The Broke Girl Blog
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Easy Chicken Quesadillas

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Hey! This recipe was born on one of those days where I was like, I want nothing to do with cooking, but I am STARVING and feed me now. I keep a lot of seemingly random things in my freezer, including chicken breasts, pre-sauteed peppers and onions, tortillas… you see where this was going, right?! Rather than being a true recipe post, this is more of an example of how doing some pre-work and keeping your freezer well stocked will save you the money and hassle of having to eat out. I recently bought a flat of chicken breasts at Costco and my dad helped me out by barbecuing each and every one of them for me! Since I was at my parents place, they freeze wrapped them for me, but a simple freezer bag will do the trick as well. I defrosted a pre-cooked chicken breast, a pre-sauteed package…

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In cheap eats

Lentils with Israeli Cous Cous and Mushroom Ragout

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Hi! Today’s post is a freezer meal stockup or family sized recipe that is cheap and cheerful- my two favorite things! Cooking with beans and lentils allows me to skip on expensive meat, and instead load up on healthful vegetables. Sometimes I make the choice to eat meat free and have the nice produce I want. This option actually only uses one fresh ingredient- mushrooms. These could easily be swapped out for rehydrated dried or canned if you are looking to save even more. The most common comment I get when people talk about lentils is usually a combination of “those take forever to cook” or “aren’t those hard to cook?” My answer is the crockpot we all love- seven hours on low while you sleep, and those lentils are cooked. I boil mine because I tend to do a bunch of food prep all at once and one little…

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In cheap eats

Easy Tatziki

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Do you remember this post where I said I eat my chicken and rice with fresh, home made tatziki? Here’s a reminder: What I didn’t tell you in that post is how I make my own tatziki for a lot more of an affordable price than purchasing it in the store. My favorite store bought tatziki is definitely the President’s Choice Traditional Tatziki, but it is $5.89 for about 1.5 cups (484grams). In this post I’m going to show you how I make the same amount at home in about 5 minutes, for only $2. Easy Tatziki $2, or $0.40 a serving 1/3 of a container of 0% greek yogurt: $1.27 2 cloves of garlic: $0.17 1/3 of a long english cucumber: $0.48 A few sprigs of dill (optional, but recommended): $0.07 Start off by putting about a third of your container of greek yogurt into a mixing…

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In Cheap Housekeeping

Making a Home: Affordable Small Bathroom Organization

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Hello! Here’s the next post in my ‘new homeowner chronicles’ which is getting used to a very different storage situation in my new master bathroom. In my bathroom at my parent’s house, my sister and I shared a bathroom with drawers, shelves, a storage cabinet… there was a lot of room and diverse options for storage. Which was good because I have a problem… and that problem is makeup and skincare products. Honestly, it wasn’t just that I have way too much makeup (although I do). I also have very, very sensitive and dry skin that for a long time, I was buying lotion, shampoo and different foundations etc etc to try and cover and combat. I still have a ton of difficulty with my skin, but thankfully I’ve found a few things that work now. The hangover of that was way too many products that I couldn’t even use,…

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In Food

Asparagus and Mushroom Hash with Fried Egg

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Hey! Spring has sprung here in Edmonton and it always leaves me craving green things like salad and asparagus! This was a quick and easy meal that I made one night when I combined a side dish my mum makes with some yummy fried eggs. It’s decently affordable, but as anyone up here in the GWN knows, veggies don’t really go down in price until summer is in full swing. At a price tag of nearly three dollars per person, this is a luxury meal in my book. Asparagus and Mushroom Hash with Fried Egg Serves 2 for $5.88, or $2.94/ serving 1/2 a bundle of asparagus – $1.68 4 eggs – $0.90 3-4 button mushrooms – $1.27 1 tbsp Pine Nuts – $1.17 1 tbsp Parmesan – $0.86 Start by dicing up your mushrooms into a small size and sauteing on medium-high with olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir…

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In cheap eats

Parmesan Risotto with Sausage and Fennel

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Risotto is, by my mind, a total comfort food. It’s delicious, carb-y (admit it, carbs make us all happy) and can be made with pretty much any ingredients you have laying around. I’m sure someone reading this is thinking REALLY?! Three risotto recipes in three months?! I know. I’m predictable! This recipe is actually inspired by a pizza you can get at a local restaurant near to where my parents live called Buco Pizzeria. This pizza is so good it lives in my dreams sometimes! I was craving it one morning while going grocery shopping and fennel and sausage miraculously ended up in my cart. Parmesan Risotto with Sausage and Fennel Serves 4 for $10.98, or $2.75 per serving Ingredients: 1/2 an onion- $0.12 ~1 cup of arborio rice- $0.80 1/2 cup of parmesan (grated)- $3.38 1.5 boxes of vegetable stock- $2.21 2 Links of italian sausage – $2.00 1 fennel…

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In cheap eats

Butternut Squash, Brussel Sprouts Hash

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This past Christmas my sister gifted me with some gorgeous Le Creuset bakeware that I’ll pretty much take any excuse to bust out. It’s perfect for roasting vegetables in, and I’m planning on making a queso cheese dip in the individual sized ones she got me soon. I’ve been trying to limit my extreme bread love to make room for my extreme pasta and ramen love (priorities, right?), so I’ve been trying to find accompaniments for my eggs that don’t involve toast. This was one such experiment that turned out super well. Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprout Hash with Fried Eggs $3.91 for 3-4 servings, $1.30 per meal Butternut Squash- $1.47 (1/2 a squash at 2.93) Brussel Sprouts- $1.24 Eggs-  $1.20 for 3 servings Method: Peel and rough cube up your butternut squash, and place in a baking dish. Bake your squash at 375 degrees celcius until is is fork…

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In Cheap Housekeeping

My Cleaning Schedule & Money Saving Tips

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Recently I was so bored that I told my mom that I was going to clean my baseboards. Yes. While this is a totally productive way to channel boredom, I truly try to clean on a schedule now that I live alone. I have a roommate/renter, but she won’t really tell me, “Hey, the vents need cleaned”. Little things that you don’t conscientiously notice end up compounding into a gross “My guests must think I’m a heathen!” moments. When I moved into this house, my mum and I spent a lot of time talking about what cleaners were necessary and which were merely ‘nice to haves’. Have you ever noticed how ridiculously expensive cleaners are!? Thankfully, the most often used cleaner in my house is now vinegar, which is good because I’m an overzealous weirdo with sanitizing things and vinegarabottom of this post is my cleaners shopping list- you may…

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In cheap eats

Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches

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Recently I was inspired to make some make-ahead breakfast sandwiches to be able to grab a quick breakfast on the go, whether that was on my way to work or anywhere else. To be honest, I was inspired by my new deep freeze, which I can now do these kinds of things with. Eggs are one of my favorite things in the world. Not only are they cheap, but they can be presented in so many different ways and used in so many different things. This application may not be the fanciest, but it certainly is tasty and versatile. This recipe is about 30-35 minutes to make, and about 15 minutes to cool and you have eight meals to show for it. Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches Makes 8 for $11.72  (1.47 a serving) Frozen Spinach -$0.68 Buns- $3.79 (I use these) Monterey Jack slices – $2.89 Ham – $1.60 12 eggs- $2.76…

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