Great Gift Ideas and Other Cool Things Under $50.00

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Who doesn't want a mini chainsaw?? Perfect for him or her. 

Helps make the yardwork easier for everyone!

Check it out here - Mini Chainsaw 

Carhartt is sturdy and attractive. This bad boy is only $19.99!

Check it out here - Carhartt Hat

Know a new parent? This is a classic book that never fails to make me tear up. Super affordable too!

Check it out here - Love You Forever

Portable, affordable, fun, addicting, good for all ages. Fun for family game night or on road trips/camping. Another good choice for teenagers or hard to buy for loved ones. 

Check it out here - Magnet Game

Don't want to invest a lot of money into a fitness tracker because you just don't know if you'll find it useful? Start with this affordable (under $40.00) Troty brand monitor. 

Check it out here - Fitness Tracker

Similar to the fitness tracker above, this Military Smart Watch also functions as a fitness tracker for under $40.00. A great purchase for the price!

Check it out here - Military Watch

Spending time with the kids at the rink? Ice fishing? Spending time around the fire outside? 

There's tons of reasons to get these hand warmers for that special someone (or yourself). 

Check it out here - Hand Warmers

Pilates kit for under $50.00. 8 essential Pilates tools for someone starting out.

Check it out here - Pilates Kit

Have a gamer in your life? This PS5 controller charging station will come in handy.

Check it out here - Charging Station

A power bank is a great item to have on hand. Super useful gift for someone when you just don't know what to get them. 

Check it out here - Power Bank

Up your photo and video taking game with a ring light. Small and easy to use, you can't go wrong with this rechargeable accessory. 

Check it out here - Ring Light

I love this! A balance beam for kidlets 3+. You can change how you put it together so it is different all the time. 

Check it out here - Balance Beam

We will continue to add cool gift ideas as we come across them. Let us know if there is something you are interested in and we can try and track it down for you! 

Seafood Lasagna

Lasagna with crab, prawns, and scallops is the decadent dinner you didn't know you needed.

It's definitely a bit more money to make but - not even lying - it's probably the best lasagna I have ever made. Rich, creamy, flavorful - all those things and more. 

I didn't really measure when my love and I made this so I am writing down the closest estimate. It is pretty forgiving with amounts so don't be too worried if you have a little more or a little less of an ingredient. 

We made homemade lasagna noodles but store bought/oven ready noodles would work here too. 

Feel free to change up the type of seafood you use too. We went with crab, scallops, and prawns, but lobster, salmon, etc... would also be tasty. 

Seafood Lasagna

Ingredients

Cheese Layer

1 1/2 cups ricotta

1 egg

1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shredded

1 cup mozzarella, shredded

salt & pepper

Rose Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes, canned

1 1/4 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shredded

salt & pepper

Seafood Layer

2 cans crab meat, drained

20ish good sized prawns

30ish medium scallops

15 - 18 Lasagna Noodles (homemade or oven ready)

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

parsley, for garnish

 Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray, set aside. 

Prepare seafood: Cook prawns and scallops until just done. 

Chop until fine.

Mix with the drained crab meat. Set aside. 

Prepare rose sauce: In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook and stir for one minute. Add in the tomatoes and stir well. Add in the whipping cream, cheese, and salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes and then remove from heat. Set aside. 

Prepare cheese layer: Mix together ricotta, egg, cheeses, salt & pepper. Set aside. 

Assemble lasagna: 

Spread a few generous spoons of the rose sauce in the bottom of the pan. 

Cover bottom of pan with noodles. 

Spread half of the cheese mixture over the noodles. 

Sprinkle half of the seafood over the cheese mixture.

Place another layer of lasagna noodles. 

Spread remaining cheese mixture.

Spread remaining seafood. 

Place last layer of lasagna noodles. 

Spoon a generous amount of the rose sauce over the top to completely cover the noodles. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella. 

Bake at 350 for about 45 - 50 minutes. Sauce should be bubbling and cheese melted.

FYI - If it is getting too dark on top you can cover it with tinfoil. (I like to spray the tinfoil with cooking spray so it doesn't stick to the cheese on top - just be careful not to push it down onto the cheese!) 

Let sit for 5 - 10 minutes to set a bit before cutting. Garnish with a sprinkle of dried (or fresh) parsley.

You can serve it with more rose sauce if you like a saucier lasagna. 

IMPORTANT - as I mentioned above, I didn't really measure the ingredients. The shredded cheeses I did by the handful. If you use the measurements I have listed here and you feel like it needs more cheese - add some more. 

If you want saucier lasagna - add more sauce. You can even add a little rose sauce in the middle layer, if you prefer. I didn't because I really wanted the flavor of the seafood to shine through and not be drowned out by the sauce. 

