Easy Chicken and Biscuits

I have been wanting comfort food lately. I am trying to get a few casseroles in before the kitchen is closed for summer. It is just way to hot to cook inside during the summer. Here is another under five dollar dinner and a great stockpile meal Easy Chicken and Biscuits.

I wanted to make some chicken stock for some beans I was planning on cooking later in the week. I boiled a bone in chicken breast with seasonings. This is like the canned chicken you normally buy, but not nearly as expensive. I used the stock for some beans I was cooking to put up and freeze. I had no idea what I was going to do with the chicken. I put it in the fridge and started going through some recipes to see what I wanted. Since the chicken was in the fridge it was so easy to cut up it just fell off the bone. This dish originally started off as Chicken pot pie, but I just didn't feel like making the crust.

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Easy Chicken and Biscuits

Ingredients for Creamed Chicken:
1 Boiled Chicken breast - deboned and cubed $1.00
1 Medium Onion chopped $0.49
1 Can Cream of Broccoli Soup - if you don't have this use any creamed soup $0.40
1/2 cup Milk $0.20
1 Can Mix Vegetables drained $0.50
1/2 Cup Frozen corn $0.15
1/2 Cup Frozen Broccoli $0.15
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning $0.05
2 tablespoon butter or oil


Ingredients for Biscuits:
1 1/2 cup Biscuit mix (I used Bisquick) $0.30
1/2 cup Milk $0.20


1. Saute the onions in a little butter or oil until they are translucent. 


2. Add cubed chicken, soup, 1/4 cup milk, mixed veggies, frozen veggies. Heat this mixture through. Pour this into a round 2 quart casserole dish. 


3. Make the biscuits for the topping. In a large bowl add biscuit mix and milk stir until lumpy. Spread biscuit mixture over the top of the round dish. 


4. Place in oven at 350 for 30 mins. Top should be golden brown when the Chicken and Biscuits are removed.


5. For a slight variation to this recipe add 1/2 cup of cheese to the biscuits for a cheesy biscuit top or drop biscuits on top.

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This is super easy chicken and biscuit meal that you can whip up for you family in no time. This meal cost me around $3.50 to make to feed my family of five. The prices reflect my stockpile price for these items. This is another under five dollar dinner you can make to feed your family. Everyone in my house loved it. There were even a few leftovers for the next day. 


Want to save money on this meal? Click here to print coupons for butter, margarine  and oil and more.


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Pork Chops Potato Bake or Pork Chops O Brien

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Pork Chop Potato Bake

Now let's get to the recipe today Pork Chop Potato Bake or Pork Chops O'Brien. This is one of those casserole dishes that is super easy and very delicious. My family just loves this dish, since it has everything that is good in a casserole. I don't think this ranks really high on the healthy chart, but it is great when you have a special occasion to celebrate or on a cold day. My mom always made this when I was a kid and I just love it. Whenever Potatoes O'Brien goes on sale, I make sure I pick up a package just for this meal.

Ingredients:

5-6 Pork chops (enough for one for each member of your family) ($2.66)

Flour with seasonings for breading on pork chops($0.10)

1 cup Cheese ($0.75) divided

1 Package Potatoes O'Brien (Preferably Thawed)($1.80)

1 Can Cream of Chicken soup ($0.50)

1 2.8oz package of fried Onions($0.95)

1/2 Cup Sour Cream ($0.50)(I use Plain Greek Yogurt instead)

1/2 cup Milk ($0.10)

Oil ($.10)

1. I dredge the Pork Chops in flour with seasonings. You can use whatever you like. I use a little garlic salt, season all, cajun seasoning, paprika and salt and pepper. Pretty much whatever I think will taste good.

2. In a skillet with a couple of tablespoons of oil, fry the pork chops until they are golden on each side. Take them out and set aside.

3. Prepare the Potatoes. Open Package of Potatoes O'Brien and Can of soup and put into a large bowl. Put about 1/2 cup of the Cheese, 1/2 Cup Sour Cream, about 1/2 of the fried onions in the bowl and add . Add the milk and stir.

It is always helpful if you have some help to stir the mixture!

4. Place all the mixture in a large greased 13X9in baking dish. Lay the porkchops on top. Bake at 350 for 40 min. If the potatoes are still frozen, increase this to 50 min.

5. 10 minutes before the Pork Chop Potato Bake is finished take out of the oven sprinkle remaining fried onions and cheese on the top and bake uncovered to get  a nice crisp golden top.

