Freezer: Using up the Winter Stocks

Since it is the time of the year when we spring clean, I thought that it would be nice if we all considered our freezers for a few minutes. Do you have any leftover produce in the freezer? I know that I still have some eggs and grated zucchini in the freezer that needs to be used. Here are some pointers for using up your winter stores:

* The eggs that you purchased on sale and froze will need to be used up. Since the yolks had to be broken to freeze, you can not make boiled or fried eggs with them. You could make other things, though:

scrambled eggs

french toast

use them when baking

I tend to freeze mine in snack size baggies, which I later wash out and reuse to pinch pennies. I freeze them one egg to a baggie, then I put all of the baggies into a quart or gallon size freezer baggie until I want to bake something. The eggs I will need can be taken out the night before I need them, or the morning that I will spend the evening baking. (I wash and reuse the freezer bag when I am done with it.)

 

* Grated zucchini can be used to make:

muffins

breads

omelets

cookies

brownies

cakes

This site may be helpful: http://basic-recipes.com/veget/zucchini.htm

 

* Diced apples are great for breads and muffins, brownies, cookies and cakes.

* Sliced apples make great crisps, pies and cobblers.

* You can make a great soup from (saved) leftover vegetables, meats and liquids from cooking the veggies.

Happy eating!

Shannon

Quick, Easy Homemade Chicken Soup

If you can get a couple of cans of chicken broth and a package of egg noodles on sale, you can make this real cheap.

2 cans of chicken broth, add water if you need more liquid

1 package of wide egg noodles

leftover chicken, already cooked, shredded/cubed/chunked

preferred herbs/spices

(You can also add these if you have them on hand, but we do not: chopped carrots, celery and onions.)

Simply warm the broth/water and chicken, as well as any veggies, until heated through. Then add the herbs/spices and the noodles and cook until the noodles are done.

Spaghetti Meal

enough spaghetti for your family

1 can corn

1 can peas

1/4 to 1/2 pound ground beef, or the same amount of chicken/turkey (not ground)

1/4 cup each of shredded mozzarella and mild cheddar cheeses

1 tsp to 1 tbsp for each person: parmesan cheese

Split the pasta between each person.

Top with some corn, freezing the remainder to use in a recipe later on.

Top with some peas, freezing the remainder to use in a recipe later on.

Top with meat, freezing any leftovers to use in a recipe later on.

Top with cheeses.

Serve with a salad or garlic bread.

This can be a frugal recipe, depending on how much you have to spend on the ingredients. Purchase what you can on sale, store brands, etc. We usually use whole wheat pasta which is a but more expensive than white.

Menus from Dollar Days Sales

In our area we have a grocery store called IGA. They have dollar sales every so often that last a week. Everything in the store is not a dollar, but quite a bit is a dollar or less. Many are store brands. Here is a list of many of the dollar deals that I have found:

pasta/rice sides or pasta roni

boxed mac and cheese (3 or 4 for $1)

cream cheese

graham cracker crust

whipped topping

canned vegetables (2 or 3 for $1)

cucumbers (2 for $1)

1 pound baby carrots (2 for $1)

bags of spinach, cabbage and lettuce mixes

salad dressing

oranges (3 for $1)

grapefruit (2 for $1)

bananas (3 pounds for $1)

5 pounds potatoes

ramen noodles (6-8 for $1)

baked beans

soup (2 for $1)

gravy (3 for $1)

hot dogs

personal size pizzas

english muffins (2 for $1)

bagels

24 oz apple sauce

canned pears

canned peaches

canned pineapple

canned mixed fruit

large cans of apple pie filling

large cans of pumpkin puree

There are many things that can be made with these items. In my home, we usually have 3 to 5 people eating a meal. Each menu will serve 5 or 6 people. Here are some ideas, assuming that you already have some meat, baking needs and condiments on hand. You will also need eggs, cheese and milk.

Breakfast:

English muffins with peanut butter, banana, milk

Bagel with cream cheese, fruit cocktail, milk

Homemade whole wheat bread with peanut butter, applesauce, milk

Homemade pumpkin muffins with butter, pears, milk

Banana pancakes topped with apple pie filling, milk

Homemade hash browns, omelet, milk

English muffin breakfast pizza with pineapples, milk

Dessert:

Apple pie filling topped with whipped topping

Peaches and pears topped with whipped topping

Bananas topped with whipped topping

Homemade cheesecake

Pumpkin Pie

Lunch/Dinner:

Mac and cheese with hot dogs and corn, milk

Ramen noodles, hot dog, green beans, milk

Casserole: hot dogs, corn and potatoes, milk

1 individual pizza, salad, milk

Pasta/rice side, hot dog, salad, milk

Shepherd’s pie, salad, milk

Baked beans, hot dog, homemade bread with butter, milk

I’m sure that you can come up with other ideas as well.

I usually have leftovers, which are frozen whenever possible. Any freezer plan site will be able to tell you what can and cannot be frozen. Even if there is just 1 or 2 teaspoons of vegetables, or meat, I freeze them for soups or casseroles later on.

Also remember, there are plenty of snacks listed above as well.

