The Coupon Project

Cod recipes from vlog

 

 

A number of you have asked to have the recipes out that Terry and I cooked in our vlog here.

Herb Crusted Cod - from Season of Seafood booklet found at Albertsons

In a small bowl, mix together:
1/4 c. Japanese style breadcrumbs  
1/4 c. finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Pat fish dry with paper towels. Place fish on baking sheet sprayed with olive oil. Spray fish with olive oil and sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake at 400 degrees until fish flakes with fork.

My Variation: I lightly coated my fish with olive oil, then dredged in the mixture and froze for later cooking.

Terry's Mediterranean Cod Burritos

Beer Battered Fish - adapted from AllRecipes.com
Mix together in a large bowl:
1 c. flour
2 TBSPS cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

In a small bowl mix:
1 egg
1 c. beer (we used a lighter beer for this recipe, however a darker variety might yield a stronger flavor, if desired)

Mix in the beer/egg mixture into the dry mixture. Wisk quickly. Heat oil in deep fryer to 375. We don't have one, so we just used a deep skillet with a couple inches of oil. We chose Smart Balance. Dip the fish into the batter and then place in the fryer, turning once (it took about 2-3 minutes per side). I demonstrate this process in the vlog.

For the toppings:
2 TBSPs chopped dill
 2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/4. c. pitted, chopped Kalamata olives   
2 TBSPs capers, with a little reserved juice from the jar
2 TBSPs chopped sun-dried tomatoes
lemon zest from one lemon
Use same lemon and reserve juice

(We took this combination from a completely different recipe altogether - although the dill was Terry's addition. Modify the flavors to your taste.)

Place one-two pieces of fish (depending on how big you cooked them) in the center of a tortilla. Add toppings. Wrap in heavy-duty foil for the freezer.

By the way, my friend Rachel asked if the cod recipe could be adapted for chicken. I think that sounds really good! Have fun - burritos are great for the freezer - they're portable, fast, and yummy.     

To see this cooking in action, go here. 

Photo credit Bartlomiej Stroinsk 

Vlog: freezer cooking with cod

In today's post, my husband Terry and I are going to show you what we did last week with five pounds of cod.
 


A couple notes:
1. You'll notice in the first recipe that my breadcrumbs don't stick to the fish well. You can remedy this by coating your fish lightly in olive oil (I later completed my recipe doing this - did just the thing!).
2. Terry got RAVE reviews on his fish burrito recipe from the fire crew!! I also wanted to point out that he loves good, quality ingredients. If you save in one area, you can afford to spend on others. Even still, all his ingredients were purchased at Winco, and he didn't do too bad at all!

UPDATE! You can get the recipes we used HERE. 

Stay tuned for more vlogs! I hope to have one up at least every couple weeks.You can watch this and my earlier vlog over on YouTube, and you can follow me there too!

Roast Chicken: soup it up!

You might recall earlier this week I posted a recipe for my roast chicken. I decided to turn it into soup last night following a recipe out of a recent Martha Stewart magazine. It was ridiculously easy and exactly what I was craving after my crazy hard workout last night. I was also suprised it only took a little more than half an hour to make!

Her recipe uses an uncooked chicken, but I think my cooked, leftover chicken worked just as well. I also didn't use the full amount of produce hers called for, but again, it was still good!

First, I cut my chicken up into big pieces and then covered it with 8 cups of water and added a little salt (I didn't need much since my bird was already well seasonsed). I waited for it to come to a boil, skimmed of the foam, then I added thinly sliced onion, chopped carrot, celery, and garlic and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Like so.

 

After 30 minutes, I removed the chicken pieces, and chopped up the meat off the bone and returned it to the soup. (I also removed all the skin). Then, it was time to eat! YUM!
 

This recipe could easily be modified - perhaps you could add noodles or rice to the broth - maybe other vegetables too.

So all told, my $1.69 chicken was eaten as a roast for two days, and then souped. I enjoyed it last night and then again today for lunch. But now I'm starting to wonder how much longer I can SAFELY eat it. Anyone have thoughts on that for me? I'm all about being frugal, but not about getitng stomach illnesses.

Making a simple roast chicken dinner

Last week at Fred Meyer, whole fryers were just $0.79/lb. I found a big fat 5-lb one for about $3.75, plus I had a $2 off any Fred Meyer meat purchase coupon (Rewards coupon), so I went ahead and used that. (How cool is that - a chicken for $1.75?!)

I used to always cook my chickens in the slow cooker. After all, it was simple and tasty. But there was one problem. I missed that nice crispy skin you'd get from roasting it in the oven. (Yes, I'll admit it, I like the skin - though I rarely eat it this way!) Using a little help from my trusty '50s Betty Crocker cookbook, I've come up with a method that's worked for me, so I thought I'd snap a few photos and share it with you. 

Step one. I cut up an onion and put it in the bottom of the casserole dish. As this is for flavor only, I left the pieces rather large. Then I salted and peppered.  

