Banana Nut Bread

This recipe is one that was passed on to me from my mom. She would make this recipe for me (and with me) all the time growing up, and it has always been one of my favorites. Now I'm carrying on that same tradition with my daughter, and hope that someday she will pass it on to her children as well. Whether you slather it in butter while it's still warm or enjoy it cold with your coffee in the morning, I hope you'll find this recipe becomes a tradition in your home just as it has in mine. 

What You'll Need:
3/4 cup sugar
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup butter flavored Crisco, melted 
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt 


Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray. Melt the butter flavor Crisco in a large bowl in the microwave. To the melted Crisco add sugar, bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of loaf from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing - if you can wait that long!

Homemade Febreze

When it comes to making your house smell good, there's nothing like some Febreze to do the job for you. It makes my stinky old couch that traps every odor imaginable smell like a spring meadow. I go through about a bottle a month, sometimes more if I'm being honest (What can I say, the couch really does stink). But at over $5.59 per bottle, my pocketbook isn't as fond of it as I am. Until now. So when a friend of mine stumbled upon a recipe for homemade Febreze awhile back, I was over the moon when she shared it with me. In fact, there's a little story that goes along with my first attempt at homemade Febreze. Would you like to hear it? You would? Great! *ahem*

Once upon time, I was all proud of myself for making my first batch of homemade Febreze. I was so excited to try it out that I was acting silly and skipping across the living room towards the couch. I get halfway across the room when the nozzle of my spray bottle separates from the bottom, flies across the living room with my homemade creation glugging out all over my clean floors. I run over to the bottle to scoop it up as quickly as I can, slip on the Febreze concoction and go into a full split eventually landing flat on my hiney. Then I got up (slowly, I was a little...er, sore) and made another batch. Because it doesn't cost $5.59 a bottle for me anymore. Instead it costs $0.15 cents. Yep, you read it right. $0.15 cents! If that isn't worth a slide across the floor and a sore hiney I don't know what is! 

What you'll need:

1/8 Cup of fabric softener (I used Downy April Fresh)

2 tablespoons Baking Soda

Hot tap water

Spray bottle (I used my empty 27 oz. Febreze bottle)

Preparation:

Using a funnel, pour fabric softener and baking soda into your spray bottle. Fill spray bottle with hot tap water and shake well. Don't forget to twist the nozzle over to the LOCK position if you're using a Febreze bottle, or you might fall on your hiney. Now go spray every fabric surface in your house and take a nap on your very comfortable and now un-stinky couch. :)

Store-bought Febreze: $5.59

Homemade Febreze: $0.15

Total Savings: $5.44 OR  97.3%!

Edit: I love and appreciate having my blog shared with anyone and everyone, I only ask that you credit the source of what you post back to my blog if you decide to share. Thanks! 

Original recipe from http://fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com/2011/07/fake-febreeze.html

Grocery List - Week of 6/17/12

DAIRY

1 DOZEN EGGS

½ GAL. MILK

2 8 OZ.  BLOCKS REDUCED FAT CREAM CHEESE

1 8 OZ. PKG. KRAFT  ITALIAN BLEND CHEESE

1 CONTAINER GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE*

1 8 OZ. PKG. REDUCED FAT CHEDDAR CHEESE

1  8 OZ. PKG. PART-SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE*

1 CAN CINNAMON ROLLS

1 CAN CRESCENT ROLLS

MEATS

3 LBS. BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS

1 LB. 93% LEAN GROUND BEEF

1 PKG. HORMEL MINI PEPPERONI*

DELI

1 LB. DELI HAM

FRUITS/VEGGIES

1 BAG GRAPES

1 PKG. BLUEBERRIES

2 PKGS. STRAWBERRIES

1 CUCUMBER

1 PKG. FRESH SPINACH*

1 BAG SALAD MIX

CANNED GOODS/CONDIMENTS

1 (14.5 OZ.) CAN VEG-ALL

1 (4 OZ.) CAN SLICED BLACK OLIVES*

1 (4 OZ. CAN) SLICED MUSHROOMS

1 PKG. EGG NOODLES

1 BOTTLE WORCHESTERSHIRE SAUCE*

1 BOTTLE BBQ SAUCE

2 CANS 98% FAT FREE CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP

2 CANS PROGRESSO CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

1 CAN SLICED CARROTS

2 CANS PEACHES IN 100% JUICE

1 LARGE CAN CHICKEN, IN WATER

1 CAN BAKED BEANS

BAKING

1 BOX BISQUICK

SNACKS/COOKIES/CRACKERS

1 BOX  SALTINE CRACKERS*

PASTA/RICE

1 (26 OZ.) JAR SPAGHETTI SAUCE

BREADS

1 LOAF SANDWICH BREAD

1 PKG. HAMBURGER BUNS*

1 PKG. BAGEL THINS*   

FROZEN FOODS

1 PKG.  SUPER SWEET FROZEN CORN

1 PKG. FROZEN BROCCOLI FLORETS

1 (1) LB. PKG. FROZEN CHEESE RAVIOLI (NO SAUCE)

1 LOAF PEPPERIDGE FARM CRUSTY GARLIC BREAD

*ITEMS MARKED WITH AN AN ASTERISK WERE ALREADY ON HAND IN MY PANTRY AND/OR FRIDGE/FREEZER. THEY ARE NOT INCLUDED IN MY $100 BUDGET. PRICES ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO LOCATION & SALES OF THE PRODUCTS.

