Great News, Meal Plans, and More!

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you probably know by now how much I love Aldi.  I have been a loyal Aldi shopper for the last 15 years.  I shop around to find the best price, but by and large, I do the majority of my shopping at Aldi. 

Why do I love Aldi?  I love it because I can get the most bang for my buck there.  I cook primarily from scratch, and so I love the inexpensive prices for all of my staple items.  In addition, you can find many convenience items there as well...all for very low prices.  How do they keep their prices so low, but offer high quality items?  Well, there are a couple of reasons.  First of all, they don't stock shelves the way that a traditional grocery store might.  They open cases and the products are left in their boxes.  This allows Aldi to hire less people for stocking and maintaining their shelves.  In addition, Aldi's asks that you purchase your own bags and bag your own groceries.  Personally, I prefer to bag my own things.  I like to organize my things, and I don't like to pack meat with raw veggies or anything that won't be cooked.  I understand sanitation, while most cashiers just don't pay attention.  Also, Aldi requires that you "rent" a shopping cart for $0.25.  This is a great idea in my opinion.  You have to return the cart to the store to get your "deposit" back.  Aldi then doesn't have to hire an employee to go outside to the parking lot to gather carts and there are always carts available for use when you arrive.  They are all dry because they are housed in an enclosed area.  This is very nice, especially if you have little ones that still ride in a cart. 

But now, there are a few more reasons to love Aldi even more than I already do!  This is my exciting news for the day!  Aldi has recently just started to accept credit cards in addition to accepting debit, cash, and EBT.  Why am I excited about this?  I am on a tight budget right?  Well, we use our credit cards for 90% of our purchases and then pay the balance in full every month.  We do this because we get points for the purchases, which then pays us back in the long run.  This may not be appropriate for all families, and Aldi does accept cash if you prefer, but since we are using our points very wisely (we have a card that pays us in cash for our points), it works well for us.  Now that Aldi accepts credit cards, I can use the points that I earn as "coupon" credit for future purchases there, which is going to save me even more money!

In addition, I mentioned in a previous post that Aldi has focused it's branding on offering healthy, natural products.  It has accomplished this by eliminating artificial colors and sweeteners from all of it's products.  They are also eliminating preservatives, chemicals, and msg.  With a promise to continue offer even more healthy options in the future.  Organic and gluten free options are becoming more available and the price difference is very reasonable.  For example, I can purchase a 32 oz. box of regular chicken broth for $1.39.  The organic version, same size, for $1.79.  This makes purchasing organic more reasonable for those who choose that lifestyle.  They also have a wide variety of fresh fruits and veggies that are locally grown and organic, and in addition, they are offering an entire section of grass-fed meats as well. 

They are also making strides to help our bee populations by eliminating farms that use pesticides that are known to kill bees.  This is huge since bees are ESSENTIAL to our existence on earth! 

Let me just say that I am not being paid by Aldi for anything that I have said.  I truly believe in what they offer and have been feeding my family well by shopping there all of these years. 

My grocery shopping trip this week was actually a combination trip because I never made it to the grocery store last week.  We have basically been living on our pantry and freezer for the last two weeks.  This meant that I had to replenish the meat and the pantry in this trip.  The cost was more as a result.  I don't stress when that happens because it will all average out in the long run.  So here is our meal plan for the week.

School starts again tomorrow!  Yay!  I am so excited because my kids are beginning to drive me crazy.  You know how that can happen right?  It's the middle of winter, we just had a huge snow storm, and everyone has a bit of the cranky pants, get away from me blues!  Needless to say, I am tired of the fighting.  (Now I know how my mother felt when I was a kid fighting with my sisters!)

I am working just a few days this week to ease us back into the routine (that is the beauty of choosing my own schedule.)  So, this week I have some delicious meals on the menu.  While I was at Aldi's yesterday, they had bone-in chicken thighs on sale for $0.49/ pound.  It was a family pack deal which is awesome!  I picked up two.  I also picked up some 73% ground beef for $1.99/ pound.  I realize that the beef isn't as healthy as it could be, but I cook and drain it really well.  I have also heard that some people rinse the beef to make it healthier too.  I haven't tried that, but if you do, let me know how it works because I may be willing to try it too.  So, basically, I planned all of my meals around those two meats. 

