Archive for the ‘Cooking’ Category

Earlier this week Philadelphia Cream Cheese tweeted me and asked if I would be interested in trying out a new recipe for them.  For my participation I would receive coupons and a cookbook – what a deal – two things I love!!  So here I am tonight preparing “Spaghetti a la Philly” for my family.   The recipe appears to be simple and frugal so if it tastes good, it will be added to our menu!  Okay,  here is the recipe:

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each)

1 pound lean ground beef
1 jar (24 ounces) Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce
1/2 package (4 ounces) Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese, cut into cubes
1/2 package (8 ounces) spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons Kraft grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook the beef in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring
often to separate meat.  Pour off any fat.
2. Stir the sauce and cream cheese in the skillet.  Reduce the heat to low.  Cook for 3
minutes or until the cream cheese is melted, stirring often.
3. Place the spaghetti into a large bowl.  Add the beef mixture and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

Simple enough right? They even provided us with a link to a “How to” video.  You can see it by clicking here!

Okay, so here is my finished product – the only thing I didn’t have was fresh herbs to top it with so it looks a little bland.

All in all I found this recipe to be very easy to prepare and I had fun making it.  I like the creaminess of the sauce and the flavor reminded me of Lasagna.  I am thinking I may try a little Cream Cheese in place of Cottage Cheese next time I make Lasagna!
This recipe is very similar to how we make regular Spaghetti in our home so basically the only difference was adding the Philly Cream Cheese.  Now I know the recipe only called for half of the package of Cream Cheese but since I love it so much, I put the whole thing in!  I did try the sauce with only half first but felt that it needed more for my liking.  It was a personal preference so I would suggest that if you are going to try this recipe, try it with half first and then go from there.
I hope you try this out and enjoy it as much as our family did!  This could easily be a meal for 4 for under $5.00 if you find the ingredients on sale or use a coupon!

Tastes great & frugal too!  What more could we ask for!  Two thumbs up from me!

While supplies last – stop by BettyCrocker.com and sign up for one of their great newsletters and pick up your “Let’s Bake a Moment” Betty Crocker 2010 Calendar!  If I know Betty, their will surely be coupons included as well!

I love pumpkin!  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin latte,  pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin bagels and the list goes on.  It seems though this is the only time of the year that I seem to have it.  Considering the health benefits of Pumpkin, I should be eating it a lot more!

According to  The Hub Pages , Pumpkin is rich in anti oxidants.

Beta carotene—The rich orange color is a dead give away to the nutrients present in pumpkin. Research shows that people who eat a diet rich in beta-carotene are less likely to develop certain cancers than those who fail to include beta-carotene-rich foods in their diet.

Loaded with Potassium—Studies show people who have a potassium rich diet lower the risk for hypertension. Potassium rich foods include bananas, broccoli, avocados, pomegranate and many others.

Zinc—Not only is zinc a major boost for your immune system, it also aids in bone density support for people at risk for osteoporosis.

High in Fiber—Diets rich in fiber may prevent cancer, heart disease and other serious ailments.

I need more Potassium & Fiber in my diet!  I have to take prescribed Potassium supplements and those things are huge!  If you have ever had to have IV Potassium,  you will absolutely want to be sure you get plenty of it naturally!

Other health benefits include being linked to a healthy prostrate, anti-inflammatory benefits for people with Arthritis & it’s also said it helps your skin look younger!

With all that being said, here is how I am helping my self and my family to be healthier!

EASY PUMPKIN MUFFINS

…as if I am not hungry all the time!  The holidays are much worse though because it’s almost like it has been ingrained in my head that  “I must eat, I must bake, I must eat more”…I must gain weight.  Well, I am trying to change those thoughts and this year I am going to do it a little different.  No, I am not going to start a full on diet right at the holidays but I am going to help myself rather than do more harm!  Today I will share a few of the recipes I will be trying out on my family this year.  It’s a good thing they don’t read my blog or they would know what they were really eating!

Other than the obvious Turkey, I am going to throw in these simple Weight Watchers “Simply Filling” recipes shared on one of my favorite sites, BootCamp Buddies – Thank you to all who contributed to these recipes.  I wish I could personally thank you but I am not sure who the credit goes to!

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
1 serving cooking spray (5 one-second sprays per serving)
1 1/2 pound sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks or Canned Sweet Potatoes in water
8 oz canned crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
3 tsp  Splenda (R) No Calorie Sweetener
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (I like Pumpkin Pie Spice)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
Place potatoes in prepared dish. Combine crushed pineapple, Splenda and cinnamon in a small bowl; add to potatoes and toss until well mixed.
Bake, stirring after 30 minutes, until sweet potato mixture is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

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I can’t wait to try this one!

