is now more popular than ever. Consumers have come to a realization- Coupons are FREE money.

Couponing can save a family. When done correctly, couponing has the ability to not only save consumers money, but also offers an opportunity to teach valuable lessons to children, places more necessities in homes and allows money to be shifted to other obligations.

While most consumers will not dwindle their shopping budget to mere pennies, as shown on Extreme Couponing, it is very reasonable to save upwards of a 1/4- 1/3 of  your current shopping budget. Here are some tips to help you maximize your savings.

Online- Use a consistently updated  all- in- one couponing site. Sites such as www.couponmadd.info allow visitors to go to all of the major couponing websites all from one central website. This can save consumers time and money. Sites such as Coupon MADD are better than individual sites because they allow consumers to print coupons from home, which can be used at most major supermarkets, as well as, offering digital coupons which can be loaded onto the shoppers reward card. They also have tools and third party sites to make saving money even easier.

When looking to save money always check online for the current weeks sales at supermarkets and supercenters, check if there are coupon codes available, as well as, if there are any special offers or sales at the products website. This is a great trick to use in all areas of consumer shopping. 

Compile a list of all the products your family uses on a regular basis. Visit each products website and sign up for emails and regular mail from the company. This a great way to get extra coupons for the products you use already. Sites like coupon MADD can be become money- saving havens. Saving money in all areas of your life is possible using the right website.
At the Supermarket- If your local grocery store offers a shopper reward card- Sign Up! If yours does not- consider shopping at one that does. The reason is simple- these cards offer members’ greater savings, special members’ only rewards and the cards can be used to download digital coupons. Digital coupons will then be redeemed just by swiping your reward card the next time you go shopping.

Use supermarket websites to check for weekly sales, check coupon policies and to create shopping lists. Always do comparison shopping of all the sales in your shopping area before you begin your shopping trip. The most important rule is to plan ahead. Couponing works best when used in conjunction with a weekly sale. When possible save your coupons for when items are on sale and then make the purchase. That is the easiest way to pay bottom dollar for most things. Stock up and save!

Clipping Coupons- Buy at least four Sunday papers each week. The reason is also simple- many manufacturers and supermarkets limit the number of coupons which can be used in a single transaction (check your supermarket for specific guidelines), often that limit is four. Also, having four of anything usually allows a family to have enough supplies to cover themselves for at least two weeks.
** If you have a larger family, remember that each transaction can have a limited number of coupons. Therefore, two adults in a family can each have 4 sets of each coupon as long as they pay separately.
To save time when clipping, get the whole family involved. If the person can hold scissors and cut straight lines then they can clip coupons. To sort coupons quickly separate first by shape then further sort each pile by product. Use a coupon binder or folder to keep coupons organized so that expired coupons can be removed and fresh ones can be inserted. Keep like coupons together so that planning a shopping trip is easier and more accurate.

Saving money by using coupons can be a life changing new habit. Coupons can easily free upwards of $175 per shopping trip if done with patience and planning. Couponing can help a family get over a financial hump, free up money which can be used for a vacation or to pay other bills and teach children the value of saving money. Happy Couponing!

Bakery Reduced Goods-Short Dated for a Quick Sale

Another good way to save money is to ask your butcher, bakery etc what day of the week and time they mark down their goods for a quick sale as the items approach their sell date or good by date.

You can freeze the bakery items, or store in the fridge to make them last longer if you really score a lot in one shopping trip.

Always be sure and have a Sharpie handy to mark the date you bought it and when it will "go off" or be outdated and may make you sick. Short dated cake we try and eat in 2-3 days, and yes it can give you mild food posioning if you forget how old it is and eat it past its prime!

Here are the items my husband scored today for $16. That includes full price bread 85cents and the full price tortillas.

We have stopped buying short dated meat - too many stomach issues and not worth the risk, and now love the once a month pick up of the low cost and good meat from Angel Food Ministries!!

Tupperware Snacking & Preventing Food Waste

One of the best ways I have found to help prevent food waste (which also saves a lot of money!) is to serve my kids snacks in Tupperware, even with the lid on it.

I tell them whatever they don't eat to run it to the fridge and get it put away so someone else can eat it and save our family money.

