Top 5 Favorites

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Sarah Beisbier

As the semester comes to a close, so does my time here at Frugal Food. I think that this blog was a really fun semester project and who knows..maybe I’ll keep going with it! I posted a total of 22 different recipes and it can be hard to remember all of them, and I must say that I have a few favorites. So, here’s to my top 5 favorites on Frugal Food!

1. Caprese Panini

-This panini was one of my first posts during the semester and it’s still one of my go to’s. You can never go wrong with a panini, especially one that has pesto and mozzarella.

2. Chicken Avocado Burrito Wrap

Avocado, cheese and chicken. Need I say more? This wrap is super easy to make and is a great lunch.

3. Bell Pepper Egg-In-A-Hole

This dish is good for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Simply delicious and a unique take on the classic egg-in-a-hole.

4. Banana Bread

Banana bread will always have my heart. If you are a victim of forgetting to eat your bananas before they go overly ripe…make the banana bread. I like to add chocolate chips for something a little extra.

5. Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

This was the other post I made this week and it completely has me understanding the overnight oats craze. They’re nutritious, fast, easy and soooooo good. There’s so many different recipes to try. The possibilities for breakfast are endless.

And that’s a wrap. I hope that these posts were a good reference and inspired some cool ideas.

Happy Cooking!

No Bake Oatmeal Cookie Bites

Posted on April 22, 2017 by Sarah Beisbier

The weather continues to be as beautiful as ever! Spring is here, folks. Some friends and I decided to spend this lovely Saturday hiking. We found this 10 mile trail with a constant view of the lake, and all in all it was a great day. We obviously needed some snacks for this trip and in the end we decided to try a twist on the oatmeal cookie. A.k.a…oatmeal cookie energy bites (no bake of course). I have to say these turned out really good and I would make this snack again in a heartbeat. 3 words to describe this snack: easy, healthy and amazing.

Overall cost: $3.50 (makes a lot)

Ingredients:
-2 cups of rolled oats (.50 cents)
-1/3 cup of shredded almond (.75 cents)
-1/3 cup of honey (.30 cents)
-1/3 cup of chocolate chips (.50 cents)
-1/2 cup of craisans (dried cranberries) (.50 cents)
-1/2 cup of peanut butter (.70 cents)
-1 tsp of vanilla extract (.10 cents)

Directions:
1. Add rolled oats, chocolate chips, craisans, and nuts together in mixing bowl

2. Add peanut butter gradually
3. Add honey and vanilla

4. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet

5. Freeze for 30 minutes
6. Enjoy!

Overall thoughts: This is a really good take on a mini cookie, and it’s soooooo delicious! A couple of tips for next time is to use mini chocolate chips (not sure why I didn’t see that one coming) Not all the honey and peanut butter is necessarily needed. Add a little bit at a time until you find the right amount and consistency to roll into bites. Overall, a great recipe for spring and summer!
Happy Cooking!

Greek Yogurt Popsicles

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Sarah Beisbier

Okay, can we just talk about this BEAUTIFUL weather? Blue skies, nothing but sun and 75 degrees out..you know what that means. That’s right. Cook out season is upon us! Yesterday, friends gathered for a nice cookout dinner: potluck style. I was in charge of desserts and as I was thinking of what I could easily whip up, the question “what speaks summer?” popped into my head. The answer? Popsicles. I don’t know about you, but I have fond childhood memories of popsicles. I decided on blueberry greek yogurt popsicles. This recipe is easy, cost effective and of course; delicious. These popsicles are protein packed, gluten free which makes for a great guilt-free snack.
On a bad note: I couldn’t upload the tutorial pictures due to my computer. So…use your imagination.

Overall Cost:

Ingredients:
-2 table spoons of honey
-2 cups of blueberries
-2 cups of any flavor of greek yogurt
-popsicle sticks

Directions:
1. Blend blueberries throughly on high speed until it’s at a smoothie like consistency
2. Pour mixture into a large bowl and mix in the honey and yogurt, but make sure you don’t fully mix in these ingredients. You’re going to want patches of blue/purple and white.

3. Pour mixture into popsicle molds evenly and distribute popsicle sticks.

4. Freeze for 6 hours or overnight
5. Enjoy!

Overall thoughts:
I LOVE THESE POPSICLES. The end product was a great, creamy and tasty mixture that everyone loved and wanted more of! The one modification I would make for next time is to add more honey which would make it sweeter. I will definitely be making these again with different fruits and flavors!

Banana Bread

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Sarah Beisbier

So, a typical thing happened. I bought a bulk of bananas thinking, “I’ll have no problem eating these quick” and I sort of neglected them. At breakfast this morning, I looked at those poor, black bananas and let me tell you..it was a sad sight. So, I did what anyone would do; make some delicious banana bread. Depending on the recipe, banana bread can be a little fattening, but I made some alternative switches! Yes, I know. That’s a little risky but honestly it was still pretty delicious.
Overall Cost: $4

Ingredients:
-3 bananas ($1)
-2 cups of flour (.30 cents)
-2 eggs (.30 cents)
-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (.10 cents)
-1/2 cup of honey (.75 cents)
-1/3 cup of oil (.50 cents)
-1/4 cup of milk (.30 cents)
-1/2 teaspoon of salt (.05 cents)
-1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (.05 cents)
-1 cup of walnuts (.75 cents)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees
2. Mix dry ingredients (flour, salt, cinnamon) in a large bowl and the wet ingredients (bananas, vanilla extract, honey and milk) in a different bowl
3. mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients by parts
4. add walnuts in and mix well

5. grease bread pan and pour batter evenly

6. Bake in oven for 50 minutes
7. Enjoy with butter and honey!

Overall thoughts: There are few things that are as good as this banana bread. Even though there was no use of sugar or butter, it’s still tastes amazing.
Happy Cooking!