Some of the meals above end up costing less than 30 cents per person, about $1.25 per meal. Sometimes less, often a bit more.

(Recipes)

Pasta sides meal:

1 box of pasta sides/roni, cooked as directed

1/4 to 1/2 pound chicken, cut small and fired in a little Shed’s Spread Light - add to pasta side when it is time to let the side sit for a few minutes, mix and cover.

Serve with a salad, or add a cooked vegetable before covering to sit.

Baked Beans:

1 can beans

1 cut up and cooked hot dog

a little ketchup

a little molasses

Cook and serve with homemade bread topped with butter. We like to sop the bean juice up with the bread and butter. Yum!

Cheesecake:

I’m pretty sure this is a Kraft recipe, but I am not positive. We have been using it for years and don’t even have/need a written recipe for it.

Mix 1 package (8 oz, I believe) cream cheese, 1 (8 oz) tub of whipped topping and 1/3 cup of sugar with an electric mixer. Spoon into a graham cracker crust, and refrigerate.

Shepherd’s Pie:

In a casserole pan, place 1/2 to 1 pound browned ground beef, 1 can of corn with 1/4 to 1/2 of the liquid, and then top with mashed potato (enough for your family). You can sprinkle with cheese if you wish. Serve with a salad.

Hope these ideas are helpful.

Warmest Wishes,

Shannon

A Breakfast Treat

The other day, at the grocery store, I noticed packages of bacon for under $2.00. This was great! I picked a package up and brought it home.

We each eat two slices at breakfast. I make us each two french toast or pancakes, and I top them with a dollop of whipped topping left over from the holidays, and some fruit or berries.

Serve with a glass of milk and enjoy.

Autumn Harvest Soups

You can create soups from any vegetables that you have on hand. I have a habit of making a few different types of soups, cooking them until almost done, and then putting serving size portions into quart-size freezer bags and freezing them.

Here are your choices of components. Use whatever else you have on hand. I would add herbs and spices when reheating.

Vegetables:

pumpkin

squash

tomatoes

corn

peas

carrots

green beans

zucchini

potatoes

Liquid:

water

vegetable broth

beef broth

chicken broth

Meats:

pork

ham

beef

chicken

turkey

Others:

rice

(I would add pasta when re-heating)

beans

(I would add dumplings when re-heating)

Any combination of the above will work, and so would combining many items from each list. It is pretty easy, actually, to create soups for vegetarians as well as meat-lovers. Feel free to share your favorite recipes.

1 Pan Leftover Meal # 2

This is an easy one. that won’t cost much.

* You will need to brown any meat that has not already been cooked. Drain and rinse and put back into fry pan on the stove. I use usually extra virgin olive oil for browning, at a lower temperature, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

* Any raw vegetables that have not been cooked should be cooked until almost done.

Ingredients:

Meat, however much you have leftover, anywhere from 1/4 pound to 1 pound.

Vegetables, a mixture or just one. Whatever works for you. I am not sure on the exact measure, it will depend on how much meat. This is a good time to use up any leftovers from the refrigerator.

Pasta, thin. Egg noodles are fine. Uncooked.

Leftover water from cooking vegetables.

Any herbs or spices that you would like to use.

Combine all of the ingredients and cook on medium heat until cooked through.

You could make homemade biscuits or bread to go with this.

This recipe will save you money when you have little of it. Like before your paycheck or foodstamps come in. It will also help you to keep running your home as frugally as possible.

Stuffed Shells (Partially from Leftovers)

This one I threw together the other night. It is nothing fancy.

jumbo shells (.99)

water

pasta sauce (.99) (or 1 small can tomato soup mixed with 1 can water - .59) I did half with sauce have with soup.

cottage cheese (1.29)

shredded mozzarella cheese (leftover from pizza night, about 1/2 bag)

shredded mild cheddar cheese (leftover from pizza night, about 3/4 bag)

a little less than 1/2 pound browned ground beef (leftover)

leftover pepperoni

Mix all of the cheeses together.

Fill shells with the cheese and place in two baking pans.

I mixed two different sauces up, though you may choose to use just one. 1. pasta sauce, half of the ground beef and half of the pepperoni, and 2. Soup mixed with the can of water and the other half of the meets.

I poured 1 sauce over 1 pan of shells, and 1 sauce over the other.

I baked this for about 40 minutes at 375*.

***

I used foodstamps to purchase these foods, so I did not pay tax:

  .99

  .99

  .59

1.29

___

$3.86 split between 3 meals = $1.29 per meal

3 people ate at two of the meals, and 4 people ate at 1 meal.

So that is .39 per individual meal.

1 Pan Leftover Meal

Here is a recipe for leftover night. Since you have already counted the cost of these items in previous meals, this meal is free.

Add a little olive oil/butter/margarine to a big fry pan and heat the pan on medium.

Go through your refrigerator and add whatever you can find to the pan. Here was last nights meal for us:

boiled potatoes, already diced before cooking

whole kernel corn

1/2 lb. browned ground beef

Just mix it all up and warm through.

Along with this, we had leftover stuffed shells (made mostly from leftovers) that were warmed in the oven. My next post will be the recipe for that.

Leftover Soup

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.