Peanut Butter Muffin $2.87

One of my favorite combos is banana and peanut butter. These muffins arent very sweet, but the frosting sweetens them up. My niece helped me make them and she loved them even without the frosting.
I often forget how good peanut butter is for our bodies, both children and adults.
Peanut Butter packs vitamin E and cholesterol regulating monusaturated fats and "might even help curb your appetite". People who eat nuts or peanuts four times a week, may lower their risk of dying of coronary heart disease by 37% compared to people who seldom or never eat nuts.
1 cup all purpose flour .26
1 cup oats .35
1/3 cup packed brown sugar .15
1 tablespoon baking powder .30
1 cup milk

1/2 cup peanut butter .50
1/2 banana baby food .44
1 egg beaten .15
1/3 cup canlola oil .30
1 tsp vanilla extract .12

glaze topping
1/4 cup milk .03
1/4 cup powdered sugar .15
2 tablespoons peanut butter .12

Ham and Cheese Strata $6.67

This is a great egg dish that can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The prep time is quick and it can be made well in advance and refrigerated, until ready to cook. What I like about it, is it is flexible in terms of what I can put in it. This recipe is loaded with many good and good for you ingredients, but if undesired or simply not on hand, mushrooms, tomatoes or ham can be ommited, or all three. I, ofcourse like them in the recipe because mushroms provide that oh so important, and not always easy to find vitamin D, and canned tomatoes are clearly one of the healthiest foods one can consume, but not the less, eggs, milk and cheese are a necessity for this recipe, as is bread(and ofcourse we only use wholewheat), so there is lots of nutrients with those ingredients alone. My camera ran out of battery, and I only managed to snap one pic, even though I wanted to get a picture of an individual piece, Ill have to make it again....



10 slices whole wheat bread $1.00
4 slices ham .80
1 can 10 oz mushrooms $1.79
1 cup diced tomato .99
1 cup shredded cheddar $1.32
2 cups milk .45
2 tablespoons yellow mustard .20
1/4 tsp pepper .02

heat oven to 375
spread half bread cubes on bottom of baking dish
evenly spread 1/2 tomatoes, mushrooms, ham and cheese over bread
repeat layer
in bowl crack eggs and mix in milk, mustard and pepper
pour over bread combo
bake 50 to 60 minutes
let stand 5 minutes and cut and serve

Potato Soup Recipe

  Before I started convenience store cooking, I had never used potato flakes, I had no idea there was any nutrition in them. Ill name some of the big nutrients- calcium, fiber, magnesium, potassium,vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, not to mention iron. I also added a cup of evaporated milk, which is very high in vitamin D. Without vitamin D, our bodies cant absorb calcium. Vitamin D is good for strong bones and muscles. children who lack vitamin D, develope a condition called rickets, which causes bone weakness, bowed legs, and other skelital deformities such as stooped posture. Lastly, I added shredded cheddar cheese to the soup to add some more calcium and protein.
I ommited bacon because I didnt have any, but that would have added a whole other dimension to the flavor, so next time it will be a must.
yields 6 hefty serving
ingredients
2 cups potato flakes
1 cup evaporated milk .99
2 cups chicken broth$1.99
1/4 cup flour .04
1 tablespoon butter .24
1 tsp garlic salt
pepper .05
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese $1.32
in soup pot on medium melt butter
when melted add flour, add contantly until flour disoves in butter and is fairly smooth(may have a few clumps)
add milk and chicken broth, stir until smooth, flour should disolve
add potato flakes
stir until smooth
add garlic salt and pepper
simmer 15 minutes
if the soup thickens too much add 1/4 cup of water, or more if desire is thiner soup
pour into bowls
topp with cheddar

Bacon Wrapped with Cheddar Stuffed Dates

Pecan Pea Pesto Pasta $5.94

Heres another pesto with nuts. this time I chose pecans and the result was great. The recipe was easy and super tasty. Pecans like other nuts contains tons and tons of nutrients, that are so good for our bodies. They are rich in oleic acid, which is an excellent source of antioxidents, such as vitamin E and beta carotene. Studies have suggested that these compounds help our bodies remove toxic oxygen free radicals and thus protect body from diseases, cancer as well as infections. They also contain B-Complex groups of vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thimin, vitamin B-6 and floates. I also have been really dilligent about boiling my pasta water with 2 or 3 green tea bags. I read somewhere once that boiling noodles with green tea bags infuses the noodles with green tea and provides the noodles with the beneficial antioxidents that green tea provides. I think it also gives the noodles a bit more complex earthy taste. Lets not forget all the nutrients in peas, especially vitamin K.



