Try making some of these vegetable snacks with your kids the next time they’re looking for something to munch on.

Yam I Am Chips  

1 large sweet potato, sliced thin

1 TBSP olive oil

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the sliced sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt. Bake 10 minutes, flip and continue baking another 2 minutes or until a light golden brown. The salt on these chips is optional. If you prefer a little sweeter taste, sprinkle them with a little cinnamon before baking.

 The Great Pumpkin Spread  

1 (15 oz) can prepared pumpkin

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ C pecans, finely chopped

1 (4 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

Graham crackers

Place the pumpkin in a small saucepan. Heat the pumpkin over low temperature just until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and pecans. Allow mixture to cool slightly and then add cream cheese. Mix well to combine all ingredients. Spread on the graham crackers and serve. This makes a great dip for fresh fruit also. Try some sliced apples, pears or even strawberries the kids will love it.

 Edible Flower Garden  

1 (16 oz) container of sour cream

1 TBSP white vinegar

2 TBSP parsley, minced

½ tsp. garlic powder

2 TBSP onion, grated

Radish slices

Cucumbers cut into rounds

Baby carrots

Celery stalks

Cherry tomatoes

Spinach leaves

Cauliflower pieces

Broccoli pieces

Mix together the sour cream and vinegar until very smooth. Sprinkle in the parsley, garlic powder and onion. Continue to mix until all ingredients are incorporated together. Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 1 hour. Clean and dry the vegetables. Place them on individual plates. Use the cucumbers, radish slices, cauliflower and tomatoes to make the flowers. Use the celery sticks for stems. The spinach leaves make great flower leaves. The broccoli can be used to make grass. Make as many different flowers as you like. Serve with the dip and enjoy.

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The idea behind once-a-month cooking (OAMC) is to spend a set amount of time cooking, be it a day or two, but cooking and freezing enough meals to last through the whole month. Some people, especially beginners, feel intimidated by the process so start out with once a week cooking instead of monthly.

Some benefits are using less time and energy…it takes longer to make three chicken meals one at a time, than to make them at the same time. Another benefit to having meals on hand is not relying on processed food when you are pressed for time.

I don’t take credit for the following tips, I’ve had them saved on my computer for a while and the original author is unknown to me. It’s a great tutorial for anyone who wants to get started with OAMC or OAWC.  

STEP ONE: Choose 20 recipes.
This will last a family of 4 about 4 weeks, (allowing for leftovers, eat-out nights, scratch cooking nights, baked potato nights, etc.) Try to have a balance of casseroles, soups, stews, pasta, meats,
ethnic foods and so on.

STEP TWO: Make up a master grocery list.
Make sure you list EVERY SINGLE ITEM you will need. Include products like aluminum foil, freezer bags and scouring pads. Don’t forget simple things like flour, salt and sugar. (You don’t want to run out of something on cooking day!) Once you have your list, check off the items you will need to purchase.

STEP THREE: Start a notebook of your very own recipes.
Either copy the recipe or rewrite it on a 8×11 sheet (one recipe per page). On cooking day, you will be taping these up around your kitchen, so you don’t want to have to hassle with cookbooks or recipe
cards. Organize them to your liking in a 3-ring notebook. After a few months, you’ll have a nice notebook full of once a week cooking recipes that WORK!!!

STEP FOUR: Read through each recipe and break it down into simple steps.
On a sheet, list the recipe names in columns. Write the steps underneath. Do it in an order that makes sense to you. Then take similar steps from ALL the recipes and do them together.

Example: To make spaghetti sauce and lasagna
chop onion (x cups or x pounds of onions)
grate cheese (x cups or ounces)
chop peppers
chop veggies
mince garlic
combine cheeses
brown meat and drain
make layers
add tomatoes
wrap pan and freeze
simmer
bag and freeze

On cooking day, do similar tasks together, i.e. all the chopping, sauteeing, peeling, boiling. Put soups and stews which will cook for a long time on early to simmer. Then put the casseroles together;
wrap carefully and put in the bottom of a chest freezer or on the bottom of shelves. (They take up more room and also take longer to freeze).

STEP FIVE: Label your items!
Put a “sharpie” indelible marker on your shopping list if you don’t have one. Ink pen is not legible and regular markers run. Include any preparation instructions on a piece of paper slipped inside the
double bag. Be sure to write down the number of servings! (You will not remember!)

STEP SIX: On cooking day, start as early as you can and dress to work.
Wear comfortable, supportive shoes. Have a change of aprons ready and lots of clean towels. Clear off your countertops and clutter so that you have maximum workspace. Tape up the recipes where you can see them in plastic page protectors. You will be amazed at how quickly things go together if you’ve done steps ahead of time (the chopping, browning, etc.)

