16 No Cook Dinners and Desserts

*Disclosure: I was selected for this opportunity from Clever Girls on behalf of PG&E.

Saving money, especially in the winter, is vitally important to a majority of families.  I mean, unless you are a millionaire, I’m sure that you are constantly trying to figure out where you can save a penny here and there. I know we are.  When we bought our house last year, we weren’t prepared for the dramatic increase to our energy bill and it took awhile to get used to and find ways to save money both on our energy bills and in other ways too.  Just about a year into our home and gearing up for our second winter, we have figured out some great energy efficient ways to save money.

One of my personal favorite ways to save money is to find recipes, both meals and desserts, that require no cooking or baking.  We typically want to always turn on the stove or oven during the winter because it can help increase the temperature in the house, but we have found that by eating at least one non-cooked meal a week really helps cut down on that.

Here’s a list of 16 great recipes and desserts that require no baking! The first 8 recipes use no appliances whatsoever, the second set of recipe briefly use a smaller energy appliance like a blender or microwave for a minimal amount of time.  We hope you enjoy this list!

Eight Recipes That Need No Appliances –
Tuna Salad w/Grapes & Sunflower Seeds – Giggles, Gobbles, & Gulps
No Bake Summer Dinner Sandwiches – Can’t Google Everything
Salad Sandwich Bites – Look What Mom Found
Avocado & Bean Salad – Jo-Lynne Shane
Lactation Energy Bites (No need to be lactating) -We’re Parents!?
No Baking M&M Munch Salad – Savoring The Good
Mini Wafter Berry Trifles – Momma Lew
Easy No Bake Caramel Pie – It’s A Keeper

Eight Recipes That Need a Small Appliance –
Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits – The Farm Girl Gabs
Raspberry Lemon Vanilla Ice Cream – Know Your Produce
Oreo Cookie Balls with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough – Courtney’s Sweets
No Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake – A Grande Life
Peanut Butter and Nutella Buckeyes – Giggles, Gobbles & Gulps
No Bake Granola Bites – Savoring The Good

If you do have to use your appliances, PG&E wants you to know that you can plan ahead and check the rebate catalog to get the best appliance out there they will save you time and energy!  

Of course, there’s other ways to cook and still save money also, such as:

• • using leftovers
    • making hearty salads the next day like this Strawberry and Kale Chicken Salad from our friends at Real: The Kitchen and Beyond
  • cooking double the amount of food at one time so you only use appliances once
  • use all of the food you purchase and reduce waste
    • For example, when peeling potatoes, you can deep fry potato skins to make chips

Second batch of #potatoskins these one made with salt, paprika & chili powder! #yum #foodie #foodporn #summer #instagood #instafood #instayum #homemade

A photo posted by Larisha (@wereparents) on Jul 7, 2014 at 10:01am PDT

Looking for more everyday tips? PG&E has money saving tips broken down by no cost, low cost, and even investment solutions.  Head over to their website for more of these great tips! 















I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.