Budget Meal

Homemade Toaster Pastries

May 20, 2020 by Sarah 10 Comments

These homemade toaster pastries are the perfect, portable breakfast and can be customized with whatever filling you desire.

homemade toaster pastries with apricot and raspberry jam on square white plate with title text "Homemade Toaster Pastries"

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Do you remember the cream cheese pie dough we used to make these Kolaczki Cookies? Well, it turns out the dough also makes AMAZING toaster pastries, or homemade pop-tarts.

The cream cheese keeps the dough super moist and tender during baking and imparts a tart flavor that balances perfectly with jam filling.

You don’t have to limit yourself to just jam, though. These toaster pastries are delicious with an endless list of fillings.

toaster pastries stacked on white square plate with cup of hot chocolate in background

Pastry Filling Options

Nutella
Ricotta Cheese sweetened with sugar or honey
Peanut Butter
Scrambled Eggs
Browned sausage and shredded cheese
Sliced Strawberries

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Instant Pot Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes (no draining required!)

May 7, 2020 by Sarah Leave a Comment

Whip up a batch of creamy mashed potatoes packed with rosemary garlic flavor in your Instant Pot. The best part is there is no draining required and they’re ready in under 30 minutes.

side view of purple bowl of instant pot mashed potatoes with butter and rosemary sprig with title text "Instant Pot Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes"

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I’m going to go out on a limb and say that mashed potatoes are the best side dish! I rarely make them, though, because peeling and boiling and mashing is such a hassle.

Enter the Instant Pot. Cooking the potatoes in the Instant Pot is essentially steaming the potatoes so we can get away with using A LOT less liquid. Just enough to not get a “burn” warning, really. The potatoes steam and then the extra liquid evaporates when we mash the potatoes.

overhead instant pot mashed potatoes on grey plate with brown gravy

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Quick Dinners Using Canned Beans

April 20, 2020 by Sarah Leave a Comment

Save time in the kitchen by making quick dinners using canned beans. They cost pennies and add a great source of protein to any dinner.

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When it comes to making dinner, canned beans can be your best friend. Simply the can, drain and rinse, and you have a super frugal and easy base for dinner. Beans are also neutral in flavor, so they can take on whatever flavor you like.

What if I only have dried beans?

Cooking dried beans is so easy, but it does take time. Once you make a batch of dried beans, though, they freeze really well so you can portion into 2 cup portions and freezer for quick dinners.

My favorite way to cook dried beans is in the crock pot. This method takes 8 hours and is completely hands off. You don’t even have to pre-soak the beans. Check out my post on how to cook dried black beans. This method works for all other kinds of beans, too.

What about the canned bean liquid?

Aquafaba is the liquid that we drain off of canned beans and it is liquid gold. My friend Meggan, from Cooking on Caffeine, is a magician with using aquafaba to make buttercream icing, meringues, even macaron cookies! She has a whole post dedicated to the wonders of aquafaba here.

Casserole Dinners Using Pantry Ingredients

April 2, 2020 by Sarah 2 Comments

Casserole dinners are the best way to use ingredients from your pantry and freezer in a complete, one pot (or pan) meal.

collage image of casserole dinners with title text "Pantry and Freezer Casserole Dinners"

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What is a Casserole?

At its core, a casserole dinner is a dish that is a complete meal in one and is typically served in the same dish it was baked or cooked in.

First, you have a protein. This can be ground meat, diced or canned chicken, any other meat chopped into bite-size pieces or even beans.

Then, you have a starch or carbohydrate. This is usually rice or noodles of some kind.

Next, you have any variety of vegetables. I love to use frozen vegetables because they hold up the the baking and they are cheaper than fresh and easy to store.

Last, you need some kind of sauce to bring it all together. This can be canned soup, broth, gravy, or even cheese. The possibilities really are endless.

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Homemade Salsa (made with canned tomatoes!)

March 27, 2020 by Sarah Leave a Comment

Make homemade salsa in a pinch by using canned tomatoes and green chiles and blend it up in your food processor! No cooking or roasting required.

salsa in glass bowl with title text "homemade salsa"

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Ingredients

Canned Tomatoes: I suggest using fire-roasted canned tomatoes because they have a great flavor for salsa. You can absolutely use regular diced tomatoes if that is what you have. Also, you can use 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes if you don’t have 2 (15 ounce) cans.

Diced Green Chiles: You’ll want to drain your (7 ounce) can of diced green chiles. If you don’t have green chiles, feel free to add a can of Rotel or leave out entirely.

Lime Juice: You can use fresh or bottled here. If you have a whole lime, go ahead and use the zest and juice of the whole thing. The zest will add bright flavor to the salsa. If you don’t have lime juice, any acid will work. You can substitute with apple cider vinegar or orange juice.

Jalapeno: This is where you can use your personal preference. If you like a more mild salsa, cut your jalapeno in half and remove the seeds and ribs. Make sure to wear gloves or wash your hand right after removing. If you prefer salsa with a little more heat, leave the seeds and ribs. You’ll still want to cut the jalapeno in half to make it easier to blend in the food processor.