In the past a plate of leftover or snacks would sit in Blaze's room until he was told to clean his room.

Now he is really excited about helping his family save money and its a mission to get the tupperware to the fridge and not let it linger so it goes bad! Ok surely he dreads momma nagging about it to, but it works!!

Today's Lunch: Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

4 baking potatoes

1/2 onion or Onion Powder (I use onion powder, the kids hate the texture of onions)

1 TBSP Butter or Margarine

1/4 C. Butter or Margarine

1/4 C. Milk

1 Bag Frozen Mixed Veggies (Or just corn, green beans, carrots, whatever you like!)

1 TBSP Ketchup

1/2 C. Cheese (Cheddar, Colby Jack, Mozzarella... whatever you got!  I used Cheddar/Jack)

Preheat oven to 375.
POTATOES:  Peel and cut up potatoes, and start boiling them.

BEEF:  Meanwhile, cook ground beef with some onion OR onion powder, stir in ketchup and put in 2 QT, oil-sprayed baking dish.

 VEGGIES:  Steam the frozen veggies with TBSP of butter (I used the micro) and layer on top of ground beef.

ASSEMBLY:  Your potatoes should be done by now.  Go ahead and mash them with the 1/4 cup of butter and 1/4 cup milk.  Use as much butter and milk as you need.  Place mashed potatoes on top of veggies, and top with Cheese.  Bake mixture for about 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and browned a little.

Enjoy! - Carrie
 8 Servings

WW Points: 9
Amount Per Serving
  Calories     338.2
  Total Fat     23.7 g
          Saturated Fat     11.5 g
          Polyunsaturated Fat     0.9 g
          Monounsaturated Fat     9.1 g
  Total Carbohydrate     17.9 g
  Protein     13.3 g

Powdered Eggs, Frozen Eggs, Dehydrated Scrambled Eggs

Powdered Eggs, Frozen Eggs, Dehydrated Scrambled Eggs.

Anyway back to the topic of Eggs :)

How to freeze eggs:

Remove from shells. Scramble whatever portion size you like and put in freezer bags. Be sure and date the bag!

You can also scramble them up and freeze in ice cube trays but I would put them in a freezer bag once you have them cubed.

Frozen eggs look a bit weird to me when I take them out of the freezer but they taste just fine. I dont keep frozen eggs very long but we eat a lot of eggs. I have read people keeping them frozen 6 months, that would freak me out a bit but then I am OCD :).  If you catch a really great sale and match to coupons and want to stock up on eggs that is the best time to get to freezing them!

You can also freeze butter, however sometimes the tubs crack and well the fake margerine I use is so cheap $1.48 that I really dont want to waste space in my freezer to store butter. I also have powdered butter but will get to that another day :) If you catch a really great sale and match to coupons and want to stock up on eggs that is the best time to get to freezing them!

Powdered Eggs: www.augasonfarms.com generally this type of egg product will last 1 year once opened and 5 years unopened. That does vary by manufacturer but that is what I tend to stick with on my food storage items in regards to dairy. I use these eggs regularly to cook with or eat! They are great to take camping. If you watch this sites daily sale you will eventually find a way lower price on what you are wanting and its a good time to stock up when you do see the sale!

Dehydrated Scrambled Eggs: www.augasonfarms.com You can also dehydrate scrambled eggs yourself. I havent ever done it but it could be a fun adventure for us in the future!

-Heather

Prepared meal from July BBB & Old Bread Uses

This is the shrimp and noodle prepared meal from the July Angel Food Ministries Bountiful Blessings Box. The shrimp was uncooked and turned a nice pink when done.

I read a post where a family of 5 could make a prepared bag their meal. This is the entire contents on one plate. (my new Good Will Plate :)

Maybe its a bit much for a single serving and I am just a pig. If you do need to provide it as a meal for an entire family I suggest serving with bread as many people rely on bread in times of hunger and to make their food more filling. This is common in Morocco, where I have been many times.

Another note: One of the easy ways to save money on your grocery bills is to eat your left overs. The bread in the photo only has 2 more days left! I have inventoried my almost out of date bread and let my family know they need to eat toast for breakfast and to try and eat all the bread over the next 2 days! Otherwise it will be stale, moldy and end up in the trash which is a waste of money!

