Soup and Bread are Frugal!

One of the easiest and yummiest ways I save money is to serve soup and bread once a week. Broth based soups are relatively low-fat and can be incredibly cheap. I especially like bean and/or lentil soups so that we get our protein and the beans and lentils fill us up.

I especially like to pair our soup with some kind of homemade bread. It could be actual yeast bread (whole-wheat bread, French bread, pan rolls) or a quick bread (biscuits, soft bread sticks). Either way, what can be better than warm soup and fresh homemade bread?

Wise Bread recently featured an article entitled Seven Money Saving Menu Strategies for Every Day of the Week. The idea for Sundays? Soup for Sunday! They focused on the idea that Sunday is a day where everyone wants to slow down and spend more time with their families. Soup is so easy (especially if you use your crock pot!)

There are tons of recipes for soup on the internet. You can also get soup cookbooks (I actually own one called Soup and Bread by Crescent Dragonwagon). I do have a few recipes that I really like, but most of the time I just make "soup." You know, "What are we having for dinner tonight?" "Oh, we're having soup."

There are some basic rules for making "soup" but it lends itself to infinite variations. You can make this as exciting or boring as you want. Here's how you do it:

"Soup"

Start by sautéing some chopped veggies. I always use onion and carrots and usually celery. After the onions are soft and wilty I usually add some garlic - have I mentioned that my family likes garlic?

Next you add your liquid. You can of course use plain old water but you soup will be plain and old. I add water and bouillon cubes or soup base. You can use canned broth or stock too. Depending on what you are adding later you can use veggie broth, chicken or beef broth or whatever you desire. I used half veggie and half miso the other night and it was fabulous. I try to add about a cup and a half per person. So for my family of 6 I use about 8 cups of stock or so, but I want to make sure I have leftovers.

After that, add a grain. If you are making a taco soup add some rice. A chicken soup? You could add noodles or rice. A beef soup is great with barley. I try to add something "whole" to the soup - brown rice, barley, or quinoa. Of course, if I'm making chicken noodle soup, I just use regular old noodles. Don't add too much of any of these as they soak up the liquid. A half a cup of rice or barley for 4 c. of stock is about right. Noodles for chicken noodle soup can be much more generous.

Add some veggies next. I usually add a can of tomatoes. I usually blend it so there aren't any chunks of tomato - my son wouldn't eat it otherwise. Then, depending on what I want the end to be I add peas or corn or green beans, mushrooms, cabbage, or chopped kale. You can add what your family likes. You just want to make sure you don't add something that will get super mushy too early in the cooking. You don't want broccoli mush in your vegetable beef soup. (Well, maybe you do but I don't!)

Then add a protein. You can add cooked beans, lentils, chopped chicken, cooked sausage, chopped ham, leftover roast beef, cooked ground beef or a combination of any of the above.
The lentils need to cook for 40 minutes but everything else is very flexible.

The last thing you want to add is a seasoning. You can add salt, pepper, basil, oregano, thyme. You can also add worchestershire sauce or anything else you want.

Then just let it simmer. Your crockpot is perfect for this. But you can do this on the stove if you forget in the morning. Just let it simmer until the grains and/or lentils are tender and the flavors have blended.

The best thing about soup is it is almost always better the next day. Make extra and save some for lunch the next day.

So there it is,

Sautéd aromatic veggies (onions, carrots, celery, garlic)
Liquid (stock, broth, miso)
Grain (rice, pasta, barley, quinoa)
Vegetables (tomatoes, peas, corn, etc)
Protein (chicken, beef, ham, beans, lentils, sausage)
Seasoning (salt, pepper, basil, thyme, etc)
Simmering

So easy and so open to variations. Plus, soup is perfect when you don't have anything to make. Just scrounge around in the cupboards and you can find enough to make soup, I promise. And with grains, protein, vegetables, it is a complete meal in a bowl!

Schedule yourself a soup and bread night this week!

Tomorrow I'll share some bread ideas.

Jill

Homemade Refried Beans

One of my cheapest meals is my Navajo Tacos. You make some fry-bread, top it with refried beans, some cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. And then anything else you normally put on tacos (guacamole, salsa, sour cream, etc). Everything is pretty cheap, especially if you make the refried beans at home!

I was very intimidated by making refried beans at home. It seemed complex and mysterious. Until I was talking to a friend who said, "I used to buy canned beans until I became friends with a hispanic woman. She and her friends looked down on 'those crazy Americans' who bought canned beans. I decided to try it and was surprised how easy it is!"

I sat her down and forced her to tell me how to do it! Boy, was I feeling silly when I realized just how easy it really is! And something about making this recipe makes me feel so domestic.

Here's how you do it.

Soak some pinto beans over night. The next morning, pour out the soaking water and put the beans in a crockpot. Add a quartered onion and some garlic cloves that you have peeled and very roughly chopped. Cover with water - not too much, just enough to cover the beans.

Cook the beans all day long. They should be very, very soft and the onions should be almost melty. Ok, melty isn't a word, but you know what I mean.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add some fat of some kind. Either some oil, butter, bacon fat, or (traditionally) lard. If your skillet is non-stick enough and you are trying to watch your fat intake, you can do it without the fat. I usually use a TBS or so of margarine/butter. The flavor is good and the little bit of fat helps the beans to be smoother and creamier.

Put the beans in the skillet - but don't add the liquid yet. Here's what I do: I put the crockpot next to the skillet and transfer the beans with a slotted spoon. It drains off most of the liquid but saves it so I can use it later. Mash the beans with the back of the spoon or with a potato masher (I use my pastry cutter!). You of course want to be careful not to scratch your non-stick pan. I use my cast-iron skillet so I can be a little reckless. You can mash them extremely smooth or leave them a little chunky, your choice. You want to add the onions and the garlic, too, just mash them into the beans. They'll disappear into the beans but add tons of flavor.

If your beans are too dry, add a little of the cooking liquid, until you get the consistency you want. If the beans sit for awhile while you are getting other things ready, they will dry out a bit, just add some more liquid and stir.

