1- taco soup
2- tortellini caesar salad
3- greek pizza
4- strawberry spinach salad
5- pork tacos
6- chicken strip salad
7- black bean bbq pizza
8- bbq at friends - hamburgers
9- fajitas
10- end of year work bart
11- bbq at neighbors - ribs
12- Mother's Day
13- leftovers
14- sesame noodles
8- creamy chicken noodle soup
5.08.2013
Freezing Meat in Bags
I think I'll add occasional posts about my money saving tips.
As far as buying meats goes, there are lots of things I could say, but one thing I do is put my meat in individual bags. If a recipe calls for something, I grab my bag from the freezer, thaw it, and that is all I use, no matter how much the recipe calls for. Cooking lets you do that and we don't notice a difference!
Chicken breast - one chicken breast per bag. I know it sounds crazy, but just about all my meals that call for chicken, I just use one chicken breast for our whole family of 4. When I've cooked at my parents, I'll use 2, and that is for 5 adults and 2 children. You can do it!
Ground beef - I put a little less than 1 lb per bag. If I buy a 5 lb chub, I'll divide it into 6 bags so I'm able to get one whole additional meal just by taking a little off everyone's lb. :) And yes, it even works for meatloaf! I keep the recipe the same (which I think mine calls for 2 lbs), but only use that much meat and it feeds our family of hungry boys!
Ribs - I think I normally divide them into 1 lb bags. It is usually 4-6 boneless ribs that we'll use for sandwiches, salads, tacos, etc!
I think you get what I'm saying. Buy in bulk, you'll save money; if there is an awesome sale, buy a lot of it! Determine how much you will need for each meal for your family, then put them in bags so they are easy to go to and you won't end up spending more on your meals than you want to!
As far as buying meats goes, there are lots of things I could say, but one thing I do is put my meat in individual bags. If a recipe calls for something, I grab my bag from the freezer, thaw it, and that is all I use, no matter how much the recipe calls for. Cooking lets you do that and we don't notice a difference!
Chicken breast - one chicken breast per bag. I know it sounds crazy, but just about all my meals that call for chicken, I just use one chicken breast for our whole family of 4. When I've cooked at my parents, I'll use 2, and that is for 5 adults and 2 children. You can do it!
Ground beef - I put a little less than 1 lb per bag. If I buy a 5 lb chub, I'll divide it into 6 bags so I'm able to get one whole additional meal just by taking a little off everyone's lb. :) And yes, it even works for meatloaf! I keep the recipe the same (which I think mine calls for 2 lbs), but only use that much meat and it feeds our family of hungry boys!
Ribs - I think I normally divide them into 1 lb bags. It is usually 4-6 boneless ribs that we'll use for sandwiches, salads, tacos, etc!
I think you get what I'm saying. Buy in bulk, you'll save money; if there is an awesome sale, buy a lot of it! Determine how much you will need for each meal for your family, then put them in bags so they are easy to go to and you won't end up spending more on your meals than you want to!
Revitalize!
I've kept track of our menus and recipes for the last year, and they're saved as drafts I planned on going through and publishing. But I wanted to attach links to everything before I did that. Well, it hasn't happened, so I figure I'll start fresh right now, and hopefully go back to publish it all since there are some yummy things up there for cheap! However, by the end of June is my goal, since I'm extra busy with other things going on right now. Anyway, we'll start fresh with May 2013!
3.03.2013
Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
Anybody referred to this page from the Dinner on a Budget class I taught, it will be updated with LOTS AND LOTS of recipes and meal plans in a week or two. Until then, several asked about the cream of chicken soup substitute, so here it is! SO GOOD!
2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup low-sodium instant chicken bouillon granules
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes or 1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1.) Blend ingredients.
2.) Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
3.) When ready to use, combine 1/3 cup soup substitute mix with 1¼ cups water to equal 1 can of soup.
2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup low-sodium instant chicken bouillon granules
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes or 1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1.) Blend ingredients.
2.) Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
3.) When ready to use, combine 1/3 cup soup substitute mix with 1¼ cups water to equal 1 can of soup.
2.01.2012
January Dinners
1- Leftover Pizza
2- roast beef tacos w/ carmelized onions
3- Cuban sandwiches
4- BBQ beef Sandwiches
5- Seminary Mtg-Panda Express
6- fried chicken
7- french bread pizza
8- pork roast at nana and papas
9- chicken parmesan over pasta
10- Pork Leftover Stew
11- Broccoli Pork Stir-Fry
12- Cobb Salad
13- Stuffed Shells
14- Hot Dogs, beans, chips
15- meatball sandwiches
16- Alfredo Mesquite Chicken Pasta
17- Crockpot Lasagna
18- Tostadas
19- Cole's B-day- Hotdogs
20- Date night
21- chad's party, creamy chicken noodle soup
22- Ham, twice baked potatoes, salad
23- White Chicken Chili
24- sloppy joes and homemade fries
25- chicken enchiladas
26- Ham Pineapple Sweet and Sour Rice
27- bbq pineapple chicken quesadillas
28- eggs&ham
29- canned soup
30- baked potatoes
31- meatballs with ketchup glaze
2- roast beef tacos w/ carmelized onions
3- Cuban sandwiches
4- BBQ beef Sandwiches
5- Seminary Mtg-Panda Express
6- fried chicken
7- french bread pizza
8- pork roast at nana and papas
9- chicken parmesan over pasta
10- Pork Leftover Stew
11- Broccoli Pork Stir-Fry
12- Cobb Salad
13- Stuffed Shells
14- Hot Dogs, beans, chips
15- meatball sandwiches
16- Alfredo Mesquite Chicken Pasta
17- Crockpot Lasagna
18- Tostadas
19- Cole's B-day- Hotdogs
20- Date night
21- chad's party, creamy chicken noodle soup
22- Ham, twice baked potatoes, salad
23- White Chicken Chili
24- sloppy joes and homemade fries
25- chicken enchiladas
26- Ham Pineapple Sweet and Sour Rice
27- bbq pineapple chicken quesadillas
28- eggs&ham
29- canned soup
30- baked potatoes
31- meatballs with ketchup glaze
December Dinners
1- Anniversary-half price Applebees appetizers
2- Ward Christmas dinner-enchiladas, meatballs, lasagna, turkey
3- BYU football game party at Hatch's - Dominos
4- pancakes, hashbrowns, eggs and ham
5- leftovers
6- Dairy Queen - out shopping
7- french bread pizza
8- Panda Express - 12 week appt
9- Faculty Christmas Party - ham, potatoes, salad, rolls
10- southwestern egg rolls and southwestern salad
11- leftover roast salad
12- tacos, spanish rice, black beans
13- Relief Society Christmas dinner
Didn't keep track the rest of the month. December was full of parties and we were out of town for about 2 weeks...
Didn't keep track the rest of the month. December was full of parties and we were out of town for about 2 weeks...
November Dinners
1- canned soup
2- Hawaiian haystacks
3- chicken sandwiches
4- DUBS
5- potatoes.chili
Well let me be honest. I am pregnant and was very sick the month of November. There wasn't a lot of cooking going on in our house, and when I did make dinner for the family besides pancakes or chicken nuggets, I didn't even care to keep track of it. :)
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