Frugal Recipes

Trying to eat on as little money as possible.

  • Brightest Blessings,

    I am trying to tweak recipes and come up with new ones in order to make them more affordable.

    I am also trying to eat healthier, as I am losing weight. 41 pounds so far. This means that a few of my ingredients are a bit more expensive than what you may use.

    For example:

    * We are trying to incorporate wheat products whenever possible.

    * We use a minimal amount of EVOO when we cook, instead of butter.

    * We do not use shortening, unless it is absolutely necessary. We use butter instead.

    * We use Canola oil when baking, instead of vegetable oil.

    * Except for in baking, we use Country Crock.

    Tweak these recipes as you need to for the most savings.

    Warmest Wishes,
    Shannon

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  • Keep on Hand

    * A shaker of a cinnamon sugar mixture for french toast and other recipes.

    * Breadcrumbs and croutons - can be homemade.

    * Homemade mix for various recipes.

    * Homemade shake 'n' bake.

  • Freezing Necessities

    I freeze leftovers, and I repackage meats to freeze. I repackage meats according to whom I will be feeding at each meal. For instance, when everyone is here, I repackege round beef, chicken and pork into 1/2 lb, 3/4 lb, and 1 lb packages. This was done for (1/2) when me and the girls are alone, (3/4) for when one nephew is here, and (1) for when two nephews are here. This works nicely for us.

    ----
    Here are my main freezing needs:

    * Plastic wrap

    * Quart size freezer bags

    * Gallon size freezer bags

    * Freezer paper

    * Permanent marker

    * Masking tape

    * Sticker labels, or I write on pices of masking tape

  • Frozen Soup/Stew Starter Bags

    Our freezer currently holds:

    * A freezer bag with odds and ends of uncooked beef, chicken and turkey.

    * A bag of cooked meet odds and ends.

    * A bag for vegetable odds and ends.

    * A bag for vegetable water/broth.

  • Bulk Purchases

    I purchase these items in bulk or in larger sizes because, in the long run, they are cheaper. I need to save money wherever possible.

    * Pickles in gallon jars

    * Peanut butter

    * Powedered milk

    * Cheese

    * Spices that I use often

    * Extracts that I use often

    * Family packs of meat when cheaper

  • Freezing

    I also freeze these in their original packages:

    * Pepperoni

    * Boxed butter

    * Cheeses

    * Sandwich meats

  • Flour

    Even though it is not cheaper to use whole wheat flour, I use it as much as I can. It is actually good. I try to do at least 1/4 wheat flour in a recipe, but prefer 1/2 or more. The recipes still taste great, and they are healthier and are aiding in my weightloss.

  • Spices

    I dedicate a drawer in the refrigerator for the herbs and spices. They stay fresher this way. I also buy large containers of the herbs and spices that I use the most. You can find a lot of these at $2.50 or less. *** If I will not be using something a lot, as small container will suffice. Or, if a larger container is cheaper, I purchase it and use it in homemade pot pourri.

  • Cheaper Prices

    Our stores have carts and shelves filled with foods that they want to get rid of. I do not always purchase from this, but I have been able to find some good buys.

    *** If you will be eating the fresh fruits or vegetables by the next day, these would be fine.

    *** I purchase fruits for breads here. I bake the breads the day I purchase the fruits, then I freeze the loaves.

    *** I have purchased individual bottled drinks at 4/$1.00. I do not purchase these often, but my daughter loves the
    treat.

    *** I purchased packages of cheese singles at 4/$1.00 as well. I throw them in the freezer until we need a new package opened.

    *** If you purchase rolls from these carts, you can throw them in the freezer as well. When you want them for a meal or a snack, just nuke them and add butter. Or use them for bread crumbs.

    *** I have also purchased small packages of sandwich meat this way, frozen them, and taken them out of the freezer the night before we needed them.

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Leftover Soup

Posted by Shannon Buck on Friday, September 21, 2007

This takes minimal preparation. Here is what you do:

Keep containers in the freezer for leftover vegetables (corn, peas, green beans, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.), meats (hamburg, pork, steak, ham etc.), vegetable water and pasta water. These will later be used for “leftover soup”.

This is a soup/stew, depending on what ingredients you are using.

The morning before you need to make the “leftover soup,” take all of the containers out of the freezer and put them into the refrigerator.

If you will be using a slow cooker, put all of your ingredients into it, then add water until it is 2/3 full. Cook on high for lunch (3-4 hours) and low for dinner (5-6 hours). Add any herbs/spices/pasta 20-30 minutes before serving.

You could also cook this on your stove-top, beginning 30-60 minutes before you want to eat, depending on what you put into it. Again, add other items, if you want, 20-30 minutes before serving.

This meal could end up costing you nothing, or very little (less than 50 cents) if you were to add pasta, dumplings and some spices.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 21, 2007 at 9:17 am and is filed under Main Meals, Meats, Pastas, School and Work Lunches, Vegetables. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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