Strawberries + Cream Day! Strawberry Icebox Cake Recipe /// Lazy Cooking

Happy Strawberries and Cream Day! I didn't know that was a thing, but apparently it is and apparently it's today. So, I thought I'd share with you one of the easiest and pretty damn tasty desserts you will ever make. Enjoy!

The recipe actually calls for a lot more work than I put into it (like making your own cream filling and chocolate sauce–psssh, yeah right, like I’m going to do that). I’ll post the original recipe from The Kitchn though for any of you who aren’t as lazy as I am: No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake.

For my version you only need 4 things:

• Graham Crackers
• Strawberries
• Cool Whip
• Chocolate Syrup (optional)

Now, time to put it all together:

First, wash and cut your strawberries into thin slices.

Next, start your first layer of graham crackers (don’t worry, I filled in the gaps).

Then, put on a layer of cool whip.

A layer of strawberries, then repeat till finished! Now, you can top it with chocolate sauce. I didn't have any when I made it this time, so I left it off.

Then comes the final step, which is the hardest. You have to let it chill in the fridge for at least FOUR HOURS. I know. But trust me, it's worth it!

Spinach + Chicken Pasta /// Lazy Cooking

Are you looking for an easy recipe that is going to be the best thing you've ever made? Well, do I have the dish for you. This recipe is from Saving Money Living Life, but the links I have pinned no longer work and I can't find it on the internet anymore! I think their website is no longer active or up. So, I figure I'd share it with all of you because I make it a lot, so I remember most of it, if not all of it.

CHICKEN + SPINACH PASTA BAKE

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of shredded chicken (cooked)
• 1 package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 (8oz.) package of chive & onion cream cheese
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 box of rotini pasta
• Shredded mozzarella

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:

First, set your oven to 375°. Then, in a 9x13 casserole dish, put the olive oil and diced onion in together and be sure to coat the onion with the olive oil. Place this in the oven till the onions are golden.
Boil your pasta.
In a large bowl, mix together the spinach, cream cheese, tomatoes and chicken (this recipe is a great way to use up left over chicken or you can get a rotisserie chicken from the store!). Once the onions are done, add them to the mixture.
Combine the chicken mixture and pasta in the 9x13 casserole dish. Top liberally with shredded mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes (or until cheese is melted). Take foil off and bake for another 10 minutes (or until cheese starts to golden).

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Again, I cannot take credit for this recipe. I wish I could link back to the original, but that's how the internet works sometimes. I hope you enjoy!

Budget Cooking

One of my goals for this year is to live a healthier lifestyle. This includes reducing the amount of fast food that Mr. LL and I consume and trying to cook healthier home meals.

However, I've been struggling to find a good compromise between eating healthier and sticking to a grocery budget. It seems like when we try to cut carbs, eat more veggies and lean meats, our grocery bill sky rockets to over $100 a week! For just two people! Now, granted, my grocery budget also includes pet needs, cleaning supplies and some personal care items (like toothpaste, shampoo, etc.) because I like to buy all those things in one trip and it is just easier that way. However, I know I can feed us with home cooked meals and get all the other stuff we and our pets need for anywhere between $60-$80 a week – I've done it; but that means our meals are less than ideal on the health spectrum.

Also, because we've both eaten so poorly for so long, we seem to have lost our "taste" for a lot of veggies. So, I'll buy them, with the best of intentions, and they rot in the fridge. Waste of money. Doubly so, when you get down to the fact that because we don't eat them, we end up eating fast food.

So, I've been racking my brain for ways to make a healthy meal plan on a budget. I have a few recipes that I make over and over because they are easy: spaghetti (with meat sauce), shrimp/crawfish etouffee (whichever is on sale), "California" casserole (a family recipe), spinach + steak roll-ups. We also will do things like breakfast for dinner on a weekly basis. Even though I don't really like whole wheat pasta or brown rice, I think I've finally come to the conclusion that if I can just make simple substitutions like this in our staple recipes, then maybe I can start to join my goals of living healthier and becoming a budget boss into a harmonious balance. That and eggs. Lots of eggs.

Let me know what you do to eat healthy without spending a fortune? Know any good "healthy" recipes (for a picky-ish/will eat anything household)? Also, would you like to see our meal plans? Or a grocery haul?