Ingredients:
12 ounces linguine(or pasta of choice)$1.20
2 cups(1 can)peas $1.79
1/4 cup parm cheese .40
1/2 cup pecans $1.20
1/4 cup olive oil .25
1 tsp garlic salt.10

boil noodles according to instructions
in food processor or blender add 1 cup of peas,parm cheese, pecans, olive oil, garlic salt, pulse till smooth
drain noodles and leave one cup of boiled pasta water separate
add cup of pasta water to pesto and pulse
pour sauce over linguine, toss with spatula to coat all the noodles
add remaining can of peas, toss well
serve

Candied Walnuts $2.77

I love candied nuts. I have never really wanted to know how to make them because first of all, I thought they would be complicated to make, and also, I knew if I made them, I would eat way to many of them. Well, to my surprise, they were so easy to make, and too an even bigger surprise, I didnt eat too many, I ate them all. They were just so good. I wont be making them in the near future, because they are addictive. i made mine really plain with just sugar, but I think they would be great with cinnamon or even red pepper flakes, to give them a spicy kick.

Walnuts are super healthy as are all tree nuts, and although they are great mixed into yogurt, baked in a dessert, blended into a pesto or candied, consuming them alone is a great idea too. Nutrients that just 25 grams of walnuts provide, are abundant.
Regular intake of walnuts in diet help to lower total as well as LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increase HDL or "good cholesterol" levels in the blood, so they are very heart healthy. They are also very high in vitamin E which serves as an important antioxident. Walnuts are also packed with many important B-Complex groups of vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, vitamin B-6 and folates. So if there is no time to cook, or mix into something good, just grab a handful and eat them on there own. In the meantime check out how easy this candied recipe really is.

ingredients
1 cup walnuts $2.40
1/2 cup granulated sugar .33

recipe(you wont believe how easy)
heat skillet on medium
place both walnuts and sugar in skillet
start moving around the spoon immediately making sure the nuts are getting fully covered by the sugar
slowly the sugar will begin to carmelize, dont stop mixing
keep moving spoon, until sugar is completelyt csrmelized and walnuts are a golden brown
you have successfully candied walnuts

Pumpkin Pudding

Here I go finding another way to use pumpkin. There are a few things I do

everyday, and one of them is consume atleast 3 cups of green tea, I have spoken a lot about all its healing qualities. Another food I try and am usually successful at consuming everyday, is pumpkin puree. If someone would have told me I should do that a few years ago I would have asked first "why?" and then I would have said "how?". I would have thought that meant in pumpkin pie. Since this blog has forced me to be creative, I have found tons of ways to consume pumpkin puree. The easiest for me is in smooties, and that always includes green tea, so I am getting a double dose of antioxidents that way, but I have found tons of ways to cook with pumpkin. Sauces, soups, mixed into desserts. It not only adds a sweet hit, it also adds great texture and always creates a smoother, richer composition with no fat! It can even take on the flavor of whatever I am adding to it. ie, garlic for a sauce, or cinnamon for a sweet treat. Now lets talk nutrients. There are so many, so Ill just name some of the top benefits.
1 cup provides 7 g of fiber. Fiber is so important to our bodies, because it aids in eliminating waste in our body, which is so important because it cleans us of toxins that can cause disease.

vitamin A. Pumpkin provides vitamin A in the form of Beta Carotene, which is important in fighting off cell damage from free radicals, and that is important as well in keeping diseases at bay. Vitamin A is also very instrumental in keeping up eye and skin health. ( I really do believe between pumpkin and green tea I have greatly imporoved my skin)

Other nutrients include vitamin C, calcium and iron.

