Thriftism

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...

Walking along a bustling street in the center of Manhattan, you can smell the hundreds of different food cart options available for lunch. If you're lucky there won't be too long of a line and you can grab a plate from the Halal Guys or maybe find a good Shawarma place. If you're anywhere else that doesn't have these types of food available you're usually out of luck and have to settle for something from home or typical chain fast food restaurant food. But maybe you don't have to settle... By making your own version of this chicken and rice dish along with that mystifying white sauce, you can have almost all the joy of eating from your favorite food cart anytime. An added benefit is you can reduce your sodium intake or avoid certain ingredients if necessary and you can save a lot of money by not eating out. So whether you're in the heart of the Midwest and can't get to a restaurant or in the center of Manhattan and just want to save some dough, try you...