Our Favorite Recipes
Judah and I generally eat pretty healthily. We aren’t into the latest health crazes. We don’t shop at health food stores. We just eat simple, whole (meaning unprocessed) foods. Our meals, usually made from scratch, are often comprised of beans, grains, and produce. It’s also important to us that our food is cheap (another reason to use beans). And because we’re busy people, we like food that is simple and quick to prepare. Healthly and quick don’t often go hand in hand, so I thought I’d share a few of our favorite recipes.
Hummus and Baked Tortilla Chips
Most people eat hummus as a snack, but I’m not ashamed to say that we eat it for dinner. It’s quite possibly one of the easiest things to make. At it’s most basic, just take two cans of chickpeas, blend them in the food processor, add olive oil until you reach the desired consistency, and add your preferred flavoring (garlic, spinach, sun-dried tomato, etc). Somestimes we skip the olive oil and add salsa for a southwestern flair.
Tortilla chips are equally easy to make. I like to cut my tortillas into triangles with kitchen shears, put them on a pan, then lightly brush or mist with oil, and top with some kind of seasoning, such as garlic or chili powder. (Shameless plug: I love to use my Pampered Chef stoneware and kitchen spritzer!) Bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. The time varies depending on the oven and the pan you’re using, so check frequently. No one likes burnt chips.
Chili
Again, this is super easy, especially if you have a crockpot. For me, chili means throwing whatever I have in the fridge into the crockpot for several hours. This usually includes three cans of beans, tomato sauce/pasta sauce/salsa (usually a combination of whatever is in the fridge), frozen corn, seasonings like chili powder and cumin, and meat. Use ground turkey, browned beforehand, or a whole chicken breast. Cook the chicken beforehand if it won’t be in the crockpot very long, and be sure to shred it in the crock pot. Once everything is in the crockpot, it really only needs to be cooked for about an hour or until the meat is fully cooked, but I will say that it tastes better the longer it cooks. I sometimes let it cook for 6 or 7 hours.
Mini Quiche
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but if you’re not a morning person (like moi), breakfast is often overlooked. We make these muffin-sized quiche ahead of time, store them in the freezer, and reheat when needed. Just mix 1 cup of Bisquick, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of cheese, 3 eggs, and whatever veggies or breakfast meat you want. Pour the mixture into greased muffin tins (or mini muffin tins for extra cuteness!) and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. And that’s that. Breakfast for the whole week.
Granola
We also love to make granola for breakfast. Here’s my sister-in-law’s recipe. We don’t add everything that’s listed in the recipe, but it’s still quite delicious.
Banana Ice Cream
I would be lost without dessert. Judah and I both have a sweet tooth, and we love to have dessert. Here’s a healthy option that uses ingredients we already have in the house. We always freeze our fruit that’s getting a bit too ripe to eat, including bananas, so we almost always have frozen bananas in stock. We simply take two frozen bananas and blend them in the food processor (another shameless plug: you can get a much better texture with Pampered Chef’s Manual Food Processor). You can eat it plain or mix in all sorts of toppings. Our favorite toppings are peanut butter and chocolate chips.
Smoothies
I’m not gonna lie; we eat smoothies for dinner, too. And no, we don’t have a fancy smoothie machine. We just use the blender, and it works just fine. Again, we use whatever frozen fruit is in the freezer, yogurt, and juice. Sometimes we add oats for extra fiber. And that’s about it.
So there you have it, folks. Some of our favorite recipes for cheap, quick, healthy meals. Let me know if you try any! And feel free to include some of your favorite recipes in the comments below! We are always looking to try new things!
Hummus and Baked Tortilla Chips
Most people eat hummus as a snack, but I’m not ashamed to say that we eat it for dinner. It’s quite possibly one of the easiest things to make. At it’s most basic, just take two cans of chickpeas, blend them in the food processor, add olive oil until you reach the desired consistency, and add your preferred flavoring (garlic, spinach, sun-dried tomato, etc). Somestimes we skip the olive oil and add salsa for a southwestern flair.
Tortilla chips are equally easy to make. I like to cut my tortillas into triangles with kitchen shears, put them on a pan, then lightly brush or mist with oil, and top with some kind of seasoning, such as garlic or chili powder. (Shameless plug: I love to use my Pampered Chef stoneware and kitchen spritzer!) Bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. The time varies depending on the oven and the pan you’re using, so check frequently. No one likes burnt chips.
Chili
Again, this is super easy, especially if you have a crockpot. For me, chili means throwing whatever I have in the fridge into the crockpot for several hours. This usually includes three cans of beans, tomato sauce/pasta sauce/salsa (usually a combination of whatever is in the fridge), frozen corn, seasonings like chili powder and cumin, and meat. Use ground turkey, browned beforehand, or a whole chicken breast. Cook the chicken beforehand if it won’t be in the crockpot very long, and be sure to shred it in the crock pot. Once everything is in the crockpot, it really only needs to be cooked for about an hour or until the meat is fully cooked, but I will say that it tastes better the longer it cooks. I sometimes let it cook for 6 or 7 hours.
Mini Quiche
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but if you’re not a morning person (like moi), breakfast is often overlooked. We make these muffin-sized quiche ahead of time, store them in the freezer, and reheat when needed. Just mix 1 cup of Bisquick, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of cheese, 3 eggs, and whatever veggies or breakfast meat you want. Pour the mixture into greased muffin tins (or mini muffin tins for extra cuteness!) and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. And that’s that. Breakfast for the whole week.
Granola
We also love to make granola for breakfast. Here’s my sister-in-law’s recipe. We don’t add everything that’s listed in the recipe, but it’s still quite delicious.
Banana Ice Cream
I would be lost without dessert. Judah and I both have a sweet tooth, and we love to have dessert. Here’s a healthy option that uses ingredients we already have in the house. We always freeze our fruit that’s getting a bit too ripe to eat, including bananas, so we almost always have frozen bananas in stock. We simply take two frozen bananas and blend them in the food processor (another shameless plug: you can get a much better texture with Pampered Chef’s Manual Food Processor). You can eat it plain or mix in all sorts of toppings. Our favorite toppings are peanut butter and chocolate chips.
Smoothies
I’m not gonna lie; we eat smoothies for dinner, too. And no, we don’t have a fancy smoothie machine. We just use the blender, and it works just fine. Again, we use whatever frozen fruit is in the freezer, yogurt, and juice. Sometimes we add oats for extra fiber. And that’s about it.
So there you have it, folks. Some of our favorite recipes for cheap, quick, healthy meals. Let me know if you try any! And feel free to include some of your favorite recipes in the comments below! We are always looking to try new things!
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