I still loved the idea of crescent wrapped cheese so I decided to try again with a kind of cheese that I know I like. Mini Babybel cheese!!!

Directions are pretty simple. Buy some Mini Babybel cheese and crescent rolls – you can use the name brand or the cheaper brand of rolls – the butter flavored works great! You can use any of the Mini Babybel flavors.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a small cookie sheet with cooking spray so the rolls do not stick. Unroll the dough and separate the rolls. Unwrap the cheese. Now place a Mini Babybel cheese on a piece of the crescent roll dough and wrap the dough around the cheese. Press the edges of the dough together to seal in the cheese. I prefer to roll the cheese/dough around in my hands to make sure the cheese is completely covered. Place the dough wrapped cheese on the cookie sheet. Repeat for all the rolls – as many as you want to make. The original recipe says to brush the top of the crescent rolls with a beaten egg. This just helps the dough to brown, so I consider it optional. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes – watch closely after 10 minutes to make sure the cheese is not melting out of the dough. (Can also be baked in a toaster oven!)

Enjoy with a meal or eat as a snack. They have a nice gooey texture when warm but still have a great flavor when cold.

I peeled and sliced a cucumber, banana, and avocado. I also sliced a small tomato. The picture shows each of the items laid out on a plate but I like to mix them together in a bowl. The combination of flavors and textures keep your taste-buds happy. I lightly sprinkle garlic salt or Mrs. Dash on the fruit/veggie combination to add some extra zest. I also like to add slices of cheddar cheese to eat along with the fruit/veggies.

I know a lot of people do not like the fruit and veggies I have used. Feel free to mix and match fruit and veggies to find a combination that you will enjoy eating. The most important part is that you are finally eating your fruit and veggies!! This is a great beginning to a healthier you!!!

Using ingredients that you already have in your house is a simple way to make a quick snack that saves on your budget. Most people already know how to make homemade tortilla chips but I will give some quick instructions for those who are not sure.

Step 1: Cut the tortillas into smaller pieces. I use a pizza cutter and cut the tortilla into little wedges, just like cutting a small pizza. I separated the cut pieces into small bowls to make small batches that I could season differently.

Step 2: Fry the tortilla pieces. I have a small deep dryer with vegetable oil but you can use what ever type of oil you prefer. If you do not have a deep fryer, you can always use a small pot or pan on the cook stove to fry your tortilla chips.

Step 3: Lay the cooked chips out on a paper towel to absorb some of the excess oil. Sprinkle the chips with your favorite seasonings. If you wait until the chips are cool to add the seasoning or wait until the oil has been absorbed into the paper towel, the seasoning may not stick to the chips. I made several small batches of chips so that I could have several different flavors. I used nacho cheese and ranch popcorn seasonings, Mrs. Dash fiesta lime and tomato, basil, garlic seasonings, and one batch was cinnamon and sugar. (YUM!!!)

Step 4: After seasoning the chips and letting the excess oil absorb into the paper towel, I placed the chips back into the small bowls to allow extra cooling time. Doing this also frees up your paper towel area to be able to season more chips.

Step 5: Place chips into small bags. The chips will stay good for several days, depending on how much oil was left on the chips. The little bags are great to add to lunch boxes or for a quick snack after school/work. Also great for snacking while playing on Facebook.

Yummy tip: Take a batch of homemade tortilla chips with cinnamon and sugar and eat with a bowl of chilled apple sauce. This is a great way to get kids and adults to eat their fruit.

Many people think that being on a limited food budget means eating hot dogs and Ramen noodles . . . and we do occasionally eat like that BUT we like to have real food for supper.

How can we afford steak on a limited budget?  The simple answer is clearance items.  Supermarkets will put foods items on clearance when they are almost out of date.  That doesn’t mean the food is bad . . . just that it needs to be used soon.  This also doesn’t mean that we will buy any meat that is on sale.  We always look over the meat to make sure that it is not already discolored or any other signs that it may not be good to eat.

