Low fat, inexpensive, and delicious!

It’s October, and we’re starting to feel the crisp bite of fall. Unfortunately, many of us are also feeling a painful bite in our wallets as prices rise. The US Department of Agriculture reported in August that food prices this year will show the biggest annual increase since 1990. And there’s no end in sight.

Struggling to get your food budget under control? Remember the humble pot of soup. It’s a wonderful cold weather meal that’s easy to make, and relatively inexpensive if you start with basic raw ingredients like dried beans.

Here’s one of my favorites: Pinto Bean and Barley Soup. It’s a chewy blend of common kitchen staples that freezes well. Add a salad and warm bread and you have a delicious – yet inexpensive - meal.
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By: Alexine

Autumn is one of the most beautiful seasons. With the foliage turning and birds migrating there is plenty to see when your outdoors. One special activity in the fall is apple picking. This is a great way to get out with the family or your significant other and have some fun. Then if you feel inspired you can bake with those yummy apples. Who wouldn’t want some warm apple pie or apple crisp on a cool autumn night? I know I would and that’s why I’ve put two of my favorite recipes together to share with you all!
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On a trip to Austin, TX this summer, we enjoyed a terrific lunch at the Iron Cactus, a contemporary Mexican restaurant that also sports the label of “one of the ten best tequila bars in the country.”

Nobody in our party tested that last part. It was lunch, after all. But we did savor the restaurant’s other specialty: fresh guacamole mixed table-side and served with tortilla chips. It’s quite a production. The waiter brings a beautifully appointed tray filled with fresh avocados, oranges, chopped jalapenos, onions, and other goodies. As we watched, he concocted the absolute best guacamole we’d ever had. The menu’s claim that “it doesn’t get fresher than this!” was right.

Naturally, this is something I craved after we arrived home. Our homemade Mexican food just wasn’t the same without it, and that store-bought stuff? Yuck. It was a pale imitation of the Iron Cactus guacamole. Since we aren’t moving to Austin anytime soon, the only solution was to create our own recipe.

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By: Alexine

Do you have some over-ripe bananas that you are about to throw away? Or kids that much down food the minute they walk into the door after school?

I have the perfect solution! Bake some delicious Monkey Bread Muffins. They are healthier than most sweet snacks and simply irresistible.

Keep reading to get the recipe with my special tips on how to make these yummy muffins!
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By: Alexine

Every year my grandmother would give me these delicious bread and butter pickles. Since we moved this past spring I was unable to get any from her so I decided to ask for her recipe and try it myself.

This recipe is a really great way to use up the last bunch of cucumbers from your garden or a bag from the farmer’s market. Either way the cucumbers are wax free which is necessary to make the pickles.

I hope you enjoy making and eating these bread and butter pickles as much as I do!
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By: Alexine

If you are looking for a great way to do something nice for your neighbors or friends, bake them some zucchini muffins. They won’t be able to resist the delicious taste! The recipe will also help you use up any leftover zucchini from the garden so that it does not go to waste. Nobody likes wasting home grown food; so jot this down and make some delicious zucchini muffins today!
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