Pinterest Fail: Quinoa Pizza Crust

I am constantly on the search for new and healthy recipes for my family. Last week while perusing pinterest I found a recipe for quinoa pizza crust. 

I like quinoa and I love pizza so what could go wrong??? Famous last words.

The original recipe seems simple enough, the pictures were gorgeous and the steps weren't hard. 

I did veer from the recipe slightly by adding two garlic cloves and a little seasoning. Would that result in a crust that was all at once bland, crunchy and gritty? Those were my husband's words. Thanks, dear. 

The only saving grace was the spinach pesto I added on top. Which, I will share next week. It was pretty much awesome. 

Note: I DO NOT THINK MY FAIL WAS DUE TO A FAULTY RECIPE! I think the recipe creator is fabulous. Her recipes are fabulous. She is fabulous. My pizza crust on the other hand... 

What has your most recent kitchen fail been? 

Make up for busy moms in under 3 minutes

I like looking put together. It makes me feel good. But I don't wake up in the morning looking cute. 

Click here for more. 

Weekly meal plan and shopping list 1-26-15 - 1-31-15

I hope everyone had a restful weekend and that you are walking into Monday fully prepared to take on your week. 

But in case you're not I have put together a meal plan and shopping list to get you through until your brain starts firing on all cylinders. 

These are simple recipes that will be easy to make and are even easier on your budget. 

Let's go!

Sunday: Loaded Cornbread. This is so easy and I will serve it with a spinach salad.

Monday: Bean and rice casserole for meatless Monday! This is a one pan wonder and I love it! You can watch a video of me making it Here. 

Tuesday: "Mexican Pizza" with a quinoa crust! I will be sharing this recipe with you on Wednesday! 

Wednesday:  Mini baked sandwiches. I use THIS recipe from Passionate Penny Pincher. But I use less butter (far less) and I make mine with turkey and provolone. 

We will also have a steamed green beans.

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner! Grits, scrambled eggs and fruit. 

Friday: Homemade pizza! 

Shopping List

Print list!

Meat:

1 pound ground beef (put 1/3 pound in fridge stick the rest in your freezer)

1 dozen eggs

Grocery:

1 bag quinoa

1 bag brown rice

corn meal

1 can black beans or one bag of black beans prepped

2 jars salsa

brown and serve rolls

brown sugar

brown mustard

salad dressing

1 package grits

vegetable oil

1 jar spaghetti sauce or pesto

Produce:

one bag spinach

1 pint strawberries

1 pint blueberries

1 bag apples

1 pound green beans

1 onion

1 bulb garlic

Dairy:

butter

1 bag or block cheddar cheese

1 package cream cheese

one pizza crust or one bag of flour and 1 package yeast  (pizza crust recipe here)

1 bag or block mozzarella

1 package provolone or cheese singles (bonus points if you use a block of cheese!)

Check out more meal plans at OrgJunkie!

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Weekly encouragement

Becoming a Work at Home Mom Part I: Finding Your Niche

I have been running a business from home for almost three years. And by my own definition of success, it is successful. 

I get asked by a lot of women A LOT of women how to start a business. So I thought over the next few weeks I would walk your through it. 

Today let's discuss finding your niche!

If you want an opportunity, sometimes you have to create it.

I want you to find a piece of paper and write that down. Write it on the top page of your notebook. Put it on the front of your fridge. Write it on your chalkboard. 

I realized when I wanted to start a businesses I needed to create myself an opportunity. I wanted to be a freelance writer. I had freelanced on and off for years, But I wanted to create a consistent income from it.

I loved marketing and creating great online content for people. How could I make a career off of it?? 

I didn’t have any delusions that I would be rolling in the dough, I just wanted something consistent, with the same clients and familiar work. And I did it and it didn’t take as long as I thought it would. 

The first thing I did was make a list of my skills. 

It looked like this:

1. I can write quality content quickly.
2.  I have media contacts.
3.  I am good at social networking and social media marketing.
4.  I am a great web editor and I work well under tight deadlines. 

I am not telling you this to toot my horn, but it was important for me to make a list of my good working qualities and then seek opportunities. 

The second thing I did was think about who I wanted to work with. 

The key for me was finding my target market, which was small businesses owned by women. I understand their needs, I understand what they are trying to balance and I understand the message they want to convey. And I love the people I get to work with everyday. I am their biggest cheerleader and I also feel like they are mine. 

Third, I thought about my own monetary value.

If I were running my own businesses how much would I pay for my services. 

Then I had to create an experience that clients would want to return to. I was courteous, professional and friendly. But I also made it clear, my son is my first priority and if he is having bad day or is sick or just needs me then my clients have to understand that. 

I have been richly blessed with clients who all understand that. Many of them are moms and they understand what I am trying to build.

Sometimes it isn’t obvious:

Do you sew? Could you make a living making children’s clothing? I have a friend who earns a full-time income making little girl’s dresses and accessories. People pay her top dollar for her custom designs. 

Are you web savvy? There are a lot of businesses out there who need web managers. I have met lots of clients who need someone who works exclusively with Word Press and are looking for people who can keep their websites running. 

Or maybe you have some graphic design experience. Could you spin that into a money making opportunity for yourself? 

My cousin found success working as a closing agent. She thought the work sounded interesting, found out how to get trained in her area and began working with real-estate agents. She works just a few hours a week which leaves her plenty of time for home and family. 

A high school friend of mine became an event planner. She works with clients out of her home and plans everything from birthday parties to fund raisers. 

These women took an idea and turned it into an opportunity. 

There is nothing inherently special about me or my abilities. But I have been able to turn those ideas into a business. So can you. 

“Objections: Make a list of things you are good at.

