Peach Upside Cake

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 cans peaches
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

melt 1/2 cup butter
sprinkle with brown sugar
lay out peaches in pan over sugar
in large bowl cream sugar and remaining butter until light and fluffy
beat in egg and vanilla
combine flour, baking powder and salt
add to creamed mixture
add milk, beat till smooth and creamy

bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

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

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

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.

Fruit Tart $6.38

This came by somewhat of an accident. I was going to make a pizza crust and thought the Jiffy corn muffin mix would be a perfect crust until I realized it was sweet. Since I dont like to waste, I decided to go the sweet route and made a treat I love, Fruit Tarts. I usually buy the pastry shells already made, but this was going to be more like a cake. My frosting would be cream cheese, whipped and sweetend by a bit of sugar and ofcourse the fruit. My fruit of choice was mandarin oranges, peaches, fruit coctail and dried cranberries and apricots. Really, any fruit that is desireable will do. Pinapples and pears would work well, as would dried blueberries and cherries. This cake is loaded with Vitamin A,C,D, fiber and rich in antioxidents esp coming from the cranberries, which is many times thought of as a superfood, so we are going to go generous on the cranberries.
Ingredients:
Jiffy corn muffin mix $1.99
1/2 cup canned peaches .60
1/2 cup mandarin oranges .60
1/2 cup fruit coctail .60
1/4 cup dried cranberries .40
10 oz cream cheese $ 1.79
2 tsp granulated sugar .20
2 tablespoon strawberry jam .20

make jiffy mix according to instruction, bake in pie tin or 9x6 bake pan
let cool'
soften cream cheese and mix well with sugar until smooth and creamy
spread evenly on cake
decorate cake with fruit

Pumpkin Apricot Oat Bread $4.28

preheat oven 350
Ingredients

2 cup flour .54
1 cup old fasioned oats .35
1 cup applesauce $1.28
3/4 cup orange juice .25
1 eggs.15
1/2 sugar .40
1/4 honey .40
2 tsp baking soda .10
1 tsp baking powder .05
2 tsp cinnamon .10
1/2 cup cut up diced apricots.60
1/2 cup cranberries.60
eggs, applesauce, pumpkin, sugar and honey in bowl
in separate bowl combine dry remaining ingredients
add fruit
pour into greased bread pan

Carrot Cake $4.25

I made this cake yesterday as kind of a healthy treat for Valentines Day and I had planned on frosting it with a cream cheese frosting. Before I could frost it, half of it was gone. My son came home from school with a friend and cut right in...twice. He and his friend loved it. The most exciting part about that was the health factor. I did what I usually do when cooking(sometimes baking) I looked up a bunch of recipes and took ideas from all of them, and then tweaked it. Sometimes that works in baking and sometimes it doesnt. I made banana bread a few weeks ago and the first batch was horrid. I used applesauce and honey for my sweetness, and it just wasnt sweet enough. This time, I cut out about 60% of the sugar, all the oil, and the egg yokes, and added applesauce and an extra egg white, and lots of walnuts and raisin, and the results were....well, Ill be baking this again soon, because its all gone. ooops, did I mention that I used carrot puree babyfood for the carrot? worked like a charm.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour .50
3/4 cup sugar .25
3 egg whites.45
2 tsp vanilla .20
2 tsp baking powder.10
4 oz carrot babyfood .80
4 ounces applesauce .64
1 tablespoon cinnamon .10
1/4 cup walnuts .66
1/2 cup raisins .55

mix sugar, egg whites, applesauce, and carrot babyfood in bowl
in seperate bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon
mix together add raisins and walnuts

place in two baking bread loaf pans
bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until for comes back clean when inserted to top of bread

Pinapple Pumpkin Smoothie $2.14

I wasnt sure I was going to like the combo of pumpkin and citrus from the pinapple and OJ, but I did. The pumpkin was over powered in a good way by the pinapple with the sweetness and the tartness. The pumpkin added a velvet smoothness.
This drink was a great afternoon pick-me-up.
makes two hefty servings

1 cup Pinapple rinsed and drainedy 1.20
1/2 cup pumpkin(canned) .44
1 cup orange juice .45
1 tsp cinnamon .05
1/2 cup ice
Pour all ingredients in blender and blend. Serve in two glasses

