I decided to re-post an oldie-but-a-goodie to start my “Budget Recipe” series. Hopefully you guys were able to score some free/cheap tuna with last week’s coupon ~

Tuna Noodle Casserole is my kind of comfort food and it’s also one of the things I looked forward to my Dad cooking growing up. He liked a lot of tuna and so do I. So here’s my budget friendly, lightened up version:

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound Rotini Noodles
• 1 10 ¾ Ounce Can Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Celery Soup
• 1 10 ¾ Ounce Can Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 12 Ounce Bag Green Giant Steamers Mixed Vegetables
• 3 Pouches Starkist Light Tuna
• 1 ½ Cups Skim Milk
• ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

Topping:

• 1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese
• Butter Spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees
2. Cook noodles for 7 minutes and drain. Do not overcook the noodles. They will continue to cook when the casserole bakes and you’ll wind up with mushy pasta…yuck!
3. Mix the noodles with all the remaining ingredients except the topping.
4. Pour into a greased 9×13 inch baking dish (I use the Kroger brand non-cooking spray).
5. In a small bowl, mix the panko and Parmesan with a fork. Spray with butter spray and stir. Keep doing this until it looks like the topping is well coated with the butter spray. Sprinkle all over the top of the casserole. You could use melted light butter. I just REALLY like the super buttery flavor of butter spray.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and well browned.

I am in love with panko bread crumbs. They are light, crispy and do not get soggy (even when reheated). The topping was very crunchy and had great flavor. Talk about a budget meal! This makes a huge pan that could easily feed a family of four for $3.10. In my family, this would be about 8 servings lol, so just $0.39 a serving. For less than the price of ONE fast food combo meal, you can make a whole meal that is satisfying, nutritious and delicious. I challenge anyone that says that all couponers eat is junk food!!

Cost:

• Noodles: Free from stockpile
• Cream of Celery Soup: $0.35 from stockpile
• Cream of Mushroom Soup:$0.35 from stockpile
• Green Giant Steamers Mixed Vegetables: $0.40 from stockpile
• 3 Pouches Starkist Tuna: $0.25 each with this deal
• 1 ½ Cups Skim Milk: $0.25
• 1 Total Cup Parmesan Cheese: $0.50
• 1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs: Free with $3/1 coupon (no longer available)
• Frank’s Red Hot: Pennies with this deal
• Total Cost = $3.10

Be sure to check the Coupon Deals Page regularly so you have the products that I use in these recipes! Each week I will create a new healthy, budget recipe using the free/cheap groceries that we’ve scored!

Do you have a budge recipe or tip you’d like to share? Email it to andrea (at) savingeveryday (dot) net

Check out the Recipes Page for more!

I found ground chicken breast marked down to $1.29 a package at Kroger, so I decided to try another one of my “Un-Fried Rice” concoctions tonight. I missed the eggs and peas (didn’t have any), but other than that, it was very good and my daughter preferred it with the ground chicken. I had this cooked and served in 20 minutes!

Ingredients:

• 1 10 oz Bag Birds Eye Steamfresh White Rice w/Mixed Vegetables $1.09
• 1 10 oz Bag Birds Eye Steamfresh Brown Rice With Broccoli $1.09
• 1/2 16 oz Bag Broccoli Florets $0.60 ($1.19 marked down at IGA)
• 1 Pound Ground Chicken Breast $1.29
• 1 Cup Frozen Chopped Onion $0.50 (1/2 the bag & I buy them 10/$10)
• 2-3 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ginger Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• Chicken Broth

Directions:

1. Cook the rice and the broccoli according to the directions on the bag; set aside.
2. Combine the ground chicken, garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and seasonings.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground chicken mixture until cooked through. As it cooks, break it up into small pieces. If it starts to stick, add a splash of chicken broth and turn your heat down.
4. When the meat is cooked through, turn the heat down to low, add the rice and the broccoli, and mix well.
5. Continue mixing and adding a few dashes of soy sauce until it is heated through and tastes good to you. We like a LOT of soy, which is why I use low sodium. It would be much too salty otherwise.

Tips:

As you guys know, I like to make my recipes as healthy as possible. I use low sodium chicken broth like it is going out of style. It’s perfect for recipes like this. Ground chicken breast is VERY lean, so it really doesn’t release any fat when you cook it.  I didn’t need to use any broth today, but if your chicken or rice starts to stick to the bottom of your pan, adding the broth will help loosen it and prevent it from burning. You can substitute one onion for the frozen chopped onion, but I BIG FLUFY HEART love frozen pre-chopped vegetables (onions, celery, carrots, etc…)…they are a quick cook’s best friend! 

This has been added to the Recipes Page

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. This may be the only time you’ll ever see me tell you to rinse your pasta!

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. Drain and rinse 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 Best Life 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!

