I was at my DT Plus yesterday. They had alot of spices, snacks, little brownies and pies marked down to $0.25, and frozen Tombstone and Red Baron Pizzas marked down from $4.00, to $1.25. They said bc the items were close to sell by date, but the dates were still 2 weeks out. So excited 🎉 to find these items 😍 I have never seen any of my area DT mark anything down, unless it was seasonal or broken. This is a brand bew store. Been open since November. Great finds. ❤
I *love* your videos because I am autistic and the "rule follower" variety so it's never occurred to me to use foods "wrong" like using pancake mix to make mini muffins etc. The creativity and different ways to use the same kinds of things is incredibly helpful (and interesting!).
When I was in my dollar tree last time the manager there told me they are getting ready to drop the prices on over 300 items back down to $1 or less very soon. She said it’s because now that items are $1.25 they have seen a decrease in sales because people can get those things at Walmart cheaper. I’m excited to see what they lower the prices on. I’m hoping it’s several food items.
Thanks for the update. The CEO had said it was going to happen last year in November or December, before Christmas. I've kept looking and my DT manager had no idea.
I'm not sure if you've done this since I've seen many but not all of your videos, but I had an idea. As I was reading through comments in this video I noted that someone said there are a lot of spices and seasonings at DT. What if you did a pantry stock haul that would last maybe 3 months so some of the meals would have more seasonings and add-in options that could span over time. I'd say budget $25 over 3 or so months for 20 not-so-perishable items. These might include dried spices and spice mixes, dried herbs, flour, sugar, dried milk, dried creamers, ketchup, ranch, mustards, hot sauce, mayo, salad dressings, seasonings packets, bread crumbs, marshmallows, chocolate chips, parmesan cheese shake, cereals, honey, maple syrup, jello packets, nuts and dried fruits, etc. They'd be just little add-ins to spice up your already great dishes. I know my DT carries most of those items. Some of your skillets would benefit from some Mrs Dash type seasonings and maybe Italian dressing, meatballs with a ketchup and honey mustard glaze, and your pancake muffins would be superb as a dessert done like a jello poke cake. You don't have to mix up a whole packet of jello to make just enough to add some flavor. I think doing that would make a lot more of the meals you make more palatable and still quite affordable by stretching the cost over 3 months. My suggestion would to be taking any left over change from your budget and putting it in a jar to go toward spices and condiments. If your receipt was for $24.03 for a shopping trip, round up that change and turn it into a gradual collection of those extras. Heck, maybe even a new series on your channel could be in order. I just love your voice and how real of a person you are. Your smile is infectious and I love your videos.
I completely agree!! I do most of my shopping at BJ's, but I hit up Dollar Tree first to see if I can get any of the essentials like spices and condiments. Even some pre made mixes like brownies or cornbread. I think it would be really cool for her to highlight some of the really cool stuff you can get at dollar tree for so much cheaper. And yes she's honestly such a kind soul and I religiously watch and rewatch her videos because they're just that good!!
even a $10 "pantry essential" video with $10 on versatile ingredients and spices that could last a long time and enhance the limits of oil, salt, and pepper would be cool!
I buy a lot of my spices at DT. So much cheaper! I found a sugar and cinnamon mix spice that's is great for baked goods like apple crumble and oatmeal.
Most herb cuttings like Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, and Basil can be grown indoors with some love, care, and attention such that you can use them to flavor your dishes in perpetuity. Also, a bunch of green onions can be prorogated in a glass of water after cutting them near the white portion. Then once they have grown a couple of inches, usually a few days, you can plant them in a pot in-doors and they will produce several more cuttings of the fresh green part. The green part of green onions are FODMAP safe, so go for it. A ~$1 bunch of green onions can yield up to 5 cuttings of 6" of the green part...then cook up the white part in a dish and buy a new bunch. Repeat!
I would love to see a video on how or what you would stock a pantry with from Dollar Tree for those times that folks have a little extra to spend. Especially what dried herbs or spices or condiments you would recommend.
I'm thinking of doing a Dollar Tree challenge with my two younger kids (17 & 15 who are learning to enjoy cooking basic meals). I'm thinking about taking them to the Dollar Tree with $10 to see what they put together for a dinner.
Did you end up trying this? I am still grateful ma gave us the chance to cook at home before we launched, and getting to do the shopping part on a budget would have been even better.
@@The3Storms I did. My son made a pasta dish he'd happily make again (elbow pasta, can of sauce, garlic bread). My daughter made breakfast (pancakes, sausage, juice) & it wasn't half bad.
You could use a vanilla or yellow cake mix along with some, margarine, brown sugar and cinnamon to make a coffee cake with crumb topping reminiscent of Hostess Crumb Cakes. Another idea would be to use some pie filling added to a cake mix to give the cake a bit more flavor and nutrients. This is more of a dessert idea but could be an occasional breakfast treat. My mom used to add cherry pie filling to a devils food cake mix for a take on a Black Forest cake if you added whipped cream or Cool Whip. You could also try to use the pancake mix to make crepes and fill them with some fruit pie filling.
