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

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake $6.97

Did you know Pumpkin Puree is chock full o goodness? A good sign of a super nutritious food is bright colored foods. This foods bright orange color is loaded with lots of caretonoids and contains high amounts of beta carotene, carotenes are helpful in keeping body cells safe from cancer cells. It is high in vitamin C, A, K and E. Also high in dietary fiber, and low in fat. There is no added sugar or sodium in pumpkin puree either and because of its creamy texture it adds a nice smooth texture to food, with out all the added fat.
What I love about a lot of Paula Deans recipes is the ingredients are very basic. Sometimes they are not always lowfat or low calorie, but they are always good, and contain many healthy ingredients. Her pumpkin cheesecake was the first recipe to pop up on my internet when I started a pumpkin search, and it looked easy and delicious, and the ingredients were all available at my local Convenience Store, so the pie was a go. How can you go wrong with creamcheese and pumpkin? I made it lastnight, and we served it tonight, and it rocked!!!
Here is the easy as pie recipe:

Ingredients
piecrust
2 8 oz boxes creamcheese $3.98
1 can pumpkin puree .88
3 eggs plus 1 egg yoke .60
1 cup sugar $1.00
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon .10
2 tablespoon flour .26
1 tsp vanilla extract .15

preheat oven to 350
cream together cream cheese, pumpkin, egg and sugar
in seperate bowl combine cinnamon, flour and nutmeg
combine with pumpin filling and mix well
pour into pie crust
bake pie for 1 hour
let cool and refrigerate

Linguine with Pea Pesto

When people think of pesto, they think green and basil, right? That is what I always think, and actually what I love. I love fresh basil. In the perfect world everyone is growing basil in their yard in gardening months or has a plant in their house. However, the world isnt perfect, not everyone has a yard, or a place to buy seeds or a plant. So fresh basil pesto cant happen. What can happen from a conveniece store is pea pesto, and surprisingly it is awesome!! Canned peas are perfect for this dish because they are soft and once put into food processor it only takes a few pulses to create a smooth, creamy sauce. Combine with some nuts the sauce because a bit gritty, and exactly what a pesto should look and taste like.
ingredients
12 ounces linguine(any pasta available will do)
1 can peas
1/4 cup almonds(walnuts or pistaccios will do)
1/4 cup parm cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic salt

boil noodles according to instruction
in food proeccor or blender pour 1 cup peas, nuts, olive oil and garlic salt
pulse until a paste is formed about a minute
when pasta is done boiling, drain and keep 1/4 cup pasta water
pour water into pesto pulse 10 seconds
heat 2 tespoon oil in skillit, add pasta and pesto, saute for a minute till pasta is completely coated in pesto, pour in remaining peas and saute 30 more seconds
remove from heat and serve

Pumpkin Gnocchi $1.96

I was out to dinner the othernight, and I saw this interesting entres, and since I love incorporating recipes into my convenience store cooking, this was a perfect subject. I have had a lot of success with pumpkin puree, and this is one of my most creative recipes thus far. The entres on the menu called for a butter/sage sauce. This sounded really good, but not possible. I did a butter, garlic and parsley sauce, and myself and my guests enjoyed it a ton.
Here is how it played out

Ingredient
1 can pumpkin puree .88
2 1/2 cup flour .54
1/2 tsp cinnamon .05
1/4 cup butter .54
salt and pepper.05

mix together pumpkin, spices, flour to form a soft dough
add more flour if dough is sticky or doesnt hold together

keep adding flour until it no longer sticks to your hands

devide dough in six parts and on a lightly floured surface, roll each part into a rope

cut pieces with a fork at an angle approx 1/2" long

place on cookie sheet and lightly flour
freeze for atleast an hour
boil water
drop in water and within minutes they should rise to top, then they are cooked
heat butter
add 1 tablespoon parsley and 1 tsp garlic salt
coat gnocchi and serve

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread The Convenience Store Way $4.38

I have become a huge pumpkin fan since I started this Food Desert Convenience Store Blog. I have found a remarkable amount of convenience stores that sell pumpkin puree. Why, I ask why did I only eat pumpkin in pumpkin pie? and why did I only eat it once a year?? Pumpkin puree is so good. I am about to post a ton of recipes besides pie, and all are going to be starring-you guessed it, pumpkin puree. This pumpkin bread went over great and was super easy and healthy. More then taste though, lets talk about why pumpkin is good for our bodies.
Pumpkin's rich color indicates that it is high in nutrients. It is choke full of vitamins and nutrients including Vitamin A, C, K and E. It is very high in antioxidents alpha and beta carotene which researches have proven helps to ward off cancer cells. It is also high in potassium, which studies have shown lowers the risk of hypertension.