Here it is:
Saturday- (last night) We had tacos for dinner when I got home from the store.  I also splurged a bit and we had ice cream sundaes.  (Ethan had a friend over for dinner and it was a nice treat!) 

Sunday- Cereal and bananas
              Ham, Turkey, or PB&J sandwiches, pretzels or chips
              Lemon chicken thighs with potatoes and carrots, green beans, cornbread

Monday- Oatmeal bake with blueberries
                Packed lunches
                Popcorn (snack after school)
                Sloppy Joes, tator tots, and corn

Tuesday- French toast sticks (homemade), bananas
                Packed Lunches
                Animal crackers (snack)
                Chicken and wild rice soup, biscuits

Wednesday- Cereal and bananas
                     Packed lunches
                     Homemade rice crispy treats
                    Garlic and parmesan pasta, tomato,cucumber , and pepper salad (the cucumbers looked terrible!)

Thursday- Cereal and bananas
                  Packed lunches
                  Animal crackers or rice crispy treats
                  Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, peas

Friday-  Breakfast frittata or baked egg casserole
              Packed lunches
              peanut butter crackers (handmade)
              Chicken Noodle casserole

Saturday- Pancakes and sausage
                 Macaroni and Cheese (homemade)
                 Spaghetti and Meatballs, homemade bread

The meals for this week are very inexpensive, however, I have been purchasing more convenient lunch items for kids lunch boxes.  I do that because my husband hates making lunches for the kids and when I am working, he has to work the wheel (so to speak), he prefers to grab and pack.  For their lunches this week, they have yogurt, applesauce cups, and fruit cups.  In addition, my daughter asked for raisins, I grabbed some cheese crackers, and pretzels.  I also had to purchase juice boxes as well.  These conveniences will still cost less than having our kids buy lunch at school, especially because our school lunches cost $2.25 per child this year.  That is a whopping $9.00 every time my kids buy their lunch!  That is just craziness to me. 

Let me break down the cost of our groceries so far this month so that you can see how it has all played out...then we can examine the budget to see where I fall. 

I went grocery shopping on January 26th and spent $130.  Then I shopped on February 14th and spent $60 (I went to Walmart for milk, bread, and a few other items to get through the week).  I went  on February 20th and spent $220.  So here is the weekly break down of $82.00 per week because that covered 5 weeks.  Still under budget for the month.  Yay!  Now that things are going back to normal, I will be shopping week to week again and that will make it easier to keep track. 

Whoa!  I just realized how long this post was!  I hope that you found it informative and helpful!

Now I'm off to make dinner and get the kids ready for school tomorrow!

Blessings to All!

Deals!

Every now and then, I find that there are really good ads at our local grocery stores and these ads may change my shopping trip direction for the week.  Most of the time, I go to Aldi for all of my grocery shopping needs (except for meat and some produce), but because these circulars look so good, I may end up shopping at a few other stores to get the deals available.

Save-A-Lot has another 3 day sale coming up this weekend which looks okay, however, their meat sales this week are really good this week otherwise.  For example, they have chuck roast on sale for just $2.97/ pound.  They also have frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.29/ pound.  Their 3 day sale has boneless pork loin chops for just $1.97/pound.  In addition, they have picnic shoulder pork roasts for $.99/ pound.  Since my freezer is nearly empty (which is rare because I almost always purchase meat every week), I know that Save-A-Lot is going to help me restock and plan some absolutely delicious meals for the coming weeks. 

What's on sale at Tops this week?  Well, since Tops is the most expensive store in my area, they have to have an abundance of deals before I will consider even walking into that store.  The good thing about Tops is that they double coupons and they usually offer good sales to match whatever coupons are in the Sunday paper.  I don't usually coupon because I found that because I cook primarily from scratch, I was spending more money purchasing coupons than I was saving, but for some, Tops is a great go to when you coupon.  This week, Tops has Quaker cereals for $1.88/ box when you purchase 5.  This includes their Life cereal, which my children and husband love.  Since I don't spend more than $2.00 on any box of cereal in this house, these cereals fall below my budget.  In addition to this great deal, they have fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.77/ pound, and a super coupon for Tops butter that is $2.49/ pound.  I can use more than one super coupon to purchase the butter as long as I do it in separate transactions, so I use the self checkout. 

