As a child, my home was one where frugalness took center stage. Both from necessity and my mother’s seemingly innate drive to live frugally, she knew how to stretch and save and craft and create just about anything we could possibly need and she made it look so ridiculously easy. At the time, I thought her efforts were typically more time consuming (and/or annoying) than anything else. But now! Oh, now I look back and wonder how in the world she did it, and more importantly, how I can do it too. When it comes to food in particular, I’m always at a bit of a loss at how she managed to put at a dinner of at least a meat, starch, vegetable (usually 2) and salad on our plate every single night. Milk was a staple, vegetables were in abundance, everything was made from scratch and there was always a variety that never get old. Now, in my own efforts to continue that healthy, frugal eating pattern, I refer back to her often for tips, recipes and suggestions.

When Jennifer asked if I might be willing to write about some healthy, frugal recipes, I jumped at the chance, knowing that my mother would be my inspiration. If you’re looking for ways that you can provide your family with nutritious meals and snacks that don’t break your budget in one fell swoop, consider some of these recipes, fully inspired and shared by my frugalista mama that I love so!

Dinner Options

Taco Soup

1 1/2 lb hamburger
1 large onion, chopped
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 can tomatoes (Mexican, stewed or plain)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 TB roasted and ground cumin seeds or 2 tsp. cumin
2 1/2 cups water or more for thinner soup

Brown hamburger and onions in large pan, drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an hour or so. When ready, serve in big soup bowls.

Everyday Black Beans

{Courtesy of The New Vegetarian Epicure} 

1 lb. dried black beans
3 large onions
6 – 8 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
Salt
1 1/2 TBs. olive oil
1 green pepper, chopped
2 TBs. cumin seeds

Soak the beans overnight. Drain, rinse and put in a pot. Cover with water and add 1 onion, 2-3 cloves garlic and small handful of cilantro. Simmer gently until the beans are tender adding water if needed. Stir in a teaspoon of salt towards end of cooking time. Chop the remaining 2 onions and sauté in olive oil in large pan until limp. Add green pepper and continue cooking until onion and pepper begin to color. Lightly toast the cumin in a small pan and then quickly crush in a mortar. Chop the rest of the cilantro (about 2 TB) and add along with the cilantro and beans with their liquid to the vegetables. Add salt if needed to your taste. Simmer everything until it has thickened some and is the consistency you want.

(Delicious with brown rice, in whole grain tortillas with cheese and salsa, on salads, in soup, or just about anywhere!)

Side Option

Creamed Vegetable Soup

One of the most affordable, easiest and healthiest sides to make is a vegetable soup. Soups are very filling, especially when eaten at the beginning of a meal and provide the comfort and warmth only a hot soup can. You can make any vegetable soup simply by boiling/steaming your vegetable (or vegetables) of choice until extremely tender. Then simply place in a blender, add as much water or broth as necessary, and puree until liquid. Add salt and seasonings to preference. For an even faster option, buy bags of pre-chopped vegetables and simply unthaw and then puree.

Breakfast Option

Bran Muffins {Courtesy of Allrecipes}

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup ground flax seed
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup skim milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 cups shredded carrots

Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a medium-large mixing bowl combine flours, oat bran, ground flax seed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Add eggs, milk, vanilla, and apple sauce to the flour mixture stirring until well combined. Stir in shredded carrots/zucchini, raisins, and chopped walnuts. Scoop batter into prepared (sprayed with non-stick spray) muffin tins until 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until done. Allow to cool for 10 minutes inside tin before removing. Enjoy!

Snack Option

Homemade Crackers

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt (heaping)
3 TB flax or sesame seed
1 tsp baking powder
¼ cup olive oil
1/2 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and blend well. Add milk and gently mix. Roll out thin right on your baking sheet, score into the size and shape you want, and poke all over with a fork. Bake at 300 till lightly browned.

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans drained – reserve 1/2 of the liquid
2 TB tahini oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon – juiced
2 TB olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Mix first 5 ingredients (including the liquid from the beans) in food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

If you don’t have tahini, you can roast 2 TB sesame seeds (in the oven or in a pan on the stove) and then mash with enough olive oil to make a paste.

Enjoy Saving & Eating!

Frugal and healthy doesn’t have to mean complicated. In fact, more often than not, it means simpler and easier. It can be more time consuming, but most things worth it are. Get creative, swap out ingredients you don’t have with ingredients you do, always interchange whole wheat for white, and olive oil for margarine. Add extra spices to perk up basic recipes with normal staples to pack an extra punch of flavor and make common foods feel new to give your overall meal plans a facelift and some needed variety.

