Protecting Your Pennies

Buy Smart. Plan. Play

Plan

Keto Cheese And Onion Enchiladas

by Leave a Comment

Cook up these easy Keto cheese and onion enchiladas for a delicious Mexican meal without the guilt. 

Easy Keto Cheese & Onion Enchiladas

Give me Mexican food any day of the week. I absolutely love it. My choices regarding Taco Bell in college I feel sure resulted in my Freshman 15! I was even known to eat my beloved Mexi-melt for breakfast. 

Why did Taco Bell have to get rid of that little gem? I miss it so much. 

Anyway, eating Mexican doesn’t have to be detrimental to your weight loss goals! These Keto cheese and onion enchiladas are filled with gooey cheese and have traditional flavors of my favorite carb laden version. 

It will satisfy your Mexican food need and is so easy to throw together and bake in just a few minutes. Great for busy workday lunches or simple dinners. 

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Don’t miss this 30 min Keto Salsa Verde Queso Chicken – Pinned over 200,000 times!

Keto Cheese and Onion Enchiladas – THM S

Can’t imagine eating another steak or piece of grilled meat for dinner? 

I love grilled foods but a comfort food casserole or a favorite Mexican style dish is something that I miss when low carbing it. But with very little work, you can have your Mexican food & eat it too! 

It is a great Keto for one meal or you can make a big pan for your entire Keto family. I made 4 for myself for lunch and was very satisfied!

Ingredients: 

To make these Keto cheese and onion enchiladas you need just a few basic ingredients that are easily found at any grocery.

Thin-Medium Sliced Chicken Deli Meat 

Shredded Cheese 

Diced Onions

Enchilada Sauce

Jalapenos (optional for Topping)  

That is it. Short little shopping list! 

Keto Cheese And Onion Enchiladas Ingredients

But wait. Are onions keto?

According to this article, they are in appropriate portions. 

So feel free to add a few to your Keto cheese and onion enchiladas, just don’t eat a whole onion. 

Making the Low Carb Enchiladas

These simple keto cheese and onion enchiladas are so quick and easy to make. 

I threw them together for a quick lunch but they would make a great dinner as well. 

To make the enchiladas, lay a piece of chicken deli meat flat on a cutting board. 

Add a tablespoon or two of shredded cheese and a few diced onions in a vertical line down the deli meat. 

Filling keto enchiladas with Cheese

Roll up the chicken and place into a small Pyrex dish. If you are making this dish for one, this is my favorite small Pyrex dish.

Continue until all enchiladas are made. 

THM S Keto Low Carb Enchiladas Ready to Bake Zoom

Drizzle enchilada sauce over the top of all the enchiladas. 

Top with another sprinkle of shredded cheese. 

THM S Keto Low Carb Enchiladas Ready to Bake

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and hot through. 

Keto Low Carb Cheese and Onion Enchilada Bake  

More Yummy Keto/Low Carb/THM S Recipes

Granny’s Famous Shrimp Casserole

Low Carb Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

One Pan Keto BBQ Sausage & Cauli Rice Skillet

Crispy Low Carb Chicken Nuggets

Mac & Cheese Zoodles

Mexican Keto THM S Deli Meat Wrapped Cheese Enchiladas

 

Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Stock

by Leave a Comment

A simple and inexpensive Instant Pot rotisserie chicken stock made with little prep work and leftover foods.

Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Homemade Stock

Using my Instant Pot more is one of my goals for the next few months. You see lately I haven’t been able to sleep well (thanks COVID-19 worries). And while I am up in the middle of the night, I’ve been studying minimalism. 

I am far from a minimalist currently but I see so much benefit in having less. Although I don’t see myself owning only 3 shirts and each kid having one toy, I would like to condense the amount of things that we have. 

And that includes kitchen utensils. I’m bad about wanting every new kitchen appliance that comes out. Especially if it promises to save me time and make my life easier. 

So of course, I got an Instant Pot a few months after they came out. But the truth of the matter is I haven’t used it much. 

I need to either use it or get rid of it. So I want to try and use it more frequently. 