Guess what's coming to Perinton!!! An Aldi!  That's right!  Next to the RAC for women in the plaza across the street from Wegman's.  TJ and I drove there last night to check it out.  It appears to be just a few months from opening!  I couldn't be happier!  Now, I will be able to go to Aldi for the bulk of my shopping, Wegman's for meat, and Tops for anything that perks my interest and they are all in the same intersection!  No more having to spend money on gas to shop around for the best price!  This is super exciting.  Plus, I don't know if you are aware or not, but Aldi is making some fantastic changes to how they do business.  They are going totally artificial color free, they are offering more organic choices, and they are eliminating farms that use pesticides that are known for killing bees!!  If you like natural, clean eating, than Aldi is definitely a great choice!  In addition, they have a ton of gluten free options for those in need.  Take some time to check out Aldi if you can...it is definitely worth it!

I hope that you find these articles helpful in your shopping endeavors.  Please let me know if you find them helpful!  I would love to hear from you. 

Are there any deals in your area that you would like to share?  Please add a comment so that others who live in your neck of the woods may benefit.

Thanks for reading and I'll catch up with you later when I add my meal plan and menu for next week.

Blessings to All!

Kim

Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can't resist these cookies!  They are delicious!

 

Cold winter days need a hot cocoa and brownie cookies.  I came up with this recipe yesterday when I was totally in need of a chocolate fix and I promised my kiddos that we would make cookies. 

Already today, I have posted a beautiful recipe for stuffed French toast...check out my Staying Warm post.  But it is wintery and blistery outside today...so I thought that I would share this recipe too!  I can't resist these cookies and with kiddos playing outside, a warm wintery treat of hot cocoa with these cookies is definitely in order! 

Look at how beautiful these cookies are...they are perfect little brownie bites with yummy walnuts and chocolate chips.  The nuts are totally optional, so if you have an allergy in your house, you can omit them and they will still be delicious!

They came out so fudgy and delicious, TJ was eating them up!  He told me that I'm not allowed to make them again (he finds cookies irresistible!)  And, as far as this recipe is concerned, so do I! 

These cookies came together quickly and only take about 12 minutes in the oven.  It make about 4 dozen.  No need to chill the dough...just make and bake!

Burr!  This is literally what it looks like outside my window right now!

I hope that your family is staying warm!  Cuddle up next to a fire (or heat register, lol.) and enjoy!

Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookies (about 4 dozen)

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. brewed coffee (optional...but brings out the delicious chocolate flavor!)
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Preheat oven to 350 and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper (optional, but helps the cookies to slide off the pan.)

1.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and butter until light and fluffy.  Add the brown sugar and white sugar and mix until well combined.  Add the egg and whip to combine.  Add the cocoa and mix well.
2.  To the mixture, add the vanilla, coffee, and the baking soda.  Mix really well to be sure that everything is incorporated evenly. 

3.  Add the flour, one cup at a time, and mix until just combined.  Be careful not to over mix.  Add the nuts and the chocolate chips and distribute evenly. 

4.  Using a tablespoon, drop cookies on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  I was able to get 12 cookies on each cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just slightly firm.  Allow to sit on the sheet for about 2 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack. 

Dunk in milk, hot cocoa, or enjoy with your coffee!  Delicious!!!

 

Staying warm and within your budget!

Winter is definitely upon us...in fact, today we are experiencing our first real snow storm of the season.  It is days like this when I really feel like cooking and baking.  I think it's because I know that I'm not going anywhere, I'm not in a rush, and I just love how cozy a nice warm kitchen feels! 

This weekend we had some really cold days and so this Mama was cooking!  I made a delicious traditional lasagna on Saturday, a nice pork roast dinner with mashed potatoes and apricot sauce on Sunday, and for breakfast yesterday I made a delicious stuffed French toast.  My kids were in heaven! 

Here's the back story on this recipe.  About a month ago, TJ and I went to a beautiful bed and breakfast in Lyons called the Peppermint Cottage.  We went with our life-long friends to celebrate a birthday.  We go there every year and it is the perfect place to unwind (they have a hot tub and a beautiful wood burning fireplace).  It is truly one of our favorite places!  On this trip, the owner, Diane, made us a fabulous stuffed French toast.  Let me just add this little plug about how great this place is...Diane stayed up late and made fresh French bread for this recipe.  It's all in the details! 

