Chicken parm sliders

Chicken parm sliders...better, cheaper, faster.   All recipes will be a variation of another recipe made better:  because it is less caloric or has less fat etc.  cheaper :  because less expensive ingredients are used or a variation of ingredients , faster beacause they are made more efficiently.  


Serves  4 people, with 2 sliders each

1 package of hogie rolls.  **
1 large or 2 small chicken breasts, cooked and cut thin.
3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese (shreds )
1/2 cup or amount needed of pizza sauce.

1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2T parmesean cheese
1/8 tsp parsley and/or basil

Cut four hogie rolls in half crosswise to make approximate squares.
Place roll bottoms in a greased baking sheet or pan.
Place cheese over roll bottoms.
Bake at 375 until the cheese has melted.  3-5 minutes

Layer rolls with
Brushed sauce (use pastry brush)
Chicken slices,
More sauce
Cheese.  
Place tops of rolls on bottoms.  

Stir spices and cheese into melted butter .

Brush tops of sliders with melted butter sauce

Bake in oven 20-25 minutes.   Or until tops are browned and cheese is melted , sliders are heated through.  

**. Dinner rolls are the preferred bread, but they are twice as expensive as cutting a hoagie roll in half. (1.99).  It would be cheaper if you made dinner rolls from scratch.   There should be two rolls left over for another meal.  

Using chicken sliced thin is cheaper and better carb wise than using a ready made chicken tender.  Chicken can be cooked from frozen or not in the insta pot.  It might taste good if it was dipped in the butter sauce.  

Using part of a pizza sauce jar is more economical because there is no waste.   The remaining sauce can be frozen for a future pizza.

Using shredded mozzarella is cheaper and less work because it will melt faster and it is already in your stock because of making pizzas.  

Meal plans

Meal Plans.

Having a plan just makes the meal time easier.   It takes away the stress of the "What's for dinner " questions and saves the blank stare at the fridge syndrome.   LOL.

They don't have to be assigned a particular day, just have a plan.  

• pizza
• Breakfast for dinner
• Sausage and bean soup 
• Nachos 
• Homemade chicken nuggets and oven fries , veggie sticks 
• Chicken parm sliders. 
• Tuna surprise 

Chicken thighs with root veggies

Chicken thighs are one of those things that youneithr like or you dont like .    It used to be that they were cheaper, but i am not seeing that now.  

• Three medium potatoes. Washed and cut into about one inch pieces. (Probably eighths) 
• 1 large  pepper or a combination of peppers if you have them. 
• 2 carrots, quartered.  
• 1 bunch of radishes washed and halved.   
• 1 T olive oil or enough to lightly coat veggies.   
• 4 chicken thighs.   (Boneless are good too) 

1. Cook thighs in the insta pot or separate from a cooked whole chicken.   Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary and thyme.  
2. Place cut veggies on sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil.   Add salt and pepper.   

Bake at 425 degrees 25 minutes or until veggies are almost soft.   Add cooked chicken and cook an additional 15 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked and the chicken is heated through.   The heat will crisp up the chicken and the vegetables should be tender.   

Check the doneness periodically because all ovens are different.   Yours may cook faster.   

Note:  1 have also made this with rope sausage, cut into portions.    

I think chicken breasts would work too.   

Toasted cheese sandwiches

A right of childhood .

A secret of chefs is to use grated cheese.

8 slices wheat bread
Butter
Grated cheese of choice

Lay bread out on board or counter.
Put grated cheese, or thin cheese slices on one slice of bread for each sandwich.
Place top slice of bread on the loaded slice.
Butter the top of the sandwich.  
Place butter side down on grill and cook until brown.   Meantime, butter the top of the sandwiches in the pan.

Note : my husband uses melted butter. That is an option.

Another option:

Split a loaf of french bread.   Homemade or not.......
Butter both sides.  Sprinkle with grated parm and steak seasoning OR grated parm and parsley.
Broil until slightly browned.  

Tomato soup recipe is on www.janegrocerysavy.blogspot.com

Fastest Vegetable Soup EVER!

This is my own recipe.   Its fast, it's economical and its healthy .   Better, Cheaper, Faster.  
No bad fat, scratch and tasty.  