My first shot at perfecting my skills was with this Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Stock.

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Need some easy meals for your Rotisserie Chicken? Check out this post with easy recipes to make 5 meals out of one chicken. 

Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Stock

At the grocery this week, I bought a rotisserie chicken to make some chicken salad.

Instead of throwing out the bones and skin that we typically throw out, I wanted to use them up. So a homemade chicken stock seemed like the answer. 

And this stock would be perfect to add to your Leftover Soup Bowl too! 

Leftover Chicken Stock in Instant Pot

What You Need for IP Rotisserie Chicken Stock 

  • Rotisserie Chicken Carcass (Bones/Skin/any small pieces of meat still attached to bone)
  • Veggies – Use vegetables that are starting to wilt: carrots, celery, onions or fresh herbs.
  • Salt/Pepper & any other seasoning 
  • Water

That is it. You don’t need anything special for this simple Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Stock. It is basically just things that are destined for the trash, repurposed into a flavorful and nutrient rich stock. 

Preparing the Chicken Stock 

Add the chicken bones, veggies and seasoning to the Instant Pot. 

Fill the instant pot with water to the max fill line. 

Set the pressure cooker to high pressure and cook for 45 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes before manually releasing. 

The chicken stock will be very hot so I like to let it sit for a little while before moving to the next step. 

Once it is cool enough to handle, you need to scoop out all the large bones and vegetables with a slotted spoon and discard. 

After you have removed the large pieces, you will want to strain the Instant Pot Rotisserie chicken stock into a large bowl using a mesh sieve strainer.  

Mesh Sieve Colander to Filter Chicken Stock

I strain the stock at least twice just to make sure all the bits and pieces are strained out for a nice smooth stock. 

Frugal Savings – Chicken Stock for Pennies

Chicken Stock in Mason Jar

Making this chicken stock is not only so easy when you use the pressure cooker but it is also very economical. You make something from items that you would have otherwise just thrown away. 

64 ounces is about what I harvested from my pot in broth. 

I would spend a little over $3.00 to buy that at the store but instead I am able to make it with things that I would typically just throw away. 

A money saving hack that took very little effort thanks to the instant pot. 

Storing the Chicken Broth

You have a couple of storage options for your Instant Pot rotisserie chicken stock. 

The key to most of these storage methods is to let the broth cool significantly before placing it in the containers so that you don’t have breakage. 

I like to store the broth in gallon freezer bags. If you lay the bags flat to freeze, they take up very little room in your freezer and will keep for a few months. 

Try and get those air bubbles out! I clearly didn’t do a great job.

Instant Pot Chicken Stock Gallon Freezer Bag

If you want to use your stock within a couple of days, you could store it in a large Mason jar or another plastic storage container. 

Print Recipe
 Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Stock
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Place the chicken bones, vegetables, herbs, and spices into the Instant Pot. You can use whatever vegetables/herbs that you have in your fridge.
  2. Fill the Instant Pot to the Max Fill line with water.
  3. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
  4. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes.
  5. Manually release the rest of the pressue.
  6. Allow the stock to cool for a few minutes.
  7. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bones and large pieces of vegetables.
  8. Pour broth through a mesh sieve at least two times to remove the small bits and fragments for a smooth chicken stock.

One Pan Keto BBQ Smoked Sausage And Cauliflower Rice Meal

by Leave a Comment

This one pan Keto BBQ smoked sausage and cauliflower rice skillet is a quick meal to prepare on those days where you don’t have much time to cook. 

Keto BBQ Smoked Sausage & Cauli Rice Skillet

1 Pot Keto BBQ Smoked Sausage & Cauli Rice Skillet - THM S

We have several “no time to think about dinner” meals at our house. The kind of meals that you usually have everything on hand, can make without a cookbook or recipe and that will be ready in just a few minutes. Black bean tacos are one of our faves if we are not eating Keto (and it is a THM E meal if you follow Trim Healthy Mama).

These are meals that I rely on when it is 5:30 and the choice is one of my no brainer meals, ordering something in or letting the kids eat whatever they can throw together. 