recipe
2 1/4 cups flour .54
2 tsp baking powder .20
1/2 salt.05
2 eggs.30
1 cup white sugar .80
1 can pumpkin puree.99
1/2 cup dried cranberry .60
1/4 cup walnuts .60
2 tsp cinnamon .10

preheat oven to 350

in bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon
in seperate bowl mix sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree
when thoroughly mixed, mix in with dry ingredients
incude walnuts and dried cranberries
grease 9x6 bake pan
pour in batter
bake for 40 minutes
remove from oven and let cool

Green Tea Pinapple Smoothie-Supercharged Antioxident Drink $1.99

When I was younger, I learned a secret to not breaking my blender when blending ice-dont blend ice!!! Infact, the simple easy way to give the illusion of a cold slushy drink, is to freeze my fruit. That works great with fruit out of a can. I blend up these fruit smoothies atleast 2 to 3 times a week and I love them. They are cold, sweet, and loaded with lots of nutrients. The consistent ingredient I always use is green tea for the liquid. Why green tea you ask? There may be no drink in existence with as many health benefits as Green Tea!!
GREEN TEA has been used by the chinese for 4,000 years for treating anything from headaches to depression. Infact a study in Purdue recently states a direct link with green tea inhibiting cancer cells. Consuming green tea has also been linked to lowering cholesterol, which inturn lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke. It is suggested to drink Green Tea everyday, which I do. When just a cup of hot tea doesnt interest me, I will venure out and make a fruit smoothie. Most convenience stores have the typical canned fruits-peaches, pinapples, pears, fruit coctail, mandarin ranges. I have tried all in smoothies, sometimes mixing and matching. If Walgreens or CVS is your conveniences store of choice, very often canned fruit goes on sale.
Today my fruit is pinanpple, and boy was it tropical!!

I love canned pinapple because cutting fresh pianpple goes down as one of my least fave food prep jobs. Its a pain!! Opening a can, draining and rinsing much, much better. Watch for many more pinapple recipes.

Pinapple is chock full of nutrients. Very high in Vitamin C, B6, A, K. It acts as an antioxident warding off bad cells, along with providing the body with much need fiber which keeps the digestive track moving.

recipe:

1 cup brewed green tea

.40

1 cup frozen pinapple(drained and rinsed)

.99

1/4 cup plain or fruit yogurt(whatever available, but plain preferred)

.40
1 tsp honey

.20

in blender place all ingredients and blend until smooth and frothy. consume immediately

Green Tea Peach Sorbet(made without a machine) $2.79

The big debate about canned vs fresh fruit is for the most part silly. From all the research and analysis I read, the majority of confirmed agreement seems to be that fresh(obviously) is more nutritious then canned. Some nutrients are lost in the canning process, however, not all are lost. There are actually some theories as well that state that some nutrients in canned fruits are actually more potent because the fruit is picked at the moment of ripeness and canned immediately, which locks in nutrients, and fresh fruits may sometimes suffer from improper storage, and precious nutrients may be lost along the way.
The real question isnt really what to purchase "fresh or canned", because if fresh is available, and budget friendly, it is the more logical choice. The actual question is if canned fruit is available only, should it be purchased? absolutely! Go for the canned peaches, pinapples, fruit coctail etc.....if the fruit is packed in sugar and water instead of fruit juice, it should be rinsed off. Canned peaches still contain high amounts of vitamin A, C, fiber, and are low in fat. One must find options vs saying there are no options and opting for foods that have a negative affect on ones body.
I work lunch once a week at my sons school, and admitedly we do not live in a food desert, canned peaches are hands down the most asked for fruit. Atleast two or 3 fresh fruits are offered every lunch period(apples, oranges, bananas, pears, grapes, fresh cut berries) but most kids go for the peaches, even asking for two servings.
Ive made this sorbet before and it goes over great in our house, the green tea adds tons of antioxidents and doesnt leave a strong flavor, just healing goodness.

