"Cheater" Chili

As a chili lover, I know that the best chili is the one that cures over many hours, simmering into deliciousness that is best served with cornbread. But sometimes, I forget to break out the crockpot before work. So what's a girl to do with a chili craving and limited cooking time? Cheat, of course!

I threw this little gem together one night after work when the kids were hungry and I had a hankering. It's quick and dirty, but oooh so good :) I like to have it over crunched up Fritos!

Cheater Skillet Chili

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb ground turkey or beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 can black beans, lightly rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
3/4 cup ketchup
Hot sauce to taste

Directions:

1. Brown the ground meat over medium heat, drain excess juices.
2. Add onion, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, beans, tomatoes, and ketchup. Stir to mix well.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Total Cost

Ground turkey: $2.00
Onion: $0.30
Pepper: $0.80
Ketchup: $0.25
Beans: $0.75
Tomatoes: $0.85
Spices: $0.30

Grand Total: $5.25 for 6-8 servings!

Hearty Baked Stuffed Zucchini

I decided to try this recipe from Boston.com in search of a different variation on my usual baked stuffed zucchini. The verdict? It was savory, filling, and the kids (even the baby) cleaned their plates! You almost don't need a side dish with this, but it would be great with a light pasta salad!


Baked Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:
1 extra large or 4 medium zucchini
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef, chicken or turkey
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (from the can or fresh grated)
1 Tbsp fresh (or 1 tsp dry) thyme and oregano
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2-4 medium tomatoes, sliced thin
appx 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. For an extra large zucchini, cut into 4 pieces.

-With a spoon, remove the seeds. You can save them or discard, depending on your preference. Take a small knife and remove as much of the flesh as possible from the zucchini without puncturing the shells. Save the flesh (and seed cores if you choose) in a bowl.

-Place the shells face-down in a roasting pan with 1/4 inch of water. Bake for 15 minutes or until the shells are soft but not fully cooked. Leave the oven on. Pour the water out of the roasting pan and lightly grease with olive oil.

-While shells are baking, chop the zucchini flesh coarsely.

-In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the onion until softened. Add the ground meat and cook until browned. Remove the skillet from the heat.

-Add the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and lemon juice. Stir in the chopped zucchini flesh. Mix until it makes a nice sticky filling.

-Fill the shells with the stuffing, it should flatten them out quite a bit and make a good sized mound of stuffing in the shell. Place in the roasting pan. Lay the thin sliced tomates over the top of the stuffing. Sprinkle a little extra parmesan cheese over the tomatoes.

-Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and a little more parmesan cheese, bake an additional 20 minutes or until the cheese lightly browns.

Total Cost

Zucchini - $2.00
Onion - $0.30
Ground turkey - $1.79
Bread Crumbs - $0.10
Parmesan - $0.50
Tomatoes - $1.50
Mozzarella - $0.50
Seasonings - $0.15

Grand Total: $6.34 for 4 servings

Japanese-style Beef Curry Rice

This recipe comes from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook - the original recipe calls for cubed beef but I did it with ground beef instead - either way it is a great beef stew/hamburger soup alternative!

Japanese-Style Beef Curry Rice

Ingredients:
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
3-4 medium carrots, sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
3 tsp curry powder
1 cup frozen peas (optional)

Directions:
-Put potatoes in the slow cooker. Layer sliced carrots on top.
-In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, drain well and place in the cooker. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel to remove most of the leftover grease.
-Heat the oil in the same skillet, add the onion and garlic, and cook until softened. Add the curry, salt and pepper and cook 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to the cooker.
-Pour the broth in the skillet, bring to a boil and scrape up any bits stuck to the pan. Pour into the cooker and add water.
-Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hrs. Serve over rice.

***optional: if you like the stew thicker (best when using stew meat instead of ground beef), skip adding the curry to the onions. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a small skillet. Add 3 Tbsp flour and cook, stirring, until it becomes brown (about 5 minutes). Add 1 Tbsp curry and stir for another minute. Remove from heat. Turn your slow cooker on HIGH. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of the liquid, and add to the flour mixture, stirring until there are no lumps. Slowly add this mixture back into the slow cooker (stir carefully, don't break up the potatoes). Stir in frozen peas. Cover and cook on high about 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

Total Cost:
Potatoes: $0.50
Carrots: $0.40
Vegetable oil: $0.03
Beef: $2.00
Onion: $0.30
Broth: $0.60 (free if you made your own!)
seasonings and garlic: $0.20


Grand Total: $4.03 for 6-8 servings!