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The Pork Chop Potato Bake is one of my more expensive meals at $7.46 to feed all five of us. But there is usually potato leftovers for two people the next day for lunch or I will freeze the leftovers and have them as a side dish later. This dish is also excellent to take to give as a gift for a new family, grieving family or any family in need of a meal. If you don't have Cream of Chicken you can always use Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Whatever soup. It will still turn out fine. Pork Chop Potato Bake can even be made for a Meatless Monday dish if you omit the Pork Chops and add another 1/2 Cup of Greek Yogurt and 1/2 cup cheese. Read my article about why is Greek yogurt better for you.

Let me know if you have ever tried this or do try this recipe. Your family will be asking for it again.

Chocolate Strawberry Brownies

These Chocolate Strawberry Brownies are the best and are super easy to make. My kids just love these brownies. I made them for Valentines day. However, I think these Chocolate Strawberry Brownies are great for any occasion.  They really taste like Chocolate Covered Strawberries. These have to be healthy they contain a fruit, RIGHT?

I use the box brownies, since I got these for FREE I really couldn't beat the price.

Chocolate Strawberry Brownies

 1. Open the box of brownies and dump the contents into a large mixing bowl.

2. The box usually calls for water, instead use the same measurement of strawberry puree . 

 3. Add oil and egg. Just like the box calls for. 

4. For extra Chocolaty brownies unwrap 24 Hershey's kisses.

5. I use the small muffin tins and put a Hershey's kiss in the center of each brownie.

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As always I forgot to take a picture of the final product. These Chocolate Strawberry Brownies were all gone by the time I thought of it. Since the brownie mix was FREE, the egg was around $0.10 and so was the oil. If I didn't add the kisses these cost me around $0.20. I can't remember what I paid for the kisses, but they are under 1/2 a bag.


I normally make strawberry puree when strawberries are in season. I wash and put all the strawberries in the blender and freeze them in 1/4 cup baggies. Then I have them all the time for smoothies or whatever we want to add strawberries to.

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Homemade Enchiladas & Sauce

I have been couponing for a year and I haven't seen enchilada sauce go on sale nor have I seen a coupon for it. To be honest I haven't been searching too hard for it either. I have been craving some enchiladas lately, since they are so easy to make and freeze great. Instead of buying enchilada sauce for $2.00 a can, I even saw one for $4.00 and it was not organic, my frugalness came out, I researched how to make it. I knew I had a ton of tomatoes that had to be the main ingredient. 

I had some smoked chicken in the freezer I needed to use. Traditionally chicken enchiladas are made with a white sauce, but I decided to be different and wanted red sauce for these. This is also a great Stockpile Recipe.

The original recipe was found on All Recipes app on my phone however I adapted to what I thought would be a better sauce. If you haven't figured out by now. I rarely use a recipe I find exactly. It is modified to what I have on hand.

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Red Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:
1 Tbl Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic
1 tsp. Onion - I added a little more
1/2 tsp. Oregano
2 1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Basil
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1/4 cup Salsa
1 14.5 can Diced Tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste


1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and saute until the onions become translucent. Add Chili powder, Oregano, Basil, Cumin, Salsa, Tomato Sauce and salt and pepper to taste. 


2. Mix together. Bring to a boil. Then with an immersion blender, blend all ingredients in sauce pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 min. 

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1/2 Chicken
Enchilada Sauce from above
14 or so corn tortillas
Cheese


1. Make the enchilada sauce above.

2. Pull chicken off bone and shred with two forks. Place in a bowl.

3. Take a skillet and heat on med high heat. Place corn tortilla on skillet for 1 minute and flip for 1 minute. Remove from skillet. This makes the tortillas easier to roll.

4. Place two tablespoons of shredded chicken in the center of tortilla and roll. This should be easier, since the tortilla is warmed. 

5. Spray a 9X13 baking dish. Place enchilada seem side down in dish.

6. Repeat steps 3 -5 until baking dish is full or chicken is all used. 

7. Pour enchilada sauce over the top of all enchiladas.

8. Top off with cheese and bake at 350 for 30 min.

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This becomes a dance to warm the tortillas in the skillet and keep the assembly line going with chicken. Sometimes I talk to myself to remind me to put the tortilla on the skillet while I am making the other one. It makes the build process easier if you have an assembly line going. 


Let me know if you try this awesome dish. I loved the flavor and freshness of these. I served it with some re-fried beans and Spanish rice. Have you ever made enchiladas?


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Recipe Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

I normally get the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl bread loaf at Kroger when it is in the discount section for $1.00. I take it home and freeze it right away. This recipe will feed all five of us for one meal; However, I like to make this on a weekend afternoon on my electric griddle and freeze it, so the kids have this for breakfast instead of cold cereal. I warm it up in the toaster on a higher setting and press the frozen button. This past week they were lucky enough to have freezer muffins and Cinnamon Swirl French Toast to choose from.

If you do not have an electric griddle here is one from Amazon that is very similar to mine. This makes an awesome gift too.