In my recipe today I combine vanilla pudding and pumpkin, I also added some candied walnuts(that I made the other day) to round out the nutrients, dried fruit such as raisin, dates or cranberries would work just as well, as would some granola.

1 box vanilla pudding
1 cup pumpkin
1/4 tsp cinnamon

make pudding according to instruction
add nuts, fruit, cerial if desired

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe $3.83

I have a problem when I make these, I cant stop eating them!! I do think they healthy with the oats, raisins, walnuts, but I also think they delicious. I actually made these for my office, but managed to save 5 for myself. Recipe easy and basic and try to keep the sugar lower then most recipes call for.
ingredients
3/4 cup butter .86
1/2 cup sugar .17
1/2 cup brown sugar .17
2 eggs .30
1 tsp vanilla .12
1 1/4 c flour .30
1 tsp baking soda .10
2 3/4 cups oats .61
1 cups raisin $1.60
1/4 cup walnuts chopped .60

cream butter sugars, eggs, and vanilla in bowl
when creamy and smooth, add all dry ingredients, mix till all comes together

on cookie sheets, drop spoonsize balls of dough, 10 per tray
bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes
remove, cool and eat!!

tuna mousse $3.20

I found this recipe in a magazine and the picture looked good, it looked easy and the ingredients were easy enough to work with, so i gave it a shot. Im glad I did, Im thinking of putting it on my appetizer menu for Christmas. It was rich and creamy and not a lot of fat, and lots of good nutrients.
Ingredients
1 can 10oz tuna $1.99
4 oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons half and half .12
2 teaspoon vinegar .05
2 teaspoon soy sauce .10

pulse tuna in food processor for 20 seconds, add vinegar and soy sauce, pulse another 20 seconds, add butter, piece by piece
when all in, run food processor until all smooth, this wont even take a minute
scrap sides, place mooth in a bowl, and smooth it into a nice shape ball
refrigerate atleast an hour so it sets
serve with crackers

Banana Oatmeal Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies $6.99

Wow, I have to warn this cookie is amazing and addictive. I thought I was being super unique when I came up with this idea, and then I looked online and their were tons of banana oatmeal cookie recipes. I kind of created my own recipe, because I didn't see any that called for banana baby food, and also I used dark chocolate instead of the semisweet I saw in most recipes. So this cookie was pretty darn healthy with the oats, banana, walnuts and dark chocolate. I made two dozen and they were gone before I could put them in a tuperware. My son came home with 3 friends, and what can I say, 4 healthy, growing 13 year old boys devoured them .

Here it is:
1 1/2 cup flour .36
1 cup sugar .32
1 tsp salt.10
1/2 tsp cinnamon .02
1 cup banana baby food.88
1 3/4 cup oats .30
3/4 cup butter .96
1 egg .15
1 tsp baking powder .05
8 ounces dark chocolate chopped in small pieces $1.99


in a bowl cream together butter, egg, sugar, vanilla
in separate bowl combine dry ingredients

mix together, until a big ball is formed
add walnuts and chocolate

Pasta With Shrimp and $6.94

I make this often, especially when Im pressed for time and its a hit everytime. They key is to not put the shrimp in til the end of cooking because they are kind of delecate.
I use peas a lot, because they are super nutritious with tons of vitamin A and K, which promotes....and they are super versitile.

ingredients
12 ounces pasta $1.20
1 can peas $1.79
1 can baby shrimp $3.50
1/4 cup olive oil .25
1 tsp garlic powder .10
1 tsp garli salt .10
pepper to taste
red pepper optional

Boil water and cook pasta according to instruciton
in a medium skillet heat oil on low, add peas and garlic powder and garlic salt
saute 5 minutes
when pasta is cooked, drain noodles, keep 1/4 cup of pasta water
pour water in to pan with peas
add shrimp, saute 1 minute adding pepper as well
toss pea and shrimp into pasta
serve immediately