2 green tea tea bags(if green tea unavailable-black, red, berry will all do).40
2 cups peaches $1.99
2 tablespoons honey.40
2 cups water

boil water and tea bags
let stand for a 5 minutes, remove tea bag
drop in honey and stir until evenly mixed in
pour in blender with peaches and blend until smooth
refrigerate for 2-3 hours, and sorbet will be cold but soft
put in freezer for an hour for a more frozen affect

Cuban Sandwhich .85

I frequent many foodblogs and websites and from them I get great cooking ideas all the time. I also learn a lot about healthy cooking and nutrition. One of my favorite sites is http://www.skinnytaste.com/. The recipes are uncomplicated and always healthy because the premise behind the blog is to include weightwatcher points and the blogster Gina is very cognizant to keep the points low, but make delicious, nutritious meals. Obviously, many recipes dont work, if certain key ingredients are missing ie chicken or whitefish, but many can be adapted and many truly contain ingredients that are available at convenient stores.
One day her Cuban Sandwich popped up on the blog, and I have been making them ever since.
she used a french bread, but that isnt always available, so I stuck with my good old wholewheat bread, because I do love all the fiber and vitamins in every bite.
The sandwich also calls for deli meat-ham, turkey or both
cheese
mustard
and the key ingredient that makes it a cuban- pickles

Pickles are actually pickled cucumbers and considered a vegetable. They contain vitamin A, K, iron, protein.
makes 1 sandwhich
ingredients
2 slices delimeat .40
1 slice cheese(cheddar, swiss).15
2 slices bread.20
1 tablespoons mustard .10

Spread mustard on bread, layer bread with deli meat, cheese, and pickle, heat skillet on medium adding a tsp oil to grease the pan
place sandwich in skillet and flatten with spatula
cook on each side for 5 minutes pressing down with spatula the whole time
remove and slice in half and eat!!

The Egyptian Diet the Convenient Store way:)

mm

So my son michael who is in the 6th grade is not the most "interested" student. He mentioned to me about 2 months back he volunteered to make some egyptian food for his class because they are studying egypt. He mentioned a fig cake, and asked if I would help. I said, "sure, just get me the details" Fastforward to last weekend(two days ago) Michaels "details" were "mom, we have to make all that Egyptian food for my class on Tuesday". "All that food" and "Tuesday??" I ask. "yep" he says. Now mind you, this is Sunday and he is calling me from his dads house, and he isnt coming home until Monday. This class is Michaels only C, and my gut is to get on the internet and start to research food trends in Egypt and recipe ideas, clearly fig cake is not all he needs to bring in. However Michael would like nothing more for me to do this all for him, and he just show up for the class food in hand, but he isnt getting off so easy. School only gets harder and eventually parents arent going to be there to help, so I waited for him to come home from school Monday night, and to his astonishment he found no Egyptian food prepared, and I told him to get looking for some EASY recipes. Grudgingly he found a website with tons of recipes and they were super basic. It seems the Egyptian diet is very basic, lots of dried fruits, some vegetables, rice, beans and not a lot of meat because of economics. We chose 3 basic recipes that were easy to make and a one stop shop to our neighborhood convenience store - Walgreens.
The first recipe was the fig cake, although it was called a fig bread, it tasted like a cake. The other recipe was called specifically - Khashaf, and it was a combination of many dried fruits combined then mixed with sugar and boiling water to create a syrup. I must say both were really good, and easy to make. Michael especially liked the cake, and couldnt believe their were figs in it.
From what we read, Egypt doesnt have lots of forest or farming land, so crops are limited, also it is an extremely dry counry, which because of limited rainfall makes for limited plant growth. Tons and tons of vegetables are not on hand, so Egyptians make due with that they have. Rice and beans are a staple as well. We made another dish that neither of us cared for which consisted of rice, elbow pasta, garbanzo beans and lentils in a tomato sauce(I skipped the lentils because I didnt have any) it was heavy with all that carb and the sauce was bland because we didnt use any spices...

Dried Fruit Mixture

1/2 cup dried prunes

1/2 cup dried dates

1/2 cup apricots

1/2 cup figs

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup boiling water

Boil water

dice prunes, apricots, and figs into smaller peices and add to raisins and dates. Mix in sugar

mix in boiled water and stir until water disolved

let cool and refrigerate for an hour

serve

Date and Fig Bread

1/2 cup dates

1/2 cup figs(cut in quarters)

