Food Archives - Making Sense Of Cents

10 Slow Cooker Recipes That Will Make Dinner Time Easy

March 25, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

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Are you looking for some new and delicious slow cooker recipes so you can have tasty and stress-free dinners this week?

I love making meals in a slow cooker. Dinners are so much easier when you start everything in advance! I’m less stressed, can focus on things I’d rather do, all while knowing that I have a delicious meal cooking.

So, if you’re looking for some of the best slow cooker recipes, I have 10 new recipes for you to try – that’s almost two full weeks of meal ideas!

I think you’re going to like all of these slow cooker recipes, but here are my favorites:

Easy Slow Cooker Cauliflower Soup – Cauliflower, cashews, and a smoky chickpea topping. This soup is packed full of protein, and it’s vegan. This soup is creamy, rich, and the chickpea topping is roasted, which gives it a nice crunch.
Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Soup – Chicken, black beans, fire roasted corn, lime juice, and more. You can top this hearty soup with cheese, avocado, sour cream (I like to use plain Greek yogurt), and more.
Mozzarella Stuffed Crockpot Meatloaf – Garlic, onions, mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, and more. This meatloaf even has a delicious sweet and spicy glaze on top. I honestly had no idea that you could even make meatloaf in the slow cooker until I found this recipe.

Many of these slow cooker recipes take 15 minutes or less of prep time, which means you can easily make them before you go to work in the morning. They also make great leftovers for lunch the next day. [Read more…]

10 Quick Lunch Recipes That Will Make Your Day Easier

February 17, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 4 Comments

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Are you looking for some quick lunch recipes that are healthy, easy, and delicious?

If you’re like me, you probably forget about lunch most days. You might wind up eating leftovers, a simple sandwich, snacking, or not eating anything for lunch at all.

Living on a boat sometimes makes it hard to cook food like we normally would. These days, we’re so busy with things on the boat and more active than ever. But, it’s even more important than ever for us to eat healthy, filling meals.

That’s why I’m so excited about these quick lunch recipes! These are meals that are easy to cook in our tiny kitchen – they don’t take a lot of prep time or space. We can cook them quickly before heading out for a day sail or while exploring a new island.

Best of all, these recipes taste great! [Read more…]

10 Healthy Bowl Recipes – You Will Love These Delicious Meals!

January 29, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 9 Comments

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Today, I have 10 of the most delicious and healthy bowl recipes out there, and I am so excited to share them with you!

Bowl recipes or meals in a bowl has become one of my favorite ways to eat these days. There is something that just feels so much easier about putting your entire meal in a bowl, haha.

Because I’ve been loving to eat my meals this way, I wanted to share some of the healthy bowl recipes that I have been enjoying.

These recipes are even great for meal prepping because you can put your meals together in individual serving containers and just grab them out of the fridge when you need a healthy meal.

This is great for busy weeknights or for bringing your lunch to work.

There are healthy bowl recipes that are great for dinner, ones that are vegetarian, vegan bowl recipes, gluten-free meals, and more. [Read more…]

10 Quick and Easy One Pot Meals

August 26, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 8 Comments

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We split our time between a van and sailboat, so space is a major issue for us.

Our kitchen area is tiny, we have very limited counter space, and we just don’t have as many burners. Our cooking range is really small too, so we really can’t cook anything that takes more than one pot. Oh, and we don’t even have the storage space for tons of pots either.

I know that’s not the case for everyone, and one pan meals are still great options for anyone who lives in a traditional home – they simplify meal time!

So today, I have a great list of one pot meals for you to try. There are several vegetarian and vegan options, there are some delicious looking comfort food recipes, and a fun take on egg rolls. And more!

Personally, I’m really excited about the lemon spaghetti with spinach. The lemon seems like it will the dish taste refreshing and light, and adding spinach makes it a nice healthy meal.

These one pot recipes don’t require a ton of prep work either, and most of them only take around 30 minutes to cook. This makes them good for weeknight dinners, especially if you’re feeling busy and are tempted to go out to eat. [Read more…]

10 Easy And Delicious Lunch Ideas For Work

August 16, 2019 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.

Finding exciting lunch ideas for work is one of the best ways to start saving money on your food spending. That’s because buying lunch at work can really add up if you do it too often.

When I worked as a financial analyst, I tried to bring my lunch as much as possible. But, it was easy to get caught up with others who were going out to grab a quick lunch. The leftovers or sandwich I packed never sounded as exciting as going out.

Sure, it’s fun to go out to lunch from time to time, but it adds up quickly.

I would find myself spending anywhere from $10-$15 when I did go out for lunch. Even just $5 for lunch here and there can add up to a lot of money when you’re trying to cut your budget.

So, to help you save money on lunch, I have some delicious and healthy lunch ideas for work that will get you excited about packing your lunch.

This list is full of healthy lunch ideas for work, including a great vegetarian quinoa bowl with beans, corn, and a lime vinaigrette. There are low carb options like chicken fajita bowls and an avocado chicken salad (this one looks so pretty in the pictures!). [Read more…]

10 Easy Freezer Meal Recipes

May 30, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 6 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.

On nights when you are busy, having a freezer meal ready to go is one of the best ways to feed you and your family. So, to help you get ready for your week, I have 10 easy freezer meal recipes for you to try, from breakfast burritos to meatless shepherd’s pie.

Freezer meals are simply meals you prep and cook in advance, stick in the freezer, and pull out to reheat when you need them. They are simple, healthy, and help you save money.

If you’ve never made freezer meals before, here are a few tips:

Batch cook several meals at once.
Label your meals with reheating directions.
Use freezer quality bags so your food doesn’t get freezer burn.
Make a list of what freezer meals you have and put it on your fridge or somewhere else that’s easy to see.

Trust me, these meals are nothing like the frozen dinners you would buy from the store – home cooked always tastes better (the from scratch Hot Pockets on this list look delicious!).

And, one of the best things about these easy freezer meal recipes is that you can save a lot of money on your monthly food budget. You will be less likely to get fast food or take out when you know that you have a delicious meal at home that you just need to pop in the oven or microwave. [Read more…]

10 Easy Road Trip Snack Recipes

April 8, 2019 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.

Road trips are one of the best ways to travel affordably, and they can be a lot of fun for families, couples, or a way to travel on your own. Even though we no longer have a car, we did RV for several years, so we are road trip pros, haha.

Now, while road trips can be an affordable way to travel, it is also very easy to buy snacks every time you need to get gas or use the restroom. Even though they are usually somewhat cheap, the cost can really add up. That means you will probably be spending much more money than if you made your own road trip snacks in advance.

The other bad thing about the kind of road trip snacks you find in gas stations is that they are usually full or sugar, sodium, and just aren’t very healthy for you.

I have gotten much better at not grabbing candy or chips when on a road trip because I hate how it makes me feel afterwards. But, I also hate how quickly the cost of those snacks adds up.

So, if you’re wanting some ideas for healthy, make at home road trip snacks for your next adventure, then I have a great list of delicious recipes for you to try.

They are delicious snacks for anyone who might be joining you on the road, and they hardly take any time to make. [Read more…]

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