To flavor the beans, I add cumin and salt. I usually add some garlic powder, too. We like garlic at our house. A lot! You could add cumin, chili powder, taco seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, whatever floats your boat. I like cumin because it is a very taco-type flavor. And you need salt, trust me. I can't tell you amounts because it really depends on how many beans you cooked, and what flavors you like. Add a little and if it is not enough, add some more!

That is is! Then you eat them. How easy is that? I usually make a big batch and freeze the leftovers. Thawing leftovers is even easier.

How much does it cost? Let's see: one pound pinto beans? About a dollar. One onion? About 30 cents (depending on how big it is), some garlic cloves are about 25 cents. Then some cumin and salt and maybe some butter or oil? Fifty cents, max. So you have $2 for about four meals worth of refried beans. That's fifty cents a meal for your protein. Plus, you know that there aren't any partially hydrogenated anything or artificial flavors or colors or added chemicals or preservatives.

This took longer to write than it does to cook! It takes about 5 minutes in the morning and and about 10 minutes in the evening when you are ready to eat. Really easy and so cheap!

This is my cheap recipe for the day. To check out more cheap, family favorites, check out the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Enjoy!

Jill

Basic Baked Beans

This is my 200th post on my blog! So in honor of that I'll be posting 200 things you didn't know about Jill!

Just kidding!

It really is my 200th post but even I don't know 200 things about me. Instead I'm going to post one of my favorite bean recipes, baked beans.

Baked beans are so versatile. You can use them as a side dish for all sorts of things. We like them as a main dish, either with chopped ham stirred in or served over a bed of rice. Add some cornbread and a crunchy salad and you have a fabulous, healthful, cheap dinner.

I have heard of using baked beans as a bottom layer in a shepherd's pie like dish, or top with cornbread batter and bake and make a tamale pie type of thing. I also read a tip in my More With Less Cookbook that suggests spreading leftover baked beans on bread and toasting with cheese or a strip of bacon on the top.

This recipe comes from the More With Less Cookbook (have I mentioned that this in one of my favorite cookbooks?). It is a nice basic recipe that is fabulous by itself but allows itself to a lot of tweaking if you feel like it. It works great in the crock pot (I never make it in the oven, I only make it in the crockpot).

Basic Baked Beans

Soak overnight or by quick method:

1 lb navy beans (about two cups or so)
2 qts water

Drain the water and add fresh. The bring the beans to a boil and simmer until tender, about 1 1/2 hrs. Drain, reserving liquid

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine in a 2 qt. casserole:

cooked beans
1/2 c. molasses
1/4 c. ketchup (optional)
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 slices bacon, chopped or 1/4 lb salt pork (optional)
bean liquid to cover

Bake 4-8 hours, adding liquid occasionally if necessary. Cover during first half of baking time then uncover.

Notes:

• I almost never use the bacon/salt pork. I usually leave it "vegetarian" until I stir in big chunks of ham (which my veggie kids can pick out). It does need some kind of fat though, so I add a Tb. of so of oil or butter/margarine. It just gives it a smoother, richer mouth-feel.
• You do need to simmer the beans ahead of time. I learned this the hard way when I served my husband's family crunchy baked beans one summer at a bbq. I think it is the salt you are adding to the cooking liquid, it didn't allow the beans to get soft. I usually just soak the beans overnight then simmer them in the morning while I'm getting ready then stick it all in the crockpot and let it cook all day.
  
• I sometimes use prepared mustard and sometimes I use dry mustard, doesn't make a huge difference.
• I sometimes use dried onion flakes instead of a chopped onion.
• I almost always use the ketchup, but that's me.
• You can add a couple of TBs. of brown sugar for a different taste.
• You can add some "heat" ingredients if you like that kind of stuff - I don't. I'm a total "spice wimp."
• If you cook it in the Crockpot, you won't need to add additional liquid, just cook it on low for 6-8 hours and you'll be fine.

Enjoy!

Jill

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

In our house, we have a very simple but much loved lentil and rice dish that we call, amazingly enough, Lentil Rice Casserole. This dish is prepared on the stove-top and I have never been able to figure out how to make it with brown rice, I always use white.

While perusing over at the Grocery Cart Challenge (a site I would really recommend if you are looking to help lower your food budget), I came across a new recipe for lentils and rice.

This version is baked in the oven and uses brown rice and some Italian seasoning but otherwise is very similar to our version. I decided to try it out the other night, at the very least it requires less fussing than my recipe.

The original version is posted over at RecipeZaar, I have of course, made some changes already.

Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine in a 11x7 pan (I used an oval casserole dish):

3 c. stock or broth (we used half vegetable boullion and half chicken)
3/4 c. lentils
1/2 c. brown rice
3/4 c. chopped onion (I used dry minced onion)
1 tsp Italian seasoning (I didn't have that so I used 1/2 tsp basil and 1/2 tsp oregano)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (I used lots more than this because we love garlic)

Cover the pan tightly and place in the oven. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with:

1 c. grated cheese (I used cheddar but mozzarella or a blend would be good - I also used more like 1 1/2 cups)

Return to the oven (uncovered) and bake 20 more minutes. Serve.

Notes:

• I had a hard time getting all the liquid to be absorbed. We ended up draining off the extra at the end. I'd do 2 1/2 c. stock next time and see if it made a difference.
  
• This was very, very tasty and everyone liked it.
  
• How cheap is this? VERY! Bulk lentils and rice are super cheap and the only expensive thing is the cheese but you are only using 1 c. or so. This whole casserole comes out to less than $2.00! Add a salad and a loaf of bread and dinner for under $5!
• I would change to temperature to 325 degrees next time, maybe that would help with the liquid problem.
  

Give this one a try, you might just like it!

Guess what I bought myself today? A couple of new cookbooks. One from Borders called The Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon (I've been drooling over it and had a 40% off coupon), and one I found at Goodwill called Bread for All Seasons by Beth Hensperger. I'm sure I'll be posting some new recipes soon!

