• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 can kidney beans
• 16oz bag frozen corn
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix
• 1 cup water

Brown the ground beef and drain. Put all ingredients in a slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Super easy and quite delicious…even the kids enjoyed it. I just wish my husband hadn’t eaten all of the leftovers for his lunch today because I would love to have another bowl!

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• 3-4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 15oz jar alfredo sauce (I used Classico Roasted Garlic Alfredo tonight)
• 10oz package frozen spinach
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1lb box of pasta (I like bowties best, but penne or piccolini work well too.)

Put the frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker and cover with the jar of alfredo.  Add pepper and lemon juice.  Cook on low setting for 4-6 hours.  About an hour before you plan to eat, add the frozen spinach and cook your pasta.  You can shred the chicken at this time, too.  Top the cooked pasta with the chicken/spinach/alfredo mixture and serve with garlic bread and a salad.

I think that this would be delicious topped with sundried tomatoes, but I never seem to have any in the house.  If you try this one, let me know how it turns out for you.  It’s a nice change of pace from the typical spaghetti pasta dinners!

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First of all, you’ll need chicken.  Sadly, this is not available on WIC.  However, I can typically get fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts for under $2/lb.  When I find it at this price, I stock up.  If it’s fresh chicken, I split them into zipper bags of 2 breasts each and freeze.  That is a perfect portion size for this dish.  Individually flash frozen chicken makes it even easier.  You just dump 2 breasts in the bottom of the crockpot.  No thawing, no prep work…just toss them in there.

Next I go for the beans and veggies.  All of these can be purchased on WIC.  (And are relatively inexpensive if you don’t receive WIC.)  I’ve used black beans, navy beans, cannellini…whatever I have on hand that appeals to me.  I use 1-2 cans, depending on what is in the pantry.  Next is a 16 oz frozen bag of corn.  Then a can (or 2) of diced tomatoes.  If you don’t like canned tomatoes, chop up a couple of fresh ones.  You can always substitute red pepper for the tomatoes if you don’t like tomato.  Maybe you’re allergic to corn…try onion and green pepper instead.  Add some jalapeño if you like it hot. There aren’t any rules on this one!

Last is the seasoning.  A cup of salsa.  A dash of chili powder.  Cumin, cilantro, cayenne.  (All of those “C” spices!)  I don’t measure, so I can’t tell you what’s best.  If you like it spicy, add a lot.  If you prefer to taste the food rather than the spice, use a little.  Again, there are no rules here.

Turn the crockpot on low if you managed to get it all in there before lunchtime.  If it’s after noon, go ahead and put it on high.  Once the chicken is cooked (about 4 hours on high, 6 hours on low, but this will depend on your crockpot) you’ll want to either shred it or pull it out and chop it up, then return it to the pot.  At this time you can also taste it and adjust the spices or other ingredients.

At dinner time, top as desired.  We like to serve with a few tortilla chips, cheese (also available on WIC), and some sour cream.  If we have fresh tomatoes, we slice some and top it with those.  Others like to add green onions or olives.  It’s all up to you!

Besides being easy and affordable, this dish is so adaptable.  It can really be a different meal every time you make it.  That also makes it easier to use what you have on hand.  And if you have leftovers, you can have them for lunch, turn it into dip for a party, or use them as a starter for next week’s soup.  I love to take a recipe and play with it and make it mine and this one is perfect for that.  Enjoy!

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Someone commented on a Facebook post by Southern Savers with this recipe and it was perfect.  I had all of the ingredients and it was quick and easy!

• 2 cans of black beans (drained)
• 16 oz corn (we used frozen, but I imagine canned would be fine, too)
• 2 cups of salsa (divided)
• cumin and garlic (minced or powder) to taste
• tortillas
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but might try something with a touch more kick next time)

Cook beans, corn, 1 cup of salsa, cumin, and garlic on stovetop until warm through.  Mash beans slightly.  Spread other cup of salsa in bottom of 9×12 baking dish.  Wrap bean mixture in tortillas and place in dish.  Top with cheese and cook in 350* oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese melts.

We added lettuce shreds, chopped grape tomatoes, and a little sour cream once we put it on our plates and it was delicious!  I was so pleased with this recipe.  And if you’re on WIC, this is a healthy, well-balanced meal that you can make for very little expense!  The black beans, corn, tortillas, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes were all purchased with WIC checks.  We rarely eat meat-free meals (my husband really likes meat) so it’s hard for me to manage meals that are so inexpensive without buying meats that are less healthy.  This met my cheap and healthy requirements nicely…and my meat-eating husband liked it, too!

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• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 medium celery stalks, chopped
• 1 bag (15-16 oz) cubed seasoned stuffing
• parsley flakes
• 1.5 chopped apples
• 1 lb andouille sausage (I’m sure I spelled that wrong…sorry!)
• chicken broth

1. In a large nonstick skillet, brown sausage and break up well.  Drain and set aside.
2. Using the same skillet, melt the butter and saute the onion and celery.
3. Transfer vegetables and butter to a large (VERY large!) bowl.
4. Add stuffing and parsley. (I eyeballed the parsley amount, about 1 tablespoon I think!)
5. Stir in enough broth to moisten the stuffing, about 2.5 cups.
6. Add the sausage and apples.
7. Place stuffing in a baking dish, drizzle with additional 1/2 cup of broth, then cover and bake until heated through.

It was delicious!  And this made a ton of stuffing.  We’re still eating it but the good news is it’s so yummy that we’re not tired of it yet!  Let me know if you try it.  It was a hit at my house…definitely a good change from the standard stuffing we have been eating here.

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