Our meal consisted of clearance steak, clearance bread, a can of cheap veggies, and a can of fruit for dessert.  The way we add flavor to our budget meal is to grill the steaks, toast the bread with butter and cheese, and add a little butter, salt, and pepper to the veggies – hominy in this case.  Drain the juice from the canned fruit, pour into a bowl, and chill in the freezer while eating supper.  The perfect ending for a yummy budget meal!

I tried adding salt, pepper, garlic salt, and several Mrs. Dash seasonings but nothing really added the flavor that I was needing with my breakfast.  I decided that maybe flavor was not the real problem . . . maybe it was a texture issue.  After all, microwaved eggs and cheese turns to mush.

I decided to try adding some of my favorite toppings to see if I could improve on the bland breakfast burritos.  Salsa made everything more mushy.  Sliced banana added some good flavor but was still on the mushy side.  Slices of cucumber added a crisp crunch to the breakfast but didn’t add much toward the flavor.

I finally found the right combination with diced tomato and avocado.  I microwaved the breakfast burritos as directed.  I then added shredded cheese and let it melt on top of the burritos.  Then I cut up a small tomato and avocado to top the extra cheese.  Lightly sprinkled some garlic salt and enjoyed.  The tomato and avocado added a wonderful flavor and texture combination that fooled my taste buds into thinking that the breakfast burritos were actually yummy.

So my tip for a bland breakfast is to pick some of your favorite topping foods and try different combinations until you find the right one for your taste buds.  Don’t be afraid to try some combinations that sound a little weird.  You will be surprised by what actually taste great together!!!

While most people are aware of how easy it is to cook a roast and potatoes in a crock pot, this has a little extra kick to it and some extra prep time.  My boyfriend actually made this but I have made a few changes to his recipe.  I like to start the prep the morning before you are going to eat this.  This is actually an easy recipe and does not take a lot of effort to cook.

Ingredients:
1 roast – your choice of cut and size.
new (red skin) potatoes – as many as you want.
1 onion – your choice on color and size.
baby carrots – your choice on how many.
salt and pepper as you like.
sliced jalapenos - optional if you want to add some kick!

The sauce
2 cups Worcestershire sauce
1 cup soy sauce
2 table spoons bbq sauce – your choice.
1 table spoon garlic powder or garlic salt.
1 cup of lemon-lime soda

Directions:
(In the morning) In a large bowl or zip-lock  bag, mix the ingredients for the sauce.  Add your roast and let set in the refrigerator all day.

Before going to bed, pour your roast and sauce into a crock pot, turn it on the low setting, and let cook overnight.

The next morning or afternoon, add the potatoes.  Timing will depend on how well you want the potatoes cooked.  Leave the crock pot on low setting for the day.

That evening, add the carrots, onion (peeled and cut into large wedges), and jalapenos.  Turn crock pot on high for 1 to 2 hours – depends on how cooked you want the carrots.  Salt and pepper to your liking, serve and enjoy!

Tips:
Letting the roast marinate in the sauce for several hours is optional.  The soak time just adds more flavor to the meat.  If you didn’t have time to marinate the meat or to start cooking in the crock pot the night before, it is ok.  Just put the roast and sauce in the crock pot in the morning and turn on the high setting.  When you get home in the evening, add the potatoes, carrots, and jalapenos – leave on the high setting for 2 hours – longer if you want the potatoes and carrots to be well cooked.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground hamburger (can use ground turkey or chicken instead)
1 pouch Lipton Onion Soup mix
1 can tomato sauce
1 can stewed/diced tomatoes (optional)
1 onion (any size and color you want)
1 pk frozen veggies (size depends on how much you want)
4 bouillon cubes (beef or chicken)
2 cups water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper.