4 cups assorted beans of choice (cooked)

1 cup total of  chopped or diced  carrots, celery, onion and peppers , sauté in olive oil.  
2 cans, undrained of diced tomatoes ( Safeways has tomatoes in BPA free cans )
1 quart of stock :   Tomato, chicken, or vegetable
1 tsp EACH of garlic powder, italian seasoning, parsley.

1. 1 cup of dried beans makes 3-1/2 cups beans .   Place a heaping cup of dried assorted beans of choice that have been picked and rinsed in insta pot.   Cover with water up to your second knuckle.  Place the lid on the pot and put the lever to seal.   Push the bean button.  
2. While the beans are processing cut the vegetables.  This is where prep work on your prep day helps.   Using a food processer helps too.  
3. Walk away and have a cup to tea......or make bread to go with the soup.   
4. When beans are done, release the pressure and drain the beans.   
5. Return the pot to the pressure cooker and put a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in it and the vegetables and set in sauté mode.   When vegetables are crisp tender, turn off the pot .
6. Add remaining ingredients and the beans back to the pot.   
7. Put on a regular lid or the pressure cooker lid NOT on seal. And program the pot to slow-cook 6-8 hours.   

Alternative if you dont have a insta pot.  

Sauté vegetables in a small skillet until crisp tender. 

Use 2 cans of beans instead of raw beans.   

Dump everything in a slow cooker and program for 6-8 hours on low.    

This is faster but not as low sodium.   

Quiche aka Impossible Pie

One of our families favorite it impossible pie.   It is a Betty Crocker recipe.  It is also mostly protein and veggie somqetimes., its quick and very low carb.

We fried and de fatted a pound of sausage purchased for 2.50.

Our version of 'Quiche'.

3/4 pound of sausage fried an de fatted.
1 cup shredded cheese.
1 cup milk,
2 eggs
1/2 cup bisquick

Grease a deep dish pie plate or 11X 7 baking dish.
Spread the sausage in the bottom of dish
Sprinkle with grated cheese (we use Mexican blend)
In a blender mix the eggs milk and bisquick.
When thorally blended pour over ingredients in pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

I like it with salsa or sour cream.
I served a fruit cup with it.

Note :  almost the entire dish is protein and dairy.   1/2 cup of bisquick is spread between four servings that makes for a low carbohydrate meal.

Its fast.  It has less carbs than a tradional quiche because there is only one crust that is low in carbs.
Cheaper because I used 3/4 of a pound of sausage 1.56; cheese.58; milk .13; eggs .13, total 2.40.

Blast from the past : Cheeseburger Macaroni

I developed this recipe years ago.   A lot of years ago.   The total cost of 4 servings corn 4 adults was 3.47 for six,  prorate to 2.31 for four.     It was sooo long ago that hamburger was 1,66 at qfc.   LOL

1 pound hamburger , cooked and de fatted
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1 slice red pepper
1/2 tsp EACH of garlic and onion powder
1 can diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 cup grated Mexican blend cheese
1/2 pound macaroni   cooked

Brown celery and pepper in a large skillet with a little olive oil.
Add cooked , hamburger
Add garlic and onion powder, tomatoes and tomato paste.
Simmer about 15 minutes

Meanwhile cook macaroni and drain.   Reserve some water in case
you have to add to the skillet to make it the right consistency.

Add macaroni to the skillet.  Top with cheese and cover for a few minutes until the cheese melts.

Costs then and now - just for fun .  

Hamburger 1.66 now 3.28
Celery .33 lb now 1.00
Red pepper .50 now 1.00
Diced tomatoes .59 now .50
Tomato sauce .33  now .50
Grated cheese was 2.00 a lb now 2.35
Macaroni .69. Now .59 to a dollar .  

Total cost now is 5.05 prorate four servings to 3.37
An increase of about 45 percent.  

First created 8/09

I added artisan bread with parmesean cheese and parsley butter and a green salad .
1/2 a loaf was fifty cents,   Sometimes you can get a loaf for ,88 of french bread at Winco.
The cost of a loaf of french bread is about 30 cents.  
Green salad is still a dollar a bag if on sale, but usually it's closer to three dollars a bag I priced tomatoes at a dollar.  They are still a dollar on sale this time of year and homemade dressing at a quarter.    The extras were cost at about a dollar for the bread and 60 for the salad.   The bread could be less if you made bread, but the salad could be remarkably more.  