STEP SEVEN: Evaluate how your OAMC session went.
Make notes on your recipes if you want to make any changes the next time. Clean up your kitchen so that you don’t have to face that mess tomorrow!

STEP EIGHT: Don’t cook dinner on your big day!
Order in a pizza or go out to eat. If you are short on funds, save your crockpot for your evening meal so that you don’t have to fix another dish. You will be TIRED, but it will be worth it.

Also, be sure to check out these posts:
Free Printable Coupons
Coupons & Freebies

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Are you looking for a quick and thrifty meal? You probably have most of these ingredients on hand already.

Make It Yourself Hamburger Helper:

8oz noodles
1T dried onion flakes
1/4t. oregano
1/2t. garlic powder
1/2t. basil
1/2t. salt
1 lb ground beef
3 1/2 c. water
8 oz tomato sauce

Brown beef and drain the fat.
Add water and bring to a boil.
Add noodles and tomato sauce.
Stir and simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve hot. Enjoy!

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I’ve had this saved on my computer for a while and just came across it again. Let me know if you try any of these and how they came out.

Salad Dressing for Pennies:
When salad dressing is needed, combine the dry mix with a few simple ingredients and you have fresh, low cost, tasty salad dressing. These dry mixes will last for 6 months (maybe more). The prepared salad dressing should keep at least 2 weeks.

French Dressing Mix

1 cup sugar 4 teaspoons paprika
2 Tablespoons dry mustard 2 Tablespoons salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Place mixture in dry container with tight fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place for up to 6 months. Shake dry mix before measuring for prepared dressing.

To make French dressing from dry mix.
Combine ¼ cup of the French dressing mix with ¾ cup vegetable oil, 6 Tablespoons ketchup and ¼ cup vinegar. Shake until well blended. Chill before serving. Makes about 1¼ cups of French dressing.
Copyright © 1996 Frugal Publications

Caesar Salad Dressing Mix
1 Tablespoon sugar 1 Tablespoon dried garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder 6 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Place mixture in dry container with tight fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place for up to 3-4 months. Shake dry mix before measuring for prepared dressing.

To make Caesar salad dressing from dry mix.
Combine 1/4 cup Caesar salad dressing mix with 1/2 cup olive oil (or vegetable
oil), 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 teaspoon anchovy paste. Shake until well blended. Makes about 1 cup of prepared dressing.
Copyright © 1996 Frugal Publications

Zesty Italian Herb Salad Dressing

2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons dried basil
2 Tablespoons dry powdered garlic 1 1/2 Tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons onion powder 2 teaspoons paprika
6 Tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 T. ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Place mixture in dry container with tight fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place for up to 6 months. Shake dry mix before measuring for prepared dressing.

To make Italian Salad Dressing from mix.
Combine 3 Tablespoons of the Italian Herb Salad Dressing Mix with 1½ cup
vegetable oil and 1/2 cup wine vinegar or white vinegar. Combine all
ingredients in glass jar. Shake until well blended. Makes about 2 cups of
Italian dressing.
Copyright © 1996 Frugal Publications

Low Calorie Salad Dressing Mix

1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon dried basil
4 Tablespoons parsley flakes 2 Tablespoons green pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper 1 Tablespoon monosodium glutamate (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Place
mixture in dry container with tight fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place
for up to 6 months. Shake dry mix before measuring for prepared dressing.

To make Low Calories Dressing from mix.
Combine 2 Tablespoons Low Calorie Salad Dressing Mix with 3/4 cup tomato
juice (or V-8 vegetable juice), 4 Tablespoons lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon
horseradish (optional). Shake until well blended. Chill before serving.
Makes about 3/4 cup of prepared dressing.
Copyright © 1996 Frugal Publications

Ranch Dressing Mix

2 Teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons dried minced or powdered garlic
2 teaspoons ground black pepper 8 teaspoons dried minced powder onion
2 teaspoons sugar 2 ½ teaspoons paprika
2 ½ teaspoons parsley flakes 1 Tablespoon monosodium glutamate (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Place mixture in dry container with tight fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place for up to 6 months. Shake dry mix before measuring for prepared dressing.

To make Ranch Dressing from dry mix.
Combine 1 Tablespoon mix with 1 cup mayonnaise (not salad dressing) and 1
cup buttermilk. Combine all ingredients in bowl. Stir until well blended.
Chill before serving. Makes about 2 cups of prepared dressing

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I was checking out the recipe exchange at Morning Star Farms again and came across two more that I want to try.

