A healthy, CHEAP and FAST breakfast that costs less than a dollar per person.

Ok so this is nothing new to you really, what I am about to share. The problem is that nowadays convience food has become our mainstream form of nutrition. We're all doing so many things at once that sometimes those little extra minutes to stop and make something from scratch is a bit hard to do. So, that is the point of this post, to show you how simple, fast and easy a good meal can really be (And cheap!)

All that being said, there are always several things you can do during the week or another day to save some time. For example, when I am putting away the groceries, I remove the grapes from their stems and give them a quick rinse. Put them back in the bag and when the boys want some they can help themselves straightaway.

When I make some brown rice for dinner, I always make an extra package. So, that way I have one on hand and cut my next meal time in half. If I have a few and am thinking of it, I even throw a few sweet potatoes or regular ones, in the microwave. Put them in the fridge to cool and the next day or next meal I have ready potatoes for hash, to make homemade mashed potatoes or whatever else I fancy and it has saved me ages of prep time for the next meal. Little things like this seem silly but, can save you loads of time every time you're making a meal.

So, that being said, here's the meal we all know about but, think it will take too long to make or it's too hard. Took me less than 15 minutes tops to make a massive batch, to feed four. When I say feed four, I usually mean a giant helping too!

It literally cost something like $0.80 per person to make!

$1.58 package of Walmart frozen veggies in a bag that you can steam
$1.24 package of mushrooms, presliced or whole you choice
5 eggs, which comes to something like $0.20 a piece.
1/2 of a green pepper - free from a neighbor this summer. ( I chopped and froze them)
3 cloves of garlic, diced or minced - mere change and you can easily leave it out.


Total is something like $3.82!

That's it!! Seriously! You can leave out the peppers and/or mushrooms, even the garlic, if you've got none of those things and it is still just as good and you save a bit more money.

My trick to save a bit of time though, he night before bed, I threw the veggies in the microwave so that when I got up this morning I could cut/dice up the veggies without burning my hands.

Another thing I did, a little non healthy really is I used the pan I had cooked my oldest son's bacon in. To get that smokey flavor but, the trick is to not use a lot. Just enough to add a bit of flavor. So, in the pan with the garlic and green pepper. I let those cook for a just a minute longer alone to get their juices flowing.

I don't like to cook them til their soft all the time and in healthier foods, I've found over the years that the more texture and flavors you can add to your food, the amazing it is and less deprived you feel.

So, then you obviously chop your veggies up and toss them in next along with your mushrooms. In my house though allergies and food intolerances are an issue. To side step this, I simply add about a tsp or less of that bacon grease to another pan and then throw in the mushrooms. Don't be afraid to heap the pan full and if you don't want to add anything to the pan to give it flavor that's ok too. As mushrooms cook, they release their water and they still taste great! They also shrink so if it looks like too much mushrooms, it's probably right on the money. :)

Again, I don't like to overcook a mushroom. So be mindful of that, the whole point of a mushroom is to have a meaty bite. If cooked just right that is how they should feel in your mouth, like a juicy bit of meat.

When these have had a minute or so to cook, then throw in your eggs. If you're sticking to your healthy lifestyle you can simply do eggwhites only. For our house though, waste not, want not! :) Also, I have a son with weight issues and you have to come up with ingenious ways to add extra calories!

Make sure that you thoroughly cook your eggs though, running eggs are soo not appetizing! Just give them several tosses to break them up. Once cooked, if you have seperated your mushrooms, add them.

Here is my youngest's breakfast:

To which I got a "Wow, danks mom"! :)
Here is the adult version with mushroom:

Does that not look delicious?! Seriously less than 15 minutes, a very delicious, healthier, CHEAP breakfast that you can be proud to serve your family or to even treat yourself! Again, I know we all know how to do this but, the point was to show you how little time it takes to do it in. This was the main things many of my BFFs seemed to not be able to get past! How I have the money and time to make a decent meal NOT out of a box.