Ronzoni mart Taste Pasta – Free at Kroger
Zuccini – $0.50 (farmers market)
Yellow Squash – $0.50 (farmers market)
Yellow Onion – $0.25 (farmers market)
Carrot – $0.20
Beans – $0.44 (Save-A-Lot)
Mushrooms – $1.27
Garlic, cheese, broth, butter and seasoning - $1.50 (appx)

Total:  $4.66 for a huge skillet that fed my daughter and I twice for dinner, and myself a third time for lunch…can’t beat that!! To save time chopping, I have also done this with pre-chopped frozen vegetable blends. I make this type of dish all the time, and change it up with different veggie combinations. This is also a great way to use leftover veggies!

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound 98% Lean Ground Beef ($1.25)
• 1 – 16 Ounce Box Elbow Macaroni (free with coupon)
• 2 – 15 Ounce Cans Tomato Soup ($0.20 each with coupons)
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

Directions:

• Cook the pasta according to the package.
• While the pasta is cooking, brown your ground beef with all the seasonings.
• Add the soup and the macaroni to the ground beef mixture and mix well.
• Taste and adjust your seasonings.
• I serve with Parmesan cheese, a veggie or salad, and bread!

This entire meal cost me $1.65…well $2.65 after the bread. The noodles were free after coupons, the soup was $0.20/can, and I found the meat marked down. Actually, the meat manager had just marked down every single package of lean ground beef to $1.25 and I bought them all. I served this with a bag of frozen veggies that were free after coupons and a loaf of french bread for $1.00.

Since I have a TON of free pasta, this has been added to my Cooking From My Stockpile series. I am going to bring this series back to life this year. Coupons, cooking and Disney are my favorite things (not necessarily in that order) and I have been so busy that I haven’t been cooking as much as I’d like…and that’s going to change! I like to create recipes that are healthy and affordable, so expect to see some new recipes using what’s in my stockpile and/or whats on sale. I have also been chatting with some bloggy friends about food photography, so I hope give you guys some better pictures as well!

This is more of an idea than a recipe and I have to give credit to Romano’s Macaroni Grill.

I had one of the yummiest pasta dishes in my life this weekend at 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. I am sorry I don’t have amounts but I was just ‘winging it’. The next time I make it, I’ll get some exact measurements.

Cut a lean beef roast into big chunks, trim all away all visible fat and season well with salt and pepper. Brown in some olive oil over medium-high heat until you get good color on all sides. Place in a deep roasting pan (I use a deep ceramic oval roaster). De-glaze the pan you cooked the beef in with about a cup of dry red wine (I used Chianti) and scrape up all the bits. Pour over the beef. Slice up one large onion and add to beef. Add two cans diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted diced tomatoes) to the beef. Cover the beef/onions/tomato with beef broth (I used about a quart and a half). Cover with foil and/or a tight fitting lid. Bake at 350 for 2-3 hours or until the beef falls apart. You want a lot of liquid because this entire mixture becomes your sauce for a pound of pasta. Remove from oven, shred the beef up into the sauce and toss entire mixture with a pound of cooked rigatoni or fettuccine noodles. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little more beef stock. Serve with fresh Parmesan and good bread

The total for this recipe, as ‘fancy’ as it seems, still comes in at under $10.00. The noodles and tomatoes were free after coupons, the broth was very cheap and the roast was $6.79 on sale. I paid about $11 for the wine BUT I will easily get 4-5 meals out of it. Enjoy

This recipe is part of our Cooking From My Stockpile Series

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” Focaccia Loaf (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.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Small Flank Steak (cut into bite size pieces) $1.89 (marked down)
• 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:

IMO, 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 to medium-low, 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.
10. 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

This recipe is part of our 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!

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.

This recipe is part of our Cooking From My Stockpile Series

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
• Water

In a 5-quart pot, brown the ham in the olive oil until it is a little crispy. 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 as needed. 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 Best Life Butter Spray (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 :-)

This recipe is part of our Cooking From My Stockpile Series

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!

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 Cups Frozen Recipe Beginnings (Carrot, Onion and Celery Blend)*
* 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
* 3 Cans Cannellini or Great Northern Beans, Rinsed and Drained
* 2 Quarts Chicken Stock
* 1 Bay Leaf
* 1 Teaspoon Salt
* 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
* 1 Pound Smoked Sausage Sliced Into Half Rounds What I Use Coupon

DIRECTIONS:

* Add the all the ingredients, except the sausage, to a 5-quart pot.
* Bring to a simmer; turn down to medium and let simmer gently (not boiling).
* In a separate skillet, add a touch of olive oil, brown the sausage and add it to the soup.
* Let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. You can add water, 1/2 cup at a time, if it gets too thick.
* Adjust the salt/pepper is necessary.
* I serve this with cornbread and just use the Jiffy Cornbread Mix!

** Recipe Beginnings (found at Kroger) are quick cook’s best friend! These frozen vegetable blends come in many different varieties and eliminate the need to chop onions, carrots, celery, peppers, etc… There are times that I love chopping vegetables. I find it almost therapeutic, but Monday-Friday when I just need to get dinner on the table, these come in very handy. If you can’t find them, you can replace the first ingredient with 1 Large Onion Finely Diced, 2 Celery Stalks Finely Sliced and 2 Carrots Finely Chopped. Enjoy