Shrimp Egg Salad Sandwich $6.05

I created this recipe

from 3 different recipes I found on the internet. I had no idea there were so many recipes that could be created from canned shrimp. Shrimp seems to have lots of nutrition, and although from a can, there is more sodium then fresh, simply rinsing the shrimp can eliminate a large portion of the sodium. There are lots of nutrients in shrimp, including protein, iron, calcium and vitamin C. In this recipe with the eggs and tomatoes, there is also vitamin A, beta carotene and ......
ingredients
1 can baby shrimp $3.50
6 eggs boiled .90
1/4 cup mayo .40
1 tablespoon dijon .10
1 tsp tobasco .05
1/2 cup diced tomato .25
salt and pepper to taste .05
8 slices whole wheat bread .80

slice boiled eggs down middle and separate the whites from the yolk
dice the whites in small pieces
in a bowl mash yolks, and add mayo, mustard, tobasco until smooth and creamy
mix in shrimp, egg white tomato and salt and pepper if desired
serve open faced on whole wheat bread

Clam Chowder With Peas $3.66

This soup was so good, and so easy. The key I believe was the "rue". What is a rue you ask. It is a liquid base used for many different types of recipes, from gravy, to sauces to soup. In soup it creates the consistency of a cream soup(like cream of mushroom) but It is more natural and I believe more delicious. I thought it would be difficult to make, and it r

ill

eally wasnt, and I am definitely one who bows out on any recipe that either calls for a lot of ingredients, a lot of time or seems difficult. So heres how the rue was made, and by the way, it took less then 10 minutes.
 Each 3 oz serving of canned clams contains 121 calories, 5 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fat and less then .5 grams of saturated fat.  Protein is a necessary nutrient for maintaining your lean muscle mass and supporting a strong immune system, and clams supply 21 grams of protein in a 3 ounce serving.  They have 42 millgrams of cholesterol, or 14 percent of the daily value.  Cholesterol from your diet raises levels of cholesterol in your blood.
 A 3.5 ounce serving of unsalted, drained can peas provide 69 calories, 4.4 grams of protein, less then 5 grams of fat and about 12.6 grams of carbs, of which 4.1 grams are dietary fiber and just over 4 grams of natural sugars.  The same serving also provides 173 milligrams potassium.
ingredients
1 can clams $1.99
olive oil(once around the outside of the pan).30
3 tablespoons butter .71
3 tablespoons flour .26
1 1/2 cup fat free milk .30
salt and pepper to taste .10

heat pan and pour olive oil(keep pan on medium heat)
let get hot
add butter until melted
stir in flour, wisking the entire time
when the flour is pretty much disovled in butter and smooth slowly add milk*
stiring constantly until a smooth sauce is formed, remove from heat and add to whatever you are makeing
*the sauce may have white clumps before milk is added, and thats ok

My soup base is created and now I just have to add the soup ingredients

1 can of clams(with juice)
2 cups of peas(1 can)

let simmer for 20-30 minutes and serve

TIRAMISU

Well, this probably isnt the healthiest of recipes, but it isnt unhealthy either, and it just goes to show my theory that almost everything within reason can be made from your local convenience store. Ofcourse, they do not sell mascarpone cheese, but I found plenty of recipes which called for just cream cheese, and when recipes called for mascarpone, Im pretty certain they could be subbed with cream cheese. Mascarone is known for its fluffy texture, so I just made the cream cheese fluffy. There are several bases for tiramisu, some use the lady finger cookies, some use a yellow cake and others use a pound cake. I could have made any of the three with ingredients from my convenience store, but I decided to make this really simple and use Nilla Wafers, which when soaked with coffee, has similar texture as lady fingers. I use dark chocolate to get the benefits of antioxidents. I layerd the ingredients in glass serving cups and it was fantastic. I cant wait to try a few other versions of this fancy dessert.