Ginger Dipping Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce

In a blender, combine onion, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar. Process until smooth. Serve at room temperature.
Dip Morningstar Farms Original Chikn Tenders in finished ginger sauce.

Chik’n Penne Alfredo
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
11 or 12-ounce mini penne pasta (uncooked)
2 cups alfredo sauce
2 1/2 cups chopped Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips

Directions:
Cook, strain and rinse pasta
Return pasta to pan and add sauce
Add favorite seasoning (Old Bay or Italian seasoning works great)
Lightly chop Chik’n Strips. Add to pasta and sauce
Stir ingredients together
Simmer covered 3 to 5 minutes
Let stand 2 to 3 minutes uncovered before serving

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These once a week cooking recipes are fairly easy and fast, but the best part is they help you avoid those expensive store-bought frozen meals on the nights when you didn’t have anything ready (we all know how expensive those “take-out” nights can become). I haven’t tried all of these so if you do, please let us know how it was! 

Scroll past the recipes to see our readers top three OAMC books and to purchase them, at great prices through amazon.com.

FRENCH BREAD PIZZA:Spread pizza sauce sauce on french bread. Top with cheese and toppings of your choice. Wrap and freeze. Bake frozen at 400/425 for 20-30 minutes.

EASY STIR FRY:
Divide a large bag of mixed frozen veggies among freezer bags. Divide in a bag of frozen shrimp or cooked chicken breast. Freeze. Just throw in a wok in the frozen state and add soy sauce or stir fry sauce while it cooks.

PASTA SALAD:
Boil pasta, drain. Add a bottle of salad dressing, jar of olives, can of artichokes, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Optional : add cooked diced ham or chicken. Bag and freeze. Just thaw and eat.

CHICKEN MANICOTTI:
Uncooked manicotti, uncooked chicken breast (sliced into strips). Stuff a piece of chicken into the uncooked manicotti shell. Continue until all are filled. Place 1/3 sauce in freezable baking pan. Place stuffed manicotti in pan, top with the rest of the sauce mixed with 1 cup water. Top with cheese. Wrap and freeze. Bake from the freezer at 350 for 1 – 1 1/2 hours. Watch the pasta after a while if it looks dry add a little more water to the baking dish.

TACO RICE: (this has minimal cooking)
1 lb cooked ground beef or turkey, 1 chopped onion, 1 taco seasoning packet (or homemade), 1 can diced tomatoes, 2 cups cooked rice. Mix all ingredients together in a pan. Bring to simmer, simmer for 20 minutes until thick. Bag and freeze. Makes a good taco, taco salad, burritos or on top of tortilla chips for nachos. Can be doubled/tripled.

QUICK TURKEY ROLL UPS
1lb deli turkey meat 
3 cups prepared stuffing
1 can cream of chicken soup mixed with 3/4 cup water or about 2 cups homemade chicken flavored white sauce.
Place a spoonful of stuffing on the end of one turkey slice. Roll up. Continue to fill and roll until all the turkey is used. Place rolls in a foil baking pan or freezable baking dish. Pour white sauce or cream soup over the top of the turkey rolls. Top with cheese if desired. Cover dish, freeze. Either thaw and bake or bake from the frozen state.

QUICHE IN A BAG
1 cup cooked sausage or diced ham (Optional)
10 oz. frozen package chopped spinach or broccoli, thawed a little and broken up.
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 small onion chopped
2 cups milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Mix eggs, milk, flour and baking powder with a wisk or mixer until well incorporated. Add meat, veggies, cheese and onion. Pour into a freezer bag. Freeze. To cook, thaw bag, squish the bag well a few times to incorporate the ingredients. Pour into a pie plate sprayed with non stick spray. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until set. You can vary the meat and veggies each time you make it. 

CROCKPOT REFRIED BEANS
Soak some dried pinto beans in water overnight. In the morning dump in the crockpot with more water to cover. Add a chopped onion and garlic. Let cook all day. If you need to, drain some of the liquid when they are done cooking. To the cooked beans, add cumin, corriander, salt and pepper to taste. Then mash with a potato masher, leaving it a little chunky. Then just cool, bag and freeze. They freeze very well.

FRUIT CRISP MIXTURE
6 cups oats
3 cups nuts (optional)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine , melted
2 tsp cinnamon
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Divide among 6 freezer bags. Store in freezer. To make fruit crisp, place fresh, frozen or canned fruit in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle fruit crisp mixture on top. Bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes.

