Some days I just love every single minute of planning, preparing, and cooking up a meal, and some days . . . well . . .  I just don’t.  In the midst of the craziness around here during the last few weeks of school, just getting any meal eaten together as a family at our house is a tiny miracle, and so far this week we’ve dined on cereal, leftover Mother’s Day food, and pb&js. (And I write a blog that every so often talks about the importance of menu planning . . . yikes!)

So today when I glanced around my fridge and checked out the Publix ad, I knew I had to come up with something a slight step above leftovers or the drive thru.  (And thank goodness, we had just enough dinner as a family before baseball practice . . . woohoo!) This recipe hit the spot, and put dinner on the table without too much mess, all at a bargain meal price.  So, if your family needs a real meal too (that’s not prepared for you by someone at the drive thru window . . .), roll up your sleeves and get to work.  (I promise, we can do this.  Really!)

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

1. 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2. 1/4 cup honey
3. 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4. 1 teaspoon steak sauce A.1. Steak Sauce, 10 oz bottle BOGO $4.40 at Publix, use $1/1 A-1 Steak Sauce, exp. 6/6/12 (SS 05/06/12 R)
5. 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves On Sale $1.99/lb. at Kroger or Tyson Chicken Tenderloins or Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, frozen, 32 oz bag On Sale $4.99 at Publix; also Winn- Dixie has Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts or tenders, WD brand 40 oz. frozen for $5.49

Directions

1. Mix together mustard, honey, mayonaise and steak sauce, reserving a small amount for basting the chicken.  Dip chicken in the sauce to coat.  Let marinate 30 minutes.
2. Preheat grill to medium heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill.  Grill chicken 18-20 minutes (or until juices run clear), turning occasionally.  Use additional honey mustard sauce to baste with during the last ten minutes.
4. Enjoy!

Serve with. . .

Veggies Del Monte Fresh Cut Vegetables BOGO $1.38, use $1/4 Del Monte Canned Vegetables, Tomatoes or Fruit printable or $.50/2 Del Monte Product recent printable (check your coupons!)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes Florida Red Potatoes, 5 lb bag On Sale $2.99 at Publix; Aldi 5-lb. bag red potatoes on sale $.99 (WOW!), Kroger Jumbo Russet Potatoes 8lb bag on sale $3.88

Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls Small cans on sale $1 at Publix, use $0.40/2 Pillsbury Sweet Rolls or Grands! Sweet Rolls printable,
$0.40/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust, Breadsticks, Loaves or Dinner Rolls,  Sweet Rolls or Grands! Sweet Rolls,exp. 6/23/12 (SS 04/01/12 R) or $0.40/3 Pillsbury Refrigerated Grands! Biscuits,  Crescent Dinner Rolls, exp. 6/2/12 (SS 03/11/12 R

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.  Thanks to I Heart Publix for the coupon matchups, and check out $5 Dinner Mom for more bargain meal deals!  If you need a little more menu inspiration, go HERE. 

It’s been forever since I’ve made these Blueberry Muffins, but when I saw that Publix had blueberries on sale this week I knew it was time to add them to the menu plan!  They’re absolutely delicious, and taste a wee bit more like a scone than a muffin, which suits our family just fine.  If you really love blueberries, you’ll also want to try out this Blueberry Cobbler Recipe . . . yummmm!

Here’s how to stir up some fresh homemade muffins in your kitchen this week . . .

Blueberry Scone Muffins

Ingredients

1. 2 cups fresh blueberries On Sale $2.99 at Publix in new ad starting tomorrow or $3.68 at Kroger this week; also check the prices at Aldi’s!
2. 3 cups all-purpose flour
3. 1 1/2 cup white sugar Use $0.75/1 Dixie Crystals Granulated Sugar printable, $0.50/1 Imperial Granulated Sugar printable, $0.50/1 Imperial Granulated Sugar printable
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 4 teaspoons baking powder Use $0.30/1 Argo Baking Powder printable
6. 2/3 cup vegetable oil
7. 1 egg
8. 2/3 cup milk
9. 1/2 cup white sugar
10. 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
11. 1/4 cup butter, cubed
12. 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 and line muffin cups or spray with cooking spray.
2. Combine 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 cup sugar, salt and baking powder.
3. Put 2/3 cup oil in measuring container, add egg and enough milk to fill to 2 cups.
4. Add to dry ingredients, gently stir in blueberries.
5. Divide batter into 24 muffin cups.

For Crumb Topping

1. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
2. Use pastry cutter (or two forks) to mix.
3. Sprinkle on top of unbaked muffins.
4. Bake at 400 for 20 – 25 minutes (mine took exactly 20), enjoy!

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.  Thanks to I Heart Publix for the coupon matchups, and check out $5 Dinner Mom for more bargain meal deals!  If you need a little more menu inspiration, go HERE. 