Cranberry Relish

Ingredients
1 bag of cranberries
2 small apples cored and diced
1 can mandarin oranges
1 can crushed pineapple, reserve juice
1 small box SF Cranberry or Raspberry Jello
Splenda to taste

Instructions
Place cranberries and chopped apple in food processor and pulse until fine but not pureed. Pour pineapple juice in measuring cup and add water to make 1 cup. Add drained oranges and pineapple and pulse until mixed. Transfer to large bowl. Microwave the juice/water to boiling and add jello. Stir until dissolved. Add to fruit mixture and stir well. Add a bit of  Splenda if you want it a little sweeter. Chill for several hours.

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Cranberry Sauce (I did this one last year – it was yummy!)

Ingredients
1 cup Splenda
1 cup water
1 12-ounce package Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

Instructions
Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil; add cranberries, return to boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 2 1/4 cups.

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1/3 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Instructions
Place potatoes, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large saucepot. Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes and garlic are fork tender, ten to twenty minutes depending on the size of the cubes. Drain, then place potatoes and garlic in a mixing bowl.
With an electric mixer at medium speed, blend potatoes and garlic until just mashed. Add sour cream, milk, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. With mixer at high speed, blend just until smooth. Stir in parsley. ——————————————————————————————————————

We will also be having deviled eggs that I will make with Fat Free Mayo and sugar free pickle relish.  For the sweetness I will add a dash of Splenda, a veggie tray with FF Sour Cream & dry Ranch dip mix.  Now as I said in the beginning of this post, I am not going full on Fat Free & tasteless so of course we will have pies & rolls.  What would Thanksgiving be without those?

Hope you find these recipes helpful to you if you are on the same track I am!

Enjoy & Happy Thanksgiving to you!

When the weather gets cooler, I love to cook.  More than that, I love to eat!  Here are two of my favorite, easy to make “comfort meals”.  If you find the ingredients on sale, these are also pretty frugal because they serve a lot.  We always have leftovers for the next days lunch or for our “mustgo” night. “Mustgo” night is something I learned about when my hubby and I got married.  It is what most families typically term as eating leftovers but for us, it’s when you pull all of the leftovers from the week out of the fridge and eat a variety of foods because everything “must go” to make room for the next weeks worth of groceries or meals.

I hope you enjoy these recipes!

Easy Lasagna

1 lb. Ground Beef – browned & drained
9 Lasagna noodles – uncooked
16 oz. Cottage Cheese
2 c. Mozzarella  Cheese (shredded)
1 28 oz. jar of Spaghetti Sauce (or if you have the time & ingredients, homemade would be great!)
1 egg
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg, salt & pepper in a large bowl & mix well.  Pour spaghetti sauce in pan with meat & mix well.  In baking pan or crock pot, layer noodles, meat sauce & cheeses until all are used.  If baking in oven, cover with foil and bake at 350 for one hour or until noodles are tender.  If cooking in crockpot, add 1/2 cup of water and cook 8 hours on low setting.

Serve with salad & bread.  Serves 6-8

Mom’s Meatloaf

1.5 lbs. Ground Beef
1 small onion – chopped finely
1 small bell pepper – chopped finely
1 stalk celery – chopped finely
8 crackers – crumbled
1 egg
1 cup Ketchup
Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all ingredients well and form in to a loaf.  Place in pan and bake for 1 hour or until inside is no longer pink.  Top with Ketchup and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes.  Slice and server with mashed potatoes, green beans & salad.

What’s cookin’ this week…this is what is planned but with two teens, one never knows how the meals may change. I picked up a couple of Pork Tenderloins at Kroger this weekend for .99/lb.  These are going to be great for more than one meal.  I will  do Roasted Pork Tenderloin in my crock pot early in the week and BBQ Pulled Pork in the crock pot with the leftovers on Friday (HS Football night).

Monday – Lasagna (made with .39 cent Barilla Whole Grain Pasta Shells instead of Lasagna noodles)

Tuesday – Roast Pork Tenderloin – .99/lb at Kroger this week.

Wednesday – Taco Salad & Knorr Taco Rice (.10 at Kroger with printable coupon found a few weeks ago)

Thursday – Bertolli Florentine & Farfalle ($4.99 at Walgreen’s last week w/ coupon from Sunday insert)

Friday – BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

If there are any left overs, I will take them for lunch this week.  I will shop on Saturday so I don’t know what we will have until then! As for sides, we usually do a vegetable and we have tons of the Green Giant Steamers from the Kroger Mega Deals the last two weeks.

Enjoy your week & happy cooking!