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Barbecue Chicken Dinner Packets

Guest post by Meredith Kimelblatt.

We interrupt my usual Friday crock pot recipes to bring you another quick and easy dish from Meredith Kimelblatt of Ready Set Eat.

If you think of spring the prime season for fresh produce and salads, you’re completely right. But the warmer weather indicates something else too; the beginning of grilling season! As soon as it gets nice outside, cookout foods come right back into season, making spring the perfect time to whip out the grill and cook outside.

Grills are great for a few reasons: not only do they add amazing flavor to whatever you throw on them, but grilling is also one of the healthiest cooking methods out there. As opposed to pan frying, sautéing or deep frying, you don’t need loads of oil or butter to cook most meals on the grill. Many grilled recipes call for marinades, too, meaning you won’t have to add as many extras to chicken or steak since your meat will already be packed with flavor! [Read more…]

Crock Pot Freezer Cooking Tutorial: 6 Meals in 1 Hour

Guest post by KM Logan

Are you a busy family?

How would you like 6 chicken recipes that can be assembled in less than one hour, and cost well under $100, especially if you have a stocked pantry?

These recipes couldn’t be simpler – assemble the raw ingredients ahead of time in freezer bags then freeze.  Thaw in your refrigerator the night before cooking and throw the contents in the crock pot, 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high.  (Always check for doneness as all crock pots are different.)

When it comes to the amount of ingredients for these recipes let the size of your crock pot be your guide.  If you have a 4 quart crock pot and are using gallon-size freezer bags, be sure to leave some room in your freezer bag so everything will fit and cook well in your crock-pot. [Read more…]

Chicken and Waffles

Guest post by Brandy Nichols

As a child, the only waffles I had were ones from the giant Eggo box my mom purchased from Sam’s Club.  They were oddly soggy and crunchy at the same time.  When I found an old waffle iron at a church yard sale, I was on it.  I wanted waffles that didn’t involve a trip to Waffle House or knocking the frost off the outside.  Homemade, fresh waffles are just the best.  When you put fried chicken on top, well, that’s heaven on a plate.  [Read more…]

6 Slow Cooker Tips and Cinnamon Cream Rolls

Crock Pot Cinnamon Rolls

Guest post by Angela Coffman, The Grocery Shrink

A slow cooker cooks while you do other things, does it without heating up your kitchen; and tenderizes the toughest cuts of meats.  I <3 my slow cooker.

6 Tips for Using a Slow Cooker

1.  Use a Christmas Tree timer to turn your crock on when you want to.  This especially useful for breakfast recipes that cook for less than 8 hours. Use wisdom when dealing with raw meats to avoid bacteria growth. [Read more…]

Your Grocery Budget Toolbox

Your Grocery Budget Toolbox

Guest post by Anne Simpson of Authentic Simplicity

Saving money on groceries has been such a way of life for me, it’s almost like it’s in my blood. It started when I was a child, watching my mother clip coupons as she attempted to feed her family of 11 children on a pastor’s tiny salary. Even as a single girl, I clipped coupons and shopped the sales when it was my turn to buy the groceries for myself and my roomies (who also happened to be my sisters!).

Now a married adult, I have learned even more about shaving the grocery budget as I went from a dirt-poor newlywed (with a brief stint as a “DINK” – Dual-Income-No-Kids) to an almost-dirt-poor-mom of children with food allergies. For several years, I managed to feed my family of four on a budget of only $200 a month.

Even now, our monthly food budget is only $250, but I am still able to buy things like grass-fed ground beef, farm-fresh eggs, and certain organic fruits and vegetables. Considering that the US Department of Agriculture estimates that a family of four on a “thrifty plan” will spend more than $500 a month on food… I’m thinking we’re doing a bang-up job with our grocery budget! [Read more…]

Debt Free College – It Just Makes “Cents”!

Today we have a guest post from Kayla, a debt-free college graduate. She’s going to give us more insight on how going to college debt free is always the best way to go. Thanks Kayla!

In general, two main perspectives exist when it comes to going through college without taking on debt. On the one hand, Perspective A says it’s normal or even good debt, because you’re improving yourself and your value in the marketplace. Perspective Z says, “what a relief! No debt tying me down after graduation.” There are variations and moderations of each perspective as well.

