INGREDIENTS

Making homemade brownies isn’t as hard as you would think. It starts with quality ingredients and the perfect blend of dry and wet ingredients. For this recipe, we will be using: flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, butter, eggs, chocolate chips, vanilla, salt, oil and baking soda. All items most, if not all, people have in their kitchen at any given time, so its perfect!

BROWNIE BATTER
In a large bowl, mix together warm melted butter and sugar. You want the butter to be warm to help dissolve some of the sugar crystals so you end up with a smooth batter. You will need two whole eggs and one egg yolk. As you are mixing, whisk in the two eggs one at a time, adding the egg yolk last. Next, stir in the vanilla extract and vegetable oil.

 Once incorporated, mix in the cocoa powder. This is when your batter will start to look delicious! 🙂 The cocoa powder is the first dry ingredient you will add and has the most influence over the final taste of your brownies. A high quality cocoa powder will lead to a deeper chocolate flavor.

Mix the cocoa powder in until smooth.

Next, switch to a spatula to mix in the dry ingredients. Add in the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Gently folding in the ingredients from the bottom. Be careful not to over mix at this step, you don’t want tough brownies! Remember, we’re aiming for soft and chewy!

Next, gently fold in the chocolate chips. Finally, transfer the brownie batter to a 9×9 baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Top with additional chocolate chips and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the edges are set and a cake test is successfully performed at the center of the brownies.
TIP: A cake test is when you insert a toothpick at the center of the pan and it comes back clean or with pieces of cake attached. If there is any uncooked batter left on the toothpick, return to oven for 5 additional minutes. Be careful not to overcook at this point, since the brownies will continue to cook as they cool.

Let it cool completely before cutting and serving. They will last for up to a week in an airtight container.

But good luck keeping them around for that long, lol. They are perfect, chewy, moist, and chocolaty!

Thanks for stopping by! Drop a comment if you give this recipe a try! Don’t forget sharing is caring!

*On Pinterest? Click the pic below to pin!*

See how easy that was?!? Until next time, cook like a king!

Grocery stores are great and convenient but tend to carry just the essentials and a bunch of the same stuff owned by literally 5 conglomerates. They are also over priced because of this said “convenience”. But lets be honest, most of the aisles are becoming full of more and more processed items and it seems like making a heathy meal cost more than a burger and fries combo (we all should be worried!). Not to say that deals can’t be found at grocery stores, they can, but they are far and few in between. Especially on the things that should be a part of daily diets.

Wouldn’t you love a place that offers veggies and produce at a decent price and organic options? Sounds like a dream right? But its not! These places are real and they are called farmers markets. Nowadays, you can find them right around the corner from where you live. Once you’ve found one, you will never bother with your local grocery stores. The savings are incredible! I always pick up my fruits, veggies and meats from a famers market. They are built for bulk buying, enough to feed a couple or a family of 4 on a budget and great for meal prepping. The other day I was able to get 10 limes for a dollar! Those same limes were selling 2 for a dollar at my local grocery store. What’s crazy, is that they are selling the exact same limes, but are charging you for “convenience” (mind blowing – I know!). They also sell meat in bulk which you can turn around and make enough food for lunch for an entire week. Farmers markets are the best way to go for meal prepping and saving money. So don’t be fooled any longer and find your local farmers market and start saving today!

Plan Ahead
Having your meals ready saves time, money & can be a healthier alternative.

Sage Chicken & Cauliflower Rice and Peas / Steak Egg Cups

Planning is everything when it comes to meal prepping. Knowing what you’re going to have and make is key to eating right for the week. Make sure you have containers, baggies and other packing essentials.  Many recipe can be multiplied to accommodate you for an entire week’s worth of lunch and breakfast! For example, I came up with these Steak Egg Cups that are full of protein and can be made ahead of time to enjoy every morning. The best part of these cups is the ingredient are interchangeable. If you’re not into steak change the protein or just load up on veggies, or you can just go egg whites. Great recipe to have especially when you’re on the go like most people these days. Don’t forget about lunch now! This Sage Garlic Chicken and Mushroom w/ Cauliflower Rice & Peas recipe is fantastic and packed with flavor.You can pair it with rice and veggies or try Cauliflower Rice as an alternative if you’re watching your carb intake. I love chicken thighs! If you’re going to cook chicken, cook pieces that are forgiving and have tons of flavor. Unlike breast meat, it’s very difficult to dry out thigh meat, especially if you cook it with the bone in. Also, bone-in meat of any kind tend to be cheaper than boneless. Simply because the labor of removing that bone and/or skin is added to the final cost. So save a few bucks and buy bone in! Both recipes are extremely simple and cost effective. The egg cups cost less than a dollars per serving and the chicken and cauliflower rice comes in right around $2.50 per serving!