Building An Amazing Smoothie

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Sarah Beisbier

In between classes, I bought a smoothie from the University Center and let me tell you..it was not good. My Bangin’ Berry was watery, lacked in flavor and was not worth the $3.50. After throwing it out, I got to thinking about what makes a really good smoothie and how I could easily make my own at home. So, I decided this post would be a crash course to making an exceptional smoothie because some of us have probably never used a blender before. Let’s talk ingredients.

1. FRUITS

There are two options: fresh or frozen. I would recommend frozen because not only are they cheaper, but they make better smoothies. The freezer section is endless with berry combos, citrus mixtures, etc. Choose to your hearts desire. Assuming this is a single serving deal, measure out 1 cup or 1 1/2 cups of your chosen fruits.

2. VEGGIES

Yes, it is wise to add veggies to this smoothie. Why? Because they add double nutritional value with vitamins that include fiber, etc. Depending how leafy green you want to get choose anywhere from kale to spinach and carrots to avocado. 1 cup of any of these options is advised. It will still taste good, I promise.

3. LIQUID BASE

A liquid base is needed to make this smoothie smoother and easy to drink. Obviously. There are an array of options like juice, water, milk, coffee, iced tea, etc. Any of these options are guaranteed to make a good drink. If you don’t want it too watery, beware of how much you add. Anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup is advised.

If you’re wanting to make it a little creamier, adding a couple tablespoons of yogurt, cottage cheese or ice goes a long way.

4. A LITTLE EXTRA

For a little extra flavor, some good ingredients to add are honey, vanilla extract, almonds or even maple syrup. They will add a little sweetness and who doesn’t like that?

Hopefully, breaking down a smoothie helped figure the best way to make one!

Happy Spring Break!

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Quesadillas

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Sarah Beisbier

So, I know that Frugal Food is all about decently healthy meals..but here’s the thing. I had a sweet tooth and a REALLY bad one at that. I could have indulged a lot more, trust me. Last night, I was binge watching Scandal because I needed a break from the obsessive midterm season and decided to make peanut butter banana chocolate quesadillas. I love those three ingredients together and I love quesadillas. It was a match made in heaven. It’s a single serving dessert that you will want to make over and over and over.

Overall Cost: .90 cents

Ingredients:

-1/2 banana

-1 whole grain tortilla

-2 tablespoons of peanut butter

-1/2 cup of chocolate chips (melt them. it tastes better for some reason.)

Directions:

1. Spread peanut butter on tortilla and layer banana and melted chocolate

2. Cook quesadilla on medium heat until both sides are golden brown

3. Enjoy!

Overall Thoughts:

This is my new go-to guilty pleasure. Everything just melts all together, is super gooey (can be messy), and is everything it should be!

Happy Cooking!

5 Healthy Snack Combos To Eat This Week

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Sarah Beisbier

It’s that time of year again: midterm season. DUN DUN DUN..

These next two weeks will be crazy with two research papers, four exams and loads of laundry to pack for spring break..joy. It can sound super easy to run to the vending machine during your six hour grind at the library or emotionally eat to cope with the stress. But, I challenge you. I have come up with five amazingly, healthy snacks combos that will fuel your body with good energy and nutrients, and your spring break bod can still shine!

1. Rice Cakes and Peanut Butter

Rice cakes make a great substitute for bread on the go and it’s even better when paired with a nice source of protein! Eat with fruit to jazz it up.

2. Chocolate Milk and Banana

Bananas are packed with potassium and good carbohydrates, while chocolate milk provides protein and essential minerals! Plus, it’s chocolate. What’s not to love?

3. Hummus and Celery

Although hummus can be dense in calories, in the right portion it is a great source of lean protein. Serving with celery or any other veggies can guarantee getting those greens in and their multiple vitamins!

4. Nuts, Craisans and Dark Chocolate

A quick on the go snack for minerals, energy, fats, fiber, protein, etc. Adding dark chocolate is recommended if craving sweets.

5. Greek Yogurt and Honey

Honey contains sugar but also Vitamin C and folates, while greek yogurt improves digestion like no other and provides amino acids. Put them together and have a delicious combo.

Hopefully, this helps to navigate the balance of nutrition and cravings!

Not Your Average Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on February 18, 2017 by Sarah Beisbier

Happy Friday!

The weather is absolutely gorgeous out today and it’s beginning to look a lot like spring..in February. Nonetheless, it makes me really want to go on a hike or something. I will definitely have to make some time for that. Anyways, I was raiding my fridge and pantry trying to figure out what to munch on for a snack. I then discovered that I had neglected to eat the rest of my bananas before they went very, very…very overripe.

I was trying to figure out what to do with them. Bananas can be used for so many substitutes: eggs, baking oils, etc. So, I decided on making some chocolate chip cookies! Keeping in mind, we are supposed to keep things frugal and outside the box, I am putting my own little spin on your average chocolate chip cookies. Only 3 ingredients for multiple servings! (12 cookies).

Cost per serving: $1

Ingredients:

-2 ripe bananas (.50 cents)

-1 cup of quick oats (.25 cents)

-1/4 cup of chocolate chips (.25 cents)

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Combine banana and oats in the bowl thoroughly and add chocolate chips over time

3. Distribute to sprayed cookie sheet

4. Bake for 15 minutes for deliciousness

5. Enjoy!

Overall Thoughts:

These cookies are actually really good! They’re not messy, but still gooey. The texture and appearance is very similar to a monster cookie, which is something anyone can appreciate. The banana comes through with the taste of chocolate, making it sooooo delicious. A recipe for the books!

Frugal Food

A college students view on healthy, cheap meals

Category Archives: Snacks