Beef Stew and Noodles

Yield – 4-6 servings
Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cooking Time – 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cans of beef stew
• 1 bag of egg noodles
• Dash of salt

Directions

• Gather ingredients from the pantry {my 3.5 year old loves helping with this step}.
• Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil.
• When the water is rapidly boiling, add a dash of salt and the bag of egg noodles – adjust the temperature to maintain a low boil.
• Boil according to package instructions {about 7-8 minutes}.
• Open the cans of beef stew and dump them into a large microwavable bowl {my 5.5 year old loves helping with this step}.
• Cover the stew bowl and microwave according to package instructions {about 5 minutes}.
• When the noodles are cooked, drain them and return them to the pot {remove the pot from the heat source}
• Dump the beef stew {cooked} onto the noodles.
• Stir the beef stew and noodles together and serve.

Chunky Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3- carrot sticks, peeled and grated
• 1/2- red onion, finely chopped
• 2- celery stalks, chopped
• 4- slices bacon
• 2- garlic cloves, crushed
• 1- lb. ground beef
• 2- 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 2- 6 oz cans tomato paste
• 1Tbsp Italian seasonings
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti noodles
• 1- box frozen spinach

Directions

1. Peel and grate carrots, chop red onion and celery.
2. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook the bacon. Then set aside on paper towels and crush/chop.
3. In the same saucepan, saute all the veggies with the crushed garlic for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and brown.
4. Once browned, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and about 3 tomato paste cans worth of water. Stir in the bacon and the Italian seasonings. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. (Cover if you simmer longer.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Cook noodles and spinach as directed on package.
6. Serve Chunky Bolognese Sauce over noodles with side of spinach.

Berry Cake Mix Cobbler

Ingredients

• Approximately 2 cups fresh berries (out of season, you may use canned) – enough to cover the bottom of a 9×13 pan
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 – 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 box yellow cake mix (on sale!)
• 1 stick butter

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Spray the bottom and sides of a large (at least 9×13”) pan.
• Peel and slice up enough fruit to cover the bottom of the pan.
• Sprinkle 3 cups of sugar over the fruit.
• Pour 2 or 2 ½ cups tap water over the sugared fruit.
• Sprinkle box of yellow cake mix evenly over the fruit mixture.
• Dot the top of all with one stick of butter.
• Cook for 1 hour or 1 1/2hrs. until topping is browned; the cobbler will “jiggle” a little when you take it out of the oven; it will thicken up as it cools.
• Let sit and cool for at least 30 minutes.
• Scoop up into bowls or plates and top with vanilla ice cream.

Southern Beans and Rice

Here's What You Need:

Dried beans ($1 for a pound)
Onion, celery, carrot ($1 for one piece of each)
Green Pepper ($.50 for half)
Veggie stock ($.50 for roughly two cups)
Brown rice ($.50 for half pound)
Diced tomatoes ($1 for a can)
Sour cream or cheese ($.50 for a little topping)

Directions:


Soak beans for at least a few hours, or better, overnight. Chop and saute veggies for a few minutes to get a little color on them before adding the beans. Add just enough water to cover the beans. Keep adding just enough water to keep them covered. Cook until beans are nearly done, but not yet soft. Add stock, tomatoes, and rice. Cook until rice and beans are finished. Add salt if needed, and top with cheese or sour cream.

Cheesy Bologna Wraps

Ingredients:

1 Bologna Slice
1 Cheese Slice
1 small flour tortilla
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Dill Sandwich Slice Pickle



Directions:

Spread mustard on tortilla. Top with remaining ingredients; roll up. (Microwave if preferred)
SERVE immediately or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Back to School Budgeting

Back to School Budgeting

Penne with Creamy Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup (12 ounces) whole-wheat penne pasta
1/2 cup homemade or store-bought pesto
1/4 cup milk
Shredded parmesan cheese
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Directions:

Boil the penne noodles, drain and rinse with cool water.

In a mixing bowl, combine the pesto and milk. Toss with the cooled pasta. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Cranberry Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 4 pork chops
• 1/2 bag fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup apple or orange juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 large sweet potatoes

Yields: 4 servings

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Preparation:

1. Place pork chops in bottom of crockpot.

2. In bowl, combine fresh or canned cranberries, apple or orange juice, sugars and ground cloves. Stir well. Pour over the pork chops in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours.

3. Slit sweet potatoes with knife or vent with fork. Bake sweet potatoes at 350 for 1 hour in baking dish with 1/4 inch water. Cover with foil. Remove and let cool about 10 minutes. Peel skins off of the potato and mash. Serve with cinnamon and butter if you like.

4. Serve pork chops with cranberry sauce and a side of mashed sweet potatoes.

Bacon and Egg Quesadillas

Cook breakfast for less than $5!

Ingredients:

• 6 strips of bacon
• 6 to 8 eggs
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 8 tortillas
• Salsa
• 2 Pears or 2 pieces of your favorite fruit!

Yields: 4 servings

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Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 300˚F.

2. Cook bacon in skillet on stovetop. Remove and place on paper towel to drain excess fats. Pour most of the fat from the skillet.

3. Scramble eggs in skillet that you cooked the bacon in. This way you don’t need to add salt, as it’s already in the bacon. Might not be the healthiest, but its certainly the tastiest!

4.Place 4 tortillas on cookie sheet, top with scrambled eggs, bacon strips and sprinkle cheese on top. Place remaining tortillas on top.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, until cheese melts and tortillas are slightly crispy. Remove and slice quesadillas into quarters.

6. Serve Bacon and Egg Quesadillas with salsa and sliced pears or other fresh fruit!

Old-Fashioned Fudge Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 squares (2-ounces) semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar, then the eggs; beat well. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 25 minutes or until just set. Serve warm or cold, with ice cream or whipped cream.