Super Yummy, Super Moist, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

I was craving this bread SO BAD last week! So I randomly pulled a recipe from allrecipes.com and wallah! It turned out GREAT! I made a few of my own adjustments, and I have never tasted or baked anything so moist in my life! Here's the recipe: (for 1 loaf of bread)

1/2 cup Butter (softened)
1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/4 cups Pumpkin
2 cups Flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 cup Chocolate Chips

-In large mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually add sugar, eggs & pumpkin.
-Combine dry ingredients, then stir into creamed mixture and blend well.
-Stir in Chocolate Chips and Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes

This was a great recipe! The only things I changed was I used Apple Sauce instead of Butter (the exact same measurement) and of course ya have to double up on the chocolate chips! Using Apple Sauce sounds weird right? A lady at work told me a long time ago to use apple sauce instead of oil or butter when your baking, it cuts out a TON of fat and makes all your baked goods much more moist! And boy was she right!!!! I haven't tried this little trick with anything else, but I'm thinking I may try some cookies or something with it soon! We'll see how that goes!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Does anyone have a good recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread? A lady at work brought some the other night, and left before I could even ask for the recipe. But it was really good! If you have one e-mail it to me please!
megcancook@yahoo.com

Chicken & Rice Casserole

I stirred up the idea from a dish my mother-in-law made for Father's day. I didn't really measure anything, and I made it a lot differently than I had planned. We cheated on Friday and ended up eating Pizza for dinner after a long, busy day. Which means I didn't have Casserole Saturday for my husband and I to take to work. I ended up taking some soup, and my husband went to subway. Anyway so Saturday when I came home from work at 4:00 a.m. the last thing I wanted to do was think of something, let alone try and make something easy for dinner on Sunday. But I knew if I didn't start something I wouldn't even come close to waking up in time to shower, get dressed, and make something decent for dinner. So when I came home I decided I'd try this casserole, crock pot style! And it was really good! Here's my recipe...or at least the ingredients hahaha!

1 container (16 oz.?) sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups cooked white rice
1 can green beans
Cheese (I used Cheddar-Jack)

I put some (2 table spoons?) sour cream on the bottom of the crockpot, seasoned my chicken with some garlic salt and pepper. Put the chicken in the crock pot and covered with about 1/3 of the sour cream and about 1/2 the can of soup. Then let it cook for 6-8 hours on low. When I woke up I made my 2 cups of rice. I added a little bit of the left over sour cream, and soup to the rice so it would stick together and stay moist, then I added the rest of the sour cream and soup to the chicken, shredded the chicken up and placed it over the rice in a casserole dish. Top that with some green beans & cheese and bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes or until it's heated through and the cheese is melted!
This was a pretty tasty dish, it was a little bland though, I think next time I'd add some green onion to the top, and maybe cook the chicken with some onion & green pepper or something. But it was pretty good. My husband and son both ate it all up!

Menu & Shopping List This Week

Here's my menu for the next weeks meals:

Thurs. - Spaghetti (see this is why I need your help!) with Garlic Bread
Fri. - Chicken & Rice Casserole (I'll post the recipe after I make it, I've not tried it yet)
Sat. - I work so it's left over Casserole for my husband and I to take to work and our little guy will eat at Grandma's House
Sun. - Lasagna
Mon. -Again I'm working so we'll eat leftovers
Tues. - Home Made Burgers & Fries
Wed. - BBQ Pork Chops with Baked Potatoes and Green Beans
Thurs. - Crock pot Chicken & Veggies

Now as you can probably tell from my menu, my husband is a very "meat & potatoes" kind of guy. So I'm constantly looking for good, healthy, hearty meals! Now here's my grocery list:

Milk (2 gallons) $4
Chicken $10
Cream Chicken Soup (replenishing)$4
Sour Cream $2
Rice (have some, but stocking) $2
Potatoes (red & baking) $4
BBQ Sauce (stocking) $3
Gravy (jar) $2
Carrots (baby bagged) $2
Peas (frozen) $2
Lettuce (1 head) $2
Cottage Cheese $2
Spaghetti Sauce (2 packets) $2

For a Grand Total of about $41.00 I'll be able to feed my family of 3 the above listed menu for the next week =) That's not including the pork chops which I already have, lunch and breakfast stuff I already have as well. Other than just a couple of things on the list (lettuce, milk, rice, spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, things I'm just replenishing in my cupboards) I'm able to save about $20.00 this week =) That makes me quite happy!

