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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Leo Babauta of Zen Habits (I love that blog) is offering his e-book, Thriving On Less for free. This e-book is a companion to The Power of Less.

From the introduction:

The recent economic recession has a lot of people worried, about their jobs, their businesses, their homes and their bills. When your income is dropping or in jeopardy and you still have a mountain of bills to pay, things can get pretty scary.

However, tough economic times do not have to be a time of struggles! If you look for the opportunity in the middle of difficulty, as Mr. Einstein suggested, then tough economic times become an opportunity to transform your life.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. A Simple Lifestyle
2. Focus on the Essentials
3. Thriving on Less, Not Struggling
4. Focusing on Enough, Not More
5. Make Small Financial Changes First
6. Look at Large Expenses for the Long Term
7. Changing Your Spending Habits
8. A Guide to Getting Out of Debt
9. Tools for a Frugal Life
10. Resources

Read our inexpensive Valentine’s ideas!

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Food: Apples
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 1 medium
If Your Recipe States: 1 medium apple, thinly sliced
You Will Need Approximately: 1 1/3 cups

Food: Asparagus
If Your Recipe States: 16 to 20 stalks
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound

Food: Bacon
If Your Recipe States: 1/2 cup crumbled
You Will Need Approximately: 8 slices, crisply cooked

Food: Beans, dried  Black, kidney, lima, pinto, red
If Your Recipe States: 5 to 6 cups cooked
You Will Need Approximately:1 pound dried (2 1/4 cups)

Food: Green or wax Beans
If Your Recipe States: 3 cups 1-inch pieces
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound

Food: Bread, white
If Your Recipe States: 12 slices (1/2 inch)
You Will Need Approximately: 1-pound loaf
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup soft crumbs
You Will Need Approximately: 1 1/2 slices
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup dry crumbs
You Will Need Approximately: 4 to 5 slices, oven-dried

Food: Broccoli
If Your Recipe States: 1 bunch
You Will Need Approximately: 1 1/2 pounds
If Your Recipe States: 2 cups flowerets, 1-inch pieces or chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 6 ounces 

Food: Cabbage  Green
If Your Recipe States: 1 medium head
You Will Need Approximately: 1 1/2 pounds
If Your Recipe States: 4 cups shredded
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound

Food: Cabbage  Slaw (bag)
If Your Recipe States: 7 cups
You Will Need Approximately: 16 ounces

Food: Carrots
If Your Recipe States: 1 medium
You Will Need Approximately: 7 inches
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup shredded
You Will Need Approximately: 1 1/2 medium
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup 1/4-inch slices
You Will Need Approximately: 2 medium

Food: Cauliflower
If Your Recipe States: 1 medium head
You Will Need Approximately: 2 pounds (with leaves)
If Your Recipe States: 3 cups flowerets
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound

Food: Celery
If Your Recipe States: 1 medium bunch
You Will Need Approximately: 2 pounds (11 inches)
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup thinly sliced or chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 2 medium stalks

Food: Cheese  Hard (blue, Cheddar, feta, mozzarella, Swiss), shredded or crumbled
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup
You Will Need Approximately: 4 ounces

Food: Cheese  Cottage
If Your Recipe States: 2 cups
You Will Need Approximately: 16 ounces

Food: Cheese  Cream
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup
You Will Need Approximately: 8 ounces

Food: Chocolate  Chips
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup
You Will Need Approximately: 6 ounces
Food: Chocolate  Unsweetened or semisweet baking
If Your Recipe States: 1 square or bar
You Will Need Approximately: 1 ounce

Food: Corn, sweet
If Your Recipe States: 1 medium ear
You Will Need Approximately: 8 ounces
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup kernels
You Will Need Approximately: 2 medium ears

Food: Cream  Sour
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup
You Will Need Approximately: 8 ounces

Food: Cream  Whipping (heavy)
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup (2 cups whipped)
You Will Need Approximately: 1/2 pint

Food: Crumbs, finely crushed, Chocolate wafer cookie
If Your Recipe States: 1 1/2 cups
You Will Need Approximately: 27 cookies

Food: Crumbs, finely crushed, Graham cracker
If Your Recipe States: 1 1/2 cups
You Will Need Approximately: 21 squares

