Cozy Cottage

Recipes For The $35 Budget Meal Plan

Below are the recipes for the budget meal plan.  Not every recipe is super healthy, esp the desserts. But I believe everyone needs a little junk food once in a while ~smile! 

Homemade Bread
This recipe would be good to use for toast or sandwiches.

6 cups unbleached flour (1/2 wheat & 1/2 white could be used instead)
1 pkg yeast or 2 TB
1 1/4 cup warm water (115 degrees approx)
1 cup warm milk
2 TB sugar
1 TB butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp salt

In large mixing bowl combine 2 1/2 cups of flour and yeast. Add water, milk, sugar, butter, and salt. Beat with mixer on low to med speed for 30 sec. Beat on high for 3 min. Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. (If using a Kitchen Aid or Bosch mixer, add all flour to mixer and mix on high for 5 minutes)
Turn dough out on floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic. Shape dough into a ball. Place in greased bowl and let rise until doubled. Punch down dough, divide in half. Cover and let rest 10 min. Grease two loaf pans. Shape into loaf pans, cover, and let rise until double in size. Bake in 375degree oven for 30 to 40 min. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves.

Homemade Tortillas
from Laines Letters www.lainesletters.com

1/2 c. lukewarm water
1/4 c. oil
1 t. salt
2 c. bread flour

Put in order in the bread machine and hit dough cycle. Let knead really well until it is a nice ball. Take out and cover with a bow to let rest for at least 20 minutes. Repeat process if you would like more tortillas. (I usually make a couple of doughs.) When you are ready to roll out, cut each ball of dough into 8 balls. Roll out each ball into a round circle. Cook immediately over a hot, dry skillet (I prefer black iron for this), or put in between wax paper to cook one at a time later on. Keep well covered so they won't dry out. You cook each one about 1 minute on each side until they are lightly brown. They are delicious hot with some butter!

Refried Beans
by Crystal Miller www.thefamilyhomestead.com

This is a simple recipe from Crystal that makes great burritos!
3 cups pinto beans
12 cups water
1 T salt
4 to 5 T butter
Cook beans in water with salt added until very soft, usually about 3 hours. After beans have cooked well, heat a large frying pan with the butter. When butter is melted and pan is heated, scoop out beans, with minimal liquid into frying pan and begin mashing with a potato masher. Add bean liquid as needed to get the consistency you want. Add more beans and liquid until the batch is finished (this amount can be halved or unused portions frozen). You may add additional salt if desired.

Bean Burritos

The kids love these! So simple and cheap to make
Refried beans
Homemade tortillas
shredded cheese to taste
Make refriend beans and spread 2 or 3 TB on a warmed tortilla. Top with shredded cheese, roll into a burrito and serve.  Can be served with salsa, sour cream or guacamole if you have those ingredients.

Oatmeal Cookies

2 1/4 c oatmeal
1/4 c sugar
3 Tb flour
2 eggs
3 TB butter
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheets with non stick spray or butter the sheet. Mix oatmeal, sugar, and flour. Stir in eggs, butter and vanilla until well mixed. Drop by spoonful, 2 inches apart on sheet. Flatten each into a 2 1/2 inch circle. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

Ground Turkey & Lentil Tacos

Ground beef may be used in place of the turkey if desired.
1 lb of ground turkey
3 TB chopped onion, if desired
2 c of cooked lentils
3/4 c water
2 TB taco seasoning
Brown ground turkey with onion. Add lentils, water and seasonings and cook on medium heat until water is cooked down. Can be served in taco shells. Another alternative is to make them into Turkey and Lentil Fried Burritos: Place a portion in a homemade tortilla, roll, and fry in skillet with a small amount of butter until lightly crisped and browned.

Chicken and Dumplings

Whole chicken
onion, celery, carrots

Homemade tortillas
spices
1/2 c cold milk
flour to thicken
Place chicken in large stock pot and cover with water. Cut up onion, celery and carrots and add to the water. Add salt and pepper ( I usually add about 2 TB salt). Cover with lid. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. When done, set aside 1 1/2 cups of the broth and save the remainder for chicken soup.Discard vegetables (I suppose they can be saved for vegetable soup or used in the compost bin). Remove the breast meat and place in a saucepan with the 1 1/2 cups of broth. Add small bits of meat to the remaining broth for your soup. Freeze the rest of the meat for burritos later in the week. Add salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste if desired. Simmer for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, add flour to the milk and stir until mixed well and is only slightly thickened. Add to the broth and stir. Cut up tortillas into one inch squares and place in saucepan. Cover and simmer on low for 1 hour. Add water if necessary so it doesn't burn or cook dry. Tortillas will swell slightly and look & taste like dumplings.  (Note:  I have only used store bought tortillas for this recipe, I have not tried my own homemade tortillas with it yet, but it should work the same) Yummy recipe!