Ingredients:
20 nilla wafers
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup lowfat milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup brewed coffee

2 cups nilla wafers
1/2 tsp vanilla

mix in a blender or food processor cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla and milk until light and fluffy.
in 8 cups layer nilla wafers approx two to three wafers in each
pour coffee over cookies, pour on a layer of cream cheese mixture, top with 2 or three more cookies, soak with coffee and then cream cheese mixture
top with shaved dark chocolate

Scramble Eggs Tomato, Cheddar and Tobasco $2.53

This may look a little sloppy and the presentation isnt phenomenal, but the taste and health benefits make up for the lack of beauty in the photo. I know I have talked about the health benifits of red pepper flakes, infact there isnt really a savory meal that I dont add some flakes to. I usually dont add tobasco but im going to start. It gives added kick and texture, and lets talk heath benefits: tobasaco is made from red pepper, it is the color red, but no food color is added. It is all natural, there is no fat and no sodium. Cayene Pepper is the key component in tabasco sauce, its known to boost metabolism which can aid in weight loss. Spicy peppers also have capsaicin in them, which is an anti-inflamitory. Capsaicin can aid in the pain caused by inflamed joints and arthritic conditions. Tumeric is another key component to tobasco. It adds a smoky flavor to the sauce which helps break through the heat of the cayenne.
Overall Health Benefits

Lower blood pressure
helps lower frequency of migraines and headaches
lowering cholesterol
Improved digestive system
limit frequency of colds, flus and respitory conditions
improves cardiovascular system
increases circulation
increases endorphin production(to help ward off depression)

Hot peppers also are packed with vitamin A,C and beta carotene.

so spice up your meal guilt free and do something good for your body.

Eggs are a greatly complimented by spice, and in this dish, I didnt need any other spices, the tabasco brought enough flavor.

this is a meal for 4

8 eggs $1.20
1/4 cup fat free milk .07
1/2 cup shredded cheddar.66
1/2 cup diced tomatos.45
1 tablespoon tobasco .15

in a bowl beat eggs, add milk, cheese, tomatos and tobasco
coat a frying pan with spray or 2 tsp olive or canola oil
heat medium
when pan is got, toss in eggs mixture, turning with spatula every 1 minute, until eggs or golden and no longer runny
serve and enjoy

Green Olive Tapenade on English Muffiin $3.93

Olives have always been for me a guilt free fat food. I know they are fattening, but I also know how healthy they are. 1 cup of green olives contain 4.44 mg of Iron which is 24.7% of DV. Iron helps to enhance oxegen distribution in your body, aids your body in energy production and helps keep immune system healthy. They are also high in vitamin E and Fiber. I can eat them alone, or mix them in my tuna or salmon salad, I love them in pasta and I also love them as a sandwhich spread or simply on crackers.
This tapenade is great served as a dip for crackers, or toasted on bread as I did in this recipe, I added some cheese to give the meal some protein and calcium.

Ingredients
1 cup pitted green olives .99
1 tsp garlic powder .10
1/4 cup olive oil .25
4 slices swiss cheese .60
4 english muffins $1.99

in food processor or blender combine olives, garlic powder and olive oil
pulse briefly, you want to keep the pieces relatively large-dont create a smooth paste

toast english muffins
top generously with olive tapenade
top with swiss cheese and bake or broil
serve

Peach Creme Brulle $2.40

I volunteer in the cafeteria at my sons Jr High twice a month, and I am always surprised how many children choose canned peaches over fresh fruit. Im going to say atleast half the kids do, and that is a low estimate. So I did some research, and sure enough, there are lots of nutrients in canned peaches. They are packed with dietary fiber, Vitamin A and vitamin C. The good news is, they are low in sodium and fat! In my version I added vanilla icecream.

ingredients:
2 cups peaches(1 can) $1.99
1/2 cup sour cream .25
1 tablespoon sugar .10
1/2 tsp vanilla .06

In small bowl combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla. place peaches in a baking dish and top evenly with sour cream mixture>
broil for a few minutes, and serve
toasted pecans optional, as is vanilla icecream