Here are a few things you can do with nearly old or stale bread:

Bread Pudding:

Bread, butter, milk & raisins

Butter your bread.  Lay out in a pan & sprinkle with raisins.  Beat your milk and egg together and pour it over the top>  Let it get soggy then bake.  Some like cinnamon & sugar as well or skip the raisins.

Croutons:

Stale bread or not - put butter in a pan, crumble or cut the bread and fry it up!

Add garlic or any spice you prefer. Easy Peasy!

French Toast, Regular Toast, grilled cheese, all good with nearly old breads!

-Heather

Home Made Laundry Soap

If you have been skeptical on making home made laundry soap, or how it will work out with your more expensive clothing items, fear no more!!

I may be some what of a minimalist, BUT I do have some expensive clothing and some I get them cheap at http://shopgoodwill.com or my local goodwill which is usually even cheaper, especially when they run a sale! I still consider them expensive fancy clothes! Here is how we make laundry soap in our house.

What you will need: 3 bars of ivory soap, large stock pot and two 5 gallon buckets with a lids.

Shave or cut down the bars of ivory soap. (It makes them melt quicker and saves you money on the heating of the stove)

Fill up your stock pot with water

Put the shaved soap in and boil

watch so it doesnt over flow!

Once it has all melted down (stirring occasionally) turn off the heat and let it sit over night.

If you are patient, dont have a stove or just like to experiment you can just soak it in the water but it will take days!! Boiling is really the easiest and best method and boy will it make your house smell nice and clean too

Once it has all boiled down let it sit over night. It will turn it to a gelatinous slime and thick you need to break this up with a big spoon or spatula and dump about half of it into your 5 gallon bucket. Fill the remainder of the 5 gallon bucket up with water and stir it to help it mix. Take your stock pot of remaining soap slime and dump it into another 5 gallon bucket and fill them up with water. Now you have 10 gallons of laundry soap for pennies! I say pennies because often you can find 3 bars of soap at the dollar store or with coupons and sales often cheaper then that!

You can always reuse and refill your existing laundry soap containers but if you get it to thick it may not come out of the spout easily.

Always keep lids on your 5 gallon buckets of soap as it is a drowning hazard for little ones. You can store it in smaller containers in your laundry room of course, and keep the extra in the garage and refill as needed. This also saves you trips to the store, which we all know saves money!

This is a huge money saver and a fun project! Yes, I can buy laundry soap but why waste the money :)

There are many different home made soap recipes, I prefer to not incur additional expenses on adding more ingrediants when this works great as it is.

Buffalo Chicken Wings!

Yay, another idea for the chicken wings from the Bountiful Blessing's box brought to you by Heather. 

Heather doesn't recommend eating at McD's,  but on those days where your kids beg for a treat and you forgot to pack snacks while running errands always be sure and stock up on the condiments!

Heather's Buffalo chicken Wings

Mdonalds spicey buffalo sauce
Butter or Margarine
Chicken Wings

Heather pan fried the wings in butter and added the sauce in.
(Butter cuts the spiciness of the hot sauce if your kids dont like them too hot).  It was that easy!

She added Celery from the Premium Fruit & Veggie Box & some Bleu Cheese dressing from Aldi.

If you don't happen to have leftover McD's condiments on hand, you can score a good deal on Frank's Red Hot Sauce with a coupon from their site right now.  http://www.franksredhot.com/

A Thought About the Clam Chowder

I tried the Angel Food Ministries Clam Chowder the other night.  I love clam chowder, and while it was good, I like my own simple clam chowder recipe better.

Most of the ingredients for this recipe came in July's Bountiful Blessing and Premium Fruit & Veggie box.  You will just need to buy 2 cans of clams ($1 each at  Dollar Tree).  You can also leave out the clams and just have an awesome potato soup (add cheese!).