Now, I pass onto you a breakfast you all already know how to make but, some ideas on how cheap it can be and some silly little tricks to save you time whenever you're cooking. You may find more tips and tricks to get things done faster when you begin doing things this way.

Ok, time for me to enjoy my breakfast now! ;) 

The top 10 must haves in the kitchen for this Blue Collar household!

Ok, the holidays are well over with and I should have some downtime, right?! RIGHT?!? :)

So, aside from the nervous breakdown above, I want to apologize to you all for not posting sooner. I know that as a new blogger I have very tiny following but, I am so grateful to you all for hitting that "like" button on Facebook! That I feel I owe it to you to always do something or bring you something decent!

I've not had a lot of time lately do read a lot of my blogs and am truly going through  blog withdrawal! It's terrible! There really needs to be a rehab for this! :)

Anyway, since I've not been able to look anywhere else for inspiration, I have had to keep my eyes on my own house and food....not always as much fun as looking at other people's goodies and printables but, it keeps you on your toes!

Especially after a bit of a tight holiday, eyes on my own affairs is something I need to do for a few more weeks til, things are not as "tight"! Wise advice I think. That being said, a friend of mine the other day, was having a bit of time trying to make new and fresh meals. She asked what are my go to things in the kitchen. What 10 things do I always have on hand, that makes dinners good, different and don't always cost a lot.

A few I knew offhand, no thought about it, others I had to think about but, here is my list. I hope it's similar to yours or at least fives you some ideas!

1)Obviously some premixed spices, except garlic salt! I buy garlic powder and salt because I always mix my own garlic salt. I prefer more garlic and less salt and it's better for you. Obviously the better quality the better the taste but, really you can always buy the 50 cent garlic powder and massive carboard can of salt and it tastes just fine! Spices in general can make or break a meal though. Spices I always have on hand: Italian, chilli, lemon pepper, some kind of hickory, barbecue or hamburger seasoning and my littlest one's favorite for his fish, McCormick's Montreal Chicken....yes I said on his fish! lol It's actually quite delicious!

2) Another one being instant brown rice. I'm sure if you've not noticed by now you will! Most of my recipes that I make in the Blue Collar house have rice in some way. Why?? Because a) brown rice is healthier for you and b) it fills the tummy!! You can take the smallest amount of food and turn it into the most filling meal. You can even buy the instant kind with 4 bags or so in it and that easily stretches 4 meals and you are more than halfway through one week!

3) Another one, is frozen veggies. The kind that you can pop in the microwave and steam. You can buy the cheap store brand ones and usually, at least in my sad microwave, if you add a bit of extra time to them, they cook up just as fresh tasting as the name brand ones! I love these because you can dice, chop, etc and put them into anything! ANYTHING! Sneak them into burgers, mashed potatoes, plain rice, etc. This not only sneaks the much needed veggies into a meal but, again, fills a tummy up quite nicely!

4) Another given, soft shell burrito wraps. Any size is ok but, the bigger the better really, as it holds more food! :) These as I've said before in my other posts, are life savers when you're on the go or the husband or kids are. It's easily thrown in the micro, taken on the go. Once you try this, it's almost amazing you didn't do this before! If you can afford it, they have all sorts of flavors and kinds of them now. The Blue Collar house sticks to the cheap giant or small ones, depends upon what ever is on sale!

5) Rounding out the top five, is when the money is there, I will buy a bulk bag of Tilapia. It's relatively cheap for a decent amount. It is actually pretty healthy for you and not only fast to thaw out but, fast to cook as well. You can do loads of different things to it as well to change it up.

6) Always, always, always ground turkey. I say this knowing full well that if you get the regular, not white meat turkey, it is the same health wise as lean ground beef but, at least where I live, I can get twice as much ground turkey as I can hamburger for the same price AND when I cook with it, it is a lot less greasy than hamburger.

7) I always keep some kind of cheese on hand. Just because lets face it, what is not better without cheese!! :) Usually it's some kind of shredded combo cheese like Monterrey and Colby Jack but, there are times I find that Parmesan, like the kind you would put on spaghetti and pizza works just as lovely.

