The stuff I cook

Recently a friends husband who does alot of cooking asked about some of my recipes. Good and cheap are always populare so I have started to work on compiling the info about what I cook and a break down of the general costs. I plan to post the recipes here so anyone who is interested can check them out. Not everything will have a cost breakdown but you will get the general idea. I cook good hearty stuff that will almost always have leftovers to use as lunches for my husband to take to work and the kids and I to have at home. (One of the best parts of virtual schooling is my kids arent eating the starch/sugar and chemical filled yuck they serve at schools)

Chicken Tortilla soup

1 chicken breast

1 onion

1 pablano pepper or 1 can green chili's

2qt chicken broth(I used 6 cans as theats what I had)

1 can rotel like tomato and chili's in a can

1 can corn

2 cans beans

2tsp granulated garlic

2 chicken boulion cubes

grated cheese

tortilla chips

Fry, grill, bake or broil the chicken breast until done and browned.(Brown means FLAVOR) Allow to cool while you chop the onion and pablano if using fresh, use a small amount of oil and cook until soft in the bottom of your stock pot. Add rotel, chicken broth, chicken cubes, garlic and corn to the pot as well as the green chilies if using canned. Cook on low whil you thinly slice your chicken breast and chop into small pieces, add to pot as well. Cook on low for 15-20 min making sure the onions are clear and flavors have time to marry. Rinse the beans in a coninder with cold water and allow to drain, add to soup and cook another 10 min. Serve with grated cheese on top and tortilla chips on the side to crush into the soup.

COST BREAKDOWN-

Chicken breast- 1/5 of a 3lb bag $7 for bag at walmart $1.40

Corn-walmart 68 cents $0.68

Chicken broth-$1 qt dollar tree $2.00

rotelish tomatos-$.50 big lots $0.50

Bean-68 cent walmart $1.36

onion-$1.25 for a 3lb bag at savalot $0.25

Pablano/green chili $0.75

Grated cheese-$3 for a pregrated pak $3.00

Tortilla chips-$1 at dollar tree $1.00

Total est servings-10-12 large

Total cost-$10.26

Cost per serving-$0.85-$1.03

At our house this does 2 full meals for 4 people plus 2 lunch size portions to either freeze for future use. Depending on portion sizes you can probably get more servings out of it.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Super quick potato soup

1 onion-fine chop or grated

1 envelope instant mashed potatoes(any flavor)

1/2 bag potatoes obrien(the frozen home fries ones cheap as you can get)

1 qt chicken broth

1 cup water

1 T garlic

2 T butter

2 chicken cubes

1 can evaporated milk

1 can cheddar cheese soup

Meat of choice- Ham, bacon, cooked bratwurst, leftover roast etc just whats on hand

Cook onion in the butter until soft, add water, broth garlic, cubes, and the obien poatoes, Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add meat. Mix milk and cheese soup in a sepereate bowl until smooth them add to the pot. Stir in the instant potatoes and cook until the soup thickens slightly, if needed thin with milk or water til the consistancy you prefer. Serve with crackers .

This is SUPER cheap, can use leftover meat up and nearly all the ingredients are under a buck.

Est servings-10/12

Total cost est-$6.50 including 1/2 a box of saltines

est cost per serving-$0.54-$0.65 each

Motivation, birthdays and turning 40

The kids and I have suffered for the last week from a BAD lack of motivation. School work, house work, cooking.....it all suffered as a result. I dont know if it was the weather or just pre-spring blahs but good grief. The 40th birthday in question wasnt even my own, Donovan turned 40 on Friday with about the usual amount of fanfare we celebrate everything around here with....very little. He got his cherry so called cheesecake that he loves and a nice roast for dinner, plus I ordered him a new laptop so in all it was a pretty good birthday

Getting back on track with school and workouts this week is dragging...lol. Today has been a fight with Gareth on Math. Yet he zoomed through language arts and language extentions with zero issue.  Thankfully I am taking them to the YMCA tonight so he can run off some energy. Todays unit on magnetism has been frustrating and ammussing to say the least.

Ugh its Monday.......again

So far this has just not been the month for any of us. Lack of motivation, children who want to be pills, and just a severe case of blah have plagued our house for the last couple of weeks. Now with the weather no one even wants to get out and go to the YMCA today for class and Gareths rock climbing. Apathy at its best. Tomorrow we are headed to the nursing home to spend some of Valentines day with Grandma and Grandpa then back home for school work and chores. (Can we say blah yet again, like I said the weather has just sucked the majority of the fun out of me....lol) And I was just reminded we are suppossed to go swimming tomorrow as well. Yay...bluhhh

Gareth has been really getting into using the rock wall since we joined the YMCA. He likes swimming but the My time/rock wall is "his thing". We have been there at least 3-4 nights a week since we joined so its been worth the investment. He made it to the top and touched the ceiling the first time and that was it, he is sooooo hooked.  Rhiannon and I have been doing more of the swimming classes and she really enjoys the Y acheivers group.

Tomorrow is Valentines day, what does that mean around here? Nothing...lol. We are so romantic neither of us can remember our wedding aniv. date without looking it up. My theory though is if you need a day to show some one they are special then really you dont think that much of them, they should know it every day.