CHICKEN STIR FRY

Just in time for that proverbial zucchini season.   

1 large or two small chicken breasts, cooked, and diced.  

2 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut, seeded and sliced . 

1 medium pepper : orange, red, yellow, or green or a combination of

1 large tomato, chopped or 1/2 a box of grape tomatoes.  

1/2 bunch cleaned and sliced red radishes.

Olive oil 

Sauté vegetables in olive oil in large skillet on medium heat .  

Add a blend of spices:  parsley oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic and onion powder.  

When vegetable are almost tender, add diced chicken.   

Toss with vegetables.    Add olive oil if necessary.   

Serve over noodles, or rice.   

Bran Craisen Muffins

Its no secret that grains and fiber are good for you.    Wheat according to one of the docs on  KIXI has vital nutrients that your body needs.


1-1/2 cups flout
1 cup whole bran cereal
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp  nutmeg

1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup of craisens

Prepare muffin cups :  grease or use paper or silicone liners.

In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients
Make a well.

In a separate bowl, mix egg, buttermilk** ,brown sugar and oil.  
Pour liquid ingredients into well.  Gently stir together, don't over mix . All the flour  mixture should be be incorporated.   Fold in craisens.
Portion scoops are an easy way to fill the muffins cups and have uniform product.   Cups should be
3/4 full.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 18-22 minutes or until they test done.   Batter on baked goods should be 200 degrees when cooked and a tester should come out clean.

Take out of oven and set individual muffins on wire rack to cool.   Leaving muffins in their silicone cups may cause them to appear wet.

**. Buttermilk can be purchased dry to be reconstituted.  Or you can make buttermilk by adding vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk and let stand.


Cheaper : because muffins at the supermarket or costco cost upwards of a dollar each .
Better:  because it contains bran which is fiber and reduces you real carbs.  
Faster :  muffins are never too time consuming.   Mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients and fold the two together.   Don't over mix any quick bread.   It will make it tough.   You are good as long as their isn t any flour lumps that aren't incorporated into the mixture.  

Sausage made healthy

When you make your own sausage, you control the salt and fat, and no nitrates.   

Pork sirloin.is often on sale for under two dollars a pound.   Jimmy Dean in the regular stores can be almost six dollars.  Its easy to grind meat with a food processor, a meat grinder attachment for the kitchen aid, or one of your grandmothers old fashioned grinders.   

1 lb ground pork

1 Tbls maple syrup 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp onion powder 

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1 tsp poultry seasoning 

Stir to combine ingredients.   May add liquid smoke although it isn't supposed to be good for you.   

Shape into patties and fry until they test done.  .  Check temperatures and they will no longer be pink.   

Meal plans

Meal Plans for week of July 24, 2017

Meal plans are a real help to facilitate easy meals.
Planning meals and some weekly prep work makes it easy to get the dinner on the table without consulting the pizza delivery demons.   LOL.

• Hamburgers , oven fries fruit salad 
• Pizza
• Pork chops, sweet potatoes, salad 
• Speghetti with meat sauce , salad , bread 
• Tuna cassarole , peas and carrots 
• Tacos , Spanish rice 
• Breakfast for dinner

No. 3: leftover chicken saga

Ongoing  saga.,,,,to  recap...i cooked a large chicken breast in the insta pot.   I made a chicken rice bowl , HAD LEFTOERS....took the leftovers and added another chicken breast that I cooked in the insta pot.   Used the peppers, tomato and chicken leftover from the bowl to make a pizza that was on the meal plan.   Now I have more chicken that has been marinated in Tabasco sauce.    Another meal on the menu plan is nachos.   I think a movie night with nachos for dinner is in order.    Its easy, i need to make bread today and I still have projects on my to do list.    LOL

Nachos:

Tortilla chips :  you can make them, but they are inexpensive at costco for Kirkland brand.   Cost is a little over 1.20 a pound and the quality is excellent.   The two buck bags have too much oil in them.  

