What is the deal? How are we already ten months into the year? It seems so hard to believe that Halloween is already creeping up and that it is time to decide what costumes we want. I’m pretty much excited about the weather change as my favorite time of the year has always been Autumn. I love the cool crips days and the cold “firepit” weather at night. It just means the smell of pumpkin wafting out from my various candles and well…the oven since I have to cook as often as I can. Check out these recipes for Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Cupcakes and Pumpkin Custard. So delicious!!

Forget the price of gas for a moment and focus on the price of food. My friend Erin wrote a fabulous post the other day regarding the rising cost of food and the fact that it is difficult for people on a budget or low income to afford eating healthy or organic.

While I don’t purchase very many organic items, I do purchase healthy foods for my family. One of the girls in her comments said that it cost her $800 to feed a family of six. Another mentioned $600 for a family of six. Wow!
Then what am I doing differently than them?
I have a family of seven and we probably spend about $400 on FOOD/month. (I am not including laundry detergent, toilet paper, and other stuff like that because we buy in bulk from Sams most of the time).

So what is it I do to accomplish that? First of all, we eat out rarely. That was the first expense we eliminated when we reviewed our budget way back when. I also began using coupons when I could. I am not a “coupon clipper” but I am a coupon searcher. The difference? I don’t cut out every coupon, I don’t save up coupons, but I do save coupons for things I buy regularly, I also am sure to look through every single coupon flier or book for any coupons for items I use.

I have played the grocery game. I don’t anymore.

I look through our sales ads each week and look for any good deals to stock up on. We have an extra pantry in the basement as well as an extra freezer. The expense of both was minimal, and has helped us save a fortune on food. We stock up on things like Turkey at thanksgiving (including ground turkey because its usually less than .99/lb around this time), hot dogs and hamburgers at Memorial Day, Labor Day, Fourth of July, etc. We eat a ton of chicken, and I must know every single way to make it. LOL

I could go on and on about all of the things we do to save money, but the biggest one is making mostly everything I can from scratch. I avoid prepackaged foods like the plague. This has saved us hundreds a month, and I am not joking at all. It means a little extra time in the kitchen once in awhile but its not too bad.

I also do a ton of freezer cooking too. And yep - meal planning. Want some more great tips? Read my articles at families.com in the living frugally section. Here are a few to get you started.

Freezer Cooking Articles

Can Meal or Menu Planning Really Save You Money?

How I Saved Money by Meal Planning

Four Great Food Tips to Save Money

Save Money on Breakfast

Frugal Uses for Leftover Turkey this has a few recipes and links to other items like ham, chicken, etc.

We made these just before Christmas and I was absolutely in chocolate heaven. They are amazingly rich and moist and I seriously have had nothing but compliments when I take them along to get togethers. Everyone wants the recipe. Here it is.

Chocolate Cake Balls Recipe

You will need:
1 package of chocolate cake mix
1 container of chocolate frosting
1 (3 oz) bar of chocolate flavored confectioners coating

Using any type or shape of pan that you would like, prepare the cake mix by following the package directions. When the cake has finished cooking, crumble it while it is warm into a bowl. Stir in the frosting until it is well blended. Now, melt the chocolate coating into a microwave safe bowl, stirring occasionally until it is smooth. Use a melon baller if you have one, otherwise a small scoop will do. Using the melon baller, scoop up the chocolate cake mixture to form balls. Now, dip the balls into the chocolate coating using a fork or a toothpick. Place on a piece of waxed paper and allow to set. It shouldn’t take too long for the chocolate to set. You can eat them as soon as they are ready. They are SOOOOOO good.

Why did I post this? Guess what ELSE we are making tomorrow? hehehe

I am in the strangest apple mood. It isn’t even fall anymore and all I want is apple flavor. So weird, but tomorrow we are making this:

Apple Cake

11/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
11/2 c. flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. nuts
3 c. finely chopped raw apples

Sauce

1 1/2 c. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. milk

Beat together the eggs and vanilla. Add sugar and shortening. Sift remaining ingredients and add to mixture.
Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Heat sauce until melted. After cake has cooked 40 minutes remove from oven and pour sauce on cake and bake 20-25 minutes more.

It’s one of those cold, blah days. It is just ugly outside and I decided to make these treats my kids love. These are delicious cold, but if you heat them up for about 20 seconds in the microwave (if they have been refrigerated only) they are warm and delicious. I realize these aren’t exactly diet food, but they sure are delicious!