Shopping On A Budget?

Let's face it, with the way the economy is right now, who's not shopping on a budget? I don't know about you but staying on budget can be difficult for me at times. There's always this and that and something else to pay for. But I'm going to share my "Staying On Budget" tips for grocery shopping. I'm no expert, these are just some of the things I do to help myself stay on track. If you've got some other tips you'd like to share feel free to email them to me (megcancook@yahoo.com) =) or simply leave a comment! Here's a list of things I try to do on a weekly basis to stay within budget.

• Give yourself a realistic budget
• Buy Generic Brands
• Buy things in bulk
• Keep your cupboards and freezer stocked up on the things you use most
• STICK TO YOUR LIST!!!!!

I feel like $60.00 a week is plenty to be able to feed my family of 3 breakfast, lunch & dinner. But I haven't always felt like that. My budget used to be way too large for what we actually needed, I always ended up buying things we didn't need. This $60.00 covers all of our groceries for the week, including the basics. Milk, Bread, Juice, Cereal.

Buying generic brands saves a bundle! Trust me! Take Ranch Dressing for an example...when you look at Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing it costs you about $2.49 or more per 16 oz. bottle. I choose Kroger Ranch Dressing, for a 16 oz. bottle it doesn't usually cost me more than $1.69. Right there that saves $0.80 or so? Doesn't sound like a lot? Think of all the other store brand products you buy (fruit snacks, crackers, canned & frozen foods)...compare it to a generic? And add that up for a weekly savings! Then times that by 4...that's what your saving per month! And honestly the generic brands do not taste that different, if at all, than a store brand product. Also Check your weekly ads for savings! If you see something you may not need right now, but probably will next week buy a few of them to save you money next week!

Buying things in bulk may cost you a little up front, but is worth it in the long run. Take my grocery list this week for example. I try to focus on different things each week. So week 1 I would stock up on meat (beef, chicken & pork) and freeze it. Week 2 I would stock up on canned and frozen foods such as cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, tomato sauce, veggies or whatever else you use often from a can or that can be frozen. And usually within a decent and workable budget you can stock up enough to last as long as a month. Which means you're saving for the next 2 weeks on things you already have and don't need to buy. During those 2 weeks I usually just grab an extra can here, and extra pound of meat there so that if worse case scenario (you're sick, kids are sick, whatever) you have a week where you're not able to grocery shop you've got things in the house. So back to my list for this week, I used up my last package of chicken tonight for my enchilada's so tomorrow when I go shopping, obviously Chicken is on my list. Luckily the grocery store I like going to is having their boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $0.99 cents a lb! I allowed myself $10.00 for Chicken, and usually if you time it right you can hit the sale every time you need to stock up. Which has been my luck lately =) So with this sale (which I read in the weekly ad that comes in the mail) if I want to I'm able to buy 10 lbs of chicken and still be within my budget! 10 lbs of chicken can make for at least 4-5 meals! I used to buy just the Tyson Frozen Breasts but I was spending almost the same amount of money and getting half the product out of it. So it's smarter to freeze your own meat =)

That paragraph basically covered buying things in bulk and keeping your pantry and freezer stocked, don't ya think? Hahaha! Now this is the hardest part for me: STICK TO THE LIST! I always see things on the end aisles and I'm like "ooohh..that looks good" and I'll throw it in the cart, before I know it I get to the register and I'm WAY over budget! Not good! So what I've been doing, is working a little treat into the list...or work a little wiggle room into the budget. Put misc. on the list with a $4.00 limit. That way you're still getting what you really need and you're able to toss some chocolate or ice cream into your budget =)

I hope my tips are helpful and I'll be waiting to hear some of yours! I'll post an example of my grocery list and how my budget works!