Need a super simple, penny-pinched, yummy meal this week?  Here’s one that’s a slight step up from plain old spaghetti, and I’m betting your family will love it!  Plus, it only takes five ingredients, which is always a favorite in my book. (Somehow that just makes cooking dinner so much easier!)    I don’t like it quite as much as this best ever Cheesy Baked Spaghetti (seriously, that stuff’s just fantastic and probably my favorite pasta recipe of all time), but this one’s awfully good and couldn’t get much easier.

Here’s how to make it for your hungry family tonight:

Cheater Baked Ziti adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

1. 16 oz. dry ziti pasta Barilla Pasta Items BOGO $1.25 at Publix, use $1/2 Barilla Pasta Items, exp. 6/30/12 (Stop & Shop Spring Savings Flyer) or $0.55 off Barilla Pasta Sauce wyb Barilla Pasta, exp. 5/13/12 (SS 03/18/12 R)
2. 1 lb. hot Italian Sausage we don’t like spicy stuff around here, so I substituted with mild sausage
3. 16 oz. jar spaghetti sauce Hopefully you have some in your stockpile, if not La Flamiilglia DelGrosso Pasta Sauce is BOGO $3.50 at Publix
4. 10 oz. package Philadelphia Cooking Creme On Sale $2 at Publix, use $1.50/2 Kraft Philadelphia Cooking Creme recent printable (no longer printing)
5. 8 oz. Italian Cheese blend Kroger brand on sale $1.79 at Kroger, or Sargento Shredded Cheese on sale $2.50 at Winn Dixie, use $0.50/1 Sargento Natural Blends, exp. 5/27/12 (SS 04/15/12 #2 R)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, about 12 minutes, drain completely.
3. Meanwhile, cook Italian sausage over medium high heat until completely cooked. Stir in spaghetti sauce and cooking creme.
4. Mix together cooked pasta and sauce mixture and place in large baking dish.
5. Top with Italian cheese, bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

Serve with

• Fresh Express Salad Blends BOGO $3.99 at Publix
• Pillsbury Breadsticks On Sale $1.99 at Publix use $0.40/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust, Breadsticks, Loaves or Dinner Rolls, exp. 6/23/12 (SS 04/01/12 R)

Thanks for another great recipe from All Recipes. (I love that place!) Thanks also to I Heart Publix for the coupon matchups, and check out $5 Dinner Mom for more bargain meal deals!  If you need a little more menu inspiration, go HERE. 

It’s been over two years since I made this recipe for the first time, but when someone commented that they had it a few weeks ago for Easter brunch I knew it was time to pull it out again!  It’s one of those recipes that my diet only allows me to make once every two or three years (even afrer using reduced fat crescent rolls . . .), but such a yummy meal meal to have ready for dinner before we headed out to baseball practice.  (And maybe ever-so-slightly healthier than nachos or a hot dog at the ball park?)

It makes two huge sandwiches, that we cut into five servings each and served with fruit.  They are simply delicious, perfect for a busy weeknight, and you could even serve them as finger food if you’re having family over for Mother’s Day (or for an upcoming graduation party!)  Here’s the recipe . . .

Monte Cristo Sandwich

Ingredients 

1. 2 cans Pillsbury Crescent rolls On Sale $1.99 at Publix, use $0.40/3 Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls printable or $0.40/3 Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls, exp. 6/23/12 (SS 04/01/12 R)
2. 3 tablespoons butter, melted Publix Sweet Cream Butter, Salted or Unsalted, 16 oz box – $2.50
3. 3 tablespoons honey Use $0.55/1 Sue Bee Honey printable
4. 6 ounces thinly sliced smoked turkey Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Shaved Meats on sale $3.33 at Publix, or Oscar Mayer Lunch Meat $2.79 at Kroger
5. 6 ounces medium sliced muenster cheese
6. 6 ounces thinly sliced cooked ham Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Shaved Meats on sale $3.33 at Publix or Oscar Mayer Lunch Meat $2.79 at Kroger
7. ½ cup red raspberry preserves (Could substitute with Strawberry, but I like them much better with raspberry if you have it on hand)

1. Press crescent rolls into eight large rectangles (four per package of crescent rolls).
2. Melt butter and honey in microwave for 30 seconds, brush over rolls, reserving a small amount to use later.
3. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes (until lightly browned).  Cool for 10 minutes.
4. Now you’re going to layer these like lasagna (the crescent rolls will be your “noodles”).  Place turkey on top of first crescent sheet, then cover with another crescent sheet.
5. Next layer ham and cheese, then another sheet of crescent rolls.
6. Finally layer with jam and one more sheet of crescent rolls.
7. Brush crescent rolls with remaining honey butter, pop in oven for another 10-15 minutes, until crust is browned and cheese melted.
8. Cool ten minutes and slice into 6-8 servings.  Enjoy!

Here’s the crescent rolls baking for the first time . . .

Then brush with honey butter. . .

And they come out looking like this. . .

Layer together the deli meat, cheese, and preserves. . .

And bake until golden brown!

Thanks to I Heart Publix for the coupon matchups, and check out $5 Dinner Mom for more bargain meal deals!  If you need a little more menu inspiration, go HERE. 

