Yummy in My Tummy

This is for Bethany Pat-rice. Seeing as my husband and I are new to the world of family grocery shopping and cooking for two....rather I'm new to cooking, in general; I am getting the hang of experimentation. I admit, there have been many attempts gone bad (ex: Spinach/Blueberry Oatmeal bars- sources say "nope!"). However, I have come to understand the art of cooking with minimal ingredients on a tight budget.

Last week I made chicken chili. So yummy! We buy grilled chicken strips for tacos, and with those that I had left over, I cut them in cubes and cooked them with "white chicken chili seasoning (like 99 cents), and a can of white beans. You can add a can of diced tomatoes, onion, and anything else you'd like in your chili. The two simple ingredients were amazing, to the point that my husband asked for a repeat.

Also a hit are the chicken breasts in a bag. Buy the seasoning that comes with a bag, fill with fresh veggies and cook. Nothing better, nothing easier!
Another great hit are the simple baked egg puffs. It's from the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook and is made with an added ingredient of yellow squash, which I opt to leave out. With 2 large eggs, 4 eggs whites (I just toss in the whites from some eggs), 2 Tbs shredded low-fat cheddar cheese, 2 Tbs flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt...you mix them together and pour them into either 4 souffles cups (which I don't have) or coffee cups that are 1/2 greased. Bake them on 400 for 15 minutes and you have a great meal! You can even add sausage or bacon already cooked! This past week I doubled the recipe to make 6 coffee cups because JP loves them so much! Can't say I blame him!

Finally, JPs favorite is turkey sloppy joes. (really its just grilled turkey and barbeque sauce and onions). He always asks for leftovers to bring to work! It's also a leaner choice than ground beef.

I have to say, I appreciate my husband's patience as I experiment, his kind words for my chunky pudding, and quick help when my recipe is drowning. He may eat for 4 (all the more reason to find cheap and easy recipes for a family of 4)....but he's never picky!