DIY Homemade Lotion Bar Recipe - made with only two ingredients + your own added scent. A super easy recipe that takes 20 minutes! Also try my homemade facial cleanser and homemade powdered foundation for complete natural beauty care! Years back, I used to have a not-so-secret stash of toiletries purchased during my mega-couponing days. (Which I have since quit and now save more money.) Shampoo, conditioner, ... Continue Reading
Slow Cooker Brisket
This easy Slow Cooker Brisket comes out so tender and juicy. Hands-free recipe, simmers in tangy homemade BBQ sauce, and can even be doubled or tripled! Perfect for batch cooking, or serving a group! I grew up in Texas, where cast iron skillet corn bread and beef brisket with extra BBQ sauce is an everyday thing. Of course, I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed brisket until I moved to California… and ... Continue Reading
Chinese Noodle Soup (Kung Fu Panda Soup)
My kids love Chinese Noodle Soup (AKA: Kung Fu Panda Soup) & I love that it's ready in less than 30 minutes! A perfectly healthy & frugal weeknight meal with authentic Asian flavors. Serve with my Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli. I love soup. Love, love, LOVE soup. My family, on the other hand... not so much. To them, there's no difference between Potato & Corn Chowder and Minestrone. Other than ... Continue Reading
Instant Pot Chicken Stock
Tutorial for making Instant Pot chicken stock using a whole chicken or chicken bones. It's the easiest way to make bone broth in your pressure cooker! Use chicken stock to make Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup. The Instant Pot has become a fabulous tool in my kitchen to help get healthy REAL FOOD on the table - fast. After the Instant Pot whole chicken, Instant Pot brown rice and Instant Pot beans, I think that ... Continue Reading
DIY Homemade Stain Remover
Remove tough stains with this easy homemade stain remover using just 3 ingredients from your cabinets. Costs 89% LESS than store-bought stain remover and it works great! Also try my eco friendly homemade laundry detergent to save even more money! Stains are a fact of life. My clothes, the kids clothes, hubby’s clothes. Mystery stains frequently show up on anything and everything. I’ve slowly ... Continue Reading
Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites
These Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites are super easy to make & taste much better than store-bought! Made with just 5 simple ingredients. They're perfect for snacks, or as a main meal paired with a Kale Caesar Salad! When I was a kid, my mom used to buy a box of frozen bagel bites. It was a HUGE treat at the time, and it didn’t happen very often. Looking back, I can see why. The boxes weren’t cheap, there ... Continue Reading
Why I Quit Coupons (and saved more money)
I Quit Couponing and now I save even more - using a rock solid system to get the best deal on real food. It's super easy to follow and works week after week! For more on saving money on real food without coupons, sign up for my Grocery Budget Bootcamp! Do you remember the extreme couponing era? I sure do, and I don’t hide the fact that mastering coupons helped us pay off our debt. I originally started ... Continue Reading
Easy Beer Bread
Easy Homemade Beer Bread! Savory, sweet & flavorful, this recipe uses stout or ale, and brown sugar or honey! Plus, it’s freezer-friendly! Perfect for sandwiches, toast & jam, soups & more! Have you ever been to a steakhouse that offered beer bread with your meals? I'm thinking of one specifically that offered large mini loaves with your own cutting knife and whipped cinnamon butter... ... Continue Reading
Easy Baked Ziti
This Baked Ziti Recipe is a healthy classic comfort food with 9 different veggies; It can be made ahead of time; And it is deliciously frugal! Pairs perfectly with a kale caesar salad and avocado chocolate mousse for dessert! Traditionally, baked ziti is not considered a "healthy" dish with white pasta + loads of sauce + lots of cheese = a nutrition nightmare! But ever since I started preparing healthy real ... Continue Reading
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
The best crispy baked chicken wings are quick & easy, much healthier than fried, and are AMAZING with my homemade buffalo sauce! “Thursday is wing night and Friday is pizza.” That’s what my husband told me pretty much right after we got married. I certainly didn’t argue! I was new to homemaking, didn’t know a thing about budgeting and I had never heard of the word “meal plan” before. For me, his ... Continue Reading