What's for dinner?

My oldest son, Carter was diagnosed with a heart condition a few months ago. Because of this, we have decided to try to make changes in our lifestyle to accommodate him and make all of us healthier in the process.

Dinner time is sometimes a struggle for us because we live on a very tight budget. It takes a lot more work to eat healthy when you have a small amount of money to spend, because, in all honesty, it's the unhealthy stuff that is easier to afford.

Chuck roast is a great option for our family because sometimes it runs on sale and you can get a great piece of meat for a little. It also makes great leftovers for sandwiches the next day.

Yesterday I decided to cook a roast with potatoes and corn (because I cannot eat mashed potatoes at home without corn...thank you school lunch). The problem was, I forgot to thaw it out the night before AND it was too big to fit into my crock pot. I freaked out for a moment. Then, I found a solution that turned out to be a HUGE hit.

I have a roaster pan (stoneware from Pampered Chef) that has a lid. I poured a little oil in the bottom of the pan and placed my completely frozen roast on top of the oil. I then poured half of a can of root beer (trust me on this one), one package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, and some sea salt. I put it in the oven on 275 degrees for 3 hours. Then I turned the oven off and let it set for another 1 1/2 hours. It was AMAZING!!!!!!!

For the potatoes, I boiled 5 large potatoes until fork tender. Then I mashed them with a hand masher and added 1/2 package of fat free cream cheese, salt, and pepper. They were delicious. No milk, no butter, but super great.

You should really try these recipes. This is how we will have roast and potatoes from now on. :)