My Cucumber Salad, Made from Leftovers

I had about 1/3 of a cucumber leftover from salads earlier in the week, so I decided to create a new salad with it.

I always leave the peel on the cucumber, cutting off the ends. I sliced what was left with it, and put it on my plate. Then I added some sweet pickles from the gallon size jar I had purchased a few months ago. I topped these with a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.

While helping the neighbor pack last week, she gave me a balsamic vinaigrette spritzer bottle, so I decided to give the salad a few sprays. The result was very pleasing.

Hope you enjoy the salad. It was all made from leftovers, so it was essentially free.

Shannon

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.

Individual Pizza Menus

These menus all assume that you are working around a $1 personal pizza from the grocery store. My daughters and daycare children love these, so I try to come up with different combinations of foods to serve with them.

They do *not* each get there own pizza. They must all share the pizza, whether we have 2 or 6 children here at the time. The point is to make a more healthy, frugal meal. Simply split the pieces of pizza between them all, and add one of the following combinations to the plate. Don’t forget to give them each a cup of milk.

apple slices and peanut butter***

apple slices with cheese

banana slices and grapes*

corn and peas

green beans and carrots

celery and carrot sticks with peanut butter***

fruit cocktail

applesauce and strawberries**

berry mixture**

fruit salad

salad mix

Can you think of any other combinations? Please share.

* Grapes should be cut into quarters for small children.

**Pediatricians believe that berries should not be given to children until ages 1, 2, or even 3 - they may have allergic reactions. Only you and your child’s pediatrician can determing if your child is ready.

***Some children have allergic reactions to peanut butter. Consult your young child’s pediatrician if your child has not been introduced to peanut butter yet.

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

Green Bean Casserole

I like to make this casserole from campbells, but I change the ingredients to suit us.

First, we do not use cream of mushroom soup. Instead we use cream of chicken.

We also use store brand ingredients for this recipe, rather than name brand.

The french fried onions, for instance, are about a dollar cheaper than French’s.

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.

A Healthier Muffin Breakfast for Less

There are different ways to stretch your health dollar when making muffins. Two of these ways are:

1. Mix up your muffin batch as usual and fill muffin tins. But, if you fill your cups 2/3 of the way full, cut back to only 1/2 full. Serve one with a small piece or fruit and 8 ounces of milk, or a small yogurt and 1/2 cup of juice. If you put peanutbutter on the muffin, you have a complete, healthy breakfast.

A great fruit option is homemade applesauce.

*****Remember that, in general, Americans eat too much and are even more likely to be overweight. Eating a little less will not hurt us, and we will get used to it. Our servings are generally to big any way.*****

2. Mix 1/2 to 1 cup of fruit, berries or vegetables (shredded carrots or zucchini) or homeade applesauce into your muffin batch, depending on how big a batch it is. Then fill the muffin cups 2/3 full. Serve with a small yogurt or milk.

 

Remember to always use store/generic brand ingredients whenever possible. This will save a lot of money over the course of a year, and will not distort the taste of baked products at all. No excuses not to save money on this one!

 

Bake mulitple batches at once and freeze wrapped in plastic wrap and placed into gallon size freezer bags.

 

If you know how to make homemade vanilla yogurt that tastes just like Dannon’s version, please let me know!