1/2 cup walnuts

1 1/2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

Convenience Store Cooking with Jillian Michaels

I love scanning famous chef and nutrition gurus cookbooks and finding recipes I can tweak to fit the Convenience Store Cooking lifestyle. Admitedly, it isnt always possible to recreate a recipe, particularly when a recipe calls for meat, chicken, fish, certain fresh vegetables. However, even some of those recipes I am able to adapt with canned tuna, salmon, canned vegetables.
Jillian Michaels of Biggest Loser is one of my favorite fitness experts, she has wonderful cookbooks with healthy, delicious looking and sounding recipes. However, her recipes arent too easy to work with when limited in ingredients and money. She is a big advocate of buying organic, and organic simply isnt available to millions of people or affordable. She also tends to use a lot of specialty herbs, and although those I can usually work around, its the funky vegetables that can make a recipe impossible. I have scanned through her cookbooks-30 Day Shred and Master Your Matabolism, and come up with a list of recipes I can adapt and make and will include some in this blog because she is clearly an amazing motivator and fitness personality who has helped countless people get healthy and lose weight.

I tend to have better luck with her breakfast recipes. Jillian is a big advocate of oats, and this oatmeal recipe is quick and easy and packs tons of nutrition. I had to tweak the recipe a bit because to serve two people her recipe called for 3 cups of eggwhites and truly that is over a dozzen eggs, and that just was too much. I cut the recipe to 1 cup eggwhites and added a cup of lowfat milk to the recipe, which helped to replenish the protein. Also, her recipe called for brown sugar and brown sugar isnt always available, but honey usually is, so I replaced the sugar with honey.

1 cup eggwhites(about 6 eggs)
1 cup lowfat milk
1 cup oats
1 tsp canola oil
2 tsp honey

mix everything but oats in a bowl, place in microwave for 1 minute or until egg is fluffy, remove and stir in oats

Pumpkin Smoothie $1.09

Im not ready for Pumpkin season to be over, and actually I dont think it should ever really be over. I know this causes gag reflex in some people(hint, hint, Kim) but the bright color alone should inspire anyone to find a way to like pumpkin, because the brighter the food, the more nutritious. ie, tomatos, carrots, beets etc..... Now that I have discovered many more ways to use pumpkin then just pie, I am having a great time taking in all this alpha and beta carotene, fiber, vitamin A, C, and E, and potassium. This lowfat fruit gem is high in fiber which ofcourse helps control cholesterol and consquently heart disease. That coupled with the Alpha and Beta Carotenes which together are extremely high in antioxidents which do what???? Keep bad loser cancer cells away. Not to mention beta carotene is great for the skin and can reduce the signs of aging as well keep vision strong and its counterpart alpha carotene can stop or stunt tumor growth-yipee. So those 3 reasons alone are great ones to keep on consuming.
simple and good recipe
this serves 1
1/2 cup pumpkin puree(frozen-I froze for a few hours so the drink will be cold without adding ice) .49
1 cup milk .25
2 tsp spoons of brown sugar, or honey.25
2 tsp cinnamon .10
blend all together and drink up

Creamy Manhattan Clam Chowder-Lowfat, nutritous warm up $5.24

I dont think it is officially Winter until December 20, but it sure feels like it has been Winter for a while in the Chicagoland. I can only imagine living in a food desert, or atleaast in an area where a store is not super close, might not inspire one to walk miles in this weather to get food for dinner. Especially if one thinks the dinner wont be good. However1, that is a misconception that has to be dismissed. I have been to very basic convenient stores in the Chicagoland and I also been to stores such as Walgreens and CVS, and they absolutely carry food products that are healthy and inexpensive, and most importantly, easy to cook with. This clam chowder is made with a few staples that one should have in their house- olive oil, garlic powder, and milk. What needs to be purchased is a can of clams, a 15 ounce can of diced tomatos in sauce, and extras would be dried parsley, dried onion. I have lots of dried spices on hand because they are incredibly inexpensive at both Walgreens and CVS. Infact the everyday low price is $1.19 per jar, and sometimes 2 for a $1.00. This soup takes about 5 minutes to assemble and then 30 minutes to simmer. Lots of nutrients in this filling, yet lowfat soup. Clams provide protein, iron, potasssium, vitamin A, and folate. Olive oil provides the Omega 3's, milk lots of protein, iron and calcium and lets not forget one of my top if not top foods-canned tomatoes. They provide vitamin A, C, K, FIBER and Lycophenes which are the antioxidents that kick big old bad cancer!!
ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil .25
2 tsp garlic powder .20
1 can clam in juice $1.99
1 can 15 oz diced tomato in sauce $1.99
1/4 cup milk(I use vitamin D).40
optional 2 tsp dried onion and 1 tblsp dried parsley .40

heat oil in soup pot add clams in juice garlic powder and onion and parsley
saute on medium for 5 minutes
add can of diced tomato and stir all together
gradually add milk(if you prefer a creamier soup add more milk, the more calcium and protein the better)
simmer on low for 30 minutes
serve

