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Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

Crispy Salmon Patties

I grew up on a farm in northwest Iowa.  My dad raised hogs, beef, soybeans and corn.  Guess how many times we had salmon when I was growing up.  That’s right,  NEVER.

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

What is Cheaper: Turkey or Ham?

Thanksgiving is about 10 days away. Have you started to plan your dinner? The biggest expense of the meal will probably be the ham or turkey (or both) that you buy. The grocery ads are full of deals, like buy a ham and get a turkey free. Or buy $50 in groceries and get a $5 off coupon for your turkey. I was curious, so I stopped by 5 different stores to check out prices. I went to Hy-Vee, Fareway, Aldi, Dahls, and Wal-Mart.

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

Mise en Place: Work Smarter, Not Harder in the Kitchen

Recently when making supper for my family, I realized part way through making the pizza that I did not have any pizza sauce! I thought I had some, so didn’t check to make sure before I started making the pizza.  So supper got put on hold while I sent my husband to the store to get the pizza sauce. If I would have practiced ‘mise en place’, I would have known before I started that I didn’t have any sauce and could have run to get it before starting to cook or went to Plan B.

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

Sweet and Sour Rice Dinner

My daughter shared with me that she spent the afternoon helping her friend make meals to put in the freezer. Her friend has young children, a new job, and a husband who has to be out of town a night or two each week. It sounded like the girls had a great time working together plus they came up with several meals that will be ready to go on hectic nights.

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

Christmas Cookies

My sister is having her annual cookie making “party” Saturday afternoon. She invites two of her friends, her daughter, and me to bring ingredients for cookies to her house. We all work together for 2-3 hours and end up with a nice variety of cookies. The conversation is always lively plus, we have lots of fun with many different tunes from cell phone timers going off all the time.

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

Quick Garbanzo Bean Soup

I make lots of soup in the winter.  It’s easy to do, lasts for several meals, and I can freeze small containers of it to take to work for lunch.  Most of the soup I make is broth or vegetable-based without lots of cream or cheese so it is low in calories.

Fiesta Skillet Dinner

Fiesta Skillet Dinner, Easy and Inexpensive

Our feature recipe for March is Fiesta Skillet Dinner. Fixing up the recipe was easy while following the simple directions. The recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked chicken. I decided to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can use packaged, precooked chicken or precooked canned chicken.

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Cookin’ it up for Mom on Mother’s Day

Even though I enjoy cooking meals for my family, it’s always nice to have someone else, like my husband, doing the cooking once in a while. When my husband cooks I request that he makes quiche and butternut squash soup, since those are his specialties. My 3-year-old son also likes to ‘cook’ but his plastic play food or imaginary food just is not very filling!

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Tips for Low Stress, Low Cost Entertaining

This weekend is Memorial Day. Are you entertaining friends or family? If so, a little advance planning will save dollars and make your weekend less stressful.

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Growing and Using Fresh Herbs

I have had good luck growing culinary herbs in pots on my sunny deck. I have also grown them in the garden in well-drained soil. I enjoy being able to experiment with fresh herbs in my cooking. Plus, you can buy herb plants for about the same price as you buy one bunch at the store.

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Try Canned Salmon in Wraps

I can’t remember ever having salmon when I was a kid. The only canned fish we ate was tuna. As an adult I love to order grilled salmon, but I was not familiar with canned salmon until a couple of years ago. I started actively trying to get fish into my diet a couple of times a week, as advised by the 2010  Dietary Guidelines for Americans to increase my intake of omega-3 fatty acids, and discovered canned salmon in the process.

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Creamy Cauliflower Salad—Lots of Flavor, Few Calories

I have to admit I was skeptical when I first tried this recipe. I could not imagine cauliflower, apples, and lettuce together. Now I am a believer. The fresh, mild taste of the crunchy cauliflower, the sweet, tart flavor of the apple, and the ranch dressing are great together.