The Brown Bagger's Resource - AKA: Do you pack a lunch?

Is this what your lunch looks like every day? Day after day after day? Sick of the same `ol, same `ol? Or do you pick up something quick at the local fast food joint? That can get expensive quick! What about your kids lunches? Do you end up with pre-packaged, processed foods because it's seemingly quick and easy to just throw in a bag? I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be that way! You can have a great lunch, EVERY day with a little planning, and you can use leftovers from dinners or cook a little extra when you are cooking it for dinner anyways, and have a lunch with more "WOW!!" and less "ugh, not this again." :)

This is a list of recipes I've collected over the years for brown bag lunches, catagorized by ingredient for when you have leftovers, and broken down for quick reference. There is everything from soups, to salads, to hot meals or sandwiches, as well as kid-friendly healthy lunches and even some vegetarian options. I even added my list of breakfast-on-the-go because we all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

"So Easy You Won't Believe It" Pulled Pork Sandwiches

The country style pork ribs go on sale quite frequently around here, either around $1.50 a lb or BOGO from time to time.  When that happens I grab a few packages for the freezer, but you can only eat so many BBQ ribs before you get sick of them.  Well, until I get sick of them anyway.  LOL  So I went on the hunt for something else to do with pork ribs that was easy and we had the stuff in the house.  So the S.E.Y.W.B.I. pulled pork sandwich was born, and the trusty `ol crock pot was pressed into service once again. 

So you'd better get a pen or pencil and a piece of paper for this recipe, it's a real complicated one. 

Equipment needed:
Crock pot

Frugal Gifts - Home Made Truffles

Almost everyone loves homemade truffles, we made them a few years ago, and they were a big hit. I had no idea how easy to make they were, and we covered them with different kinds of crushed nuts and such. It was really fun! We then went and bought blank little white boxes and I decorated them with just some wrapping paper (glued) and ribbon. I think all together, we made about 15 boxes of truffles (9 truffles each box) for under $30. And we used good chocolate to boot!” Upside? Yum! Downside? They should be made only a short time before giving, and eaten soon after. If you’ve never made truffles before, try this recipe from the master of food science, Alton Brown.

Chocolate Truffles recipe:

Ingredients:

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts, and/or toasted coconut, for coating truffles
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine 

On the subject of limited ingredients...

I have always been a fan of "6 ingredient or less" recipes.  The fewer ingredients the better!  I've also always been a fan of cookbooks.  I will dive into a cookbook like it was the latest bestseller!  So when I saw this for only $3.98, I HAD to share!  4 Ingredient Cookbook?  I love it!  Originally published in 1990, this small cookbook containing 200 recipes that use only four ingredients has sold over 100,000 copies in its original format. Recipes are quick and tasty and the price point is perfect for cooks on a budget.

 

Click on the pic above to order your copy of the 1990 edition!

Ok, I know this is supposed to be FRUGAL recipies... how about 3 Ingredient Cookies?

I made these for hubby recently after I told him you could make cookies with only 3 items and he didn't believe me.  I told him he could try the finished product but couldn't watch me make them to get a totally unbiased opinion on the results of my super-simple recipe.  Once they were done, he tried one and said "WOW!  These are really good!", then I made him guess the ingredients.  Flour?  Nope.  That one really threw him for a loop, and he gave up.  hee hee!  So here I am to share the incredible three ingredients that every house has that you can whip up a batch of cookies anytime!  *drumroll please*

Oven Empanadas Recipe, and a little background...

My hubby just so happens to be a full-blooded Nicaraguan, and his mother just so happens to be an AMAZING cook, so he grew up on some of the finest Nicaraguan food, mixed with some incredible authentic Mexican food, that you could ever hope to have.  I absolutely ADORE visiting my mother in law, or having her come visit, because I know she is going to cook, cook, and cook some more!  Nacatamales, home made tortillas, gallo pinto, carne asada... my mouth is watering just thinking about it!  Needless to say, most of these recipes have worked their way into my recipe books and are standards in our house.  One of the meals hubby asked me for many times and I finally caved and gave it a try was empanadas.  Now, I will say that my empanadas are less than authentic, I use store-bought pie crust rather than making my own.  With all the cooking and baking I do, I can't make a good pie crust from scratch to save my life... so I don't.  LOL  Also, "real" empanadas are fried, I bake mine.  I had a friend that burned down not one, but TWO houses with a Fry Daddy, so I don't fry... anything... ever.  ;)  Anyways, back to the recipe.  Empanadas are little meat pies, you will find them with a variety of fillings as the recipe will vary from region to region depending on what is common in that area.  Here is the filling recipe I use:

Food On The Table - Meal Planning Service

Meal planning can save TONS of money, not to mention you can eat a whole lot better than planning on the fly or picking up some takeout!  If you just don't have the time to do your own meal planning, or aren't quite sure how to do it, check out Food On The Table!