Chopped tomato

Cheese:   Costco is a winner most of the time.   I did get jalapeño cheese for 2.12 a pound with a basket coupon at Safeways.

Black olives :   Sliced black olives are cheaper than the regulars ones, you aren't paying for water.  
Winco has the best price.

Diced chicken:  did someone say diced chicken?

Leftover black beans.

Lay out one layer of chips on a sheet pan or cookie sheet with sides.   Scatter all the ingredients over the chips.  Top with cheese .  Repeat a layer.   Heat in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted and the chicken is warmed through.  

Serve with salsa and sour cream.  

Another five dollar dinner.  

Having only black olives and tomato for a veggie, I would serve a fruit desert with this.  
This should conclude the saga of two large chicken breasts.  

Note:   I buy large split chicken breasts when they are on sale for anywhere between .88 and 1.28.  I cut the ribs off and cook them with water and the leaves of the celery and the carrot ends and herbs.   This makes for free stock, and then I pick the bones for the meat.   I'm not the best de boner in the world , so there is usually a lot of  meat.   I can get enough meat to almost fill a quart jar from six large breasts that are about a pound each.   We can use the meat to make tacos, burridos, chicken pot pie, bbq chicken sandwiches.....The net result is you are essentially paying a dollar a pound for bonlesss, skinless chicken breast instead of the 8.00 a pound it cost and you know where your chicken has come from.  

Frugal. Pizza. - a story

No one ever could accuse my mother of not being frugal.  I can remember when I was nine years old we moved into a English Tudor house near Northgate .  The old owners had paianted the living and dining room walls with calcimine the ugliest shade of cartruse one could ever imagine.   We scraped all the calcimine off the walls and she set out to paint the walls rose beige.   She ran out of paint before she ran out of walls.  So, she bought more paint.  Now she had paint left over. So, she painted the bedroom. ....and so it went......

I was reminded of this when I had a little chicken left from last nights chicken bowls.   I also had tomatoes chopped and diced peppers.    There is pizza on the meal plan and the wheels began to turn.

So, the pressure cooker has a new small chicken breast in it.    And, so the story goes.......LOL.

Recipe ideas bullets

It's always a good idea to have a few meals you can do easymand on a hurry from things you keep on hand on the pantry or freezer.   You never know when life gives you a s);)t storm day,   Meals should consist of a protein, starch and veggie or fruit.

• Scrambled eggs, hash browns, fruit .   
• Quiche ( impossible pie ) fruit 
• Waffles. Fruit,  bacon or sausage 
• Tacos, Mexican rice, lettuce , tomato, cheese, ( rice in insta pot or microwave, frozen, batch cooked  taco meat ,  in freezer ) 
• Roast chicken , oven roasted veggies.   ( veggies are prewashed, chicken precooked ) 
• Chicken parm , ( use chicken patties when they are on sale ) 
• Spaghetti and meatballs ( meatballs frozen homemade or store bought ) Armour 
• Nachos 
• Slow cooker vegetable bean soup.   

`chicken rice bowl. In pictures

Cooked rice 

Chicken cooked 

Bar set up : chicken and rice, tomatoes, black olives, diced chilli peppers, sour cream and salsa.  

Dinner 

Add: strawberries for desert 

Rice mix - a do ahead staple

Better, cheaper, faster is a series of posts that address the issue of old recipes .  I try to remake them to be better, cheaper and /or faster.   This is about efficient cooking because with a busy schedule, making the best use of your time is essential and spending more time planning meals and shopping trips and less time in the kitchen gives you good food with more bang for your buck.

Our average for this year is 53.00 a week for three of us.   We live in a high COL part of the country.  Our COL is 121 as apposed to 98 for Colorado, and 90 for Idaho.   Twenty% more.  

Anytime you can make a mix in a few minutes instead of buying a  single serving box , you are saving money and ingredients you cannot pronounce..   the time expended is minimal.

Rice mix

6 cups white rice
1/2 cup dried parsley
3 tbls chicken granules **
1 Tbls onion powder
1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp thyme

Mix .  To cook use two cups water with 1 cup mix.  UNLESS you are using the insta pot ..  then use equal parts and cover, seal, and push the rice button.

