31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 4

For the rest of this month we'll spend Tuesdays doing Tips for the Kitchen. I know, really clever, huh? : ) Today's tips may seem a little basic and common sense to some of you, but I think it's very needed. If there is one question I get asked the most, it would have to be, "How do you coupon, spend so little on groceries and plan your meals?". Well the answer is pretty simple, I use what I have. Ok, let me be a little more detailed in case that was about as clear as mud. : ) I go shopping each week, and I always make a list so I know how much I'm spending when I go into the store. When I'm looking at the sales, I always start with meats. I try to buy enough meat for the week, so I look at our week and weekend to see if there are any events or plans that would alter that (i.e. going over to someone's house or a meeting). If there's a really great sale on something that I use often, like chicken breasts, then I might get enough for two or more weeks depending on how sales run. Once I've picked out my meats then I look through the sale items for things that I will use. If I see things on sale like tortillas then I'll make sure that I have stuff to do fajitas one night before I finish my list. I don't always plan every meal, I just make sure that I keep my spices well stocked and plenty of the essentials (we'll go over this in another post). I usually make sure I have meat out the night before, and if there isn't something that jumps out at me right away I start searching. I'll flip through my recipe book first, and then I will usually go to foodnetwork.com or allrecipes.com. My goal is always to try one new recipe a week. I look for recipes that have 5 stars and lots of ratings. If that doesn't seem to really work for you, then just e-mail or call a friend that you know as a good cook and ask them what you can do with the ingredients you have. : ) Make sense? If you need more detail about something, or if a portion of that didn't make sense, then just ask! So on to our recipe!

Today, I wanted to give you something to put on the side with your chicken and something that will probably be a new favorite in your house! Seriously, my children love this super easy recipe! About a year ago, I was looking for something new to do with sweet potatoes. I love a good baked, sweet potato, but I was getting a little tired of them. I love sweet potato casserole, but there is no way that can be a regular attendee at my table! Well, then I found a recipe that I changed up and I think it might be better than sweet potato casserole and definitely better for you!

Honey Butter Roasted Sweet Potatoes

- 4 sweet potatoes

- 1/4 cup melted butter

- 1/4 cup honey

- 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cut your sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes then place in a bowl. Melt your butter then stir in the honey and cinnamon. Pour the butter mixture over the sweet potatoes and then mix until evenly coated. Put in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until tender. You can serve as is or sprinkle a little sea salt for that salty/sweet combo.

Note: you can roast these in the same oven with roast chicken, just cut the cook time a bit and make sure to watch them so your sugar doesn't burn!  Also, excuse the little bit of missing skin on the chicken.  I may have nibbled a little bit before I thought to take a picture. : )