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This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure and privacy policy for more information. Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day. I love the patriotic holidays of summer. I love the backyard barbeques, the pool parties, and the bonfires. Mostly, I think I just love summer, the warm weather, and the time to lazily spend with friends and family. But no backyard barbeque would be complete without some patriotic swag. These quick and easy to make pretzels dipped in white chocolate are a crowd favorite. It's fun to decorate the pretzels with a random pattern or a flag design. Even the kiddos helped out with this one. Ingredients: Pretzels White chocolate chips Food coloring Instructions: In a small mixing bowl, place the white chocolate chips. Microwave the white chocolate until melted. Do not overheat because they will burn. I typically microwave for one minute and stir and then check in 15 second increments, stirring each time, until fully melted. Af...

Okay, I know this sounds like a weird recipe, but believe me it is delicious. It has the perfect balance of taste and texture. The sweet potato is sweet and mushy. The kale is bitter and crunchy. The bell pepper is sweet and crisp. The pecans are nutty and the dressing is tangy. It really may be the most perfect bite. It's also perfect to make ahead for lunch or as a side at a party. Did I also mention it's healthy and cheap to make? Ingredients for a single lunch serving: 1 large sweet potato - baked, peeled and cubed 1/2 cup chopped kale 1/2 red bell pepper - diced 1/2 cup pecans - chopped 1-2 tbsp. Italian dressing Instructions: Pierce a whole sweet potato several times with a fork. Bake the sweet potato at 400 degrees on a baking sheet for about 40 minutes until tender. If you don't have time (which I always seem to be short on), microwave on high in 5 minute increments until tender to the touch (be careful it will be really hot). Depending on its size, it u...

I love brunch food. It's easy and I always love to have an excuse to have a mimosa. Next time you are entertaining think about having brunch instead of dinner. The ingredients are much more cost effective and your guests leave before you are completely exhausted for the day. Nothing says brunch quite like a quiche. And, of course, it must have bacon. Here's a simple recipe for spinach and bacon quiche. This recipe makes two quiche pies so feel free to halve the recipe for a single pie, but even as a leftover this quiche is a win. Ingredients: 12 eggs 1 pint of whipping cream 1 package of 16 oz mild cheddar cheese - shredded 1/2 sweet onion - diced 1 6 oz package of fresh baby spinach 1 lb bacon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste 1 package of 2 frozen pie crusts - thawed Instructions: Preheat oven to 325F. Dice bacon and cook in a pan. Dice onions and sauté lightly in a tablespoon of remaining bacon grease. Once softened, add baby spinach and wilt leave...

When entertaining, it's always nice to have a special dessert at the end of the meal. And nothing says special like chocolate and peanut butter in our family. This pie is a huge hit for family functions and parties. It's no bake so it's easy and many of the ingredients you may already have in your pantry. Easy, cost-effective, and tasty. Another win in our household. Ingredients: No Bake Oreo Pie Crust 3/4 cup peanut butter 1 16oz package frozen whipped topping (thawed) 2 3.9oz boxes instant chocolate pudding Optional peanut butter cups as a topping Instructions: Create a no bake crust. I'm partial to my No Bake Oreo Pie Crust , but any pre-made or no-bake crust works well. Combine peanut butter and 3/4 of container of whipped topping by slowly incorporating whipped topping into peanut butter. For example, add about 1/3 of the mixture at a time. The mixture is very stiff at first, but loosens as more of the whipped topping is incorporate into the peanut ...

There is nothing worse than a request for homemade. I work full time and have three children. The last thing I have time for is to make something homemade. As much as I want to support bake sales and contribute to family or friend get-togethers, I need fast, easy, and cheap options. Don't get me wrong - when I have the time I love to make homemade, but when under a time crunch this is my go to recipe. So my secret - make something store bought look and feel homemade. The best way to do that is to use a melting chocolate. I really like using white chocolate, but the milk or dark chocolates work just as well. Next you need something to partially or fully coat. Cookies work beautifully. I'm a huge fan of pizzelle cookies. These used to only be available around Christmas, but now I can find them year round.  Sandwich cookies, like Oreos, also work really well. And last you need some sprinkles or toppings. This is where you can use your creativity or cater to the type of event -...

Overnight oats are the easiest, most delicious breakfast around. The kiddos love them. They are easy to bring to work. They are satisfying. And they are cheap. What's more to love. My favorite overnight oat recipe is pretty basic, but can be livened up with optional ingredients and toppings. Ingredients: 1 cup instant oats 1 cup milk (Almond, Soy, Coconut, cow's milk) 1 tbsp. chia seeds 1-2 tbsp. maple syrup (to your taste) Add the instant oats to a mason jar or any other sealable container. I like the mason jar because they are easy to bring to work and easy to clean. It should fill about half of the jar. Add the milk. I really like the coconut milk beverage in the refrigerated section at Trader Joes. My husband likes regular cow's milk, but any milk will do. Stir in the chia seeds and maple syrup. These are both optional and substitutable. My husband doesn't like the chia seeds. They do act as a thickening agent so the mixture will be thinner without them. I...

