Fred Meyers
Yoplait 3/1.00 cohpon on coupons.com os for .50 on 5. Makes them .23 each
Grapes .98
Peaches .99
Ritz crackers 2.49
Classico pasta sauce 1.99. Note : I figure it comes in a mason tyke jar that costs a, ost a dollar by itself.
Insta pot is 79.99 and there is a ten dollar gift card attached. Look for an in store coupon.
QFC
Draper valley whole chicken .88
Tillamook ice cream 2/5
Barilla pasta 1.00
NAB not a bargain 😥
Roasted chicken 6.99
2 pound chicken. Never buy anchicken under three pounds, At three pounds , you are breaking even on the bone to meat ratio. At two pounds you are paying more for th bones than you are the meat you can eat. The price per pound including bone is 3.50. Washington grown (Mount Vernon ) is .88 a pound this week. There are easy, simple ways to cook a chicken. Like ten minutes non passive time and you get a added bonus of 3.00 worth of broth,
Alberways
Digital coupon folders coffee 5.99
Soda crackers 1.88
Milk 1.99@@
Bread .99@@
@@ means I’m ad coupon
Fab 4
Campbell’s soup 1.00 coupons.com 1.00 on eight.
Prego 1.49
Old El Paso taco shells .99
Pillsbury cinnamon rolls or grands 1.00 coupons out there for 1.00 off three. Both inserts and coupons,com has them.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
French Toast
French toast for the freezer is a good way to preserve bread and make easy breakfast to get people out the door with breakfast. Just take from the freezer and pop it on the toaster or microwave for a few seconds.
Total cost using bread (from orowheat -thick sliced) and eggs purchased for a dollar a dozen at safeways, os .28 a serving.
Mix 6 eggs, a half cup of milk and a pinch of cinnamon, a teaspoon of vanilla if you want in a blender. Pour into a shallow baking rectangle dish. And coat bread in the mixture, griddle or fry on a frying pan on medium heat until brown on one side, flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned.
Cool and place in meal sized portions (2) into quart bags. Freeze.
Total cost using bread (from orowheat -thick sliced) and eggs purchased for a dollar a dozen at safeways, os .28 a serving.
Mix 6 eggs, a half cup of milk and a pinch of cinnamon, a teaspoon of vanilla if you want in a blender. Pour into a shallow baking rectangle dish. And coat bread in the mixture, griddle or fry on a frying pan on medium heat until brown on one side, flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned.
Cool and place in meal sized portions (2) into quart bags. Freeze.
How did she do that? Chili in the insta pot ...or not
Yesterday, I made beer bread and chili .
Insta pot Chili
8 ounces of cooked ground beef
1 quart of beef broth
1 can 15.5 Oz tomato sauce
1 can -15.5 Oz diced tomatoes
6 cups cooked pinto beans (cook 3 cups raw)
1 small can mild diced green chillies
.
Beer bread
3 cups bisquick
1/3 cup sugar
1 -12 ounce beer
Mix ingredients. Don’t over mix.
Place in a greased loaf pan.
Bake at 375 degrees 45-55 minutes or until it tests done. Cake tester comes out clean when poked into the center of the bread.
Spread a pat of butter on top of the bread for a softer crust.
Notes :
I used sirloin tips for the beef. It was the mystery meat I forgot to label in the beef basket in the freezer. I processed the meat with the beef stock, and them proceeded with the recipe. Save!
You This recipe could be done in the slow cooker using cooked ground meat and canned beans .
Better than boullion makes a good beef broth that doesn’t cost three dollars a quart.
Insta pot Chili
8 ounces of cooked ground beef
1 quart of beef broth
1 can 15.5 Oz tomato sauce
1 can -15.5 Oz diced tomatoes
6 cups cooked pinto beans (cook 3 cups raw)
1 small can mild diced green chillies
- Cook 3 cups dried pinto beans . Wash and pick beans. Place in insta pot liner, cover with water up to your second buckle. Put the kid in the insta pot and set to seal. Push the bean button.
- When the beans are done, quick release and drain the beans into a colander, Place back in pot,
- Add the stick, cans of tomato, and chillies,
- Program the insta pot on slow cooker.
Serve chilli with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.
We had beer bread because some of our family are not partial to cornbread. Total cost of chili 3.09.
.
Beer bread
3 cups bisquick
1/3 cup sugar
1 -12 ounce beer
Mix ingredients. Don’t over mix.
Place in a greased loaf pan.
Bake at 375 degrees 45-55 minutes or until it tests done. Cake tester comes out clean when poked into the center of the bread.
Spread a pat of butter on top of the bread for a softer crust.
Notes :
I used sirloin tips for the beef. It was the mystery meat I forgot to label in the beef basket in the freezer. I processed the meat with the beef stock, and them proceeded with the recipe. Save!