Step two. I cleaned the chicken - removing all the icky inside parts. (Warning: this is not for the faint of heart!) Once I made the mistake of forgetting to remove the middle parts and it was a big yucky mess. So...make sure to clean it out! Then I lightly rinsed the chicken in cold water, and patted it dry with paper towels. I put the chicken breast-side down on the onions. Ms. Crocker told me to cook it breast-side up, but I find keeping it down brings all the flavor and moistness into the white meat. But do what you want. 

Step three. I make a very simple stuffing. First, I sprinkle a good amount of Kosher salt and pepper into the cavity. Then I stuff a peeled apple into the cavity as well as a couple carrots and celery. This is all for flavor - I don't end up eating any of this (though I suppose you could). I then brush olive oil onto the skin and sprinkle generously with dried basil. I tried adding a little poultry seasoning tonight too, and that worked out pretty well.

 

Step four. Put in a 375-degree oven for about two hours. If you're only cooking a 2-3 pound bird, I'd check it after about an hour and a half. My 5 pounder here was definitely done at the two hour mark! You'll want to make sure that it's at 180 degrees for safety.

 

Step five. EAT. I like dark meat - always have. It's just yummier. So I cut myself off a leg. To compensate for indulging in some of the fatty skin (and also because I'm trying to up my produce intake), this chicken dinner was enjoyed with roasted sweet potato, organic spring mix salad, and a couple cherry tomatoes. I finished it off with a handful of grapes. Usually I would've made mac 'n cheese or stuffing, but again, I'm trying to make simple healthy choices that will promote my weight loss.

Curious to know what this dinner cost? With the produce and everything, I probably spent about $8 total on this meal (and that's a pretty high estimate). Not too shabby for a healthful, delicious meal, eh? AND we have a fair amount of the chicken left over, so this will easily make two meals. I noticed in a past Martha Stewart magazine I have there's a recipe for chicken noodle soup. I just might soup the rest of my chicken (and if I do so, I'll be sure to let you know about it)!

Do you have any tips for roasting chicken? What do you like to do with whole fryers?

Easy Cheesy Chicken Casserole

I am a part of a church home group that has a wonderful tradition. Whenever a couple welcomes a new baby into their home, we sign up on a list to bring that couple a hot meal for the first week or so. It's awesome both ways - on both the giving and receiving end!

One of my favorite meals brought to us after our son Keefe was born was from my friend Jenny. This casserole was total comfort food and exactly what I was craving! I remember she brought it with a wonderful salad topped with fresh strawberries and a strawberry vinaigrette. It was SO good I asked her to email me the recipe. I ended up modifying it slightly to produce a thicker sauce.

In light of all the cheese and soup deals from the past few months I thought it would be perfect to share. I was easily able to pull my stockpiled food together to make it last week.

Cheesy Chicken Casserole

Heat the oven to 375. Cook approximately 1 lb chicken breast in bite sized pieces (you could also use the pre-cooked grilled chicken strips if you have them). Mix in a small bowl with about 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Next, take two tubes of Pillsbury crescent rolls. Into each of the crescents, fill with a little of the chicken and cheese mixture and close together in a little ball. Place in the bottom of a casserole dish in rolls. Bake for about 12 minutes - until the tops of the crescents are firm. Next, mix two cans of cream of chicken soup with approximately 1 can of milk. Mix in 1 cup of cheese. Pour this mixture over the crescents and bake for another 15 minutes - until the sauce is heated through and bubbly. You'll notice I decided to add some frozen peas on this particular casserole. You could do the same, or serve steamed veggies on the side too.

Also note, the above casserole is just 1/2 of the recipe I described (so I just used 1 tube of crescent rolls, 1 can of soup, etc.). It served 4 just fine. The fuller portion should easily serve 6-8. I am also thinking you could take this base recipe and be creative. Perhaps using ground beef instead of chicken, or cream of mushroom instead of chicken. You could also expirement with the cheeses or incorporate other vegetables in this dish.

My hand at homemade pizza

Yesterday I tried something different. I made my own pizza! I'm not talking DiGiorno or even the kind you make from a premade crust (such as Pillsbury). I mean an honest-to-goodness from scratch dough and sauce kind.

My friend Jessie gave me the recipe she found from Allrecipes.com. I always have a little cutie or two to help in the kitchen. This chipmunk is my daughter Piper. She's a big fan of pizza. She immediately pulled the stool over to see what I was up to.

 
Basically, you let the yeast sit with warm water for 10 minutes then add it to a simple mixture of bread flour (I chose wheat), a lil' sugar, a lil' salt, and a couple tablespoons of olive oil. You then cover it and wait 30 minutes for it to double in size. Only trouble is mine never rose. But where there's a will, there's a way. I just worked with it anyways. I rolled it out like so on my pizza sheet.

Jess recommended baking it just like this for five minutes, which I did. I lightly brushed it with olive oil. Then, I topped it with a sauce I whipped up. It was really easy and good! I made up the recipe. I stirred together a small can of tomato sauce, a small can of tomato paste, a 15 oz can crushed tomatoes, a lil' bit of Italian seasoning and about 1 tablespoon of garlic. Oh, and a touch of sugar, salt, and pepper. It was very good and easily enough for two pizzas (so of course, I froze the half I didn't use!)