This post may contain affiliate links. Please visit the disclosure and privacy policy for more information. Valentine's Day is another holiday where you can spend a lot of "dough" on gifts. Instead of buying expensive flowers, jewelry, or candy, consider making a gift. The gift of food is always a win in our family, and butter cookies are a hit at any holiday. These butter cookies also known as spritz cookies are easy to make with a cookie press. I'm a big fan of the electric or battery operated cookie press, but they also make manual ones. We have had our cookie press in our family since I was little so they are an enduring investment. After you mix up the dough, you add the cookie dough into the device, and as the name implies, you press out each individual cookie. It's a fairly quick process and results in intricate looking and tasty cookies. Of course, if you don't have a cookie press, you can always rolls and cut the cookies with traditional cookie ...

There is nothing better in this world than a delicious desert without baking.  And the best way to start such a dessert is with a pie crust, of course.  My kiddos love Oreos (or their generic equivalent - they don't know any better).  Using them for a pie crust is quick, simple, and cost effective.  Remember, you can always substitute the sandwich cookies with other flavors (Vanilla, Peanut Butter, Mint) and there is no need to remove the filling from between the cookies. Ingredients: 24 whole Oreos (or your favorite generic version) 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) melted butter Instructions: Place Oreos in a food processor and blend until crumb-like (think course sand). Combine crumbs and melted butter in a mixing bowl and mix well.  Pour the mixture into a pie dish. Press the mixture evenly and firmly with your fingers and knuckles to cover the bottom and sides of the pie dish. Refrigerate crust for about a half hour to an hour.  Fill with your f...

So I broke down and got an Instant Pot for Christmas.  After all of the raving reviews and yummy recipes I see on social media, I had to give it a try.  Without compensation, I give it two thumbs up.  It certainly has its limitations.  It is not as fast as often touted.  You have to give it time for the water to come up to temperature, and water can only come to a boil so fast.  You know the old adage, "a watched pot never boils."  It also has a learning curve on figuring out how to do what you want it to do.  It probably doesn't replace your trusty Crock Pot, but it does seem to create a lot of good recipes and is fairly simple once you get the hang of it. With the cold weather upon us, I did a tried and true chicken soup.  It was fairly easy and the resulting soup was so good even the kiddos asked for second helpings.  Here's the recipe: Ingredients: 1lb pasta - I selected alphabet pasta, but any noodles will do. 5-6 large carr...

These cookies are perfect lactation cookies for improving milk flow. After my third child was born, I was looking for a healthy and cost effective way to improve my milk supply. More milk = less of the super expensive formula that the daycare uses. I came across some expensive lactation cookies on the web ($20 for 10 cookies, eek) and decided I could make them cheaper at home. The recipe below has become a favorite in our family. These delicious cookies have also been dubbed "poop" cookies in our family due to their high fiber content and, well, you get the idea. These cookies are significantly cheaper than the store bought versions and supper yummy. Enjoy! yield: makes about 20 to 24 cookies with teaspoon scoop total time: 45 minutes bake time and temperature: 8-10 min at 350 ingredients: wet ingredients: 6 tablespoons organic unsalted butter 2 tablespoons coconut oil 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract dry ingredients: 1 1/2 cups ...

It feels like every time we buy bananas, which is quite frequently with three kids, they over-ripen before we are able to finish the bunch. Instead of throwing them away and the money that was spent on them, banana bread is the inevitable result. Also, our grocery store offers reduced prices for ripe bananas so sometimes we buy bananas just for this yummy bread. It's great for breakfast, dessert, or just as a snack. ingredients: wet ingredients: 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 eggs, beaten 3-5 mashed bananas 1 apple dry ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Peel and core apple and cut into small cubes. Add to wet ingredients and fold with spatula. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into pr...

This is my go to budget recipe. We eat this at least once a week at our house. The kids love it and the ingredients can be easily substituted so you can use what is on sale any given week. What more can you ask for? Cheap, fast, and delicious. No wonder it is a staple at our house. Enjoy! total time: 15 min ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef (easily substitute ground turkey, ground chicken or other desired meat or veg) 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup water 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (substitute grated fresh ginger, if available) 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional) 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional) crushed red-pepper flakes to taste (or omit if too spicy for the kiddos) chopped green onions and/or sesame seeds (optional as garnish) directions: In a measuring cup, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic powder, cornstarch, sesame oil, and red pepper flake. Add ground beef to a skillet and cook on med...