Carrie's Clam Chowder

4-6 slices Bacon, chopped
Small onion, diced
1 stalk celery, thinly diced
4 small Baking Potatoes (don't dice these, we will just grate them into the pot!)
2 Cans Minced Clams (My Dollar Tree has these for $1 each)
3.5 Cups of Milk OR 2.5 Cup of Milk and 1 Cup of Heavy Cream (I use milk only because I like my chowder thin)
1 Tsp. dried Thyme
Some dried parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste

Saute bacon in stockpot until crispy, pour off some fat, then add celery and onion until soft.  Add 2 cups of milk (or 1 C milk and 1 C cream) and clams (juice and all).   Grate the potatoes into the pot and add thyme. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the rest of the milk and heat thru.  Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!



 






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Easy Breakfast Burritos

Heather whipped up these awesome breakfast burritos using her Angel Food Ministries' Bountiful Blessing Box.

2 Packages White Shells & Cheese
1 Package Sweet Italian Sausage - casing removed
10 Eggs
1 package Tortillas (My Dollar Tree carries these now for only $1)

 Fry up the Italian Sausage

 Scramble the Eggs

 Add Eggs to skillet

 Add 2 packages Shells & Cheese

 Done!!!

 Place Mixture in Tortilla & ENJOY!!!

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken Wings and Veggies

 

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken Wings:

1/3 Cup of Soy Sauce

1/3 Cup of Honey (Or 1/2 C Water & 1/2 C Brown or White Sugar)

1 Can of Pineapple with Juice

about a TBSP of Oil (I like coconut, but you can use vegetable)

2 Tsp Minced Garlic 

1 Tsp Ground Ginger

I put this in a blender and blended it because I had pineapple rings, not crushed pineapple.  Place teriyaki wings in crockpot and pour mixture on top.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

This is what you get:

Zucchini with Basil

1 Zucchini

1 Carrot

1/2 Medium Onion

Basil

Salt & Pepper

For a side, I chopped some onion, sliced some carrots and sauteed it in butter, then added the zucchini until tender with some salt, pepper, and basil.  I think basil is a perfect seasoning for squash.

I

Peach-topped Pancakes.

When I got my Angel Food Ministries Box, I knew I was going to have to use the peaches really fast!  

For Peach Topping:

1. Peel the peaches:  Score the bottom of peaches with an X mark.  Place them in a pot of boiling water for 40 seconds, then immediately put them in a bowl of ice water.  The peel will come off easily.

2.  Slice up peaches, add to a pan with some butter, brown sugar (you can omit this, I honestly think fruit is sweet enough without sugar) and cinnamon and nutmeg.  I just eyeball it.

3.  Simmer until peach topping is nice and tender!

Cook up your pancakes, and put peach topping on!  It tastes like Peach Cobbler for breakfast.

Zucchini Chicken and Tomato by Heather

Heather cooked up a lovely zucchini dish with chicken from the Bountiful Blessing Box and the veggies from Angel Food Ministries' Premium fruit and veggie box.  

You need:
Olive Oil (or other oil of your choice)
Zucchini and/or Squash
Minced Garlic
Can of Tomatoes (Heather used a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles)
Chicken Breast or Tender cut into strips.(We used ours still frozen!)
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Put the olive oil in the pan and add garlic.  Let the garlic simmer so it infuses in the oil.  Add chicken and cook halfway.  Add the veggies and the can of tomatoes NOT drained.  Add a little salt and pepper.
Cover and cook a while.  We cooked for about 40 minutes since we added the chicken still frozen.

Heathers Notes: Those chicken strips were so tendered really awesome and im not just saying that!!

First Angel Food Dinner

This was our delivery day meal. We were starving and so we did something quick!



Sliced Chicken Breast, grilled in George Foreman Grill @ 375 for 8 minutes after seasoning with Emeril's seasoning.

Corn on the cob, placed in pot of water, heated until boiling.

I added two boil-in-bag White Shells in Cheese to the pot as soon as it started boiling.  I just guessed when they were done.

After dinner, my assistant chef baked up the break n bake cookies.

Heather's American Stir Fry

Heather cooked up this nice and easy meal for her family using Angel Food Ministries' food.

1 pkg mixed veggie, 1 bag brown rice and 1 lb hamburger all from the Bountiful Blessing Box.  You can add your favorite seasonings, or even wrap it in a tortilla with some cheese and salsa for a healthy, filling meal.