Great ideas for breakfasts & snacks. The Oatmeal Peanut Butter balls are only $.19/ ! And the Sausage Muffins were around $.31. Plus coffee depending on what you use you could have breakfast for less than $.50-$1.00 ! Wow I use the DT instant coffee $.03/ cup. A DT employee told me about the Stuffed Caramel Marshmallows which you can cut into small sizes $.06/ one or $.03/ half when cut , making a cup of Coffee $.06 total. Delicious and frugal
I always become so so happy when I find breakfasts I can eat. Eggs dont like me and so I struggle to eat it. This was such a great start to my week. I know someone whos going to really enjoy those muffins in the beginning. 😁
@@DollarTreeDinners also to answer your question I like smoothies. It's eggless and packed with nutrition. I struggle making filling ones but on most days I just don't eat breakfast because it's hard finding foods to eat. This is helping 🙂
I started watching Next Level Chef last night & decided you need to get on that show! Last night 8 social media chefs were competing. You got my vote! Favorite breakfast is probably overnight oats w honey & frozen fruit. Easy, healthy, & delicious 😋
If you're allergic to chicken eggs many can consume duck eggs as they have a different kind of protein . Of course they're rather expensive but can be a backup idea. But you should cook them over a low heat so they don't get rubbery 😊
@@sharonsalyer4912 My sister told me that so we called around the area looking for someone who was selling duck eggs. No luck. Lol! But if I ever come across some I might brave it and try them out. 😊
When using water for the muffins a little mayo, if you have it on hand or have a packet will add that little extra boost of moisture and help bind them.
I have made the sausage muffins using the sweet cornbread mix from Dollar Tree. Now I want to make it using blueberry mix. Thank you for the recipe ideas.
Rebecca, these all look amazing. I love the idea of the muffin sandwiches. My daughter and I were thinking this idea could also be done with a blueberry quick bread mix, in a bread pan with sausage links laid across.
Gosh your creativity never ceases to amaze me! You genuinely have made me look at DT in such a new way. Also to comment on the lack of meat at DT: you could make a pretty incredible black bean burger. Lots of protein in that. It’s not meat 🥩.
In a different video you paired the biscuit mix with spicy chicken nuggets in a muffin tin; the idea of baking a bread and meat into a little muffin cup was one of those simple things that blew my mind; always glad to see various alternatives.
Rebecca, Awesome ideas for breakfast. Have you thought of making vegetarian meals for breakfast, lunch & supper? I know for myself, I do eat eggs & cheese. Great video. 😊
You mentioned the Cranberry Bliss Bars. Have you ever thought of doing Dollar Tree copy cat recipes? Anyway, I love your content. It’s been saving me time and money. You’re the best!
One thing I love about your content is that because you try to use the most widely available/lowest common denominator in terms of ingredients, all of your recipes are able to be replicated at generally any store without much hassle.
Really enjoyed this video! My husband got several boxes of "fancy" pancake mix for last Christmas and he hasn't put a dent in them. These are great ideas for what to do with them!
My DT has really upgraded their food products in the past 3 months. A lot of name brand. I guess the name brands are now making smaller portion & marketing through DT. Plus for me. Thanks for sharing your recipes😊
Such creative ideas! I've never seen eggs at our Dollar Trees. I spend $5.00 for breakfast for the whole month. One canister of oatmeal has 30 servings in it and its still $5.00 or less. Filling and good for me and it keeps me within my budget. Love your videos!
The energy bites would make a great healthy snack too! PS--Your meal prep tips have been really helpful. I made a huge batch of chicken today and made different marinades for them. Even though I didn't use all DT items, your meal prep & portion ingredients tips are really practical and helpful. Thank you so much! 👍
You can use dry coffee creamer added to the water to mimic the milk. I have done this many times with fruit/sweet muffin mixes. The sweetness of the dry coffee creamer doesn't affect the taste in fruit or cornbread muffin mix as it would in a savory mix.
I simply adore your creativity! Hands down really. Your ideas are so fancy yet easy and affordable. These breakfast meals could be literally served for a brunch smorgasbord and everyone would be pleased who had the fortune to eat it. Love your channel! ❤
I made the PB honey bars recently. I used 4 packs of the maple brown sugar flavor oatmeal with a small package of a sweet and salty mix from DT and their PB Honey flavored PB. These are awesome, love them!
I came across your channel about a month ago and I've really been enjoying it. You have a real knack for this. Your videos are so easy to watch and you seem to really be yourself. On a lot of other cooking channels it sounds like they're reading a script.
For the smoked sausage breakfast recipe, I suggest to first dice and fry a few slices of bacon. Then remove the cooked bacon bits from the pan, setting them aside to add back at the end. Reserve the bacon grease in the pan and brown the remaining ingredients in the bacon grease. This small addition of the bacon packs a lot of flavor to this dish making it really delicious. We had this last night for supper. Yum!!
@@charityfaith1474 Yes, just about 4 or 5 slices of bacon diced up in small strips then cooked. The bacon flavor with the smokeiness from the sausage, combined with the peppers, onions and potatoes is a winning combination.
I make that 3rd meal for dinner with the Checkers fries cut into bits with scissors, cooked in Asian hot oil with frozen veggies from the freezer. No meat.
I've been playing with Japanese onigiri (rice balls) lately, and if you use oatmeal in place of rice, you could add flavorings of your choice and/or stuff with sausage or cheese, or fruit, or peanut butter. Inexpensive, satisfying, easily on the go, and fun. Dollar Tree friendly too.
I love it when you use the french fries. So smart ! The meals look great, especially the sausage skillet. Love the mini muffins, esp. the bacon cheese ones. 😊❄☃🌞💗✝
Such a huge fan of your content!! The way you explain stuff, demonstrate how to cook and help plan out a budget makes it seem so doable. Love how it doesn't have to be perfect, itll still be eaten! So encouraging. Especially for people in less than ideal situations. I did wanna point out. The cranberries used in the pancake breakfast weren't white chocolate covered, they're yogurt covered. I've seen them in my local dollar tree as well. So that might've contributed to the overly sweet taste! 15:03
I'm going to cry I been watching you videos for a while now. I have been able to use the recipes to cook for my family. I could not eat most of it because of my egg allergy. So I'm very glad for this.