**. You can also add broken pieces of speghetti.
** chicken granules are found in the  spice or bulk food isle.  You can sub vegetable or beef for the chicken .  You can also find low sodium options.  

Chicken BOWL

1 lb cooked chicken in cubes or shredded.
Season with garlic and paprika

Cook 1 cup mix with appropriate water.

Add chicken, cooked rice, and peas, chopped onion, black olives and chopped tomato.

Better, cheaper, faster meal bowl

inspired by an old old cookbook

Chicken meal bowl - insta pot version : see below for regular cooking

1 cup seasoned rice mix
1 cup water

Place ingredients in the Insta Pot and cover and seal.   Push rice button.  
Let machine release pressure.

Remove rice to separate bowl.


In the insta pot bowl. Place the rack.

1 cup water or chicken broth
1 large or 2 small frozen boneless, skinless, chicken breasts.

Place chicken on rack, add water to insta pot.   Cover and seal.  Push the poultry button
Let machine release pressure.  
Chop the chicken in bite sized pieces.

This can be done ahead of time.   Or not.
If done ahead, at meal time mix the rice mixture with the chicken and heat in the microwave.

Toppings:
Diced tomatoes, canned or raw
Sliced black olives
Drained chopped green chillis

Serve with sour cream and salsa.


For the regular cooking version:
Poach the chicken either in the microwave or on the stove until it tests done.
Cook the rice either in the microwave , in a rice cooker, or on the stove as you usually would.   This usually takes twice the water as rice.  

Chicken spinach salad

Its summer.  Sometimes it is just too hot to eat a hot meal.   

SPINACH CHICKEN SALAD 

Small bag of spinach - the equivalent of two small bunches **

1 large or 2 small boneless, skinless, chicken breast , split if thick.  , Cooked  and cut into cubes or strips.  

1/4 cup chopped pecans 

1 Granny Smith apple , washed and chopped in bite sized pieces. 

1/4 cup dried cranberries.   

Place all ingredients in a bowl.   Serve with raspberry vinaigrette.

**. Use spinach bunches if available.  Wash and pat dry with a paper towel or use a salad spinner.   S

      You can use a small bag of washed spinach(more available here ) .  Don't wash bagged spinach because studies have shown that washing bagged greens have  more germs than before you washed them.   

Chicken can be cooked on the bbq or in an insta pot.   

Pecans can be purchased in bulk at winco.  This avoids any waste.   

If your family doesn't like spinach, substitute lettuce.   

Raspberry vinaigrette 

Macerate 1/2 cup raspberries with  1T sugar.    Let stand for 10 minutes .  Pour  in blender .  Add 1/3 cup canola oil  and 2 T vinegar, 1 tsp honey to taste.    Blend until homogeneous.   

Note:  there is no perfect oil from what i can find researching except maybe olive oil. Besides boosting your good cholesterol, they are saying it also is good for your brain function .   Almost every salad oil as some negative press. .   The worst being hydrogenated oil.   In my opinion, while not perfect, canola oil is the least of the evils.   Olive oil wont cut it for some things that require a lighter oil.   

Note:  disclaimer.   I am not a nutritionist.   I have researched what i can and validate reliable sources.   You have to do what you think is best for your family. 

Ham pot pie

Ham Pot Pie.  : serves  4

One of the things to be mindful of when you are reading a recipe or cooking for that matter is that many recipes, especially old ones , are geared for large  families.   It took me a long time to discover that I could get the scale out and cook 1/2 a package of pasta.   Lol.

1 large rib of celery
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium potato , diced
Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place veggies on a baking sheet with olive oil.   Roast until browned, about 20-25 minutes.   Cool.  Decrease temp to 350.

Meantime
Make 2 cups of white sauce


Grease a 9x9 baking pan.

Add 1 cup cubed ham *
Veggies you cooked,
And the white sauce to the baking pan.
Salt and pepper to taste
Fold together gently

Make Biscuits .  Roll or pat into a 9x9 square.   Cut into shapes of choice and put on top of the pie mixture side by side or overlapping.   Put in preheated 350 degree oven

Bake until biscuits are browned about 25-30 minute or as your biscuit recipe calls for.
Leftover biscuit dough if you have any can be eaten for breakfast.