When I got out of bed yesterday, I had already decided that I was going to make stuffed French toast for breakfast.  I had purchased an extra loaf of French bread the day before for the lasagna, so my plan was to make blueberry stuffed French toast.  A funny thing happened as I was coming down the stairs though...TJ said "I think you should make stuffed French toast today, with bananas."  Okay...now I am a firm believer in coincidence...but really?  The same thought at the same time?  Wow...it was definitely meant to be!  So I made both, blueberry and banana stuffed French toast. 

Buttery goodness! Yummy!

Making this dish was incredibly easy and very economical!  I will break down all of the prices for you so you can see that a restaurant quality meal is definitely doable on a tight budget (insert smiley face here!)

Okay, so here it is...I know these pictures have your mouth watering...so you can serve this for lunch or dinner if you want...just saying, lol!

Stuffed French Toast (Serves 6-8)

1 loaf of traditional French Bread (day old is easier to cut)
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3  cup powdered sugar
2 cut bananas (I used yellow...which is good because they are a bit firmer and easier to stuff)
1/3 cup frozen blueberries (you can use fresh too)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tbsp. half and half
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1.  Cut the ends off of the French bread so that every slice has two flat sides.  Then cut the loaf into 12 slices , about an 1-1 1/2 inches thick.  Cut each slice down the middle, stopping before you cut through (I sliced until about 1/2 inch from the bottom.)

2.  In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar.  Mix until smooth. 

3.  Using a knife, spread a thick layer of the cheese in the middle of each slice of prepared bread.  stuff in the fruit.  Go ahead and use your hands...it's easier.  Be careful not to split the bread in half as you're working. 

4.  Add the half and half to the eggs and whisk well.  Then add the cinnamon to eggs. 

5.  In a large skillet, coated with butter, dip the prepared stuffed bread into the eggs on both sides and grill for about 5-6 minutes on each side, or until the it is nice and golden brown.  I used my cast iron, which I would totally recommend if you have one...it gives the toast a nice crunchy texture! 

Look at that cheese filling...all ooey and gooey! 

For toppings we sprinkled a little bit of chopped toasted pecans, powdered sugar, and real maple syrup.  Yum Yum!! 

Okay, so let's talk cost per person. 
The most expensive ingredient was the cream cheese.

8 oz. cream cheese- $1.25
French Bread- $1.00 at Walmart
Powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla (about $.35)  total is approximate for the small amounts necessary for this recipe. 
eggs- $.50
half and half $.17
blueberries- $.40 (the whole bag was $2.29 and there is about a 1 pound in the bag.)
Bananas $.20  based on $.39/ pound
Precooked sausage- $2.00 for two packages of 10

For our family of 6, this recipe and breakfast was a total of $0.97 a person.  I served it with orange juice, which we usually only have for a treat, so my kids drank it out of wine flutes...because that is just fancy and fun! 

(I have to give credit to my wonderful and supportive husband, he helped me with the staging of this plate so that I could take these pictures!  Thanks honey!) 

I hope that you enjoy this beautiful breakfast, or lunch, or dessert...whatever you like!

Blessings to All!