The all in the box pancake mix, where you just add water, is so good to have on hand, for times when money is short, or people can't get to the store. I would put the boxes of mix into the freezer for at least a week, or in your car, if you live up north, during this sub freezing weather, to kill any bugs and eggs that get into the flour, at the manufacturer. We do this with our flour all the time, because we had bugs actually fly out of a new bag of flour, when we opened it. It would gross people out if they knew how many "things" they eat, that aren't supposed to be in their dry goods. That's why it's also important to rotate your dry and canned goods, when you buy new. I'm not a "best by" date follower, as only baby food is required to have an expiration date. But I have 2 daughters who think food instantly goes bad, the day after the "sell by" date! I think God gave us noses and eyes for a reason. I open it, and if it doesn't smell like it should, or look like it should, I throw it away! Too much food goes to waste in America, that could feed hungry people! **Maybe you could find ways to use that pancake mix, to make meals from. I'm thinking of fried chicken, or pot pie, etc. Just add savory spices to change it from pancake mix to a coating for chicken, or a topping for chicken pot pie. Even desserts could be made, like thin out the batter to make crepes. We make a simple crepe with sliced bananas and fresh strawberries, dotted with whipped cream or cool whip (I prefer fresh whipped whipping cream with a little powdered sugar and homemade vanilla added) rolled inside the crepe, dusted with powdered sugar! NOW I'M HUNGRY! My husband and I have been buying bags of square cut hash brown potatoes with peppers and onions already added to it, from Aldi or kroger. Sometimes for dinner, we just want those cooked up, with scrambled eggs, with a dollop of sour cream in the whipped eggs, before pouring them over the potato mixture to scramble. Then I add a heaping handful of whatever cheese I have handy. I try to make enough so there's leftovers for my husband to heat up for a late night snack!.
Thank you for the ideas. I got to work right away to make a breakfast casserole and divide it up in portions. I did add eggs and mushrooms and I had to replace potatoes with cauliflower. Thanks for the motivation. 😊
I love your videos. You explain things so well & I love how you use a leftover ingredient for another recipe. (Like the cheese in this video.) Even using bacon fat for the potatoes to save on oil.No waste. Love it!
Great video... i love how creative you are with the items you have. Love your meal plans 😋❤ My area (4) DTs have also been out of eggs for awhile. I was surprised to see my Aldi eggs doubled in price, but the cage-free organic eggs were $1.00 , cheaper 😮😮
Ya know it’s funny you mention that because I had a comment about cage free eggs recently so I checked the price on them and realized they were about the same price as regular eggs
I think this is one of uour very best videos but i say that a lot about your videos :) i think youre my favorite budget/accessible creators. I like how you offer healthier options too sometimes. 🎉❤
I love that you do simply recipes without a lot of weird ingredients or complicated recipes. I buy 5doz eggs at Walmart when under $10 as I've never seen any eggs in any dollar tree
I wish I could get 5 dozen at Walmart for under $10, I usually buy 36 at a time at the grocery store because I don’t have the fridge space for 60 eggs :)
Have you ever tried the 2 ingredient bagel recipe (self rising flour & greek yogurt). I'd love to see what you would think to do with that as a base. 🙂
I didn't have self rising flour so I just added baking powder to the all purpose flour and the bagels were delicious. I had peach yogurt that was about to expire so that's what I used. The bagels had a light peach flavor that was delicious with my morning coffee. ☕🥯
@@dianethoroughman9541 They were sooo easy to make. Not as dense as store bought bagels but tasty. You can even use regular yogurt if that's all you have, just let it strain to remove the excess water. Save the strained water because you'll need some of it for the dough.
This is so,so wonderful !!! The bacon for us is a winner and the chocolate chips :) I think I would get a pack of dried cranberries sweetened . I know they are more expensive but in the long run I think would be worth it. Thanks Rebecca your a sweetheart. God Bless, HUgs, Rebekah
Hi Rebecca!! I'm usually the oddball of the bunch cos I'm not a fan of bacon. I like the smell, but not the flavor of bacon. (My aunt is the same way with coffee.) So I'd switch out the bacon bits to sausage bits. Kinda like a new take on Pigs in a Blanket, but bite size. All great ideas though. ☺️
Well, I thought my hack for putting cookies into a pan and baking the whole lot of them together and then cutting them up was great. But you! Putting pancake mix into muffin tins - that is a game changer for me! Being unable to stand for long and having limited mobility sucks, but something like this with one and done to bake them is fantastic!
You can also pour pancake batter onto a sheet tray with edges, to bake one giant pancake, to cut into squares, and store in the fridge or freezer, to pull out when ready to eat one, two, or three squares!!!
Love you Rebecca your always a Pleasure and have great content and meals idea's thanks for for being you a lovely charming carrying person love you. 💖☮💖☮
So I just tried mini-pancake muffins... half with bacon and chocolate chips and half with bacon and cranberries... THESE are something I could definitely eat weekly!!
Heyaaaa lady! (Rebecca) always looking for affordable, easy, breakfast ideas! Love your new Walmart dinner / meal idea hauls and of course your OG Dollar Tree ones! Much love! ❤
Rebecca, your channel inspired me to play around with some food pantry donation items I'd received that I had a surplus of/one item I wasn't sure when I would ever use otherwise. I was craving something sweet, but didn't have any butter on hand. I found an oatmeal cookie recipe online and modified it to what I had on hand: 1-1/2c baking mix (Bisquick or some other equivalent,) 2c oatmeal, 1c mixed dried fruit (cranberries, dates, and raisins,) and chopped walnuts (came in this USDA surplus package, but you can use what you've got on hand,) and some spices from my cupboard - i used clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, and a pinch of salt, and stirred them all up. Since i had no butter and no applesauce, but i DID happen to have a can of apple pie filling that i had received (i like to make my own pie filling, so i wasn't sure what i was gonna do with this can up until now, and I'd had it for months,) i opened it, rinsed off the thick, gloopy gel off of the apple slices, and crushed them up with my hands until it was a nice, chunky, applesaucey texture. I beat in two eggs, about 4 or 5 tablespoons of molasses, and then stirred all the dry ingredients and made balls about the size of 1tbsp on a cookie sheet. Baked them for 15 or so minutes at 350, and I ended up with these chewy, fruity, lightly sweet, and really filling... Not quite a cookie, but more like a little soft baked granola ball? I'm sure you could substitute all kinds of stuff, like a can of pumpkin instead of the crushed, sweetened apple slices, but you would need to add more sweetener, or you could use brown or white sugar, maple syrup, or honey as your sweetening instead of molasses. I'm definitely going to make these again, and I wanted to share this year with you because they really have been a perfect little quick breakfast bite for me the last couple of days - and when I saw the subject of your video today, I figured this was a perfect time to share! Now that I'm done, though, I'm going to press play and finish watching your vid back from the beginning! 😅
Oh! And one variation on your peanut butter balls, to keep them from sticking together - you can roll them in flaked, toasted coconut, crushed banana chips, crushed rice Krispies or other cereal - adds a nice crunch and keeps them from sticking!