20 PIE CRUSTS FOR THE FREEZER
Dough will last up to 1 year in the freezer
3 lb can shortening
5 lb bag flour
3 cups ice water
2 Tbsp salt
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. With your hands, cut in the shortening, adding ice water to form a dough. Shape into 20 disks. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in freezer bags. Freeze. Thaw in fridge or on counter for 30 minutes when needed.

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I’ve been a vegetarian all of my adult life. I originally stopped eating meat and poultry because I became interested in animal rights, but my on going good health has become an extra benefit.

I am by no means a cook. I don’t even like the kitchen. LOL But hey, we gotta eat. I love the products by companies like Morning Star Farms, Gardenburger (love their meatballs with some sweet and sour sauce!) and Boca because they’re so easy to use. I found this recipe on the MSF website that I’d like to try.

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Food is the second highest expenditure in most people’s lives, yet they don’t pay attention to it. Pay yourself by using the information inside of 5 Meals for $5. This cook book is not only filled with delicious and plentiful recipes, it is filled with the information on how you can get the same prices and lower than the recipes listed!

You don’t need to change what you eat, just the way you shop! And you don’t need to rely on Spam or unhealthy meals to live in today’s debt ridden economy. It’s not all about coupons and Jaci will show you how!

If you think you might starve because of portion size, think again! If you’re single, freeze the leftovers and save or cut down the recipes and eat a fresh meal every day and using Jaci’s Buddy Shopping System.

5 Meals for $5 also has a weights and measures chart, free date night ideas, measure conversion tables, Jaci Rae’s “The Plan” on how to get out of debt and much more!

One recipe example:

Pot Roast
Cost per person $0.97
Total cost five people $4.87
2 lbs chuck roast ($1.92)
(my store just had a sale for $0.69 a lbs. A lot less than listed here!)
1 lb. potatoes, diced ($0.40)
4 carrots, chopped ($0.10)
1 onion, chopped ($0.30)
1 beef bouillon ($0.16)
1 garlic clove, minced ($0.01)
Salt and pepper to taste ($0.02)
Iceberg Lettuce and Cucumber Salad ($1.45) (recipe listed in book)
Basic Vinegar and Oil Salad Dressing ($0.42) (recipe listed in book)
1 lemon, sliced in 5 wedges ($0.09)

Saute chuck roast in a dash of oil until both sides all dark brown (about 2 minutes on each side on high). Combine all other ingredients into a large stew pot or crock-pot. Once meat is browned, put into pot with other veggies and spices and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until Meat is tender and fully cooked. Make salad and serve with chilled water and lemon wedge.

Click Here To Purchase

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Christiane Jory, Best selling author of, The 99c Only Stores® Cookbook, is back in the spotlight again with her first DVD. Join the multitudes who have taken advantage of Christiane s lessons in easy to make, delicious, inexpensive cuisine. Create a gourmet holiday buffet that costs less than a delivered pizza. Watch your guests applaud as you serve them a Tuscan Supper that rivals any bistro.
Tips on stylish entertaining for your family or friends…(more…)

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Here’s a few copycat recipes that you can try at home.

Taco Bell Chalupa Supreme

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 cup water
4 (whole) pieces of Pita Bread
Oil (for deep-frying)
Sour cream
Shredded lettuce
Shredded Cheddar/jack cheese
Diced tomatoes

Mix dried onion with water in a small bowl and let stand for five minutes. Combine ground beef, flour, chili powder, paprika and salt. Mix well. Add onions and water. Mix again.  In a skillet, cook beef mixture until browned. Stir often while cooking so no large chunks form; it should be more like a paste. Remove from heat and keep warm. In a deep-fryer (or you can use a skillet) deep fry the bread for 30 seconds. Let drain on absorbent towels. Build Chalupas starting with meat, then sour cream, lettuce cheese, and tomatoes in that order. Top with hot sauce or salsa if desired.

Olive Garden Chicken Marsala

4 Chicken half-breasts — pound 1/4″ thick — skinned & Deboned
1/4 cup Wondra flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
4 tablespoons Oil
4 tablespoons Butter/margarine
1 cup Fresh mushrooms — sliced
1/2 cup Marsala wine

Combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano and blend well. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet until bubbling lightly. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess. Cook the chicken on medium heat for about 2 minutes on the first side, until lightly brown. As you turn the breasts to the second side to cook, add the mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook about 2 more minutes, until lightly browned on the second side. Stir the mushrooms. When the second side is lightly browned, add the wine around the pieces, cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes.

A-1 Sauce

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons chili sauce[/list]

Bring to a boil for 2 minutes stirring. Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. Put mixture in a blender till it is pureed. Pour in bottle. Cap tightly and refrigerate to use within 90 days

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