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!!

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

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

Cold Shrimp and Crab Pasta Salad $7.18

This dish made great use out of my left over shrimp and crabmeat from yesterdays soup. I must say, on top of being constntly surprised by myself and the ease of the contstant flow of cooking ideas from living in my own made up food dessert, I love that I never have any waste. I used to be one that would buy and use part of something to cook with, and refrigerate or store the remaining food ingredient and then many times forget about it. It would go bad, or get rancid, and eventually get tossed. Now, however, Im always looking ahead for other recipe ideas, and incorporating them into other meals. Its chanllenging, fun and frugal, and at times convenient. Instead of searching for something I dont have in the kitchen, I find what I have, and work with that.

4 ounces elbow pasta .49
2 ounces canned shrimp (rinsed)$3.50
3 ounces canned crabmeat(rinsed)$1.99
1/4 cup drained diced tomato .50
1/4 cup green or black olives .40
1/4 cup mayonaise .20
1 tablespoon white vinegar .10

boil noodles according to instruction, since and let cool
in bowl combine all ingredients including pasta, mix thoroughly
serve immediately at room temp, or refrigerate for an hour or longer and serve
either way, delicious

Creamed Corn $4.09

Trying to be creative, yet simplictic, I was looking for corn soup recipes since we are winding down winter in the Chicagoland(yea!) and I had bought a few cans of corn on sale and wanted to make some use of them. I had heard of corn chowder, and never made it before, but thought it was pretty straightforward,and simple enough to make with ingredients from my local convenience store.
Upon searching recipes, I realized I needed creamed corn in most cases and so rather then throw in towel, I decided I would "cream" my corn. The only creamed corn I ever had was canned creamed corn. I had a feeling the cream part could be fattening, but I searched and tweaked and managed to cut out some of the fat calories from my recipe. I really try to use olive or canola oil 99 percent of the time when cooking and usually butter can be easily swapped out, but this time I just couldnt picture it with the corn. I have to admit the corn was so good, no one wanted me to make it into a soup, so we just ate it plain it alone, but the soup is on my list, and Im certain in the next few weeks we will be eating corn chowder.

serves 4-6
1 can corn 14.5 ounces drained and rinsed $1.79
2 tablespoon butter.25
2 tablspoon flour .20
1 cup lowfat, 1 or 2 percent milk .20
1 cup evaporated milk.90
2 tablespoons garlic powder.40
1/4 cup parm cheese .30
pepper to taste .05

melt butter in skillet on low
add flour and stir constantly
add evaporated milk and milk, stirring constantly until a smooth consistency is formed
add corn, garlic powder, parm cheese
continue to stir until all is blended together and creamy
add pepper to taste
serve

Tunafish, Greenbean, Black Olive, Egg Salad $ 4.50

I love this salad! It contains protein, calcium, fiber, iron, vitamin A,C,D,E, and much more. The salad was whipped up as quick as it took me to boil 4 eggs.
Ingredients: serves 4 people
4 eggs .40
2 cups greenbeans (rinsed and soaked)$1.70
1 cup plack olives(rinsed and soaked)$1.00
2 cans tunafish(rinsed and soaked)$1.80
1/4 cup olive oil .25
1/8 vinegar .10
2 tsp garlic powder .20
pepper .05

boil eggs, let cool for 15 minutes. peel and slice eggs horizontially
in a bowl, add beans, olives, tunafish and egg
add olive oil, vinegar garlic powder and pepper
mix well
serve

Green Bean, Hard Boiled Egg and Black Olive Salad $5.57

My fantasy for convenience stores if for them to sell frozen vegetables!! A lot of convenience stores have big freezer sections and have even increased the frozen meals, but those can be pricier and many times loaded with preservatives. Ive done quiet a bit of research about canned vegetables and have found that the issue isnt so much that they are unhealthy or less nutritious, because that simply isnt the casfe, it is just that certain vegetables like brocolli, cauliflower, spinach arent available in a can, or atleast I havent seen them canned. Lots of theorists and nutritionists explain that canned vegetables sometimes can have even more nutrients then fresh because they are picked and canned when they are just ripe, therefore locking in nutrients, while fresh sometimes lose nutrients because they are picked early and transported sometimes accross the country and lose valuable nutrients in transit. There are some obvious issues with sodium in canned vegetables, however, if rinsed well, more then half the sodium can be eliminated, and I always suggest, when preparing them, not to add any salt.
Canned green beans is a familiar product in convenience stores, and I am excied to be creative with them. They have tons of nutrients starting with - vitamin k,C,A, calcium, omega 3's, folate, potasium, fiber, and lets not forget they are low in fat and calories.
Black Olives are high in vitamin E,iron, copper and fiber and eggs provide vitamin A, E, protein, iron and zinc.
So this is a powerhouse of nutrients in this salad, not to mention olive oil or canola which provides omega 3's.
recipe take a mere 15 minutes to make
serves 8
2 can green beans (drained and rinsed thoroughly) $3.58
1 can black olives (drained and rinsed thoroughly) .99(onsale)
6 boiled eggs .60
1/4 cup olive oil .30
1/8 cup red or white vinegar .10