Rigatoni Alforno $5.99

I think it is great to make pasta sauce from scratch, because truly not a lot of ingredients are needed. Would fresh garlic be perfect?-yes!! But if we dont have any to work with, we just dont, so we make due. The other option is bottled pasta sauce but many times there are fillers in there like corn syrup, and a bunch of ingredients that arent pronounceable, and it is usually very pricey especially in a convenience store. Im a big advocate of garlic powder, I once knew a chef who used it all the time. It gives garlic flavor, but doesnt have all the sodium as garlic salt.

This is a great dish especially for kids because it provides carbs in the diet which everyone needs, tomatos which provides the fruit/vegetables, cheese which provides the dairy, and olive oil which provides the oil. Not to mention ton of vitamins and minerals esp coming from the tomatos. Remember, tomatos coming from a can are even healthier then fresh tomatos because in the canning process valuable nutrients like lycopenes are magnified and made even more potent!
ingredients
1 can tomato sauce 16 oz 1.99
1 can diced tomato 1.99
1 tsp minced onion .10
2 tsp garlic powder .10
2 tablespoons olive oil .40
1/4 cup milk(what ever vitamin you have).10
1 lb rigatoni pasta(or penne)1.99
1 cup mozarella $1.32
preheat oven to 300
to make sauce
heat sauce pan with oil on medium
toss in onion, saute
add garlic, saute 5 more minutes
add tomato sauce and diced tomato
stir for 5 minutes and simmer on low for 30 minutes to 1 hour
boil noodles while sauce is cooking
set aside in a baking dish
add sauce to pasta and toss so noodles are evenly coated
pour cheese over mixture and place in oven for 30-40 minutes or until noodles and cheese are slightly brown on top
serve

Spaghetti Agli Olio made with Chili Infused Olive OIl

A big trend in restaurants is to serve olive oil in a bottle or a bowl for bread dipping. This is not only delicious, but far healthier then butter with bread. Ive already talked about the omega 3's that are absorbed when consuming olive oil. A great way to add a kick to your olive oil is to infuse with red pepper flakes. There are lots of nutrients in red pepper. It is an excellent source of beta carotene which serves as a very powerful antioxident. The process is insanely easy. The only two ingredients required are olive oil and red pepper flakes. Olive oil can appear a bit pricey at your local convenience store, but I look for sales and they happen often and when they do, I usually purchase a few.

1/2 cup olive oil .40
1 tsp dried crush pepper .10
12 ounces linguine

in a small heavy sauce pan, heat the oil and crushed red pepper flakes over low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for two hours. Pour into jar and refrigerate.

To make pasta cook 12 ounces pasta according to instruction
in large skillet pour 1/4 cup red pepper infused olive oil and heat for 1 minute
add pasta and toss so pasta is coated in oil, add more red pepper flakes according to taste
remove from heat
serve with parm cheese(optional)

Green Bean $4.51

Here is a modified version of a green bean dish i grew up on. Fresh onion would be great, but wont be happening from my local convenience store and the canned onion are just too fattening. 2Also, my mother always made this with canned mushroom soup, which was delicious,but the sodium tends to be really high, so im sticking with just mushrooms. Btw, mushrooms can be omited if you have some none mushroom eaters.

ingredients:
1 can 14 oz green beans $1.99
2 tablespoon butter .40
2 tablespoon flour .10
1 tsp salt .05
1 tsp sugar.07
1 tablespoon onion .10
1/2 cup sourcream .45
1 cup grated cheddar cheese $1.00
1/2 cup crumbled round crackers .35
1 tsp butter .10


Preheat oven to 350
Melt 2 tablespoon butter in skillet on medium heat
stir flour until smooth
cook 1 minute
stir in salt,sugar, onion and sourcream
add green beans and stir to coat
transfer mixture to a 3 1/2 cassorole dish, spread shredded cheddar cheese on top
top with crumbled round crackers and bake for 30 minutes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies $ 4.38