In case you don’t have enough cheap chicken recipes (are there ever enough?), here’s another simple chicken recipe that’s always a hit at our house, and if will match up with the sales just about everywhere this week as we’re getting ready for Cinco de Mayo! It’s our favorite recipe for enchiladas, and I’m betting your family will love it.  Leave a comment if you try it out in your home this week!

By the way, I noticed that Kroger has Mission Tortillas on sale for $1 this week, and Publix has the larger sizes BOGO $2.69.  These hardly ever are priced that low, so I definitely recommend stocking up . . . don’t forget you can freeze those tortillas!

Chicken Enchilada Bake

Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon margarine or butter
2. 1/2 cup chopped green onions the last time I checked these were $.69 at my Publix
3. 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
4. 1 4 oz. can diced green chiles Use $1/2 Chi-Chi’s Products printable coupon
5. 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
6. 1/2 cup sour cream Breakstone’s Sour Cream BOGO $1.66 at Publix
7. 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese Publix Shredded Cheese On Sale $2.50, or Kraft Shredded Cheese $2 at Kroger and $2.25 at Target
8. 6 - 12?inch flour tortillas or 10-6? tortillas (we used 10 6″ tortillas) Mission Flour Soft Taco Tortillas BOGO $2.69 at Publix or $1 at Kroger
9. 1/4 cup milk
10. 1 1/2 cups cooked cubed/shredded chicken breast Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $2.24/lb at Publix or $2.79 lb at Bi-Lo; you can also get the Gold’N Plump All Fresh Chicken Breasts 20 oz for $4.99 at Target and use this $1.50/2 Gold’N Plump All Fresh or Frozen Chicken printable stacked with $1.50/2 Gold’N Plump Chicken Item Target printable

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a large baking dish.
2. Melt butter or margarine over low heat in saucepan.  Saute green onions until tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic powder, then green chiles, cream of mushroom soup and sour cream.  Mix well.  Take out 3/4 of the mixture and set aside; mix remaining 1/4 of sauce mixture with chicken and ONE HALF CUP of shredded cheese (I didn’t read the directions correctly so hopefully you’ll catch that!)  Stir all ingredients together until smooth.
3. Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture and roll up, place seam side down in baking dish.  In small bowl combine the reserved 3/4 cup of sauce with the milk.  Spoon this mixture over the tortillas and top with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (tip:  to prevent tortillas from drying out on the edges, you may want to completely cover each tortilla with sauce mixture).
4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, serve and enjoy!

Serve with . . .

• Salad Fresh Express Salad Blends BOGO $3.99
• Chips and Salsa Tostitos on sale $2.50 at Publix or $3 at Kroger, use $1 off Tostitos Dip wyb bag of Tostiots Tortilla Chips printable or
  $1/2 Tostitos Tortilla Chips, exp. 5/16/12 (Pepsi Moments 04/29/12), or Pace Salsa on sale $2.50 at Publix, use this $0.50/2 Pace Product printable

If you’ve got any leftover ingredients after making this recipe (i.e. green onions, chips, salsa, or sour cream!), save them to serve up some Restaurant Style Nachos while you’re watching the Kentucky Derby this weekend right along with your Derby Pie!

Thanks to I Heart Publix for the coupon matchups, and check out $5 Dinner Mom for more bargain meal deals!  If you need a little more menu inspiration, go HERE. 

I really need to update the picture for this recipe (it’s one of the first I ever shared here on PPP), but that would require me actually making it again. . . meaning more calories than I’m up for this week! 

Did you know the Kentucky Derby runs this weekend?  The weeks heading up to Derby were always some of our favorites when we lived in Louisville before moving down South to Alabama, so I wanted to re-post my favorite Derby recipe to get us all in the Derby spirit.

This recipe is from Patti’s Restaurant in Western Kentucky (also home to the famous Boo-Boo Pie, and the largest Pork Chops you’ve ever seen!), and is probably one of my all-time favorite pies.  If you’re want to round out your Derby meal, you could have these Kentucky Hot Browns for the main course. (Note that these are far from good for you recipes, but ohhhhhh sooooo good!)

Here’s the recipe for that yummy pie . . .

1. 1 cup sugar
2. 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3. 1/2 cup melted butter (it’s not as good with margarine)
4. 2 eggs, slightly beaten
5. 6 oz. package chocolate chips
6. 1 cup chopped pecans
7. 1 teaspoon vanilla 
8. 9 inch unbaked pie shell

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Mix together sugar and flour. Add melted butter and blend well.
3. Stir in eggs, chocolate chips, nuts and vanilla.
4. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake in oven for one hour or until golden brown.
5. Pie will wiggle a little when done; but will continue to set as it cools. Serves 8.

Enjoy!  (I promise you’ll love this one!)
Looking for more recipe ideas? Go HERE. You can also try out my favorite Skillet Apple Pie , Strawberry Pie, Grasshopper Pie, or Peanut Butter Pie.  (Can you tell we like our pie around here?)