For those of us who dont eat breakfast (no i do not believe it is the most important meal) i cant imagine eating all of the food that you prepare in one day. My body is so used to eating from 1 p m to 9 p m. I love your videos because you are so resourseful with dollar tree items.
Hi Rebecca! I really enjoy your Dollar Tree meal ideas and all of the money saving tips & ideas that you share!! I always keep the shelf stable 2% milk stocked up I my pantry
So how about a challenge to see what four things for $5 you can buy at your most reasonably priced local grocery store? Im curious to see how it would compare...
the banana chips are such a great idea! I Love your videos. my pup does too. well, hes a chunky English lab who waits for scraps. when you said "you don't have to use banana chips" my dog was like NO! banana chips are essential! he also has a suggestion for a future video, budget homemade dog treats :)
Love your recipes. Just did a quick online check & none of my 3 local Dollar Trees have the Hungry Jack pancake mix & only 1 has the chocolate chips. I frequently run into that problem (lack of stock)so I end up trying to find equivalent items at walmart to try your recipes. I greatly appreciate your videos.
After my eye appointment Monday(yesterday) I popped into DT for migraine otc meds and spent 20 bucks lol but I was hungry (bad idea 😆) however I did get items I needed along with junk food. My hubby and I love the cheetos Mac N cheese we got the bold and creamy style 😋 I also grabbed sugar (for baking needs) and sausage links which is needed for part of a meal this week, and bacon bits. One of my junk food items was on mark down so only paid 50 cents for chocolate frosted donuts
I love your videos, I shop at the same stores and you have lots of great ideas! I find myself looking for the items that you have bought that I hadn't seen yet. You have great positive fun energy and make the best of your recipes. You remind me of me as a young girl. More power to you :-)
A lot of my friends are asking me more & more about budgeting. People who really didn’t pay attention to their grocery budgets until recently (gee, who knew groceries were getting more & more expensive 🙄) I’m sending them your way!
I was at my DT Plus yesterday. They had alot of spices, snacks, little brownies and pies marked down to $0.25, and frozen Tombstone and Red Baron Pizzas marked down from $4.00, to $1.25. They said bc the items were close to sell by date, but the dates were still 2 weeks out. So excited 🎉 to find these items 😍
I have never seen any of my area DT mark anything down, unless it was seasonal or broken. This is a brand bew store. Been open since November. Great finds. ❤
Score! My DT marks down meat fairly often ( monthly maybe) & I buy everything!
So lucky! I rarely see markdowns at any of my dollar trees
Our dollar tree closed. But I discovered our local $.99 store and that it has fresh produce. Prices are all over the place tho lol.
I really need to get to Dollar tree
1 and 2 weeks out are when things get marked down (I just did this at work today)
My husband watched this with me (his first time) and he was really impressed. "What a NICE lady; so cool she does this to help others."
I *love* your videos because I am autistic and the "rule follower" variety so it's never occurred to me to use foods "wrong" like using pancake mix to make mini muffins etc. The creativity and different ways to use the same kinds of things is incredibly helpful (and interesting!).
When I was in my dollar tree last time the manager there told me they are getting ready to drop the prices on over 300 items back down to $1 or less very soon. She said it’s because now that items are $1.25 they have seen a decrease in sales because people can get those things at Walmart cheaper. I’m excited to see what they lower the prices on. I’m hoping it’s several food items.
Thanks for the update. The CEO had said it was going to happen last year in November or December, before Christmas. I've kept looking and my DT manager had no idea.
Good to hear
@@Twinklez63 except last month they announced that they will be raising many/most prices to $1.50. Who knows.
I'm not sure if you've done this since I've seen many but not all of your videos, but I had an idea. As I was reading through comments in this video I noted that someone said there are a lot of spices and seasonings at DT. What if you did a pantry stock haul that would last maybe 3 months so some of the meals would have more seasonings and add-in options that could span over time. I'd say budget $25 over 3 or so months for 20 not-so-perishable items. These might include dried spices and spice mixes, dried herbs, flour, sugar, dried milk, dried creamers, ketchup, ranch, mustards, hot sauce, mayo, salad dressings, seasonings packets, bread crumbs, marshmallows, chocolate chips, parmesan cheese shake, cereals, honey, maple syrup, jello packets, nuts and dried fruits, etc. They'd be just little add-ins to spice up your already great dishes. I know my DT carries most of those items. Some of your skillets would benefit from some Mrs Dash type seasonings and maybe Italian dressing, meatballs with a ketchup and honey mustard glaze, and your pancake muffins would be superb as a dessert done like a jello poke cake. You don't have to mix up a whole packet of jello to make just enough to add some flavor. I think doing that would make a lot more of the meals you make more palatable and still quite affordable by stretching the cost over 3 months. My suggestion would to be taking any left over change from your budget and putting it in a jar to go toward spices and condiments. If your receipt was for $24.03 for a shopping trip, round up that change and turn it into a gradual collection of those extras. Heck, maybe even a new series on your channel could be in order. I just love your voice and how real of a person you are. Your smile is infectious and I love your videos.