Food: Crumbs, finely crushed, Saltine cracker
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup
You Will Need Approximately: 29 squares

Food: Crumbs, finely crushed, Vanilla wafer cookie
If Your Recipe States: 1 1/2 cups
You Will Need Approximately: 38 cookies

Food: Eggs, large  Whole
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup
You Will Need Approximately: 4 large eggs
If Your Recipe States: 1 egg
You Will Need Approximately: 1/4 cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product

Food: Flour
If Your Recipe States: 3 1/2 cups
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound

Food: Garlic
If Your Recipe States: 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 1 medium clove

Food: Jalapeño chili
If Your Recipe States: 1 tablespoon
You Will Need Approximately: 1 medium, seeded and chopped

Food: Lemon or lime
If Your Recipe States: 1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons grated peel
You Will Need Approximately: 1 medium
If Your Recipe States: 2 to 3 tablespoons juice
You Will Need Approximately: 1 medium

Food: Lettuce  Iceberg or romaine
If Your Recipe States: 1 medium head
You Will Need Approximately: 1 1/2 pounds
If Your Recipe States: 2 cups shredded
You Will Need Approximately: 5 ounces
If Your Recipe States: 6 cups bite-size pieces
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound

Food: Margarine, butter or spread
If Your Recipe States: 2 cups
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound
If Your Recipe States: 1/2 cup
You Will Need Approximately: 1 stick

Food: Marshmallows
If Your Recipe States: 1 large
You Will Need Approximately: 10 miniature

Food: Meat, cooked  Beef, pork and poultry
If Your Recipe States: bite-size pieces
You Will Need Approximately: 1 cup chopped or 6 ounces

Food: Mixed Veggie, Frozen
If recipe states:  1 pound
You will need (approx):  3 1/2 cups

Food: Mushrooms  Fresh
If Your Recipe States: 6 cups sliced
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound
If Your Recipe States: 2 1/2 cups chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 8 ounces

Food: Mushrooms  Canned
If Your Recipe States: 4-ounce can sliced, drained
You Will Need Approximately: 2/3 cup fresh, sliced and cooked (5 ounces uncooked)

Food: Nuts (without shells)Chopped, sliced or slivered
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup
You Will Need Approximately: 4 ounces

Food: Nuts   Whole or halves
If Your Recipe States: 3 to 4 cups
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound

Food: Olives  Pimiento-stuffed
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup sliced
You Will Need Approximately: 24 large or 36 small

Food: Olives  Ripe, pitted
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup sliced
You Will Need Approximately: 32 medium

Food: Onions  Green, with tops
If Your Recipe States: 1 medium
You Will Need Approximately: 1/2 ounce
If Your Recipe States: 2 tablespoons chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 2 medium
If Your Recipe States: 1/4 cup sliced
You Will Need Approximately: 3 or 4 medium

Food: Onions  Yellow or white
If Your Recipe States: 1 medium
You Will Need Approximately: 3 ounces
If Your Recipe States: 1/2 cup chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 1 medium

Food: Orange
If Your Recipe States: 1 to 2 tablespoons grated peel
You Will Need Approximately: 1 medium
If Your Recipe States: 1/3 to 1/2 cup juice
You Will Need Approximately: 1 medium

Food: Pasta  Macaroni
If Your Recipe States: 4 cups cooked
You Will Need Approximately: 6 to 7 ounces uncooked (2 cups)

Food: Pasta  Noodles, egg
If Your Recipe States: 4 cups cooked
You Will Need Approximately: 7 ounces uncooked (4 to 5 cups)

Food: Pasta  Spaghetti
If Your Recipe States: 4 cups cooked
You Will Need Approximately: 7 to 8 ounces uncooked

Food: Peppers, bell
If Your Recipe States: 1/2 cup chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 1 small
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 1 medium
If Your Recipe States: 1 1/2 cups chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 1 large

Food: Potatoes  New
If Your Recipe States: 10 to 12 small
You Will Need Approximately: 1 1/2 pounds

Food: Potatoes  Red, white, sweet or yams
If Your Recipe States: 1 medium
You Will Need Approximately: 5 to 6 ounces

