Blog
Simpler Soups
The weather is cooling off – so in comes soup season! Sometimes we see soup recipes that have many steps, including chopping lots of veggies. While sometimes I have time for this, other times I don’t. On my busy days, I need a soup that I can put together in a hurry. Soups are a great way to get creative, have nutritious meals, stretch food dollars, and reduce food waste, all while saving time in the kitchen.
Turkey Time: Now and Later
Hardcore turkey season is upon us, so how can you make the most of this famous holiday bird? With some planning, you can enjoy all parts for many weeks after the main event. I hate to leave good food “on the table”, so to speak!
Easy Quiche for a Holiday Breakfast
Holiday season is right around the corner. Getting out the door on time gets even harder when you add a long list of holiday activities. The last thing I want to think about is how to entertain guests and feed them, too. Cue my favorite go-to breakfast during the holidays. Drum roll please… Easy Quiche. I love preparing it for holiday or family meals because it is a one-bowl recipe that fills guests up.
Slow Cooker Pork Roast
It’s finally my favorite time of year for cooking! In my opinion, you just can’t beat cooking fall dishes. Our recipe of the month is Slow Cooker Pork Roast and it is a winner!
The Breakfast that Makes Itself!
I am not the biggest fan of warm oatmeal. I never seem to get the consistency right making it either too runny or too dry. Though I don’t like traditional oatmeal, I do love using old fashioned and quick oats when I bake. Over the years I have found that my container of oats sometimes sits in the kitchen cabinet untouched for months. Cue Overnight Oats! This is a great breakfast option that uses oats as one of the star ingredients. Not only do I get to use an item in my kitchen that would normally sit on the shelf (sometimes past its prime), but I also have a nutritious breakfast that I can grab and go when I am in a bit of a rush.
Back to Baked Oatmeal
Earlier this month when I was writing my blog about Pumpkin Oatmeal, I got to thinking about our Baked Oatmeal Muffins recipe. It had been a while since I made this recipe and even longer since I mentioned it on the blog. Almost seven years ago, I wrote about some small changes we made to this recipe to make it an easier breakfast for busy mornings. Looking back to ten years ago, I shared my family’s origin story for this recipe.
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Our October recipe of the month is bringing a seasonal favorite, pumpkin, to breakfast. Pumpkin Oatmeal is easy to make and ready to eat in only five minutes. All you need to do is combine the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, heat in the microwave until the oats are soft (about three minutes), and serve. You can adjust the amounts of the ingredients up or down based on how many people you are making breakfast for.
Christine’s Snacking Challenges
Confession time, friends! I sat down to write a blog about my habits around snacking and one thing keeps coming to mind. My habits are not great in this area! Don’t get me wrong, I eat snacks and I love snacks. Some of my favorites are string cheese, crackers, and nuts. I am just not as strategic about them as I could be. I tend to only think about snacks when I am home and have access to them. That is often after dinner when I don’t really need much more energy for the day. I suppose this is coming at a good time as it is forcing me to think about what I could do better.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins
Today I would like to introduce you to one of my family’s all-time favorite recipes – Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins. We eat these muffins for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time. Skip to the bottom of this blog for the link to the recipe. Read the middle section if you would like my story of this recipe.
Dinnertime Shortcuts
All of a sudden it is time to go back to school and routines are changing for many of us. Schedules get a little busier and we have less time to cook. The temptation to grab takeout is definitely there, but we can save money and make more nutritious choices by using some shortcuts at home instead.
Meal Planning Done for You
My kids start school in two days. As much as I enjoy the less structured days of summer, I’m ready to get into a routine again. My son will be in 8th grade and will be playing football so I know when he comes home from practice in the evening, he will be hungry! Therefore, I want to be sure to have a plan for what we will have for supper. I do meal planning regularly but sometimes my brain just doesn’t want to think about what to have. Does anyone else feel the same way? On our Spend Smart. Eat Smart. website, we have sample meal-planning calendars that do the thinking for you! The week-long meal plans include 3 meals and 2 snacks per day and recipes are linked. If you eat vegetarian or are just interested in more plant-based recipes, there is a whole calendar of vegetarian meals and snacks.
Bountiful Bell Peppers
My family and I love peppers because of how versatile they are. They can add flavor and crunch to any dish, or are great eaten raw. Whole peppers last a week or two in the fridge, making them a perfect produce item to stock up on.
