Budget Desserts for Busy Moms
When you are always on the run, you may find that you have no time to make those pleasant little “extras” that make a meal so much more fun, such as neat desserts. And if you have the time, this also might not be so great because it probably means that you don’t have much money. So what are the best kinds of desserts to make, which don’t take up too much of your time and don’t cost too much money either?
Here are some great ideas:
- Cupcakes
These are probably the most fun desserts to make with your kids. Generally the ingredients are simple. Most cupcake recipes require a basic cake batter made from flour, eggs, baking powder, oil, margarine and sugar. These are mixed together and baked in the oven. Once the cakes (which have been baked inside individual little “cups,” which these days take the form of little “cake cases”) have cooled down, the fun begins. Then it’s time for cupcake decorating. Here, you can be very versatile. There are many easy cupcake frosting recipes, made from simple ingredients – butter, confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla essence. But to these basics, you can add various items for a bit of variety – chocolate sauce, food coloring, peppermint essence, rum extract, or almond essence. These add color and flavor and can make the finished product very individual. Indeed, there are an infinite number of cupcake decorating ideas out there, none of which will break the bank and which are easy to make. This is the kind of dessert that you can even get your kids to make themselves. Add some small items on the top, like glace cherries, chocolate chips, or candied orange peel, and the end result can look colorful and interesting, and will always taste great.
- Fruit salad – If you are not interested in baking anything but you want a healthy, delicious dessert, there is always good old-fashioned fruit salad. Depending on the size of your family, it doesn’t have to take you too long to peel and cut up some bananas, canned pineapple, fresh apples, pears and some grapes. Pour some fruit juice over them, and voila! You have a healthy, delicious fresh fruit salad. What could be better, especially in the summer?
- For a low-budget winter treat, try baked apples.
Even the words “baked apples” bring many of us back to our childhoods, when Grandma used to serve them as a winter dessert. They are so easy. All you need to do is wash and core the apples and place them in a baking dish. Pour a mixture of sugar, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar into the center of each apple and dot with butter. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the baking dish – and that’s it. Bake in the oven for about half an hour and you will have a delicious dessert – just like Grandma used to make and for hardly any cost.
- A fruity yogurt shake – This takes just five minutes. Blend together milk, a packet of instant pudding, a plain yogurt, some ice and a medium banana cut into chunks. It makes the most delicious smoothie – again, great in the summer, and without costing you a fortune.
Enjoy!