Crockpot Hot & Spicy Sloppy Joes

I have fond memories of sloppy joes as a kid - they're the perfect kid food, messy and full of ketchup! This recipe came from Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens Cooking) and is a slightly more mature take on the traditional Joe :) So that it's not too spicy for the kids, I used cayenne pepper instead of the Scotch Belle chile pepper - cooking in the crockpot tends to mellow powdered spices and this kept it edible for the younger palates.

Hot & Spicy Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef (or turkey)
4 medium onions, cut into strips
3 large-ish green peppers, cut into strips
2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into strips
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or 1 Scotch bonnet chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:
-In a large skillet, cook ground meat and onions until the meat is browned and onions are tender. Drain off fat.
-In a 5-6 quart crockpot, combine ground meat and onions and all other ingredients. Stir to blend.
-Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours, or on high heat for 4-5 hours. Serve in rolls or on buns.

Total cost
Ground beef - $3.60
Onions - $1.20
Green peppers - $1.35
Red peppers - $1.86
Ketchup - $0.40
Cider vinegar - $0.05
Seasonings - $0.20

Grand Total: $8.66 for 12-14 sandwiches!


Leftover links:
Use as an add-in for Stovetop Mac & Cheese

Stuffed Zucchini

This one comes straight from my recipe hero, Erin at $5 Dinners. She offered this up in a guest post at Debt Proof Living, and I had to add it to my recipe stash! Zucchini are inexpensive and healthy veggies, and this is a great way to make them the center of attention instead of just a side dish!

Stuffed Zucchini

4 medium zucchinis, about 2 pounds
1 pound ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut off stem and bottom of each zucchini. Slice zucchinis in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and middle flesh, leaving about 1/8 inch of flesh in the zucchini.

In skillet, brown the ground beef with chopped onion and crushed garlic. Drain and return to skillet. Add diced tomatoes, salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Scoop meat mixture into the zucchini shells. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and place into a lightly greased glass baking dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Total Cost
Zucchini - $1.98
Ground beef - $1.99
Onion - $0.15
Diced Tomatoes - $0.89
Cheese - $0.75
Garlic - $0.05

GRAND TOTAL: $5.81 for 4 servings

Pizza Braid

I came across this recipe thanks to Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie, awesome host of Menu Plan Monday! She gave this recipe a try and since we make pizza just about every week I was prompted to add it to my arsenal too.

The original recipe comes from Amy at The Finer Things in Life, and like many great recipes the filling can be adjusted to your own family's preferences! I love one of her reader's suggestions to make a Tex-Mex style braid and have included my ingredients list for that option as well. Don't be afraid to experiment! My adjustments are below, the original can be found at the title link.

Pizza Braid

Ingredients:

Filling (pizza option):
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 chopped green bell pepper
1 small can mushrooms
8 oz. tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Filling (Taco-style option):
1/2 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can drained diced tomatoes, or 1 cup salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 chopped green pepper
1/2 chopped red or yellow pepper
Can diced chiles (optional)
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Pizza dough (or use your favorite recipe!)

Directions:

{repare dough according to recipe. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. While dough is rising, brown ground beef in skillet; add veggies and other meats, then add seasonings and tomato sauce. Mix well. Set aside. Punch down risen dough. Roll dough into a rectangle on a greased cookie sheet. Spoon meat filling down the center of the dough. Top with cheese.

Cut 8 even slits from the filling out to the edge of the dough. (I use my pizza cutter to do this. Hint: for even strips, slice your middle strip first. Then slice the middle of the halves, then the middle of the quarters.)

Start at one end and criss cross the dough strips. Tuck the last strip under. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.


Total cost, Pizza option:
Pizza Dough - $0.94
Beef - $1.00
Onion - $0.15
Pepper - $0.30
Mushrooms: $0.40
Sauce: $0.25
Cheese - $1.50
Seasonings - $0.10

Total Cost, Mexican option:
Pizza Dough - $0.94
Beef - $1.00
Taco Seasoning - $0.25
Diced Tomatoes - $0.75
Corn - $0.25
Peppers - $0.60
Cheese - $1.50

Grand Total: Pizza, $4.64 Mexican: $5.29 for 6-8 servings!

Crockpot Beef Stew

Beef stew is one of those great, versatile recipes that you can make almost completely on the fly - as long as you have beef, broth and veggies on hand you can make it with whatever's already in the pantry! I like the subtle flavor that coffee adds to the broth but feel free to experiment with whatever tempts your tastebuds!

