Taking advantage of seasonal produce is definitely one of the most important principles of budget byting. I mean, anytime you can get produce for under $1 per lb, you’ve just gotta do it! Butternut...
Recipes under $10
I made this Chicken and Apple Salad on a total whim today and I’m SO glad I did. It is so delicious that I want to eat it every day for the rest of...
“Huh-wha? Coffee rubbed pork?” Yep, that’s what I said. I made a killer seasoning rub out of coffee (ground to a powder), brown sugar, cayenne, and the usual suspects (salt, pepper, garlic). Slow cooked...
So, a couple of weeks ago my friend Jenni (of the vinaigrette slaw fame) sent me a message saying that the Creole Creamery had sriracha peach ice cream. I was all like, “What the...
There is a constant war going on between my brain and my stomach. My brain likes things that my stomach doesn’t, and when I eat it anyway, my stomach throws a fit. Raw cabbage...
This might be a new favorite. It was just SO easy and delicious. You can make this recipe with a pork tenderloin if desired but the pork loin filet that I bought was almost...
Why can’t vegetables be plentiful and yummy all year long? I don’t know, but I intend to enjoy them while they’re around. This Summer Vegetable Tian is the perfect easy side to showcase the medley...
I’ve been so busy lately. So, when I finally got a day off, I wanted something quick, delicious, and satisfying. I had not been meeting my quesadilla quota lately, but I was kinda craving pizza…...
I first became interested in chicken adobo when I saw a recipe for it using a slow cooker. It looked delicious but completely different than the adobo that I was familiar with. I thought...
I’m really not sure how authentic this recipe is but I’m calling it kung pao chicken because it’s spicy and it has peanuts. That’s good enough for me. Ha! Okay, aside from that, it’s...
This Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup is a keeper! It’s super quick to make and insanely delicious—my favorite combination. It’s light enough to act as a starter or side for your meal, or you can pair...
The marinade for this Chicken Shawarma has to be the very best marinade that I’ve ever made. Ever. The marinade was so good that I might even use it as a sauce in the...
I’ve been craving pasta salad lately so onto the menu it went. In effort to up my vegetable intake, I packed this Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad as full of as many veggies that I possibly...
This one is definitely going on my favorites list! These pork chops can be whipped up in just a matter of minutes (about 30) and require only a few simple ingredients. What you end...
I’m not gonna lie, anything breaded is better fried than baked but I felt like being good today so I baked these honey mustard chicken strips. If you give them a shallow fry in...
I love a good breakfast and if you do too, then you’ve got to try huevos rancheros. This dish is hearty enough to settle your stomach after a night out drinking, pretty enough to...
Have you ever seen those bags of 16 bean soup mix in the dry bean aisle at the grocery store? Well, they’re kinda like the ramen of the bean world. They come with their...
I’ve shied away from making salmon in the past because of the price. At over $8/lb., it’s twice as expensive as ground beef and almost three times as expensive as chicken or pork. After...
I’m SO EXCITED about this one… this is one of those recipes that turned out so good that I couldn’t keep out of it while I was shooting photos. I kept stuffing in mouthfuls...
Stuffed zucchini are a popular dish in the Mediterranean region. I’ve wanted to make some for a while but this post on Green Light Bites really motivated me. Stuffed zucchini are usually filled with...
Spring rolls are all about texture. The rice paper wrapper is so unique, almost skin like; a little sticky, quite stretchy and just really cool. Inside the stretchy wrapper you’ve got rice vermicelli, lettuce,...
Sweet, tangy and spicy… What a powerful flavor combo. It’s strong sauces like this that allow you to take something that is otherwise boring or inexpensive and make it into an outstanding meal. So,...
One of the best recipes that I’ve made for Budget Bytes so far is the Italian Meatballs. They were unbelievably flavorful, they froze beautifully and were extremely versatile. I’ve wanted to make them again...
Are y’all ready for this? …No, no, I don’t think you are. Okay, if you insist. But if your head explodes upon contemplating the deliciousness of these Apple Spice Pork Chops, don’t say I...
Super flavorful Homemade Black Bean Burgers are as easy as smashing some black beans together with a slew of flavorful ingredients, like garlic, red onion, cumin, sriracha, and Worcestershire sauce. A little egg and...
Here is another super easy dinner idea with endless possibilities for variation. I can’t exactly say that Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups are a “quick” recipe because it does have to bake a while but the...
Okay, I don’t really know what this recipe is but I DO know that I started with a recipe for butter chicken (which may not have been all that authentic to begin with) and...
I’ve begun to rely more heavily on beans in my diet. They’re fiber-licious, super cheap and make my tummy full and happy. Black bean soup has to be one of the easiest and tastiest...
