Home made Ricotta

There is something magical about making dairy products, like yogurt and cheese, yourself. It tastes SO MUCH BETTER than store bought. It's also a little bit magical to see the transformation from plain, old milk to something quite different.

Ricotta is fairly easy to make and has a very rich, creamy taste. You can add it to recipes or have it on whole wheat toast or crackers. The only tool which you will need (and you may not already have on hand) is a cheese cloth. It's worth the investment and makes cheese making quite a bit easier.

Time ~1 hour
Makes 2 1/2 cups

• 8 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice
• optional: fresh or dried herbs

1. Place milk, cream and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. As soon as a bubble comes to the top, add the vinegar, stir the milk and remove from heat. The vinegar causes the whey and cream to begin to separate.
2. Line a sieve with cheese cloth or two layers of paper towels and place over a large bowl.
3. Let the milk sit for 5 minutes. If it is still milk, add 1 more tbsp of vinegar and let sit for a few more minutes.
4. Pour the mixture into the cheese-cloth lined sieve, allowing the bowl under it to catch the whey. Leave for 30 minutes to allow it to drain.
5. The cheesecloth should be full of white cheese. Depending on the kind of milk you used, it may be crumbly or creamy. I've read this can depending on whether the milk was pasturized or not. Either way, it will tastes wonderful.
6. Add more salt if needed or herbs if desired.
7. Eat immediatly or use within 3 days. Store in airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition information per serving: 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
108	8	5	104	2	0	0	7

Cost of recipe (not including sales) - COMING SOON
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
Serving

Recipe from Good and Cheap: Eat well on $4/day.

Spaghetti Squash Sausage Lasagna Boats

All time best "healthy" comfort food. If you can get the spaghetti squash on sale, this recipe is a must. Dried basil can work in this recipe and is usually cheaper. If you can get the basil on sale or grow it yourself, use fresh basil.

Time: ~45 minutes
Serves: 4

• 2 medium spaghetti squash
• 1/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
•  1 tbsp chopped parsley or basil
• 3/4 cup fat free mozzerella cheese, shredded

For the sauce:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 14 oz. lean Italian turkey sausage
• 1 can diced tomatotes, drained
• 2 tbsp chopped basil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 °. Stab each squash 2-3 times, being careful that the cut marks are in line where you will cut the squash in half after cooking.
2. Microwave for 8 minutes on one side, flip it over, then microwave for another 8 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and parsley.
4. In a deep pan, heat the oil and add onions and garlic. Sautee for 1 minute. Add sausage and cook, breaking it into smaller pieces until it is browned and cooked through.
5. Add diced tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer.
6. Cut the spaghetti squash in half longwise, so that it forms two even “boats”. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds. Use a fork to scrap out the flesh into a large bowl. Be gentle with the shell so that it can be used again.
7. Toss the squash with the sauce. Spoon the mixture back into each squash shell. Top each with 1 tbsp. ricotta cheese and 2 tbsp. mozzarella cheese.
8. Place in the oven on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and the mixture is heated through.

Nutrition information per serving:  ½ spaghetti squash boat
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
382	14	4	1119	33	7	13	30

Cost of recipe (not including sales) – Costco, Walmart
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
½ spaghetti squash	$4.57	$18.29

Inspired by original recipe from Skinny taste.com. Thank you for this gem! Delicious!

Spice cookie steel cut oats

As far as taste and cost go, you cannot beat steel cut oats for breakfast. It's perfect, especially on chilly mornings.

The problem most people run into: they do not factor in the amount of time this recipe takes to simmer OR they don't add enough water and the end product is inedible.

My solution to problem number one: I either start the oats as soon as I wake up, then go about getting ready for work. By the time my family is up and dressed, the oats are ready to eat. Once you get steel cut oats going, no babysitting is required.

As far as insufficient water, steel cut oats are NOT the same as rolled oats. They have a 4:1 ratio of water to steel cut oats. Rolled oats have a 2:1 water to oats ratio. So if you try to cook steel cut oats like rolled oats...yikes. Hopefully this chart helps:

Servings	Water	Steel cut oats, dry	Salt   *optional*
1	1 cup	¼ cup dry	¼ tsp
2	2 cups	½ cup dry	½ tsp
3	3 cups	¾ cup dry	¾ tsp
4	4 cups	1 cup dry	1 tsp
5	5 cups	1 ¼ cup dry	1 ¼ tsp
6	6 cups	1 ½ cup dry	1 ½ tsp

Time: 35 minutes
Serves 6

• 1 1/2 cups steel cut oats, dry
• 6 cups water
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• sprinkle of ground nutmeg
• sprinkle of ground ginger
• sprinkle of ground cloves

1. In a large pot, add salt to water and bring to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, stir in oats and reduce to very low simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Stir in spices and serve. Add additional toppings as desired. I recommend natural peanut butter (gives an AMAZINGLY rich and creamy taste), preferred sweetener (1 tsp stevia/sugar blend OR liquid stevia OR small amount of brown sugar). If you are watching your carbohydrate intake, unsweetened vanilla almond milk goes wonderfully with this recipe.

Nutrition information per serving: 1 cup steel cut oats, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp PB
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
211	4.6	1	690	35	4.1	0	6

Cost of recipe (not including sales) Costco, Winco, Frys
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
Serving	$0.39	$2.35

Tomato Basil Chicken

If the chicken is defrosted, this recipe is as easy as 1-2-3, so make sure you plan ahead and have your chicken thawed out.

Time: ~50 minutes
Serves 6

• 6 chicken breasts (~5-6 oz each)
• 6 roma tomatoes, sliced
• 6 tbsp. pesto sauce (homemade is best)
• 1 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella cheese

1. Lay out chicken breasts in 9x13 baking dish. Spread1 tbsp. of basil pesto over each breast.
2. Slice the tomatoes and place 2-3 slices on each breast. Sprinkle each with ¼ cup mozzarella cheese.
3. Bake at 400 ° for 40 minutes. Serve with vegetables and whole wheat bread if desired.

Nutrition information per serving: 1 chicken breast with cheese and tomato
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
397	17	5	1146	7	1	3	53

Cost of recipe (not including sales)
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
Serving	$1.44	$8.64
2 cup vegetables	$0.64	$3.84
1 pc whole wheat bread	$0.03	$0.18
Total	$2.11	$12.66

Original recipe from: Buzzfeed 4 ingredient chicken bake

Simple pasta

For when time and budget are especially pinched, simple pasta is a nice go to. Containing a serving of protein (even without any meat) and paired with a big portion of steamed non-starchy vegetables like green beans or broccoli, pasta can be a satisfying meal.

Serves 5

·     10 ounces uncooked whole wheat pasta

·         Olive oil and pepper:

o   2 tbsp. olive oil 

o   1 tsp fresh ground salt

o   ½ tsp fresh ground pepper

·         Pesto: 

o   3 tbsp pesto sauce (homemade or storebought)

 

1.      Cook pasta according to package directions. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper OR pesto sauce. Serve with side of vegetables.

Nutrition information per serving: 2 ounces pasta
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
(Olive) 233	6	1	352	35	4	1	7
(Pesto) 224	5	1	126	36	4	1	7

 

Cost of recipe (not including sales)
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
(Olive) 233	$0.20	$1.00
(Pesto) 224	$0.28	$1.42
Green beans	$0.39	$0.39
Total	$0.67 OR $0.59	$1.81 OR $1.39