This stew tends to have a slightly thinner broth to it - if you prefer something a little thicker just add some cornstarch dissolved in water at the end of the cooking process!

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs cubed beef
1/4 cup flour
1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp ground pepper
1-2 cloves chopped garlic
1 Tbsp paprika
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
3-4 good sized carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup brewed coffee (old coffee if possible)
1.5 cups beef broth

Directions:
- Combine flour, salt and pepper with beef in a bowl, coat beef thoroughly and transfer everything to the crockpot.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the crockpot
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours

Total Cost:
Beef: $4.00
Potatoes: $2.00
Carrots: $0.30
Onion - $0.30
Celery - $0.10
Beef broth - Free! (homemade!)
Coffee - Free!
Seasonings - $0.50

Grand total: $7.20 for 8-10 servings!

Chicken (or beef, or turkey) Biscuit Wraps

I found this recipe over at Recipezaar.com when I was looking for something new to do with shredded chicken. I tend to find the family-sized packs of chicken leg quarters on sale and you can only roast them so many times!! You can easily substitute chicken with shredded/ground turkey, beef or pork - or anything you have leftover from another meal!

Chicken Biscuit Wraps

Ingredients:
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup diced white onion
1 large red pepper, stemmed & chopped
1/2 cup finely sliced celery
1/2 carrot, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 (17 1/3 ounce) can Pillsbury Grands refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
Pam cooking spray

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In large mixing bowl, add 3 cups meat, egg, water, mayonnaise, onions, pepper, celery and grated carrot. (If it is bland, add salt and pepper or other spices to taste.) Cover and refrigerate.
-Slice biscuits horizontally, into 16 rounds. Use a serrated blade to slice through dough. Roll each half in flour on both sides.
-Take a floured glass or rolling pin and flatten and widen each round to 5 or 6 inches or wider.
-Spray Pam on a baking sheet.
-Proportion the filling between the 16 rounds. Use a slotted spoon when filling, so liquid drains.
-Take one half of biscuit round and fold over to cover and seal only the edges after folding.
-Carefully lift with spatula to baking tray.
-Bake about 17 to 18 minutes. Watch the top of the rounds, tops should be lightly browned and dry.

Serve with your choice of sauce, gravy, or dressing (like pot stickers!)

Total Cost:
Chicken: $2.98
Egg: $0.14
Onion: $0.15
Pepper: $0.30
Celery: $0.10
Carrot: $0.10
Mayonnaise: $0.10
Biscuits: $0.75

Grand Total: $4.62 for 8 servings, or $0.57 per serving!!

Crockpot BBQ with cornbread topping

Another great find from my Crockpot hero, A Year of Crockpotting - her original recipe called for chicken and bbq sauce, but this can also be done using leftover beef roast which will shred nicely in the bbq sauce.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken and Cornbread casserole

Ingredients:
1 pound of cooked, or practically cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (or leftover beef or pork!)
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks (optional.)
1 red onion, diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (18 oz)
1/4 cup hot water

cornbread topping:

use a mix and follow the directions on the box (minus the oil or butter), or mix together the following:

--3/4 cup corn meal
--1 1/4 cups of flour (I used a Bob Red's Mill GF mix--we were out of Pamela's)
--1 cup milk
--1/4 cup sugar
--1 egg
--1 tsp baking powder (only if using regular all-purpose flour)
Directions:
Spray the inside of your stoneware with cooking spray. Cut up the chicken and sweet potato, and add to the crock. Add the corn. Empty the contents of the barbecue sauce bottle, and then add 1/4 cup of hot water to the bottle, shake, and pour that out, too. Mix well with a spoon.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. You don't need to mix well, I just used a fork. Spread the topping on to the chicken mixture.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Ours cooked on low for exactly 6. If you are planning on being out of the house, cook for the shorter amount of time. You can always switch to high to brown the top when you get home.

Total Cost:
Meat: $1.99
Sweet potato: $0.50
Onion: $0.30
Corn: $0.30
BBQ sauce: $1.50
Corn Meal: $0.30
Flour: $0.14
Milk: $0.17
Sugar: $0.04
Egg: $0.14
Baking Powder: $0.02

Grand Total: $5.40 for 4-6 servings

Crockpot Meatloaf

I love my crockpot! My guys love meatloaf! That makes this recipe from Allrecipes.com a perfect marriage for dinnertime at my house :) If I don't feel like breaking out a mixing bowl, I combine the ingredients right in the crockpot, and just remove half to add the "filling"...less dishes works for me any time!