The no brainer meals are definitely healthier and cheaper than grabbing take out so it is a win for our bodies and my purse. 

After a few weeks of eating all the carbs (hello quarantine life), I have been working on moving back to making healthier choices. And that got me thinking about creating a list of no brainer Keto meals to add to my weekly rotation. 

Another family favorite quick meal is BBQ Kielbasa over Parmesan Couscous. So this one pan Keto BBQ smoked sausage and cauliflower rice meal is adapted from that old fave. 

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

One Pan Keto BBQ Smoked Sausage And Cauliflower Rice Meal

This no fuss skillet meal quick and easy and uses just 3 common staples in a Keto kitchen. 

Ingredients Needed for BBQ Sausage & Cauli Rice Skillet:

Low Carb BBQ Kielbasa 1 pot Dinner Recipe

That is it! Simple ingredients are key in these quick dinners that you can put together for yourself or the family after a long day. 

Want to mix it up? Try a stuffed kielbasa (I used jalapeno cheddar this time).

Add more veggies! Some diced bell pepper and onion would be great. 

Preparing the Keto BBQ Kielbasa and Rice Skillet 

The prep for this dinner is just as easy as the grocery list and it will be on your table in about 15 minutes! 

  1. Prepare the cauliflower rice in the skillet according to the directions. 
  2. When there is 5 minutes left on the cauliflower rice, move the rice to one half of the pan 
  3. Add your sliced sausage to the pan and brown on both sides (about 5 minutes). BBQ Sausage and Cauliflower Rice Low Carb Skillet
  4. Drizzle 2 tablespoons (or to taste) of the sugar free BBQ sauce over the top of the sausage. 
  5. Serve by placing a portion of cauli rice into a bowl and top with the BBQ sausage. BBQ Kielbasa Easy THM S Dinner Recipe

Try PYP’s most popular Keto Recipe – 30 Minute Salsa Verde Chicken Queso with Cauli Rice!
Pinned over 200,000 times.

Simple Weeknight Keto Dinner Smoked Sausage and RIce

Print Recipe
 One Pot Keto BBQ Smoked Sausage and Cauliflower Rice Skillet
Keyword Keto, Main Entree, Trim Healthy Mama S
Servings
Ingredients
Keyword Keto, Main Entree, Trim Healthy Mama S
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Put 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil in a medium pan and over medium heat.
  2. Add bag of cauli rice, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 minutes covered.
  3. Uncover and push rice to one side of skillet and add sliced sausage to the other side.
  4. Cook for about 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned on both sides. Carefully stir cauliflower rice while browning sausage occasionally.
  5. Add BBQ sauce to the sausage side and cook for about 2 minutes or until warmed through.
  6. To Serve: place a portion of the cauliflower rice in a bowl and top with BBQ sausage.

25 Frugal Two Ingredient Meals

by Leave a Comment

Quick and easy two ingredient meals to feed your family for less. 

25 Easy and Frugal 2 ingredient meals to feed your family.

This post was inspired by two things that I have recently been thinking a lot about. 

Incredibly easy meals and cheap meals. Right now there is a lot of uncertainty in our day to day due to this pandemic. 

Many people are not only thinking about frugal meals due to that uncertainty but also just struggling to get certain foods at the grocery store due to people buying more than normal.

This list of two ingredient meals combine just two staple items to create a simple supper for yourself or your family. 

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

25 Frugal Two Ingredient Meals 

While you only need a couple of things to make these easy two ingredient meals, you can always elevate the meal by having a few pantry and fridge staples. 

Things like oil, butter and spices/salt and pepper will help add extra flavor. 

Also, please remember that these could be meals that you use for hard times when your pantry is bare. However, if you can you will want to balance these out with veggies and fruit if you choose. 

Side salads or a bag of frozen veggies make an easy side dish that is still low cost. 

Simple & Cheap 2 Item Recipes

Chicken + Salsa
Place chicken breasts and bottle of salsa in crockpot. Cook for 8 hours on low. Eat plain or serve over rice or in a tortilla.

