I love sweet potatoes and saw this recipe in the Easy Breakfast Recipes cookbook I downloaded this morning. I am NOT a baker but this recipe looks so good and very easy! To see this recipe and many more click HERE to download 29 Tasty, Easy Breakfast Recipes Cookbook for free.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sifted bread flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup cooked mashed sweet potatoes
• cold milk to make a soft dough (depends on moisture content of potatoes)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and sift into mixing bowl.
3. Cut in butter, rubbing it in with tips of fingers.
4. Add sweet potatoes, then 2 to 4 tablespoons of milk. Mix.
5. Knead for 30 seconds on floured board.
6. Pat lightly into a sheet 1/2″ thick, and cut with cutter.
7. Place biscuits on a very lightly oiled baking sheet and bake in a 450 degrees F oven for 12-17
minutes. Serve hot.

Orzo Vegetable Pilaf

This is one of my favorite go-to meals. You can have it on the table in 30 minutes and it is so good for you!  My daughter and I love meatless meals…especially any kind of pasta/veggie combination!

1 – Cook 1 box orzo pasta as directed (we like to cook our pasta about 2 minutes less than what the package says…no mushy pasta!!). Drain, rinse well and set aside.

2 – While pasta is cooking dice 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash, 1 carrot, 1 small onion, 1 small package button mushrooms and 2-3 cloves garlic. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and cook the veggies to your desired tenderness. We like our veggies cooked through, not mush, but not crunchy (about 10 minutes). Drain 1 can of cannellini beans (or any kind of white beans) and add to the vegetables. Turn heat down to low.

3 – Add the pasta to the veggies and mix well. Add about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of chicken broth and 2 big tablespoons of Smart Balance Butter Spread. Mix well and let hang out over low heat for about 5 – 10 minutes or until the broth is almost abosrbed but not dry. Add salt and pepper to taste, mix well and serve immediately with lots of  freshly grated Parmesan Cheese!

Pasta – $1.19
Zuccini – $0.50 (farmers market)
Yellow Squash – $0.50 (farmers market)
Yellow Onion – $0.25 (farmers market)
Carrot – $0.20
Beans – $0.69
Mushrooms – $1.27
Garlic, cheese, broth and seasoning - $1.50 (appx)

Total:  $5.60 for a huge skillet that fed my daughter and I for dinner, lunch for both of us the next day and dinner again for me! To save time chopping, I have also done this with pre-chopped frozen vegetable blends. I mix it up all the time…no two vegetable combinations are the same. This is also a great way to use leftover veggies!

What do I do with leftover pulled pork…why make a Cuban sandwich of course! Cuban sandwiches are one of my all time favorites and this was one of the best I have ever had (if I do say so myself…ha) :-) These are approximate measurements. If you like more or less of something…just go with it!

• 1 12” FocacciaLoaf (Cut bread in half horizontally) * I used one I had from Panera
• 6 Slices Swiss cheese * I used Light Swiss Slices
• Thinly sliced pickles (I just sliced one large pickle)
• Spicy mustard
• Sliced Ham (I used Virginia Baked Ham)
• Pulled Pork

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay both halves of bread on the counter and spread each half with spicy mustard (or whatever kind of mustard you like). Lay 3 slices of cheese on one half, then the pickles, pork, ham, remaining 3 slices of cheese and top with other half of bread. 

This is a big sandwich and it will not fit in my Panini press so I do it in the oven. Place the sandwich on a large cookie sheet sprayed lightly with non-stick spray. Place a piece of foil over the sandwich (I spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray so it doesn’t stick to the sandwich). Place another cookie sheet on top of the foil. Now, you will need some weight on the top cookie sheet. I use two cast iron bacon presses or two bricks. You can also use a large pot with some water in it (this works very well and you can control how much weight you want by adding more/less water). You just need some weight to ‘press’ the sandwich. 

Bake for 20 minutes, uncover and bake until lightly brown and crispy on top. Cut into 4 wedges and serve immediately. This method works for anything you want to press that won’t fit into a standard size panini press. I can fit two 12-inch round sandwiches on one pan which easily serves 6-8 people. I have dome homemade taquitos and baked burritos this way and my family loves them!

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 Small Flank Steak (cut into bite size pieces) $1.89
* 2 Bags Steamfresh Brown Rice $0.20 each after coupons
* 1 Bag Steamfresh Broccoli Florets $0.40 after coupon
* 1 Small Can Water Chestnuts $0.97
* 2 Large Carrots Shredded (I finely shred them in a small food processor) $0.20
* 1/2 Cup Frozen Peas (about 1/4 of the bag) $0.40
* 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed $0.20
* 2 Eggs Scrambled $0.25
* 1/4 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce $0.20
* 1/4 Cup 365 Organics Soy/Ginger Sauce (from Whole Foods) $0.50

DIRECTIONS:

** I have found the best method for making fried rice or stir-fry is to have everything ready. Once you put the meat in the pan, this recipe goes very quickly so my directions are in the order that I do it.