I reduced the amount of meat a bit since I usually freeze ground meat in 1.3 pound bullets - I also had to reduce the cook time because the meat is not quite as thick in the crockpot so it cooks fast. Any type of ground meat can be used, and as with any meatloaf you can change the flavors around by changing the seasonings (chili powder or italian seasoning mix) and topping (salsa or pasta sauce)!

Slow Cooker Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1.3 pounds ground beef (or other ground meat)
2 eggs, beaten
6 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons dry onion soup mix
3 tablespoons steak seasoning or worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
Combine beef, eggs, 3 tbsp ketchup, soup mix, steak seasoning, bread crumbs and cheese - mix well (works best with your hands!) Top with the remaining 3 tbsp ketchup - add some cheese on top if you like!.
Cover, and cook for 4-6 hrs on low, or 2-3 hrs on high.

Total Cost:
Ground beef: $2.60
Eggs: $0.28
Ketchup: $0.15
Soup mix: $0.30
Seasoning: $0.05
Cheese: $0.90
Bread Crumbs: $0.15

Grand Total: $4.13 for 4-6 servings

Crockpot "Fried" Rice

This recipe comes from one of my all time favorite recipe resources, A Year of Crockpotting - if you haven't been to her site you MUST stop by...especially if you have a crockpot that you've been neglecting. How does 365 tested recipes sound? :)

I liked this recipe because I too am always looking for ways to use up either leftover cooked veggies, or the remnants of not-quite-used-up bags of frozen veg in the freezer. The meat is totally optional, I priced it out as meat-free because I usually have specific plans for those leftovers anyway...it's the veggies that get me!

Crockpot Fried Rice

Ingredients:
-2 cups leftover rice/quinoa
--3 T butter
--2 T soy sauce
--2 t worcestershire sauce
--1/2 t black pepper
--1/4 t kosher salt
--1/2 diced yellow onion
--1 cup of whatever frozen or fresh vegetables you have on hand.
--leftover meat (optional)
--1 egg
--sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Plop everything on in there together. Mix it around, and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 3-4. You are only heating everything up and cooking the egg.

Total cost:
Rice - $0.40
Butter - $0.21
Onion - $0.10
Veggies - appx $0.25
Egg - $0.14
Seasonings - appx $0.15

Grand Total - $1.25 for 4 meatless servings! (under $3 with leftover meat!)

Easy Meatloaf

I use this recipe from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook (8th ed) with a few very minor changes. Meatloaf is a great comfort food, and is very inexpensive to put together! This is just one method to meatloaf....try making it Mexican (with taco seasoning and salsa) or Italian (with parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and pasta sauce)!

Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry ground mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup ketchup, chili sauce or BBQ sauce

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Mix all ingredients together except ketchup/sauce. Use your fingers! Smooshing is fun :)
-Spread mixture into an ungreased loaf pan
-Spread ketchup/sauce over the top
-Bake uncovered for 1 to 1-1/4 hours, or until meat is no longer pink inside
-Let stand 5 minutes, slice and serve!

Total Cost:
Ground beef: $1.99
Milk: $0.08
Egg: $0.14
Breadcrumbs: $0.20
Seasonings: appx $0.30

Grand Total: $2.71 for 4-6 servings - that's 0.68 per serving!

Beef (or Turkey) and Biscuit Bake - AKA Cowboy Stew

This recipe showed up on one of my AllRecipes.com searches...I keep a lot of ground turkey around, and I'm always looking for new dishes to make with it. I like the addition of the beans to this dish, for extra nutrients and a heartier texture. I made a few substitutions to use stuff I had on hand, I also prefer to use homemade biscuits instead of canned, which is usually cheaper.

We've taken to calling this Cowboy Stew in my house...it's very stick-to-your-ribs hearty, and the beef and beans remind my hubby of camping trips!

Beef-n-Biscuit Bake

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
1 (16 ounce) can kidney or black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels (or 1 can whole kernel corn)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can refrigerated biscuits (or homemade biscuits!)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

Directions:
-In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the turkey until no longer pink; drain.
-Add beans, corn, soup, milk, onion, chili powder and salt; bring to a boil.
-Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted.
-Spoon into a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, brush all sides of biscuit dough with butter; roll in cornmeal. Place on top of bubbling meat mixture. Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes or until biscuits are lightly browned and cooked through.