The seafood layer can also be altered without too much being affected. I didn't put can size but I'm going to say it was about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of crab. Prawns and scallops I just used what I had left in my freezer so I can't tell you the weight. 

My partner felt there should have been some rose sauce in the middle as well to make it saucier. I preferred it like this but that's a personal choice. You can absolutely tailor this to your preferences. 

If you don't want to make the rose sauce, you can use a jarred pasta sauce. I find the rose is a bit more mild and works well with seafood. 

**Also, the recipe for rose sauce here will leave you with extra sauce. It freezes well or will be okay in the fridge for a few days.**

Keto Garlic Gnocchi

 

I have been following keto off and on for over 5 years now. I find one of the things I end up missing the most is pasta and pasta adjacent foods. Gnocchi is one of those foods. 

Original gnocchi is pretty distinctive in texture and taste and is hard to replicate while keeping keto friendly. I would say this version is very tasty and very similar looking but still isn't as "chewy" as the original. That being said - I really enjoyed it. 

You get to have a fairly large serving and the macros are reasonable. As per Myfitnesspal - one serving (recipe, as written makes 4) is: 217 calories, 10.5 carbs, 4 fiber, 17.4 protein, for a total of 6.5 net carbs. 

It is far more fragile than original gnocchi so takes a bit of time to make BUT, in my opinion, it is worth the effort to get to eat something that fills a craving I am having. 

Keto Gnocchi

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 cup ricotta

2/3 cup grated parmesan

1 tsp minced, fresh garlic

4 Tbsp coconut flour

2 tsp xanthan gum

Directions

Whisk eggs for about 1 minute. Whisk in ricotta, parmesan, and garlic until well combined. Whisk in coconut flour. 

Sprinkle xanthan gum over surface and let sit for a few seconds. Whisk in well. 

Cover and place in freezer for 15 minutes OR in fridge for an hour OR in fridge overnight. 

Pat into ball and divide into 8 pieces. 

Working with one piece at a time - oil hands and roll or press into a log about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1 inch pieces. 

Press each piece firmly between your fingers so it is not crumbly. Then press lightly with a fork.

Repeat with all 8 pieces of the dough. You should have approx 60 - 65 pieces. 

Freeze dough for approx 20 minutes. You want the pieces to be firm but not completely frozen. 

Heat butter (or oil) in a pan and fry gnocchi until golden brown. I did about 1 - 2 minutes on 2 sides. (So about 4 minutes total). Watch closely as it will burn quickly. Do NOT crowd the pan. 

Serve hot with a sprinkle of shredded parmesan and dried parsley. 

You can also serve in a keto friendly sauce (such as Raos). 

A serving is approx 15 - 16 gnocchi. 

Of course, you can use your favorite sauce with this recipe. You can also fry up onion and garlic and add the gnocchi to it. (Just watch how much as onion will up the carbs quite a bit)

In the photos, after I fried the gnocchi in butter, I added 1/4 cup of Raos, 1 Tbsp parmesan, and 1 serving of the gnocchi and it was 316 calories, 14 carbs, 21 fat, 20 protein, and 5 fiber. 

Net carbs: 9. 

Once you make the gnocchi it can be frozen up to 3 months. When you go to cook it thaw it but make sure it is still very cold and firm. Recipe, as written, makes 4 servings. 

I ate one serving as a complete meal. If I were going to use it as a side with a steak or chicken breast and greens, I would probably only need half a serving. It is filling. I'm thinking I'd like to try it with gravy instead of pasta sauce - I think it would be like a hashbrown/roasted potato. 

Also - you can leave out the minced garlic. I add it because I find the coconut flour is a strong flavor and the garlic helps to drown it out a bit. 

#keto #glutenfree #lowcarb #vegetarian

Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich

 

I'm going to start right out of the gate by saying I had never tried a shrimp po boy before today. Sure, I'd seen tons of recipes and social media posts about them and they looked uh-mazing. But, I'd never tried one until now. 

To be fair this version is kind of a cheater version BUT it is still super duper delicious. All I did was pick up some crispy battered shrimp at the store instead of deep frying my own. Am I going to try a "real" po boy if I get the opportunity? YES. Absolutely. I need to see how close this one comes. 

What do you think? 

Regardless of how close it comes to an authentic po boy - it's pretty darned good and so easy peasy to make. 

Shrimp Po Boy 

Ingredients

Sauce

1/4 cup mustard

1 1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp horseradish (prepared)

1 tsp pickle juice (or vinegar)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

Sandwich

sausage buns (or other soft bun) 

crispy breaded shrimp

shredded iceberg lettuce

tomato slices

chives, diced fine

Instructions

Prepare po boy sauce - whisk together mustard, mayo, horseradish, pickle juice, garlic, paprika, and Cajun seasoning. You can add a tsp of hot sauce as well if you want it spicier!  Set aside. **This is best prepared at least 20 minutes before use so flavors can build. 