 

Here's my finished pizza. I used one bag of Kraft shredded mozzerella (which I'd gotten for free at a past Fred Meyer deal) and pepperoni. It was very tasty! The only problem I didn't think through...I like to eat at least 2 slices and with it being whole wheat...let's just say that it was probably a little too much fiber for my system. It probably didn't help that I served it with corn and fresh fruit salad. I'll politely leave it at that and use white bread flour next time.

All told, I estimate that this pizza cost me less than $4 total to make, a huge cost savings over take-out and probably better for you too! I'm hoping to try a few different recipes and find my favorite. Then, I hope to freeze some dough for future pizzas.

Have you ever made pizza at home? How did it go? Any tips?

Krafty cookin': BBQ chicken sandwich

In light of all the Kraft cheese deals and coupons we're seeing, I thought I'd share a lil' meal I whipped up the other night in honor of the occasion: BBQ chicken sandwiches! This recipe was inspired by a recipe I once found in a Kraft Food magazine. 

Make up about a pound of shredded chicken. This is easy to do if you never have. Simply bring a big pot of water to boil, and add your raw chicken. Let it cook for a good 10-15 minutes. I like to add either a can of chicken broth or some chicken bouillion granules to make the meat even more flavorful. Take the chicken out to rest for a couple minutes to cool, then shred using two forks.

In a skillet, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon of minced garlic. After a couple minutes, add your chicken. Then, I added a bottle of Kraft BBQ sauce. Cook until heated through.

Serve on hoagie rolls, or over a baked potato. Sprinkle with your favorite Kraft cheese. Serve with a salad. Voila!!

This is a yummy, easy meal to make. It was also very cheap as I had acquired both the BBQ sauce and cheese for free! Thanks, Kraft!

I just made 40 burritos!

I've decided that I've gotten a handle on dinner. But lunch still get me. I feel like I end up making the same things over and over again. And then I get bored and want to grab something from the take-out. Not good, I know.

So I decided to try this beef and bean burrito recipe today from my new freezer book (that I'm completely in love with by the way!). It probably took me an hour and a half to cook and assemble these puppies, but look! I just made 40 lunches! Plus, I had enough taco meat leftover that I can easily use to make another meal.

I did a little math, too. Each burrito works out to just $0.57. That included everything - meat, seasoning, and even the foil to wrap them up. Nice, fast, cheap lunch, don't you think? These can easily be defrosted and then heated in the microwave, or thawed overnight and baked in the oven for 30 minutes.

Incidentally, this is what they look like in my freezer. There are more tucked in on lower shelves, too. Burrito, anyone?

If you're interested in learning how to cook meals in batch for the freezer, I highly recommend Fix, Freeze, Feast. The recipes are exciting - not your typical frozen casserole fare. If you choose to buy it, be sure to try the Ginger Beef, Mango Cranberry Chicken, and Sweet and Sour Meatballs. Yum!

It appears that there are some used copies through Amazon as well if you want to save a few bucks (but the new one is still a deal at under $10.

Free Thanksgiving eBook download

Are you starting to plan your Thanksgiving Day dinner yet? Here's a freebie you might consider: an eBook full of holiday recipes, including healthy ones. Once you enter your email, it will take you to a one-page health survey and then a page of offers. Just make sure to click "no" if you're not interested and continue through. 

I just downloaded mine, and I love it. It's got all the components of your dinner in one document from turkey through to pie! It's in pdf form so you could easily print or save it to your computer. 

Go here to download yours. 

Easy & hearty fall dinner (or brunch)!

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day in Washington. The sun was out and the sky was blue, which made the fall colors pop on the trees - reds, oranges, yellows. It was the sort of crisp day that made me craving a yummy, hearty meal last night. My first thought was chili, but we were out of tomatoes and onions, so that was out.

Then I recalled a breakfast casserole I found in a cookbook of mine. I didn't have ground sausage, but I did have some bacon. It turned out very good. I then whipped up some homemade applesauce with a bunch of apples about to go bad. It was a perfect combination!

I thought I'd share the recipes with you. Not only are they easy, they are economical - using ingredients we've been seeing on sale in recent weeks. And while I made this for dinner, it would also be perfect for those lazy Saturday mornings or for a Sunday brunch.

Breakfast Casserole
Tear up four slices of bread and place them in the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Crumble 1 lb. cooked bacon pieces or breakfast sausage over the bread. Sprinkle 2 cups cheddar cheese on top of meat. Whisk 6 eggs with 2 cups milk - season with salt and pepper. My recipe also called for a dash of mustard powder, which I decided to omit. Once well mixed, drizzle on top of casserole and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes until eggs are set.

Homemade Applesauce
Peel, core, and chop up apples into small bite-size pieces. Cook on stove with a little water or apple juice (I had about 8-10 apples yesterday and used 1/4 c apple juice). Let cook on medium - medium high heat for a good 10-15 minutes, until very soft. Mash with a potato masher and add equal parts white & brown sugar to taste. Add cinnamom to taste. Serve warm or chilled.

Enjoy!