Don't forget to e-mail your recipes, tips, questions, or anything you'd like to see on this blog to: megcancook@yahoo.com

Tonight's Dinner

Tonight I quickly threw together some yummy Chicken Enchilada's!

Here's my recipe:

1 1/2-2 lbs Shredded Chicken
1 package of Enchilada Sauce Mix
1 can Tomato Sauce
Green Onion (no measurement)
1 can Olives
About 1 cup of Shredded Cheese (I used Cheddar Jack tonight)
8-10 Corn Tortilla's

I've done this a couple different ways. I'll tell ya how I did it tonight, and then I'll let ya in on a couple other ways I've made Enchiladas.

First you'll cook your chicken, tonight I boiled mine for about 30 minutes so it would shred easily.
While my chicken was boiling I went ahead and started my Enchilada Sauce. I just buy the packets of seasoning and follow the directions on the back. It called for a can of Tomato Sauce and 1 1/2 cups of Water. I like my sauce a little thicker so I only used about 1 cup of water.
When the Chicken is done boiling, shred it with 2 forks, and add about 1/4 of the Enchilada Sauce to the chicken.
Warm up tortillas on a damp paper towel in the microwave for about 45 seconds.
Drizzle some of the Enchilada Sauce on the bottom of your baking dish so they don't stick.
Add your chicken to your tortilla's, roll 'em up and put them in the dish.
Top with Cheese, Chopped Green Onion, Olives, Tomatoes or whatever else you'd like.
Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted!
Add some sour cream or guacamole if desired and ENJOY!


I've also done this in a casserole type meal if I don't have the time or the energy to roll the tortilla's =) All you do is layer your ingredients like you would Lasagna. A little sauce on the bottom of the pan, 2-3 tortilla's (it's easier if you cut them into squares) chicken, sauce, cheese veggies, repeat!

It's also handy to do the chicken in the crock-pot if you know you don't have time to boil it for 30 minutes. Just throw the whole chicken breasts in the crock pot with the Enchilada sauce and let it cook on low for 6-8 hours. This makes it easy to throw the enchilada's together, or whip it up into a casserole! I usually use this method on the weekends when I have to work.

Usually when I make Enchilada's we don't do a side dish. My family isn't big on Beans & Rice but occasionally we'll eat some chips & salsa with it!

Welcome To What's Cookin'?!

Hey All! I can imagine you've already guessed just what this blog is all about! I'm just going to layout a few of the things I'm going to try and do with this blog! Hopefully ya'll can help me out! For starters, I'm a HUGE planner! I like to have a plan, I have lists and written out plans coming out the wazoo! So that's one thing I'm going to help you (and you'll help me) accomplish. We're going to have a meal plan. Along with having a meal plan, you obviously need to have the ingredients to prepare your meals. Which means you'll need a shopping list! I'll start by posting my meal plan and grocery list for each week and you can follow my plan and list...or make one of your own! Now keep in mind, my weeks start and end unlike most people's do. I work 3-4 days a week on the weekend. My usual grocery shopping day is Thursday, and my menu is spelled out Thursday-Wednesday. And there are usually 1-2 days a week (while I'm at work) that my husband is left to cook, or warm up leftovers. Nevertheless, all that is spelled out in my menu for each week =) So next, I'm trying to find some new, easy, and healthy lunches for my 3 year old son and myself. We're getting tired of the same old PB&J, Spaghetti-O's and Corn Dogs. Thus, I'm adding another meal plan to my agenda. Which also means more to add to my grocery list! E-mail me your lunch ideas please! And I'll post a few of my ideas later! Breakfast isn't such a hard thing for me. We're pretty light breakfast eaters. Toast & Yogurt, Cereal, Fruit & Toast...really whatever! So I think I'm good there! E-mail me with your questions, ideas, recipes or whatever! I'd love to hear them! I'll put some lists on the side of my blog later with some recipes that I have. And again PLEASE send me your recipes! How about this: To begin, just send me your favorite summer recipe! It can be for lunch, dinner, dessert, or just a yummy snack! And I'll post the recipe to share with everyone!
E-mail me at: megcancook@yahoo.com
Thanks!