** diced ham can be purchased in the meat section.   Winco sells a bag for a little more than 2.30 cents.  

Explaining , better, cheaper, faster,

I added the buzz words, better, cheaper, faster to my old blog.  The mantra was to have it all.   A extreme budget plan that makes meals, better, cheaper, and faster too.

Better : because I am trying to make things without preservatives and without hydroginated oil, HFCS, extra salt, sugar, trans fats, and msg.

Cheaper:  because I am aiming for the RBP on items and making scratch instead of buying a box of......

Faster: because I am going for easy, few ingredient, recipes that make best use of kitchen tools.   Scratch doesn't have to mean you slave over a hot stove for hours.    Many scratch recipes don't take much longer than using the box or bag.    A little prep work can save lots of time in the kitchen.

Substitute for cream soups

Cream soup base,    Cream of xxx soup is running well  over a dollar on sale.   This  is much cheaper and doesn't take much more time than opening a can and you aren't eating things you can't pronounce.

Pick a time when you can get butter for 2.00.  You can't substitute fake or margarine for this, it doesn't work. Store in the fridge for 2-3 months or freeze.  I make small batches.   

White sauce mix there are several variations out there.   Some Use cornstarch.   

4 cups dry milk ( not instant ) 

1 cup flour 

2 sticks butter. 

Cut butter into the dry mixture.   You can use a pastry cutter or your mixer with the wisk attachment. 

Basic white sauce for,white,sauce, add cheese for Mac and cheese etc.   

2/3 cup mix 

1 cup water 

Cook until thick over medium heat stirring with wisk.   

Thick cream soup ( condensed) 

3/4 cup water 

1 tsp better than boullion 

1 cup mix.  

Stir until thick, cooking over medium high heat.   

Add seasonings of choice about a 1/2 tsp each 

Garlic powder 

Onion powder 

Parsley 

Salt and pepper 

Chocolate pudding 

1 cup mix 

1/2 cup sugar

3 T cocoa 

1 cups water 

Measure ingredients in order and wisk on medium heat until combined.   Turn heat up and bring to boil.   Boil about 20 SECONDS until thick,  cover and chill.  

I have a different version that is low sodium and low fat.   

Another day, another dollar.     

Homemade pizza

Pizza is one of the most popular dinners in America.   Its easy, it can be eaten with your hands and kids like it.    And, when homemade, it inexpensive.  A cheese and pepperoni pizza sourced with sale and bulk ingredients can cost 1.40 or less.  When costing a recipe I omit salt.  I bought a bag of salt seven years ago.   I am still working on that bag of salt, and it will probably outlast me, my daughter, and probably my granddaughter.   LOL. .

Pizza dough can be made my hand, but it is a lot easier to make it in the food processer.   

2 cups flour (.14) 

1-1/2 tsp yeast ( .03) 

3/4 tsp salt 

6 ounces hot water -105-110 degrees

2 tsp olive oil. (.04)

Put dry ingredients in processer bowl.  Flour first, then the yeast and salt.   Put the yeast and salt in separate corners, they aren't  the best of friends. LOL.  

Process a few pulses to mix dry ingredients. 

Turn the processer on low and pour the water and olive oil mixture through the tube slowly until the dough forms a ball.   The dough will be sticky.  

Turn the dough ball out on a floured board and knead a few times until the dough isn't sticky.   Be careful not to overload the flour.   Roll into the shape you want.   This makes a 14 inch pizza, or you can make it into a rectangle and use a sheet pan.   

Pizza sauce:   The best I have found is from the Dollar Tree.  The same brand is at other stores.   Use about 1/4 to 1/5 of the jar.   ( freeze the rest in ice cube trays for future use.  When frozen, pop out
into a zip lock and store in the freezer door.  Spread the sauce on the pizza with a basting brush or the back of a spoon.

Cheese:  mozzarella cheeese is less fat and less expensive than some other cheeses.   (Costco ) sprinkle cheese over the sauce.   

Top with your favorite toppings.   I save the tops of red peppers, and we add pepperoni.  ( also cheaper at the dollar store, same brand and there are coupons sometimes to make it a quarter a small bag.    There are two bags in a carton.   

Total cost 1.22 with pepperoni,  1.01 without.  