Total Cost:
Ground turkey - $1.50
Beans - $0.60
Corn - $0.25
Soup - $0.50
Milk - $0.05
Cheese - $1.60
Homemade biscuits - $0.86
Butter - $0.14
Cornmeal - $0.07

GRAND TOTAL - $6.31 for 6-8 servings, or $1.05 per serving

Obama's Chili

I saw this recipe over at A Year of CrockPotting and just HAD to give it a try. According to her, this is the Obama family chili recipe...wherever it came from, it is DELICIOUS. I have wimpy tastebuds, and my toddler and I were both able to enjoy this chili without any mouth emergencies :) It's well-seasoned without being spicy, but for those who enjoy a little heat it would be very easy to add either diced jalapenos or hot sauce to jack it up a couple of notches.

When I made this I only had black beans and balsamic vinegar on hand, but the substitutions worked wonderfully - another benchmark of a great recipe, it's yummy AND flexible! I also took the Crockpot Lady's advice and increased all of the spices - the recipe below reflects the amounts I used but check out the link for the original amounts.

According to the original post the Obamas serve this over rice - other options would be to serve it over Fritos or crumbled up cornbread!

Barack Obama's Chili Recipe

Ingredients:
--1 can kidney beans - and the goop! (I used black beans)
--1 lb lean ground meat (I used ground turkey)
--1 green bell pepper, chopped
--1 large onion, chopped
--5-6 medium tomatoes, chopped (include seeds and all)
--4 chopped cloves of garlic
--2 tsp cumin
--2 tsp oregano
--2 tsp basil
--2 tsp turmeric
--3 tsp chili powder
--2 tsp salt
--5 T red wine vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar)

Directions:
(Ms Crockpot noted that she did not brown her ground meat ahead of time - I also didn't bother browning the meat. Unless you are using a fatty ground meat and want to drain the fat off a bit, just toss in the ground meat raw!)

Chop up the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Add to the crockpot. Open the can of beans, and pour in the whole thing (do not drain or rinse!). Add the ground meat. Stir in all of the spices and the red wine vinegar.Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-5.

Total Cost:
Beans - $0.65
Ground Turkey - $1.50
Pepper - $0.85
Onion - $0.30
Tomatos - $3.20
Garlic - $0.20
Seasonings - $0.75

Grand Total: $7.45 for 8-10 servings, or $0.75 per serving!


**an update - this chili does WONDERFULLY in leftovers. I made burritos by mixing the chili with rice, rolling it in a 12" tortilla and frying both sides in the pan. Then we used some in omelettes for breakfast! YUMMY!

Turkey Meatball Subs

I tend to keep a lot of ground turkey in the house, but this recipe can be made with any ground meat of choice. I wrote this recipe to make them and serve the same day, but if you brown the meatballs ahead of time you can freeze them, when you're ready to serve just toss them in the crockpot with some red sauce and cook for about 4 hours on high!

Turkey Meatball Subs

Ingredients
1 pound (or slightly more) ground turkey
1 egg
1-2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Seasonings to taste (I use Mrs Dash or Italian Seasoning with some garlic powder)
1 jar pasta sauce

Directions
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, mix very well (I use my hands!). Shape into 1 inch meatballs and place in a lightly greased crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Add 1 jar pasta sauce, cook an additional 2 hours.

*To freeze, remove from crockpot before adding the sauce - allow to cool, then store in gallon freezer bags. To reheat, thaw and then cook in the crockpot for 2 hrs on low with the pasta sauce.

Total Cost for Meatballs - about 4 sandwiches
Ground Turkey - $1.50
Egg - $0.14
Celery - $0.08
Onion - $0.20
Bread crumbs - $0.15
Pasta Sauce - $1.00

Grand Total - $3.11

For Meatball Subs:

I use this dough recipe and instead of making small rolls I make about 6 hoagie-sized rolls. But you can use whatever you have on hand!

Portion out meatballs on your rolls. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Broil under low heat broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the edges of the bread start to brown. Enjoy!

Total Cost for Meatball Subs:
Meatballs - $3.11
Hoagie rolls - $0.59
Cheese - appx $1.50

Grand, Grand total - $5.20, or $1.30 per serving

Chinese Beef and Broccoli

Looking for a new way to serve London Broil cuts? This recipe was from Cooks.com, and it provided a tasty alternative to the other dishes I've tried. I also had almost 3 full servings of leftovers. You can stretch this dish a little further by adding more veggies too.

Two things: First, it is best to slice the meat while it is still partially frozen - you can cut it thinner and it holds together better. Second, I added a soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder and ginger marinade - it really added to the taste and the meat stayed pretty tender in spite of the long cooking.