1 – Cook the rice and broccoli in the microwave according to the package directions and set aside.
2 – Cook the eggs and set aside.
3 – Rinse the frozen peas with hot water and set aside.
4 – Open and drain the water chestnuts and set aside.
5 – Heat one tablespoon olive oil over high heat in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add the beef and one tablespoon of the low sodium soy sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until just cooked through.
6 – Turn the heat way down (I use a medium-low heat at this point), add the garlic and carrots and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
7 – Add the broccoli, water chestnuts, peas, rice, eggs, remaining soy sauce and soy/ginger sauce.
8 – Stir constantly until ingredients are mixed well and heated through.
9 – Taste and adjust for seasoning. Salt, pepper or more sauce…whatever you like.
9 – Serve immediately.

Total cost: $5.41 made a huge pan. More than enough for dinner and lunch the next day!

My family loves fried rice so I am always making these ‘unfried’ versions and no two are ever the same. I really like using the different oriental sauces to change it up and frozen microwavable veggies eliminate the need for all the chopping. Super quick. Super healthy and very affordable! Who says eating healthy isn’t easy AND affordable?? BTW I was able to get the flank steak so cheap because my meat manager had just marked them down…so I bought them ALL!

Sign up for this FREE Healthy Muffins for All eCookbook which includes over 25 healthy muffin recipes. You’ll find tons of easy muffin recipes, including whole wheat muffins, corn muffin recipes and much more! The eCookbook has easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions for favorites, including Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins (page 18), Orange Chocolate Muffins (page 24) and Banana Nut Muffins (page 26).

YAY I love these free ecookbooks! Click HERE to view and/or download. I like to download these and save them to my ‘Recipes’ folder on my desktop. They also have The Ultimate List of Healthy Snacks, 27 Simple Mexican Recipes, 31 Secret Restaurant Copycat Recipes, and 33 Secret Restaurant Copycat Recipes

I had one of the yummiest pasta dishes in my life this weekend while dining at Romano’s. I LOVE the combination of beef and tomatoes and they have a new dish called Antonio’s Beef Rigatoni that is TO DIE FOR!! It seems like it would be pretty easy to recreate, and since I have a ridiculous amount of canned tomatoes, it would also be a good recipe for the Cooking From My Stockpile series. It was rigatoni pasta with caramelized onions and braised beef in a rich tomato sauce with fresh basil and Parmesan…YUM. I could use up at least 4-5 cans of my tomatoes since the braising process would be done in the oven and be cooked low and slow. The beef and tomato portion would also freeze well. My life is crazy right now so I don’t know when I will actually be able to get in the kitchen to make this BUT I will post back with some pictures when I do. 

If you want to bypass the cooking and just go treat yourself to an UH-MAZING pasta dish (maybe for Mother’s Day), you can save $5.00 when you sign up for the Romano’s Mailing List

Click HERE for more recipes from the Cooking From My Stockpile series.

INGREDIENTS

* 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
* 2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
* 1/3 cup of tahini (roasted)
* 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed is best)
* 1/3 Cup Light Sour Cream
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon of salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 2-4 Tablespoons Water

DIRECTIONS

* Place all ingredients except water in a food processor.
* Blend until smooth.
* Depending on how thick/thin you like it, you may need to add a little water. I recommend adding 1-tablespoon at a time and blending until you reach the desired consistency.
* Taste and adjust salt/pepper/lemon to your liking.
* Makes Approximately 3 Cups

I serve this with crispy flat bread chips that I buy at World Market or low fat bagel chips because I love the creaminess of the dip with the crispiness of the crackers/chips. You can also serve it with pita bread, Naan (an Indian Flat bread) carrots or celery. I also love it as sandwich spread…yummy!

I actually got this recipe from my Free Spring Picnic Cookbook and wanted to share it because it was SO amazingly good. I am NOT a fruit fan…GASP…I know this is awful. I love veggies so I get my ’5 a day’. I also LOVE ginger and honey so I just had to try this! I lightened it up a bit by using fat free dairy products and added a little extra ginger and honey.

