Chicken Cilantro Salad

Salad

green leaf lettuce

cilantro sprigs

grilled chicken, chopped

dried cranberries

diced red onion

shredded mozzarella cheese

Dressing (from ourbestbites.com)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 T grated onion

1/3 C fresh orange juice

3T fresh lime juice

2T honey

3/4 t cumin

1/2 t salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

1/2 C vegetable oil

Combine dressing ingredients in small jar or dressing container with lid. Shake well and refrigerate. Layer salad ingredients on individual salad plates. Chill. Before serving, shake dressing and drizzle over salads. Serve with biscuits or bread.

All Vegetable Lasagna

2 T olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp basil

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup water

2 small zucchini, sliced into circles

2 large tomatoes, sliced

4 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Saute onions until tender. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Add salt, spices, crushed tomatoes and water. Simmer until slightly thickened and saucy. Remove from heat. In greased 8 inch square pan, layer small amount of tomato sauce followed by a layer of zucchini, then tomato, then sauce, then cheese. Use half of ingredients for each layer. Repeat for second layer, finishing with mozzarella. Bake covered at 375 for 20 minutes, then remove foil for 15 minutes and allow cheese to brown slightly. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 4.

We served ours with garlic french bread, carrot sticks and broccoli florets, and watermelon.

Lentil Stew on Potatoes

It's been awhile since I've posted something delicious! Let's get cooking.


2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp basil
2 T olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 lb lentils
10 oz. spinach
salt and pepper, to taste

Saute onions, carrots and celery until just tender but still a little crunchy. Add spices and stir. Pour in lentils and add two cups of water. Cover and let simmer for about an hour, or until lentils are tender. Stir in spinach and cook until just wilted. If using frozen, cook until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over mashed potatoes. Serves 8.

Poor Man's Alfredo Sauce

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 cup milk

2 T flour

1 tsp garlic

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 cup grated parmesan

salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in small saucepan. Stir in milk. Stir in garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Whisk in flour and continue to stir until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan and allow to melt. Serve over fettucini. Other optional toppings include: broccoli, mushrooms and chicken.

Homemade Fry Basket

When you get the hankering to go out to eat with your honey, just think of how much fun you'd have making the food together! My husband and I frequently choose what looks yummy off of a menu and run to the store to buy the ingredients. It's not the most frugal approach to regular cooking, but for a special night together, it's cheaper than eating out, and usually a lot more fun!

Tonight, the winners were mozzarella sticks and onion rings.

1 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups bread crumbs

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp garlic

salt and pepper, to taste

1 small onion

4 oz. mozzarella cheese

Note: flour, eggs, bread crumbs and garlic measurements are doubled, and will be used separately in this recipe.

Place 1/2 cup flour, 1 egg, and 1 cup bread crumbs in three separate bowls. Season bread crumbs with Italian seasoning and 1/4 tsp garlic. Slice cheese into 1/4 inch X 1/4 inch X 3 inch sticks. Dredge cheese sticks in flour, dip in egg, cover with breadcrumbs, then sprinkle with flour again. Repeat with all sticks until finished.

Place remaining flour, egg and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls. (I used the same bowls, but you can use clean ones.) Season bread crumbs with seasoning salt and remaining garlic. Slice onion into 1/4 inch slices and separate into rings. Coat using same process as above.

Fry cheese sticks and onion rings 3-5 at a time in a medium saucepan with oil heated to about 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Each should take a minute or less to fry. Remove when lightly browned and place on paper towels.

Creamy Turkey Salad Wraps

We had a turkey for Easter dinner. I know it sounds odd. But in order to accommodate our budget I bought the turkey after Thanksgiving for $.25/lb. And then I saved it in the freezer until Easter.

The other cool thing about having turkey for Easter dinner is...I didn't feel inclined to share it with guests. I typically love to have dinner parties and invite friends to join our holiday feasts, but 1. I'd just done that the Friday before and 2. nobody really wants turkey for Easter dinner. Right?

So when our family of four finished getting our fill of a nearly 13 pound bird, I got to work de-boning and shredding. The result? 10 more meals worth of meat. $.25/lb x 13 lbs = $3.25/11=$.30 a meal. Not bad.

I froze most of it, but a small portion was left out for use this week. Everyone knows about the infamous Thanksgiving turkey leftovers...well, I asked my ever-so-wise and experienced mother for recipes. She had a plethora. To narrow it down, I specifically asked for picnic applications, and this is what I got. It was delicious!

Creamy Turkey Salad Wraps

1/2 lb. turkey, cooked and shredded

1 hard boiled egg, chopped

2-3 whole dill pickles, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (quite strong; we like onion)

2 T mayo

1 tsp. mustard

2 T dill pickle juice

salt and pepper to taste

whole wheat tortillas

Mix it all together in a small bowl and serve wrapped in tortillas. Best if served cold. This made enough for dinner last night and lunch today. (5 wraps)

Dinner Menus

Last Friday we threw an Easter Egg Hunt and dinner party at our house. I was really pleased with the results because we fed 30 people and had an Easter egg hunt for the kids all for $50. But, it's making it tough to stick to my budget this month! And I decided to start potty training my toddler, so that makes it even trickier--it's already cost me $20!

Anyway, in an effort to really stick with it, I'm making a plan. Mostly, it's a dinner plan, but if I already know I have what we need for dinner, the rest I can do easily with what we have on hand.

This Week

M: Penne pasta w/marinara and Parmesan, peas, canned peaches

T: Split Pea Soup and leftover rolls from Easter dinner

W: (Geo Caching night!) turkey wraps and dried fruit, "pigs in blankets" for a snack when we got home

Th: Creole Red Beans and Rice

F: Tuna Casserole, broccoli--make one for the freezer, too

Sa: hamburgers, potato salad

Su: spinach and ricotta pasta

Next Week

M: Beef Dumpling Stew

T: Spanish Rice Bake

W: Salmon Burgers, fries

Th: Chicken Cacciatore, green beans

F: Coconut Chicken Fingers, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Sa: Pizza

Su: Vegetable Lasagna, salad, French bread