Jill

Bread and Cheese Soufflé

Another really cheap and meat-free meal that we have recently discovered is Cheese Souffle. This recipe also came from my friend Kari. It is really good. Not particularly low-fat but so yummy!

Bread and Cheese Soufflé

6 eggs beaten

2 1/3 c milk

1 small can green chilies

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 stick melted butter

1 loaf fresh French bread

Grated cheese (save for last)

Mix eggs and milk, add milk, chilies, onion powder, garlic powder salt and butter.
Add bread - just the inside not the crusts. I get out all the bread I can. You just rip or cut it into cubes. You don't have to have it perfect because you won't be able to see the shape in the end anyway!

Pour half of mixture into a greased pan approx 9 1/2 x 11 sprinkle approx. 1 cup cheddar cheese over that. Pour last half of mixture over cheese and then on top of that approx. 1 more c. cheddar cheese. Bake 325 for 50-65 min. (Until knife comes clean in the middle.) I cover it for the first 30 minutes or so then uncover. It will puff up and be really beautiful when you take it out of the oven. Call everyone over before you pull it out. It deflates really fast and you want everyone to "ohh" and "ahh" over it first!

I served this with salad and fruit and we ate every last little bit. I even took the outsides of the bread and buttered them and broiled them as a side dish. Yum.

Broccoli Cottage Cheese Casserole

I have mentioned this recipe a couple of times in the last week. I have gotten several requests for it, so here goes!

When I first heard the ingredient list for this recipe, it seemed to me that it would not work. How would it set up, I wondered? If I had read this recipe in a book or online, I never would have tried it, it just sounded too weird. But a good friend of mine suggested this recipe to me and told me it was one of her family's favorites. She'd given me some good recipes in the past so I decided to take her word for it.

I'm glad I did. This recipe bakes up sort of like a quiche and everyone in my family liked it (my 16 yo went back for fourths the first time I made it!). It is incredibly easy to put to together can almost be a complete meal in itself. We usually serve it with some bread and some fruit. The other thing I like about it is that it uses up my eggs. My chickens are laying in abundance these days and I actually have to plan things to use the eggs up!

Broccoli Cottage Cheese Casserole

Thaw one 16 oz bag of frozen chopped broccoli. Squeeze out any extra water (you don't want a soupy quiche!)

Mix together in a bowl:

the thawed broccoli
6 eggs
2 lbs cottage cheese (I use the low fat kind)
6 Tbs flour
1/2 lb grated cheese (I used cheddar and used about a cup and a half or so)
1 stick melted butter (I used a half a stick - 1/4 c. and it was great)

Mix everything together well, making sure the eggs get well incorporated. Throw it in a 9 x 13 pan that has been greased. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out almost clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

As I'm writing this, it sure doesn't sound low-fat. However, using my modifications and keeping in mind that it makes about 8-10 servings, it isn't all that bad. And tons of protein!

Enjoy!

Jill

Meatless Cooking to Save Money

One of the things that my family does to save money on food is that we eat meatless several times a week.

Saving money isn't the only reason we eat meatless. We also do it to save the planet - the UN has suggested that people eat at least one meatless meal a week to help curb greenhouse gas production.

We also do it to save our health. A vegetarian diet (one in which meat is replaced with high protein/high fiber foods - such as lentils, beans, whole grains and of course, vegetables) can help improve heart health. Of course, if you just replace the meat with lots and lots of eggs and cheese it probably won't help all that much.

We also do it because two of my children have decided to be vegetarian for a variety of reasons. I fix meatless meals sometimes because I'm just too lazy to fix two meals.

Even when we do have meat meals we use meat as an ingredient rather than a dish. By this I mean I do chicken soup instead of roast chicken, beef stirfry instead of steak, etc. I buy very little meat for this family even though we do eat meat several times a week.

Ok, whenever I explain to people my food philosophy and how I spend so little, when I get to the low-meat part people always freak. "My family would never allow this!" "I'd have to make twice that much meat to keep my hubby happy." "My kids would never eat vegetarian!" "My family would mutiny if I tried that!"

Here's my question - who's in charge of food here, anyway? Who's the grown-up?

Ok, with your husband I guess he has some say in the matter, but with your kids? If your kids pitched a fit if you didn't serve Twinkies at every meal, would you give in? What if your family demanded filet mignon three times a week, would your budget allow you to oblige them? What if they would eat nothing but the most expensive cereal for breakfast? Would you continue to buy it or would you eventually say, "Tough, I'm not buying it more than once a week. There is other cereal or you could have toast or scrambled eggs. Deal with it." Of course you would!

Somehow we have convinced ourselves that meat is required, and to deny our family of meat is cruel and unusual punishment. It isn't!! Having a vegetarian meal once and a while is not only frugal, it is healthy and "green," too! Stand up to your family and serve a vegetarian meal once and a while. They will adjust, I promise.

To aid in the transition, may I suggest some meals that are meatless that we don't think of as "vegetarian."

• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup
• Bean and Cheese Burritos
• Cheese and onion Enchiladas
• Breakfast (pancakes, waffles, etc with hashbrowns, fruit, etc - but no bacon!)
• Swiss Cheese Quiche
• Taco Soup (without the hamburger, of course)
• Homemade Mac and Cheese
• Pasta with Marinara Sauce (no meat)
• Good Ol' Rice and Beans
• Bean and Vegetable soup
• Cheese Fondue
• Cheese Pizza
  

I have lots of other recipes that I'll be posting later this week - Cheese Soufflé, Broccoli Cottage Cheese Casserole, Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole, and a maybe another one.

So take the plunge - try a vegetarian meal - it's good, really!

Jill

Quick Meals I've Done Before

I keep thinking of all these quick meals that we do around here to post for the "avoid eating out" week. Every time I think of something I say, "no, done that already." Finally I decided that I would post links to some of my quick meals that I've "done before."