Fruit-Cheese Kabobs with Ginger Fruit Dip
Ingredients: Servings: 8 Servings: 8 Servings: 8

Ingredients

* 15 strawberries
* 30 green seedless grapes
* 3 mandarin oranges, split into segments
* 30 pineapple chunks
* 24 cheese cubes – Colby, cheddar, or Monterey Jack (I used sharp cheddar)
* 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained (I used in juice not syrup)
* 1 cup plain low fat yogurt (I used fat free)
* 1/2 lb soft-style cream cheese ( I used fat free)
* 1/4 cup honey
* 2 tsp ginger, grated
* 24 small skewers or toothpicks

Directions:

1. Thread first 5 ingredients on skewers or tooth picks.
2. To make the dip, mix cream cheese, yogurt, honey, and ginger root.
3. Fold in pineapple.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

I always sign up for all the little freebie offers that I post but I REALLY loved this little cookbook. I honestly want to to try almost every recipe and I cant wait for our next family get together so I can make this for everyone.

What do you do with 50+ packages of tuna? Why Tuna Casserole of course! A few months ago I traded some formula coupons for 100+ tuna coupons, which at the time, made it free at Kroger (actually free with overage). Tonight I used the recipe I posted last year, but in an effort to ONLY use things from my pantry, I didn’t do the panko topping. I also replaced the three cans of tuna with 4 envelopes (pictures above). I replaced the panko with crushed Ritz crackers.

To see past Cook From My Stockpile Recipes click HERE

I got this recipe in my email inbox today and can’t wait to try it. I am usually not a cole slaw fan but I LOVE KFC’s!! I received this from Recipe Lion and am a huge fan of their their free eCookBooks. Right now you can sign up for their free Copycat Recipe Cookbook Volume 1, Volume 2, or Volume 3,  Healthy Snack Cookbook or the Healthy Chicken Cookbook (who doesn’t need more ideas for chicken?!). As always, I suggest downloading them to a folder on your desktop to keep them handy.

Copycat KFC Coleslaw

Ingredients

* 8 1/2 cups cabbage
* 1/3 cup carrot
* 1 teaspoon onion, chopped finely
* 3/4 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup milk
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 1/2 teaspoons pepper
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Core the cabbage, then shred the cabbage fine using the fine disk for the shredder attachment to the mixer. Shred the carrot the same way. Mix together cabbage, carrot and onion.

2. In a bowl combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, milk and lemon juice with a whisk until well combined. Add the salt and pepper. Add the sugar to the sauce until well mixed in. Add the sauce to the cabbage and carrot mixture and mix well and allow the mixture to marinate for 13 hours in the refrigerator.

** To lighten this up, you could use light/fat free mayo, buttermilk and milk. I am not a huge fan of fat free mayo but the Kraft light isn’t too bad. I might try it both ways to see if there is a huge taste difference.

A Little Bit of Everything Bean Soup 

* 2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 1  Ham Steak - Fat trimmed off and cubed
* 1/2 Bag Recipe Beginnings (frozen pre-chopped onion, carrot, celery)
* 1 Can Diced Tomatoes
* 1 Can Garbanzo Beans
* 1 Can Light Kidney Beans
* 1 Can Black-Eyed Peas (yes I said Black-eyed Peas…stay with me)
* 1 Quart Chicken Broth
* 3 Cloves Garlic Crushed
* 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
* Salt and Pepper to taste

** WaterIn a 5-quart pot, brown the ham in the olive oil until it was a little crispy and has good color, add the veggies and the garlic, cook for about 5 minutes and then add all remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper. Let simmer on low for about an hour to an hour and a half. Bean soups can get very thick, so add water a cup at a time as needed. It is up to you how thick/thin you want it so the amount is up to you. I also had some ciabatta rolls I needed to use so I made a quickie garlic bread. I spilt them in half, sprinkled them lightly with garlic powder, salt and pepper, spread them with Fat Free I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (which is my new favorite thing) and broiled them until they were lightly browned. 

This was one of THE best bean soups I have ever made. It has never crossed my mind to add tomatoes to a bean soup. Pasta Fagioli maybe, but not a ‘ham and bean’ soup. We LOVED it. These ‘throw everything in the pot’ kind of meals are always the best. This was a great start to using up my stockpile :-)

The mix called for 1/3 cup of oil, but if you split that into 15 good size servings, it only adds about 43 calories per slice. If you wanted to make it lighter, you could try replacing some or all of the oil with an equal amount of  applesauce. Overall this is on the lighter side as far as desserts go…and the pumpkin is good for you

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
* 3 eggs
* 1/3 cup sugar (I used less)
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix
* 1 (16 ounce) can whipped butter cream frosting

DIRECTIONS

* In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, sugar and oil; mix well.
* Add cake mix; beat for 2 minutes.
* Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan
* Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
* Cool on a wire rack and then frost.

All ovens vary slightly, so I recommend to start checking with a toothpick after about 25 minutes and remove the cake as soon as the toothpick comes out clean!