Hamburger Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Money Saving Mom's recipe

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1 cups sliced carrots
2 cups of any frozen veggies (green beans, peas, lima beans, etc)
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup brown rice, uncooked
6 cups water
1 1/2 Tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves

Brown ground beef and onion together until meat is lightly browned. Drain off excess fat. Add all remaining ingredients and bring mixture to a boil.

Cover and simmer for two to four hours.

Prior to serving, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once it's completely melted, add 2 tablespoons of flour. Incorporate butter and flour using a whisk. Once it's a paste, add to soup in order to thicken.

Remove bay leaves.

Low-fat, egg-free cookies

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 3/4 cup applesauce
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 cup rolled oats
* 1/2 cup raisins (or chocolate chips)
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C ). Grease a cookie sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, white sugar, and applesauce. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the applesauce mixture. Add the rolled oats, raisins and chopped nuts (if desired); stir until combined.
3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool slightly before removing from the baking sheet.

Awesome Stir Fry Sauce

Stir fry your favorite veggies and meat. Once meat is cooked through add sauce:

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
garlic powder
red pepper flakes

So, so, so good.

Stuffed Peppers

3 large peppers
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups water/chicken stock
1# ground meat (sausage, beef, turkey)
1/2 diced onion
1 can of tomato soup
1 cup of water
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic
several shakes of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
2 cups shredded cheese (divided)

Simmer rice in water/chicken stock, covered for 30-45 minutes until rice is tender. Brown meat and onions. Once browned, add soup, 1 cup water, and spices. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and add 1 and 3/4 cup cheese. Simmer for an hour. Add cooked rice and simmer for another half hour. While simmering for the final half hour, preheat oven to 350, prepare peppers by washing, cutting off tops, removing seeds and cleaning out the inside. Boil in a big stock pot of water for 10 minutes.

Place peppers in a casserole/baking dish. Fill with stuffing. Bake for half hour. Top with remaining cheese and brown under broiler.

Pantry Recipe

Chicken Tacos:

2 Chicken breasts
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen pre-cooked black beans
1 can Rotel
2 tsp cumin (or more, to taste)
1 tsp chili powder
Several shakes of garlic salt
Several shakes of red pepper flakes
Several shakes of dehydrated minced onion flakes

Throw in crockpot for 6-8 hours on low.

Serve wrapped in tortillas and topped with cheese, sour cream and taco sauce. Mexican rice on the side.

Delicious Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

My husband loves my soups :) This recipe is SO easy and SO cheap.

1 Bag of Green Giant Valley Fresh Broccoli Steams - Free after coupon
1 Can of Cream of Mushroom soup - $0.34 after coupon
3 Cubes of Chicken Boullion (or 3 cups of Chicken Stock) - $0.40
3 Cups of Water (omit if using Chicken Stock instead of Boullion) - Free
1 Can of Milk - $0.10
3/4 a pound of Cheddar Cheese - $1.25
Salt and Pepper to taste

In large pot boil water and add chicken boullion cubes. Meanwhile, microwave broccoli according to package directions. Once boullion cubes are dissolved, reduce heat to low and add steamed broccoli, can of soup, and one can's worth of milk. Heat everything through and add cheese. Leave soup on heat until the cheese melts and the soup has reached desired consistency. Add salt and pepper. Eat. Yum.

Total Cost = $2.09

I'm making a second batch later to freeze in individual serving sizes.

Meal Plan Monday - The Late Edition

Meal planning is difficult at my house. My husband works nights depending on what we have going on during the day, as well as when his shift starts, sometimes we have time for dinner and sometimes we don't. It's often tough to gauge how many nights I should plan for us to eat together. I just try and stick to the basics

Breakfasts - Cereal, muffins, baked oatmeal, cinnamon toast, yogurt and fruit

Lunch - Deli meat sandwiches, mac 'n cheese, homemade pepperoni pizza, grilled cheese, tuna sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, chicken nuggets, leftovers

Dinner - Sugar Chicken in the crockpot, sloppy joes, spaghetti, oven fried chicken, egg salad sandwiches

Side dishes - Strawberries, oranges, bananas, applesauce, fingerling potatoes from farmer's market, green beans from farmer's market, rice

Grocery list - Yogurt, strawberries, applesauce, bananas, bread crumbs (out of stale bread), hamburger buns, cereal, lemonade, salami, turkey (for sandwiches). I will also add in anything I can get free or really cheap after coupons (Skippy PB).

Things like organic strawberries and bananas I get every single week regardless of price because I know my 2-year-old will eat them, which is important to me.