Recipe: Marry Me Cannellini Beans

Maybe you’ve seen videos or recipes online for marry me chicken. It’s a creamy Tuscan style dish that can be served with noodles or by itself.

Here is my version, but instead of using chicken, I substituted Cannellini beans. Why? Because I had cannellini beans, and I didn’t have any chicken.

If you want to use chicken, substitute about a pound of either boneless skinless trimmed thighs or boneless skinless trimmed chicken breasts for the beans.

Ingredients 

  •  2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 tablespoons your favorite cooking oil (I used the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes)
  • One small, yellow onion, diced
  • 2 15.5 ounce cans of Cannellini beans, drained, and rinsed
  • Three cloves of crushed garlic/3 tablespoons of Jarlic
  • 2/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes 
  • 2 cups of chicken broth 
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • One cup evaporated milk, or half-and-half (choice) 
  • 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (use the freshly grated variety, not the powdered variety)

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter and mix oil in with butter.
  2. Sauté onions over medium heat until translucent, about five minutes.
  3. Add in garlic and stir frequently until garlic is fragrant.
  4. Add in rinsed and drained beans, sun-dried, tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning. Cook on medium, stirring frequently until mixture comes to a boil.
  5. Using the back of a spoon or a potato masher gently mash up about half of the beans. This will add thickness to the sauce or without adding any additional ingredients. 
  6. Once a thickened mixture simmer for about 15 minutes, add in milk/half-and-half, spinach,  and about a half a cup of the grated cheese. 
  7. Stir and turn stove down to low. Simmer on low for 5 to 10 minutes until mixture has thickened. 
  8. Serve with noodles of your choice, or serve mixture in a bowl with toasted/crusty Italian bread. Top each bowl with some of the remaining cheese.
  9. I prefer to serve this in a bowl and eat it with a toasted/crusty bread. 

Substitutions:

  • To make this recipe vegetarian, substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth/stock. 
  • To make this recipe vegan, substitute as above, and additionally substitute milk/half-and-half with your favorite dairy free variety, as well as your favorite dairy free variety of “Parmesan” type cheese. 

3/8/2025 Weekly Freebies and Deals

There is a whole smattering of freebies and deals this week! And I’ve updated my list of freebies for birthdays in 2025, which you can find here.

My comprehensive list can be found here if you are looking for free food resources.  It is focused on San Diego County, but additional resources are outside my area.

Let’s get onto the Freebies!!

FREEBIES:

FREE Products with Fur Buddies – New Mission
Free Amazon Prime for Students for 6 Months
FREE Full-Size BONKERS Purrpops Cat Treats
FREE Glade PlugIns Air Freshener Warmer After Walmart Cash
T-Mobile Tuesdays – FREE Large Slurpee at 7-Eleven, FREE Chicken Sandwich at Wendy’s, 30% off Crocs & More
FREE Movie Ticket to Brothers After War
FREE National Park Pass for 4th Graders
FREE Sample of La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Dark Spot Serum
FREE Leprechaun Lemonade at Raising Cane’s
FREE Pair of Avia Running Sneakers at Walmart After Cash Back
FREE Febreze Fabric Refresher After Walmart Cash
FREE Bulgari Cologne Au The Vert Fragrance Sample
FREE Sample of TEMPTATIONS Cat Treats
Free Creed Millesime Imperial Fragrance Sample
FREE Hartz Delectables Squeeze Up Treats or Oinkies Tender Dog Treats
FREE e.l.f. Blemish Breakthrough Stick It to Zits Pimple Patches
Prime Members Score GrubHub+ FREE ($120 Value a Year)
FREE Duracell Batteries at Office Depot & Office Max
FREE 2025 Defend the Flock Chicken Calendar
FREE $10 for Signing up for JCPenney Rewards
FREE Sample of Grown Alchemist Restorative Hand Cream
FREE Velveeta Queso Blanco Dip Chatterbuy Kit
FREE Cone Day at Dairy Queen on March 20th
FREE NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit or NasaFlo Neti Pot
FREE Medium Fries at McDonalds – Every Friday
FREE Copy of the Jiffy Mix Recipe Booklet

 

DEALS:

Women’s Clothing Clearance at JCPenney – Some as Low as $2.99!
Kohl’s Cash Ultimate Giveaway – Starts TODAY March 7th
Amazon No-Rush Credits: How to Use Amazon Digital Rewards Effectively
Free Sandwich at Arby’s with Any Purchase
Buy 3, Get 3 FREE Bath & Body Works Body, Skin, & Hair Care
Easter Basket Filler Items from $0.60 – Cheaper Than Dollar Tree

My Favorite Egg Replacers for Baking!

