You have to try these. Seriously. They are unbelievably good.
I’ve already had three today.
I could not believe how easy they were to make either.
I did add a little extra touch though. After I pulled them out of the oven, I drizzled them with melted butter and sprinkled some powdered sugar on top. Oh la la.
Here is the Chocolate Butterhorn recipe. You can thank me later. See what else I made during my baking day here.
Want a bite?
Today I am doing a baking day! A baking day (or freezer cooking day) is just a day where you cook several things to freeze for later use.
I really struggle with cooking in the summertime. The heat makes me avoid heating up the kitchen and I just tend to eat less in general in the summer. Strangely, my family still needs to eat! These past few weeks we’ve been relying on frozen pizzas and my husband’s cookings far too many nights. I decided I needed to do something about it! So, I’m going to stock my freezer with some meals that will be easy to heat up and eat on the nights when I don’t feel like being in the kitchen.
Here is my plan for today:
2 Cheesy Broccoli and Rice with Chicken
Chicken and Black Bean Taco Filling
8 Pie Crusts
2 Chicken Pots Pies – using 4 pie crusts from above
Crockpot Salsa Chicken*
Crusty French Baguette
Bread Machine Wheat Rolls*
Pizza Dough*
4 Pizza Kits*
Taco Seasoning*
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Double Chip Cookies
Chocolate Butterhorns*
That will net at least 13 meals plus extra goodies!
My plan has already changed since I wrote it last night! The salsa chicken and taco seasoning were added this morning. I had intended to make something else in the crockpot but neglected to prepare it last night. Then I decided to make crockpot salsa chicken instead (mainly because it sounded easy…) but then realized I was out of taco seasoning! Thank goodness my friend Rachel recently shared a homemade taco seasoning recipe or I would have decided to make something else.
I seem to have not planned this out very well because there have been several other things that I thought I had but don’t! My husband made a trip to the store for me to get a few things, but I’ve since realized I’m out of other things. I am by no means a pro at this but I do have one bit of advice – check to see if you have all the ingredients, don’t just assume you do. Don’t forget about things like spices, oils, flour, and sugar!
I also haven’t been feeling well this morning so my day is going a bit slower than I expected. I am going with a no-stress approach though this time. I hope to get everything done but I am not going to be upset if I don’t. It’s helping me to be much more relaxed!
So far today (it’s 1 pm now) I have made chicken and black bean taco filling (substituted red beans), taco seasoning, salsa chicken, pizza dough, pizza kits, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, chocolate butterhorns, and the wheat rolls are currently in the bread machine!
Oh, and all the recipes with a *star are new recipes. All the others are tried and true!
If that is all I get done today, I will be happy. Though I do hope I can at least get the meals done. I’m not sure why I planned to make all the sweet stuff first… 
I will try to post updates later on and maybe some pictures of the food!
Down here in the south, sweet tea is a staple. It’s priority is right up there with milk and eggs. I drink tea year-round and with every meal - including breakfast.
However, I just don’t understand how people can pay for those jugs of pre-made sweet tea! Don’t y’all know how easy it is to make sweet tea? Well, I have decided to take on the responsibility of curing everyone’s tea-jug-buying habit.
First of all, it is very important that you imagine me saying all this with a southern accent. M’kay?
Let me break down the cost for you. Red Diamond Sweet Tea costs about $2.50 per gallon. A box of 100 Lipton Tea Bags costs about $3. If you use 4 tea bags to make a gallon of tea, that means you will make 25 gallons of tea per box of tea bags. That works out to 12¢ per gallon. A savings of $2.38 per gallon. Even if you work in the cost of sugar and a cute new tea pitcher, it is still cheaper to make your own.
Now, if great savings does not sway you, what if I said homemade tea tastes better? Cause it does. And my version is The. Best. Seriously.
Because I love you all dearly, I am going to share my super-top-secret Southern Sweet Tea recipe.
You will need:
Water
Pan or Kettle to boil water
1 Gallon or 2 Quart Pitcher
4 Regular Tea Bags (or 2 Family Size) – any brand (I recommend Lipton – but NOT the cold brew!)
1/2 Cup – 1 Cup of Sugar
First, bring some water to a boil. I use this handy tea kettle that I got at Ikea, but you can boil it in a saucepan or whatever you have on hand.
Pour boiling water into your tea pitcher. Make sure to use a pitcher that is safe to hold hot liquids. Don’t use glass!
Remove 4 small tea bags from the package and brew in the hot water. I drape the paper part over the side, but my husband likes to wrap the string around the tines of a fork, and lay the fork across the top of the pitcher.
Let the tea brew for a few minutes. I don’t really time this, and I don’t really think it matters that much, but I’d guess around 5 minutes.