Baked potato + canned chili

Baked potato + chunky soup

Chicken + Buffalo sauce
Cook in crockpot for 8 hours on low. We like to eat as a quesadilla or plain with a side salad. 

Pork tenderloin + enchilada sauce
Cook in crockpot for 8 hours on low. Eat over rice or stuff into a taco shell. 

Ground beef and baked beans 

Hot dogs and crescent rolls

Can chili over spaghetti

Banana + Egg = Banana Pancakes

Cheese + Tortilla = Cheese Quesadillas

Scrambled egg sandwich

Macaroni + can of chili

Ham and northern beans

Tomato soup + noodles or tortellini

Pork chops + cream of mushroom soup
Cook on low in crockpot for 8 hours. 

Cabbage and sausage

Sausage + Fried potatoes

Chorizo and potatoes

Kielbasa and couscous

Chicken Caesar 
Place chicken breasts and one bottle of Caesar dressing in crockpot on low for 8 hours. Serve with a salad, over rice or on a bun. 

Chorizo and eggs

Chicken + gravy
Chicken breasts, chicken gravy packet and water requested in chicken gravy in crockpot for 8 hours. 

Beef tips + gravy
Same as above but sub Beef and brown gravy.

Black beans +tortillas

Fish Sticks + Tortillas = Fish Tacos!

Do you have 2 ingredient meals that you love to serve your family?  

Hoping everyone is staying healthy and safe so that we can overcome this and move on with our normal lives soon. 

Tips for Working At Home With Kids

by Leave a Comment

Regardless if you are working at home because of the Coronavirus pandemic or some other reason, you can do it successfully with your kids at home with a little planning and a bunch of patience.

Social Distancing - 9 Survival tips for Working At Home With Kids During COVID-19 Quarantine

I know many people are finding themselves at home this week trying to social distance to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Allowing people to work from home is one way that many companies are aiding in this effort.

If you have kids at home that have school or daycare cancelled, working at home may sound less than appealing and kinda terrifying. Not to be dramatic, but working with someone tugging on your shirt tail and asking for juice every two seconds for the next 2 weeks can be daunting. 

Working from home is something that I have been doing for the last six years with kids (mine are 6 & 2 currently).

Typically they have school or Mother’s Day Out but there are plenty of instances where they have been around during some part of my work day. Heck, I was working this Saturday and they were playing right under my feet. 

So over the years, I have developed lots of ways to be mindful and attentive to my children but also to be a stellar employee that goes above and beyond (If I do say so myself HAHA). 

Here are my survival tips for working at home with kids. 

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Tips For Working At Home With Kids

Working at home for the next few weeks doesn’t have to be stressful. Try these tips for working at home with kids to keep everyone entertained and also get your work done. 

Identify Your Work Space

If you don’t typically work from home, you may not  have a formal office. 

Even if you don’t have an office, I find that having a designated work space will help with your productivity. All you need is a firm chair with a back and a surface for your computer. 

This can be as simple as your kitchen table. Sorry no lounging on the couch or in bed with a laptop. I promise you will be more productive sitting in a real chair. 

Create A Work At Home Schedule 

Keeping a routine will not only help you but also your kids. 

Get up at your normal time and follow your normal routine. Take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast. Drink all the coffee. Whatever you normally do. 

Don’t hang out in your PJ’s all day. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. 

I promise you will get more done if you get dressed and start your morning right. And on this note, I would get the kids dressed too. 

Set Rules With Your Children  

This will greatly depend on the age of your kids. 

However, even my 2 year old understands certain things as it pertains to when Mommy is working. 

Let them know that if you are on a phone call, only real emergencies should be interruptions. 

If Mommy is working on a project for work, I can’t play with you. I can play that game with you in just a little bit. 

Obviously the type of work that you do and the age of kids will play a role in what you do here. But setting expectations up front is key to success even with younger kids. Just be age appropriate. 

Explain to them that this is not like a vacation and you still have responsibilities to your employer (in kid terms of course). 

Get Up Early 

Again, this might depend on what you do for a living. But if you have some flexibility, get up before your kids and knock some tasks out. 