Chicken Noodle Soup
Homemade chicken broth
Wide egg noodles or spaghetti noodles broken in half
Heat chicken broth to boiling, add noodles and simmer until done. May need to add more salt.

Cabbage Salad
This recipe uses one package of oriental ramen noodles. I did not add that to the previous shopping list so make sure you add it if you make this salad. The ramen noodles cost 10 cents a package. Even my kids like this recipe!

1/2 head of cabbage
3 Tb chopped onion (if desired)
1 pkg oriental ramen noodles
2 TB sliced almonds (if you have them)
1/2 c oil
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tb vinegar
Season packet from the ramen noodle pkg
Shred cabbage and mix with onion. Crumble ramen noodles onto a cookie sheet and add almonds if you are using them. Toast under your oven broiler for 2 minutes until lightly toasted and light brown.
Combine all other ingredients in a bowl to make the dressing and mix well. Just before serving add noodles to the cabbage and toss with dressing.

Coffee Cake

3 to 3 1/2 c flour
3 TB yeast
1/3 c sugar (or sucunat)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
1/2 c water
1/4 c butter
1 egg
In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 c flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. In saucepan, heat milk, water and butter until warm. Add to flour mix and blend. Add egg. Blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at med speed. By hand, gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a stiff batter. Spread evenly in well greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Cover. Let rise in warm oven(warm up to 170 then shut oven off)  for 25 minutes.
Combine:
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c flour
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c butter, softened
Sprinkle over batter. With back of spoon, press into batter. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Calzones

These are so easy to make! If your family doesn't like ground turkey, you can use beef or just make them with cheese and pizza sauce.
1 lb ground turkey, browned
1/2 jar (7 oz) of pizza sauce....save the rest for pizza later in the week
Homemade bread dough (see recipe above)..you only need 1/2 the dough recipe for these-save the other half for the cinnamon and sugar or cheesy breadsticks recipe below!
shredded cheese
Optional:  you may add chopped onion, chopped peppers, pepperoni, black olives, chopped carrots, or anything you have on hand that you like)
Divide dough after the first rising into 4 or 5 individual balls. Roll out each ball into a circle and top with pizza sauce, meat, cheese, and anything else you wish to add leaving a 1/2 inch space around the edges of the circle. Fold over in 1/2 and seal. Take a fork and crimp all along the edges. Place on greased cookie sheet or baking stone. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cinnamon and Sugar Breadsticks

You'll need the other 1/2 of the bread dough recipe for these! So yummy!
1/2 of the homemade bread dough recipe

Cinnamon
Sugar (You can also use brown sugar or sucanat)
Melted butter
After first rising divide dough into 12 balls. Roll out into 8 inch long logs. Make the logs into a twist. Place on greased cookie sheet. Baste each breadstick with melted butter then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar to taste. Let rise until doubled and bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.   For cheesy breadsticks replace the cinnamon and sugar with garlic powder and shredded cheese. Let rise until doubled and bake for same amount of time.

Coleslaw
by Crystal Miller www.thefamilyhomestead.com

1 medium head cabbage, chopped very finely (can use other half of cabbage leftover)
¼ cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup fructose, or cane juice crystals
½ t. pepper
¼ cup milk
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup buttermilk
1 T white vinegar
2 T lemon juice

Put chopped cabbage and shredded carrots in a large bowl.  Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add this to the cabbage and mix until cabbage is well coated with dressing.  Cover and refrigerate for minimum of 2 hours before serving.

Peanut Butter Cookies
1/2 c peanut butter
1/2 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar (may use all white sugar if you don't have brown)
1 egg, well beaten
1 1/4 c flour
1 tsp soda
Cream butter and peanut butter. Add sugars. Cream thoroughly. Add egg. Add flour and soda. Work into creamed mixture. Form into balls; flatten with fork on a cookie sheet. Bake 10 min at 350 degrees.

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground turkey
2 Tb minced onion
2 TB of tomato sauce (can also use steak sauce or ketchup)
1/2 pkg frozen peas
3 cups mashed potatoes
Brown turkey with onion in skillet. Add salt, pepper and steak sauce. Mix in peas. Place in a greased 9x9 inch baking dish. Make mashed potoatoes and spread over meat filling. Dot with butter. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  (You can also add shredded cheese on top of the peas before adding the mashed potatoes for added flavor.

Chocolate Cake

2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c butter
1 3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
3 Tb cocoa (or you can use 3 oz of melted choc chips)
1 tsp vanilla
Grease and flour 13x 9 inch pan. In bowl, stir together flour, baking powder & soda, and salt. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl beat the butter with mixer. Add sugar, beat well. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in cocoa and vanilla. Add dry mixture and 1 1/4 c water alterately to beaten mixture. Pour batter in prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost if desired.