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Monday, November 4, 2013

Creamy Chicken Rice & Christmas Decorating

Dinner Tonight

Tonight I made a creamy chicken rice dish. This dish is wonderful in its versatility and doesn't cost a lot. You can make it as a burrito filling, a soup, a baked potato topping, just about anything you want. Tonight I made it into burritos.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans cream of chicken condensed soup
  • rice (can be jasmine rice, long grain, short grain, brown, whichever you prefer. I used long grain.)
  • about 1/2 cup milk
  • onion (optional)
  • cheese (optional- can be cheddar, or swiss, etc. I use Sharp Cheddar)
2 cans cream of chicken -- $2
1lb Rice -- $1 (Used 2 cups so about 20 cents worth)
Gallon of Milk -- $2.50 (Used 1/2 cup so about 5cents worth)
Small Onion -- $1 (Half the onion 50 cents)
2lb bag of Sharp Cheddar -- $7 (handful 25-50 cents)

Total: $3 to feed 3 adults and a toddler, and have leftovers

The Process:
Start your rice cooking. I cook mine in a rice cooker I got from Wal-Mart last year for $20.

At the same time empty the cream of chicken into a separate pot. Pour in the milk, the onion, and seasonings. I use just black pepper and garlic powder.


Cook it until it is bubbling, then add in the cheese and cook till melted. 


About this time my rice was done cooking so I just tossed it in and mixed it all up.

Variations:

  • For a soup, add a bit more milk to make it soupy, then add some mixed vegetables. I like to serve mine with grilled cheese sandwiches. 
  • For baked potato topping, use less milk to keep it thicker.
  • For more heat, you can mix in taco sauce or like my dad uses - siracha sauce.

Christmas Decorating

We also put up our Christmas tree today. Yes, I know it is pretty early but I don't like doing all the work of decorating for it to only be up for a little bit of time so I like to do mine earlier than normal. Dad and myself put the tree together and got the lights and the star on it, and then the little one joined in with the ornament hanging (and candy cane munching).

The tree itself cost $20 at Wal-Mart, the lights were $4 from Big Lots, and the ornaments came from 99 Only.

Hope you enjoy tonight's recipe. 

Cheers,
Sheila

Homemade 3 Ingredient "Nesquik"

This was my breakfast today. I woke up not hungry, so I just had me some chocolate milk. I love this stuff, and its not filled with crazy chemicals. The recipe came from One Good Thing By Jillee. Its a very simple mixture and its super yummy.



Go check the recipe out! You wont regret it!



Sunday, November 3, 2013

The Easiest Pasta Dish Ever!

Tonight I made a very simple (and cheap!) pasta dinner. I originally found the recipe on Facebook, but I have made a couple little changes to it and am pleased with the result. I hope you enjoy it too!

Here's the delicious end result, sorry I don't have any photos of the process, but its my first post about my cooking so I didn't think to take more photos. I will get them next time!




Ingredients:
  • Spaghetti
  • 2 14oz cans of tomatoes (I chose 1 of Italian style, 1 of chili style)
  • 1 package of sliced baby portabella mushrooms
  • About 1/2 a cup of diced onions
  • 2 tbsp oil

The Process:
  1. I broke the spaghetti in half so it all fit in the pot laying flat. I then put the oil in and filled the pot with water just above the spaghetti, you don't need a whole lot of water.
  2. You add the canned tomatoes in, juice and all. Then break up the mushrooms into small pieces and add the onions.
  3. I added some garlic powder, black pepper, and basil for more flavour.
  4. Keep heat on low-medium and boil, stirring occasionally. It should take about 30 minutes to boil all down. With the juice of the tomatoes it makes a nice light sauce, so you don't need to buy extra sauce for it.
The Total Cost:
Spaghetti -- $1
Canned Tomatoes -- $2
Mushrooms -- $1
Onion -- $1
                                        
$5 to feed 3 adults and a toddler, with left overs to boot!


Earlier The Same Day

I made some peanut butter cookies for myself and the little one. The men in the house don't like them, so they don't get any! Mwahaha!

I got the recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie. Its her super yummy Single Serving Peanut Butter Cookies.

Be sure to go check out her other yummy recipes!

Here's my finished results. Just lucky there's any left for a photo.


Is there anything you guys would like to see me post? I have a lot in store for you, but if you have any questions or specific things you'd like me to talk about I can take requests (to a limit of course).

Cheers,
Sheila



A Little Introduction

I thought it'd be appropriate to make my first post an introduction. So, hello all! I'm Sheila, and I'm a stay at home mom, a homemaker, a novice graphic designer, a jewelry maker, an artist... a busy, busy person. I'm 25 years young and living the American Dream, well sort of. Times are tough and money is tight, but I've found a ray of light in the darkness. And I plan to share it with you. 

Throughout this blog I will be sharing how I save money, how I stay organized, how I manage my daughter (and how we do her homeschooling), and how I manage to cook delicious meals on a tight budget. I hope you all will enjoy what I share with you and will pass on the knowledge with your loved ones as well.

Here's to living a fulfilling life in these hard times!

Cheers,
Sheila