The price of eggs has been increasing, at least in California for a few years. Between the law enacted in January of last year regarding farm animals in confinement, and the avian flu making it’s rounds, eggs can be upwards of $8/dozen.

That’s a lot. I love to bake, and eggs are commonplace in a lot of recipes. After some research and trail and error, here are some of the egg replaces that I use.

You’ll notice that for most of these substitutions, the measurement is 1/4 cup, which is about how much liquid is in a large sized chicken egg.

Not sure which one to use? Here is my handy guide:

For Cookies:

  • Aquafaba
  • Canned Pumpkin
  • Smooth Nut Butter

For Cake/Quick Breads:

  • Plain Greek Yogurt
  • Bananas
  • Canned Pumpkin
  • Carbonated Water
  • Silken Tofu
  • Applesauce

Brownies:

  • Canned Pumpkin
  • Unsweetened Applesauce
  • Bananas
  • Smooth Nut Butter

Looking for some recipes to use these on?

 

Jar Salads- Healthy Meal Prep!

I love salad. We eat a lot of veggies because of our Yasukochi Famil Farms CSA box subscription, and I’m always looking for new ways to serve veggies and keep them fresh.

Jar salads have already had their heyday a few years ago, but they are an amazing meal prep idea. Many of us have Eating Healthy and Losing Weight are New Year’s Resolutions- Jar Salads are a great tool.

It’s quite popular to use wide Mouth quart Mason jars, but I’m a little clumsy, so I prefer Quart-sized deli containers.   I also find that Quart-sized deli containers are a little more economical and can easily be recycled when they wear out. And they stack really well in the fridge.

Whichever option you choose, here are some tips for perfecting your salad creations.

Whether you use a quart-size Mason Jar or a quart-size deli container, start with 2 tablespoons of dressing and build your salad.

Bottom Layer: The base where wetter ingredients go. Putting the wetter ingredients together helps keep the more delicate ingredients like lettuce crunchy. Ingredients for the bottom sections include: Dressing, salsa/sauce, tomatoes, guacamole, avocadoes, strawberries, citrus, and grains (rice, quinoa, pasta, farro).

Middle Layer: Beans, bell peppers, corn, seeds/nuts, onions, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, hard cheeses, sprouts, pickled veggies, hardboiled eggs, tofu, and other protein sources such as chopped chicken breast. Shredded cabbage or coleslaw blend/ shreds can also go on this layer.

Top Layer: Bite-size lettuce or other greens.

 

These salads can be really filling, depending on which ingredients you choose. 3-5 salads a week is a great start. Jar salads like this tend to last 5-7 days in the fridge, stored upright. 

DIY Salad Dressing- Easy and Tasty!

Making Salad Dressing is so easy, and for so long I had no idea.

I love cooking, and I have limited experience making salad dressings.

But with the cost of food rising, I thought I’d give it a shot.

Below is my “template” for making a quick salad dressing, and a few ideas for some tasty dressings.

This recipe makes enough to dress a few salads, but not as much as a full mass-produced bottle. With no preservatives, these sauces will last 7-10 days- if they don’t get eaten sooner.

  • 1/4 cup Olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil (Vegetable or canola)
  • 6 tablespoons acid- Citrus juice, vinegar (red wine, champagne, balsamic, rice wine, and apple cider are good choices)
  • 2 tablespoon tablespoons honey or other sweetener (agave, maple)
  • 1 teaspoon emulsifier (Stone ground or Dijon mustard or mayonnaise) 
  • Salt and pepper as needed 
  • Herbs or seasoning as desire

Here are a few of my favorite combinations:

  • Lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest, 2 t. powdered ginger, honey, Dijon mustard
  • Red Wine Vinegar, honey, stone ground mustard, 2T. Italian seasoning, 1t. granulated garlic
  • Apple Cider Vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, 1t. granulated garlic

Remember to store these in the fridge after you make them and shake them well before using them!

