Thriftism

This radish stew requires no heavy cream but offers the same creaminess as if you had added it. For those, like me, that aren’t in love with eating fresh radishes, this recipe is a wonderful way to use garden produce while taking away some of the radish bite. Not only is it tasty, radish soup offers vitamins C and B-12, magnesium, and iron and is under 200 calories per serving. This makes a great soup and salad lunch. Plus, did I mention it tastes great to a nonradish lover????

Copy of Copy of Rhubarb cheese cake by ashley rolland

Springtime brings fresh produce in abundance. Rhubarb has a great and unique taste which often times leads people to believe it has few uses. Today we are making a rhubarb cheesecake, just one of the many delicious recipes using this colorful plant.

Get ready for the week with a easy store, protein packed snack! Beans and rice usually sounds plain, boring and basic, but with the spicy kick these beans and rice are anything but basic. We like to keep a few cups of this on hand to use as a side dish or for a low calorie, high protein snack to keep us going throughout the day. What You'll Need: 2 Cups Water 2 tsp Chicken Bouillon 2 tsp Gelatin 1 tsp Olive Oil 2 Cups Diced Onion (1.5 Large Onions) 1 Cup Diced Bell Pepper (feel free to use spicier peppers if desired) 1/2 Cup Diced Celery  4 Cloves Garlic (minced) 2 tsp Paprika 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper 2 Cups Black Beans (Cooked ~2/3 Cup Dried) 2 Cups Rice 4 tsp Parsley Optional 1 Cup Diced Ham Equipment ( What We Used ) Cutting Boards Sauce Pot Knives Stir Spoon Storage Containers - We love Pyrex for easy transporting and microwaving How to Make Combine water, bouillon, and gelatin. Cook rice as directed on pac...

Colder weather has arrived as have an abundance of school and work activities. The extra to-dos that come with fall make cooking a healthy and still budget meal much more challenging. Enter the crock pot or slow cooker. Slow cook meals can be both a time and wallet saver, not to mention the benefit of having home cooked meals most nights. Slow cookers allow you to set and forget and can work around everyone in the family's schedules. Scroll to the bottom for a printable recipe. What you'll need 1.5 Cup Rice 6 Cup Broccoli (Chopped) 1 Medium Onion 1 Can Cream Soup (Mushroom, Chicken, Celery, Your choice) 1.5 Cup Milk 3 Tbsp Margarine 3 Cups + soup can Water 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese (your choice of flavor - cheddar, colby jack, mozzarella) 6 Qt Slow Cooker Start by combining the ingredients except the shredded cheese in a 6 qt slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.  Add cheese and continue cooking until melted.  Printable to lett...

Healthy, high protein meals seem to come at a premium. Protein is likely the most expensive portion of your meal and your grocery budget. Don't let this drive your grocery spending through the roof or let this prevent you from enjoying a high protein and healthy meal. Lentils are a wonderful alternative to meat as a source of protein and provide a plethora of additional benefits. Think high fiber, high in nutrients, and very affordable. We decided to capitalize on the cost savings of lentils by created a meal with lentils as the main focus. This lentil casserole is simple to make, is very fulfilling, and tastes great without costing a fortune. It is also a bit of a variation from the typical rice and beans meals people generally revert to when trying to save money. What You'll Need 1.5 Cup Water 2 Cup Lentils 1 Large Onion 1 Lb Carrots 2 Cloves Garlic 2 Cans (14.5oz) Diced Tomatoes 1 tsp Cumin 8 oz Shredded Cheese Prehea...

When I think of fall recipes, I think of pumpkin pie, soups and apple crisp. Apple Crisp is so delicious and so simple to make that I've decided it will now be a year-round recipe. Just freeze some apples from your fall harvest to freeze or if you're buying apples anyway- enjoy whenever!  Apple Crisp is tasty, much more simple than pie - no rolling crusts, and a bit healthier than pie as well. Think of it as a form of crustless apple pie! While you may not want your children cutting up the apples for this one, all the remaining steps are super simple (and safe - beware of hot oven) that you kids can join in the baking fun! For a printable recipe, scroll to the bottom.  What You'll Need: Apples (Filling) 10 Cups Apple Slices (Use your favorite - we like granny smith or homegrown pie apples) 1 Cup Sugar 1-2 tsp Cinnamon 1 Tbsp Flour 1/4 Cup Water*** Topping (Crisp) 1 Cup Flour 1 Cup Pack Brown Sugar 1 Cup Oats 1/4 tsp Baking Soda 1/...