Here I go again with something pumpkin. These chocolate cookies were awesome, and the beauty of them were we elliminated the butter and replaced it with pumpkin. That ofcourse lowered the fat and cholesterol and added beta carotene and lots of vitamin C3 c and A.
preheat oven 375
ingredients
1/2 cup applesauce .64
3/4 cup sugar .40
1 egg.15
1 can pumpkin puree .88
1 tsp vanilla .10
1 tsp baking soda.05
1 tsp baking powder .05
3 cup flour .72
1 tbsp cinnamon .20
1 cup dark chocolate .99

combine applesauce, sugar, pumpkin and vanilla in a bowl
in separate bowl combine all dry ingredients
mix together
add chips

Apple Cobbler

This reminded me of my favorite pie at Bakers Square. I suspect it is a lot easier to make this, then it is a pie with a crust. This took litterally 5 minutes to put together.

1 can apple 1.99
1 cup oats .23
1/2 cup butter
1 cup dark sugar
2 tsp cinnamon



melt butter and add oats and sugar mix well together
pour half mixture on the bottom of a 9" baking dish
top with apples evenly, sprinkle with tsp of cinnamon
smooth remaining oat mixture over apples, sprinkle with remaining cinnamon
bake 20 minutes at 375

Pumpkin Banana Bread $4.78

I discovered a while back how great babyfood is to work with, especially because it is just pure nd no added ingredients. Banana babyfood especially gives off a ton of banana flavor and texture. I tweeked this recipe and cut out a bunch of oil because the pumpkin and banana made the bread so moist.
this makes two loaves bread, if you only want one, cut recipe in half
preheat oven to 350

ingredients

2 cups banana babyfood 1.60
2 eggs .30
1/3 cup canola oil .30
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree .88
1 tablespoon honey .20
1/2 cup white sugar .20
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder .10
1 tsp baking soda .10
1/2 tsp salt.05
1 tsp cinnamon.05
3/4 cup raisins .70
1/4 cup walnuts .60

In large bowl combine eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey and sugar
in anohter bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon
combine dry and wet mixture
when combined fold in raisins and walnuts

pour into baking pan and bake 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in, comes out clean

Pumkin Spice Cupcakes with Pumpkin Frosting $5.77

I was thumbing through some of my favorite food blogs and I stumbled upon a bunch of pumpkin centered recipes on Skinnytaste.com. I love the combination of pumpkin and cinnamon and I ofcourse like all the beta carotene in pumpkin. I always think I feel and look better when I eat anything with pure pumpkin in it. Right now and Im sure through Thanksgiving, at my local convenience store, pumpkin puree is on sale for 4 for $5.00. I can make probably 3 recipes with the goods. First up, pumpkin cupcakes with pumpkin cream cheese frosting.

preheat oven to 350

Ingredeints
1 box yellow cake mix $1.99
2 tsp cinnamon .20
1 cup canned pure pumpkin .99
1 cup water

Pumpkin Cream cheese frosting

8 ounnce cream cheese $1.99
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin .50
1 tsp vanilla .10
1 tsp cinnamon .10
1/4 cup honey or sugar .20

preheat oven
line a cupcake tin with cup cake wrappers

combine cake mix and cinnamon in large bowl
add pumpkin puree and water, mix two minutes

fill cup cake liners 2/3 full and bake 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean

for frosting combine cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar or honey, mix with mixer or by hand, until smooth

Oatmeal Dried Cherry and Dark Chocolate Bars $2.56

1/2 cup butter .64
1 tspn water, apple or cranberry juice .10
1 1/2 cup sugar .50
1 1/2 tsp vanilla .40
2 egg whites .30
flour .25
1 tsp baking soda .05
1/2 salt .02
1 1/2 cup rolled oats .30
8 ounces dark chocolate(any dark chocolate bar cut up into small pieces)
8 ounces dried cherries(if you prefer cranberries or blueberries that will work too)
cream butter, sugar, vanilla and egg whites until smooth, in seperate bowl combine dry ingredients
beat cream into dry ingredients until smooth
add chocolate and dried fruit

drop on tray in round 1 inch balls
bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown

IM BACK!!

