Two Frugal Cats

This past week's meal plan and prep was pretty simple. I've been focusing on using up a few miscellaneous or overstocked pantry items, along with consuming as many green beans as humanly possible it seems. This week I also tried to keep the containers from meal prep as minimal as possible, as my fridge was stuffed with sale veggies and bacon (more on that in my WWS & WWA post to follow). I love my Pyrex and Corning small casserole dishes for this, as they have flat plastic covers that snap on securely, making it easy to stack them in the fridge. Meal Plan & Prep Meal Plan (Monday - Friday) Last week I shared with you my meal planning mind map - a compilation of fresh and pantry items that need to be used, and then making a list of dishes that I could use those items in. This week's list wasn't very legible handwriting-wise, but here is the gist:     Perishable Items: carrots, celery, zucchini, pizza sauce, mozzarella, blueberries, yogurt cups, old      ...

 Mushroom & Swiss Turkey Meatballs are flavorful, tender, and super versatile. Serve with rice, in pasta with alfredo sauce, or with roasted veggies. Feel free to change up the cheese or vegetables in the recipe, just be sure to sweat them first, as to much moisture will keep the meatballs from holding together well. These meatballs are great for meal prepping and can be frozen raw or cooked for later use. Yield: 36 Meatballs Prep Time: 20 minutes Assembly Time: 10 minutes Bake Time: 20 minutes Ingredients 20 ounces ground turkey (I used 85% lean for this recipe)* 1 medium onion, finely diced 1 bell pepper (I used an orange pepper), finely diced 6-8 ounces of mushrooms, finely diced 5 Cloves of Garlic 2 cups of 1/2 inch cubed day-old bread 1/3 cups milk 1 large egg 3 ounces (block) Swiss Cheese, diced into 1-2 cm cubes 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning 1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley 1/2 tbsp fat of choice (I used bacon fat) 1 tsp. Salt 1 tsp. Pepper Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepa...

These Summer Vegetable & Chicken Enchiladas are a great way to use up imperfect or larger zucchini and summer squash that have taken over your garden. They are great served alone or with a side, and also freeze well for later enjoyment. Yield: 9 Enchiladas Prep Time: 15 minutes Assembly Time: 5 minutes Bake Time: 30 minutes Ingredients 3/4lb Cooked & Finely Chopped or Shredded Chicken (1 large breast) 2-3 Small Zucchini and/or Summer Squash (about 3 cups diced) 1 Jalapeno (optional) 1 Small Onion 3 Cloves of Garlic 9 Large Flour Tortillas 2/3c. Sour Cream 24oz. Can Green Enchilada Sauce (or use this recipe to make your own) 1 cup Shredded Cheese of Choice (I used cheddar) 1 tsp. Garlic Powder 1 tsp. Cumin Salt & Pepper Directions Prepare Vegetables: dice zucchini and summer squash into 1/2 inch cubes; dice the onion, mince jalapeno and garlic. Add vegetables to skillet with a tbsp oil, cook for 5-7 minutes until tender (cook for 2-5 minutes if you prefer crunchier vegetable...

These Oatmeal Snack Bites are simple to make, filling, and easy to customize with your favorite flavors. From Left to Right: Coconut, Chocolate Chip, Blueberry Yield: 24 Snack Bites Prep Time: 10 minutes Assembly Time: 30 minutes Ingredients Dry: 1.5 cups Old Fashion Rolled Oats 2 tbsp. Ground Flax Seed (optional) 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon 1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder 1/4 tsp. Salt Wet: 1 Over-Ripe Banana 1 Egg 1/2 cup Milk (or substitute of choice) 2 tbsp. Maple Syrup 2 tbsp. Canola Oil (or flavorless oil substitute of choice) 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract Toppings: you will need approximate 1/2 cup of your topping of choice, see bottom of recipe for ideas. Directions Pre-heat oven to 350°, grease a 24 cup mini muffin cup baking tray (I used shortening). Mix together dry ingredient in medium size bowl. In a separate bowl, mash banana until smooth. Add in remaining wet ingredients and mix until well incorporated (I used a fork). Combine wet and dry ingredients. Portion evenly between...

Having a stash of breakfast burritos in the freezer makes mornings a breeze - they are protein packed, and portable! Breakfast burritos are infinitely customizable. Scroll to the bottom for other flavor combos! Yield: 12 burritos Prep Time: 20 minutes Assembly Time: 20 minutes Ingredients 6 large eggs 1/3c. milk 1lb. deli ham 6 slices of Swiss cheese, cut in half 1 large bell pepper 1 medium onion 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves) 12 flour tortillas Butter/oil for sauteing Salt & Pepper Directions Dice the bell pepper and onion, saute in a small amount of butter until softened. Add minced garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Season w/ salt & pepper. Slice the ham into 1/2 inch pieces. Saute in small amount of butter until lightly browned. Whisk eggs and milk, scramble, season w/ salt & pepper. Let all ingredients cool to room temp before assembly. In each tortilla, add a half slice of cheese, spoonful of peppers & onion, eggs, and ham. Roll tortilla tightly, tucking i...