8)  Then as will a million other homes probably either Worcestershire Sauce and/or liquid smoke. One because it snows a lot here in the winter or it's FREEZING and I can't always brave the cool temps outside to grill out. Not to mention that used right, they can add such flavor to a recipe! Again, there are people that say the higher the quality the better the taste but, truth is you can always make anything taste good with the right spices or sauces! :)

9)  Eggs. Always have eggs on hand. Having a breakfast for dinner, is always a fun way to change things up and lets face it, you can add anything to eggs and make them fabulous! Spices alone, with veggies, with meat or a combination thereof.

10) Lastly, bacon. Be it turkey bacon and regular bacon, my boys LOVE bacon! :) I mean who doesn't! No secret or tip to why I keep it on hand, simple little boy love will always sway me to keep it on hand. I'm a sucker for a cute grin, followed by a peck on the cheek and a sweet little "please"!

I hope it's given you some ideas to rethink how you spend your kitchen bucks and maybe given you some meal ideas as well! Now, it's got me wondering what you can't live without?!

Eating cheap, yet restaurant quality, while prepping for the holidays!

Today I was watching the Food network (another addiction of mine!) and was watching this fabulous lady making some recipe and how it only cost $10 to feed 4 people. TEN DOLLARS for ONLY 4 people! I about had a heart attack! In a house full of boys, one fast approaching his teenage years (next year), they would break me easily after a week, heck a few days! I have HUNGRY boys, my youngest is no different either. In fact, he probably eats more than the other two combined some days! It got me thinking about my date night with my son too and the "gourmet" macaroni I paid an arm and leg for, which got me thinking.

So, here is how I fed my guys two meals today and it probably averaged out to a little below $10 for two meals and over 4 servings per meal. I think that was great!

My breakfast came about from a mistake yesterday, actually! I had intended to make a roast but, in my haste at the grocery store I forgot not only the seasonings but the roast! It was a really bad week for forgetting things! Well, I didn't even notice as I had a butcher paper wrapped mass in the refrigerator. So, I went about my business peeling and cutting up my carrots, potatoes and an entire onion into chunks to put into the crockpot.  By the time I added the garlic, I suddenly realized I had no seasoning. No biggie, I can make my own, then I realize the the butcher paper wrapped mass in the fridge is several packages of bacon that my mother had passed on last time I saw her, not a roast!

I looked at my gorgeous pot full of chopped veggies and garlic and was not going to waste it. I salt and peppered it, covered it and let it slow cook for most of the day. At the end of the night, I drained the veggies dumped them into a bowl and added a bit of Italian seasoning and gave it a gentle toss. Making sure that all the seasoning had been thoroughly mixed and I let it sit a bit to cool off before shoving it back into the refrigerator. My husband was the one who covered it though last night and of course snuck several bites of it and was hooked.

This morning, I came out and fried up some of that bacon from my mother. Once cooked, sat it aside to drain and made several more batches (bacon is a BIG deal in my house!! Then drained some of the grease from the pan but, not all of it. I forgot throw in the green & red peppers and mushrooms as my sons beckoned me to another room several times but, I would definitely recommend adding them. Then I threw in the veggie mix from the crockpot the day before, salted and peppered it. Then broke up the bacon into chunks (chunks I think make the guys think that they are getting way more than they really are) and added them to the mix once it was thoroughly heated through. Not a great pic but, look how good it looks! Hash from a crockpot!

The great thing is from here I did two things. One, I was able to LOAD some plates. Which was great as they only had one plate, veggies and protein always make bellies fill full, so I had leftovers. Two, I took the leftovers and filled some soft shell taco wraps with a heaping spoonful or two (depends upon the size of wraps you have around the house), then I topped with some cheese and rolled them up and froze some of them for later use and stored the rest in the fridge to be used for breakfast tomorrow or lunch! How great is that?! I still had some leftover and stored that bit in a sandwich bag for another day (When I could add an couple eggs to it and it becomes almost an entirely new dish, yet again!) Several uses for one meal! As I said before though, I think a little green/red peppers and mushrooms would've been great! 

