The Prepping Economist

I hoard butter.
Seriously, I do.

At any given time, I have between 15-20 pounds of it in my freezer.
Cheese? Yeah, not as crazy but I still like to have around 5-10 lbs of it, frozen. Mozzarella, cheddar, Monteray Jack, etc. You just never know when the mood for a quesadilla or pizza will strike!

Asiago Bisque- More Than Just Cheese Soup

I needed something for lunch today so when I got up at 0400, I decided that a quick cheese soup was on the agenda.

Except this couldn't be just ANY soup. Nope. Nosirree. I had to make it AB Normal, like me.
Don't get me wrong, regular cheese soup with or without broccoli is fabulous. But I wanted something with a little HA!, and a HIYA! and a kicker! (my kicker is when I ended up walking out the door and forgot to TAKE my newly created soup for lunch! Doh!)

The Best Low Carb Pizza You'll Ever Eat

I am not kidding about this title. Oh, I know people have raved about the cauliflower crust pizza. Mine didn't turn out so well...besides not really liking cauliflower, it was too wet, soggy, floppy and it spread like a bad rumor.

A couple days ago I posted about carb-free crackers- which were fantastic, by the way.

Today, I am posting about using that same  cracker

Chicken Shawarma Shawonderful

Today I found a chicken shawarma with avocado lime mayo recipe. It was fabulous, once I made a few modifications. Sound familiar? I just cannot seems to make a recipe as is the first time, even though I know I should. The problem is that there are many things I don't like eating so as often is the case, I have to modify the recipe so I would even consider eating it.

Chicken Cordon Blue Soup

I planned to make this soup yesterday, but, well....I was just too tired. I made the mistake of eating out at a fast food place. Yeeeah. I spent the rest of yesterday with a bloated, upset stomach. I should know better than to eat fast food. It usually never agrees with me.

This soup, however, is fabulous. And I threw it together this morning in about 30 minutes. Of course, I had some of the prep work done already like the bacon was already cooked as was the ham. I just chopped them up this morning.

No Soy No Gluten Cashew Chicken

Being on the Whole30 bandwagon has really opened our eyes to how much sugar, soy or corn they put in ALL the pre-processed foods out on the market today. And if you have a gluten intolerance? well, good luck to you...that's hard!
And being on Whole 30, soy, sugar and corn are all No-No's....along with no legumes, dairy, alcohol and grain products. It's fairly restrictive. But you know what? We feel better. We actually *feel* better.  There is a noticeable difference in our skin, joints, and general demeanor.

Chicken Bang Bang

I have no idea why I named this recipe Chicken Bang Bang.  Maybe I need a bit more soup, I mean sleep? Well, for whatever reason, this soup came out fabulous. Of course, I was trying to make this soup, but didn't have all the ingredients so I had to modify it to what I had on hand because I was also being lazy and didn't want to go to the grocery store.

Healthy Coconut Chicken Bites

I love chicken. I do. Really. I mean, I love chicken a lot.  Especially chicken breasts. Oh la la! Many people dislike chicken because it is plain. Oh Contraire!
What I've found is that chicken takes on the flavor of what you cook with it.
Some people complain that chicken breasts are dry. Nope! Wrong again. (Well, I guess they *could* be right....if they cook it too long.)
Treat chicken nice, and it will be a thing of beauty that will melt in your mouth.

Being on Whole30, chicken is a blessing because it is low in calories. Unfortunately, you are almost relegated to dry rubs and grilling. Not so any longer!

Juicy Whole Roasted Chicken & Red Potatoes -Whole30 Approved

I had a whole chicken just sitting in my freezer for the *longest* time. I figured I had better cook that baby up! So I slow roasted it in the oven over a four-hour period. It was so darn good! I immediately realized my mistake...I should have taken pictures!

This time...mind you, it's only been two days since I made the first roasted chicken, and today sent my fiance go get another whole chicken for me to roast for pictures....I took pictures! The chicken comes out so tender, it is already falling off the bone when you pull it out of the oven.

Don't you wish you could eat this right now?

Absolutely Easy Peasy Yet Fantastic Chicken Enchiladas

Yeah, I totally made that name up. But it's true. Really it is.

And while I do make my own salsa, you can too. Or buy *cough* *cough* store bought. That's fine. Although I cannot vouch for the taste if you do.
I usually make a double batch of enchiladas because, well, a single batch just isn't enough for two growing boys and Grau. Seriously.  The last time I made these, I only slightly increased the amounts and made 13 enchiladas, and Grau's elderspawn ate eight on his own. I know! EIGHT! Wow.

Spicy Chicken Caesar Wrap

Oh, how I love chicken. I really, really do. It's one of the few foods that takes on the flavors of whatever you cook it with. Seriously. Unlike beef which must assert its dominance over the dish and can only be coated with flavor, chicken is a wonderous protein that chooses to play well with others.

Pina Ranchera- Home style!

A friend of mine went to a cozy Mexican restaurant near where she lives and told me about this dish. I've never tried it, nor have I been to that particular establishment. But the dish sounded intriguing.

I asked her to send me the pictures she took, and anything she could remember about the dish.

Chicken Parmesan Stromboli

I came across a recipe for stromboli many, many years ago. Me being me, I had to alter the recipe because well, there were things in it I just didn't like.  What you find below is my wonderful concoction.

I used to make my version of Stromboli at least once a week. The kids loved it, and if their friends knew I was making it, they were there, too! It's a big hit with everyone. It's like having chicken parmesan and garlic bread all rolled into one. Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan Stromboli

I love this recipe. It is so easy and delicious. Of course, it is a special dinner for us now, since we cut carbs almost totally out of our diet.
But please, try it. Make it your own.

Black Bean & Chicken Quiche

There are days I amaze even myself. No, truly. Sometimes, I amaze myself with how stupid I am. Other days, with how smart I am. And then there's days like today....my ability to create a masterpiece from leftovers!

Oh, this quiche just sung to me! No really, it did. I should probably have those voices checked out.....

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

I happened to be gazing (or would it be more appropriately to say grazing??) over at Crockpot365 when I ran across her Lemon Chicken recipe. Well, I love Orange Chicken so I substituted Orange Juice concentrate for the Lemonade concentrate.

Let me tell you...this is so good, I will definitely be making it again. And soon. Like maybe tomorrow.
This is a healthier version, too, because you don't bread and deep fry the chicken first. You just flour it, crisp it in a fry pan, and toss into the crock pot.

Tomato Basil Garlic Chicken

I am still on my pesto kick except this time, I am not even bothering to blend the ingredients into traditional pesto. Nope. I'm going directly for the ingredients and calling it awesome.

Tomato, Basil & Garlic come together in this beautiful dish.

In this episode of Rave's Pesto Habit, I give you Tomato, Basil, Garlic Chicken, with a whole wheat spaghetti as the delivery method for the pseudo-pesto goodness. Oh can I tell you how delicious this was? Grau said it was 'a keeper' for the recipe book. I love it when he says that. It means I did good!

Blue Cheese Skinny Chicken Salad

Grau and I have been on a health kick lately. Watching what we eat and trying to exercise more. It is working, believe it or not! Who knew?  I mean, really, eating less calories combined with exercise helps you lose weight? Wow!

Creamy Yummy Goodness!

Okay- so yeah, I'm joking. But, for me, watching what I eat means actually EATING. When at home, I tend to not eat much. I can go the whole day on a few strawberries and a couple cups of coffee. And no, I don't have low energy. I am naturally a high energy person. I always have been. I tend to eat very little when at home, and eat to excess when out at a restaurant. I *love* bad, bad, tasty food!