Penne With Herbed Cream Cheese Sauce And Mushrooms $4.57

This recipe came to me when I stumbled upon a website that boasts over 2,000 cream cheese recipes. The recipe called for a bunch of herbs, most of which are available at my local convenience store, and if they werent, I just improvised. I decided to add mushrooms because it was a rather dreary day in the Chicagoland and I needed my fix of vitamin D. The herbs I chose to use were garlic salt, dried parsley, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and the results were fantastic. The meal took 30 minutes to prepare and the whole family loved it.
ingredients
12 ounces penne $1.49
1/2 lb cream cheese (cut up in small pieces0.99
1 can 12 ounces mushrooms $1.79
1/2 tsp garlic salt.05
1 tsp parsley.10
1 tsp red pepper flakes.10
1/2 tsp black pepper.05

boil noodles according to instruction
save 1/4 of pasta water
mix cream cheese in pasta with pasta water and add all spices
keep mixing with large spoon until the herb cream cheese is completely coating the pasta, add mushrooms(optional)
serve

Coconut Mandarin Orange Bunt Cake

This recipe came to me when Mandarin Oranges were on sale, and I knew I still had some coconut left over from another recipe, and I didnt want to let that go to waste. I went on the internet, and found about 30 recipes for this cake. They were all similar. Most called for making the cake from scratch, which I did end up doing, but a box cake mix would have worked as well. I loved the combo of the citris with the tropical. It gave me a bit of sunshine, on an otherwise gloomy December day.

preheat oven to 350
ingredients:
1 box instant cake mix
1/2 cup canola oil
2 10 0z cans mandarin oranges drained and diced into small pieces
3 eggs

grease bunt pan or 8 inch square bake pan

mix all ingredients well and pour into pan
bake according to cake box instruction
making sure the fork comes out clean when inserted to check if cake is thoroughly cooked
for glaze
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup flaked coconut

in a medium saucepan bring sugar, milk and butter to a boil and stir in coconut
while still hot, pour over cake as it comes out of oven
mix all ingredients in bowl

Penne 4 Cheese Bake $3.93

One would probably ask how I found 4 cheeses at my convenience store. Well, it was less difficult than one would think Cheese can come in many different forms, textures and colors. To make mine creative, I used a variety of textures. Cream cheese to give a smooth balance, cottage cheese to give it some bulk, cheddar for that great orange color and mozarelly because it melts so nice.
I love making this dish, especially because its healthy and kids love it. I run the cottage cheese through the blender, because my son thinks he doesnt like it, and wont eat it, if looks like cottage cheese, so I make it relatively smooth and he doesnt know hes eating it. Cottage cheese is so good for kids especially. Not only does it contain protein and B12, but it contains tons and tons of calcium which aids in the developement of childrens bones, which is essential.

My recipe is simple and be altered in many ways. Ive added peas or mushrooms or both, tuna, salmon, tomatoes, can you think of anything else?


ingredients
8 ounces pasta(I used penne, but elbo works great as well).99
1 cup cottage cheese(blended) .99
4 ounces cream cheese .99
2 ounces shredded cheddar .33
2 ounces shredded mozzarella .33
1/2 cup milk .25
salt and pepper to taste .05


boil noodles
as soon as drained pour in baking dish
add cottage cheese, cream cheese, milk, salt and pepper and one ounce of both shredded and mozarella cheese
mix so all pasta is coated
sprinkle remaining cheese ontop
bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is slightly crispy on top
serve

Sweet Potato Brulee $4.68

Sweet Potato's have become so much more versitle to me now that I am cooking with only canned potatoes. When they were fresh, I would roast them or fry them. Now, I have tried mashed, in a pie, in a cassarole and now I stumbled upon a brulee recipe that is just to die for. I, and my family absolutely loved it. It was super easy to make since the potatoes didnt have to be boiled, they were already soft. The hint of cinnamon gave it a homey taste and the carmelized brown sugar on top gave it its decadance, and it was once again very healthy. Sweet Potatoes  contain so many good nutrients starting with beta carotene, vitamin A, C, B6 and fiber.

ingredients

2 Cans Sweet Potatoes $3.98
1/4 cup milk .20
1 tbsp butter .27
1/4 ground cinnamon .03
1/4 cup brown sugar .20

Mash potatoes with a masher or a fork until creamy and soft
add butter, milk, cinnamon and mix or puree all together until smooth
pour into baking dish, making sure the mixture is evenly dispersed

preheat broiler
top potatoes with brown sugar
broil until sugar is melted and slightly browned(carmelized)
remove from oven and let cool until sugar is set
serve
Yum!!