Is anyone else as freaked out by fish sticks as I am? I mean, they’re greasy, sometimes slimy and smell fishy. Yet for some strange reason, every now and then, I get a MAJOR...
Last year for Thanksgiving I made an apple walnut stuffing that was *out of this world* good, despite using a boxed mix. I was so happy with that recipe that I really didn’t plan...
Okay, you’re really going to have to try not to judge a book by it’s cover here. I know this Lentil & Sausage Stew isn’t the prettiest thing to look at but, OMG, it...
Are y’all ready for a Budget Bytes first?! Here it is… a recipe that actually costs MORE than the store bought version! Yes, you read it right. I made these frozen burritos to replace...
Prepare to be inundated by pumpkin recipes. I love pumpkin. Bread pudding is usually a super indulgent dessert-like “breakfast” item but since I don’t like eating 6,000 calories for breakfast, I lightened it up...
You know how spinach artichoke dip is so good that sometimes you want to just order the appetizer as your meal and not share it with anybody? I hereby give you permission to. Well,...
Singapore noodles. They didn’t originate in Singapore (theory is they’re Cantonese) and they were popularized by Chinese restaurants in Europe. How is that for a hodgepodge history? Well, I’m going to blame this one...
Wow. Just, WOW. I’m usually not a fan of eating chicken off the bone because of all of the connective tissue and other weird bits but this sticky Asian sauce makes all wrongs RIGHT....
What would life be like without salsa? I don’t know and I don’t care to imagine it that way. I’m a salsa lover through and through. I could eat it straight with spoon, I...
Pork chops get a bad rap because most pork chop recipes result in dry, tough, hockey-puck-like pieces of meat that no one gets excited about. But these Glazed Pork Chops are different. They’re tender, juicy, and...
Today I learned to love the ham hock. They used to scare me. Well, scare me and fascinate me all at the same time. I remember seeing them in the grocery store as a...
Why serve plain white rice with your meal when you can sneak in some veggies and a ton of flavor? I was originally going to make this dish a coconut (not) fried rice but...
One of my goals this summer was to make tomato soup from scratch… and by scratch I mean whole tomatoes, not canned. Tomato soup made from fresh tomatoes is a completely different beast from...
So, I’m about to pack up all of my things and move to a new apartment in a new city. I thought I’d just cook up something simple and classic this weekend to cut...
I’ve wanted to make these yummy little wontons since the success of my Pork & Ginger Potstickers. I saw a recipe on the inside of the wonton wraper package for cream cheese filled wontons...
One of my favorite things to order when I go to Mediterranean restaurants is Stuffed Grape Leaves or Dolmas. I’ve always shied away from making them at home because they seemed like they would...
I love the summer. The sun is warm and the vegetables are fresh (and cheap!). I’ve been waiting for the produce market to be flooded with all of the summer goods so that I...
This is a quick little appetizer/snack/side dish that comes together in less than half an hour. You can eat it by its self or dip it in some marinara or a bowl of creamy...
I wanted to make something to eat along side my sushi bowls this week so I decided to make some Pork and Ginger Pot Stickers. I remember attempting to make pot stickers a long...
People take their potato salad very seriously here in the south. I learned that quickly after moving to southern Louisiana from northern Michigan (I know, right?). I was never a fan of potato salad...
Whew, what a week… after having out of town visitors for the past four days, I am finally getting back into my routine (school, blog, sleep… school, blog, sleep… school, blog… well, you get...
After eating the cooked down, well melded flavors and textures of my pot roast all week, my palate desperately needed something fresh and bright. I wanted green, I wanted tang, I wanted fresh. I...
I’ve been wanting to cook this coconut chicken for a LONG time and my anticipation was definitely justified by the end result. The shredded coconut mixed with panko bread crumbs gives a light, crunchy...
This recipe was inspired by a dish that I saw at Whole Foods Market. I don’t have their recipe so I made this up based on what I thought theirs was. It turned out...
This was one of the first ever Budget Bytes recipe experiments. After browsing the internet looking for ideas, I saw this Spicy Red Lentil and Tomato Soup by Andrea Meyers and it piqued my...
I was really craving some red meat the other day and the first thing I wanted was meatballs. Of course, I didn’t have any meatballs so all I could do was sit there and...
This is something I learned from Chef Jamie (Jamie if you’re out there, hey!!). Of course, we used expensive sun dried tomatoes and fresh made pesto but I had to improvise. The dish is...
This recipe is a hybrid recipe from both Whole Foods Market and Epicurious. I like this version of potato salad because it tastes much lighter due to the use of sour cream in the...
