Cost Compare...Cost it out Before you believe Cheap Recipes!

I saw a post on Facebook this morning which kind of tells a story about why people make poor food choices. The post came from "Living on a Dime" and was re-posted by one of my friends. I, more than many, understand the need to "live on a dime" ...but I also have learned that eating healthy is NOT as expensive as people think. That's what my post today is about.

Here is the recipe my friend posted and I looked up the prices on all the ingredients:

Tater Tot Casserole Recipe - Total Cost: $20.50

1 to 2 lbs. hamburger, browned and seasoned to taste (2lbs - $8.50)
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix ($1.50)
8 oz. sour cream ($2.00)
20 oz. frozen mixed veggies, or leftover veggies* ($2.00)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (doesnt say size, we'll assume small - $1.00)
2 lb. bag of Tater Tots ($3.00)
8 oz cheddar cheese or cheese of choice ($2.50 ON SALE)

Gently mix all together but cheese and place in a greased 9×13 pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350° for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

*Keep a container in the freezer and, when you have a small dab of vegetables left over, put them in this container. This casserole is a great way to use them up instead of making the usual veggie soup.


and here is MY recipe from last night:

Ruths Pasta Primavera -- Cost Under $10
2 cups any type of pasta  (.60)
1 zucchini (.50)
1 summer squash (.75)
1/2 red pepper (.99)
1/2 pkg finger carrots (.98)
1 pkg chicken (thighs or breasts) ($5.00)
Seasonings of your choice (salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning)
Minimal amount of parmesan cheese (1.00)

Toss cup up veggies with lite oil or cooking spray, then season, put on cookie sheet and roast in oven for 45 min.
Put Pasta in pot with water and cook Just til done (don't over cook).
Season chicken and with a SMALL amount of oil, or cooking spray, cook in skillet 5 min, flip, cook 8 more min, put cover on.

In large bowl, or individual bowls layer:
Pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese
Veggies
Chicken (cut into bite size pieces)


THEN... we can look at the health value if you like... 
- Hamburger  vs Chicken
- Dry soup mix...Lots of sodium
- Cream of mushroom soup ... sodium
- Sour Cream... Yummy, but full of the wrong fats
- Cheese... also yummy and we'll give you that but we use a lot less Parmesan than it uses Cheddar.
- Tater Tots vs. Pasta

You Decide.

Last Night's Healthy dinner!

Well, oddly enough I took no photos of this spontaneous dinner... but here's how it went...





VEGGIES:
1. Cut up veggies I like into bite size pieces. Dumped in a bowl and drizzled with maybe 1-2 teaspoons olive oil, seasoned with s&p, garlic powder and Italian Seasoning. Toss in bowl to evenly distribute.

2. Place veggies on foil lined baking sheet, and put in oven at 375 til we're ready... LOL

PASTA:
Raided the cupboard for any pasta that wasnt spaghetti or elbow maccaroni (my choice) and got it going in a pot of water.


PROTEIN:

Bought a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. (we like thighs better than breasts, use what you like).  Seasoned them on a plate... S&P, garlic powder and Italian Seasoning. Drizzle 1 Tbl olive oil in large skillet, when hot, add chicken.  Cook maybe 5 min on 1st side and turn, then cover and let cook another 8-10 minutes.

ASSEMBLE:
1. DRAIN pasta, then put a serving of it in bottom of a wide soup bowl.
2. REMOVE veggies from oven, they should be FORK TENDER. Add to the top of pasta in bowls.
3. Grate some fresh Parm cheese on top of veggies, or use shaker can if that's all you have.
4. Top with cut up pieces of chicken thighs. (Cut bite size so that knives are not needed at table)
5. Eat & Enjoy!

Turkey Burgers!!

