Food Archives - Making Sense Of Cents

12 Warm & Cozy Fall Dinner Ideas That You Will Love

Last Updated: September 22, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

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Are you looking to try some delicious fall dinner ideas?

The air is getting cooler, and the leaves are starting to change colors, which means fall is here.

There are so many things I love about fall, like the way the air smells and back-to-school shopping as a kid. But I also love eating fall food.

I eat soups and stews more often and having hearty but healthy dinners. There are also so many delicious fall flavors that I love cooking with.

If you’re like me, you love fall food, but sometimes it’s hard to find new fall dinner ideas. It’s just so easy to keep making the same recipes over and over again.

I know I sometimes find myself in a cooking rut, but there’s nothing like a new season to inspire you to try new recipes.

To help you find some delicious dinners for this fall, I’ve put together a list of some of my new favorite recipes and ones I can’t wait to try. This list has recipes for all kinds of diets and cooking preferences, from vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and family-friendly options. [Read more…]

14 Best Camping Breakfast Recipes For Your Next Trip

Last Updated: July 28, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you planning your next camping trip and looking for delicious camping breakfast recipes?

Camping can be a very affordable way to travel and visit new and exciting places. And, it’s a fun activity to do with your family, your partner, or even by yourself.

While camping is a lot of fun, it can be challenging to plan out your meals, and you need to pack and transport everything with you.

Because it’s not like you can always simply open the fridge or pantry, some people think that the only options when camping are roasting hot dogs and granola bars.

That’s not the case at all, especially if you put in a bit of work to prep your meals in advance.

Camping is also an excellent opportunity to get creative with your cooking, and you will quickly learn that you can make almost anything while camping.

This is one of the lessons we’ve learned while traveling full-time in our camper van.

Actually, being in a camper van, RV, or boat is similar to camping because you have very limited kitchen space. You often only have one burner too, so you have to get creative when you cook. [Read more…]

17 Summer Dinner Ideas That Are Quick, Light, & Delicious

Last Updated: June 16, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 4 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you looking for new and delicious summer dinner ideas?

I love cooking in the summer because there are so many fresh fruits and vegetables to add to your meals. The summer is also a great time to get together with friends and have dinner on the patio or at a park.

The summer is the perfect opportunity to try different recipes because of all of the in-season produce.

But, it’s also so hot outside that you may want to find lighter recipes to help you beat the heat while also eating a satisfying meal.

In this post, the recipes you’re going to learn about take advantage of fresh ingredients and are perfect easy dinners for the summer months.

Any of these recipes would make great meals to serve at a summer dinner party with friends or family.

I’ve already tried a few of these recipes, and one of my favorites is the Baja fish tacos because I needed to find new ways to use up all of the fish Wes was catching on the boat. I can’t even count the number of times we made these. [Read more…]

12 Delicious And Healthy Meals On A Budget

Last Updated: June 8, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 1 Comment

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you interested in recipes for healthy meals on a budget? Would you like to cook more tasty meals at home so you’re less tempted to eat out?

If you are looking for delicious, healthy, and budget friendly meal ideas, then I am excited to share this list of recipes with you today.

Eating healthy meals doesn’t have to be expensive. And, there are so many options out there that will get you excited about eating at home again.

I know it gets hard during the week when you’re busy or feeling in a rut with cooking.

It often feels like it would be so much easier to just go out to eat, stop at a drive thru, or order take out. But, the problem with those options is that they’re expensive and often unhealthy.

Eating at home is healthier, and it’s a great way to stick to your budget.

There are some really delicious healthy meals on a budget in this round-up.

I’ve already tried several of these recipes, and some of my favorites are:

Healthy General Tso’s Chicken – Now that we live on a boat, we don’t often get the chance to do Chinese take out, but this recipe really hits the spot when I am missing it. The sauce has a sweet and tangy flavor, and I like to make mine extra spicy.
Vegan Bean Burritos – These are plant-based burritos that are so easy to make. I make them in advance when I know we are going to have long sailing days because you can store them in the fridge for a few days before you eat them. You can try any number of fillings, and my favorites are avocados, black beans, bell peppers, and salsa.
Cucumber Pasta Salad – This healthy pasta salad recipe is a good summer meal idea because it is fresh and light. This recipe is vegan, but I think adding feta cheese to it would be really good.
Beans and Rice – I love beans and rice recipes because you can add so many different toppings, put them in wraps, or even add your leftover beans and rice to salads. This recipe is flavorful, healthy, and affordable.

If you want to get excited about eating healthier at home instead of spending money going out to eat, then I definitely recommend that you try these ideas for delicious and healthy meals on a budget. [Read more…]

How To Meal Prep On A Budget: 10 Great Recipes To Try

Last Updated: March 3, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Would you like to learn how to meal prep on a budget?

Planning healthy and satisfying meals week after week can get exhausting.

Having a family, a full-time job, a side hustle, etc. makes it even more challenging to cook during the week.

I know I have fallen into that rut before, and many times I would end up eating something unhealthy or spending more money on takeout or restaurant food.

If you do that too many times a week, you can end up easily spending an extra hundred dollars or more on food each week. And, even though we all know it’s more expensive to go out to eat, making dinner at home can feel like a lot of extra work.

That is what I love about meal prepping – you do all of the work in advance. You can spend one afternoon or evening cooking your meals, then you divide them into containers, and they are ready to go for the week. [Read more…]

13 Salad Meal Prep Ideas | A Healthy Way To Save Time & Money

Last Updated: October 14, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you looking for some healthy, easy, and delicious salad meal prep ideas?

Salads are a great way to eat healthy as they are packed with vegetables. But, many people overlook salads as meals because they think salads are too boring or won’t be filling enough.

I know I’ve thought that way about salads before, haha!

But, I’ve been eating more salads these days after finding many of the salad meal prep ideas I’ve listed in this article.

Despite what you might think, salads aren’t boring and they can be very filling.

One of the things I love most about salads is that they take so much less time than traditional meals.

What takes the most time is cutting up your ingredients, but these salad meal prep ideas help you make the most of your time so you can eat healthier with a delicious salad. [Read more…]

10 Breakfast Meal Prep Recipes That Will Make Your Mornings Brighter

Last Updated: July 28, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 4 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you looking for some quick, breakfast meal prep ideas?

Prepping your breakfast in advance is the perfect way to make your mornings easier and stress free. No more skipping breakfast and relying on coffee to get you through to lunch.

I remember back when I was working my full-time job as a financial analyst – I would either wake up right before I had to leave, or get up early and work on my side hustle.

Either way, I always overlooked breakfast to save time.

This made it so hard to get through the mornings, and all I could think about was lunch. I would spend my mornings so unfocused and groggy, and I am positive it had to do with the fact that I wasn’t eating a good breakfast in the morning.

This is not a good way to be productive at work! [Read more…]