Going out for pizza is a favorite pastime for couples, families, friends - pretty much everyone! It can get fairly expensive at times and may end up cutting into your budget. For a thrifty alternative, try a DIY pizza for your next gathering. We estimate that you can save at least 50% making your pizza at home over going out for pizza, even at the most affordable eateries. While saving money is great, it isn't the only reason to make your own pizza dough. This is also an easy way to custumize your pizza to fit every dietary need one's dietary needs/wants (half vegetarian, extra mushrooms on one piece, meat only, etc.) without spending extra or driving your server crazy. Lastly, it is a fun way to get everyone involved. Want to have a family night? Get the kids involved in adding toppings or kneading the dough. Some kids might even have fun watching the dough mix in the bread machine. It will turn dinner prep into a fun family-oriented activity. Another option that we...

Ingredients 1 Cup Sugar (Sam's Club) 1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk (Aldi) 1 Can Evaporated Milk (Aldi or make your own, see video below) 3 Eggs (Target) 1-2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract Preheat oven to 350. Melt sugar in sauce pan over low-medium heat stirring constantly.  Pour into 9" baking pan and swirl caramelized sugar to cover bottom and sides of dish. Beat eggs, add evaporated milk, condensed milk, and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly. Pour into baking dish. Bake at 350 for ~45-60 minutes or until set (toothpick comes out clean). Chill minimum 2 hours, but ideally 6-24 hours before serving. Serve cold.  Makes 8 Servings Per Serving: 349 calories, 9.7g fat, 56.7g carbohydrates, 9.5g protein, 100mg cholesterol, 139mg sodium. We halved the servings (to make 16 servings) since the dessert was very rich and we had eaten a huge meal. This was a hit with everyone from young (2) to older (not at liberty to say 🙊) and we will be making this one ...

Banana creme pie is a classic no bake dessert that is quick to put together for short notice entertaining. It can also be customized to be healthier or to fit any diet than more typical pies - substitute sugar free pudding or switch to lactose free milk. What You Will Need 2-3 Ripe Bananas 1 Graham Cracker Crust  - Click Link for Recipe 1 Package of Vanilla Pudding (Can be Regular, Instant or Sugar Free) 2 C Milk (Can be Skim, 2%, or Whole) 9" Pie Pan While any brand and type of pudding works for this pie, we recommend using cook and serve pudding for best consistency. The cook and serve type sets up better than instant pudding. If you like, banana pudding can also be used. Vanilla is typical though as it serves as the cream flavor of the banana cream pie. Your choice of milk may also be used. We recommend 2% for best pie consistency, but anything from skim to whole milk or even heavy cream can be used to fit your family's needs and desires. Heavy cream creat...

Winter is upon us and nothing warms you up like a nice hearty soup. While soup in general is an affordable option, you can save even more money by making your own. If money isn't enough of a motivator for you, store bought soups are often high in sodium, lacking quality ingredients, and tend to leave you feeling hungry within a short period of time. By making your own soup you can control the ingredients and make it exactly to your liking. Soups are also great to make ahead and freeze for the future. Split pea soup is one of the heartier soups and will keep you full for hours. This budget friendly recipe is high in protein and fiber for only $0.42 / serving. It also freezes wonderfully since it is a creamy soup to start with - no need to worry about losing textures. The best part about this soup? It has only three ingredients and is a set it and forget it recipe. No time to cook?  Try this recipe in a  crockpot ! For full cost and nutrition facts, scroll to the bottom...

What You'll Need 1 Package Graham Crackers (~10 Crackers or 1&1/2 C) 1/3 C Sugar 6 Tbsp Oil or Butter Makes one ~9" Pie Crust Begin by pulverizing the graham crackers and sugar using preferably a food processor or mechanical blender. If without, place graham crackers in a zip bag and smash with a stout object. The grind has a fairly critical role on the final graham cracker crust, think of the dessert you are preparing and consider the role you would like the crust to play. In delicate, more intricate dishes like a cheesecake the graham cracker crust should be a thinner crust, think background accessory player providing all reasonable benefits without any risk of detracting from the starring role of the cheesecake. However, in many other desserts such as a blueberry crumble or banana creme pie the graham cracker crust plays a much larger role and due to the natural instability these filling a thicker, sturdier crust is essential. Alas I digress, simply pulveri...