Make a list of things you want to get out of a business. ”

What about you? Have you ever thought about what type of business you would want to run? JOIN THE CONVERSATION. 

Homemade Non-Toxic "Pin-sol"

Jason loves the smell of Pin-Sol. I mean, who doesn't? And my mother has told me that all good southern homes smell of Pin-Sol. 

There is something just inherently "clean" about the smell. But here is the thing, a few months back I poured some Pin-Sol in the toilet and it took my breath away. And not in a good way. 

I am not a "natural" or "green" purist. But I have really cut back on the commercial cleaning products I bring into my house. I am really sensitive to smells and as a child I struggled with asthma. And I believe that what is in our environment does have a big impact on our lung health. 

So today I am going to show you how I make my own "Pin-Sol." I use this mostly to clean toilets, but really you could use this for anything. 

You will need: 

Equal parts water and vinegar 

About 20 drops tea tree oil per cup of solution - The tea tree oil is what gives it that pin sol smell. 

5-6 drops orange oil (optional)

Spray or squirt bottle *

Combine your water and vinegar into a bottle or container and mix. Add in your oils and mix again. 
That's it you're done!

*I used an old dish soap bottle, but it is not recommended to use plastic with oils because of potential leaching. However, since I was using my solution in my toilet, I just used a plastic container. 

What homemade cleaning products do you use? 

nd don't forget to link up at Thrifty Thursday. 

Mushroom and Spinach Calzone

I am trying to find new and inventive ways to go meatless or meat less. 

I am still working on getting Jason fully on board with this. But I have several reasons for trying to go meatless once a week. 

There are several reasons I am attempting to do this. 

1. It saves money. 

2. It's healthy. 

3. It's better for the environment. 

My husband, however is a major carnivore. Major. So I have had to get a little sneaky. 

A few weeks ago I made mushroom and spinach calzones. I waited until we were finished eating to point out they were meatless. 

"Yeah," Jason said. "But they have mushrooms, so we're good." 

Yes! Success!

Okay. This is what you'll need:

1 carton mushrooms washed and sliced

3 cups spinach

1 onion, diced

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 clove garlic, minced

pizza dough or refrigerated pizza crust

mozzarella cheese 

In a skillet caramelize your onions. You can read a full tutorial on how to do that here. 

 Once that process is complete deglaze your pan with a little chicken stock and add your spinach, garlic and mushroom. Cook until the spinach wilts. Remove your pan from the heat and preheat your oven. 

Then, because I got EXTREMELY frustrated with the pizza crust, I had Jason fold it over the vegetables for me. When I saw I got extremely frustrated... I had to apologize to Jesus and my family for all the words that came out of my mouth. Yeah, it got ugly. 

I brushed the dough with a little bit of egg before popping them in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. 

They were so delicious. 

What meatless dishes have you tried at your house? 

Budget-friendly date nights: Date your spouse on a dime!

I was so excited to guest post at Blissful and Domestic yesterday. Here is an excerpt... 

I can count the number of dates my husband and I have been on since becoming parents. In the first year of our first son’s life we went on three. Three dates in a whole year! Yeah, I know. That’s not good. But it’s tough to find the time, the money, and a sitter. But it is still so important to date your spouse and to spend time with them away from your kids. I have since made more of an effort to plan for dates and so has my husband. But, it is still important to stay within a budget and not let your need for couple time to derail your bank account and savings goals. I wanted to share with you a few ideas on how to enjoy grown up couple time on a dime.
 

Click here for more over at Blissful and Domestic.

We moved! Welcome to Frugal, Debt-Free Life!

We moved! I woke up this morning to a new website and it feels amazing. I started kicking around the idea of changing my blog name last year and I finally worked up the nerve and worked out all the details to just do it!! 

So now Five4Five Meals is Frugal, Debt-Free Life. 

I feel like the new name and site is a better representation of my overall message "Living a Limitless Life on a Limited Budget." 

With Five4Five Meals I felt stuck with just creating food posts, I felt limited in my reach and really, I feel like the name confused people. 

As getting out of debt and living on a budget became more important to my family the message of that blog shifted. And while food will still play a HUGE part in the new blog, I think I will feel less pressure to create food posts and less guilt when I go a week without posting a recipe. 

All of the links from the old site still work. So if you pinned a recipe you can still click on that pin and get to the correct link. 

SO welcome. Stick around. Make comments. Engage and be a part of this community! 

Seven $5 dinners you can make TONIGHT

One of the best ways to get a hold of your spending is to get in control of your grocery budget. I understand that grocery prices are on the rise, but you still have some room to maneuver, get creative and still eat balanced meals. 

Today I bring you seven dinners you can make TONIGHT for $5 or way, way less. None of these require crazy, sexy ingredients that you have to run to the store to pick up. Chances are you have the stuff to make these dishes already in your pantry. 

Simple Skillet vegetables and rice. This is an easy and flavorful dish that requires just five ingredients and few herbs. Perfect as a side dish or for meatless Monday. 

Mushroom and Spinach Calzone. This is amazing. The sweetness of the onions and the richness of the mushrooms create a really great combination. 

Simple vegetable frittata.  If you have some eggs, a little cheese and some leftover vegetables you can put together this frittata. It is shameful how easy it is. 

Chicken and bean taco roll ups. These remind me so much of Chili's southwest egg rolls. A little leftover chicken, some rice and beans. Add a little cheese and salsa and you are good to go!

Super simple meatless chili. This stuff is so good and my kids love it. 

This Sausage Pepper Bake is my go to for busy nights. I usually have bell peppers in my freezer along with an onion, some potatoes and a little sausage and you are good to go. 

This Pork Fried Rice is made from leftover pork that is paired with carrots and peas. It is so good, filling, light and easy. 

What about you? What are some of your favorite frugal dinners? Join the conversation below!