I am so happy to have Rene from Budget Saving Mom guest posting here today and sharing one of her many yummy recipes! I can’t wait to try this one!

I am so excited that Sherri asked me to share one of my budget recipes with you! I love cooking and saving money, so I am always trying to come up with new budget recipes. Chicken Fajitas are such a great budget recipe! My family loves them!! I love the fact that I can add in quite a few vegetables, and my kids just keep asking for more!

Chicken fajitas take very little time to make. If I am in a pinch, I can make this meal in about 12 minutes by using canned chicken. However, if you want to slow down and take the time to make everything from scratch, you can do that as well! My kids always come into the kitchen with me when I make chicken fajitas. They will stand in their little chairs and watch. They love being able to add all of the toppings and “make” their own chicken fajitas. Plus, if I have extra time I will often make homemade tortillas for fun. The kids REALLY love this. I give them all little pieces of dough, and they roll out their own tortillas.

Budget Recipe: Easy Chicken Fajitas

2 boneless chicken breasts (or any leftover chicken, chicken in the bone, whatever chicken you have on hand to save money will work!)
1 large onion chopped into strips
1 large green bell pepper cut into strips
1 large red bell pepper cut into strips
1 can Rotel (I use my homemade Rotel. I make it once a year, can it & use it all year.)
½ Tablespoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon chili powder
cooking oil

Chicken Fajita Toppings:

You can pick and choose what you would like to top your fajitas with. This is my kids’ favorite part!

Cheese
Sour cream
Salsa (We use my homemade salsa.)
Green onions
Guacamole
Corn relish
Black beans
Refried beans

Saute the onions and bell peppers in cooking oil for about 7 minutes. Add the chopped chicken and cook until it is no longer pink. Add your Rotel, cumin and chili powder and allow to simmer on the stove until you are ready to eat! Place the filling in your tortillas, and top as desired.

This is one of my family’s favorite budget recipes!

Tips to get extra vegetables into your family: My husband and kids don’t always love their vegetables, but I have found that you can add just about any vegetables to fajitas (if it is grated) and they won’t notice. The last time that I made fajitas, I added shredded carrots, squash, zucchini and eggplant. Just add the vegetables in with the onions to cook them.

Rene gives you tips on how you can save money with budget recipes,  canning recipes, homeschooling, and organic gardening. She has been blogging at Budget Saving Mom for almost 3 years. You will find coupons, store deals and coupon match-ups, printable coupons, freebies and more on Budget Saving Mom.

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I just made these tonight for the first time and Oh. My. Goodness…they are SO yummy!!  I just had to share with you all.

I saw a recipe in a magazine a few months ago but I can’t remember which one and I didn’t write down the recipe.  So I created what I could come up with and gave it a shot.

Here’s my recipe:

2 small zucchini, grated
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup of olive oil to saute in.

Combine all ingredients (except olive oil)

Heat Olive Oil in pan.

Form mixture into 8 patties

Saute for 3-4 minutes on each side until crispy, golden brown.  Enjoy!

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All You has a great list of 100 Recipes for under $1!! I especially like the 7 Dip Recipes on page 2!

Head over and see how you can cut your grocery budget by planning some of these as meals.

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Tummy Cheesy Potato Casserole

This recipe is from Simply Potatoes and it is truly the best!  I take it to every pot luck dinner and there is never any left.

* 1 package Simply Potatoes® Shredded Hash Browns
* 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of chicken soup
* 2 cups (8 ounces) Shredded Cheddar Cheese
* 3/4 cup sour cream (I use light)
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Topping Ingredients: (optional)

* 1 1/2 cups corn flakes, coarsely crushed
* 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 quart glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray*. In large bowl combine all hash brown ingredients; mix well. Spread into prepared baking dish.

2. In small bowl stir together topping ingredients. Spread topping evenly over hash browns. Bake 45 minutes or until hash browns are tender.

Tip: *An 11×7-inch rectangular or 8-inch square baking dish can be used.

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This is one of our favorite recipes. The kids love it so much too.

1 lb of chicken breast
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1 lb of fresh spinach
1 cup of chicken stock
8 oz of sour cream (I use light)
8 oz of crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup of parmasen cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb of penne pasta

~ Cook chicken in olive oil with garlic and onion until completely cooked through. Remove from pan and place in separate bowl so that it doesn’t get overdone.

~ Add spinach to pan and cook on med. low heat until done

~ Add chicken stock, sour cream, feta, parmesan, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. ( I sometimes double to sauce recipe because it is so yummy and we like having more)

~ Add chicken back into sauce and serve over penne pasta.

(I have also added a tablespoon of flour as well to thicken the sauce.)

Enjoy! Let me know what you think.

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Green Peas with Sauteed Onions

This is one of my favorite recipes that my mother in law makes.

1 lb of frozen green peas
1 large onion, chopped
2 TBSP butter
Salt and pepper to taste

~ Cook frozen peas for 30 -45 minutes

~Melt butter in a sauce pan and cook chopped onions on low heat until really brown.  (Not fast so they burn but almost like they are caramelized )

~Drain peas and place back in pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in onions and serve.

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Homemade Marinara Sauce

My husband makes the most INCREDIBLE homemade marinara sauce.    He makes a huge batch and we freeze it to always have it on hand.

3-4 cans of Whole Plum tomatoes (28 oz+ cans)
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
4 TBSP of olive oil. (he says to make sure the bottom of the pan is covered)
2-3 TBSP of dried basil
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of sugar
pepper to paste

~Place olive in pot

~Place minced garlic and chopped onion in pot and saute until translucent and soft) DO NOT BROWN!! Very important.

