Search Results for: blog homemade mexican meal

Inexpensive (and Easy) Summer Meals

For my family, summer is not all about cooking, unlike during the winter holidays. Instead, it is about spending time outdoors, going on summer adventures, visiting with friends and family, days at the park or pool, and nights on the grass watching a movie or music concert under the stars.  It is about inviting the neighbors over for a campfire and smores, catching lighting bugs, trying to get all of the ice cream drips before they run down your arm, and re-experiencing the feel of a light breeze coming off of the ocean. Still, we all have to eat, so … Continue reading →

9 Meal Ideas for Leftover Chicken

The prices on whole roasting chicken has been pretty good lately, so I have been finding myself buying quite a few chickens for our meals. My family likes roast chicken, so it isn’t usually a problem, except for the leftovers. They can get a little boring after a while. That is why we usually have one meal of roast chicken (I vary the seasonings), and then use the leftover chicken in new dishes, some of which I can freeze.   Here are my favorite ways to use leftover chicken.   Chicken Pot Pie: You can use a butter crust, shortening … Continue reading →

Go Mexican for Cinco de Mayo

For those of you looking to party like it’s 1999 on May 5th, consider hosting a Cinco de Mayo fiesta. The fifth day of the fifth month marks the Mexican army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. In the United States, commemorations of the special occasion are typically marked with large parties that feature plenty of Mexican cuisine. If you can’t make it out to a local fiesta, then have one at home using these red-hot recipes: SPICY BEEF BURRITOS Ingredients: 1 1/4 pound ground beef 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin … Continue reading →

Easy and Affordable Mexican Meals

When I think of easy and affordable meals, tacos immediately come to mind. Aside from crispy corn or soft flour tortillas, everything else needed to make the Mexican dish can be found around the house on a daily basis. Also helping to keep down the costs is the main ingredient. Ground beef or turkey and chicken are all relatively cheap meats. The only problem with tacos is that they can get boring if you serve them more than three or four times a month. That’s where the following dishes come in handy. The recipes for Taco Soup, Turkey Tacos and … Continue reading →

Homemade Mexican Meal

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Whether you are celebrating the day with a fabulous fiesta or you’re honoring the Mexican culture with a simple family meal, be sure to include the following tasty recipes in your festivities: TOTALLY TASTY TACO DIP Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1 package taco seasoning mix 2 (16 ounces) can refried beans 1/4 cup water 2 1/2 cups sour cream 4 cups shredded Iceberg lettuce 4 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese 1 (6 ounces) can sliced black olives 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped green onions 1/2 cup chopped jalapeno peppers Directions: In … Continue reading →

Homemade Chili Macaroni

My family loves the Hamburger Helper meals. The most popular one is Chili Macaroni. Hamburger Helper is a great way to save us some time in the kitchen. Most of the time, you just need to add the meat, usually hamburger, turkey or chicken, and sometimes milk. Add a can of vegetables or maybe a salad and some rolls. You can make it Mexican or Italian. Your cooking time is cut down to less than thirty minutes. I have been making Chili Macaroni from a recipe instead of a box for a long time now. My kids love the taste … Continue reading →

Excuse Me, Are These Melons Ripe? Grocery Shopping with my Husband

Flirting with your husband in the produce department while grocery shopping may not seem like your idea of a date, but when you are saving toward a healthy emergency fund, a discussion about fruit may be some of the sweetest words you’ll hear. My husband and I had gotten in the habit of a monthly lunch date, on a Tuesday or Wednesday, when all three children are in school. We only have about a two-hour window of time alone, but this was usually sufficient to have a nice lunch and catch up without being interrupted by little people needing this … Continue reading →

Taco Hero Recipe

Have you ever wondered what to do with leftover taco meat? There are two things that my family is loving right now: the ground turkey that we have been getting at a local farmer’s market, and using that ground turkey for homemade tacos. Earlier in the week, my husband cooked up about three pounds of the stuff using taco seasoning, and we naturally had our tacos that night. My eldest son, who is ten and so skinny that people wonder if he is being neglected at home, can put away eight tacos all by himself. So we usually don’t have … Continue reading →

Cheap Dinner Ideas: Potato Bar

Sometimes it is hard to balance quick and easy with cheap when it comes to meals. The kids are really starting to get into their activities, and with all of the driving around (although I know we are probably better than most in that regard), there is little time for doing a lot of cooking from scratch. But home made meals don’t need to be elaborate to be healthy, warm, filling and delicious. Made with lower cost ingredients or even leftovers, you can have some great dinners without a lot of time or cost. Here we come $5 dinners! One … Continue reading →

Need it Fast Solutions: Taco Seasoning Packet

Anyone who has ever prepared a meal has found themselves starting to cook and then realizing that they were out one needed ingredient. You search the pantry, sure that you had one more of whatever it was left. Instead you are faced with having to drop everything and go to the store or scrapping the meal and creating something else. There is one other option. Turn to one of these need it fast solutions to get you back on track. It will be easy and take less time that running to the store and back. You may even save a … Continue reading →