Help for your holiday and grocery budget

Check out Angel Food Ministries to help your food budget this Holiday season (or any season). There is no income level required, anyone can order, too many of us are effected by todays economy. You can even order food to bless another family this season. There are many sites nationwide. Check out the site to find a pick-up and order location near you.

They have a monthly menu. This month their signature box provides food for one week for a family of four for only $30 (You can order multiple boxes. (Box includes 2 lbs NY Strip Steak, 1.5 lb boneless pork roast, 1 lb chicken breast fajita strips, 1 lb lean ground beef, 1.5 lb all white meat chicken tenders, 1 lb bake or fry fish sticks (32 count), 1 lb hickory smoked center cut ham, 1 lb frozen baby lima beans, 1 lb frozen green beans, 2 lbs frozen french fries, 2 lb bag fresh apples, 10 ct flour tortillas, 2% shelf stable milk, one dozen eggs and a dessert, pretty good for $30!)

They also have a senior/convenience box for $28 which provides prepared meals for seniors or people on the go (this months includes meals like...roasted chicken with red potatoes sugar snap peas and carrots, swedish meatballs with sides, meatloaf with sides etc. check the site for a full listing.)

On the December menu is also an allergen free food box, a 6lb assorted grill meat box, a special 2" 4.5 lb steak combo, a 10 lb IQF assorted poultry box, meat and cheese Christmas gift box, premium fruit and veggie box, and an assorted Christmas fruit box.

Hurry to place your order for December - my local site's orders are due today.

Please use me as a referal (janinenfleming@gmail.com)

Chicken Chili Mac in the crockpot

Hey all! Proud to say I'm now at 21 weeks, cooking again, working out and feeling good!

Last week we found out that baby #4 is a boy. He's following two boys and a girl and big sis was really hoping and praying for a girl but she is begrudgingly coping.

Anywho - thought I'd start off with something easy, tasty and cheap:)

Here's my Chicken Chili Mac...

This crockpot meal was so simple, I started it before taking my kids to the swim club, and all I had to do was add the macaroni when we came home and then eat! My kids gobbled it up after a long day of swimming (and then my youngest conked out about 15 minutes later).

What's in it?
- two chopped green peppers
- one onion
- one tomato (I would have added more but it was all I had today, diced tomatoes would have been really good too)
- two cans of chili beans
- three chicken breasts
- chili powder, cumin, cilantro and salt to taste
- water (enough to cover the ingredients)
- 1 pound macaroni
- shredded cheese (your choice) for a topping

Everything but the macaroni went into the crockpot early in the day.

When I got home I removed and shredded the chicken, added the macaroni and let it cook till tender, then I put the chicken back and it was ready to serve.

I'm thinking I'll use the leftovers for some Baked Chicken Chili Mac and Cheese. Mmmmmm

Flat Belly Diet 4 Day anti-bloat meals and drink

So, my hubby and I, along with my parents have been trying the Flat Belly Diet. Basically it incorporates proper portions of healthy foods (whole grains, lots of fruits and veggies) with a MUFA (monunsaturated fatty acid).

You have four meals a day and a snack that is the same amount of calories as a meal. The meals are filling and to incorporate the MUFAs they have something like oils, olives, nuts, seeds, avocados and dark chocolate in every meal and snack! Can't loose with that, I mean you can loose weight but it's a winner on flavor:)

It starts off with a four day anti-bloat jump start, which I'll admit I didn't love, but mainly because a lot of the flavors I crave (salt and spice) can cause bloating so they were off the list, but only for four days, wait till you see my pics from the other meals. The meals were really filling, though I will admit to cheating a bit on an extra snack at night, which I know is the worst time:)

Still, for the four days I dropped a few pounds and 2 inches. Keep in mind this is mainly excess water weight. I have kept the pounds off (been three weeks on the diet) and am getting a bit smaller inch wise, though the scale stays the same so I'll chalk that up to weight training. Hubby keeps loosing and looks great, he is also working out.

This is "Sassy Water" not sure what exactly it does, although it had me drinking my water which is good. You had to drink 2 liters a day for the first four days. It had cucumber, lemon, ginger and mint. Any guesses on the benefits of these? It was actually quite good and refreshing.

One of the anti-bloat dinners - tilapia, red potatoes in olive oil (your MUFA) and green beans, the nice part of this diet is that it encourages healthy eating and it's something I can feed my kids as well.

This one I loved! Chicken (I seasoned with Trader Joe's no salt seasoning), mushrooms sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, and brown rice.

Another thing, this isn't so bad on the budget. Been to Produce Junction for the fruits and veggies and I looked through the meals and bought things I knew we would eat and I could save on. I did not however, buy all of the name brands that the book endorses because they were just not in my budget.

Leftover Meal - Chicken Fried Rice with bok choy

This was just a really simple meal that used my leftovers from the Chicken and Rice Dish, I actually cooked a little extra chicken and rice and set it aside to make this meal even simpler. I adapted both these meals from Everday FOOD magazine (which I love).

What goes in it:
- vegetable oil (to fry eggs in)
- 3 eggs
- 1 pound bok choy
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic (I cheat and estimate from the jar)
- reserved brown rice
- reserved chicken thighs, shredded
- ground ginger (to your taste)
- rice vinegar (to your taste)
- soy sauce (to your taste)

You were supposed to be fancy withe eggs and cook and slice them, but since I was lazy and my daughter was helping, we just did scrambled and added them in.

Simply sauteed the onions and boy choy a few minutes, then added ginger, rice vinegar and soy sauce, in goes the chicken and rice and finally the eggs
sorry, this wasn't quite in focus

My hubby really liked this one, but his was minus the eggs cause he doesn't dig them:)

More Savings with Rachel Ray - Four Meals on a Budget

On Yesterday's show Rachel Ray did a segment on "Meals on a Budget" (click link to view and get recipes).

She demonstrated four recipes, the most expensive being $21.14 (for 6-8 servings) the others only around $9-10! Good job Rachel.

She made Spanish Chicken and Rice, Chicken Wing Broth and Noodle Soup, London Broil with Smothered Onions and Crispy Smashed Potatoes (which also had a side of broccoli) and Potato Kielbasa Bake.

They all looked good, but the one I'm definately trying is the potato kielbasa bake. Hopefully soon, and I'll post the results:)

"Meal for a Steal" on Rachel Ray

Told you I'd keep you updated on Rachel Ray's saving tips.

She added a new segment called "Meal for a Steal" and today the recipe was "Birds Nests with Chicken and Broccoli" with a total cost of ingredients being $7.14.

I'd say that's quite a steal. I wish I could eat broccoli (we don't mix well since child #2) but my kids eat broccoli so even better.

My Kids Ate It

Last night I served up a dish adapted from a recipe from Everyday FOOD. It was basically just chicken, sauteed with asparagus and portobello mushrooms, then mixed with pasta (whole grain).

The recipe called for button mushrooms but I found portabellos at ALDIs and was phsyched to use them. I also added a little white wine for flavor and to get up the bits on the bottom of the pan from sauteeing which added some nice flavor, a little salt and pepper and it was done.

Simple meal that every one of my kids ate, minus the mushrooms, though they each tasted them and my nine year old discovered he liked them. My five year old asked for seconds and my seven year old (the pickiest) cleared his bowl (minus mushrooms) with less complaining then usual and in record time!