Cheesy Lentil Pasta is the perfect, wholesome, real food dinner (made from the pantry) in less than 20 minutes and under $5. Serve with a fresh Kale Caesar Salad! One of the easiest substitutions to make when you're trying to spend less money, stretch a meal, or simply make do with what you have, is swapping lentils for ground beef. They’re the perfect plant based protein! I’ve marinated them with ... Continue Reading
Showing all results for: frugal meal plans
How to Create a Real Food Stockpile with $5 a Week
Learn How to Create a Real food Stockpile with $5 a Week. It's budget friendly and super easy to create! Use for meal planning, or in times of food shortages. Try this yummy Instant Pot yellow rice, made with pantry items! Have you ever wondered to yourself, "Should I have an emergency real food stockpile?" yet you never get around to doing it? I know that I'm guilty of this! Recently, I was faced with ... Continue Reading
Vegetable Fried Rice
This Vegetable Fried Rice is so much better than Chinese take-out! Healthy, quick & easy, frugal, and the perfect way to use up leftovers! Enjoy as a main meal or as a side dish with other Chinese-style favorites like Weeknight Veggie Stir Fry, or Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli! Back when I was a kid, on the rare occasion that my family ordered Chinese take-out, and even in my college years, fried rice ... Continue Reading
How to Eat the Whole30 on a Budget
How to eat the Whole30 on a Budget. From making a meal plan, choosing recipes & making the grocery list - Learn what makes the Whole30 expensive and how you can avoid it to save money! For more inspiration on how to follow the Whole30 on a budget, here is the perfect Whole30 meal plan! My husband has been struggling with some health issues lately, and that’s one reason why one of my goals for this year ... Continue Reading
Master Pasta Salad Recipe
Here is a simple tutorial for building an easy & versatile Master Pasta Salad Recipe from scratch. Enjoy the gluten-free, vegetarian, and dairy-free options! Try our Greek Pasta Salad, Cobb Pasta Salad, Italian Pasta Salad, and our Skillet Pizza Veggie Pasta. Do you have a favorite potluck or backyard BBQs dish that you bring every time? Mine is pasta salad. It’s SO versatile, can be made with ... Continue Reading
13 Tips for Cooking Real Food for One Person
Easy, practical tips on cooking for one. Even small families can cook healthy recipes and make meal plans on a budget! I’ve been married for 14 years. Before marriage, I lived with two other roommates. Before that, I cooked for my sister and parents. I haven’t cooked for one person for very long, but for many of you, this is a big deal, and several of you have asked me for tips on cooking real food for ... Continue Reading
Meaty Spaghetti Sauce
Recipe for thick & meaty Italian spaghetti sauce using two types of meat & lots of vegetables. One batch makes 5-quarts & the slow cooker does all the work! To say that SOME weekdays are busy is an understatement. By the time dinner time arrives, I’ve already made lunches and smoothies early morning, served breakfast, sent the kids off to school, had some combination of work, chores, ... Continue Reading
Our Favorite Beans and Rice Recipe
My family LOVES this easy beans and rice recipe. Use your favorite Cuban or Mexican or Spanish staples, and it works with canned pinto or black beans, too! Last night while my husband and I were cleaning up after dinner and getting ready for the morning, my daughter asked me the same question she asks me every night after dinner: Girl: Mom, what’s for dinner tomorrow?Me: That beans and rice recipe ... Continue Reading
How much does the Whole30 cost?
I’m sure you’ve heard somewhere along the line that the GAPS diet or the Whole30 or Paleo style of eating is expensive, right? Let me set the record straight - it is!! At least it's more expensive than what we're used to. My family and I did the Whole30 earlier this year and it was one of the most expensive six weeks in our grocery budget history! Readers who have been following us on this journey have ... Continue Reading
25 Insider Cruise Tips to Save Money
My husband and I have a "thing" with cruises. We took one early on in our marriage, and for various reasons - like paying off debt, having kids, moving across the country and saving to buy a house in cash - we didn't take one for 10 years. Then we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with another cruise. Not only was it an amazing way to celebrate, but it confirmed how much we love the food, the sound ... Continue Reading