Recipes

Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

by Crystal on May 12, 2011

This is a recipe my older sister created many years ago and it’s been a family staple ever since. It’s not a low-fat recipe (I think I gained a pound just making these yesterday!), but it’s delicious.

It’s a hearty cookie and it blends two of my favorite foods together — chocolate and peanut butter. And the whole-wheat flour and oats might help balance out the sugar and fat… or at least I like to tell myself that!

This cookie dough freezes well and is perfect to have on hand for last-minute guests or a mid-afternoon snack.

Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup shortening or butter (softened)
1/3 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar*
3/4 cup sugar*
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups oats (rolled or quick oats)
1 12-oz. package chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together first six ingredients. Add flour, baking soda, salt and oats. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll into 1-1 1/2-inch balls. Place on greased cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until done. Makes approximately 40 cookies.

Freezer-Friendly Instructions:

Roll dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours.

Put frozen cookie dough balls into a plastic freezer bag and seal tightly. When ready to bake, pull out the desired amount of balls and place on a greased cookie sheet for 30-45 minutes to thaw. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until done.

*I use 1 1/2 cups raw sugar.

Source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/05/whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookie-recipe.html
© Copyright 2012 Money Saving Mom®. All Rights Reserved.

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Do-It-Yourself: Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

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by Crystal on April 5, 2011

Jessica shows you how to make homemade Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels. These are on my list to try very soon!

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

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Green Rice Casserole Recipe

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by Crystal on March 24, 2011

Whenever I say something about Green Rice Casserole, most people do a double take.

“Green Rice Casserole? What’s that??” they’ll ask incredulously.

My mom has made this recipe for as long as I can remember and I’ve always loved it. Since I’ve been married, it’s been fun to introduce it to my own family, too. Everyone gobbles it up and usually asks for more!

It’s the perfect complement to burritos. Or, you can do as I do, and just eat it as a stand alone. Because it’s just that good!

By the way, this is in no way a low-fat recipe, so if you’re on a diet or counting calories or trying to lose weight, you just might want to skip over this post.

Green Rice Casserole

3 cups cooked rice (we use brown rice)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup chopped dried parsley (or 1/2 to 1 cup fresh parsley)
4 oz. can chopped green chilies
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, finely chopped (or 1/4 cup dry onion flakes) (can be omitted)

Combine all ingredients and pour into a 9″x13″ baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.

Serves 8-10. Freezable.

Source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/03/green-rice-casserole-recipe.html
© Copyright 2012 Money Saving Mom®. All Rights Reserved.

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Pick-Me-Up Smoothie Recipe

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by Crystal on March 17, 2011

A friend of mine told me last year that she loved frozen grapes in smoothies. Frozen grapes in smoothies? That just seemed weird to me.

But I tucked that piece of information in the back of my brain and pulled it back out again recently when I bought two bags of grapes marked down to $0.99 at the health food store.

The result? This delicious Pick-Me-Up Smoothie recipe.

The ingredient combination might sound odd, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. If you love smoothies like we do, I think you’ll think it’s delicious. At least we all have agreed it’s one of the best smoothie recipes I’ve come up with to date.

It’s perfect when you need an extra shot of energy and oomph on “one of those days”. And it’s quite healthful, too.

Pick-Me-Up Smoothie Recipe

1 1/2 to 2 frozen bananas (I like to freeze mine chopped, though you can freeze them whole.)
1 cup frozen red grapes
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt (We’ve been using plain yogurt, though vanilla or another flavor should work, as well.)
1 Tablespoon honey

Blend together in a blender on high until thoroughly blended and smooth. We use the Vita-Mix. I’m not sure how the grapes would blend in a regular blender. If you try it, let us know!

Makes approximately two to three servings.

Source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/03/pick-me-up-smoothie-recipe.html
© Copyright 2012 Money Saving Mom®. All Rights Reserved.

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Lasagna Casserole Recipe

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by Crystal on March 10, 2011

We love lasagna at our house. But I rarely buy lasagna noodles to make it because there aren’t as many sales and coupons available for lasagna noodles as there are for spiral and rotini noodles do.