You This recipe could be done in the slow cooker using cooked ground meat and canned beans .
Better than boullion makes a good beef broth that doesn’t cost three dollars a quart.
Monday, October 1, 2018
Kitchen management aka meal prep
When you can make some if your food ahead of the dinner hour, it goes a long way to make the hectic dinner hour less hectic. It saves time because you re setting ho and using one own instead of many through the week to wash. So, torn on some peppy music and get started, in no time you will we presently surprised. The look of that organized refrigerator is totally worth it!
Reminder of meals
Reminder of meals
- Chili, beer bread
- Pizza
- Sloppy joes , fries, coleslaw
- Chicken tamale pie , lettuce, tomato
- Fajitas,
- Pork chops with apple, cranberry stuffing
- Breakfast for dinner,
- Wash kitchen floor.
- Clean out refrigerator and dump anything dead 💀.
- Make note of things that need to be used up soon.. check pull dates
- Clean and disinfect counters and sinks and drains.
- Wash potatoes for fries and apples for stuffing, dry and place in colander,
- Make beans for chili and make the rest of the chili on the insta pot, programmed for slow cooker.
- Make beer bread
- Replenish any mixes that are running low.
Note
How a on the cheap mind works ...lol
Yesterday, I got baskets at the DT for the freezer. The new refrigerator came with no bins and just flimsy shelves. Don’t judge, I had two choices of side by sides in the measurements that would fit our refrigerator space. One had stationary shelves that were nit the sturdiest and a ice maker with tooo many buttons for a six year old in the house, I could just see disaster. Anyway, I have looked at the container store and amazon, and couldn’t find any baskets to fit. I finally found them at the dollar store, not the best quality I have see , but they will do until I find better.
Long story shirt, I found a quarter pound of sausage frozen still in its tube. I thawed it and yesterday , I cooked it while making breakfast. I let it cool and saved it on a container. Last night, I made a quiche with hash browns, eggs, sausage, cheese, and an egg mixture. Sounds terrible, but it was very good. And, easy. Five minutes work, and 35 minutes in the oven.
Hash brown patties 1.00
Sausage .50
Cheese .63
Green Pepper slice, .06
Eggs .16
Milk .12
Total 2.47
Strawberries were a dollar at Winco.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Meal Plans for week of 10/1/18
Meal plans are a good thing to do because they save time and money. They just make life easier. They can be done either before or after you shop because you are planning using your master list of food instead of what you are buying just for the week. There is some sort of security of knowing you always have food in the house, Studies have shown that not having food on the house shortens your life span. It is an anxiety thing.
- Chili, beer bread or cornbread
- Pizza
- Sloppy joes, fries, coleslaw
- Chicken Tamale Pie (Betty Crocker )
- Fajitas -chicken
- Pork chops, apple cranberry stuffing , salad
- Breakfast for dinner -French Toast, bacon , fruit
Notes :
- Beer bread is a simple thing . Corn bread is an alternative if you have children. (Betty Crocker)
- Homemade pizza isn’t hard and costs a dollar for a cheese pizza when made with RBP ingredients.
- Sloppy joes are made with precooked hamburger. Bins are cheapest at the bread outlet or Winco, they are smaller with less carbs. A fast meal,
- Chicken tamale pie is a Betty Crocker recipe.
- Fajitas are chicken with onion and peppers purchased and frozen when they were a dollar at Winco. Green peppers were cheaper.
- Pork chops with stuffing uses bread cubes , chicken broth, Craisens and chopped apple.
- Breakfast for dinner is always a good meal. Everyone contributes to the meal and it’s a family time. Wide sliced bread (artisan) was at the Dollar Tree . (DT) .
The latest scientific ?study showed the cheapest price on food came from the Grocery Outlet , followed by Winco, then Fred Meyers. Grocery Outlet is not a full service grocery store and I hesitate to buy produce and meat there. I pretty much figured that out myself. The biggest asset when buy8ng Groceries is knowing the cheapest price that yo7 can find on the things you buy on a regular basis. Trying to stock enough to last you until the next sale is going to give you your best return.
What we ate in September
Note😜. Some of these days I was stopped in my tracks with a torn muscle in my shoulder. Gramps cooked. Bet you can guess which days that was!!
- Chicken and rice casserole
- Pancakes, bacon, strawberries
- Leftovers
- Burrito bowls
- Sliders, fries, salad
- Brats, corn on cob, peppers
- Pizza
- Ribs, peas, baked potatoes
- Potluck. Pasta salad
- Chicken nuggets, peas, oven fries
- Chicken strips, fries, vegetable
- Hamburgers. Oven fries, strawberries and grapes
- Taco bake
- Mac and cheese with ham , fruit cup
- Sliders. Fries. Fruit
- Sausage, acorn squash, rolls
- Vegetable soup
- Hamburgers
- Chicken soup
- Chicken breast,
- Chicken salad
- Roast beef sandwiches
- Spaghetti, salad
- Tuna melts
- Chop salad
- Chicken tenders, fries
- Stew
- Chicken pot pie
- Shrimp fettuccine, peas
- Bacon, eggs, French Toast.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Saturday concepts.
