OMG...you have been SO neglected. I am deeply sorry for my missing status. Lots going on, none of it good, all of it surmountable! The kids are still sick, I was kind enough to pass my flu on to my husband, so I'm right as rain again! I've missed you all so much but I'm back into the swing of things. Sometimes, when everything seems so dark, you need to realize that there's always light headed your way. Either that, or you were too cheap to pay the light bill. That's my prolific statement for the day. To all of my friends, you know who you are, thank you for being my friends and for believing in me. You can't put a price (or a savings) on something like that....

Okay, I've decided to share some really inexpensive recipes that I use here in my house. Technically, I could feed my family of 4 for about $70 a week. None of my meals have fancy names, it's hard to impress a 4 and 6 year old, but they're all yummy.

Pasta and sausage casserole

1 bag of wide egg noodles ($1.49)
1 package of sweet Italian sausage ($1.79)
1 block of Monterey Jack cheese, shredded ($1.50)
1 quarter cup of milk (.80 cents)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 loaf of garlic or French bread

Cut the sausage up and brown in a skillet on medium heat. Boil noodles. Preheat over to 350°. Pour noodles into baking pan, mix in sausage and cheese, pour milk over mixture. Add salt and pepper, bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes about 8 servings. Serve with heated bread. Delish and inexpensive. You can add a small salad for greens. No one here, other than me, likes veggies.

Double Chicken Noodle Chicken Breasts

1 package of boneless & skinless chicken breasts ($3.99)
1 can of condensed Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup (.79 cents)
1 fresh zucchini (.79 cents)
1 onion (.40 cents)
1 half stick of butter (or margarine) (.75 cents)
4 baked potatoes
1 small pkg fresh blue cheese ($2.69)

Preheat oven to 350°. Put chicken breasts in shallow baking dish and pour chicken noodle soup over it. Add 1 cup of water, cover with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes. Slice zucchini and onion. Combine in a piece of tin foil, put half of the butter over it, salt and pepper to taste, seal well, bake 30 minutes. Bake the 4 potatoes for about 40 minutes, remove from oven, add rest of the butter and top each potato with 1 tablespoon of blue cheese. Nutritious and inexpensive.

Beef Stew
1 pound of cubed stew beef ($2.99)
2 potatoes (.99)
2 carrots (.29)
2 stalks of celery (.39)
2 pkg brown gravy mix (I prefer the Knorr's brand) ($1.00)
1 can Green Giant no salt added corn nibblets
salt and pepper to taste

Super easy. Get your crock pot or slow cooker out, combine all ingredients and cook on high for 4 hours. Stir occasionally. Add salt and pepper. Serve with fresh bread. No need to cook the stew beef first, it all cooks together. Just slice up veggies, add everything at once, and in 4 hours, fantastic comfort food!

And for dessert
Chocolate cream pie
1 Oreo graham cracker crust (pre-made) )$1.29)
2 pkgs Jello Chocolate pudding ($1.09)
1 container Cool Whip (.99)

Follow directions for chocolate pudding. Pour into graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours, frost with Cool Whip. You can top it with chocolate chips or Reese's Pieces to break up the chocolate overkill.

All of the above meals cost well under $10 and are filling. They can be adapted into low fat, low carb, fat free, sugar free, low sodium, etc. for pennies. One of our biggest expenses in life is food. If we can learn how to stretch our dollar and still keep it healthy then we've been successful!

OHHHHH, remember in my previous blog about how I wished my husband would read my blog? In 7 years of marriage he's never sent flowers. Today, Valentine's Day, I received a beautiful arrangement of tulips. They're orange and red and blue and purple..stunning. He said "I was reading your blog and found a coupon and I knew you'd be proud." LOL..of course I am, I'm proud of everyone that takes the initiative to get the most for their money. Until next time...Happy Saving!