So here, in no particular order, are quick meals I've done before.

One-Eyed Egyptians

This is a fabulous breakfast, lunch or dinner. I told my kids the other night, "If there is ever a famine, this is what we are going to be eating - one-eyed Egyptians made with homemade bread." (Our chickens will give us the eggs, I have LOTS of stuff to make bread in my Crazyville Food Shoppe). My oldest child's response was, "Let's pray for famine!"

Ok, I don't think they really want a famine, but they really love One-eyed Egyptians!

Ham Fried Rice

This meal does require a little forethought. You need to make the rice ahead and refrigerate it. Once you do this (the night before? in the morning before work?) it takes about 10 minutes to get it to the table. I love this recipe for after church. I make the rice in the morning and when I get home (starving), we can all eat 10 minutes later.

Best Ever Waffles

These are so fun to have for dinner. I serve them with fruit and some hashbrowns if I have the time and energy. They do require forethought. You mix up the batter the night before or in the morning then let it rise all night/day in the fridge. Baking them takes some time but if you have a big family size waffle maker like I do, it goes pretty quick. Make sure you make extra the next time you make these and have them in the freezer.

Sloppy Joe's or Tacos

If you have the meat already cooked and seasoned in your freezer, these are a snap. Just toast the buns and throw some frozen french fries in the oven - ta-da! Dinner in 20 minutes. And for tacos? Just grate some cheese and slice some lettuce and you are ready to go. The meat for both of these re-heats beautifully in the microwave. We have these all the time and really enjoy them.

Good Ol' Rice and Beans

If you use white rice for this recipe (and canned beans, which are a very wise thing to have in your pantry), this takes 20 minutes to the table. Plus, it is healthy and super cheap (even with the canned beans!). Serve with a salad or some fruit and you have a complete meal.

Enjoy!

Jill

Quesadillas

Quesadillas are one of my go-to meals when crunched for time (or energy). My sister calls these "flat bean burritos" because they have all the ingredients of a bean burrito, just flat! I almost always have a package of tortillas in the fridge or freezer and a can of refried beans in the pantry. I can almost always whipped these up in a flash.

You can put whatever you want in these and use up left overs at the same time. A win-win in my book!

I'm sure lots of people do some version of this, but it just is good to be reminded of all our options, right?

Here's how we do it:

Take two tortillas for every person. Spread refried beans on one of the tortillas, sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and rice. Top with other tortilla and fry in a pan. We usually lightly butter one side of the quesadilla, but you don't have to.

This is how we usually make it, but feel free to add chopped cooked meat, cooked vegetables, sliced olives. Marinated artichoke hearts (chopped) are a fantastic addition (but not a favorite with the children - more for me!!).

Fry until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot. We cut these into pie-shaped wedges and dip them in sour cream, salsa or a mixture of sour cream and salsa. You can top them with home-made pico de gallo if you have time and energy to do it.


Enjoy!

Jill

Lentil Rice Casserole

Two of the things that I have "stockpiled" in my basement are lentils and rice. Rice is so versatile - you can use it in a million things. And lentils are a big hit in my house. I know not everyone is familiar with lentils and might not know what to do with them other than in a lentil soup. One of our favorite recipes (my daughter Jana has requested this for her birthday dinner before) is Lentil Rice Casserole.

The thing I love about this recipe is that it is super simple, uses ingredients I almost always have on hand (making it a perfect "oh my gosh, what's for dinner" recipe), and is pretty darn healthy. I use white rice in this because I've never been able to make brown rice work. You would think it would be simple - brown rice and lentils cook in the same amount of time. However, whenever I try to make it with brown rice something goes wrong. Either the lentils are still crunchy or the rice is gummy. Have a try and let me know if you can make it work. Even with white rice it still has a bunch of nutrition in it, so I'm not stressing out about it too much.

Lentil Rice Casserole

Saute in a large skillet:

1 chopped onion
several chopped carrots (I use lots because it ups the nutritional value)
1 -2 Tbs olive oil (or other good oil)

When the onions are starting to wilt, add:

1/2 c. brown lentils

Stir and cook for a few more minutes. You don't need to fully cook the carrots or onion, you just want to start them. It will look like this:


Add to the pan;

2 c. broth (we use chicken broth but you could use vegetable broth or beef, your choice)

Cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Set a timer for this one, you really want it to be pretty close to exactly 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, stir in:

1/2 c. white rice

Cover again and set the timer for 20 more minutes. During this time make a salad or slice some bread or slice some fruit. Or paint your nails or check your email or whatever.

Uncover and test to make sure the rice and lentils are tender. You may need to stir in a little more water and let simmer for 5 more minutes or so. When everything is good to go, sprinkle on top:

grated cheese (we like cheddar but have used mozzarella or colby jack in a pinch)

Cover for a minute or so to let the cheese melt. Then serve!

That's it. So easy and I almost always have rice, lentils, boullion cubes, onions, carrots and cheese. Try it, you'll like it!

This recipe is adaptable, also. You can add more lentils and rice if your family is bigger. Just make sure you have twice as much stock as you do total rice plus lentils. For example if you do one cup of lentils and one cup of rice (2 cups total), then you need 4 cups of stock/broth. Make sense? I try to keep the lentils and rice even but if your family loves lentils and isn't as keen on rice, then play with the proportions. Have fun.

Enjoy!

Jill

Buying Cereal on Sale

I never pay full price for cereal - NEVER! I mean really, $4.69 for a box of cereal that will feed my family 5 servings? Six servings if we are really lucky.

Nope. Never.

My personal rule is I won't spend more than $2.oo a box for cereal. And it has to contain more than 12 oz. I saw a box on sale the other day for $1.98 and thought I'd get some. Until I realized that there was 9 oz in the box! Seriously, nine ounces? Who are we feeding, anorexic supermodels?

When I can get cereal for $1.50 or $1.25, I'll buy a bunch. Last fall both Albertson's and Safeway had cereal for $1 a box! I bought almost 80 boxes. But we are almost out of our one dollar cereal (ok, we have about 10 boxes left, but whatever) and I've been looking for a good sale.