So, a number of years ago, I re-did our regular lasagna recipe substituting spiral/rotini noodles for lasagna noodles and dubbed it “Lasagna Casserole”. It’s become a staple recipe at our home and it’s one of the first things I consider making when I find marked-down cottage cheese at Dillon’s.

Back when we were first married, we just left the meat out of this recipe, since it wasn’t in our budget. We like it better with meat these days, but it’s still hearty as a meatless casserole.

And do you want to know a secret? I never make this recipe exactly the same. It really depends upon what I have on hand.

Lasagna Casserole

1 pound ground beef or sausage
1 onion chopped (optional)
8 ounces of uncooked noodles (we like spiral or rotini noodles best)
1/3 to 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (we prefer cottage cheese and it’s typically much cheaper — especially if you can find it marked down!)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon parsley (chopped fresh or dried)
salt/pepper

Brown ground beef and onion until cooked. While the meat is cooking, boil the noodles according to package directions.

Mix spaghetti sauce with diced tomatoes and browned ground beef. Set 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese aside to sprinkle on the top. Combine the rest of the mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, beaten eggs, parsley and salt and pepper.

Layer a third of the meat sauce, then the noodles and then the cheese mixture in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Repeat two more times. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes (until bubbly). Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

Source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/03/lasagna-casserole-recipe.html
© Copyright 2012 Money Saving Mom®. All Rights Reserved.

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Three Bean Chili Chowder Recipe

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by Crystal on February 24, 2011

This soup has been a family favorite for years. It’s simple, easy and foolproof. And it would be scrumptious with some honey cornbread.

Three Bean Chili Chowder

1 large onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons oil
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup salsa
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cook onion until tender in oil. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.

If desired: garnish with shredded cheese, green onions and sour cream.

Makes approximately six servings.

Source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/02/three-bean-chili-chowder-recipe.html
© Copyright 2012 Money Saving Mom®. All Rights Reserved.

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Orange Cream Smoothie Recipe

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by Crystal on February 17, 2011

I promised I’d let you know how my freezing oranges experiment went. Well, I’m happy to report that it was a success!

I used them to make this Orange Cream Smoothie recipe last week and it was a hit. The children all drank it down and loved it and my sister and brother, who were over at our house, also said it was delicious.

Now, I do have the blessing of owning a Vita-Mix. I can’t say for sure how well the frozen oranges would grind up in a regular blender. If you try this recipe in a regular blender, let us know how it turns out!

Orange Cream Smoothie

2 cups frozen oranges (you can see how I froze mine here)
1 cup milk
1 cup plain yogurt
5 teaspoons raw sugar

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend on the highest setting until thoroughly blended. Enjoy!

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Valentine’s S’more Bites

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by Crystal on February 11, 2011

Looking for a last-minute sweet treat to make for Valentine’s Day? These Valentine’s S’More Bites look scrumptious and simple to pull off.

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World’s Best Honey Cornbread Recipe

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by Crystal on January 20, 2011

I’ve always wanted to find a cornbread recipe which is delicious — instead of dry and grainy. Well, when we were in Branson for a little getaway last year, we ate at McFarlain’s Restaurant. I took one bite of their cornbread and said, “This is it!”

And then I spent the next five minutes taking little bites and over-analyzing how they achieved such a perfect cornbread. All the while my husband is looking at me like, “Are you okay? It’s just cornbread, honey!”

But he did agree that it was out-of-this world cornbread and he’d love it if I could make it at home. So, I was able to get a copy of the recipe and, after making it at home, I can guarantee you this is quite possibly the world’s best cornbread — ever. My husband and children concur.

World’s Best Honey Cornbread

2/3 cup sugar (I used turbinado.)
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1 1/3 cups milk
2 1/3 cups flour
1 1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup corn meal
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream sugar and butter. Add in eggs, honey and milk and mix well.

Mix together flour, baking powder, corn meal and salt. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients carefully. Do not overmix. Batter will be lumpy.

Pour batter in greased 11×14-inch baking pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

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Do-It-Yourself: Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

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by Crystal on January 18, 2011

Two Peas and Their Pod posted a recipe for making your own Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites. These look more doable and less intimidating than pretzels to me and I’m anxious to try them!