Hi! I had to take a bit of a sabatical because I ended up getting a NEW JOB. I am thrilled and lucky to have found a really good job after the age of 40. I love the job, I work for a food distributor and couldnt be happier, however the job is still a working learning experience. While I have a lot of it under control now, I still have so much to learn. our company represents over 10,000 products and I sell over 80 resturaunts. So, while I was learning the job, and raising my son, it was about all I could handle. However, I didnt stop preparing a convenience store item everyday, infact the recipes and meals came in handy more then ever. I believe in getting dinner on the table everynight, and the last 7 months I was always strapped for time, so while I personally dont live in a food desert, and have access to many grocery stores, it was just quicker and easier to go to my local convenience store. In other words, there is a market for convenience store cooking for not just people living in food deserts, but people on the go.....working moms, single dads, elderly people who dont want to navigate the grocery store. I am slowly going to start putting up more recipes, I have atleast 100 more recipes and the ideas keep coming. One of my favorite things to do is to take out one of my treasured cookbooks- Joy Of Cooking, anything by Mario Batali, Giada Delorentes and convert one of their recipes to a ocnvenience store recipe. So many recipes can be made!! There can be no excuses, and now sitting back waiting for a grocery store to open in ones area, or saying there is no time, must go the fastfood route. Our health and health of our families are too important.

Omlette alla Convenience $ 1.73

Its quick, fast, easy and tons of nutrients, not mention inexpensive. Omelettes at most resturaunt joints will cost you a ton of money, especially considering eggs are so cheap. Another great thing about omlettesa are they dont have to just be for breakfast. Infact, during the schol/work week, Ive been known to make omlettes for dinner, and they are always an enjoyed meal. I like to experiment with many different recipes and am rarely disappointed. This recipes is for my basic Ham and Cheese omelette, but there are tons and tons of vesions of omlettes.
The ingredients in this recipe are for two nice size omlettes, if more or less is needed, adjust recipe accordingly.
Ingredients
2 eggs .30
2 egg whites .30
1 tablespoon milk .20
1/4 cup diced ham .60
1/4 cup shredded cheese .33

crack whole eggs, seperate out two eggs from yoke
beat the eggs and eggwhites together
add milk, ham and cheese

heat skillet with cooking spray
keep heat at low
pour in half the egg batter
with a spoon, spatula or tilting the pan, move the egg around in pan so it is evenly cooking throughout.
after 5 minutes put lid on pan so eggs continue to cook, remove lid periodically and move pan around
take spatulla and lightly lift sides to see if egg is browning on bottom.
As the top of the omlette begins to be solid(not loose egg) lift sides of omlette and flip one side to the otherside.
cover with lid a few more minutes
remove with spatula and place on a plate

English Muffin Pizza

Salmon Mini Strata $5.99

3 pieces of whole wheat bread
1 can salmon (14 ounces)$3.89
1 cup mozarella cheese $1.20
1 egg .15
4 egg whites .60
1 tablespoon dried onion .10
1 tsp garlic powder.05
black pepper to taste

spray muffin tin with cooking spray
cut each piece of bread in 4 squares and place a square each in the bottom of the muffin tin
combine egg, egg whites, onion, garlic powder, pepper and 1/2 cup cheese in bowl and mix together
devide other 1/2 cup cheese amond each piece of bread in the muffin tin
pour egg mixture evenly in muffin tin about 2/3 full each
bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes or until the egg strata are light brown in color and a toothpick or fork comes out clean.

Gnocchi

This idea came to me in the middle of the night. I was remembering how much I love gnocchi and how much I dont like to make them because potatoes are full of water and the dough can be so mushy at times. I never know how they will come out, ive had disasters occasionally when making gnocchi. So continuing in the theme of convenience store cooking, I researched some boxed potato recipes and I found a ton on the internet, and came up with recipe and they came out GREAT!! The best thing about this version, was the dough was so easy to work with. I literally mixed the dough and cut the gnocchi in less then 30 minutes. I did need to flour my hands a bunch of times and I think it was key to put the gnocchi in the freezer for an hour after making them.
2 cups tap water, real warm
2 cups instant potato bunds
3 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

in a medium bowl combine water and potato buds. Mash with fork until combined. Add eggs and flour and mix again until dough forms a ball. Transfer to a wooden board and continue to knead dough, if dough still sticky, add more flour, do this until dough is not sticky and able to slice into pieces approx 3/4 inch wide. Then with flour on your hands, roll slices into round, skinny tubes. Then with knife cut tubes into 1 inch chunks.
place pieces on cookie sheet so they arent touching eachother, and sprinkle with flour so they dont stick. Store in freezer.
to cook

Mandarin Orange and Grapefruit Granita $2.60

I took my niece to Walgreens and she picked out this combination for a granita, and I was impressed with her creativity. She actually made the granita with my son they had fun making it and eating it!!!

ingredients
2 cups grapfruit juice $1.10
1 cup mandarin oranges $1.20
1 tablespoon honey .30

heat grapefruit juice, mandarin orange and honey in a sauce pan and let come to a boil, stirring the whole time. Lower and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour into a freezer safe bowl and freeze for 2 to 3 hours. Serve when frozen.

