Super Simple Pizza Pockets #budgetfriendly #frugalliving
One of the reasons I decided to stay in Michigan after my initial move here to clear my head, was the cooler temperatures. Oklahoma summers last much more than the Michigan 3- month time period. I think my first summer here it hardly made it past 80. In Oklahoma I am used to triple digits with heat indexes making it well into the 120s. Yuck! It is an interesting sight sometimes, to live in a place where the government issues heat advisories and has the Red Cross set up on street corners to provide bottles of water to those who are out in the heat.
These last few years though, Michigan summers have reached well past the 90 mark. While that is still mild compared to Oklahoma, when you live in a rural area in an old farmhouse not equipped with central air, well, it can be rather miserable. While we do have window units, they are small because we have energy efficient windows which are new and their openings are small. So, the units we have only fit in 2 windows.
One window is in the kitchen. Its the only regular window that did not get replaced because it was going to eventually be a sliding glass door. So, when the air is on, you’ll freeze having dinner. LOL I have a fan that blows the air into the living room. Then other unit is in the master bedroom where the window is bigger. I have a fan in the hallway which blows the air into the back room. One of them is the office and the other is kiddos room. Each room is equipped with its own fan.
So, these last few weeks I haven’t been able to get as much done as I would have liked because it has been so bloody hot in here.
When it gets like that, the last thing I want to do is turn the oven on or even stand in front of the stove.
Insert simple and cheap sandwich maker here.
When I was younger my mother had one of these sandwich makers. We used it ALL the time. I wish we would have kept a recipe box then. I could probably write a cookbook for all the creations we made.
One of my favorite things was the pizza pockets. Not only does it give me all the flavors of pizza, its SUPER budget friendly and quick. If you don’t have a sandwich maker, don’t worry. You can make grilled cheese pizza instead. Same concept, but you wont have the sandwich maker to pinch the bread together to form a pocket.
I buttered one side of each of the four pieces of bread.
Place two pieces face down on the sandwich maker.
Take some pizza sauce or marinara sauce and spread a little bit on the bread.
Layer some pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. I normally shred mine but I was being super lazy today.
Place the other piece of bread on top, with the butter side up.
Close the sandwich maker and wait for the little light to tell you when its done.
I love that I can make two at a time. Clean-up is a breeze.
We also like to dip our pockets in the sauce, too.
Sorry for the less than stellar pictures. I wasn’t planning on taking pics when I started so I didn’t set anything up. Then I had that lightbulb moment which told me I should share this with you guys.
I know a lot of you are on budgets, especially when it comes to groceries and you have to budget your time.
This is perfect for lunch, dinner or even a snack.
We pair it with a salad and call it good.
Kiddo loves them. She loved them so much she started thinking of all these great things we could put inside the bread to make more pockets.
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My boys would LOVE these! They sound soooo good.
I love this for how simple it is and also for the fact that because it’s made like this, I can use stale bread. Awesome!
What a great after school snack idea! My stepson is going to think I’m a genius with this 🙂 I remember those sandwich makers, we had one growing up and I loved it! But European city centre kitchens are tiny, so I have to forego most fun appliances, but I do have a frying pan!
That looks so yummy! I also have a sandwich maker at home that I use all the time to make school lunches. Grilled cheese and pizza pockets are my kids’ faves. I enjoy making these sandwiches because they are super quick and easy.
These look super good and this is reminding me we have a sandwich maker like this…..somewhere. Need to go dig it out. Thanks for the great recipe idea.
My daughter always adored Hot Pockets and pizza rolls so for anyone with her tastes this can certainly save a lot of money making them at home. Besides using fresh ingredients is always better. And the satisfaction of making things yourself is a plus too. Great post!
Oh I totally have to make some of these. This would be a really fun one to start doing on movie nights.
I like that you included step by step photos. Budget meals are always great, especially for those who are college students or have children.
We eat an embarrassing amount of pizza in my house! But this looks like a great alternative and keeping it budget-friendly is a huge plus. Also, my picky toddler will eat anything if it’s in a cute pocket shape.
What a quick and easy lunch for school days! I need to get out my sandwich maker
I have always wanted a sandwich press. This is just another great reason to get one! These pizzas look amazing! My kids would be so happy for a at home pizza night that they could help with.
I had a sandwich maker years ago. They are so good to make delicious sandwiches!
I love super simple and my kids love pizza! Looks Like I need to make these!
That is a great and quick idea, I love making sandwiches like this.
THis is a great idea. I could even make them and send in my son’s lunch.
Oh, that brings out so many memories! I always used to bring out the sandwich maker after a wild party night. So much better than a random burger before cathing the last bus home! I have never tried making a pizza edition, but it sounds delicious. My trick is to always add A LOT of cheese.
I need this things. It would make sandwiches more interesting!
What an awesome a;nd easy family meal. My son would love these.
What a great idea! My kids love pizza (who doesn’t?), and I know this spin would be a hit.
Yep! My mum used these all the time too. And since we’ve had one at work, everyone’s been using it. I will most def take this recipe in to work and make the whole kitchen envious! Yus!
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What a fantastic idea. My kids love pizza pockets but u don’t buy them too often. These would be perfect! I need to make them asap!
My kids would love this! I love how simple and easy they sound. They are also super adaptable and I could easily make them vegetarian and gluten free for my family eating needs!
Super cool idea! My kids would go nuts for these little pizza sandwiches!
This is such a easy way to make pizza pockets. They look so delicious. I will have to try making these for the kids.
Now I think I need to go buy a sandwich maker! My girls would totally love these!
OMG!!! I remember doing these when I was young and in high school. I forgot what they were called back then, but we use to add ham and cheese or we would get creative and have pepperoni and cheese. This has brought back some fond memories, thank you for sharing.
Yummy! I used to make something like that almost every day when I lived at home! They were SO good!
Summers in NYC can get pretty hot and humid also and I didn’t feel like standing in front of a hot oven much this summer either. I love simple easy recipes, these look great!
What a fun idea. This really would make my kiddos happy for after school snacking.
Thanks for sharing your recipe. I love pizza and pepperoni. I’m sure this is yummy
I wish I knew this recipe in college! Looks super easy…the guy I am dating probably needs this recipe too!