Apple Oatmeal Fritata $2.22

Another "anticancer" recipe, brought to us by Dr OZ. I never thought of combining oatmeal and egg until recently when I made a recipe of Jillian Michaels that involved the two super foods, and now I am finding lots of other creative ways to combine the two ingredients. This recipe actually calls for dried apples, but since I am snowbound at my house, I only have dried cherries to work with, so I am going to have to vary the recipe this time, but Im thinking it is going to still be good, and i will just have to make the apple version another day..
You know the gig, this meal is loaded with antioxidents from the oats, and ofcourse fiber, which can play a big role in keeping us heart healthy and controlling diabetes. From the eggs, we obtain protein, iron and Vitamin A which nourishes our skin and helps our vision and vitamin E, which serves as an antioxident. Cherries are an added bonus to give the recipe a sweet, tart contrast and provide more antioxidents.
This recipe is easy to assemble and be microwaved or cooked in a skillet like a pancake
serves 2
ingredients:
4 egg whites .40
2 cups rolled oats .45
1/3 cup cranberries .33
1 tbsp cinnamon .20
2 tsp apple sauce .64

in microwave bowl combine all ingredients except for apple sauce
place in microwave for 2-3 minutes on medium
remove and serve with apple sauce

in skillet combine all ingredients except for apple sauce and pour in skillet on medium with 2 tsp canola oil
cook 2-3 minutes until egg is cooked and pancake is crispy.

Green Tea Peach Sorbet (made without a machine) $2.40

This is a delicious desert that I am going to say with complete confidence would be enjoyed by kids as well as adults. I volunteer in my sons school lunchroom once a week on Fridays, and I will say handsdown the most popular fruit choice is canned peaches. On a daily basis fresh oranges, apples, pears, bananas are offered along with usually fruit coctail, canned pears, in warmer months fresh watermelon, grapes, strawberries, and the most kids go for the canned peaches! My son said, and i quote "I love canned the peaches in the lunchroom!" Michael doesnt really "love" and food, beside chocolate and icecream, so that said, I started researching what to do with canned peaches beside serving them out of a can, and came up with this delicious, nutritious gem. They contain vitamin A, which is a great antioxident, and keeps bad cells out of body, fiber, which is again great for getting rid of toxins in body, not to mention, aids in weightloss. peaches also contain potassium and iron as well!!

serves 2
Peaches contain lots of nutrients beside vitamin C.
2 bags Green Tea .40
1/4 cup of honey .40
2 cups canned peaches drained and rinsed $1.60
2 cups of water

boil water with teabags, remove from heat and let tea bags stand in water for 30 minutes
remove and let tea completely cool
in blender or food processor add tea, honey, and peaches
blend until smooth and creamy
in bowl refrigerate for atleast 2-3 hours
place in freezer a half hour before serving and let get a bit frozen, serve immediately

Pears in Dark Chocolate $4.68 - 4 servings!!

This is a delicious, decadent, and healthy dessert that can be prepared in 10 minutes. It will wow your family, guests or even just yourself.   Infact, many tests have been done and proven without a doubt that consuming dark chocolate in moderation will help lower blood preasure, and therefore decrease the chance of heart attack or stroke.   Also, dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidents which as we know kills off bad cells in our bodies, namely Cancer cells. So, when needing just a little sweet to brighten your day, dont go for milk chocolate, go for the dark one!! Pairing it up with pear or any kind of fruit, is jost double the good for the body. Canned pears contain fiber, which our bodies need for proper digestive function which can ward off tons of diseases.  Pears also contain vitamin C, iron and protein. I saw this recipe in a super gourmet magazine, and I did my convenience store analysis in my head, and realized I can make this. 
what you need
1 can pears $1.69
1 8oz dark chocolate bar $2.79
1 tsp canola oil .20
1 tsp water

rinse off pairs thoroughly, and drain
devide them by four, and arrange on 4 plates
on low, heat oil in pan, break up chocolate in smaller peices and add to oil when oil is hot, stirring constantly, add water, when chocolate melted and creamy and smooth, remove from heat
drizzle chocolate over pears and serve

