Category: Thrifty Meals

Beef and Pork Chili

One pot meal, Soups, Thrifty Meals

It is super cold here in the south! I made this a couple of days ago to help warm us up. We loaded it up with cheese, sour cream, crackers, and Frito scoops. Delicious!

Ingredients

about 1 1/2- 2 pounds ground meat (I used ground pork and chuck)
1/2 onion
1 can of pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
2 small cans of diced tomatoes
1 small can chopped green chilies
4 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
4 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 container of low sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Brown the meat and onion in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat with all of your spices. Add in your tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and stir well.

Add in your tomatoes and green chilies and stir together. I actually blended them first, because the girls don’t like pieces of tomatoes and green chilies, but you can crush them or leave them whole if wanted.

Add in your beans (rinsed) and stock. Stir and turn to low. Simmer at least 1 hour, but the longer you cook it, the better it tastes. Especially leftover chili the next couple of days!

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Beefy Mushroom Mozzarella Lasagna

Pasta, Thrifty Meals

Just an ordinary Monday using my fridge and cabinet without going to the store on the way home…

Ingredients- No boil lasagna noodles, 1 pound ground beef, 1 container of sliced mushrooms, 1 large can of Italian diced tomatoes, 1 jar marinara, 1 mozzarella ball shredded, 1 bag of Italian cheese blend, and seasonings…

Directions-  Brown the ground beef and mushrooms with salt and pepper and a few shakes of Worcestershire.  8 minutes. Add the can of diced tomatoes (with Italian seasoning) and jarred marinara.

In a large casserole dish sprayed with cooking oil, and a bit of sauce,  layer your noodles, beef mixture, cheese. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

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Marinated Skirt Steak Fajitas

Beef, Mexican, Thrifty Meals

Hey guys! I made this the other night for a fast weeknight meal. Fajitas are always a hit in this house, particularly steak fajitas. You can use a skirt or flank steak for this recipe; whichever is on sale!  The veggies and toppings can be added to or changed depending on what your family likes.

Ingredients

1 whole Skirt Steak
1/2 cup Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)
2 Tablespoons Cumin
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 large Onions, Halved And Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced
1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced
1 container sliced mushrooms
Oil, For Frying
Flour Tortillas, charred on the gas top
All the fixings you want…Grated Mexican Blend, Sour Cream, Guac/Avocado, Hot Sauce,shredded lettuce, tomato etc.
If I had some limes, I would have also added the juice of one or two

Instructions

In a dish, mix together olive oil, Worcestershire, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and sugar until combined. Pour half of the marinade into a separate dish. In one dish, place the flank steak, turning it over to coat. In the second dish, place all the veggies, turning to coat. If you have time, cover these in put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

Heat a cast iron skillet (or heavy skillet) over medium-high heat and drizzle in some oil. Add the veggies and cook them for a few minutes, until they’re cooked but still slightly firm and have a nice char to them.

On a grill pan (or you can use the same skillet as the veggies) over high heat and drizzle some oil. Cook the meat for about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness) until medium rare. Remove and allow to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Slice meat right before cooking.

While your meat rests, char up your tortillas and get your fajita fixings ready! Enjoy!

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Cheeseburger Quesadilla

Burgers, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pantry Raid, Thrifty Meals

Hey guys! Happy Sunday! Why does the weekend always have to go by so fast? For lunch today, I made these for the girls. They both have been sick this weekend, so I let them watch TV and have an indoor picnic. I made double hamburgers so I could have leftovers this week, so I used 2 to get this cheesy party started! SO EASY!!!

I just chopped up 2 leftover burgers and added them to a nonstick pan and heated them up for about 5 minutes. 

I added 2 small flour tortillas to a sprayed nonstick pan. I added one more slice of cheese on each tortilla. The girls love classic American cheese on their burgers, but add what you like. Then I topped it with my crumbled cheesy beef. You could do this with turkey burgers, veggie burgers, leftover meatloaf…

Once the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crispy, turn over with a spatula and cut in half! Serve with sour cream, guac, or my “special sauce” Ketchup and mayo with a bit of relish. A spoonful of meat was leftover and went straight in to Brutus’ food bowl 😉

Crispy Chicken Thighs with Squash and Peppers

Chicken, One pot meal, Pantry Raid, Thrifty Meals

Happy weekend! Man, this past week was rough! It was the first week of school here in Georgia, and it was super exhausting. But we made it (with a bunch of naps and early bedtimes)! I made this easy dish on Thursday night when the girls were at cheer practice. I had defrosted the chicken, but wasn’t sure how I was going to make it and didn’t want to go the the store. I saw a random squash and a couple of mild hatch chili peppers in the crisper, so I decided to incorporate them somehow. I also spied a large jar of tomatoes in the pantry, so I came up with this recipe. Clean plates all around, so I know it was a winner!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
4 Skin on Bone in Chicken Thighs
1 squash, sliced
1 small mild hatch peppers
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can peeled whole (mashed) or diced tomatoes

Directions

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Season your chicken with the paprika and a bit of salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes or so until crispy. Remove from pan.
Turn down heat to medium/medium low. Add your veggies to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until tender.
Add the tomato paste to the veggies and combine well.
Add the canned tomatoes and stir all the veggies together.
Return chicken to pan and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through, about 25 more minutes.

I served with couscous and side of corn. I normally would also add a fresh hot baguette as well, but I didn’t have one this time.