Directions:
Brown hamburger (turkey or chicken), drain off any grease, and place in pot.   Dice onion and add to pot.  Add all other ingredients to pot and turn on low setting.  Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, stir and enjoy!  (Add more salt and pepper to taste.)  If you throw the ingredients together before you leave for work, the soup will be ready to eat as soon as you get home.  Perfect for cold or rainy days.

Speed ‘em up tips:
You can cook the meat ahead of time or use left-over meat to make it easier.
Use canned veggies instead of frozen to reduce the time needed to cook.
Use hot water instead of cold to speed up the cooking time.
Cook on high setting for 1 to 2 hours instead of on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Tips for Non-meat eaters:
Use beans instead of meat and leave out bouillon cubes.
Use diced tofu instead of meat – it is actually pretty good in soup!

Lower sodium soup:
Leave out bouillon cubes.
Use low sodium tomato sauce.
Use Ms. Dash in place of salt.

Feeling brave?  Try something a little different!
Use fish (tuna) in place of beef, turkey, or chicken.
Use ranch dressing mix in place of onion soup mix.
Add 1 cup of mustard or your favorite bbq sauce.
Use 16 oz of sour cream in place of tomato sauce.
Add baby carrots and cubed potatoes.

If you want to get technical, everyone is on a diet.  What you eat is considered your diet.  That is why it is called your dietary needs.  My diet usually consists of cookie dough, gummy worms, and ice breaker’s mints.  Is it healthy? – Not really, but it is what I tend to eat, and I have actually lost about 20 lbs on this diet.  I would love to eat more fresh fruit and veggies but I don’t have the room to keep them in my fridge.

The big companies who specialize in “diet” products are actually offering pills, supplements, and other items to aid you in modifying your diet.

The next time you hear someone whining about how hard it is to be on a diet . . . instead of giving them sympathy, just smile and tell them that you don’t have a problem with your diet.

I know that most little kids will eat strange things at some point.  Cat food, dog food, dirt, grass, and who knows what else.  I have been told that I ate cat and dog food but I don’t remember it.  I can remember as a child, I would sneak to the fridge and snag little bits of meat to eat.  I can clearly remember eating raw hamburger and bacon.  I don’t remember eating raw chicken . . . it is a little too slimy.  I also don’t recall eating raw steak, beef or pork, as a child but I may have at some point.

Even as a teenage, I found myself being drawn back to the raw hamburger and bacon.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not an obsession or an attempt to get on one of the reality shows like “My Strange Addiction”.  I am simply questioning why I am drawn to these foods.

As an adult, I have tried eating raw steak, beef and pork, but I am not drawn to try them again.  It may be a texture issue for those cuts of meat, since raw steak tends to be a little on the chewy/slimy side.  I don’t eat raw hamburger every time I cook it, just kind of at random, and I only eat a bite or two when I do eat it raw.  Same goes for bacon. I will eat a piece of raw bacon every once in a while, but I rarely eat bacon since the grease kills my tummy.

I have searched the internet for answers on my questions about eating raw meat and just about every article I came across talked about the bacteria that can get into the ground hamburger.  Most of the articles also said that eating raw meat was “disgusting” some even went as far as claiming that it was “sinful” or “inhumane”… I am really not sure how that is inhumane.  It is not like I am going out and biting down on a cows rump to try and eat the meat.  As far as it being “sinful”, once again, I am not sure how.  (Don’t get me started on religion!)  It is not like I am using raw hamburger to worship the devil or to try and summon a demon.  I am simply enjoying a snack.

I know that Germany has a dish called “Tiger Meat”, which is actually raw hamburger and raw egg mixed with some spices and served on crackers.  I am sure there are other cultures out there that have dishes of raw meat that are regularly consumed.

I am wondering if there is maybe certain vitamins/minerals/etc. in the raw meat that my body is needing.  I am sure that I am not the only person out there that occasionally eats raw meats.

Ever had a cookie in a cup?  Read the article to find out more!!!

http://webiweave.hubpages.com/hub/Microwave-Peanut-Butter-Cookies