I completely agree!! I do most of my shopping at BJ's, but I hit up Dollar Tree first to see if I can get any of the essentials like spices and condiments. Even some pre made mixes like brownies or cornbread. I think it would be really cool for her to highlight some of the really cool stuff you can get at dollar tree for so much cheaper. And yes she's honestly such a kind soul and I religiously watch and rewatch her videos because they're just that good!!
even a $10 "pantry essential" video with $10 on versatile ingredients and spices that could last a long time and enhance the limits of oil, salt, and pepper would be cool!
@@occludedzeitgeist Yep, it would!
I buy a lot of my spices at DT. So much cheaper! I found a sugar and cinnamon mix spice that's is great for baked goods like apple crumble and oatmeal.
Most herb cuttings like Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, and Basil can be grown indoors with some love, care, and attention such that you can use them to flavor your dishes in perpetuity. Also, a bunch of green onions can be prorogated in a glass of water after cutting them near the white portion. Then once they have grown a couple of inches, usually a few days, you can plant them in a pot in-doors and they will produce several more cuttings of the fresh green part. The green part of green onions are FODMAP safe, so go for it. A ~$1 bunch of green onions can yield up to 5 cuttings of 6" of the green part...then cook up the white part in a dish and buy a new bunch. Repeat!
That sausage hash was brilliant because it works as breakfast, lunch or dinner!😊
My thoughts exactly with a side salad or roasted veggie blend.
I would love to see a video on how or what you would stock a pantry with from Dollar Tree for those times that folks have a little extra to spend. Especially what dried herbs or spices or condiments you would recommend.
I'm thinking of doing a Dollar Tree challenge with my two younger kids (17 & 15 who are learning to enjoy cooking basic meals). I'm thinking about taking them to the Dollar Tree with $10 to see what they put together for a dinner.
That's a great idea!!!
Great idea! Teach them budget and nutrition!
I love this idea!
Did you end up trying this? I am still grateful ma gave us the chance to cook at home before we launched, and getting to do the shopping part on a budget would have been even better.
@@The3Storms I did. My son made a pasta dish he'd happily make again (elbow pasta, can of sauce, garlic bread). My daughter made breakfast (pancakes, sausage, juice) & it wasn't half bad.
You could use a vanilla or yellow cake mix along with some, margarine, brown sugar and cinnamon to make a coffee cake with crumb topping reminiscent of Hostess Crumb Cakes.
Another idea would be to use some pie filling added to a cake mix to give the cake a bit more flavor and nutrients.
This is more of a dessert idea but could be an occasional breakfast treat.
My mom used to add cherry pie filling to a devils food cake mix for a take on a Black Forest cake if you added whipped cream or Cool Whip.
You could also try to use the pancake mix to make crepes and fill them with some fruit pie filling.
Great ideas for breakfasts & snacks. The Oatmeal Peanut Butter balls are only $.19/ ! And the Sausage Muffins were around $.31. Plus coffee depending on what you use you could have breakfast for less than $.50-$1.00 ! Wow
I use the DT instant coffee $.03/ cup. A DT employee told me about the Stuffed Caramel Marshmallows which you can cut into small sizes $.06/ one or $.03/ half when cut , making a cup of Coffee $.06 total. Delicious and frugal
I never thought about using marshmallows in any beverage but hot chocolate. I love the idea! Now I want to go experiment with my favorite tea.
I always become so so happy when I find breakfasts I can eat. Eggs dont like me and so I struggle to eat it. This was such a great start to my week. I know someone whos going to really enjoy those muffins in the beginning. 😁
You're so welcome! I love sharing eggless breakfasts as I know that a lot of budget breakfast options are very egg focused
@@DollarTreeDinners also to answer your question I like smoothies. It's eggless and packed with nutrition. I struggle making filling ones but on most days I just don't eat breakfast because it's hard finding foods to eat. This is helping 🙂
I started watching Next Level Chef last night & decided you need to get on that show! Last night 8 social media chefs were competing. You got my vote! Favorite breakfast is probably overnight oats w honey & frozen fruit. Easy, healthy, & delicious 😋
I was watching the same show and she also came to mind. 😁
We like to Airbnb when we take our daughter to college and these recipes and ideas are so perfect for Airbnb life!! Tfs 💕
As someone with an egg allergy, I really appreciate a video that showcases affordable breakfast foods without them! Thank you!
If you're allergic to chicken eggs many can consume duck eggs as they have a different kind of protein . Of course they're rather expensive but can be a backup idea. But you should cook them over a low heat so they don't get rubbery 😊
@@sharonsalyer4912 My sister told me that so we called around the area looking for someone who was selling duck eggs. No luck. Lol! But if I ever come across some I might brave it and try them out. 😊
"its going to be eaten whether or not it's perfect" is great encouragement! Thank you!
You might've invented a new category of food with that Sausage Muffin 😉
When using water for the muffins a little mayo, if you have it on hand or have a packet will add that little extra boost of moisture and help bind them.
I have made the sausage muffins using the sweet cornbread mix from Dollar Tree. Now I want to make it using blueberry mix. Thank you for the recipe ideas.
That was a brilliant recipe!
Mmm that sounds good too!
Rebecca, these all look amazing. I love the idea of the muffin sandwiches. My daughter and I were thinking this idea could also be done with a blueberry quick bread mix, in a bread pan with sausage links laid across.
I’m picturing that in a loaf pan, and now I want to try it!