This week Albertson's has several Quaker cereals (as well as Breakfast Cookies, Chewy Granola Bars, Instant Oatmeal, and Quaker oats) on sale for $1.50 a box when you buy four boxes in a single transaction. I bought 36. My family LOVES Life cereal (and cinnamon Life) so I bought lots of boxes of those. I also bought some Breakfast Cookies - my teenagers don't always take time for breakfast and these are great for eating on the way to school, or after school before track practice or play rehearsal. I bought a one box of instant oatmeal because it had a $1.00 off sticker on it so I got it for 50 cents. I usually do "homemade instant" oatmeal (I'm posting the recipe and directions next week).

Also at Albertson's is a sale of Kelloggs cereals. Four different kinds (Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, Froot Loops, and I think Frosted Flakes) are on sale for $1.25 a box when you buy four. Hubby loves Raisin Bran so I bought a bunch of boxes of those.

The other thing on sale is Campbell's soups. Most varieties are $1 a can. Chicken Noodle and Tomato are 50 cents a can. I bought bunches. I can usually get lunch for two or three of us out of one can of soup so $1 is a good price. I bought bunches. We use the tomato soup for Toasted Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato soup, so having them for 50 cents makes a cheap dinner.

QUESTION!!! My daughter was having a discussion with her friends the other day over the proper way to label a cheese sandwich that is hot. We have always said "Toasted Cheese" but her friends say it is "Grilled Cheese." While I agree that "Grilled Cheese" is, of course, correct, we have always said toasted cheese -her friends insisted that "Toasted Cheese" was an "Oregon thing."

So which do you say? Toasted Cheese or Grilled cheese. The debate is on!

Jill

Chinese Chicken Salad - redux!

In honor of "Buy stuff Cheap Week" I'm reposting the recipe for Chinese Chicken Salad. When I can get chicken for really cheap, this is a good way to stretch a couple of breasts to feed your whole family. This is my theory about meat: I very rarely serve meat as a "dish," I almost always serve it as an "ingredient." What I mean is, I stretch the chicken by adding it to cabbage to make a salad, I stretch the ham by adding it to rice to make fried rice, I add the sausage to bean and rice to make Red Beans and Rice. This way I can buy a lot less meat but still make my family feel satisfied. When I do serve it as a "dish" (such as the Italian Chicken I posted yesterday), I make sure I have lots of yummy side dishes like potatoes, steamed veggies, a rice pilaf, homemade bread or rolls or biscuits, or jars of home canned fruit. That way I can stretch my food dollar and no one cries, "Where's the beef?"

Another way we like to eat our really cheap chicken is in Chinese Chicken Salad. My kids eat this like crazy! I'm pretty sure everyone has had some version of this salad at a potluck at some time in their lives, but this is my version, and it is the best. No really, my version is the best version, ever. Really. And it is relatively healthy, too. (Just close your eyes and imagine that those ramen noodles are, um, thin sliced celery, ok? Besides, all that cabbage cancels out the ramen, right?)

Here is what you need to make Chinese Chicken Salad:
Some cooked, chopped chicken (about 2 cups or so, but this recipe is very forgiving)
One head of green cabbage
Some slivered almonds (about a half cup or more if you like them and can get them cheap)
2 packages of chicken flavored ramen noodles
Vegetable oil, lemon juice, seasoned rice wine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar

First, chop the cabbage - please remember to remove the core, it is not tasty. I chop my cabbage by putting it through the slicing attachment of my food processor. You are looking for something between salad-green-size pieces and coleslaw-size pieces. Throw all the chopped cabbage into a big bowl. Throw in the chopped chicken (throw carefully, you don't want to take out someone's eye!)

Next, put the ramen packages on the counter and smash them. Just whack 'em good. You are breaking up the noodles into bite size pieces not dust! Now add the noodles to the cabbage/chicken (remove them from the package, duh.). Save the flavoring packets, you will be adding these to the dressing.

Next add the almonds. I always toast them slightly in my toaster oven, I think it brings out the flavor. You could toast them in a dry skillet on the stove also. Or you can just add them raw. I usually add some sesame seeds (2 Tbs or so) when I toast the almonds, but you don't have to.

Now make your dressing. Combine in a container:

1/2 c. oil (use a good quality vegetable oil or olive oil)
2 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS seasoned rice wine vinegar (you find this with all the other vinegars)
1 tsp sugar
2 seasoning packets from the ramen noodles
salt and pepper to taste

Shake, stir or otherwise combine the dressing ingredients until the sugar and ramen seasoning is dissolved. Pour this over the cabbage/chicken/almonds/ramen and mix everything together well. Serve soon, this doesn't taste quite as good after it has sat awhile, the noodles get mushy. We do however, finish off all leftovers (if there are any, which there very rarely are). You can serve this with soy sauce but we prefer it plain. Prepare to fight for your fair share - my fair share is at least half. Hey, I made it, it's only fair I get half, right?

Jill

Italian Chicken

This recipe is one of my favorite ways to serve chicken to my family. It isn't the most low-fat way, but it is one of our favorites. I think it is because it is so tender because it is pounded thin. And flavorful because of all the seasoning on it.

When you get your chicken for $1.49 a pound, it is also very cheap! I think my family is a low meat kind of family, it only takes two large chicken breasts to feed us (and we had leftovers for lunch tomorrow!). But even if you need more, if you can get them cheap, it isn't to expensive. Then if you serve it with Crashed Potatoes and some steamed veggies, it is a really cheap meal.