Prepare po boys - Cook shrimp as per package directions. Remove from heat and let sit while preparing buns. spread sauce generously on both sides of buns. Top with shredded lettuce, then shrimp, then a little more sauce, then tomato slices, then sprinkle with chives. 

These are delicious served warm but you can wrap them well and refrigerate until later. 

You do want to eat them the day they are prepared . They get a bit soggy if you leave them until the next day. 

They really are that simple. 

Of course, for the authentic experience you should fry your own shrimp but I'm pretty sure the secret to the shrimp po boy is the Cajun mayo. As written, this recipe makes a good amount so unless you are making a lot of sandwiches, you will have left overs. It's great on roast beef sandwiches, burgers, and as a veggie dip too. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cinnamon Buns

 

Ever wondered what would happen if you combined a pineapple upside down cake and a cinnamon roll?  Well, wonder no longer.

The answer is a deliciously tender cinnamon bun with a chewy, sweet, pineapple-caramel-cherry topping that will have you making these ALL THE TIME. 

You can use your favorite cinnamon bun base dough or use ours (CLICK HERE - Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls) The recipe for the topping written below is for our dough recipe - which makes 12 jumbo rolls. If you are only making a "regular" batch of dough then half the topping amount and use 1 9 X 13 pan. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients

Dough

Your favorite dough recipe OR use our recipe found HERE 

Topping

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 cup (or more) maraschino cherries

2 cans crushed pineapple, drained

Directions

Prepare dough up to the point where you have rolled it and cut it into sections.  

Line 2 - 9 X 13 pans with parchment paper and set aside. 

Make topping - In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Pour evenly into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle with the crushed pineapple and maraschino cherries and set aside. 

Place 6 large rolls into each pan, on top of the pineapple cherry layer.

Cover and let rise somewhere warm for about an hour (or until doubled in size). 

Preheat oven to 350. Bake until buns are golden brown and are cooked through - about 30 to 40 minutes. Depending on your oven this can sometimes take even longer. Internal temperature should be 190 F or 88C. **NOTE** - you may want to place your pan on a cookie sheet as the topping can sometimes bubble up and out of the pan!!!

Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes before inverting on to a tray. Be careful when doing this as the topping will spill out and it is very hot! 

Serve warm or at room temperature. 

You can, of course, make 24 smaller buns, putting 12 in each pan, if you prefer. We love the humongous buns but smaller is definitely easier if you are bringing them to a potluck or sharing with family and friends. 

Another dessert fusion recipe that you need to try! 

Garlic Pickle Turnovers

 

Sometimes the best recipes come together because of what you happened to have available in your fridge.

My niece loves pickles and wanted something to eat that was pickley. I searched through my freezer and fridge and found the ingredients to make these bad boys. Guys!! They turned out so well and are so easy to make. I made 6 large ones but you could easily make them any size you like! 

If you like garlic, pickles, and puff pastry then have we got the best treat for you!

Garlic Pickle Turnovers

Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1 8 oz brick cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp pickle juice (from pickle jar)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried dill

salt and pepper

1/4 cup red onion, diced

5 - 6 pickles, sliced

1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

pinch of dried dill for sprinkling on top

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Place puff pastry on flat work surface. Cut into 6 equal squares. Brush around the corner of each square with the beaten egg. 

In a bowl, beat together cream cheese, pickle juice, garlic, garlic powder, dill, salt and pepper. Spread a generous spoonful into the center of each pastry square. Top with some red onion and pickle slices. (See photo below)

Repeat with remaining ingredients. DO NOT OVERFILL! You may have some of the cream cheese mixture leftover. Save it for another purpose. 

Fold the puff pastry into a triangle and press edges together with a fork so they are well sealed. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with a little dried dill. Poke a hole in the top of the triangles with the fork for steam to escape. 

Bake at 400 until pastry is golden brown and crispy and bottoms are brown - about 15-20 minutes total. I turn the cookie sheet at 10 minutes to make sure they cook evenly. 

You want them to be golden brown all over. If they are still a little pale then leave them in longer. 

These are best served warm but can be frozen and then reheated in the oven or air fryer. You could do microwave but then they will be a bit soggy and not crispy. 

Soooo ooey gooey good. Garlic and pickle and cream cheese is one of the best combos IMO. You definitely have a lot of wiggle room to change the recipe if you prefer. More onion, less pickles, more garlic, less dill..... measurements listed here are approximate so have fun finding out your favorite way to make them! Throw in some bacon and *boom* even better.