Friday Fun: Cook Up Something New!

One of my favorite new things to do is try out new recipes. I just love looking in magazines for inspiration, since they usually come with gorgeous photos taken to make my mouth water. The key to cooking new recipes is to read the ingredient list and find out what you need. There are tons of delicious recipes out there, but sometimes they might turn out to be more than what your wallet bargained for! Finding the recipes that list ingredients you regularly have on hand will save you money and time at the grocery store.

Last night, I made Summer Chicken and Vegetable Hash from my Martha Stewart Living magazine, and I have to say it was one of the funnest things I've ever made. Perhaps it was the joy of making a dinner entirely from scratch, or maybe it was the excitement of a new recipe-- I was hooked! My husband and his brother thoroughly enjoyed it, so I plan on adding it to the rotation of meals from now on. Although it took longer to prepare than most meals I usually make, it was well worth it for the fun!

This Friday, consider trying out a new recipe this week. We all get stuck in a rut with our meals sometimes, and trying out new versions or takes on old staples are a great way to break out of it. To search for recipes by ingredients, visit Super Cook. Or try All Recipes.

*Photo by Becky Luigart-Stayner

Saving on Sunday: Meijer Mealbox

I decided to post on the Meijer Mealbox program, because I feel like it might have changed my life today. Where else can you get a week's worth of recipes and shopping lists?

Meijer Mealbox comes out with new recipes for the week every week. Not only does it list the recipe, but it also lists the price of each ingredient at Meijer and whether or not there are any special coupons for it. You can browse the entire database of recipes and make your own mealplan for the week with a simple click. When you are done compiling your recipes, it also makes a shopping list that you can print out or email to yourself. This shopping list will include the special Meijer Mealbox coupons and Meijer's current sales. For those of you (like me!) on a strict food budget each week, this really helps on knowing what your final cost will be. And when you combine the sales with your own coupons, you can really save BIG!

This week I knew I needed to get rid of all the potatoes I bought on sale before they got bad. I was able to pick several yummy looking recipes, including:

-Ham and Cheese Stuffed Potatoes
-Chunks of Potato Soup

Meijer Mealbox is a great way to keep track of all your shopping lists and recipes you like as well as get special coupons. Post your experience with Meijer Mealbox and share how you use it!