I never ever, thought of using a crockpot for helping out with breakfast before but, you can bet I'll be doing it again! 

For dinner, I was still feeling wiped out and I confess a TV dinner was looking good for everyone! The mother in me though, knew that the last week of me being sick had not made for good meals and this week was going to go by much the same way with the Thanksgiving prep. So, I got my very tired, achy bum off the couch and headed to the kitchen. A box of Velveeta shells and cheese was peaking at me from one cupboard and the sick me once again, was saying YES! Which turns out was a GREAT idea. 

I threw them in some boiling water then the mommy guilt took over and I knew I couldn't just set that in front of everyone. So, I hauled out my two favorite things, garlic salt and Italian seasoning. I seasoned the boiling water and noodles very well. 

I cooked that bacon my mom brought as it's not going to keep forever. Sat it aside to drain. In the bacon grease I threw a whole bunch of mushrooms and some actual chopped garlic. While they were cooking up, I pressed paper towels to the top of the bacon and then ripped them into chunks. 

Then when the noodles were done and drained, I added that yummy mess above to the macaroni and LOOK what you get: 

Trust me when I say that the picture does not do it justice! They actually fought over it tonight!! It was too funny and I must say, even I was surprised by how good it was! 

The leftovers are going to be my little cheesy pot pies in the next day or so. Simply cut out some puff pastry into circles big enough to fill a muffin tin circle. Make like a mini pie crust, fill them with the leftover macaroni mix (I always add a little extra cheese here), then top with another circle and press the ends of the crust and top together, as you would a pie crust. Put in some slits to vent and shove into the oven. Cooking time really depends upon how many you have but, usually no more than 350 degrees for more than 20 or 30 minutes, just long enough for it to heat all the way through and for the crust to cook up nice and flaky. 

So, here is the rough tally for both meals shown here: 

1 lb of bacon     $1.60

1 box of macaroni  $2.50

1/2 pckg of mushrooms  $1.25

potatoes (about 6) averages out to something like $.50

carrots about the same as the potatoes but, we'll say $. 75

onion about $1.00 

garlic cloves...mere change really. 

Total cost for 2 meals in one day: $6.60!!! For two meals serving at least 4 and none of it fast food, TV dinners, or completely from a box. You really can't beat that. The great thing is that you can add fresh veggies to either meal, and it would still be under $10 for two meals! 

So, as this week passes by with rocket speed, take a minute to think through what you have at the house, you don't have to feed everyone from a drive through to make a quick meal, nor do you have to do a TV dinner or anything straight out of a box really. You can be more cost effective if you simply just add to what you've already got! 

Trying to make a stress FREE holiday!

This is crunch time....all the recipe scouring, the multiple trips to the store for the "right" potato, the right spice, now is when you have to put it all to use.


I have always had Thanksgiving at my house, every, single year, (Except this year). My house is just a bit bigger than that of my little sister and mom's place so, it makes sense. So, it's usually me that plans, preps and bakes til the sweat is dripping from my brow! This year though, my mother is in her new place at the retirement community and my little sister does not have her kids because they will be with their father. So, less people made it easier to have a holiday at my mother's place instead. Which frees things up a bit for me (kind of feel guilty about that to!)


The free time has given me time to almost fully decorate the inside of my house too. It's also given me time to answer a few emails from friends and I realized in doing this, that we're all guilty of trying to do the holidays the hard way! Even though I had learned tips along the way, I never put them to good use. It's taken several years for me to get these tips for some reason, maybe with age comes wisdom? It certainly is not beauty, let me to you. This morning's bags under the eyes can attest to that! Seriously though, I think I am a bit slow to do them because I am such a control freak. Everything has to be "just so" or it's just not worth it in my head.