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Tater Tot Casserole (Make-Ahead Freezer Meal)

March 15, 2020 by Sarah Leave a Comment

Tater Tot Casserole (or Hotdish in the North) can be assembled and frozen for the perfect freezer meal. It can even be baked from frozen when you’re ready to eat.

collage of tater tot casserole freezer meal with title text

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Tater Tot Casserole is exactly what it sounds like. (Although in parts of the country it is called “Hotdish.”) Ground meat, frozen vegetables and a sauce mixed into a delicious, easy casserole and topped with frozen tater tots. It is filling and a complete meal in one plate. And to make it even better, you can make one or two at a time and package them up as freezer meals or bake right away.

Components of Tater Tot Casserole

Most “complete meal” casseroles start with some kind of ground meat. Sure, you can use diced chicken breast, but the quintessential casserole uses ground beef or ground turkey. These are interchangeable in my opinion, so use what you have on hand.

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Pineapple Cake Mix Whoopie Pies

March 6, 2020 by Sarah 7 Comments

These Pineapple Cake Mix Whoopie Pies are so easy to make and are bursting with pineapple flavor. They’re the perfect dessert for Easter and Spring!

pineapple cake mix whoopie pie on white plate with paper doily with title text

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When I think of Spring, I think of bright colors and flavors. Pineapple happens to be one of my favorite flavors and these whoopie pies made using cake mix capture the flavor of Spring in a delightful handheld dessert.

These whoopie pies would be perfect for a bake sale, a fun weekend treat for the kiddos, or served at Easter dinner.

Ingredient Recommendations

Cake Mix: I call for Pineapple cake mix, but you can use Yellow or White cake mix if that is what you have. We will be adding pineapple juice to the cake mix and crushed pineapple to the filling, so you’ll still get plenty of pineapple flavor.

Oil: Use any neutral flavored oil you have here: canola, vegetable. You can use olive oil or avocado oil, but they may affect the flavor of the cake.

Canned Crushed Pineapple: We are going to use the juice and the pineapple so save the juice when you drain the can.

Cream Cheese: I recommend using full-fat cream cheese. I feel low-fat cream cheese doesn’t have nearly as good a flavor. Just go for the real stuff, especially in your desserts.

Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter when baking. This way, you can control the amount of salt that is added to the recipe. Also, take your butter and cream cheese out of the fridge an hour before you plan on using it so that it is softened and easier to blend.

Assembling your Cake Mix Whoopie Pies

Once your whoopie pies are baked, you will need to let them cool com-plete-ly! If you try to fill them when they are still warm, your lovely cream cheese icing will melt all over the place. Patience is your friend here.

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Ground Chicken Salisbury Steak

February 23, 2020 by Sarah Leave a Comment

chicken salisbury steak patties on white platter with gravy

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Salisbury Steak gets a much needed upgrade with this Ground Chicken Salisbury Steak with homemade mushroom gravy. You’ll never go back to the freezer dinner version after this!

Not only is this recipe easy to make, it has way more flavor than the microwavable version ever could. Onions, garlic and parsley are mixed with the ground chicken to make a deliciously savory Salisbury steak.

Then, everything is cooked in one skillet and the flavors build as you brown the steaks, saute the mushrooms and onions and make a quick brown gravy with the pan drippings.

ground chicken in white bowl with seasoning and egg

chicken patty in bowl of flour on stone counter

Ingredients

When it comes to ground chicken, I recommend a mixture of light and dark meat. The dark meat has more flavor and helps keep the ground meat moist. If you are watching calories or cholesterol, feel free to use 100% white meat ground chicken

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Slow Cooker Irish Chili

February 6, 2020 by Sarah 1 Comment

white bowl containing irish chili on a white plate with crackers

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When we’re in the thick of winter, there is nothing more satisfying and soul-warming than a big bowl of chili! Give me the option to cook it in the slow cooker and you’re got a dish after my own heart. This Irish Chili combines the smoky flavor of traditional chili with dark Irish beer to give it a heft that deepens the flavor. You’ll definitely want to add this recipe for Slow Cooker Irish Chili to your monthly meal plan.

chopped peppers, black beans, ground beef, crushed tomatoes, and chopped celery in slow cooker

Start by browning the ground beef in a skillet. Then, transfer the meat, any pan dripping and ALL other ingredients to your slow cooker. Set it on Low and slow cook for 6-8 hours. That’s it!

overhead of irish chili in white bowl with bottle of Guinness beer

The Irish beer add a richness and bitter notes that are mellowed during the cooking process. You won’t taste beer when it’s done. You’ll taste a rich chili packed with smoky flavor.

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Homemade BBQ Sauce

January 28, 2020 by Sarah Leave a Comment

Homemade BBQ sauce is one of the easiest condiments to make at home. In fact, my daughter whipped up this batch and loved helping in the kitchen.

Making BBQ sauce and other pantry staples at home allows you to control the ingredients AND it usually winds up saving you money! This BBQ sauce recipe consists of ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, mustard powder and salt and pepper. The best part: it really is as simple as dumping all the ingredients in a bowl and stir it up.

homemade bbq sauce ingredients in clear glass bowl with child's hand adding tablespoon of paprika

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Budget Meal

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Pastry Filling Options

What if I only have dried beans?

What about the canned bean liquid?

More Pantry Posts

What is a Casserole?

Ingredients

Components of Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredient Recommendations

Assembling your Cake Mix Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

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