I’ve written several posts about how a crock pot is one of the easiest ways to make a great meal.  One of my readers, Marjorie Taylor Johnson, agrees.  As a teacher for over thirty years, she found the crock pot to be a great way to cook good meals for her family, despite a hectic schedule.  “When I would walk in the door after a tiring day at work, the smell of the dish cooking would inspire me to finish the meal!  Also, it’s much healthier and less expensive than fast food!”

Marjorie was kind enough to send me a couple of her favorite crock pot recipes so that I could share them with the rest of you.  Today, I’m featuring her Chicken and Rice recipe.  Marjorie’s recipe is easy to prepare and tastes great, while still managing to be healthier than most of my recipes.  To get started, you’ll need:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, washed (Marjorie notes that the boneless breasts hold together much better in the crock pot and that they are better for you.)
• 2 cans Cream of Chicken soup (undiluted, Healthy Request works fine)
• 1 jar of sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 cup of white cooking wine
• Paprika
• Rice (at least one serving per person, cooked seperately)

Wash and dry the chicken breasts.  Sprinkle them with paprika and then place them in the bottom of the crock pot.   Mix the soup, mushrooms, and wine together in a small bowl, then pour over the chicken.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the chicken breasts are done, and serve over the cooked rice.

Thanks to Marjorie for a great quick dinner recipe!  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: chicken, crock pot, recipes, rice, slow cooker

I’ve always loved macaroni and cheese, whether it’s homemade or straight out of the Kraft box.  This recipe is a great twist on the old favorite that’s great tasting, easy to prepare, and better for you than the classic version.  To get started, you’ll need:

• 1 cup uncooked jumbo elbow macaroni (3 oz)
• 1/3 cup frozen sweet peas
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 1 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, cut into small pieces, softened
• 2 slices (3/4 oz each) process American cheese
• 2 tablespoons crushed fat-free herb-seasoned croutons

First, cook and drain the macaroni.  Add in the peas for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat the milk, cream cheese, and American cheese over medium-low heat.  Stir carefully with a wire whisk until the cheese is melted.  Now mix the cooked macaroni and peas into the cheese sauce.  Let it stand for a couple of minutes until it thickens up a bit.

Sprinkle on the crushed croutons and serve.  The recipe will make two servings and it will only take you about 10 minutes from start to finish!

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: cheese, macaroni, pasta, peas

I came across this recipe the other day, giving me the perfect opportunity to cook some of the pork chops I bought on special and put into the freezer last week.  This recipe is insanely easy to prepare, and you can have dinner on the table in about 20 minutes.  You’ll need:

• 3-4 pork chops (boneless and thinly sliced works well)
• 2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Cajun seasoning or chili powder (optional)

Marinate the pork chops in the olive oil and garlic.  Putting the olive oil, garlic, and pork chops into a large Ziploc bag and then kneading everything around is an easy way to coat the pork chops well without making a mess.

As you remove the pork chops from the bag, sprinkle them with the Cajun seasoning and then place them into a pan.  Cover the pan and saute the pork chops – about 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the chops.

Remove from the stove and serve.  They go great with a side of rice and your favorite veggies – the steam in the bag veggies are great and quick to prepare as well!

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: garlic, pork chops, recipes

The weather here in North Carolina is great this weekend, with highs in the 70′s.  That means it is time to bring out the grill!  Here is a tasty chicken recipe for the grill that, as always, is quick and easy to prepare.  You’ll need:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 packet of Italian dressing mix
• Olive oil spray (or your usual cooking spray if this is hard to find)
• Dried oregano
• 1 lemon or lime

While the grill is warming up, get started by pounding the chicken breasts on your cutting board until they are about 1/2 inch thick.  Spray each of the chicken breasts with the olive oil spray and then sprinkle on oregano until they are well coated.

Set the chicken aside for a moment and mix the Italian dressing mix in a bowl with a quarter cup of water and fresh squeezed lemon (or lime) juice.

Now throw the chicken breasts on the grill, brushing them with the dressing mix as they cook.  Because the breasts were pounded thin, they should cook quickly, requiring just a few minutes on each side until they are ready to serve.