And if you are looking for some of my favorite salads, here is a great round-up of salad recipes.

Penzeys Sale: $50 and $100 Gift Cards on Sale!

This is one of my favorite deals. It makes a great gift for the home cook, baker, or foodie in your life. It can be used in-store or online.

This deal is back, but only until midnight Monday, January 6, 2025.

Penzeys is offering a $50 Heal the World Gift Card for $35 and  $100 Care Gift Card for $70. 

The Fine Print:

*Penzeys Heal the World Gift Card Offer Details
Limit TEN Penzeys $50 Heal the World Gift Cards for $35. Cannot be used on date of purchase. Cannot be used to purchase other gift cards. Not applicable to prior sales, not valid with other offers. Not for resale. While supplies last. Offer ends midnight Monday, January 6, 2025.

*Penzeys Care Gift Card Offer Details
Limit TEN Penzeys $100 Care Gift Cards for $70. Cannot be used on date of purchase. Cannot be used to purchase other gift cards. Not applicable to prior sales, not valid with other offers. Not for resale. While supplies last. Offer ends midnight Monday, January 6, 2025.

North County Low Cost Food Resource- More Than Apples

I learned about More Than Apples from TikToker Becky O. She lives in Northern San Diego County and her videos came up on my FYP a few months ago. After doing some internet sleuthing I discovered her Food Mystery Boxes as she calls them come from More Than Apples.

From their website: “Every Thursday, More Than Apples collects food that would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to families in North County San Diego. Each week, our Abundance Boxes are unique and filled with a variety of packaged goods, baked items, cold items, and fresh produce.”

If you live in North County, I suggest you check out Becky’s videos linked above and see if the mystery food box is something you’d like to take advantage of!

More Than Apples has gone Viral thanks to social media coverage, and their boxes sell out quickly. There are a few other food rescues in San Diego County, including my favorite Porchlight Community Services in Clairemont. You can read about them here.

Celebrate National Baking Day!

I love baking- cookies, bread, even biscuits. To celebrate National Baking Day, here are a few of my favorite recipes:

Want cookies but don’t want to turn on the oven? Try these:

8/18/2024 Weekly Meal Plan

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpg4 days until school starts for us… Not that I’m counting.

I meal planned for the next two weeks last night as I was inventorying the kitchen. But to make it easier, I am only posting 1 week at a time

I’m trying hard to increase the kids’ fiber and protein intake. I can tell the difference when they are filling up on both- if nothing else, it helps them sleep better.

Thanks to the great freebies from Social Nature and Aisle, we’ve been trying new foods lately. It’s fun to try new foods.

If you are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101-style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same.

Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick; his favorites are here. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. We eat lunch at home most days, and I pack snacks and water for us when we are out having summer adventures. Now that we are focusing on BTS, I reorganized the snack totes (yes there are two) and set up for making school lunches. I take my lunch to work and meal prep lunches once a week.

Dinner: Now that I’m back to working full time, I’m leaning heavily into meal prepping. I’ve got all kinds of meals in the freezer, and hopefully, once the temperature drops- It’ll be soup time!!

  • Sunday:  Dream Dinner, Salad (Dream Dinner Deal here)
  • Monday: Beans, Rice, and Quesadillas, Salad
  • Tuesday: Pasta Bake, Green Beans, Garlic Bread

  • Wednesday: Mac n’ Cheese, Smoothies, chips (first day of school)

  • Thursday: Breakfast for dinner- Pancakes, smoothies, sausage

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza

Penzeys Sale: $35 for $50 in Gift Cards!

This is one of my favorite deals. It makes a great gift for the home cook, baker, or foodie in your life. It can be used in-store or online.

This deal is back, but only until Sunday, August 18, 2024

Penzeys is offering a $50 Embrace Hope Gift Card for $35 and a $100 Heal the World Gift Card for $70. The sale price is applied when added to basket. Limit of TWENTY Embrace Hope Gift Cards per household during the run of the promotion. It cannot be used on the date of purchase. It cannot be used to purchase other gift cards. It is not applicable to prior sales and is not valid with other offers. Not for resale. While supplies last. The offer ends at midnight on Sunday, 8/18/2024.