Here's how you do it:

First take you chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, please!). Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of waxed paper (back when I was really, really frugal, I would save the bags from inside the cereal boxes and use those for waxed paper in this recipe). Then pound it with something heavy and hard. I use my wooden rolling pin:Smash it pretty good, don't be afraid of hurting its feelings or anything. Really mush it flat. When you get done it will look like this compared to its un-mushed counterpart:
Then you are going to want to do the other one, too. When they are done, cut them into serving size pieces. I cut them into, more or less, three pieces each. Then I bread them. To bread them you will need three things:

a bowl of seasoned flour (stir salt and pepper into plain white flour), a bowl of milk, and a bowl of seasoned breadcrumbs. I use plain breadcrumbs and then stir in basil, garlic powder, salt, oregano, pepper and whatever else sounds good. Sometimes I add parmesan cheese. I usually make my own breadcrumbs. I save the ends of the bread, and that last piece that is threatening to go bad. I pop them in the freezer and when I have enough I place them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 300 degrees for 45 minutes of so (turning once) until they are really dry and hard. Then I put them into the food processor until it is breadcrumbs. I use 100% whole wheat bread so my breadcrumbs are "healthy." Yeah, right.

First dip a piece into the flour, then the milk then the breadcrumbs. Pat those breadcrumbs on there good - you want them to stay there while you are frying them. When you have them all done, put them in a pan with some hot oil in it.

Olive oil is good for this but, let's face it, it is expensive. You can use canola oil or vegetable oil with good results. Just make sure the oil is hot before you add the chicken or it will get really greasy.

When they are brown underneath, turn them over and let them brown on the other side. As they get done (check to make sure they are cooked all the way through, but they should be because they are really thin), remove them and keep them warm until the all the pieces are done.

That's it! Sometimes I serve this with gravy over mashed potatoes, sometimes with sauted peppers and onions, and sometimes (like last night), with Crashed Potatoes on the side.

If you have cheap chicken in the freezer, a good, satisfying, cheap meal is always handy!

Jill

Pasta Bake

I love this recipe because it is super easy, super cheap (if you buy stuff on sale) and everyone in my family loves it. Can't beat that!

A few years ago one of the spaghetti sauce makers started marketing a "pasta bake" sauce. You put pasta in a pan, added the jar of sauce and one jar of water, covered the pan and baked it. I thought, you should be able to do that with just sauce, shouldn't you? I tried it and it worked like a charm.

Get out a 9 x 13 pan and put some pasta in it. You don't want to use spaghetti noodles here, you want something sturdy. I like penne (a tube shape with angled ends) but you could use rotini or rigatoni or even macaroni noodles. I can't give you an exact amount but it should roughly be two layers of pasta. It will look like this:(these are really bad pictures today. I apologize and wish I could do better. It has to do with the light in my kitchen. Well, and my my horrid picture taking skills!)

Once you get the pasta in there, add one jar (or can) of spaghetti sauce. Preferably the sauce you got on sale for 79 cents a can. Then fill that same jar (or can) with water and pour that in, too. Stir it up so the spaghetti sauce is mixed well with the water. Then cover with tin foil and bake at 350 til the sauce is almost absorbed and the pasta is tender. This took about 45 minutes tonight but you just have to keep an eye on it. When it is just about done, uncover it and sprinkle it with shredded mozzarella cheese. Take it out when the cheese is melted and bubbly.

This is really good reheated the next day, too. (Guess what I'm having for lunch tomorrow?)
You could, of course, add cooked ground beef, or italian sausage or cooked, chopped chicken. I don't because of my vegetarians. But if your family likes it - go for it. If you get your meat on sale, it will only add a couple of dollars to the total cost.

I figure I used about $1 worth of pasta, the sauce was 79 cents or so, and about $1 or $1.25 of cheese. That means that this meal, which feeds all six of us (everyone had seconds) with leftovers, costs around $3.00! I served it tonight with cheese biscuits and home canned applesauce. My whole meal was probably $5.00. Yeah! And took me about 10 minutes worth of work.

Best part? No one whined!

Jill

Tip One: Buying Things on Sale

Every tightwad book or book on cheap eating will tell you that you should fill out a price-book. By having a price-book, you know what the lowest price is for anything and then you can only buy things at the lowest price. I totally agree that you should never pay full price for things - especially some things, however I have never had a price book.

I tried several times to start a price-book but have failed every time. I know that they work, I just can't make them work for me! I don't remember to bring them with me, I don't go to enough stores, the thing I really need isn't in the price book, or whatever. I finally gave up and just set some "won't go over" prices for certain items.

There are certain things that I never pay full price for: boneless skinless chicken breasts, boxed cereal, pop (Diet Dr. Pepper is my friend), cheese, canned chili, canned/jarred spaghetti sauce, boxed mixes (ie, rice-a-roni, stuffing mix, etc), ketchup, salad dressing, salad oil (vegetable or canola oil), canned fruit, and barbeque sauce. I'm sure there are a couple of others but I've forgotten them right now. When I find these things on sale for less than my "never more than" price, I buy lots!

Most of the things on that list are "extravagances" meaning they are things that we don't need, could use a substitute or could make ourselves. I could make chili instead of buying canned, but canned chili is great for those quick meals - as long as I don't spend more than 80 cents a can. I could stop drinking Diet Dr. Pepper and start drinking water (which I have vowed to do this year, just not now!), but I really enjoy it and I won't spend more than $2.75 a 12/pk.

Boneless skinless chicken breast are another example. I'm very squeamish about my meat - I like it as far away from its original state as possible. I don't want to work around bones and stuff, so I buy only boneless skinless chicken breasts. More expensive, you say? I could buy a whole chicken and cut it up, you insist? Yeah, well, it ain't gonna happen in Crazyville. I'm willing to buy the boneless skinless kind - but I won't spend over $1.89 a pound for them. When I find them for less than that I buy a bunch and Foodsaver them and throw them in the freezer. How much is "a lot?" Well the last time they went on sale for $1.49 a lb at Albertsons I bought 15 lbs worth. Yes, I could get whole chickens for cheaper, but I wouldnt use them and they would go to waste so it would NOT save me money.