Meal Plan and Grocery List for the Week

     Oh my word...February is here!  I can't believe how mild this winter has been.  Not that I'm complaining...I really don't care for snow.  My kids, on the other hand, are bummed because they have only been able to go sledding once this year so far.  Oh well...I am just hoping that with this beautiful weather comes an even more fabulous spring! 
     Today, the sun is shining through my dining room windows, TJ is doing is homework, and I am getting ready to take my daughter to Michael's to find a car for the Pinewood Derby that her girl scout troop is going to participate in.  I am really looking forward to getting out for some reason!  I am also sitting here planning my week of meals.  I have gone back to work three days a week, which is great for our budget, but not so great for my house.  Keeping up with four kids, a husband, and a dog while working is definitely a challenge.  They go through a lot of clothes!  My washer never stops!  But I digress...back to thinking about our meals for this week.
     This is how our week is panning out...tomorrow is Sunday, therefore, we go to church and then Grace has a girl scout meeting at 2.  There is a pot luck after church tomorrow so we won't have to worry about lunch so it is breakfast and dinner, plus whatever I decide to contribute to the pot luck.  Then Monday is a crazy night...Ryan has a cub scout meeting and Ethan is visiting a local boy scout troop.  Tuesday night TJ has a meeting and won't be home for dinner, Wednesday and Thursday are open (for the moment), Friday night is the inspection and impound for the pinewood derby which is next Saturday morning.  So...since I am working on Monday's, Thursday's, and Friday's...I am trying to preplan the prep work for those nights, this way I can still cook from scratch, but it won't take me as long. 
     I am still planning two meatless meals a week.  Last week we had a beautiful eggplant parmesan on Monday night that I served with a salad, and last night I made a delicious veggie pot pie that was full of veggies and we didn't miss the meat one bit!  I think for this week, I am going to make a quiche for dinner one night, full of broccoli, onions, and cheese and for our second meatless meal, I think that I am going to go with a veggie minestrone soup.  If there is one thing that I love to make, its soup!  It is easy, delicious, inexpensive, and I can have it on the table in 30 minutes or less! 
     So here is the plan for the week:
Sunday:  Breakfast- Crockpot egg casserole (the cost of eggs has decreased significantly!)
               Lunch- Pot Luck- I am going to take Swedish meatballs
               Dinner- Roast Pork (I have it in my freezer already, when I bought it, it was $1.99/pound and it is just over 2 pounds.  The roast was a total of $4.23)
                             Twice-Baked potatoes with cauliflower, broccoli, and cheese (this is a house favorite!)
                              Fresh dinner rolls
                              Applesauce
Monday- Breakfast- Cereal, banana
                 Lunches- Packed lunches (Ham or PB&J, pretzels, cheese crackers, homemade trail mix and Juice box.)
                  My lunch is usually 1 Greek yogurt and something crunchy like pretzels.
                 Dinner- Minestrone Soup, homemade bread.
Tuesday- Breakfast- Cheese Omelets, toast
                 Lunches- Packed lunches
                 Dinner- chicken enchiladas, yellow rice
Wednesday- Breakfast- Oatmeal cinnamon muffins, banana or orange
                      Lunch- Packed Lunches
                      Dinner- Broccoli and cheese quiche, salad
Thursday- Breakfast- Leftover quiche or cereal, with fruit
                   Lunch- Packed Lunches
                   Dinner- Mini Meatloaves, au-gratin potatoes, green peas. 
Friday- Breakfast- Cereal, fruit
              Lunches- Packed Lunches
              Dinner- Shrimp Scampi ( I bought the shrimp two weeks ago on sale for $5.98 a pound...they are medium size) with Salad
Saturday- Pinewood Derby Day!
I am providing pancake bites for the snack table at the derby so I have purchase the supplies for those too. 
                  Breakfast- Blueberry Muffins, fruit
                  Lunch- Pizza (We purchase pizza at the pinewood derby)
                  Dinner- beef tips over mashed potatoes (I have two chuck steaks that I bought on sale that I am going to cut and use for this meal.) & Dijon green beans.

Grocery List-
eggs (2 18 packs)    $4.36
bread (3 loaves)      $4.17
milk (3 gallons)       $5.97
butter (2 pounds)    $5.78
deli ham- (1 pound) $4.08
potatoes (5 pounds) $1.99
frozen peas (2 pounds) $1.98
Corn meal (5 pounds)  $2.78
Bananas (5 pounds) $1.95
frozen blueberries $2.99
Vanilla Greek Yogurt (family size) $3.79
1 box dittalini pasta $1.38
1 bag of carrots $0.69
1 celery bunch $1.39
1 pkg. 12 cheese sticks $2.79
1 16 oz. sour cream $1.28
yellow rice -$.98

Total for the week- approximately $48.35

If you notice, there is no meat on this list...I am pretty well stocked at this point.  I also have a pretty stocked pantry so my list is small. 

What's on your menu this week? 





           

Smoked Sausage and Red Pepper Hash

Making breakfast for dinner is something that my children love, however, my husband isn't a big fan.  As a result, I usually plan breakfast nights when my husband has to work late or attend a meeting at church.  Thursday night was one of those nights for us.  TJ was supposed to work late and I promised the kids waffles for dinner.  They were ecstatic, but when TJ walked through the door at 6:15 (his meeting ended earlier then he had been expecting), he wasn't exactly excited about eating waffles. 
So I had to improvise and this beautiful hash was what I came up with.  I had all of the ingredients in the house and was able to throw this together in just a matter of minutes.  I served it with fried eggs on top and an English muffin on the side and my husband loved it!  This was breakfast for dinner, with an adult flare.  Since this recipe is so versatile and easy, it will be sure to grace our table frequently from now on.   