Gosh your creativity never ceases to amaze me! You genuinely have made me look at DT in such a new way. Also to comment on the lack of meat at DT: you could make a pretty incredible black bean burger. Lots of protein in that. It’s not meat 🥩.
In a different video you paired the biscuit mix with spicy chicken nuggets in a muffin tin; the idea of baking a bread and meat into a little muffin cup was one of those simple things that blew my mind; always glad to see various alternatives.
Another easy thing you can do with pancake mix is spread it onto a sheet pan and bake it. Takes less time and we really like it for meal prepping days
Rebecca, Awesome ideas for breakfast. Have you thought of making vegetarian meals for breakfast, lunch & supper? I know for myself, I do eat eggs & cheese. Great video. 😊
Yes. The thought of eating sausage of any kind turns my stomach.
Great thing about a lot of her recipe ideas is that you can sub out meat for anything vegetarian they you like. Beans, quinoa, rice, etc.. so easy.
You mentioned the Cranberry Bliss Bars. Have you ever thought of doing Dollar Tree copy cat recipes? Anyway, I love your content. It’s been saving me time and money. You’re the best!
One thing I love about your content is that because you try to use the most widely available/lowest common denominator in terms of ingredients, all of your recipes are able to be replicated at generally any store without much hassle.
That skillet meal was a wonderful value! Multiple meals for $5!
Grandkids come thi summer. We are gonna make those mini muffins! Tyty❤
Mix some of the chopped fruit/nut mix into the muffin mix then bake.
Really enjoyed this video! My husband got several boxes of "fancy" pancake mix for last Christmas and he hasn't put a dent in them. These are great ideas for what to do with them!
My DT has really upgraded their food products in the past 3 months. A lot of name brand. I guess the name brands are now making smaller portion & marketing through DT. Plus for me. Thanks for sharing your recipes😊
Such creative ideas! I've never seen eggs at our Dollar Trees. I spend $5.00 for breakfast for the whole month. One canister of oatmeal has 30 servings in it and its still $5.00 or less. Filling and good for me and it keeps me within my budget. Love your videos!
The energy bites would make a great healthy snack too! PS--Your meal prep tips have been really helpful. I made a huge batch of chicken today and made different marinades for them. Even though I didn't use all DT items, your meal prep & portion ingredients tips are really practical and helpful. Thank you so much! 👍
You can use dry coffee creamer added to the water to mimic the milk. I have done this many times with fruit/sweet muffin mixes. The sweetness of the dry coffee creamer doesn't affect the taste in fruit or cornbread muffin mix as it would in a savory mix.
I simply adore your creativity! Hands down really. Your ideas are so fancy yet easy and affordable. These breakfast meals could be literally served for a brunch smorgasbord and everyone would be pleased who had the fortune to eat it. Love your channel! ❤
I made the PB honey bars recently. I used 4 packs of the maple brown sugar flavor oatmeal with a small package of a sweet and salty mix from DT and their PB Honey flavored PB. These are awesome, love them!
Every one of these recipes looked delicious! Maybe I’m crazy but I would totally mix the bacon and the chocolate chips together on the pancake bites 😋
Those pb bites would be great with choc chips!
Thank you for these! I have an egg allergy. I appreciate the egg free ideas. Especially the savory ones.
I came across your channel about a month ago and I've really been enjoying it. You have a real knack for this. Your videos are so easy to watch and you seem to really be yourself. On a lot of other cooking channels it sounds like they're reading a script.
Great ideas!! My daughter doesn't like eggs!! Budget friendly ideas are always a plus, too!
For the smoked sausage breakfast recipe, I suggest to first dice and fry a few slices of bacon. Then remove the cooked bacon bits from the pan, setting them aside to add back at the end. Reserve the bacon grease in the pan and brown the remaining ingredients in the bacon grease. This small addition of the bacon packs a lot of flavor to this dish making it really delicious. We had this last night for supper. Yum!!
In addition to the smoked sausage?
@@charityfaith1474 Yes, just about 4 or 5 slices of bacon diced up in small strips then cooked. The bacon flavor with the smokeiness from the sausage, combined with the peppers, onions and potatoes is a winning combination.
I'm definitely going to try the pancake bites!❤
I really like these breakfast ideas that don't use eggs. Hope to see more in the future 😊
I make that 3rd meal for dinner with the Checkers fries cut into bits with scissors, cooked in Asian hot oil with frozen veggies from the freezer. No meat.
It’s a great dinner option!
I've been playing with Japanese onigiri (rice balls) lately, and if you use oatmeal in place of rice, you could add flavorings of your choice and/or stuff with sausage or cheese, or fruit, or peanut butter. Inexpensive, satisfying, easily on the go, and fun. Dollar Tree friendly too.
I love it when you use the french fries. So smart ! The meals look great, especially the sausage skillet. Love the mini muffins, esp. the bacon cheese ones. 😊❄☃🌞💗✝
Such a huge fan of your content!! The way you explain stuff, demonstrate how to cook and help plan out a budget makes it seem so doable. Love how it doesn't have to be perfect, itll still be eaten! So encouraging. Especially for people in less than ideal situations.
I did wanna point out. The cranberries used in the pancake breakfast weren't white chocolate covered, they're yogurt covered. I've seen them in my local dollar tree as well. So that might've contributed to the overly sweet taste! 15:03
I'm going to cry I been watching you videos for a while now. I have been able to use the recipes to cook for my family. I could not eat most of it because of my egg allergy. So I'm very glad for this.