Menu - Week of 6/17/12

Breakfast
Scrambled Eggs, Toast
Cinnamon Rolls, Strawberries x2
Bagel Thin w/Cream Cheese, Blueberries
Homemade Banana Bread
Oatmeal w/blueberries x2


Lunch
Ham & Cream Cheese Roll-ups, Cucumber Slices w/Ranch Dressing, Grapes
Chicken Salad Sandwiches w/Grapes and Walnuts, String Cheese, Sliced Peaches
Chicken Noodle Soup, Saltine Crackers, Salad
Grilled Ham & Cheese, Tomato Soup, Mandarin Oranges
Leftover Creamy Chicken & Cheese Rollups, Salad, Grapes 
Leftover Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Pringles, Pickle, Strawberries
Leftover Beef Stroganoff, Corn, Applesauce 




Dinner
Crock-Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Maple Baked Beans, Salad, Sliced Peaches
Baked Ravioli Casserole, Salad, Garlic Bread
Chicken & Biscuits, Salad
Beef Stroganoff over Egg Noodles, Corn
Grilled BBQ Chicken, Salad, Baked Potatoes w/Butter, Cheese, & Sour Cream 
Homemade Pizza, Salad
Creamy Crescent, Chicken, & Cheese Casserole, Sliced Carrots

Guiltless Chicken Nachos

I've always had a "thing" for Mexican food. If it was humanly possible, I would marry it. Fajitas, tacos, rice and beans, I love it all. One of my all time favorites is nachos. I've spent many years depriving myself of this heavenly dish because lets face it, my taste buds love it, but my thighs? Not so much. Chili's Chicken Nachos pack 1640 calories, 101g of fat(!), 80g of carbs and 3,430mg of sodium - for 12 chips. So when I got an intense craving for them one night, I decided to experiment a little. There had to be a way for me to enjoy my guilty pleasure without all the guilt. What I came up with not only busted my nacho craving, it knocked it out of the park. The portion sizes are huge, the cheese is gooey and melty, and the chicken gives it the perfect kick of spice. Mackenzie told me it was the best thing I'd made in a long time, and she's a tough nut to crack. I could not tell in the slightest that these weren't the guilty pleasure I've come to know and love. I think I've found a new love of my life ;)

What you'll need:
64 Baked Tostitos Scoops (16/person)
1 pound of cooked, shredded chicken (I use boneless, skinless breasts)
2 1/2 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning
2/3 cup of water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (full fat)
1 cup shredded  low-fat Mexican cheese blend
1/2 can black beans, 
1 (2.25) oz can of black olives

Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat cooked, shredded chicken over medium-high heat until warm throughout. Add water & taco seasoning and stir until combined. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. 


On two 9 x 13 cookie sheets, evenly distribute baked chips, leaving very little space in between. Spoon taco meat into chips, top with black beans and sprinkle with cheese. Add black olives. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Servings: 4
Nutritional Information* (per serving):

Calories: 446  Fat: 19g  Protein: 37g  Carbs: 33.5g  Sugar: 1g  Sodium: 812

*Nutritional information is based on exact measurements above. Results will vary if the recipe is altered.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I found this recipe online many years ago and tweaked it a little to my family's taste. You can use red pepper flakes in place if the cayenne pepper and alter the amount depending on how much you like to sweat while you eat. I make mine in large amounts and store it in a mason jar so it's always on hand. I make mine in large amounts and store it in a mason jar so it's always on hand.

What you'll need:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:
In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. Store in an airtight container. When ready to use, add 1/4 cup of water to 1 pound of  browned ground beef, steak or chicken. Immediately sprinkle with 2 1/2-3 tablespoons of seasoning. Stir to combine. Simmer until liquid is absorbed. 


Serving size: 2 1/2 - 3 Tablespoons per 1 pound of meat.

Servings: 4
Nutritional Information* (per serving):

Calories: 12  Fat: 0g  Protein: 0g  Carbs: 2g  Sugar: 0g  


*Nutritional information is based on exact measurements above. Results will vary if the recipe is altered.

Menu - Week of 6/10/12

Breakfast
Breakfast Burritos, Fruit Salad
Strawberry Pancakes w/Syrup x2
Cereal w/skim milk, Fruit Salad 
Bagel Thin w/ Light Cream Cheese, Strawberries
Oatmeal w/Blueberries
Egg & Cheese Bagel Thin, Fruit Salad


Lunch
Pizza Bagel Thins, Salad
Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese, Apple Slices
Egg Salad Sandwiches, Pringles, Mandarin Oranges
Turkey Sandwich, Pickle, Pringles, Applesauce
Low-Fat Cheese Quesadillas on Whole Wheat Tortillas, Fruit
Leftover Spaghetti, Salad
Leftovers or Sandwiches, Fruit


Dinner
Crock Pot Chili over Rice, Saltine Crackers, Watermelon
Spaghetti, Green Beans, Italian Bread, Salad
Chicken Nachos, Watermelon 
Cheeseburgers, Baked beans, Pringles, Fruit Salad
Chili Dog Casserole, Pringles, Baby Carrots, Fruit Salad
Tacos, Rice & Beans 


You may have already caught onto this, but I try to plan my menus so that we use up most/all of what I buy each week. For example, if we have bagels for breakfast, we're having pizza bagels for lunch one day, and the leftover chili from supper one night will be used for chili dog casserole another night. I try to keep the menu as kid friendly as I can while still keeping it somewhat healthy. I use low-fat cheese, turkey hot dogs, whole wheat tortillas and pasta, etc. I also have a rule that veggies/fruit must be finished if you want seconds/dessert (which is rare anyway). I don't force vegetables but I do try to make sure I'm incorporating what Mackenzie likes - we don't eat a lot of corn because she is not a fan of it, but she loves carrots, green beans and broccoli. I do keep a stock of healthy snacks and the occasional treat as well. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section!