Fruity Granola $3.08

Ive been eating a bowl of oatmeal everyday this week, and im already feeling the difference in my body. January is generally a blah month for me. Post holiday blues,and a bit of holiday weight gain. The form of exercise I enjoy(well, not really enjoy, but tollerate) is running, and I cant run outside in cold freezing Chicago weather. When I was younger, I could tollerate it, but now over 40, my body wont bend on the topic. I generally find myself waiting to get to spring to get "in shape", and that makes for a long winter...so Im not going that route this year. I have a pilates tape I do atleast 3 or 4 times a week and I ride a kinda crappy exercise bike atleast 30 minutes a day. Oh, and the oatmeal has helped a lot. I used to skip breakfast, and now I dont. I eat my bowl of oatmeal(usually with some dried fruit like cranberries and or raisins) and a cup of greentea(I love antioxidents) and my day starts out brighter. Try it!!
Ive been playing around with some granola recipes trying to lighten the sugar and fat, and came up with a recipe I can live with, and enjoy. Ive gotten good feedback, so here it is(lots of same nutrients as my breakfast)
8 1/2 servings
4 cups or 1 lb oats $1.50(oats on sale at Walgreens for 2 1b containers $3.00)
1/2 cup canola oil .30
1/2 cup green tea(1 cup water boiled with 2 tea green tea bags).08
1/4 cup honey .40
1/4 cup raisins .40
1/4 cranberries .40
1/4 cup almonds, walnuts, or pecans (all optional)

in a bowl combine oil, tea and honey and mix well
in a baking pan, pour in oats
pour in liquid and toss until all the oats are covered with liquid mixture
bake in oven at 350 for 1 hour
toss with large spoon every 15 minutes so no oat mixture is sticking to sides or bottom of pan
remove from oven transfer to another pan to completely cool
when cool, toss in fruit and nuts
store in an airtight container

Oatmeal with Dried Fruit .62 per serving

Its Sunday Morning and I just scanned the Walgreens Ads and there are lots of great foodso buys this week, and so it will be a fun, easy and healthy week, cooking and eating from a convenience store! Atleast once a month oats are on sale, and I ALWAYS stock up. Oats are another food that many nutritionist deam as a super food, if not top 10, top 20. A study published in the archives of internal medicine confirms eating high fiber foods, such as oats, helps prevent heart disease. I think the "heart smart" on the label is the first indication when looking at the packaging. Oats are packed with fiber, and fiber keeps our digestive system moving and that inturn is good for our cardiovascular system. Eating 3 grams of oats a day, can significantly lower cholesteral in bodies by 8-24%. This helps to reduce heart issues and strokes. In the website www.whfoods.com, many benefits of oats are discussed along with controlling heart disease, consuming oats is benificial in controlling type II diabetes, controlling weight gain, it is also an antioxident, known to help prevent breast cancer when consumed along side fruit.
Oatmeal is an easy, nourishing way to start anyday, and along with the calcium and vitmin provided with milk and the vitamins provided with dried fruit, almost all the good groups are consumed in this meal. Oatmeal can be eaten anytime of the day however, it doesnt have to be just for breakfast.
ingredients and directions

serves 4
3 1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups oats $1.10
1 cup milk.20
1/2 cup cranberries .50
1/2 cup raisins .50
1 tablespoon honey .15

total $2.45 .62 per serving



boil water, add oats when water comes to a rolling boil, lower heat to medium and stir constantly until water is completely disolved and the oats are cooked and creamy
remove from heat and portion into 4 servings
devode milk and honey in each, add dried fruit
if more milk is desired, add to your liking
cinnamon optional, or dried cherries, blueberries, nuts

Green Tea and Pinapple Smoothie $1.69

Im a big Dr Oz fan. I just like his demeaner, bedside manner, compassion and knowledge. I remember seeing him a long time ago on Oprah talking about the health benefits of Green Tea. At the time, my father had just been diagnosed with Bile Duct Cancer(he later passed away from the dreaded disease) and he said that consuming Green Tea was one of the best beverages for our bodies(he may have said one of the best food/drink period for our bodies-but dont quote me on that, Im not certain) I just remember him saying one of the benifits of green tea was the antioxidents that it contained. I had learned early on with my dads cancer what an antioxident was, and realized it is vital for our body to keep bad cells out, because once they are present, they can and do often spread like wildfire. I became a green tea advocate immediately and gave my dad several cups a day, along with vitamins, fresh fruit and vegetable juices. My dad lived almost 2 years with his cancer, and it was a cancer with dismal statistics. I will never be sure if it was the green tea, vitamins, or juices that gave him some time, but I dont feel it hurt, and I firmly believe prevention is absolutely the best medicine. Ive seen the horrors that cancer can wreak on a body, mind, life and life of loved ones, so if drinking 2 or 3 cups of green tea a day, can prevent that havoc, I say DRINK UP!!! I will drink a few cups a day plain, and then I will make a smoothie almost everyday. One of my favorite combos is Pinapple and green tea. I remove the pinapple from the can, rinse them ofcourse, and freeze them for a few hours so the drink is slushy. Very refreshing and supercharged antioxident!!
Green tea has been used by the chinese for 4.000 years for treating anything from headaches to depression. A study recently at the University of Perdue states a direct link with green tea inhibiting cancer cells.
Consuming green tea could also be linked to lower cholesterol, which inturn lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke. The combo of the pinapple and the tea creates a very powerful antioxdent, since they both contain bad cell fighting nutrients. Pinapple also adds lots of vitamins including b6, A, K and Vitamin C.
Ingredients:
serves 2
4 green tea bag .40
2 cups canned diced pinapple .99
1 cup ice
1 tablspoon honey(optional).30

