Turkey Noodle Soup

Turkey Noodle Soup is a tradition at our home.  We always look forward to this post- Thanksgiving treat!

Please visit Frugal Indy later today when I will be showing you step by step how to make some of this yummy soup for your family.

Yummy Breakfast on the Cheap!

So here is my Very Yummy breakfast I made with my almost free stuff!

The Eggos are from Meijer - on sale + coupon for less than .75 a box.

The Yoplus yogurt has had tons of coupons and printables out there - I can usually get it for around $1.00 a 4-pack. Here is a coupon link.

The peaches were given to me by a church family that has peach trees!

And on top is a sprinkling of Honey Bunches of O's "Just Bunches" - that is the best yogurt topping! Walmart sells it for $2.50 and there were $1.00 off coupons out recently. I don't usually pay $1.50 a box for cereal - but I love it and can make a box stretch by just sprinkling a little on my yogurt!

Samantha has a post and giveaway here asking what do you do with all your extras! We've used up the Kool-aid. I bought lemon-aid flavored and took it on vacation with my husband's family!

What's For Dinner Wednesday? Baked Fish.

Here is a super easy and good way to use that Tilapia Fish from Meijer! The croutons are so much better than bread crumbs - you'll never use them again!

Easy Breaded Fish

3/4 cup crushed croutons ( I put them through the food processor for a few seconds)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 egg
1 Tbs water
1 Tbs lemon juice (I've left this out when I don't have any and it's been fine)
1 lb fresh or frozen fish fillets - thawed, (pat dry with a paper towel.)

Preheat oven 350 degrees
Cover cookie sheet with foil - that non-stick foil works great. A stoneware sheet is fine too but might take a bit longer to cook.

In shallow dish, combine croutons, cheese and parsley flakes, blend well.

In another shallow dish combine egg, water and lemon juice, blend well.

Cut fish into 3 inch pieces ( I usually cut the fillets in half ) Try to make fish similar in size so they bake evenly.

Dip fish in egg mixture; coat with crouton mixture. Tuck thin ends of fish under to form pieces of uniform thickness.

Place on baking sheet. Bake in 350 over for 15 - 20 minutes, or until fish flakes easily and is not slimy looking. (Time varies due to fish size and thickness so I check by cutting one of the fillets open with a fork, when it looks done.)

Note: I just crush a whole bag of croutons in my food processor at a time and store what I don't use in a sealed container. It makes it easier and less work to make the fish the next time!

Let me know if you try this and how it comes out for you!

What's For Dinner Wednesday?

Quick and Easy Pizza

(About $2.00 a Pizza)

This is one of my family's favorites and it is so easy and cheap!

It's rare that we ever order out for pizza because I can whip this up faster than the delivery man can get here! I try to keep the ingredients on had at all times!



Ingredients:


1 Package (Wal-Mart) Great Value Pizza Mix (.44 cents a bag!)


1/2 cup hot water


1-2 T flour (for dusting)


1- 8 oz can Hunts Tomato Sauce


1-2 T. Parmesan Cheese


1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese


Toppings as desired


(I was making 2 pizzas so there are
2 bags of dough and 2 cans sauce in my picture)




Directions:

Just mix together the pizza mix and the hot water.



Knead the dough on a floured surface about 10 seconds.



Place in bowl and let rest in warm spot for 5 minutes.



Prepare pizza pan: I cover with foil

and spray with cooking spray for easy clean-up.


Work the dough to the edges of the pizza pan.


Spread with the sauce.


Sprinkle with cheeses and toppings.


Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes,


or until the cheese is brown and bubbly


in the middle of the pizza.



Note: If you add a lot of toppings you need to bake for longer. Also, if you like thick crust pizza use 2 packages of dough. You can use a cookie sheet with 2 packages also!

One more thing, you can find the packaged pizza mix in the aisle near the Parmesan Cheese.

What's For Dinner Wednesday?

I will not be cooking for the next 2 Wednesdays because I will be away to see my nephew graduate from high school. I will still be blogging as much as possible but I would love to give you the opportunity to "Cook up the Deals" on our "What's For Dinner Wednesday" post.

Just email me with your recipe or post it on your blog this week and send me a link. I will be looking for 2 great frugal and easy recipes. If I pick you, I will put your recipe in next week's Wednesday post and your blog will get some free publicity !

My Email Address is: TheSavingsSwap@sbcglobal.net

What's For Dinner Wednesday?

Today is going to be a busy day for us so I'm going to throw something in the crock-pot before we go out for the day. I've found the crock-pot to be a great time and money saver. If I take just 5 minutes before running out on a busy day I come home to a cooked dinner. I know on a day like this the temptation will be to pick-up take out or run to the drive-through because I just won't want to cook tonight!

Baked Chicken and Potatoes

6 med or large potatoes washed and poked with a fork (use enough potatoes to cover the bottom of the crock pot)

Use your choice of: 1 whole chicken, several chicken legs & thighs or 1 or 2 whole split chicken breasts - bone in. (I usually use frozen and just put the pieces in still frozen)

Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt
Paprika
Onion Powder

I put the potatoes on the bottom. Lay the chicken on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika, and onion powder - or whatever spices you like.

I cook on low for 6-8 hours. Time varies by crock pot and fresh chicken will take less time than frozen. If I only have around 4 hours (Sunday Mornings) I set it to high.

The chicken gets very tender and falls off the bone easily, so remove carefully from pot! I take the skin off before serving it.

This is one of our favorites!

What's for Dinner Wednesday!

I would like to make "What's for Dinner Wednesday" a regular feature here at the Savings Swap. If you would like to post a favorite budget friendly recipe on your blog and link to it in the comments that would be great! Or you can post the recipe in the comments or email it to me at TheSavingsSwap@sbcglobal.net

Mac & Cheese with Broccoli & Ham.

4 cups water

3/4 lb elbow macaroni (3 cups)

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

1 tsp cornstarch1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1 box (10 oz) frozen broccoli, thawed

4 oz baked ham, diced

2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

PREPARATION

1. Bring water, macaroni and 1 cup milk to a boil in a 5-qt Dutch oven, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-high and boil 7 to 8 minutes, stirring, until macaroni is just al dente. 2. Stir remaining milk, cornstarch, mustard and salt in a bowl to blend. 3. Add broccoli and ham to pot. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in milk mixture. Simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove pot from heat; stir in cheeses.
From Woman's Day February 12, 2008

The original recipe is here.

I make a few changes to this recipe.

I like to use fresh broccoli for this recipe, I just steam it a bit before adding it. I use 1/4 to 1/2 lb of Turkey ham (from Aldi 1.69/lb.) After mixing everything I put the casserole in a baking pan and sprinkle with a bit of cheese. I bake at 350 until golden and bubbly. We get 2 meals out of this so it is a super one on the budget. I'd love to hear what you're having for dinner!