Apple Cinnamon Sugar Roll Ups

You need:
8 Flour Tortillas, room temp
1/4 cup of peeled, finely diced apples (make them thin and small)
8 oz. soft cream cheese
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 T. brown sugar

In a small bowl mix the cream cheese, apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on each tortilla. Place another tortilla on top also spreading the mixture on top. Remember, thin layer. Roll up. You can secure the tortilla with a toothpick. I usually cut them in half and use a toothpick on each side. If you need to refrigerate them, follow the directions and after you roll up the tortillas, wrap them in plastic wrap. Secure them with a toothpick. They are delicious heated up. I often use more apple, more cinnamon and more brown sugar then what the recipe calls for.

I’ve already snacked on one….yummy! The kids will be happy when they get home.

Let me know if you try them.

Leftover turkey is common around the holidays. This is just one of the many recipes we prepare with our leftover turkey. Enjoy.

Turkey and Mushroom Alfredo Pasta Recipe

2 c. cooked turkey, chopped up
2 jars Alfredo sauce
2 c. mushrooms
1 lb. pasta (fettuccine or angel hair works best)
2 tsp. butter

In a large saucepan, saute turkey and mushrooms in butter until lightly brown. Pour Alfredo sauce over turkey and let simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Pour mixture over cooked fettuccine or pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Yum!! Great for leftover turkey.

Let me know if you try it!

Our whole family loves these and you can add other veggies and things to this meal to make it super tasty! It’s absolutely perfect with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.

Turkey Fajita Pita

1/2 med. chopped onion
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. chili powder
3 to 4 c. cooked chopped turkey
Salt and pepper
Pita Pockets

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in the butter. Add chili powder, chopped cooked turkey and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Remove from heat. Place inside pita pocket. Add lettuce, mild cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocados, chopped peppers, etc.

Another fabulous leftover turkey recipe!

Turkey Casserole Recipe

4 Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. flour
2 c. milk
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. celery salt (optional)
Cooked Turkey
1 large onion, chopped
Celery, chopped
shredded cheese
bread crumbs (stuffing works too!)

In a bowl, combine butter, flour, and milk. Set aside. Place cooked turkey into a buttered casserole dish. Add chopped onion and celery. Season with salt, pepper and celery salt. Pour the white sauce over the entire casserole and top with grated cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until heated through and crumbs and cheese have browned. Tastes great and nobody usually notices the turkey!

I gave you the traditional 7-cup recipe, and now I will give you my modified recipe. I make extra and I don’t use the canned fruit cocktail because Mike has pear allergies. LOL You could still use the fruit cocktail in this one, but I would only add one can and be sure it is well drained.

Nicole’s Lotsa Cup Fruit Salad Recipe

2 cups sour cream
16 oz. whipped cream
1 can pineapple chunks - drained (yes I know this is different)
1 can pineapple tidbits - NOT drained
2 jars maraschino cherries, one drained, one NOT drained
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
half a bag of colored mini-marshmallows.

In a HUGE bowl mix sour cream and whipped cream until well blended. Add the can of drained pineapple chunks. Add the can of pineapple tidbits, juice and all. Add the drained jar of cherries. Add the second jar of cherries with the juice (the salad will be a pretty pink color). Add the two drained cans of mandarin oranges. Now add the half bag of marshmallows or as many as you want to the salad. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate 18-24 hours. Stir and serve. Delicious!! Can you tell I love recipes?

Oh, and we make this all the time to accompany our normal everyday meals. It goes well for holiday meals or anytime!

Since I told you all I made it, I thought I’d give you the recipe. I hate it when you visit a blog and they say, “I made such and such” and you think, wow I’d like to try that! And then they don’t provide the recipe. LOL I love recipes!!

Traditional 7-cup Salad Recipe

1 cup sour cream
1 cup whipped cream
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup maraschino cherries, drained (unless you want some color)
1 cup fruit cocktail, drained
1 cup mini marshmallows (we always use the colored ones!)

Mix the whipped cream and sour cream together. Add the pineapple chunks WITH the juice.  Add the maraschino cherries. You can add the juice with it to add some pink colors and to further sweeten the salad. I usually use about 1/4 to 1/2 the jar of juice. Now drain the remaining fruit and add it. Mix in the marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. You can refrigerate for 8-12 but it tastes better if you let it sit the full 24 hours. Mix again and serve. Yum!