DD Layered Chicken Enchiladas

This is a picture of the layered enchiladas dd make for dinner the other night she is getting great at cooking :O) these were YUMMY...
She made this on Monday Oct 18th after school for dinner.

Step 1

1 packet of enchilada sauce
1 can of tomato sauce
3 cups water

Mix this and heat to a boil & simmer in pan on stove.

Step 2

Grease a 8 x 8 pan or a loaf pan and turn the toaster oven on 350*F

Step 3

If using a using loaf pan cut the tortillas usually about 6-8 in half this will allow them to fit into the loaf pan easier if using 8 x 8 pan leave whole

Step 4

Gather whatever ingredients you prefer in your enchiladas we used shredded cheese and shredded chicken only.

Step 5

Layered sauce on bottom enough to lightly coat the bottom then tortilla/ then shredded chicken/then enchiladas sauce / then cheese & repeat until done.

Step 6

Place in toaster oven on a cookie sheet in case it bubbles over for 45 mins then remove let sit for 15 mins before cutting/serving.

Yielded 4 portions

Fresh & Easy Discounts 10-18

I stopped at my local Fresh & Easy to see what awaited me on discount on Oct 18th yes I am a few days behind on blogging I decided to just chill for the last week or so. Any way I picked up a few 6 bags of 2 green peppers each to dice up to use in meals. I was able to get these on sale for a great deal

1 bag of 2 peppers for 34 cents each purchased 6 bags total price $2.08 original price would have been $5.88 saved $3.80


This is what I did with all the peppers!!!!




Started this at 2:15 pm

Step 1 - Removed the tops and bottoms of the green peppers set them aside don't toss then I diced the remaining pieces into usable sizes :O)




Step 2 - DON'T WASTE THEM!
Dropped in a larger food processor the tops and bottoms




Step 3 Quickly spun the processor to mince those pieces up for use in meatloaves and spaghetti sauces.



Ending at 2:45 pm so only 30 mins of time for 5 bags..

Into Freezer Ziploc baggies all the diced/minced up green peppers went.

3 bags of diced green peppers
2 bags of minced green peppers

Had I tossed out the tops/bottoms I wouldn't have those 2 bags of usable product...

Shout of 4 Celery

I picked up 3 bunches of celery as stated below in my blog post to dice & freeze to use in soups as well as for the holiday I will be freezing more as I see it on discounts.

The question most people say why dice it yourself ?? Just stop in the freezer area of the store and purchase it for $1.00 PLUS a bag...but my question to myself was does it take that much longer to chop it up yourself?

Well I got up for work early (got a wrong number call) and since I was awake 30 mins early I said to myself do the celery NOW don't wait another day..

815am-845am

So into the kitchen I went to get out the cutting board and large chopping knife... I diced up the 3 bunches of celery but as I was doing this I remember someone on one of those Food Network cooking shows chop up the celery top as well. I put them into a bowl while I kept dicing away thinking to myself

(Me chop those up well yeah right they were very leafy and must be hard to chop up since I had never does this) but I keep chopping up the celery and filling the freezer containers but then it got me thinking....



I thought well maybe in the food processor?? I grabbed my food processor and dropped all those nice leaf tops into the processor so I wouldn't waste any of the celery. I was shocked to see those tops yield 2 cups.



Just stuff them in their :O) that part was easy and fun...no right or
wrong way to do it....(My kind of task)






I was also rewarded with a nice diced product....

2 (2 cups) baggies of celery
1 (1 cups) baggie of celery
1 (2 cups) baggie of celery tops

I even had time to wash the dishes a well before I got dressed for work :O) So yes it was worth the 30mins it took me to do this task....which will yield my family well.

Fresh & Easy Discounts

3 bunches of celery to diced a freeze for soups original price $1.49($4.47) discount price .49 cents ($1.47)savings $3.00

2 Macaroni & Cheese original price $1.99 ($3.98) discount price $1.29 ($2.58) savings $1.40


Break down=>>>Price Spent $4.05 Original Cost $8.45 Savings $4.40

Fresh & Easy /Fry's Discounts

I have been noticing lots of veggie going on discount at my local Fresh & Easy to me that means $avings for me....& lots of soups for the winter time cheaper..Sometimes it's not just veggie but meals as well as seeds or nuts. It doesn't matter to me what the deals are as long as it is food we will use....

I just picked up the following items today

3 bags of sunflower seeds expired March 2012 for $.50 a bag $1.50 total regularly $.99 savings $1.50

1 bag of pumpkin seeds for $ .69 cents regularly $1.38 savings $.69 cents

25 bags of Enchilada Sauce $.30 cents regularly $.59 however in bigger store chains it has been costing me $1.50 a packet so this was a great discount I will be using this during the holiday for Buffet table !! 14.75-$7.50=$7.25 but in the store savings was $37.50

4 bags of shredded carrots for $ .52 cents each regular price $1.49 savings was $2.08- 5.96 =$3.88

Sara Lee Bites I picked up at Fry's for get this $1.00 each I purchased 5 the regular price was $5.99 each savings was $$$$ $29.95- $24.95

Break down=>>>Price Spent $16.52 Original Cost $77.76 Savings $61.24

Fresh & Easy Discounts

Purchased one bag to try of the Red Pepper Cheese Cheetos Chips regular priced $1.59 discount price $.80
Purchased 4 cans of Mission Pride Canned Applesauce for baking regular priced .49 cents discount price $.25

Break down=>>>Price Spent $1.80 Original Cost $3.55 Savings $1.75

Yes I know I shop a lot however I am right by the store 4 times a week & the discounts really do save my family LOTS!! plus it allows us food we wouldn't normally be able to afford due to the regular prices.