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Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

1 loaf Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

4-6 Eggs

½ Cup of Milk

1. Toast both sides of the Cinnamon Swirl bread on and electric griddle set for 350 degrees for a couple of minutes on each side or until starting to turn golden. After the bread is toasted allow to cool for a few mintues. Otherwise the bread gets too soggy.

2. Take 2 eggs and crack them in a large flat bottom bowl and add ¼ cup milk. Mix well.

3. Dip the bread in the egg mixture and let it soak a minute or two on each side. The egg should soak into the bread. Keep dipping pieces until the egg mixture is gone. Once gone add another couple of eggs and the remaining milk until all bread is soaked and on the griddle.

4. Spray electric griddle with spray oil and lay the egg soaked bread on the electric griddle. Let fry for a couple of minutes. The egg will get brown around the edges of the toast. Flip and let the other side brown.

5. Once complete serve with powdered sugar, apple butter, apple sauce or syrup.

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Last time I made Cinnamon Swirl French Toast I only used four eggs and a little milk. This costs me $1.00 for the bread and $0.44 for the eggs. So for the main part of the meal I spent $1.44 to feed a family of five for breakfast. This meal includes protein, carbs and a fruit.

How much do you spend on breakfast for your family?

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Recipe Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour (I used 2 Cups 100% Whole Wheat & 1/4 cup Buckwheat)

1 teaspoon Baking Soda (I add a little more, since I am using Whole Wheat)

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

½ teaspoon salt

2 Eggs

2 cups Sugar (You can use less. These turned out very sweet)

1 Cup Canned Pumpkin (I used pumpkin I had pureed in the freezer)

½ cup Vegetable Oil

1 cup dried cranberries

1. In bowl combine the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt.

2. In a separate mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar; then add the pumpkin and oil mix well.

3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until moistened. Then fold in the cranberries.

4. Fill greased muffin tins ¾ full.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.

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The Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins have a great blend of tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness of the pumpkin that blends well together. They were very moist and almost melted in my mouth when we ate them.  The sugar caramelized to make the edges a little crispy.They still are very moist and delicious after you freeze them. I know you will enjoy these.


I let them cool on a wire rack. Then I place  Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins  in a large gallon freezer bag and freeze for the kids to take out and enjoy every morning before school. Pop 2 of them in the microwave for about a minute. Let me know if you try these delicious muffins.

I have switched all of my flour use to 100% Whole Wheat flour. The biggest difference I have noticed it is more dense than regular white four and a little more grainy in texture. The kids don't seem to mind. The flavor is great. The whole wheat flour has little more nuttier flavor than the bland white flour. There is  more nutrition in using whole grains than processed and bleached products and your body can digest this better. I would recommend going whole grain before going gluten free.

I am thinking of adding a linky to my Wednesday recipe posts. Let me know if you would be interested in a recipe linky?


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Tasty Taco Soup Recipe

Taco Soup is a very versatile and great stockpile recipe that can easily be made into a vegetarian version. There are two ways to prepare Taco Soup. One is on the stove top or use a slow cooker. Taco soup is very simple and great on those days when you are super busy and no time to make dinner. This almost makes itself. I call it a dump soup, since you simply open a few cans and dump it in a pot and then voila you have a quick and easy meal.

I don’t like to dirty more dishes than I have to. So I will show you how to make this using only the slow cooker or using only one pot on the stove. 

 Taco Soup

Ingredients:



1/2 to Whole Onions
1 Pound Ground Meat

1 Can Stewed Tomatoes

1 Can Beans (I used Black Beans) (Vegetarian add another can of beans)

1 Can Whole Kernel Corn (Or you can use 1 cup of frozen)

1 Package of Taco Seasoning (1/4 cup of taco seasoning, if you make your own)

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté ½ to a whole onion in two table spoons of butter or oil

     Slow Cooker: place on high for 30 – 1hour stirring every 15 min.

     Pot: Saute onions in butter or oil on the stove top in a large pot.

2. Add 1 pound of ground meat to the onions and brown the meat then drain (skip this if Vegetarian)

     Slow Cooker: place on high for 1hour stirring every 15 min.

     Pot: Brown the meat stirring frequently. Then drain.

3. Now open all those cans and dump:

1 Can Stewed Tomatoes

1 Can Beans (I used Black) (Vegetarian add another can of beans)

1 Can Whole Kernel Corn

1 Package of Taco Seasoning (1/4 cup of taco seasoning)

Salt and pepper to taste

4. Heat all the way through
     Slow Cooker: Cook for an additional hour on high or turn on low until ready to serve.

     Pot: Let cook for about 20 min. for the flavors to meld.