CHINESE BEEF WITH BROCCOLI
2 c. steak or London Broil (sliced thin)
1 lg. can mushrooms, pieces & stems (one 15 oz can, drained)
2 pkgs. frozen chopped broccoli (one 20 oz bag frozen broccoli)
Soy sauce (appx 1 cup for marinade, to taste in the pan)
2 pkgs. brown gravy mix

(Marinade steak pieces at least 3 hrs up to overnight in the following: 1 cup soy sauce, 1-1/2 tbsp ground ginger, 2 tbsp garlic powder, 2 tbsp onion powder, about 3/4 cup water or until the meat is mostly covered.)

In a large frying pan quick fry meat, adding soy sauce to taste. You may add garlic powder if desired. Add broccoli and mushrooms, stir constantly. If mixture is dry, add water.
Continue cooking on a low flame until heated (about 15 minutes). Add both packages of brown gravy mix. Stir until thickened. Serve over noodles or rice.

TOTAL COST:
London Broil: $2.70
Can mushroom pieces: $0.60
Frozen Broccoli: $1.00
Gravy: $0.40
Rice: $0.50

GRAND TOTAL: $5.20

7-Layer Casserole

Casseroles evoke memories of my mom. She was a purveyor of Pyrex, a connoiseur of Corningware. She loved anything that required only one dish to cook and serve in, mostly because she hated doing dishes. This recipe from Jen's Genuine Life would have tickled her pink.

I'm not sure if it's my oven, but the first time I tried this it definitely needed more moisture. I now add 1/4 cup of water with the carrots and potatoes, and I use either pre-cooked rice or instant rice. If you want something with more "sauce" to it, use 2 cans of tomato soup, adding the first one between the carrots and rice. See what works for you!

7-Layer Casserole

note: amount of ingredients depends on size of casserole dish
note: ground beef may be substituted for ground turkey below.

Ingredients:

Potaotes, sliced
Carrots, peeled and sliced
Frozen corn
3 tablespoons of rice
Onion, sliced
Ground turkey breast (season with salt and pepper to taste)
1 can condensed tomato soup

Preparation:

In a large casserole dish, layer the above ingredients
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until turkey is thoroughly cooked and fork easily goes through to the bottom of the casserole.

Appx cost (I calcualted based on 4-5 servings)

Potatoes $1.20
Carrots $0.59
Corn $0.65
Onion $0.31
Ground Turkey $2.38
Tomato soup $0.75

Grand Total: $5.88, or $1.17 per serving

Bee Rocks, Pizza Dough

This recipe is courtesy of the ladies at Happy to Be At Home - It's basically a Shepherd's Pie hot pocket, and what's not to love about that?? :) I make my own pizza dough anyway, and I found a new version at Tammy's Recipes which I also posted below. This will work well with any ground meat too - so use whatever's handy! I found that the meat mixture was enough to fill 12 pockets, so I made a double batch of pizza dough :)

Bee Rocks
Ingredients
1 Batch pizza dough (2 batches for me!)
1.5 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups shredded cabbage
Salt, pepper, garlic to taste
3 cups runny mashed potatoes (I use instant)

Brown ground beef, when the beef is almost down browning add onions, cabbage, salt, pepper and garlic. While you are cooking the beef make your mashed potatoes. Add a little extra milk so the potatoes are not as thick as normal.

Add potatoes and corn to the mixture and stir in while the stove top is on low.

Remove from heat.Take your dough (I use a basic pizza dough recipe) and roll out into circles the size of a small tortilla.Add a scoop of your beef mixture.Roll up like a burrito and tuck the ends under.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the outside of the dough is golden.
These freeze wonderfully and can be wrapped individually for a quick lunch.

Appx cost:
Pizza dough: $0.64
Ground beef/turkey $3.00
Onion: $0.43
Frozen corn $0.25
Cabbage $0.25
Instant potatoes $0.42

Grand Total: $4.99 (12 servings, or $0.41 per serving! WOW!)

Anne Jisca's Easy Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
Pizza toppings of your choice

Instructions:
1. Dissolve yeast in water and oil. Stir in sugar, salt, and flour.

2. Mix until a ball forms. Allow to rise for 5 minutes. Roll flat and place on a greased pizza/cookie sheet. Sprinkle with desired toppings. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Appx cost (dough only):
Yeast $0.05
Oil $0.05
Flour $0.22
Sugar, salt - negligible

Grand Total: $0.32