Make it Monday - Recipe

My poor, poor, neglected blog. I have really been a blog slacker, but it was nice to have a little break. But now I am back and ready to go.

My New Years Resolution this year is to get healthy, start an exercise routine and eat better. So far so good, I'll tell you more about my favorite type of exercise tomorrow. Cooking healthy meals that my family will like is sometimes a challenge. I am not a short-order chef, so therefore whatever I make everyone is to eat, but I try to cook things they like just to save all the whining and complaining. This makes for a more enjoyable meal time. One of my favorite meals to make in the wintertime is soup, but my hubby is not to fond of it. I, however, found a soup that even he likes and my kids like and it's healthy, now it just can't get any better than that.

Meatball Soup


Doesn't it just look so yummy.

Meatballs: Just make meatballs anyway you like, I use ground turkey to make it healthier. I make half the mixture into meatballs, and then brown the other half.

Soup:

Chicken Broth - 1 carton (now I make a huge batch so I add 3 cups water to this and then add some chicken boillion to that)
1 large can diced tomatoes

If you want you can add potatoes, it just makes it more like a stew.

Cook to a boil or until your potatoes are soft and then a chopped up cabbage ( if you want to make this easy just use a half a bag of coleslaw mix, found by the salads in your local supermarket)

add meatballs and ground hamburg and a can of navy beans

simmer until cabbage is tender

put into bowls and add some shredded cheese and serve with quesidillas or whole wheat biscuits. Easy peasy supper. Plus leftovers are very yummy.

This supper is also really budget friendly, the cost is less than $5.00 for the entire meal.

enjoy!!!
*a*

It's time for dessert!!!

I made a very yummy, simple, frugal, and low-fat dessert tonight, and it was thumbs up all around the table.



Don't they look oh so yummy!!! Okay for the simple, yummy and low-fat part.
These are carrot-pumpkin muffins and to make them it's 3 ingredients. I told you they were simple to make.

carrot cake mix
1 can pumpkin
1/2 cup water

mix together and then pour into a cake pan or muffin tin. That's it.

I came upon this recipe over the summer and used whip cream for the topping, but then Christy from the Southern Plate sent out an email that added a struesel topping. Okay it was fabulous, yes the whip cream was tasty, but the struesel even better. You definitely need to try this. They are so moist and since your don't use any oil it is healthy too.

Now for the frugal part, right now there is a coupon for $1 off decandent carrot cake, my store sells this for 2.09 and also doubles coupons up to and including a 1 so I get it for .09 and before Thanksgiving they had pumpkin on sale for .98 and the water is free. I also had everything to make the struesel topping in my cupboards. So for 1.05, I got 27 muffins and everyone loved it.

happy cooking
*a*

1 Chicken = 3 meals

I love budget-friendly meals, something that will feed all of us and still have left-overs is even better. BB 12 (bloomboy 12) is very picky and really hates all types of meats, but I have found that he loves a whole chicken cooked in the crockpot. I usually put it in the crock pot in the morning with a lemon pepper seasoning or Mrs. Dash for chicken and then cook all day. The meat is really tender and oh so yummy. So this is meal #1 add a potato and a vegetable and you have dinner. Even with a family of 5 and big hearty eaters I have some leftover, so with this I make a cassorole or fajitas, meal #2. Now don't throw away the bones put them back in your crock-pot and add some onions, celery, seasonings and 6 cups of water, put your crock-pot on low and cook for 10 hours and you have your own, no preservatives added, chicken stock to make soup. So there you have it I get a chicken at Wal-mart for under $4 and get 3 meals from it. Pretty budget-friendly if I do say so myself.