So, in order to avoid that chaotic, mad rush we all feel right about now, as one holiday is at your doorstep and another one fast approaches. I'm going to pass on tips that you might've heard before in the hopes that maybe they will get into your head a lot easier and SOONER than they did mine!


1) The biggest thing that took me ages to give into was having a familial potluck holiday dinner. Have every relative coming to the big day, bring their own dish. If you have a favorite few things that you like to do, say the bird, the pies, and your famous mashed potatoes, then keep those for yourself and pass on a list of foods that you usually have and have each set of people bring a dish. Just keep a list if you have a big family so that you know who's bringing what. This way you don't end up with 4 green bean casseroles and no dressing! 


*side note: If you are "blessed" with that one relative that can burn toast and nothing ever tastes good, then that is the one you designate to bring the wine, the champagne, the sparkling cider, eggnog or whatever you have for your holiday meals. In my house, it's usually Squirt, as it's one of the only times a year I let my son have any kind of pop or soda. 


2) My favorite tip, employ your freezer!! I always over looked this step, thinking that "fresh" is best but, the truth is, if you do it properly, you can bake things ahead of time and freeze them until you need them, like cookies and muffins/cupcakes. If you're unsure as to what is the best way to freeze a cupcake, click here and for the answer as to how long they will keep in the freezer or refrigerator, click here. For cookie freezing (oooh and brownie) freezing tips, head over to Confessions of a Cookbook Queen where she tells you how it's done and done right! (Thank goodness, she shares that brownie recipe there!)


3) Cleaning and decluttering. Here is where I pass on a great tip from the home organizing genius Flylady. Baby steps!! If you actually start decluttering, cleaning and decorating weeks in advance, it is not as overwhelming. She has the fabulous idea of a "weekly house blessing", that lasts only an hour, where you devote ONLY 10 minutes to each of these tasks: vacuum, dust, mop, polish mirrors and doors, change bed sheets, empty all the trash and purge your magazines/mail. You set your timer and go to town for ONLY 1 hour, 10 minutes each task. I know this sounds a bit silly to some at first and like you would certainly not get anywhere but, even after a couple of weeks of following her steps, like ONLY decluttering 15 minutes a day, the 27 fling boogie, you will be amazed at how fast your house can transform. Leaving way for the decorating fun!


4) Decorating, take a deep breath. It's not that overwhelming and you don't have to do it all up either! Those gorgeous magazines and all those beautiful pics from the other ladies that have amazing blogs are just that, AMAZING! I however, do not have a house that large, that nice (my house is 96 years old!), nor do I have the financial resources that some of those ladies do, though I wish I did!! Oh, and did I mention the two tornadoes that reside here too? Yeah, they are boys so that imparts some sense of impending doom to any seriously NICE decoration!


So, here are my little tricks for decorating with toddlers, boys in general and for being able to do it without costing a pretty penny. 


A) This is the hardest step, for me, so I will list it first. Enlist your child(ren)'s help! If you're a perfectionist about the tree, or decorations in general, this will be a hard step but, well worth it. I ask my boys to decorate the bottom of the tree every year now and I do the top....ok I will admit that sometimes I may move an ornament or two after they've gone to bed but, seriously there was a hole! 


If they are tall enough, ask them to put on the window clings, some household decorations, etc. Ask their input as to where you should hang some garland or cardboard cutouts of santa's head. Even if they want to make their own tree decorations, let them and let them hang them on the tree. The holidays are all about family and for most of us with children, it's mainly about them. So, hang up the OCD hat for one or two seasons and let the kids take the reigns. It will quickly become a family tradition and seeing the joy and light in their eyes every year will be something you won't forget. (Even if there are 12 window clings on the bottom pane of their bedroom window and none in the dining room...just breathe! lol)


B) Shop for your holiday decorations AFTER the holidays. I know this is a no brainer for some of you but, seriously if you want to be able to afford a lot of decorations for not much money, shop after the holidays for things like your window clings, lights, tablecloths, napkins, etc. Some of this you will have to get as soon as you can and others, like lights, you might be able to wait a couple of weeks til the price goes down and then snatch up as many as you can. Christmas lights in various shades can come in handy for other holidays too. So, that's always a good deal. You'll also have extra for next year when you can't seem to find that one light that has the whole string burnt out!