Take out the tea bags and add cold water to fill the pitcher. You can add ice too, if you want.
Add sugar. I like mine pretty sweet and use about 1 cup for for my 3 Quart Pitcher. I’d suggest adding a little, stirring, and tasting until you get it just right.
Stir well.
Pour over ice and enjoy!
Visit Life as Mom for more frugal ideas.
I have a bit of an obsession with lentils. They are little, and cute, and require no soaking! This stew recipe only fuels my obsession. It’s easy, frugal, healthy, and delicious, which are the four qualifiers for a meal to get into my regular meal rotation. So, without further ado, please meet my current favorite recipe.
Ingredients
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 medium onion
1 medium zucchini
4 medium carrots
1 cup dried lentils (regular price at Walmart is 94¢/lb!)
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 – 2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cans diced tomatoes (14 oz ea.), undrained
Shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired
Directions
1. Sort and rinse lentils.
2. Chop onion and zucchini. Slice carrots.
3. Remove fat from chicken.
4. In 3 1/2 – 4 quart slow cooker, mix onion, zucchini, carrots, lentils, broth, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add chicken.
5. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 5 to 6 hours.
6. Remove chicken and garlic from slow cooker. Mash garlic with a fork. Use 2 forks to pull chicken into shreds. Return chicken and garlic to slow cooker.
7. Stir in mushrooms and tomatoes. Cover and cook on low heat setting for an additional 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
8. Serve with sprinkles of cheese on top.
The great thing is, this recipe is very versatile; you can use whatever veggies you have on hand! I will also probably add in something with a little more flavor next time because we like our food to have some kick!
For more frugal recipes, visit Surviving the Stores!
Recipe adapted from here.
I am completely worn out. Completely. Here’s why:
Meals:
(2) Vegetarian Chili (un-vegetarianized, my husband requested that I add ground beef)
(1) Veggie Lasagna (large – will feed our family at least 2 meals)
(4) Breakfast Hot Pockets, 3 – 4 per package (these turned out HUGE!)
(5) Cinnamon Rolls, 4-5 per package (there were 6, exchanged with friend for 5 eggs because I ran out!)
(1) Chicken Pot Pie Soup (not pictured, eaten for dinner)
Misc:
(2) Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (18 out of 24 left to freeze!)
(2) Banana Nut Bread
(1) Stuffed Bread Sticks (will make several snacks)
(4) Beans in 2 cup portions (see a great tutorial for cooking dried beans here, as well as the “per can” savings)
(4) Pie Crusts (not pictured, forgotten)
I am really excited about all the breakfasts. I am not a morning person, and cooking first thing when I wake up is just not going to happen. Now I have several homemade breakfasts that I can microwave in the mornings for the kiddos. They will be thrilled!
This was a hard day, but thinking of not cooking again, at all, for at least a week makes it so worth it. I mean, if you had to choose between working a little bit a day for 7 days a week, or working for one really long day and taking the rest of the week off, which would you choose?
Find all the recipes HERE and some yummy-looking pictures HERE.
I am nearly done cooking! Though, I have lost steam and it’s taking me longer to get things done because I’m tired. I am encouraged though by how much I’ve accomplished! Nearly everything has been crossed off my list! I am having a bit of an egg crisis though and may not be able to finish one of the projects until tomorrow.
Here are some pics of my day:
Cooking Beans
Dough Rising
Cinnamon Rolls - Mmmmm!
My kids helping me make Stuffed Bread Sticks
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Don’t make those muffins! Their chocolatey-pumpkiness is irresistible. You will become obsessed with them and want one every day for breakfast and a mid-afternoon snack. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Find all these recipes, and everything else I’m cooking today HERE.
It’s Baking Day! What is “Baking Day”, you ask? Baking day is when you spend a large chunk of time cooking several meals for the purpose of freezing for later use. In 6 – 8 hours I can make enough meals to last our family an entire week (or more) plus various other things.
Baking Day is being hosted by Money Saving Mom and Life As Mom. Those two are far more experienced with bulk cooking than I am, since I’ve only done this a handful of times, so be sure and visit their blogs for some great tips! Hundreds of people are participating in Baking Day and are live-tweeting/blogging about it. If you would like to follow all the baking day fun, just search for the hashtag #bakingday. You can also follow Money Saving Mom, Fish Mama (Life as Mom), and ME on twitter.
I actually did a baking day last week (well, it was more cooking than baking) and it was a huge success! I made a ton of meals and it has saved me so much time and sanity by not having to deal with cooking dinner every night! You can read an excellent post HERE about how bulk cooking can save you time and money.