The all in the box pancake mix, where you just add water, is so good to have on hand, for times when money is short, or people can't get to the store. I would put the boxes of mix into the freezer for at least a week, or in your car, if you live up north, during this sub freezing weather, to kill any bugs and eggs that get into the flour, at the manufacturer. We do this with our flour all the time, because we had bugs actually fly out of a new bag of flour, when we opened it. It would gross people out if they knew how many "things" they eat, that aren't supposed to be in their dry goods. That's why it's also important to rotate your dry and canned goods, when you buy new. I'm not a "best by" date follower, as only baby food is required to have an expiration date. But I have 2 daughters who think food instantly goes bad, the day after the "sell by" date! I think God gave us noses and eyes for a reason. I open it, and if it doesn't smell like it should, or look like it should, I throw it away! Too much food goes to waste in America, that could feed hungry people!
**Maybe you could find ways to use that pancake mix, to make meals from. I'm thinking of fried chicken, or pot pie, etc. Just add savory spices to change it from pancake mix to a coating for chicken, or a topping for chicken pot pie. Even desserts could be made, like thin out the batter to make crepes. We make a simple crepe with sliced bananas and fresh strawberries, dotted with whipped cream or cool whip (I prefer fresh whipped whipping cream with a little powdered sugar and homemade vanilla added) rolled inside the crepe, dusted with powdered sugar! NOW I'M HUNGRY!
My husband and I have been buying bags of square cut hash brown potatoes with peppers and onions already added to it, from Aldi or kroger. Sometimes for dinner, we just want those cooked up, with scrambled eggs, with a dollop of sour cream in the whipped eggs, before pouring them over the potato mixture to scramble. Then I add a heaping handful of whatever cheese I have handy. I try to make enough so there's leftovers for my husband to heat up for a late night snack!.
as always, you do an amazing job at sharing easy, affordable, tasty meals! thanks again, friend!
Thanks girlie!
As always, well done. These breakfasts would be so great for anyone with busy lives and kids.
I am trying those pancake bites this week!! And the oatmeal pb bites! Love your videos!!!
We love to keep the oatmeal bites on hand, it’s one of our favorites!
I think my Sunday school kids will love the muffins 😋 😊
Thank you for the ideas. I got to work right away to make a breakfast casserole and divide it up in portions. I did add eggs and mushrooms and I had to replace potatoes with cauliflower. Thanks for the motivation. 😊
I love your videos. You explain things so well & I love how you use a leftover ingredient for another recipe. (Like the cheese in this video.) Even using bacon fat for the potatoes to save on oil.No waste. Love it!
Great video... i love how creative you are with the items you have. Love your meal plans 😋❤
My area (4) DTs have also been out of eggs for awhile. I was surprised to see my Aldi eggs doubled in price, but the cage-free organic eggs were $1.00 , cheaper 😮😮
Ya know it’s funny you mention that because I had a comment about cage free eggs recently so I checked the price on them and realized they were about the same price as regular eggs
Tip: use kitchen scissors to cut up your french fries...makes it super easy!
It might be interesting if you tested Dollar Tree knives and kitchen tools ✌️
Ok… I’ve gotta make a run to dollar tree!! All 3 look amazing!!
I wish we had Dollar Tree here! Thank you for the video!
I think this is one of uour very best videos but i say that a lot about your videos :) i think youre my favorite budget/accessible creators. I like how you offer healthier options too sometimes. 🎉❤
I love that you do simply recipes without a lot of weird ingredients or complicated recipes. I buy 5doz eggs at Walmart when under $10 as I've never seen any eggs in any dollar tree
I wish I could get 5 dozen at Walmart for under $10, I usually buy 36 at a time at the grocery store because I don’t have the fridge space for 60 eggs :)
Thank you for this! At my location it’s always a miss with eggs whether it’s because a lack there of or usually broken eggs 😫
Have you ever tried the 2 ingredient bagel recipe (self rising flour & greek yogurt). I'd love to see what you would think to do with that as a base. 🙂
I didn't have self rising flour so I just added baking powder to the all purpose flour and the bagels were delicious. I had peach yogurt that was about to expire so that's what I used. The bagels had a light peach flavor that was delicious with my morning coffee. ☕🥯
Ardent Michelle made those recently on her RUclips channel. She said they were a weight watchers recipe. I am thinking about making them.
@@dianethoroughman9541 They were sooo easy to make. Not as dense as store bought bagels but tasty. You can even use regular yogurt if that's all you have, just let it strain to remove the excess water. Save the strained water because you'll need some of it for the dough.
@@patpeters6331 Thank you. I will go to DT this week. I will make these.
Wow, those sausage muffins look amazing! I don't think I've ever seen that before.
This is so,so wonderful !!! The bacon for us is a winner and the chocolate chips :) I think I would get a pack of dried cranberries sweetened . I know they are more expensive but in the long run I think would be worth it. Thanks Rebecca your a sweetheart. God Bless, HUgs, Rebekah
I hope my store gets those cranberries!!! They looked sooooo good!!! I love white chocolate and cranberries!!! Great ideas as usual ❤
Hi Rebecca!! I'm usually the oddball of the bunch cos I'm not a fan of bacon. I like the smell, but not the flavor of bacon. (My aunt is the same way with coffee.) So I'd switch out the bacon bits to sausage bits. Kinda like a new take on Pigs in a Blanket, but bite size. All great ideas though. ☺️
I also love the smell of bacon, but not the flavor!
Love your video! You are so smart! Thanks for sharing these ideas. God Bless!
Well, I thought my hack for putting cookies into a pan and baking the whole lot of them together and then cutting them up was great. But you! Putting pancake mix into muffin tins - that is a game changer for me! Being unable to stand for long and having limited mobility sucks, but something like this with one and done to bake them is fantastic!
You can also pour pancake batter onto a sheet tray with edges, to bake one giant pancake, to cut into squares, and store in the fridge or freezer, to pull out when ready to eat one, two, or three squares!!!
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉! ( Allergies to eggs and have been wanting some inspiration) 😷❤❤❤❤thank you Rebecca for this👍👍👍
Hope it gave you some ideas!