If you don't have smoked sausage in the house, you could substitute bacon, breakfast sausage, or corned beef.  Yummy!  In addition, you can use any veggie that you like.  I think that this would be fantastic with mushrooms, zucchini, or even eggplant.  You could serve this on a meat free night by leaving out the meat and adding one of those "meaty" veggies.  The highlight of this dish was the runny egg yolk on top.  I meant to take a picture of that but my hubby was a hungry man and I never had the chance to snap that shot.  The combination worked perfectly together!

Simple ingredients sometimes make for the best recipes!

Smoked Sausage and Red Pepper Hash Serves 4-6

12 oz. smoked sausage cut into slices
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 medium potatoes, cubed (small)
A pinch of red pepper flake (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. canola oil

In a large skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the oil and the potatoes.  Cook, stirring every few minutes, until all sides are beginning to brown.  Add the onion and pepper and seasonings.  Continue cooking until the potatoes have browned and the onions and pepper are tender.  Add the sausage and cook until brown and heated through, about five minutes.  When the hash has reached your own level of crunchiness, remove from heat and cook the eggs.  Serve with the eggs on top. 

The entire cost of this meal was about $4.25, therefore the cost per serving in our house was $0.71 a person. 

***This can be served for breakfast and lunch too!  There are no limitations.***

***This recipe was adapted from The Two Bite Club-Kielbasa, Pepper, and Onion Hash

Enjoy!

Blessings to all!

Super Delicious Banana Cupcakes

Okay, so this week the most remarkable thing happened...I had bananas that were really ripe.  It is pretty rare that we have leftover bananas because I seem to have a house full of mini monkeys, but I was excited to have them so that I could experiment with a new banana cupcake recipe. 

The last time that I made banana cupcakes, I got something that I wasn't expecting...banana muffins.  Yup...I got muffins.  They were delicious, don't get me wrong, but they were more like bread then cupcakes.  I felt like I was a contestant on the show Cupcake Wars and I could hear the judges saying that the consistency of my cake was poor, dense, and bread-like.  So I have been on a mission ever since to find a recipe that tastes like bananas with the texture of a beautiful, soft, and moist cake. 

I am happy to say that I think that I found it! 

I was searching Pinterest and I found a lot of recipes for banana cupcakes, however, they were all made from the same base as banana bread and I certainly didn't want a repeat of my last failed attempt.  So I came across this recipe which is originally from foodfanatic by Kristan Roland.  I decided to try it because the recipe called for butter and buttermilk, which I know is a great base for delicious cupcakes.  I changed the recipe just a hair because it called for a lot of sugar and these bananas were so ripe, I knew they would have their own sweetness, so I added less.  In addition, the cinnamon cream cheese frosting sounded so tasty that I just had to try it, but I didn't like the look of her recipe, there was not nearly enough powdered sugar in it...I didn't want to eat a mixture of butter and cream cheese on a cupcake, it sounded so heavy and dense.  I made my own cream cheese frosting recipe and added cinnamon and it came out perfectly light and creamy! 

The flavor combination of the banana and the cinnamon cream cheese frosting is the BOMB!!  My husband and children were completely in love with the first bite.  I know that these cupcakes will be a popular addition to our yummy creations! 

These cupcakes are light, fluffy, and absolutely divine.  They have a beautifully balanced taste of banana and butter.  These would be the perfect complement to a cup of coffee with a friend or a beautiful gift for someone who needs a little pick-me-up. 

It is a gloomy winter day, so if your looking for something to do, here is the perfect baking day recipe!

I hope you enjoy!

Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing (Makes 24)

3 medium ripe bananas mashed
2 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best but you can use bottled too)
3/4 cup real butter (I would use real butter, but margarine would work in a pinch)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs (room temperature is best)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (room temperature)

Directions:
1. Combine the bananas and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.
2.  In a large bowl (or a mixer) combine the butter and sugar and whip until smooth and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, whipping to combine.  (This adds air to the mixture and helps to create that light and fluffy cake.)  Add the vanilla and combine well. 
3.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and the baking soda.
4.  Intermittingly add the flour/baking soda a cup at a time with 1/2 cup of the buttermilk ending with the buttermilk.  Mix on medium for about 2 minutes until the batter is creamy (be careful not to overwork the flour as it can have the opposite effect if it is over-mixed) 
5.  Carefully fold the bananas into the batter like you would if you were folding in egg whites, careful not to completely mix.  This helps the fruit be a swirl in the batter and it won't sink to the bottom of your cupcake cup. 
6.  Bake at 365 degrees for 18 minutes or until they are golden and spring back when touched.  Cool on a rack until completely cooled.  Baking at a slightly higher temperature helps the cakes to rise up over the cups so you get a beautifully, rounded cupcake top. 

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

3/4 cup butter softened
1 8oz pkg. of cream cheese softened
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 (heaping) tsp. of cinnamon
3-1/2 cups of powdered sugar
2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Using an electric mixer, combine the butter and the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  One cup at a time, add the powdered sugar, starting out on low speed and moving to medium when the dust settles, scrapping the sides of the bowl well in between each addition.  Add the whipping cream and whip it until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the cinnamon and combine well, making sure that the cinnamon is evenly dispersed.  Pipe onto the cupcakes when they are cooled.

These cupcakes are best eaten within 3 days but can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. 

Cost per cupcake- $0.25 (This cupcake would cost at least $0.70 if purchased as a prepackaged item) 
***The cost per cupcake is based on the costs for the ingredients that I purchased at Aldi.***

I hope that you enjoy this beautiful cupcake! 

Blessings to all!

New Year's Resolutions

     This year, my New Year's resolution was to get out of bed at 5:30 every school day.  Let me just tell you, I am not a morning person, in fact, I hate mornings.  I always feel like a big bad grumpy bear when I'm getting my family ready for the day.  So, I thought (like a complete moron) that if I got out of bed earlier, then I would be more prepared for the day.  So on the 4th, I was like, you can do this (get up at 5:30), and then the morning came, and it was so dark, and my bed was so warm, and I and slept right through my alarm.  Epic fail!!  Clearly...I have more work to do in that regard.  I am really trying to get up with a spring in my step...I don't want the grumpy bear to be the last person that my kids see before they go to school!  It is definitely not easy to change my ways but I am hopeful that I will conquer this morning thing and we will be a happier, more organized family in the mornings. 
     The second big change that is coming this year is that I am going back to work part-time.  This is going to be extremely difficult!  My family is so used to having me around that I am sure that this is going to be a great adjustment.  Going back to work is going to mean even more planning and organization, especially when it comes to our meals for the week.  I am going to have to be completely on my game. 
     The goal for the blog this year is to make my pictures look perfect!  I know that a great picture is key to helping you to understand how my recipes are supposed to look and taste.  I am doing some research and I hope that my pictures will take less time to upload and they will look as fantastic as they do on the professional blogs out there!  In addition, a post daily would be great too, but realistically, I think a good goal for me would be two posts a week.  Time management is definitely something that I need to work on in 2016! 
     I am going to be posting delicious recipes that are not only budget friendly, but are also healthy.  In my opinion, if you are serving your family a well balanced diet, then you are on your way to keeping your family healthy this year!  Some big changes are coming to our meal plans this year.  The first is that I am now planning two vegetarian meals a week.  This is not only really healthy, but it is a great way to save money.  The second change is that I am adding more seafood to our menu and I plan to serve it at least 2 times a month.  I happen to love a great haddock fillet, but it is definitely hard to convince my children to try it.  My goal is to introduce new seafood options so that my children can form their own opinions about fish.  Scary right!
    Pinterest is my friend and I am on Pinterest every day pinning delicious recipes that I either have tried or really want to try.  In addition, I have board entitled "Blog" and that is where I pin all of the recipes and articles that are related to my blog. I encourage you to check it out when you get a chance.

I am also looking for feedback.  If you could kindly think of some constructive criticism that I can use to improve my blog, please share them with me.  I am not looking for negative feedback...just some ideas or changes that you would like to see on my blog in the future.  I am grateful that you come to visit and I hope that my blog helps you to become better meal planners and cooks this year!

What are some of your New Year's resolutions?  I would be happy to hear what you think about the coming year and some of your ideas!

Blessings to all in 2016!

Check out some of my recipes!  This is a banana chocolate chip muffin that is easy and delicious!