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.