Alright, here is what I am making today:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Banana Bread
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Breakfast Hot Pockets
Stuffed Bread Sticks
Veggie Lasagna
Vegetarian Chili
Cinnamon Rolls
Red & Black Beans (1 lb each)
4 Pie Crusts
Everything is going well so far! Here is a pic of me whipping up something yummy:
Oh, and this photo was so not staged. I always look this cheerful, and have a super clean kitchen when I’m cooking all day. Ha! Okay, truthfully, immediately after this picture was taken, I pulled my hair up in a pony, furrowed my brow, put some stuff in that bowl, and got to work! I just had to get a pic of my apron before it got all dirty. My bestie made it for me. Isn’t she talented?
Okay, back to work! I’ll have some pictures of my progress coming up soon!
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo, Breadsticks, and Salad
Wednesday: Grilled Steak, Baked Potatoes, and Veggies
Thursday: Upside Down Pizza (recipe below) and Salad
Friday: Italian Porkchops, Veggies, and Dinner Rolls
Saturday: Dinner at Family Get-Together
Sunday: Mother’s Day + Wedding Anniversary = I’m not cooking ~
Upside Down Pizza
Ingredients:
2lb. hamburger
1 c. chopped onion
2 8oz. tomato sauce
1 pk. dry spaghetti sauce mix
1 8oz. sour cream
2 c. mozzarella cheese (shredded)
pepperoni slices (optional)
sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 pk. refrigerated crescent rollsDirections:
Brown beef and onion in pan. Stir in tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce mix. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
Spoon meat mixture into greased 9×13 pan. Layer with desired amount of mushrooms and pepperoni (optional). Top w/ sour cream and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Unroll and top with crescent rolls (it might not fit the entire pan, it’s ok if there are some gaps around the edges.
Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes until the crescent rolls are cooked through and golden.
For more Menu Plans visit I’m an Organizing Junkie!
Sorry I’ve been MIA the last few days! I had so much going on that I barely had time to sit down and check my email, much less blog! I’m looking forward to a relaxing couple of days of straightening up my neglected home and blog!
If you remember last week I mentioned I was doing a meal swap with my friend. It worked out really well and we are going to do it again! I’ve decided not to include her meals in my plan this week so that I can save them for days when I don’t feel like cooking. I’m thinking about “not feeling like cooking” today so that I can try her Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo – it looks SO good!
Monday: Sloppy Joes and Oven Fries (recipe below)
Tuesday: Mexican Skillet Tacos
Wednesday: Lemon Chicken Oregano with Veggies and Crusty French Baguette
Thursday: Baked Ziti with Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Salad, and Leftover Baguette
Friday: Slow Cooker Roast Pork, Mashed Potatoes and Veggies
Saturday: Pepperoni Pizza
Sunday: Leftovers
Oven Steak Fries
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
4 Large Baking PotatoesDirections
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine oil, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper in large bowl. Stir well. Cut potatoes in quarters, then quarter them again, cut quarters crosswise in half to form wedges. Transfer wedges into bowl with seasonings. Coat potatoes evenly. Place potatoes on ungreased large baking sheet without crowding. Bake until well browned and fork tender – about 40 minutes to 1 hour. Serve immediately.
For more Menu Plans visit I’m an Organizing Junkie!
My friend and I have teamed up in an effort to spend less time cooking and get out of our “dinner ruts.” We will each be cooking three meals this week and doubling them to give each other three different meals. Cooking double doesn’t take much extra time or money and we’ll get to try some of each other’s recipes! I’m really excited to get to try her meals next week!
Monday: Pizza
Tuesday: Roast with Carrots and Potatoes (recipe below), Crescent Rolls, and Salad
Wednesday: Cheesy Chicken Potato Chowder and Crusty French Baguette x2
Thursday: Easy Italian Pasta Bake with Salad and Garlic Bread x2
Friday: Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini with Veggies x2
Saturday: Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Biscuits
Sunday: TBD
I love my roast recipe! The meat comes out juicy and tender and I always eat too much of it! I love that it is so easy too!
Crockpot Roast Beef
Ingredients
Roast
Baby Carrots
2 cans Whole Potatoes
1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Beef BrothDirections
Place carrots and potatoes in crockpot. Place Roast on top of vegetables. Pour soup mix, cream soup, and beef broth on top of roast. Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours. Enjoy!
For more Menu Plans visit I’m an Organizing Junkie!
Hi! I'm Stephanie! I'm a child of God, wife to Nathan, homeschool mom to two young children - ages 9 and 7, and founder of Couponing101.com. I have a passion for teaching others how to save money - no matter your income, diet, schedule, or experience! I like to make couponing simple AND fun, so you won't find your typical "school atmosphere" here! Couponing 101 is a practical education that you can apply to many areas of your life. Watch those $0.50 coupons turn into thousands in savings each year....READ MORE.