A few days ago, I said to my Mom... " we should change our eating habits and try eating healthy"
She said, "Ok"
Me: "Really? Will you do that? CAN you do that?"
Mom: "Sure I can do that, I'll do it as long as you do."
Me: "OK!!! We'll put some menus together of things you think you'll like... I already have breakfast and lunch worked out for me. I have a mean turkey burger I like to make and then I have it every day for lunch!!"
Mom: "Oh, that sounds good!"
Me: "OK... I'll get you the ingredients so you can add to your shopping list then on TUESDAY when the kids are back in school, we can make the burgers together over Skype!"
Mom: "OK!"

So I texted the list of ingredients to Mom the next day when she told me she was going out shopping. It was getting closer. I was excited!

Yesterday she texted and asked "How much broccoli do I shred for this? I'm doing it now"
Me: "WHAT?!?! I thought we were doing it together Tuesday??"
Mom: "Well, I went shopping and had it all so I need to do it now."

Oh, well... when I got home that day I had the ingredients also so I threw my batch together and cooked my burgers, so I'll share that with you all here, and it's a good place to keep the "recipe" so that Mom can find it for her next batch! Also, she omitted the spices, ...the onions... and the garlic... so next time she makes it, she's in for a Flavor Treat!!! here goes... give it a try!

INGREDIENTS

1 - lb ground turkey
1 stalk fresh broccoli
2 long carrots or about 10 mini carrots
1/2 small onion
3-4 cloves garlic
2 Tblsp. dried* Terragon
2 Tblsp. dried* Thyme
salt & pepper to taste

Put the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Use food processor or other tool to finely shred broccoli and carrots and onions and garlic. Add to mixing bowl. Then if you want to add grated mushrooms, you can but now add your seasonings. Mix Well.

Use ice cream scoop to portion out meat mixture and form into patties. Patties should be about the size of the palm of your hand. Flatten and put a small thumb depression in the middle on both sides; this prevents it puffing up into a ball. Cook in lightly sprayed skillet until JUST done and turn off heat.
Let cool COMPLETELY. Put in a large ziplock as a single layer so they don't stick together before freezing. Prying them apart frozen is NO fun!

When you are ready to eat one:

1. Take 1 burger from ziplock bag and put on small (microwavable) sandwich plate. Microwave for ONE minute, turn it over, (if your rolls are frozen, now is the time to add the roll to the plate) and  do ONE more minute.  (DO NOT assemble the burger inside the roll, it will just get soggy!)

2. If your rolls were NOT frozen, obviously you don't need to microwave them so just get your toppings ready... ketchup, mustard, whole grain mustard, avocado, etc...

3. When done, THEN you can assemble, and add condiments and Enjoy!!

Where is my Laundry Soap Recipe????

Why is it that no matter what I am making, at the last minute I seem to have a problem finding my recipe!? Today the topic is Laundy Soap! I Need to Make Laundry Soap... and where is my recipe? Well I thought it'd be on my blog... but noooooooo....I see one version on Jillee's website but mine is slightly different - I adjusted it to not make quite a Year's Worth!... I originally wrote it on the back of an envelope... now where is that envelope?? Gone! But I managed to keep notes on the BOXES of the ingredients, so I have it figured out now... Here Goes:

Laundry Soap
1 bar Fels Naptha - grind up in food processor
1/3 box Borax (25 oz)
2 cups Super Washing Soda (18 oz)
10-1/2 oz baking Soda (approx)
3/4 - 1 cup? Oxyclean

The recipe on Jillee's site also included some fabric Softener crystals, which I finally found at Dollar General, but to my dismay they were NOT unscented... so I can't use them. I will continue looking for some unscented ones, but meanwhile I'm told I can add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the wash in the fabric softener compartment to soften the towels.. Ok.. trying it today.

Meanwhile, I cut up my bar of Fels Naptha, fed it to the food processor along with some Oxyclean and began adding the list of above ingredient to my laundry soap jar. But just as I added some of the lovely white powder from the box, what tumbled out ...but these little red baking chips! WAIT A MINUTE!! I don't keep baking chips in my soap powder boxes??!! Ahhh, but the sneaky little mice who carried them off thought it would be a good place to store them!! RIGHT! Now I get to dig each and every one out of my jar!!!