Overnight Oats are simple to prep, portable, and infinitely customizable. Pictured: Overnight Oats w/ Strawberry Jam, Fresh Blueberries, Honey, and Coconut This is my base recipe that I start all flavor combinations with. Read on for five flavor combination ideas or create your own!      Yield: (3) 2/3 cup servings*     Prep Time: 10 minutes     Cook Time: Overnight in Fridge Ingredients 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 1 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy 3 tbsp ground flax seed (optional) 1 cup plain or flavored yogurt (optional) tiny pinch of salt Directions Evenly divide ingredients across 3 1-cup containers** (1/3 c. oats, 1/3 cup milk, 1T flax seed, 1/3 c. yogurt, pinch of salt).  Stir to combine ingredients. Add mix-ins if desired. Refrigerate overnight. These are best consumed within 3-4 days. *For a larger serving, increase to 1/2 cup increments. **I use 1/2 pint mason jars. Flavor Combinations Blueberry Coconut  To each jar add: 2 tbsp fro...

Looking for that cornbread fix, but don't want a whole pan leftover over? This is the recipe for you!      Yield: 6 slices, or 6 standard muffins     Prep Time: 5 minutes     Cook Time: 20-23 minutes Ingredients 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 1/2 cup flour 1 rounded tbsp sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 egg 2 tbsp neutral oil 1/2 cup milk (this is a great place to use milk that has gone "off") Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees Liberally grease a 6 inch cast iron skillet, 6 muffin cups, or a 6 inch cake pan. Mix together dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt). In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients (egg, oil, and salt) until well combined. Once oven is preheated, combine wet and dry ingredients until just combined, a few lumps are fine and transfer to baking vessel. Bake for 20-23 minutes in skillet or baking pan. Check at the 18 minute mark for muffins. Cornbread should be lightly brown on top and around the e...

This tuna pasta salad comes together quickly and is perfect as a side dish or stand alone meal.  Pasta salad is a great way to combine pantry staples and use up small quantities of raw or leftover roasted vegetables lingering in your fridge.      Yield: (4) 1 cup servings      Prep Time: 10 minutes      Cook Time: 15 minutes Ingredients (1) 5oz. can chunk tuna in water (use 2 if eating as a meal) 8oz. rotini pasta (farfalle or elbows would also work well) 1/4 of a medium onion (red or sweet) 1/2 red bell pepper 1/2 green bell pepper 2 roma tomatoes, or 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1/3 - 1/2 of an English cucumber, peeled 10 baby carrots, or 1 medium carrot (peeled) 1/2 cup Parmesan peppercorn dressing salt and pepper to taste Directions Boil pasta in salted water until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. While pasta is cooking. Dice the bell peppers, onion, and carrot into small bite sized pieces. Slice the cucumber into quarter moons, de-see...

This pizza sauce is thick and flavorful. Perfect for topping your favorite pizza or dipping. **Recipe will be updated with photos** This recipe makes 3 cups of pizza sauce. This is a great recipe to make ahead and freeze so that you always have sauce on hand when you need it. To much sauce? This recipe is easily split in half by using a 15oz can of crushed tomatoes, 3oz of tomato paste, and half the spices.      Yield: 3 generous cups      Prep Time: 2 minutes      Cook Time: 15-30 minutes Ingredients 28oz can of crushed tomatoes 6 ounce can of tomato paste 1 tbsp canola oil, olive oil, or butter 2-4 gloves of garlic, minced (we like a lot of garlic) 1 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp dried oregano pinch of red pepper flakes (optional) 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 2 tsp sugar Directions In a medium sauce pan, add oil and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes on medium heat, until garlic is fragrant. Add tomato paste and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add crus...

This pizza crust is easy to work with and cooks up with a nice crisp bottom and a great amount of chewy texture. This recipe can be made with or without a stand mixer. **This recipe will be updated with photos** The best part about this recipe is the ultra short rise time. You can go from a scratch made dough to finished pizza in about 30 minutes. Yield: dough for (4) 12 inch pizza crusts Prep Time: 15 minutes Rest Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10-12 minutes Ingredients 1.5 cups of warm water 1 tsp of sugar 4 tsp active dry yeast (or (2) 0.25 ounce yeast packet) 4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting Note, if you like an extra chewy crust, replace half of the all purpose flour with bread flour, which has a higher protein content. 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp dried oregano Dried parsley, basil, or mixed Italian seasoning are also great substitutes. 2 tsp salt Directions If you plan to use the dough right away, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees and move your oven r...

This thin crust pizza comes together quickly for a weeknight dinner when you do a little prep ahead. Each element of the pizza has it's own story that makes it a frugal meal. Read on after the recipe to learn more. Serves: (1) 12 inch pizza serves two with sides. Prep Time: 5-10 minutes Cook Time: 12 minutes Ingredients 1/3 cup No Fuss Pizza Sauce (coming soon) 1/4 recipe  Easy Crispy Thin Crust Pizza Dough (enough for (1) 12inch pizza) 3-4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces; or 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella Toppings of choice - remember to go light on toppings and precook any vegetables or meats to avoid a soggy crust. 3 basil leaves, cut into ribbons 1/2 tbsp Parmesan cheese Red Pepper Flakes (optional) Cornmeal for dusting Directions Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Move oven rack to top position. If using a pizza stone or cast iron pan, place in the oven to preheat. Prep ingredients. When you get to step 6 you will want to move quick. Follow dough recipe directio...