Groceries on the cheap takes a different approach to grocery shopping, In a lot of ways it simplifies things. No more making a list and forgetting it on the kitchen counter. No more getting home and forgetting so,etching that you need for the meal plan you have already written. No more open g the cupboard and refrigerator the day before payday and playing the Mother Hubbard song.
And, you can do this for four dollars a day, There are two of us, and we have a granddaughter that eats with us sometimes. I have grown and maintained a stock. We always have fresh fruits and vegetables in season. This year, we have averaged 51.89 a week. Four dollars a day equals 55.00 a week. We eat regular food. Pork loin roast, chicken pot pie, burritos, enchaladas, tacos, spaghetti , stew, pizza. Garden salads.and more.
The secret is not remarkable, You don’t pay full price for your food, You simplify by purchasing scratch ingredients that are versatile and inexpensive and keep a stock by purchasing them in a regulated bulk. The difference between eating once and eating twice is that you buy your food for 1/2 price or less and for the same amount of money, you have two items instead of one.
Protein is your most expensive item on your grocery list, Instead of buying five or six packages of meat, you buy one that is on a good sale and buy enough of that meat to make as many meals as you plan to eat on the following four to six weeks. If you eat chicken twice a week, you will need 8 meals worth, Buy it in bulk, break it down onto meal sized bags and freeze what you aren’t going to eat that week. You can buy split chicken breast for as low as .88 a pound. boneless, skinless chicken breast can be 8.00 a pound. A little work and you have chicken stock for free instead of 3.00 a quart, and chicken pieces for tacos or a casserole, and your chicken breast at .88 a pound.
Pork loin can be purchased anywhere between 1.00 and 1.89 a pound. Again, a little work and your center cut pork chops are 1.00 a pound instead of 3.50.
One of the biggest labor saving services is to buy a bulk package or tube of hamburger at a good price and cook and defat it while you are putting the groceries away. Bag it in meal sized portions . We use quart bags from the DT and out them in good zip lock gallon bags and label them ground beef and the date. Dinner time just got sooo much easier, I can make spaghetti or taco dinner in 15 minutes hands on time. That’s less time than ordering a pizza and waiting for it to come. Or waiting at a restaurant.
By learning how to scratch cook efficiently a handful of meals, you can save the preservatives and a lot of money.
There is a concept of virtual paycheck. If you figure how much you save between scratch and that meal on a bag or box, and divide it by the extra amount of time you spent making the scratch, you will get an amount per hour. If it’s ten cents or you spent more, forget it. Many times, the amount is remarkable.
My daughter and I thoroughly dissected and made a cheeseburger macaroni meal. The box had 4.2 ounces of pasta. (.25) and 1.57 ounces (13.00 a pound based in what we paid for the box) of a cheese sauce that had no cheese on it and did have a multitude of ingredients we needed a science degree to know what they were. You added all the good ingredients. Why,nit just add the good ingredients from scratch and avoid the science. It was actually cheaper to scratch and you had a better product with more nutrition.
We have a buy price for things we use in a regular basis. If the price is too high and I’m not in dire need or there is not a substitute, I don’t buy it. When it is a low price, buy as many as you need for four to six weeks. ( the average cycle on sales) .
A little time can make a lot of difference between eating well for low money, or struggling to make dinner with no ingredients.
And, you can do this for four dollars a day, There are two of us, and we have a granddaughter that eats with us sometimes. I have grown and maintained a stock. We always have fresh fruits and vegetables in season. This year, we have averaged 51.89 a week. Four dollars a day equals 55.00 a week. We eat regular food. Pork loin roast, chicken pot pie, burritos, enchaladas, tacos, spaghetti , stew, pizza. Garden salads.and more.
The secret is not remarkable, You don’t pay full price for your food, You simplify by purchasing scratch ingredients that are versatile and inexpensive and keep a stock by purchasing them in a regulated bulk. The difference between eating once and eating twice is that you buy your food for 1/2 price or less and for the same amount of money, you have two items instead of one.
Protein is your most expensive item on your grocery list, Instead of buying five or six packages of meat, you buy one that is on a good sale and buy enough of that meat to make as many meals as you plan to eat on the following four to six weeks. If you eat chicken twice a week, you will need 8 meals worth, Buy it in bulk, break it down onto meal sized bags and freeze what you aren’t going to eat that week. You can buy split chicken breast for as low as .88 a pound. boneless, skinless chicken breast can be 8.00 a pound. A little work and you have chicken stock for free instead of 3.00 a quart, and chicken pieces for tacos or a casserole, and your chicken breast at .88 a pound.