Food: Potatoes  Red or white
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup 1/2-inch pieces
You Will Need Approximately: 1 medium

Food: Rice  Brown
If Your Recipe States: 4 cups cooked
You Will Need Approximately: 1 cup uncooked

Food: Rice  Parboiled(converted)
If Your Recipe States: 3 to 4 cups cooked
You Will Need Approximately: 1 cup uncooked

Food: Rice  Precooked (white) instant
If Your Recipe States: 2 cups cooked
You Will Need Approximately: 1 cup uncooked

Food: Rice  Regular long grain
If Your Recipe States: 3 cups cooked
You Will Need Approximately: 1 cup uncooked

Food: Rice  Wild
If Your Recipe States: 3 cups cooked
You Will Need Approximately: 1 cup uncooked

Food: Shrimp, uncooked, with shells Jumbo
If Your Recipe States: 1 pound
You Will Need Approximately: 10 to 12 count

Food: Shrimp, uncooked, with shells Large
If Your Recipe States: 1 pound
You Will Need Approximately: 15 to 20 count

Food: Shrimp, uncooked, with shells Medium
If Your Recipe States: 1 pound
You Will Need Approximately: 26 to 30 count

Food: Shrimp, uncooked, with shells Small
If Your Recipe States: 1 pound
You Will Need Approximately: 40 to 50 count

Food: Shrimp, cooked without shells
If Your Recipe States: 1 pound
You Will Need Approximately: 1 1/3 pounds uncooked (with shells)

Food: Sugar  Brown
If Your Recipe States: 2 1/4 cups packed
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound

Food: Sugar  Granulated
If Your Recipe States: 2 1/4 cups
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound

Food: Sugar  Powdered
If Your Recipe States: 4 cups
You Will Need Approximately: 1 pound

Food: Tomatoes
If Your Recipe States: 3/4 cup chopped (1 medium)
You Will Need Approximately: 5 ounces
If Your Recipe States: 1 cup chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 1 large
If Your Recipe States: 1/2 cup chopped
You Will Need Approximately: 1 small

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CRUNCHY BAKED FISH:
1 lb. fish fillets
1/3 cup finely crushed cheez-it crackers
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 cup low-fat catalina dressing
*preheat oven to 400*
*mix crackers and parsley
*brush both sides of fish with catalina dressing
*coat one side of fish with cracker mixture
*place fish, cracker side up, on cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray
*bake, uncovered, until fish flakes easily with fork, 10-15 min.

BROILED AND SPICY CHICKEN:
1. 6 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2. 1/2 cup fat-free italian dressing
3. 1 cup tomato juice
4. 1/2 tsp. chili powder
*combine dressing, tomato juice, and chili powder
*pour over chicken and marinate for several hours
*broil for 30 min. or until done, turning once and basting frequently

LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN:
4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 TBS lemon juice
*using non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray, slowly saute garlic over low heat
*add chicken and cook over medium heat until brown on both sides
*add broth and lemon juice
* heat to boiling, then reduce heat
*cover and simmer 10-15 min. or until chicken is done
*remove chicken and keep warm
*cook or reduce remaining liquid in pan, around 3 min.
* pour over chicken and serve

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN:
1. 6 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2. 1 cup crushed corn flakes
3. 1/4 cup buttermilk
4. 1 tsp. creole seasoning
*combine creole seasoning and corn flake crumbs
*brush chicken with buttermilk and roll in crumb mixture
*bake at 375* for 1 hour

Buy the book at the Simply Saving Shop

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I’ve never been much of a cook so you won’t find many recipes here but the few things I do make, I’d be happy to share. One of them is bruschetta. I’m still tweaking this recipe so if you use it, let me know what you did.

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine 3 tomatoes (chopped), 1/2 onion (chopped), 1 clove of garlic (chopped), 1/2 TSP each of basil & oregano (fresh if you have it), 2 TBS olive oil and some grated parmesean cheese. Mix and set aside.

Cut a loaf of Italian bread diagonal, 1/2″ slices, place on pan and bake 2-3 minutes. Take the bread out and spoon the mixture on it. Add some shredded or thinly sliced mozzerella cheese. Put back in the oven for 2-3 minutes.

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