I enjoy serving this with rice and some fresh squash and zucchini (can cook on the grill as well) on the side.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: chicken, grill, Italian dressing, oregano

Earlier this month, Clair at Mummy Deals wrote a guest post with some tips on how you can save a lot of time and money by freezing meals.  After reading her post here, I checked out the posts on her blog about freezing and got some great ideas.  Not content to stop there, I did some Googling and came across the Hillbilly Housewife, a website that you should definitely check out.

The site’s creator, Susanne Myers, has put together a great downloadable ebook called “Freezer Cooking Made Simple.”

It’s loaded with a ton of information and tips on freezing meals that will save you time and money.  Here are some examples:

• Chicken: Buy a large amount of chicken, divide it into freezer bags with the marinade of your choice, and freeze. The chicken will marinade as it thaws and you will have a tasty dish ready. Just add a side salad and some rice.Beans and Rice: Healthy, full of fiber, and filling, beans and rice is yummy frugal meal. No need to make any other side dishes because beans and rice is truly a meal in itself.
• Chili: Prepare a simple chili with cans of beans, onions, garlic, tomato paste and chili seasoning. You can add meat if you like but when it is made right, chili with no meat is very good. You can also add fresh tomatoes and other vegetables like bell peppers. Cook the chili, let it cool, and then just freeze.
• Casseroles: Some casseroles like tuna or broccoli and cheese don’t cost much make and can be frozen with ease. When you make a casserole for dinner one night, make two. Instead of cooking the second one, once it is prepared, put it in the freezer.
• Meatballs: Meatballs are another item is not expensive to make, can be doubled and frozen. You can find ground beef on sale often and can buy it in bulk in wholesale stores. With meatballs you can make different types to freeze like simple ones for spaghetti, honey barbecued, or teriyaki.
• Taco or sloppy joe meat: Who doesn’t love tacos or sloppy joes? Again you can get hamburger meat in bulk. The good thing about these frugal meals is that you can cook them or just prepare them and freeze. It really makes creating fun, great, quick meals simple and very feasible.
• Soups: Some soups like chicken noodle or split pea can be frozen successfully. You want to be careful freezing soups with potatoes or cream in them. These types of soups do not always freeze well and will make for a gummy. Mushy meal for the family.

If you liked these ideas, you should definitely check out all of the other great info in “Freezer Cooking Made Simple” by the Hillbilly Housewife.  And while you’re there, be sure to check out the rest of Susanne’s website.  She’s got a lot of great recipes, articles, tips, and ebooks posted.  You’ll definitely want to add it to your favorites!

Technorati Tags: download, ebook, freezing, Hillbilly Housewife, hints, Hints and Tips, pdf, save money, tips

Casseroles are the ultimate quick dinner recipes.  They’re easy to prepare and you don’t need any fancy kitchen gadgets, just a casserole dish and an oven.  It doesn’t get much easier than that!  For this one, you’ll need:

• 1 ½ cups cooked diced chicken
• 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 6 flour tortillas

First, spray the inside of the casserole dish with cooking spray.  Then, layer 3 tortillas on the bottom of the dish.

Now, mix the chicken, soup, and tomatoes together.  Layer half of this mixture on top of the tortillas, then layer on 3 more tortillas, followed by the rest of the mixture.  Cover the dish and bake at 350° for 40 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Return the dish to the oven long enough to melt the cheese, then remove and serve.

This goes great with sour cream and your favorite salsa.  You can sub in reduced fat versions of the soup and cheese to make this an even healthier meal.  Also, feel free to spice it up with additions like onions and green peppers.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: casserole, chicken, recipes, soup

It’s Murphy’s Law in action – You’re halfway through preparing dinner and then you open the pantry to discover that you are all out of one of the key ingredients!  So, what do you do?  You check out this cool substitution guide from Kraft.  They tell you how to make a substitution for just about everything, including:

• baking soda
• buttermilk
• eggs
• honey
• sour cream
• cooking wine

These might not be perfect solutions for the real thing, but in a pinch, they’re definitely better than a half-finished dinner!