Serving suggestions:

Serve over rice or tortilla chips

Top with Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt

Top with shredded cheese

Or you can do all of the above

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Now wasn't that easy? Anyone can make this Taco Soup. This soup is one of my favorites, because it is so delicious and simple to make. The kids like it too, since it tastes like tacos. Let me know if you try it or have any other easy soup recipes you would like to share.


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Tips for Tuesday - Make Ahead Muffins

When I first started my extreme couponing journey a year ago, I loved the thrill of getting things for free or really cheap. However, when I really looked at what I was buying, it was a lot of junk food or unhealthy food. I really didn't want to be feeding this to my growing children. I wanted to feed them nourishing food for their growing bodies.

We were spending way too much on food, since we were now on a single income.  I needed to also stay on a strict budget. When I was looking at what I could do, I knew I needed to cut back on the grocery budget. When I was a single mom a few years back, my daughter and I survived on $20 a week for all our meals. I thought I would try to do the something similar with a family of five. I would spend $10 per person per week for my grocery budget.

I like the fact of buying muffins in the package and opening them up and pouring a few ingredients in then baking them. Ta Da you then have muffins. I also realized in order to provide better food I needed to get back to the basics and start cooking more things from scratch. I was staying at home now, so I had the time right? So I thought. I was just as busy if not busier. How could I provide good food and save time?

I remembered my "Joy of Cooking " cook book had a recipe for making muffins by listing the dry ingredients then telling you what to add to make variations of these muffins. Here is the simple recipe and a few variations you can use:

1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour (I use whole wheat, I haven't noticed to much of a difference)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Sugar

2 Teaspoons double-acting baking powder (I use a little more, since I use whole wheat)

I simply make a few ziplock bags with these dry ingredients in there. Then I have a little print out of the wet ingredients:

Dry Ingredients for Muffins:

Beat in 2 eggs

2-4 Tablespoons butter melted

3/4 cup milk

Combine all the ingredients and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Blueberry or berry muffins add:

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup berries

Pumpkin:

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup Pumpkin

Then I have my own prepackaged muffins I can whip up whenever I want. 


I must say the best gift for a new bride would be "Joy of Cooking " cook book. It is very educational and has a recipe for just about anything you would want to make.  

Learn couponing strategies by reading my

How to Start Couponing Beginners Guide

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Do you have any great time saving tips? How do you save time during the week?

Whatever Wednesday - Homemade Pizza Rolls

When I asked my stepson what he wanted to eat for his birthday party, he told me pizza. I am not the type that wants to do just boring pizza. So I started thinking. Then I remembered Double Daves, a pizza place here in Texas. They serve their own version of pizza rolls. These are the best thing I have ever had. After a little bit of research I found a recipe as a guide for homemade pizza rolls, since this recipe was basic and used more processed ingredients than I wanted to use, I made own version of homemade pizza rolls. I made my own pizza dough from scratch using my bread machine. Overall these are pretty easy to make, but a little time consuming.

This takes a little timing if you are doing this for a party. To make sure the pizza roll dough is ready in time and the rolls will be ready when the guests arrive. This recipe makes enough to put two batches on a pizza stone.

 Homemade Pizza Rolls

First make a 2 pound batch of pizza dough using a bread machines recipe, or the largest amount of dough you can make. Add two cloves of minced garlic and a teaspoon of Italian seasoning to add a little flavor to the dough for the rolls. You can adjust to what you like.

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the dough in half. Then sprinkle some flour on your surface to roll out half of your dough for the pizza rolls.

Start working one half of the the dough into a round shape. This may take a while. Try stretching it in your hands if using a rolling pin proves difficult.

Make about a 12-14in circle. Just like pizza.

With a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut into eight pieces for eight pizza rolls.

Starting at the large end of the dough, place 4-6 slices of pepperoni at the end and put a piece of mozzarella on top. It can be sliced, block or shredded. Since, these are homemade you can fill these pizza rolls with whatever you want. I am traditional and love pepperoni.

Fold the sides over onto itself and stretch the back over the cheese and pepperoni and roll. Stretch the dough as you roll to the point to form a tight seal, so the cheese won’t leak out. It is ok if it does. Do the same for the other half of the dough.

You can spray the homemade pizza rolls with your MISTO spray bottle filled with olive oil and place them on a cookie sheet or pizza stone and cook in the oven on 400 for 15-20 min. The oil will provide a nice brown coating on the outside of the rolls.

Serve these homemade pizza rolls with warmed pasta sauce or ranch dressing for dipping. Very yummy.

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I was able to time it where I pulled out the last batch of homemade pizza rolls right before the first guest arrived and kept them in the oven on warm until everyone arrived. Then we ate hot homemade pizza rolls. I am going to make another batch using whole wheat flour and keep them in the freezer. When the kids want a quick snack or I don’t feel like cooking lunch, we can just pop them in the microwave and serve. Let me know if you make these. I know you will be hooked. 

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