C) Keep it simple, especially if you have young ones. You don't necessarily need anything elaborate or expensive to make your home all festive. I reuse the same things every year until they are worn down, then I recycle them and use them for other things, like crafts for the kids. Then I go out and try and find some new stuff at a good deal. 


D) Look around you, your environment, outside your house even. For thanksgiving, I simply walk outside and collect pine cones for center pieces,  leaves as they are just falling, etc. With the leaves, if you press them and then use them to decorate later. Either in a vase with a candle or by making this "leaf curtain" as my son calls it. It is hard to describe but, here is my inspiration:

      How gorgeous is that?! It's from Jeff Rudell, a paper artist genius!! Click here for the full article. It is simply gorgeous and soo cheap too! Instead of the stickers there though, I use leaves, or leaves glued to some construction paper or scrapbook paper. I've changed it up a few times now. Though for Christmas decorating, I love doing this!


Anyway, even at Halloween, think ahead and snatch up some of those cheap wee pumpkins at the local farmer's market or store (though they are ridiculously priced at a store!). Throw the pumpkins in a vase or nice bowl with the pine cones for a fall decorative theme! The point is, always keep an open eye to your own environment. There are loads of things outside and indoors that can make for free or cheap and lovely decorations, if you've got an eye for it. 


Below, I will share some of my Christmas decorations in my home, they are not anything fancy compared to some of the other ladies blog's I've seen but, the best things of all about doing a lot of decorating indoors is that a) I did it mostly for my boys, there is nothing like seeing their face as it all goes up and b) EVERYTHING you see in the pics (And I'm not posting all of them) I did for UNDER $25!!! All by picking up things after the season was over and on clearance!




Top of my microwave....that garland was falling apart, so DW and I decided that it would look great as "snow" up there. :) The Christmas tree was given to me by someone and I simply attached a giant, handmade bow to the top of it to hide my son's crabby patty treat jar in the back! lol The red, velvet premade bows, I bought something like 10 cardboard packages of them for 25 cents a piece! The vase with the ornaments, I already had. I simply attached a ribbon and bow to it. 

My boys love this part of the kitchen. I simply hang the ornaments on the valance itself. It's a heavy duty one though. So, poking the ornaments through carefully was a bit of work. Same goes for the ornament bundle at the top but, it's well worth the effort. 

I hesitate to show this because the oven and overhead fan are the last apppliances that need updating in the kitchen and it does not look so great but, I wanted to show you I was serious when I said I decorated for the kids! lol I picked up two packages of those cardboard cutouts for something like $1.50 a piece!

Again, I'm sure that this has been done till we're all purple but, the reason why I HAD to show you this: IT'S PLASTIC!!! Both the red and "Crystal" bowl! How great is that, with two little guys in the house?! I got them for free when purchasing my Christmas dishes from a wonderful lady online. The tablecloth, I picked up this year at Walmart, on clearance for $3! (A little tip, always pic up the biggest one. You can cut it to size and the leftover, depending upon the size of your table, can be an extra tablecloth or you can cut the remaining tablecloth into whatever shape you want, sew it together and make double-sided placemats. These are just some of the ideas you can do with the extra bit.)

And my littlest one's favorite part: 

This is just my kitchen though. Still night quite finished with the rest of the house the way I would like to have done just yet but, needless to say. It is all pretty similar to this...FESTIVE! :) It's all garland, bows, hanging ornaments and a few trinkets. When I get it all done, I might post a few pictures. 

There are tons of thins that you can do for free or cheap to decorate the house for any holiday. Just keep your mind open, your eyes open for the good deals and let the kids take over. They have some of the most crafty ideas sometimes. 

If you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a fantastic holiday!