Zucchini Pizza Snack

Another pizza variation that is so yummy (and uses up extra garden zucchini)

*To save time & money later, I usually double this recipe and freeze a few for later, then I'll be more likely to use this instead of something else and only have to invest the time 1 out of every 3-4 times*

1 Tbsp yeast ($.05)
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups flour ($.15)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil ($.10)
1 tsp salt ($.01)
2 Tbsp olive oil ($.20)
1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder ($.01)
1 zucchini, thinly sliced (FREE)
Parmesan Cheese ($.20)

Roast sliced zucchini in 425 degrees F oven for 10 minutes while making dough.

Mix yeast with flour and salt in Bosch. Add water and oil. Mix 8 minutes with the dough hook.
Roll half into desired pizza shape and place on baking sheet or pizza pan. Brush with olive oil (I mixed in garlic powder and then used a pastry brush). Then top with roasted zucchinis all over the pizza and a little (just a taste, don't overcover) parmesan cheese. Bake about 15 minutes at 425 degrees F or until slightly browned. Bring it out, slice it up, and serve! YUMMY!

Total Cost = $0.70

Homemade Graham Crackers

So I wanted to make a cheesecake today with a graham cracker crust, but didn't have any graham crackers, so I found this online - I didn't actually bake the graham crackers first, but have a bit more to make into graham crackers still. Can't wait to see how it tastes. Yummy - Strawberry Cheesecake, here we come!

1 cup (4 ounces) Whole Wheat Flour or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil
1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey
2 to 3 tablespoons (1 to 1 1/2 ounces) milk (approx.)
additional milk for glaze
cinnamon-sugar (optional

In a mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. In a separate bowl, beat egg till light, then add oil, honey and 2 tablespoons milk. Stir into dry ingredients until you have a fairly stiff dough, adding additional milk if necessary. Wrap dough in waxed paper and chill until firm, about 1 hour (or longer, if it's more convenient).

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead gently until it holds together. Roll dough out till it's about 1/16-inch thick; make sure rolling surface is well-floured, or you'll have trouble transferring crackers to baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 375°F.

Cut dough into 3-inch squares, prick each square several times with a fork, and place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Brush the tops with milk, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar if you're so inclined, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crackers are lightly browned. Remove crackers from oven, transfer to a wire cooling rack, and cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen graham crackers.

Granola Bars (or Breakfast Bars)

This is my best attempt at Homemade Granola Bars and we've liked them so far.

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars


4 c. dry oats (old-fashioned or quick cooking) (.25)
1 1/2 c. flour (.25)
1 c. brown sugar (.25) with other sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon (.01)
1/2 t. salt (.01)
3/4 – 1 c. canola oil (or part to all applesauce) - (.25) used mostly applesauce and that was canned at home and free
4 eggs (.40)
1 1/2 c. raisins (.35)


Dump all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Stir, by hand, just until completely moistened and combined. 3. Press into a greased 13×9 casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into individual bars.

Serves: 15-20 ($1.80 total)

A few notes about this recipe:

~ If your family isn’t too keen or raisins, you can substitute with other dried fruit. Or, chocolate chips or other fun insides might work as well.
~ These bars freeze beautifully. Wrap the cooled and cut bars individually and then freeze. They can be thawed in about 2 hours, or if you’re in a hurry, cook in the microwave on the defrost cycle for about 20-30 seconds, depending on the size of your bars.

Homemade Granola

10-13 cups rolled oats (.75)
1 cup wheat germ (optional - I also cracked wheat) (.50)
1/2 lb. shredded coconut (.50)
Up to 3 cups seeds (sunflower, sesame, chopped nuts) (.50-3.00)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (or sugar and some molasses) (.25)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup honey (optional) (.50)
1/2 cup molasses (.25)
1 1/2 tsp salt (.01)
2 tsp cinnamon (.02)
3 tsp vanilla (.05)
Raisins or other dried fruit (.50)

Combine oats, coconut, nuts, seeds. Mix well. In saucepan, add remaining dry ingredients. Heat until sugar is dissolved, but do not boil. Pour over dry ingredients. Stir until well coated. Bake at 300 degrees F for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally

*Can also add applesauce in place of honey for an apple cinnamon taste or just dried apples, we also like craisins, raisins or without dried fruit. I am fairly liberal with following this recipe and have tried several variations as you can see from the "up to 3 cups" or 10-13 cups oats - that's a large difference, but I've tried it all because I have about 4 different recipes I've tried and they all work out about the same.

*Storage: 2 large gallon size bags. Yummy for breakfasts or for snacks.

Total Cost: $3.10 - $6.10.
Makes 1 1/2 - 2 gallon bags. Lasts 2-3 months in our house.