Technorati Tags: Hints and Tips, Kraft, Murphy's Law, substitutions

Even though I’m a grown up, I still love tater tots.  So, when I came across this recipe, I had to try it out.  Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed, and you won’t be either!  This is a great recipe that everyone – young and old – will love.  You’ll need:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 Tbs. seasoning salt (optional)
• 1 pkg. frozen tater tots
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 pkg. shredded cheddar cheese

Start by browning the ground beef in a skillet.  Once it’s browned, drain off the fat, then add in the soup, sour cream, and seasonings.  Blend it all together and then spread the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish.

Next, sprinkle half the cheese on top of the meat mixture and then layer on the tater tots.  Bake it at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the tater tots are golden.  Remove the dish from the oven about 5 minutes before the baking time is complete and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Place the dish back into the oven and continue baking until finished.

This is a recipe that also allows you to make some healthy substitutions without sacrificing taste.  You can use ground turkey instead of ground beef, as well as low fat varieties of the soup, cheese, and sour cream.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: casserole, ground beef, tater tots

Real life has kept me occupied lately, and hasn’t given me a chance to post.  Fortunately, my friend Clair at Mummy Deals has graciously offered to help me out with a guest post.  She writes a great blog on living well while still managing to be frugal.  She always has great advice, and her post today about freezing meals is a great twist on the quick dinner recipes theme!

Ever stood looking at the cupboards wondering what to cook that night only to end up with MacNCheese?  In the busy world we live in, who has time to take the kids to school, work a part-time job, shop, do laundry and then have a healthy meal on the table that didn’t cost the earth?

Freezing is an excellent way to save money by buying produce that’s on sale and then freezing it for later.  You can also pick a day and have a cooking day where you cook a bunch of meals that you can freeze for later.  That way, when you get home after a long day, your options aren’t just frozen pizza or cereal.  You can offer much healthier fare.

Here are a few ways to freeze:

Casseroles

So you doubled your recipe and made two casseroles – 1 for now and 1 to freeze. But, you don’t want all your casserole dishes in the freezer, so what do you do?  Line the casserole dish with clear plastic wrap and then spray with cooking spray. Place your casserole in the dish, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for a few hours until completely frozen. Remove from the freezer and take it out of the dish. Then tightly wrap the food in more plastic wrap/foil, label and place back in the freezer.  When you’re ready to eat it take all the plastic wrap off, place back in the original dish, defrost and cook.

Fruits and Vegetables

I love to have fresh produce around and buy it on sale but I know we can’t eat that much before it goes bad so I chop it the way I’ll use it, put them on a baking tray and then in the freezer for about 2 hours.  Once frozen put them in a Ziploc bag and put back in the freezer.

Ice Cubes

Want to make fun ice cubes for drinks? Add a small piece of fruit (strawberry, cranberry, blueberry etc) to an ice-cube tray and then add water. Freeze and then serve in drinks!

This week I’m doing a whole week of tips and tricks on Freezing.  Come join me at www.mummydeals.org where you can win a copy of a great cookbook.

My bio

Originally from England, I’ve been amazed at how with a few coupons and a little know-how, you can get things you already use for really cheap or free.  My blog is full of frugal tips, easy recipes, encouraging stories and freebies.  A true Mummy in every sense of the word, I will help guide you on a frugal adventure that will have you saving money in no time!

Looking for a bargain or good deal?  www.mummydeals.org

Thanks to Clair for a great guest post!  Check out her blog for more great ideas!

Since I’ve been talking so much about crock pots lately, it only makes sense that I give you a quick dinner recipe to try out in your crock pot.  This one will only cost you about 15 minutes of prep time for a delicious meal at the end of the day!  To get started, you’ll need:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup

Start by cutting up the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.  Add the chicken into the crock pot and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.  Next add in the three cans of soup.  Place the lid on the crock pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Pretty simple, huh?  This recipe is great when served over pasta or rice, which you can prepare in about 10 minutes just before serving, and with your favorite veggies on the side.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: chicken, crock pot, pasta, rice, slow cooker