brew tea, let cool
if pinapple frozen, remove from freezer
pour into blender with ice
add honey
blend until smooth and frothy
drink!!

Tropical Tunafish Sandwhich $2.58

Yes, I had tuna lastnight, well kind-of. I made 8 tunaballs, but had some guest for dinner, and everyone liked, so seconds were given, and like any Italian mom, I was happy to see eveyone eat and enjoy, so I went without...When I tell people after they are done eating that the whole meal came from ingredients from a convenience store the reaction is always disbelief, but I think in time people will believe!! Since I stocked up on Tuna which was on sale, I made a nice tuna sandwhich for lunch. Although I like a basic tuna salad sandwhich once in a while,
I like to funk it up a bit, so today I made it with pinapple to give the tuna so contrast. I truly DREAD cutting pinapple. It is so laborsome and I get lazy, so I dont cut close to the skin and I lose so much fruit which is a waste of nurtrients and money. Also, sometimes the pinapple isnt sweet and I dont particularly like unsweet pinapple....canned is always uniform and sweet, and other then opening the can and draining and rinsing, there is not much work involved. Pinapple gives the right balance of sweet with the tuna and nutrients that compliment the nutrients found in tunafish. Pinapple contains high contents of calcium, fiber, potassium and vitamin C. Vitamin C is important because it is an antioxident that our body needs.

makes 2 sandwiches
ingredients
1 can tuna .99
1 cup chunk pinapple .99
1 tsp olive oil .20
4 pieces whole bread .40
Total:$2.58 per serving $1.29

Salmon Patties with Tropical Fruit Salsa $7.37

On sale this week at my local Convenience Store is canned salmon. 15 ounce cans for $1.99. Canned salmon is a great option to fresh or frozen salmon because it has all the same health benifits, but at a fraction of the cost. According to The E How website, Salmon hss tons of health benifits. The American Hearth Association even recoomends that healthy adults eat atleast two 4 ounce servings a week, because salmon contains protein and omega 3, which has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease. The Omega 3s also aid in lowering blood preasure and inflamation. Also canned salmon contains cooked bones which provides an excellent source of calcium.
I found a site a while back www.alaskaseafood.org that focuses on canned salmon and tons of cooking ideas, and have gotten many fecipe ideas off this site. Here is our version of a Salmon Burger

1 can drained salmon 14 ounces $3.89
1 egg .10
1 cup breadcrumbs(3 slices of bread baked and crumbled).30
1 tablespoon dried parsley .10
1 tablespoon dried onion .10
2 tsp garlic powder .05
1/4 cup bbq sauce or mayo, or salsa(what ever you may have to add a bit more moisture and flavor) I have added mayo. .20

$2.84 for 4 salmon patties or .71 per burger

combine all ingredients in mixer or by hand. form into 4 patties
heat oil and place patties in skillet
cook on each side for 4 to 5 minutes
serve on bun or bread or alone

To give it a bit more color and nutrients I made a quick fruit salsa which was made in no time flat, and full of vitamin C from both the fruit and tomatoes. Antioxidents from the tomatos and basically fat free, which is always good!

1 cup canned mandarin oranges(onsale at Walgreens for .50
1 cup canned pinapple .99
1/2 cup diced tomato .89
dried parsley optional .05
$2.43

rinse and drain fruit(always important to do when using canned fruit or vegetables-in doing so, atleast 50% of sodium or sugar can be eliminated)
cut mandarin oranged and pinapple in bite size peices
drain and rinse tomatoes, and toss into fruit mixture
serve with salmon