That is the whole trick about buying on sale and stocking up. If you buy something just because it is a "great deal" and then let it sit on your shelf for years collecting dust or throw half of it away because your family won't eat it, it isn't that great of a deal. I only buy this stuff in multiples when I know we will use it up. I know which brand of chili we like - and only buy that one - and I have 9 cans of it in my Crazyville Food Shoppe right now!

I won't drive all around town to get these deal, either. I shop at one store, it happens to be the cheapest in town for everyday prices. I will go to the two stores nearest me if they have some crazy loss leader sale (like the $1.49 chicken breasts, or $1 boxes of cereal). But I don't end up going anywhere else very often. I just watch for stuff to go on sale and stock up when it does. Then I WON'T BUY IT AGAIN UNTIL IT GOES ON SALE! I'll do without it until I can get it under my "never more than" price. So when I find it, I usually buy a lot.

Which brings me to my next point. Where do I keep all this stuff??

Try to find somewhere in your house that you can keep an expanded pantry. Some people are lucky enough to have a good sized pantry in their kitchen. Some people have shelves in the basement,

some have shelves or cupboards in an attached garage. Some people put them in under the bed bins under the beds. Wherever you find space and it works, go for it. It will save you so much money! This system allows you to always use 79 cents a can spaghetti sauce or $1.49/lb chicken breasts. Way better than $1.99 spaghetti sauce or $3.99 chicken breasts.

This coming week, I will be posting recipes that use some of my "never more than" price items. Tomorrow it will be pasta bake using canned spaghetti sauce (that I never pay more than 89 cents a can for!). See you then!

Jill

Menu Plan Monday - Frugal Feasting Kick-Off

I'm starting my "Frugal Feasting" series this week. I'm really excited to be doing this series. My favorite topic is food and the cheaper the better! This is going to be a great excuse for me to find some new cheap recipes.

This week my focus is on the most basic part of cheap eating - buying stuff on sale! There are certain things I will never pay full price for. I'm going to go over these things and how buying things on sale help. Then I'm going to make some meals this week using those on sale items.

This week my meals will be:

Breakfasts:

• cereal
• One-eyed Egyptians
• homemade oatmeal
• toast with jam

Lunches:

• lunch meat and cheese sticks
• leftovers
• yogurt and granola
• sandwiches

Dinners:

• Italian chicken and potatoes
• pasta bake, focaccia bread
• Chinese chicken salad
• pesto pasta
• potatoes saurkraut and sausage
• wagon wheel chili

Tomorrow I will post on the theory of buying on sale, tips and tricks, where to store it all, and what it makes sense to stock up on. Then for the rest of the week the dinner recipes will be the stars! In the coming weeks, we will will talk about other frugal eating ideas: mega cooking, meat "less" cooking, bulk buying, cooking from scratch, cooking with beans, and more!

Join me for my Frugal Feasting series!

If you need more menu ideas, jump on over to Organizing Junkie!

Jill

Coming Sunday!

I have been rather amiss at keeping my blog updated lately. Partly that was because of the holidays and I was busy and spending time with my kids over Christmas break. However, part of the problem was I just wasn't very focused on what I wanted to be doing here. I've been doing some thinking and I've come up with an idea! After much thought and brainstorming with Hubby and others, I've decided to do . . .

Cheap Meals - the Series!

We eat pretty cheap here in Crazyville. I have learned over my almost (ahem!) 20 years of marriage some tricks and tips for how to do it and still feel like your feasting. I'm going to share some of that with all of you.

I will focus on one theme a week. I will introduce the theme on Monday and then the posts (and meals) that week will be related to that theme. Themes will include: buying in bulk (how to do it and when, how to use all that bulk food, when not to buy in bulk), cooking with beans (some really good recipes!), cooking from scratch and baking from scratch. There will be many more - I hope to do a 12 week series.

So, starting Monday (probably late Sunday night!) I will have the first weeks "lesson" ready. Pardon me now, I've got to do start typing!!!


Jill

Book Review - Cheap Eating

Many years ago I took a trip to the beach with friends. It was all girls (we called ourselves the "Beach Babes") and we had a fabulous time going out to lunch, poking around in the shops, walking on the beach, curling up with good books and, of course, talking - a lot! On one of our trips into town, we peeked into a small bookstore. I, of course, went straight for the cooking section. This little book caught my eye - Cheap Eating - How to Feed Your Family Well and Spend Less, by Pat Edwards. At the time, my husband was just starting out in his career and we had two small children. I was working at the time but wanted desperately to quit my job and stay home with my girls. I was looking for anyway possible to cut expenses to allow that to happen. A book that could teach me to cook and eat cheap? For only $9.95? I'll take it!

Not long after that trip I was finally able to quit my job and stay home. I wish I could say this book was responsible, but it was not. However, it did give me some great ideas.

The first 130 pages of this book aren't recipes, but rather strategies and ideas to help you shop smarter and cook cheaper. If you are a hard-core frugal shopper, most of this information is nothing new. There are some tips and tricks you might not have thought of, but nothing earth-shattering. If you are the "don't make a list, throw whatever in the cart, convenience is the name of the game" type of shopper, you will learn a lot from this book. In fact, if you are that kind of shopper, some of these ideas may seem extreme and unrealistic. Let me assure you, lots of people shop and cook in exactly this way and it doesn't feel extreme to us!

The last 150 pages or so are recipes. Let me just say this, these are bare-bones, no frills recipes. An example is the recipe for lentil rice casserole on page 140. The ingredients are: lentils, rice, water, onions, salt and pepper. That is it, you don't saute the onion in oil or butter, there is not flavoring in the water, you put it all in a casserole pan and bake for 1 hour at 350. She lists "optional" ingredients as curry and grated cheese. I'm not sure if she's talking about curry powder or not, and she doesn't say how to add it. She recommends serving the cheese at the table to sprinkle on top. I'm not sure my family would go for this one. Her version is listed as only costing 73 cents for the whole casserole (not including the "optional" cheese).