If you’ve never looked at the “how to pay for college” debate from Perspective Z, you may have overlooked several advantages for taking the debt-free college route. In many ways, it just makes sense. [Read more…]

Living on a Tight Budget

This post is from a fellow frugal-minded sister, Kate. She blogs over at Modern Alternative Mama. Kate and I have similar thoughts about living free from the bondage of debt, so I asked her to share a bit today about how she was able to make it living on a tight budget. Thanks, Kate!

Image by Molly DG

Six years ago, my husband and I were newlyweds.  He was just out of college, working an entry level job (at the company where he still works) and I was still in college.  In addition to Ben’s entry level job, he also worked three days a week – two evenings and all day Saturday – as a salesman at his college job, a local computer store.  I worked one day a week as a private music teacher.

We had to work all of those hours.  We just didn’t make much money, and we had a lot of expenses (like a 4-bedroom house that we really did not need at that time).  For the first several months, we simply used credit cards to get by, and let our debt get out of control.  But in May, 2007, we sat down and decided it was time to do some Dave Ramsey reading together, and get serious about our budget.

Those first few months, before Ben got a promotion and a decent raise were incredibly frustrating.  Our house payment was over 50% of our take home pay.  Our debt payments comprised another significant percentage.  We cut our expenses to the bone – no eating out, no more cable, no new clothes, nothing – and we still literally did not make enough money on paper to pay our basic expenses – housing, transportation, and food.  I cried a lot when we wrote our budget and we fought. [Read more…]

A Good Freezer Meal – Tater Tot Casserole

Y’all, I’ve been following the blog Hallee the Homemaker for a long time now.  If you like a honest blog, one with good food and good family values, make sure you subscribe to Hallee the Homemaker. I asked Hallee to write a post for y’all and she knew I was working on freezer meals for The Bean, so she’s sharing a GREAT freezer meal with us today…and in case you didn’t know, it’s the family favorite of the Duggars. 🙂

Image by Tasty Planner

I have been reading and participating in homemaking blogs for over three years now, and one thing that a lot of bloggers really enjoy doing is “freezer cooking”.  They buy a whole bunch of supplies, and spend a day or two in the kitchen making several meals, freezing the meals, and then they can just pull a meal or pre-prepped ingredients for a meal out of the freezer as needed.

It’s a great idea and one that a lot of people have great success with.  However, for me, spending that much time in the kitchen just to save meal prep time just doesn’t appeal to me.  I think I really enjoy the art of cooking for my family on a regular basis, and the time it would eventually save me just doesn’t seem worth the time and energy it would take to properly do the freezer cooking.

However, Jill Bond, author of Mega Cooking, has a BRILLIANT method of freezer cooking that doesn’t require two full days in the kitchen. [Read more…]

Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans

I’m not much one for fancy side dishes. For our family, I usually serve the basics, like rice or oven-roasted potatoes with a vegetable. But every once in a while, it’s fun to dazzle your family with a more gourmet-type side. And these bacon-wrapped green beans do just that.

And really? I don’t know why I don’t make these more often. They don’t just spice up an otherwise boring meal, but they are actually very easy to make! [Read more…]

Crock Pot Garden Marinara Sauce

Today we have Sumptuous Spoonfuls joining us for a FABULOUS seasonal recipe – Marinara Sauce. If you’ve been up to your ears in tomatoes, you’re gonna love this! Crock on, baby!

Hello everyone! I’m Ann from Sumptuous Spoonfuls. Stacy contacted me to ask if I would do a guest post for her…something made in the crock pot. The only things she asked were:

  • Not a recipe already on the site
  • Only use whole food ingredients

I thought that’s no sweat! I can totally handle that … Well, time went by and the date she had given me as a deadline came and went and I hadn’t sent her anything. You know how life gets so busy … this guest post completely slipped my mind! So I totally failed on the “submitted a week in advance” part, but I did make a new recipe with whole foods! In fact, just about everything in this recipe is fresh from the garden. The only things I purchased were the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, brown sugar (or sucanat) and bay leaves.  [Read more…]