Snackin’ – The most important meal of the day!

Cashew Almond & Cranberry Bites

Snacking can be a pleasure and a punishment on your diet. Snack machines are convenient, but planning ahead really takes that temptation out of the equation. I like to limit my carb intake everyday so for snacks I like to pack fresh sliced fruits like watermelon, oranges, peaches, grapes, etc. This step really completes your meal prep circle. Instead of impulsively hitting up the snack machine for a bag of chips, you can save that dollar and be prepared. If you want something with more bite, this recipe for Cashew Almond & Cranberry Bites is perfect. It’s sweetened with natural honey, it has almonds to provide a nice boost of fiber, and cashews to give you a balance of good fats and protein. Making these small changes to your diet can make a world of difference in the long run.

Balance Is Everything – A little bit of everything makes a whole ‘lotta sense.

Going into meal prepping, people think the food choices have to be boring or flavorless. In reality, it’s exactly the opposite. You are in full control here. You put what you want into every meal and snack you take with you. This idea of meal prepping can be detailed to fit your lifestyle and taste. You just have to remember to balance what you eat. Meal prepping isn’t about starving your body. It’s about nourishing and providing it with a balanced menu of proteins, good fats, fiber, vitamins and the essential blocks to keep your body right. Saving money is just an added bonus. Carbs are my weakness, I don’t cut them out completely, but I do my best to replace them through the day and week. We’ve become accustomed to having carbs at every meal. Yes, we need carbs – but honestly unless you have plans to use that extra energy you’re eating, you can eat less of it and still feel fulfilled, I promise!

Water is Life – Respect it! 

We have grown so accustomed to drinking a lot of our daily calories. The biggest issue here is the fact that 99% of those drink are filled with chemicals and lots and lots of sugar. Soda and juice aren’t evil, in moderation they are perfectly fine. I gave up soda and sugary juices a long time ago solely on the fact that one can of soda has more sugar than the recommended amount for daily consumption. Water is literally the liquid of life. Switching to drinking water throughout the day and only drinking calorie rich drink every once and a while is a step in the right direction. You will find yourself feeling better and nourished through the day. Plus, water helps keep your entire body hydrated.

Know Your Foods – If the ingredients don’t make sense, don’t eat it!

!!!!Public Service Announcement!!!! Stop buying “diet” and “no calorie” anything. PLEASE! I know it sounds good to be able to eat cake and cookies because they are sugar free or have zero calories, but it’s not! Calories are fuel for our bodies and most everything has a calorie. If something has zero calories and can sit on a shelf forever, then it’s not something you want to be putting into your body. 99% of the time companies have to replace the flavor they lose by taking out the “calories” – so in return they either pack them with artificial sugars or chemicals made to make it taste “better”. If the ingredients don’t make sense don’t eat it. Instead of buying packaged and processed foods, learn to make your favorite things and treat yourself! It’s not bad to have a home-made cookie every now and then 🙂 Just remember, in moderation!

Final Thought

I try to live by these steps. I know getting it right with food is hard but you can do it! Meal Prepping will not only save you money, but it’ll give you full control of your eating options and helps keep temptations in line. I will continue to update you with more meal recipes that can be enjoyed for two or as a meal prep. You are not alone in this! Don’t forget to check out all the meal prep recipes and pick your favorites to try! Good luck, enjoy, and happy eating!

Check out other Meal Prep Ideas and start saving and planning your meals ahead of time!

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Cashew Almond Cranberry Bites (No Bake)

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 5

Author Kingcooks

Ingredients

• 1 cup natural almond butter
• ½ cup cashews
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp honey

Instructions

• In a food processor, add cashews and pulse until the pieces are broken up. A couple pulses should do, you don’t want to over mix and end up with cashew butter. Follow this step to also chop up the cranberries so they are evenly distributed through the bites.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the almond butter, minced cashews, chopped cranberries and 1 tbsp honey. Mix thoroughly, and add to a greased none stick loaf pan. Spread mixture into a flat layer.
• Optional: Add crushed cashews, almonds and cranberries to the top before letting cool in the fridge.
• Let cool in the refrigerator for 20 mins before shaping or cutting.
• Once cooled, remove from fridge and cut into 10 individual pieces.
• Keep refrigerated until ready to eat. If taking for lunch or a trip keep in a well-insulated container in a cool place. Will keep for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.