However, these recipes can be the basis for some really cheap meals if you make modifications that don't send the cost skyrocketing. For instance, we do a variation on the lentil-rice casserole with chicken boullion added to the water, sauted carrots and onions and cheese melted on top. Mine is still really cheap but has enough flavor that my family gobbles it up.

One such "changeable" recipe is "Breakfast Muffin Cake" Here is the original recipe:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix in a bowl:

2 eggs
4 Tbls oil
1/2 c. molasses
2 cups water

Mix in a separate bowl:

1 c. dry milk
2 c. dry oatmeal
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
(optional ingredients are raisins or a couple Tbs of marmalade; 1/2 c. applesauce, cooked squash, or carrots)

Blend dry ingredients with wet, stir just until moistened. Bake in 9 x 12 pan for 15 minutes. Should last for two breakfasts. Cost: $1.65. (The book was printed in 1993, I'm sure prices have changed).

I made some modifications: I added 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, and 1/2 c. dried cranberries. I used part whole wheat for some of the flour. I drizzled a powdered sugar glaze on the cake when it came out of the oven. It took almost 25 minutes to bake and I used a 9 x 13 pan (who has a 9 x 12???). My family liked it and I would definately make it again. Next time I would add the 1/2 c. applesauce (my family's one complaint was that it was a little dry), I would do raisins instead of cranberries, and I would blend the oatmeal (I used whole oats and they were a little crunchy).

So, it was a really cheap recipe, I made modifications that didn't break the bank, and I came up with a healthy, cheap recipe that my family likes. That's a winning combo!

If you don't like playing with your recipes, but want flavorful food, this is probably not the cookbook for you. If you have fun being frugal and don't mind tweaking a recipe to make it fit your family, you would probably enjoy it. In addition, I did a search on Half.com and on Amazon.com and found copies of this book for as low as 75 cents! Hey, for 75 cents you can't go wrong, right?

Jill

Day 30

Last day of sunshine. It started raining this afternoon. *sigh* Somehow I'll survive. When we have the first really good NW rain storm, I'll be enjoying it. I really do love the rain.

Today was good. We had oatmeal with berries for breakfast (I'm sure someone had cereal, probably Hubby). Lunch was buying for the little kids, yogurt, granola bars, bananas, crackers for the big kids. Leftovers for Hubby and bread, cheese, fruit and granola bars for me. I made another batch of the homemade granola bars and we've really been enjoying them. It is amazing how they fill you up so much better than the store-bought ones.

Dinner was Parmensan chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, baked beans and applesauce. For the Parmesan chicken I just take boneless, skinless chicken breasts (purchased for $1.69 a pound), pound them between two pieces of waxed paper til they are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Then I cut them into thirds or so. Dredge them in flour, then milk, then dry bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then fry them in some olive oil. I made the gravy (from a packet) in the pan I fried them in so it picked up all the flavor. It is really good and my family loves it. My veggie girl will eat chicken so this is one of the few meat meals we can all eat. In addition, this meal doesn't take that long to make and is pretty inexpensive. Because we aren't big meat eaters even when we do eat it, I use two chicken breasts, cut into thirds, for my family. We just fill up on beans, potatoes, applesauce veggies (I usually serve steamed broccoli with this but we don't have any right now).

I made biscuits for bed-time snacks tonight. It just sounded good to me so I made them. We ate them in about two minutes. I kid you not. I took pictures while I made them, so I'll do a post about them soon. This recipe has been a wonderful discovery this month.

Tomorrow is Halloween and I still have a few costumes to pack for school tomorrow. Yes, our school "does" Halloween. We do a costume parade and the everything. We are old-school! And we love it.

Jill

Day 16

Tonight I made one of my family's favorite dinners - Ham Fried Rice. Everyone loves it. Even my veggie kids, they just pick out the ham and give it to someone else who does like it. It is a really easy dish, super cheap, and uses up leftover meat and veggies. We traditionally make it with ham but I got the recipe from my mom and we always had with with pork when I was growing up. We use peas but you could use any mixed vegetables you have on hand. The rice works best if is is cold so make it early in the day or use leftover from last night.

Here's how it goes:

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet. We use sesame oil but you could use canola, vegetable or what ever. Throw some beaten eggs in the pan and cook them. You can cook them all in a flat pancake kind of thing then cut it in strips later or you can just scramble the eggs. When the eggs are done, remove them from the pan and set them aside. Putting them on a plate would be good, too. Add more oil to the pan if needed.

Add some chopped cooked meat (ham, leftover pork roast, pork tenderloin, chicken, shrimp, whatever) and a couple of chopped green onions. Cook and stir until the meat is heated through. You can add your veggies here if they aren't cooked already. Stir them until they are done enough for your liking.

Add a whole bunch of cooked cooled rice, however much your family will eat. For my family that is a lot! Stir the rice and break up any clumps. Stir the rice until it is coated with the oil and the meat is mixed in.

Add some soy sauce. You want to add enough that it turns everything that nice shade of brown that says "fried rice" but not so much that it is overwhelmingly soy sauce-y. It all really depends on how much rice you have. Start small. You can always add more but it's really, really hard to remove it once you've added it in!!!

Next, add your veggies if they are already cooked. I add frozen peas and then cover the pan to let them steam.

Lastly, add the egg back in and stir everything together. Serve with soy sauce at the table. Enjoy! I figure this meal costs me about $3.50 for my whole family ($2.00 worth of meat, .20 for the rice, .25 for the peas, .25 for oil, .25 -.50 for the soy sauce, my eggs are free but I only use three so maybe another .50 for those?) I add some canned or fresh fruit to the meal, usually mandarin oranges they seem to fit. So the whole meal is less than $5.oo for my whole family.

And the best part? My family loves it.

The rest of our meals were pretty standard today.

Breakfast was banana muffins for all and chocolate milk or juice.

Lunch was bits and pieces for all. Kaden and Carina bought lunch for the last time this month. Hubby took leftover soup from last night.

Dinner was fried rice and oranges.

My family is on their own for dinner tomorrow night as I will be at a conference. Not sure what they will do!

Jill