This FREE Thanksgiving Day menu plan includes simple, traditional recipes for everything from the turkey to the sides to dessert and includes a shopping list for an easy and delicious holiday meal. What comes to mind first when you think of Thanksgiving - food or another family tradition? For me, Thanksgiving food tops the list, and I often think of the recipes we made every single year growing up. I ... Continue Reading
13 Cheap Dinner Ideas for Hosting Company
These frugal party dinner recipes are big on taste, family-friendly, and budget-savvy! Find inspiration for your next dinner party menu. You may think it’s impossible to host company and still stick to a budget. What if I told you that, in the past, we hosted 9 people for over a week and shopped, prepped, and cooked 40 meals, all within our $330/month grocery budget at the time? We did. And now I’m here ... Continue Reading
Homemade Fajita Seasoning
Whip up a batch of this yummy homemade fajita seasoning recipe for amazing chicken fajitas, veggies, or rice! This fajita spice blend recipe is packed with flavor using spices you likely already have in your kitchen. Making your own spice blends is one of the easiest ways to save money on groceries (which we’re all trying to do these days!) and avoid the unhealthy filler ingredients commonly found in ... Continue Reading
Vanilla Extract Substitutes
Try one of these cheap and easy vanilla extract alternatives the next time you run out of vanilla. They’re perfect for adding flavor to all your favorite baked goods! Have you noticed that the price of vanilla extract goes up and down (but often stays up)? That’s because most vanilla beans are grown in one region, it takes over a year for the plants to mature, and natural disasters like cyclones can ... Continue Reading
Thanksgiving Dinner on a Budget
Host Thanksgiving dinner on a budget with these tips and tricks, plus simple frugal recipe ideas for Thanksgiving dinner staples like turkey, sides, breads, and desserts. Thanksgiving is all about the food, right? And if you’re trying to eat better – or you’ve walked into a grocery store in the past year or two – you know that healthy food can add up quickly. But it doesn’t HAVE to be ... Continue Reading
How to Plan for Meal Prep
Learn how to meal prep for the week with this beginner’s guide. Streamline your time in the kitchen to stick with your food goals and save money! If your days are crammed with chaotic schedules, tight timeframes, and the constant allure of not-so-healthy food options, then brace yourself for a game-changing solution: meal prepping. What is meal prepping? Simply preparing a meal (or ingredients for a meal) ... Continue Reading
Hemp and Herb Crusted Pork Chops
These amazing Southern fried pork chops have a delicious coating of hemp hearts, herbs, and almond flour. They’re a protein-packed version of a comfort food classic. Southern fried pork chops are one of my ultimate comfort foods! Especially with a crispy crust on the outside, juicy and tender inside, they’re the perfect accompaniment to some Steamed Veggies and Stovetop Mac and Cheese. Add some Homemade ... Continue Reading
Lemon Cake Mix
This homemade lemon cake mix is super simple to mix up and have on hand instead of a box. Use it to make a light, fluffy, lemon cake bursting with fresh, tangy flavor! Store-bought cake mix has mostly unhealthy ingredients (seriously, look at the ingredients list on the box of Betty Crocker cake mix the next time you’re in the store). Once I quit couponing and got rid of all those boxed mixes, I started ... Continue Reading
Zesty Italian Dressing
This simple zesty Italian dressing is packed with fresh, zingy flavor. Super easy to mix together from pantry staples, you’ll love it on salads, pasta, or chicken. Making your own salad dressings is an EASY way to save TONS of money off your grocery budget. From Homemade Ranch Dressing to Balsamic Vinegar Vinaigrette to Cilantro Lime Dressing, I’ve made so many salad dressings myself that I rarely even ... Continue Reading
50 Easy Meals in Under 30 Minutes
These quick and easy dinner ideas get food on the table fast. They’re nutritious, kid-approved, and easy to throw together! Have you ever meal planned while hungry? I have! My imagination runs wild, and huge exquisitely prepared meals fill the menu. Lots of freshly baked goods, multiple side dishes, and desserts become essential for every meal. When I revisit that meal plan I made while I was hungry, I ... Continue Reading