Image source: wholefoodmommies.com via Jennifer on Pinterest
Image source: simplymodernmom.com via Genevieve on Pinterest
Image source: includingcake.com via Jo on Pinterest

Author Jocelyn Anne is a full time writer for Air & Water and is in charge of all content to help families find electric home heaters that are efficient and cost-effective.  When not writing for work, she opts to indulge in her foodie passion and write baking and cooking articles every chance she finds.

My daughter Emma always comes home from school hungry and looking for a snack. I struggle with finding different snacks that are healthy for her and will hold her over till dinner but not fill her up too much that she will not eat dinner. I am excited to check out this new Free eCookbook that contains 27 Terrific After School Snack Recipes.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive compensation in the form of money or credit. By clicking the link you are helping to support Money Saving Secrets Blog.

Most Americans are not getting the recommended 25 grams of fiber each day. With Fiber One cereal, it’s easier than ever to increase your daily fiber intake.

I received a Free box of the new Fiber One 80 Cal cereal from Pssst… and was very pleasantly surprised how yummy it was. I expected it to be bland like other fiber cereals can be, but the sweat honey taste was a great surprise. now i will enjoy getting my fiber in the morning!

Try using these 10 simple tips to help reach your fiber goals-

1) Scan for Bran
Look for “bran,” “whole grain” and “whole wheat” on product packages and ingredient labels. These ingredients can help boost fiber intake.

¾ cup Fiber One® 80 Calories = 10g fiber

2) Grab the Whole Food
Munch on a whole piece of fruit in place of drinking a glass of juice. You’ll get the nutrients and the fiber too.

1 medium apple = 3g fiber

3) Savor the Skins
Eat fruit and vegetables with the skin on. Eating the skin helps to bump up the fiber, plus it provides texture and a bonus of other nutrients.

1 medium baked potato with skin on = 4g fiber

4) Screen for Beans
Replace your typical side dishes with high-fiber dried peas and beans, such as kidney, pinto, lentils or black-eyed peas. These fiber-packed legumes make it easier to meet daily fiber goals.

½ cup canned red kidney beans = 8g fiber

5) Go Nuts
Jazz up salads, vegetables, snacks and desserts with almonds, sunflower seeds or soy nuts. Nuts and seeds add fiber and fun-to-chew crunch to foods.

1 ounce roasted almonds = 3g fiber

6) Be Berry Wild
Choose raspberries, blackberries and boysenberries to add variety to your cereals. These berries have twice the fiber of many other fruit selections.

½ cup fresh raspberries = 4g fiber

7) Bring on the Brown
Use brown rice instead of white. Switch to whole wheat pasta, whole wheat flour, whole wheat breads and whole grain crackers instead of regular white versions.

1 cup brown rice = 3g fiber

Skip the Chips
Select snacks that are a good source of fiber. Instead of potato chips, go for low-fat popcorn, whole-grain pretzels or oven-crisped whole-wheat pita triangles.

3 cups popcorn = 4g fiber

9) Drink Up
Water is a healthy beverage choice—especially as you up the fiber. Your body needs more water to help process the added fiber you eat.

Aim for eight 8-oz glasses of water each day.

10) Sneak in Some Fiber One cereal
Incorporate Fiber One cereal into your favorite side dishes or use to top yogurt, salads or oatmeal.

¼ cup Fiber One Original cereal for sprinkling = 7g fiber

The information in the post and a Free sample was provided by Pssst…

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I feel that lately I have been getting bored with my weekly menus. It is time for me to start adding some new recipes. I am so glad that I came across this site relish. They have created an easy way to plan and shop for your weekly dinners.

Each week you can choose up to five meals that all take about 30 minutes or less to make. I would suggest to check your weekly store ads first and choose meals that include items that are on sale. After you have your meals selected  you will be able to print out your shopping list. At that point mark off all that you have on hand and check the rest of the items for coupons available.

This is a great idea if you are having trouble making a list before shopping. You can really cut costs at the store by sticking to a list and stop impulse buying.

This membership cost $7 a month. I feel that it is worth the price to help get new meal ideas and make shopping a bit easier. The recipes sound real good. I am looking forward to trying them. Some examples are Almond-Crusted chicken fingers, Panda Orange and Ginger Chicken and pine nut salad and Slow Cooker Tuscan Pot Roast with garlic potatoes.

You can check out relish yourself by going HERE. I would love to hear from anyone who has tried this service.