Banana Oat Walnut Cupcakes $8.04

These cupcakes were gone almost before they were frosted. I think I gave he Cupcake Boss a run for his money. The cupcake was moist, rich, delicious and super healthy. If a cupcake can taste so good with oats in it, I will include oats everytime. Oats, are afterall my all around convenience store superfood.

1/2 cup butter softened .64

12 cupcakes

1/2 cup sugar .40
2 eggs .30
1 cup banana babyfood $1.20
3/4 cup honey $1.20
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour .36
1 cup oats .35
1/4 cup walnut pieces .60
1 tsp baking powder.05
1 teaspoon baking soda.05
$5.15
For Frosting
4 oz cream cheese softened .99
1/4 cup butter .64
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar .65
1/4 cup walnuts .61
in small bowl cream cream cheese and butter, when smooth, mix in sugar
mix well
$2.89


in mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, banana food and honey, mox well. Combine dry ingredients, stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Fill paper lined muffin cups until 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until cupcakes test done. cool before frosting

frost cupcakes and add a few walnuts to the top

serve

Pasta with Peas and Tuna $4.98

Here is a quick meal that can be made with pasta or rice. Ive made this with olive oil and spices and I have made it in a tomato sauce, both delicious. It is quick, easy and healthy. I know I say that a lot, but the truth is, if one wants to eat healthy, one can. A can of tuna whether. it is on sale or not on sale, is very inexpensive. I purchased tuna this week with an instore coupon for .69 a can, and the pasta cost me about .80, and the peas $1.69, olive oil .40, garlic powder .20, and wha la for $3.78 I have a meal for 4 people, or two super hungry people.

Ingredients
12 ounces pasta .90
1 tablespoon olive oil .20
1 tablespoon garlic powder .10
dash black pepper
1 can tunafish drained and rinsed 1.99
1 can green peas rinsed and drained 1.79

cook noodles according to instruction
heat large skillet with oil add garlic powder on medium for a few minutes
add tuna and toss for a few minutes
add peas
toss in cooked pasta and saute all together for a few minutes
add black pepper
serve

Sweet Potato Casarole $5.30

Sweet Potatoes are a nutrition superstar! With high amounts of potassium, fiber, vitamin and they may also might be natures unsurpassed supplier of Beta Carotene.

3 cups canned sweet potatoes $3.00
1/4 cup olive oil .25
1/4 cup brown sugar .20
1 tablespoon cinnamon ,10

for topping
1/4 cup flour .26
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts .75
1/4 cup brown sugar .20
2 tablespoon butter .54

rinse and drain sweet potatoes very thoroughly
mash in olive oil, brown sugar and cinnamon, mix until smooth
pour into baking dish and smooth down evenly

topping
melt butter and mix with flour, sugar and nuts
top evenly over the potatoes
bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown

Tuna, Green Beans, Tomato Salad $4.37

Ive made this salad hot and cold,and I like it both ways. With a hint of olive oil and a little pepper and garlic powder, this is a great tasting, healthy salad. The combination of protein, B1,B3,B6,omega 3's from the tuna, vitamin C,A, iron,potassium, calcium,and fiber from the beans, and then the super food- tomatoes(actually, super food- canned tomatoes) which is high in the antioxident- beta-carotene, vitamin E as well as the carotenoid lycopene. This means that tomatoes are hielpful in preventing heart disease and cancers. Tomaoes are also high in potassium but very low in sodium which means they help combat hight blood preassure and fluid retention. Unlike some other canned foods, canned tomatoes retain most of their nutrients. Infact, cooked or canned tomatoes cantain more lycopene than raw tomatoes. So, yes I know I include tomatoes in a ton of recipes, but they are just so good for our bodies, and think they are also so versitile in cooking and always lend depth, flavor and texture.
Heres recipe and can served as a meal or appetizer

1 cup green beans(drained and rinsed very thoroughly) 1.29
1 cup diced tomatoes .99
1 can 6 ounces tunafish(drained and rinsed)1.99
2 tablespoon olive oil .40
dash pepper .05
garlic powder optional .05
toss all ingredients together and serve cold