Food on the Table is an easy meal planning service that is based on sales at local grocery stores. With Food on the Table, you will be able to:
- find thousands of easy, healthy recipes
- save money by knowing the items that are on sale
- simplify your shopping experience with a well organized grocery list.
It's free if you do 3 meals of less a week, for more than 3 meals a week and more recipes, you can upgrade to the premium version for a low introductory rate of $5/month.

 

Free to sign up and give it a test drive!  Check it out today!

My Thanksgiving Dessert This Year - Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

I can't wait to make this!  It just looks so incredible...

... and sounds like it will be amazingly delicious!  I adore gingerbread, and pumpkin is pretty yummy too, so the combo of the two in a trifle sounds simply divine!  All the ingredients I needed only came to $7.75, I have the milk and brown sugar, got the Jello pudding free with a coupon, whipped cream for $.88, gingerbread mix for $1.99 ea, and $2.89 for the large can of pumpkin.  Not bad for a decadent dessert like this!  Here's the recipe I'll be using:

A Holiday Classic - Green Bean Casserole

So every year we gather at my father's house for Thanksgiving.  It is a HUGE gathering as his side of the family is quite large.  He was one of nine children, then add their children, and their children's children... yes, it's a LARGE gathering of family, for sure!  LOL  We always do a potluck type meal where everyone brings their specialties, I look forward to the family favorites every year.  This year I am charged with deviled eggs, green bean casserole, and a desert of some sort.  I have to be honest and say I have never made a green bean casserole in my life but have always enjoyed others, so figured I'd give it a whirl this year.  I'm going to be using the tried and true Campbell's recipe that makes 12 servings.  It was $8.92 for all the ingredients for the casserole, so that works out to less than $0.75 per serving!  It's a great side dish and doesn't have to be made just for the holidays!

Ingredients:

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request®)

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 cups cooked cut green beans

2 2/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

Free Thanksgiving Recipe and Craft e-Book!

Sign up for the RecipeLion Quick and Easy Recipes newsletter and receive “24 Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes and Fall Craft Projects”  eCookbook and craft guide FREE!  Great recipes and tips for a fantastic holiday!

 

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!  :)

Sign up for a FREE e-Cookbook of Healthy Recipes!

Check out and sign up for the FaveDiets Quick and Healthy Recipes newsletter and receive “Cheap Recipes Made Easy: 25 Healthy Low Cost Recipes” FREE.  This is an awesome e-cookbook of 25 good for you and good for your wallet recipes for your meal and menu planning. 

Get yours today! :)

Easy (and Delicious!) Rum Cake Recipe

I decided at the last minute to try my hand at Rum Cakes last year, and boy am I glad I did!  These were absolutely amazing, and the glaze just made them scrum-dilly-icious! 

NOTE:  I omitted the walnuts in mine as I didn't use the bundt pan to make mine.  I did mine in half-sized bread pans and didn't think the walnuts would work well the way I did them.  They were just as tasty without the walnuts, but if you were doing a full-sized cake, the nuts would just add to the incredible-ness!  LOL

Ingredients:
Cake -
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup dark rum
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

Triple Chocolate Kahlua Cake Recipe

Last year I tried a new Kahlua cake recipe, and it was out-of-this-world!  Everyone that got them raved about how amazing they were.  These are total CHOCOLATE OVERLOAD, but oh sooooo yummy!!

Triple Chocolate Kahlua Cake:
1 pkg Devils Food cake mix
1 pkg chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
3/4 cup Kahlua
1/2 cup strong coffee, at room temp
6 oz (1/2 a bag) chocolate morsels

Christmas Baking is Coming!

It's almost time!  I bake for a large amount of my Christmas presents, not only is it inexpensive, but the treats are ALWAYS well-received by everyone!  I bake quite a bit ahead of time, starting in early December, then freeze everything until I'm ready to deliver them or pack and ship all over the country.  Freezing the goodies buys me the time I need to get everything done and sent out at once without having to bake for 48 hours straight.  LOL 

This was my baker's rack last year after the first round of baking:

And that was only halfway done!  Last year I made:

COOKIES:
M&M
Chocolate chip
Oatmeal chocolate chunk
Sugar
Double chocolate chunk
Oatmeal
Gingersnaps

BARS:
Brownies
making half and half, nuts and no nuts

CAKE / BREADS:
Kahlua cake
Cinnamon swirl bread
Banana bread
Pumpkin bread
Nut bread
Lemon poppy seed bread
Rum cake


I'll be sharing the recipes in coming posts as I gear up for this year's baking extravaganza!  Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking!

Welcome to VTCooking!

It's no secret that I love to cook and bake, trying something new and different is always exciting.  But with that comes the challenge of feeding our family on a budget, so sometimes we have to be inventive with our menus.  So I decided to start this blog with all kinds of helpful info on eating well and staying in budget.  With economic times as they are, we need to get the best bang for our buck with everything, food budget included!  Also, with the holidays coming, that budget gets even smaller. 

This site, VTCooking, and my main site, VTCouponer will help you save money and eat better.  With meal planning, frugal recipes, free printable coupons, all the info you need to eat like a prince on a pauper's budget.  Hope you enjoy!  :)