Not only will this help you to ensure that you meet your employer’s expectations but it will also give you a bit more flexibility with regards to your child’s needs during the day. 

If you are slammed with work and your 4 year old spills a cup of OJ, this can cause stress (because you are not used to having to “Mom” during the hours of 8-5). But if you got up early and have already gotten a good handle on your daily tasks, a small detour will be no big deal.

Plan Activities 

Make a list of some good busy activities that your kids can do mostly on their own. This is going to be your lifeline. 

When the kids are coming into your designated work space for the 700th time, fighting or just “bored” you need a place to direct them. 

And look, I am all for kids being bored. I think it helps to learn to use their imagination and be creative. However, when you are working from home you are going to want to have some more structured activities that will keep your kids occupied and give you the time that you need to work. 

Here are some things that I like to have in my back pocket ready for kids that need something to do: 

*Please note these all depend on your child’s age & ability – this is not suggesting that you should not supervise your young children.

  • Printable Worksheets – Color By Numbers, School Worksheets, Even just a new coloring sheet for younger kids. There are tons of free resources on the web and it makes for an easy way to give something new to the kids without having to go our or spend money. 
  • “Forbidden” Toys – We all have those toys we don’t like to get out. The ones that have 10,000 pieces. Playdough/Slime and other messy play activities. Paint. These are almost 100% sure to occupy the kids if they don’t typically get to play with them. 
  • Art Projects / Science Projects – Look on Pinterest for ideas that you could help them start and then that they could finish with less hands on time from you. So get them started and then you go back to work.
  • Pick A Toy – Sometimes just selecting a toy for them to play with will help them to focus in on a task. Grab a puzzle or some Legos and put them to “work”.
  • Sensory Bins – You can throw these together pretty quickly and they usually result in lots of playtime at my house. Try these if you need some ideas: Apple Cinnamon Pie Bin, Cookie Cereal Baking Bin, and Vegetable Sensory Soup. 
  • New Toy – This might not be possible all the time but desperate times call for desperate measures occasionally. Ordering something on Amazon (I like crafts, legos and other “Busy” toys to keep them occupied) might not be something you can do every day but having something new for mid-week can be a nice way to switch things up a bit. 
  • Pretend Play – Depending on what you are working on, you might be able to partially play while also working. For example, if you have a “no brainer” task, you might be able to engage your kids while you do it. My kids love to go cook me a meal in their play kitchen. I work and then take two seconds to “eat” their creations. They love it. 

Have Patience 

This is new for everyone. You and your kids will have to learn to get into the groove of working from home. 

Having a little extra patience will help everyone to get through the next few weeks. 

Don’t Be Scared of Screen Time

Ok, I know. I’ve read the articles and watched the news segments so let me be clear up front. 

I am not saying to let the TV babysit your kids for the next 2-3 weeks while we deal with this quarantine and working at home. 

What I am suggesting is that you don’t beat yourself up if you need the TV for 30 minutes while you get through a conference call or analyze a spreadsheet. 

There are lots of educational shows and games for computers/iPads that can make good use of that screen time. 

Use Scheduled Breaks to Engage With Kids 

When you are at the office, you might usually use your lunch break to socialize with co-workers, run errands or even just chill and scroll Facebook. But when you are working from home, you may need to reschedule your normal lunch break activities for before or after work. 

I’ve found that making use of my lunch break to engage with my kids when they are home really helps my work day and here is why. 

If the kids are wanting your attention early on in the day, you can give them  a lunch date to look forward to.

Example: Right now Mom is working but I can play that game with you at lunch. It gives them an expectation of when you will be available just for them. 

It is also great because it breaks up the day and gives them something to look forward to. 

Be Flexible 

Having a strong desire to complete your job in the best way possible is great & it is something that I strive for daily. 

But when your kids are home, there are going to times that you need to divert from your work to take care of something. 

Being flexible and prepared is key to succeeding. As stated earlier, this is why I always get up early. To ensure that I can get all the hours (and more importantly work) that I need to get done completed but still take care of my precious little ones if needed. 

I hope these tips for working from home with kids help to get you through your time of working remotely. How are you planning to WAH with kids?