Love you Rebecca your always a Pleasure and have great content and meals idea's thanks for for being you a lovely charming carrying person love you. 💖☮💖☮
So I just tried mini-pancake muffins... half with bacon and chocolate chips and half with bacon and cranberries... THESE are something I could definitely eat weekly!!
Heyaaaa lady! (Rebecca) always looking for affordable, easy, breakfast ideas! Love your new Walmart dinner / meal idea hauls and of course your OG Dollar Tree ones! Much love! ❤
I really love that blueberry sausage muffin! Thanks again for all of your videos that so valuable to us!
Yeah 🎉🎉 a breakfast video 😋 i love your videos ❤ Haven't watched this yet, but going now. So Excited 🥳🥳🥰💖
Hope you enjoy!
This is great! I'm really inspired by the blueberry muffin sausage breakfast!
Please do the combined Walmart and Dollar tree videos!!
Another winner Rebecca! Thank you!
Rebecca, your channel inspired me to play around with some food pantry donation items I'd received that I had a surplus of/one item I wasn't sure when I would ever use otherwise. I was craving something sweet, but didn't have any butter on hand. I found an oatmeal cookie recipe online and modified it to what I had on hand: 1-1/2c baking mix (Bisquick or some other equivalent,) 2c oatmeal, 1c mixed dried fruit (cranberries, dates, and raisins,) and chopped walnuts (came in this USDA surplus package, but you can use what you've got on hand,) and some spices from my cupboard - i used clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, and a pinch of salt, and stirred them all up. Since i had no butter and no applesauce, but i DID happen to have a can of apple pie filling that i had received (i like to make my own pie filling, so i wasn't sure what i was gonna do with this can up until now, and I'd had it for months,) i opened it, rinsed off the thick, gloopy gel off of the apple slices, and crushed them up with my hands until it was a nice, chunky, applesaucey texture. I beat in two eggs, about 4 or 5 tablespoons of molasses, and then stirred all the dry ingredients and made balls about the size of 1tbsp on a cookie sheet. Baked them for 15 or so minutes at 350, and I ended up with these chewy, fruity, lightly sweet, and really filling... Not quite a cookie, but more like a little soft baked granola ball? I'm sure you could substitute all kinds of stuff, like a can of pumpkin instead of the crushed, sweetened apple slices, but you would need to add more sweetener, or you could use brown or white sugar, maple syrup, or honey as your sweetening instead of molasses. I'm definitely going to make these again, and I wanted to share this year with you because they really have been a perfect little quick breakfast bite for me the last couple of days - and when I saw the subject of your video today, I figured this was a perfect time to share! Now that I'm done, though, I'm going to press play and finish watching your vid back from the beginning! 😅
Oh! And one variation on your peanut butter balls, to keep them from sticking together - you can roll them in flaked, toasted coconut, crushed banana chips, crushed rice Krispies or other cereal - adds a nice crunch and keeps them from sticking!
For those of us who dont eat breakfast (no i do not believe it is the most important meal) i cant imagine eating all of the food that you prepare in one day. My body is so used to eating from 1 p m to 9 p m. I love your videos because you are so resourseful with dollar tree items.
Great content and I’m always pleased when you have at least one ‘10 out of 10’. 🙆🏻♀️
I appreciate these eggless ideas...all of them have eggs. I am allergic to eggs, so thanks again for these
Yay top 12 and top 138 comments and likes. Love this channel. Best to you and your family. Thanks for making this video.
For the skillet breakfast I would swap the cheese for salsa. Looks delicious!
Oh my gosh i want to make those pancakes bites for my 4 year old! He will love them! Thanks for the idea! 😊
Hi Rebecca! I really enjoy your Dollar Tree meal ideas and all of the money saving tips & ideas that you share!! I always keep the shelf stable 2% milk stocked up I my pantry
So how about a challenge to see what four things for $5 you can buy at your most reasonably priced local grocery store? Im curious to see how it would compare...
the banana chips are such a great idea! I Love your videos. my pup does too. well, hes a chunky English lab who waits for scraps. when you said "you don't have to use banana chips" my dog was like NO! banana chips are essential! he also has a suggestion for a future video, budget homemade dog treats :)
Awesome ideas!! I would eat all of these❤❤
These all look great! I love looking for different things I can make from my dollar store. You give me so many ideas.
I love when you burn something or spill something, you always say it will still taste good! ❤
Love your recipes. Just did a quick online check & none of my 3 local Dollar Trees have the Hungry Jack pancake mix & only 1 has the chocolate chips. I frequently run into that problem (lack of stock)so I end up trying to find equivalent items at walmart to try your recipes. I greatly appreciate your videos.
After my eye appointment Monday(yesterday) I popped into DT for migraine otc meds and spent 20 bucks lol but I was hungry (bad idea 😆) however I did get items I needed along with junk food.
My hubby and I love the cheetos Mac N cheese we got the bold and creamy style 😋
I also grabbed sugar (for baking needs) and sausage links which is needed for part of a meal this week, and bacon bits.
One of my junk food items was on mark down so only paid 50 cents for chocolate frosted donuts
My husbands favorite part of your videos is watching the bottles grow a!omg your cupboards . . .
those little pancake muffins look so good and would be great to put in a lunchbox
The oatmeal balls are looking so good, will be making these soon. Heck will be making all these soon, thank you.
You are so good at these creative ideas...love them!
Great ideas.
I love your videos, I shop at the same stores and you have lots of great ideas! I find myself looking for the items that you have bought that I hadn't seen yet. You have great positive fun energy and make the best of your recipes. You remind me of me as a young girl. More power to you :-)
A lot of my friends are asking me more & more about budgeting. People who really didn’t pay attention to their grocery budgets until recently (gee, who knew groceries were getting more & more expensive 🙄)
I’m sending them your way!
Love the ideas! Very creative!