It might be freezing outside, but you can be warm and healthy with this easy to make squash soup. Butternut squash makes a tasty soup and it is an great meal or side. There aren't many ingredients, but it is sure to go over well with even picky eaters. Not to mention it packs a load of nutrients into each bowl. What You'll Need:  1 Med Butternut Squash (4 Cups) 4 Stalks Celery 1 Yellow Onion 3 Carrots  2.5 Cups Water 2.5 Cups Chicken Bouillon Garlic to Taste 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream Step 1) Bake Squash Bake squash at ~350 for 45 minutes. Check out our how to cook squash  post or video if you need help.   Step 2) Cut/Cook Vegetables Cut celery, onion, and carrots into small pieces. The size isn't a big deal, but we will be blending later so judge according to your blender/food processor capabilities.  Put the vegetables in a stock pot or cook in smaller batches if need be. Boil under soft.      ...

Fall is here and with it comes an abundance of squash. Its all over the stores and if you've grown squash, you probably have quite the stockpile now. Today we are specifically looking at spaghetti squash. This one is a bit different than other winter squashes such as butternut or acorn in that, like the name suggests, it is stringy. There are almost endless recipes for spaghetti squash, but for all of them you will need a cooked spaghetti squash. You can either bake it or microwave it. This post will cover how to bake your spaghetti squash. What you'll need Spaghetti squash Olive oil Knife Baking sheet Tin foil (Optional) Spoon Begin by using a butchers knife to slice the stem off the squash. Continue by cutting your squash in half. Preheat oven to 350. Next you will want to scrape all the seeds and pulp out of the center. Be sure to save the seeds as roasted squash seeds make an excellent snack or if you plan on growing squash again next spring. See our pos...

So you have to travel for work? Maybe you're a truck driver or construction worker, or maybe you just have to drive a lot for work. Fast food or gas station food can get spends and while $5 or $10 a meal might not seem like much when you're buying food, it can add up fast. If you eat out every day just for lunch you could be saving close to $2000 a year by bringing your own lunch. That could be a nice getaway or part of a kitchen remodel. Now add in that if you're on the road a lot you are probably buying more than just lunch and the amount you can save keeps climbing. Let's now also assume you get paid per diem. You know, that extra money they give you to buy food. Why not spend a lot less and take the rest of that money to the bank?? Now you are saving hot original $2000 plus an extra $20-$50 a day depending on where you're working and what per diem is. With that kind of money, you could afford a total kitchen remodel or a week at sandals. What are your dreams w...

Is there anything better than grilled chicken? Maybe not once you add some fresh cilantro and garlic. This quick and simple recipe is sure to be a new favorite if you're already a fan of cilantro and can easily be adapted to an appetizer if need be.  This goes great with fresh greens (lettuce, kale, spinach) and potatoes, but would taste amazing with just about anything. Try using fresh garden veggies for optimal taste this summer! What you'll need: 1 Chicken Breast (~1lb) 3 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro or 6 Tbsp Dried Cilantro 8 cloves garlic 1/3 Cup Tomato Sauce 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar 1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar 1/2 Cup Raisins Food Processor 1.Combine all ingredients except the chicken in your food processor. Pulse until a fairly smooth sauce is formed. 2. You will now need to cook the chicken. Grill Chicken on medium heat. Apply half the sauce over chicken once you have flipped it the first time. Another option is to marinate the chicken with half the sauce before...

Summer is here, let the grilling commence! Not only does it seem that everything tastes better coming from the grill, it is also a great way to keep your home cooler reducing the need for air conditioning. Don't be fooled either by the commercials showing steak, burgers, and hotdogs being grilled. The grill is much more versatile than that, but we will start with an easy and delicious grilled potato recipe. Grilled Potatoes What you'll need: Potatoes (typically 1/person) Onions (1/3 ratio with potatoes) Garlic (1 Clove/Cup Potatoes) Butter/Margarine (1 Tbsp/Cup Potatoes) Lawry's Seasoning Salt (To Taste-Try not to overdo the salt) Tin Foil Cutting Board Knife Grill Hearty Appetite (or you could always have leftovers) Begin by chopping then onions and potatoes to bite size pieces Continue by laying out tin foil. Cut a piece long enough to hold everything you've cut up without bursting or create a few tinfoil packages. Then...