That was a chore... but I got it done, and now we are set for 6 months of laundering...Yay!

AHA!!  A friend of mine (whom I had emailed the link to last year) sent me the link I had sent her!  Here it is. This is a smaller 'trial' size batch so you can see if it works for you, but it works for my jar!

Ham 'n Noodles

Generic Picture of Ham N Noodles

It's Ham 'n Noodles day!! I haven't had this in ages, at least not made the way we used to make it at home with Mom. This was one of the dishes she had me make for dinner and time it to be ready when she and my dad got home from work. Do you think I could remember that recipe? ... No. So I have been searching the internet for a recipe that looks familiar... and found one today that I'm going to try. I actually found 2 recipes, and was thinking of merging the 2 together, although that doesn't always work for me... We'll have to wait 'n see.  I'll post a pic here after it comes out of the oven and IF it tastes good, I'll even come back and post the recipe!  Check back in a while!
-- Ruth

OH Fudge!!

Yup, it's Fudge Season! What? You didn't know there was a "Fudge Season"? Oh, come now... where have you been hiding? Seriously, when Christmas is close, it becomes cookies and candy season and my specialty is Fudge! Lots of varieties too, not JUST chocolate!

I love to experiment with different flavors. So far this year, I have made Chocolate, Peanut butter, Toasted Coconut, Cranberry/White Chocolate, Peppermint, Coffee, and Pumpkin.

Favorite? Well my favorites are the 1st 3 listed above. Toasted coconut is such a nice change from the typical chocolate and peanut butter and I toast the coconut myself. I had a batch I made for sending off to family, and I kept only 3 pieces for myself; ends really. Knowing my resident family doesn't like coconut I figured that was enough for me. However, last night, I found out my husband "accidentally" ate a piece of the coconut, thinking they were nuts of some kind. Apparently he LIKED it, because when I went to the kitchen to snag a piece for myself, it was ALL GONE! Wow... He knows I like coconut and yet he made a trip back to the plate to finish off the last piece. I'd say that's just rude.

...and then she said....

Check out the awesome cookies I made! That's not very humble, I know, but they just sort of evolved, it's not like I planned them... well, OK, I sort of planned them, but not the way you think. I saw some similar on Pinterest, but when I 'clicked through' on the picture, it never led to a recipe! I think that is fairly rude, if you ask me. So I decided I could figure it out on my own. Thankyouverymuch!! And I guess I did! First, an old recipe I have used for years, to make the cookie part. I made these yummy peanut butter cookies which you could make with your eyes closed. And as it happens, they are also Gluten Free too! Totally unintentional, but it works! (My Gluten intolerant neighbor loved them!)
The recipe is so easy you'll say, "What??" Ok, here it is:

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

That's IT! See ... I told you! And.. You don't even use a mixer! Just measure out the 1 cup peanut butter, then add 1 cup sugar & the egg. Then stir with a fork til it's all blended.

Then, I used a cookie dough scooper to make sure the balls are evenly sized. Place on the cookie sheet ( I use a silicone baking sheet, but parchment will work nicely also). Using a fork dipped in sugar, I do the criss-cross press into the peanut butter balls for the 'typical' look of peanut butter cookies.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes and cool. Makes about 18 cookies, more if you go small. If you make them smaller, you may want to check their progress a bit sooner.

Now for the filling!! This was amazing. In a glass measuring cup, I poured 1 cup chocolate chips and melted them in the microwave, on high for 1 minute.

When it comes out, using a fork, stir like crazy until they are melted. Then add a drizzle, (maybe 2 Tbl) of Sweetened Condensed Milk and about the same of Heavy Whipping Cream plus 1/2 capful of vanilla. All of this should give you quite a fudgy consistency of chocolate. Drop a spoonful onto the top of one cookie and smash it down with another, making the sandwich. Eat. Enjoy!