Savers Deals

2 canning jars priced .49 cents each 50 % off due to their daily color tag discount so for 50 cents I got to nice jars to use for spice mixes. :O) I love Mason jars

Arizona Storm Damage

will update w/ more pictures

Fresh & Easy Clearance Deals

Picking up clearance deals is great and for my family cuts the budget alot. Sometime you have to be patient and wait for what you desire to be on mark down but it's worth it for us.

Today I stopped at my local Fresh & Easy since I was going to be in the area to see what clearance deals they had and this is what we got today.

3 -10 oz pre-diced onions for .52 cents each regular price $1.49
1-12 oz container of guacamole for $1.40 regular price $3.99
1-12 oz container of 4 cheese pasta $1.29 regular price would be near $3.99
1-18 oz BBQ Pasta for $1.05 regular price is $2.99
Plus I got $2.00 off due to the onions being 2 for $2.00 :O)

I paid $4.40 but would have spent $15.44 saved $11.04

The 4 cheese pasta was split for 2 side dishes for me for work Sat & Sun
The 3 containers of onions got popped into the freezer for use later in meals.
The BBQ Pasta Dear Daughter will eat some for dinner Saturday & Sunday
The guacamole will be my treat on Sunday w/ chips.

Craft Yard Sale Update

UPDATE!!! yard sale was today set up from 7 am-9am to start saw 5 cars drive by...one person stopped sold zero!! So I have a lot of stuff!!!! I need to see about getting rid of of them.....

• 30 pairs of baby booties
• 30 pairs of Towel Rings
• 10 pairs of Towels & Towel Rings Sets
  

HELP!! Pricing

I am having a Park wide mobile home yard sale this weekend and I need some help pricing a few of the types of crochet projects I have made just for something to keep my hands busy while at work and while watching TV at night I am not looking to get rich just make some $$ to do dinner out w/ dd daughter.

I know from a Craft fair I went to last year people wouldn't even purchase a 4 piece baby layette set for $20 (crib size blanket,baby sweater, baby hat and booties all matching sets) or a nice shell baby blanket full size for $10.00 so this is why I need your help.

I also know you take the price of supplies so say $3.00 and times that by 3 times the amount plus time however around here $9.00 for a pair of baby booties is a little too high!!

Here a pictures of the items I have currently made to sell..

Supplies used? To make 10 about $ 3.00
1 ball of yarn $2.28
1 roll of ribbon $.33 cents on sale

SOLD- 1 set per Ziploc baggie

Supplies used to make 10 this is an estimate size I didn't figure out the amount of yarn..

To make 10 about $ 3.00
Girls bracelets- $1.50 for 10
Yarn $2.28

Towel rings sold 3 ways

• Individual rings- per baggies
• Set of 2 rings-per baggies
• Individual rings w/ holiday towel

Thanks for your input

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four

DD herb potatoes just a little bite of oil and any herbs you want bake
at 350 *F for 30 mins or until golden brown.

10 packets of ranch to use up so I decided to see what else I could use ranch in. Well to may suprised you can use oven potatoes. YIPPIE!!!!

My family loves to make up large batches of baked potatoes in the crockpot at one time this will make dinner prep less then 30 mins for potatoes eating a few different ways.

We use them in different ways since DD who is Lactose intolerant now has to have different types that exclude dairy so each person can have what they desire.

1. Baked potato- w/ the fixings
2. Chili Baked Potato w/ the fixings for lunch
3. Broccoli Cheesy Baked potatoes
4. Herbed Oven Baked Potatoes
5. OvenFries
6. Burritos- Cheese & Sour Cream & Salsa

Cheesy-Ranch-Potato-Bake

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350*F

8 x 8 pan or larger lined w/ foil for quick clean up spray w/ PAM or use a pastry brush w/ oil to coat pan.


Step 2

Dice up as many pre-baked potatoes as desired we usually like leftovers so I may do 4-6 for 2 people.

Pour them into the greased pan & drizzle w/ oil (used oil in place of butter) and sprinkled w/ chili powder

Mix up to coat the potatoes into the preheated oven they need to go bake approximately 15 mins before the next step..




Since I had a small amount of potatoes I eyed balled how much ranch to use and how much chili powder I needed to use the end of this bottle so I could start getting to the packets that also need to be used up in the pantry cabinet.



Step 3

After the 15 mins drizzle ranch dressing over the potatoes & top w/ shredded cheese.