~Place tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and pureed.

~Put in the dry ingredients

~ bring it to a slow boil and cook reduce heat to low and simmer for a minimum of an hour, stirring every 15 minutes so not to burn the bottom. (the longer you can let it simmer the better. He prefers 3 hours but it is still yummy at just an hour.

This is wonderful sauce that is perfect to use with chicken cutlets or ravioli.

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Layered Taco Dip

This is another all time favorite to take to a get together. My sister in law was the first to introduce me to it.

(1) 8 oz pack of cream cheese, softened (I use 1/3 less fat)
(1) 16 carton of sour cream (again I use light)
1 pack of taco seasoning
8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa

Optional toppings:
Lettuce
Scallions
Olives

Mix cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning pack together in a bowl. You can just use a fork or you can use a hand mixer)

Spread into a 9 x 12 dish

Spread a layer of salsa over top

Sprinkle cheese in top of salsa

Add any other optional toppings that you prefer.

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips

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Yummiest Chicken Wings

These great chicken wings make a great appetizer as well. I usually make the thighs for a family meal.

I use a large pack of chicken wings (20 or more) or thighs (8 or 9 pk)

Marinade
1 1/2 cups of Red Wine Vinegar
2/3 cup of Soy Sauce
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP of rosemary
1 TBSP dry mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Combine all ingredients and heat in saucepan.

Place wings or thighs in a glass baking dish skin side down (I actually remove the skin on ours and place down just to cut down on the fat)

Pour marinade over chicken and bake for 45 minutes

Turn chicken over and bake for another 30-45 minutes. The last 15 minutes or so, pour off the majority of juices that are left in the dish.

The key is to get the chicken to a dark brown color.

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Creamy Chicken Casserole

3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup of milk
8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
garlic powder
pepper
olive oil
1 lb box of elbow macaroni – cooked
Panko or regular bread crumbs

Place chicken breasts in baking dish and sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper. drizzle with a little olive oil (2 TBSP or so)
Cover with foil and Bake at 350 until 30-40 minutes
When done, cut into small pieces and save juices to use.

Mix 2 soups together
Mix in 1 cup of milk (i use Fat Free)
Add in cheese
Add in juices from baked chicken (for extra flavors)
Add in cooked cut up chicken
Add in Cooked elbow macaroni

Top with panko or bread crumbs and bake for 20-25 minutes.
(I put my panko on a cookie sheet and broil for about 3 -5 minutes on low to get them extra crispy)

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Buffalo Turkey Burgers

2 TBSP of Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 carrot, grated
1/3 cup of chopped onion
1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey (93- 99% fat)
1 tsp of poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of hot sauce (I use Franks)
1 TBSP of butter

~Heat olive oil in large skillet.

~Cook Garlic, carrots, onion and celery until translucent (about 15-20 minutes)

~Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes

~Mix in poultry seasoning and above ingredients with turkey meat and mix well.

~Form into 6 patties

~Cook in frying pan for about 6 minutes on each side.

~Place cooked burgers on plate

~Melt 2 TBSP of butter and add the 1/4 cup of hot sauce and mix well.

~Add cooked burger back in pan and turn until coated with sauce.

~Place on Bun and top with Blue Cheese or Ranch dressing.

Serve with French Fries and Fresh fruit as an easy dinner

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Italian Grilled Chicken

My kids FAVORITE chicken!  I usually make a little extra so I can add it to salads for lunch.

You can also do this with chicken wings and they are amazing

3- 4 Bonesless Skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 bottle of any brand Zesty Italian Salad Dressing (I stockpile this when I can buy it for under $1)

~Place pounded chicken (I trim the fat as well) in a dish or bag.

~Pour enough dressing to cover chicken

~ Marinade for at least 6 hours.

~ Grill

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Roasted (or Grilled) Zuccini

My brother is the one I give credit to this to.  It is one of the easiest and yummiest veggies to serve!

4-5 Zuccini squash (you can also use yellow squash or mix some of each)
Mrs. Dash seasoning
2 TBSP Olive Oil

~Slice Zuccini in half the long way then cut those halves in half again.

~Place zuccini in a dish or in a quart size bag.

~Sprinkle with Mrs. Dash and pour olive oil over to coat.

~Mix until coated

~Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 or Grill for 20 minutes (or less if you prefer less soft)

Serves 4

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Guacamole recipe

3 Avocados
1 tomato
1/3 of a red onion
3 large cloves of garlic
2 TBSP of fresh cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt and pepper to taste

It is SO yummy.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

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I can not wait to try this yummy treat. My kids are such fans of Wendy’s Frosty’s but the only time we get them is when they sell those $1 Frosty coupon booklets for 10 free junior size ones. Boy, I am certainly going to be loved this summer. The heat is finally coming our way!

You can even change it up a bit by adding bananas or peanut butter or broken up mints.

Homemade Wendy’s Frosty (The Magic Milkshake courtesy of Hillbilly Housewife)

1-1/2 to 2 cups ice water
1-1/2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar ( or Splenda to make them with less calories)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 1-1/2 trays of ice cubes, as much as you can spare
2 tablespoons corn oil plus a 5-second squirt of non-stick spray for emulsification purpose (you can read her notes on why you need that non-stick spray)

Place all of the ingredients into the blender, including the oil and the non-stick spray. Use less water for thicker milk shakes and more water for shakes that are easy on your blender motor. The blender should be about 3/4’s full. Place the lid on. Process for a full 2 minutes. Pour into cups and serve. Makes 4 – 12oz servings.

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