Of course, the toppings are up to you.   We sometimes load it with any small buts of meat we have lurking in the fridge or freezer.   

Buffalo chicken pizza.  

Use blue cheese or ranch dressing instead of the red pizza sauce. 

Use chicken pieces that have been tossed with a hot pepper sauce.   

Top with mozzarella and blue cheese.   

I add red pepper small chunks or some parsley because I like some color on my pizza.   

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

There are all kinds of chicken nuggets out there in the frozen food section of the supermarket.   Some real, some fake and everything in between.   Homemade chicken nuggets are easy , dont take any longer to cook and have no preservatives.   

1. Cut pieces of chicken breast into cubes about one inch square.   Nothing has to be perfect.    Wash hands and any cutting board or knife well.  Allow six for adults and four or children.
2. Make breading:   Several work here.   The least expensive is bread crumbs (homemade ) and parm cheese.  A more expensive one is buttery cracker crumbs, parmesean cheese, and walnuts.    Four parts crackers, two parts parm and 1 part nuts.  All cut or shaved fine.   A food processer works well. 
3. Dip chicken parts in melted butter and dredge in crumb mixture.   Put on drying rack and let dry for a few minutes.   Bake on rack for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.    Or until internal temp is at 190 and juices run clear and they are no longer pink. 

If cooking oven fries too, start fries first, they will take longer to cook.

Meal Plans

meal plans for the week of July 17th

• Chicken nuggets (homemade ) oven fries, veggie sticks 
• Homemade pizza 
• Salmon patties, oven fries, fruit salad 
• Nachos 
• Chicken burrito bowls 
• Corn ham chowder, loaded corn bread 
• Breakfast 4 dinner 

Meal plans are quick and easy with a matrix and restricting your choices of proteins to a few things that you can buy in bulk that are versatile. Simplicity.   

Ham Balls.

A good recipe if you have an abundance of ham left from a holiday dinner in the freezer.   An old time recipe.

Ham Balls

1 lb ground ham. **
1\3 cup bread crumbs
1T brown sugar
1/2 cup milk

Mix together and form balls.  Place balls in a 12 cup muffin tin.

Mix sauce.
1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tbls prepared mustard
Brush over balls

Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the balls are heated through.
Serve over Cooked rice.

Nice add:   Pineapple chunks to the rice.

** cooked . Ham can be chopped in a food processer or ground with a grinder on the kitchen aid mixer, or ground with great grandmas manual grinder.  Manual grinders can be found at antique stores and estate sales.                

Ham corn chowder

Taking old recipes and making them better, cheaper, and/or faster.

Ham and Corn Chowder

 Two medium potatoes , peeled and diced
1/2 of 16 ounce bag of frozen corn
2 cups ham cubes,diced small.
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2  TSP EACH of garlic and onion powder
Salt, pepper
3 cups chicken broth - homemade and defatted.

Place ingredients into a six quart stock  pot and cook on medium heat until the potatoes are tender.
Make a slurry of 2 T cornstarch , 2 cups milk
Add to the pot and stir.  Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Add
1 cup cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Parsley
Stir unti the cheese is melted.

Insta Pot.
Place all ingredients down to the chicken broth in the pot.   Cover and process 4 minutes.  Quick release.   Check potatoes for doneness.

Turn off the pressure cooker and switch to sauté mode.   If your potatoes weren't soft, cook until they are soft before you make  your slurry .   Add slurry to pot and stir unti soup has thickened.   Add cheese mixture and stir until the cheese has melted.

Hello

My name is Jane.   I write a blog on another channel to help people stretch their food dollars.   My intent when I started five years ago was to help people on snap get through the month with food left over instead of runnng out before the end of the month. I believe no child should have to suffer the indignity of wondering where the next meal is coming from.   I do all i can with my limited resources to help make that happen.
But, it came to my attention that a lot of other people were reading my blog to get the recipes and the helpful hints to be more efficient in the kitchen.   So, Dinner :  Better, Cheaper, Faster is born.

Some along with me while we plan and cook meals .   I plan to re write the recipes that were favorites in times past with adjustments to reduce the trans fats, the salt, sugar, and hydroginated oils while maintaining a frugal budget.