Ham Mushroom Cheddar Fritata $4.74

While scanning the food section of my local convenience store today after putting Christmas lights in my cart, I decided we hadnt had eggs in a long while, and a Fritata would make a great Sunday night meal. Sometimes I just love "breakfast" food for dinner. Mushrooms were on sale, and Im always in need of the vitamin D that mushrooms provide, especially in the winter. This fritata is a pretty healthy meal and couldnt be easier.

This will serve 4
8 eggs $1.20
2 tbsp non fat milk .20
3/4 cup cheddar(shredded) .90
2 slices deli ham(cubed).40
1 can mushrooms(rinsed)$1.79
1 tsp olive oil.20
salt and pepper to taste .05

preheaat oven to 350 degrees
heat oil in pan, saute mushrooms for 5 minutes
In large bowl beat eggs and milk togeher. Add 1/2 cup cheese, ham, mushrooms and salt and pepper. Coat tart or pie pan with cooking spray and add egg mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top the fritata with remaining 1/3 cup cheese andreturnto ovenfor 10 additional minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 mintutes before cutting.

Cranberry Pistaccio Dark Chocolate Bark $4.39

What a Yummy, rich, decadent, and Healthy treat. This easy 3 ingredient is loaded with good stuff for our health. Starting with antioxidents, fiber, good fats, protein, and lots of vitamin C. I love thes because they look and taste so good, that they give the illusion that they are complicated to make, but really all one needs is the 3 ingredients, a microwave, and a pan. Any combination of nuts or dried fruit can work, I just like the color combinations.

ingredients

5 oz shelled pistaccios, coarsly chopped $1.60
3 oz dried cranberries, coarsly chopped .80
8 ounces dark cocolate bar $1.99

place chocolate in a microwave safe measuring cup, microwave at high 1 minute or until chocolate melts, stirring every 15 seconds
add melted chocolate to the nuts and cranberries, stir until just combined
spread mixture evenly into a pan lined with foil, and freeze for atleast an hour
break into pieces

serve or store in cool place
Dark Chocolate- Because of flavonoids, and nutrients in dark chocolate, this sweet has been linked to improvements in heart health when consumed in moderation.  Just 1 to 2 oz of dark chocolate a few times a week included as part of a nutritious diet high in fiber and nutrients may actually lower blood preassure and cholesterol levels.  A diet high in flavonoids such as those found in Dark Chocolate may also protect the skin from UV rays and reduce risk of demincia and stroke.

Green Olive, Tuna and Egg sandwich $5.27

This salad combo can be eaten on its own without bread, or as a sandwich. I ate it on its own just to avoid the extra carbs, but there is nothing wrong with whole wheaat bread, and in fact it is loaded with nutrients. What a powerhouse of nutrients this salad packs. There is tons of protein coming from tuna and the eggs, and iron coming from the green olives. Not to mention all the vitamins in eggs and tuna, eggs being especially high in vitamin A, D and is one of the greatest sources of vitamin B12. Tuna is also high in many vitamins especially the B vitamins- niacin, B1 and B6, but is perhaps most beneficial because it provides Omega 3's, which is very necessary for our bodies. Omega 3's are essential to our bodies and cant be produced by our bodies and therefore have to be obtained through food consumption. Omega 3's play a crucial role in brain development. They have also become popular because they reduce the risk of heart diseases. The American heart association reccomends eating fish such as tuna or salmon atleast twice a week.
This salad can serve 4 people
ingredients
1 can tunafish (rinsed) $1.99
1/3 cup green olives(squeezed to remove all the moisture).88
4 hard boiled eggs .60
1/4 cup mayo, or 1 tablespoon olive oil .20
8 slices of bread $1.60
pepper

boil eggs, slice green olives
in a bowl combine sliced boil egg, green olives, tunafish and mayo or olive oil
add salt to taste
sometimes I will had red pepper flakes for a kick(but that depends on the crowd, children may or may not like)
serve alone or as a sandwhich with wholewheat bread