Back into the oven for another 15 mins until the cheese is nice & melted.

Serve while hot.

Verdict:

Good but still missing something??? however this recipe I would use again maybe adding green onions & using hotter chili powder to give it some kick.

Ménage à trois of Meatloaves

Remember growing and eating mom's meatloaf once a week with mashed potatoes and some kind of veggie side dish and if it was a special dinner mom would add biscuits.

My mom was the kind that always made meatloaf the same way ground meat,liption onion soup mix packet, 1 egg, milk as needed and crumbs of some kind.

As I got older I to made meatloaf the same way until I was unable to use those cute little packets of Lipton's due to MSG plus the cost really ad's up!!! So I grabbed an onion diced it and was happy w/ that.


I have tried another meatloaf recipe from AR Site Brown Sugar Meatloaf that had great reviews we loved it but I want to try yet again another one well I couldn't decided on which one...from the site... So I picked 3 different ones and decided to make mine into muffin size with those 3 recipes.


Unfortunately,
My camera battery decided today of all day's to kick the bucket so much for nice pictures to go with this blog. I have a few pictures..

Let's get started with the 3 that I picked!!!

Cheesy Apple Oatmeal Meatloaf
Meatloaf with a Ranch Twist
Dill Pickle Meatloaf

But first I have also need to talk about a new ingredient I decided over 6 month ago to try that has been taking up space in my pantry just waiting to be used in this type of recipe... what is it your asking yourself right??

TVP!!! Your most likely going what the heck is that? Well let me explain as well as give you a few links to review about this along w/ recipe ideas to use
TVP =Texturized vegetable protein AKA textured soy protein

ALL ABOUT TVP
BOB'S RED MILL TVP



For my family of 3 person family to make meatloaf I normally needed 2 pounds per meal this allowed for leftover's for lunch the next day trying to stretch every meal as much as possible & without waste I had purchased the TVP to add to meatloaf in place of 1 pound of meat :O) since TVP was under $3.00 a bag at my local Sprouts which is a health food type store here and I it didn't need to be frozen or anything just stick it on the pantry shelf.

Step 1

Turn oven to 350 *F

Soak 1 cup of TVP in 1 cup of bowling water or broth in the 4th large bowl for 5-10 mins.

Grab muffin liners & muffin trays I used foil type in-case they decided to get to greasy/leaky and sprayed w/ PAM but you could use a pastry brush w/ oil as I have done this before as well to grease the cups.

Step 2

3 bowls to put each meatloaves ingredients & measured all the ingredients for each batch into there bowls.

Used my mini food processor to mix these ingredients up well and also to extra finely chop the apples and pickles since my dd is picky..

Step 3

In a 4th bowl with the TVP went 1 pound of thawed ground turkey.

Mix these 2 items together WELL.

Then divide the mixture evenly into those other 3 bowls and mix those up well.

Step 4

1/4 cup per muffin cup for each mini loaf I was able to get between 6-8 per batch.

They shrunk so don't worry about drip-age unless you use BEEF or Pork Meat in place of Turkey.

If you use any sauce type topping like BBQ or Ketchup you will have drip-age.

Step 5

Baked 45 mins as dd loves her meatloaf over baked & crunchy out the outside.


STEP 6
FREEZE LEFTOVERS!!!


DD & I would normally only eat 2 muffins per meal so the rest went to the freezer for quick dinner grabs later in the month currently we have now 6 meals in the freezer and it only took a few extra mins to prep & cook a large batch over a small batch.

VERDICT ON THE 3 MEATLOAVES!!!

Cheesey Apple Oatmeal Meatloaf -Nice taste will make again :O)

Meatloaf with a Ranch Twist- too sweet w/ brown sugar

Dill Pickle Meatloaf- No pickle flavor like we assumed would be there however it has a nice flavor and we will make again. :O)


DD & I would normally only eat 2 muffins per meal so the rest went to the freezer for quick dinner grabs later in the month currently we have now 6 meals in the freezer and it only took a few extra mins to prep & cook a large batch over a small batch.

Dinner Kit

DD & I decided to try this quick bagged dinner $5.98 using a $1.50 off well lets started by showing you what was in the kit it self.

This is the sauce & rice packet.

This is the veggie in the bag they measure about 1 cup

Yes where is the chicken? I say less the 1 cup for 2 people?

This is the whole dinner kit nicely made up in 14 mins

I purchased the nice sweet Chili Sauce for only $1.29 at Trader Joe's and dd picked up a small box of potstickers for $2.00.


Verdict on the dinner kit: Nasty it was a waste of $$ food ended up in trash tasted nasty..

Misc Deals

I recently went to McDonald's w/ me dd who likes their chicken wraps however I ended up w/ 3 extra condiments when we were done eating & since they don't take them back & reuse we will. They can be easily add to any wrap that we make from home to take w/ out lunches.



We stopped at our local Goodwill store and came across this great deal on Food Wrap for only $2.99 a box for 500 sheets since we make alot of wrapped foods for lunches this was & is perfect since they are less then 1 cent per wrap.