Pork loin can be purchased anywhere between 1.00 and 1.89 a pound. Again, a little work and your center cut pork chops are 1.00 a pound instead of 3.50.
One of the biggest labor saving services is to buy a bulk package or tube of hamburger at a good price and cook and defat it while you are putting the groceries away. Bag it in meal sized portions . We use quart bags from the DT and out them in good zip lock gallon bags and label them ground beef and the date. Dinner time just got sooo much easier, I can make spaghetti or taco dinner in 15 minutes hands on time. That’s less time than ordering a pizza and waiting for it to come. Or waiting at a restaurant.
By learning how to scratch cook efficiently a handful of meals, you can save the preservatives and a lot of money.
There is a concept of virtual paycheck. If you figure how much you save between scratch and that meal on a bag or box, and divide it by the extra amount of time you spent making the scratch, you will get an amount per hour. If it’s ten cents or you spent more, forget it. Many times, the amount is remarkable.
My daughter and I thoroughly dissected and made a cheeseburger macaroni meal. The box had 4.2 ounces of pasta. (.25) and 1.57 ounces (13.00 a pound based in what we paid for the box) of a cheese sauce that had no cheese on it and did have a multitude of ingredients we needed a science degree to know what they were. You added all the good ingredients. Why,nit just add the good ingredients from scratch and avoid the science. It was actually cheaper to scratch and you had a better product with more nutrition.
We have a buy price for things we use in a regular basis. If the price is too high and I’m not in dire need or there is not a substitute, I don’t buy it. When it is a low price, buy as many as you need for four to six weeks. ( the average cycle on sales) .
A little time can make a lot of difference between eating well for low money, or struggling to make dinner with no ingredients.
Friday, September 28, 2018
Better, cheaper, faster : ham balls
A good recipe if you hav an abundance of ham left from a holiday dinner in the freezer. An old time recipe.
Ham Balls
1 lb ground ham. **
1\3 cup bread crumbs
1T brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
Mix together and form balls. Place balls in a 12 cup muffin tin.
Mix sauce.
1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tbls prepared mustard
Brush over balls
Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the balls are heated through.
Serve over Cooked rice.
Nice add: Pineapple chunks to the rice.
** cooked . Ham can be chopped in a food processer or ground with a grinder on the kitchen aid mixer, or ground with great grandmas manual grinder. Manual grinders can be found at antique stores and estate sales.
Ham Balls
1 lb ground ham. **
1\3 cup bread crumbs
1T brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
Mix together and form balls. Place balls in a 12 cup muffin tin.
Mix sauce.
1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tbls prepared mustard
Brush over balls
Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the balls are heated through.
Serve over Cooked rice.
Nice add: Pineapple chunks to the rice.
** cooked . Ham can be chopped in a food processer or ground with a grinder on the kitchen aid mixer, or ground with great grandmas manual grinder. Manual grinders can be found at antique stores and estate sales.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Grocery Hauls 9/28/18
Safeways
Broccolli 1.02
Grapes 2.28
Cheese 4 lbs 7.98
Cheese, grated 1.00
Linguine 4.00
Total 16.28
Fred Meyers
16 chicken noodle soup 1.00 less 2.00 coupons
Pork bbq 3.99 less .55
Total 17.44
Winco
French bread .95
Bacon 2- 4.96
Ice cream 3.83
Buns .92
Fries 1.98
Tomatoes 1.56
Salad 2.68
Spinach 3.98
Peppers .48
Peppers 1.96
Total 23.30
Total 57.02
1.02 over.
Some long term storage.
Broccolli 1.02
Grapes 2.28
Cheese 4 lbs 7.98
Cheese, grated 1.00
Linguine 4.00
Total 16.28
Fred Meyers
16 chicken noodle soup 1.00 less 2.00 coupons
Pork bbq 3.99 less .55
Total 17.44
Winco
French bread .95
Bacon 2- 4.96
Ice cream 3.83
Buns .92
Fries 1.98
Tomatoes 1.56
Salad 2.68
Spinach 3.98
Peppers .48
Peppers 1.96
Total 23.30
Total 57.02
1.02 over.
Some long term storage.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Chain store ads
Not the best of weeks for bargains,
QFC
Milk .99
Pie , pumpkin 3.99
Fred Meyers
B5S5 sale
Land of lakes butter 2.49
Dreyers 2.49
Yoplait refrigerator yogurt 2.99 - coupons?
DiGiorno pizza 4.99
Pork loin BOGO
Graoes 1.99
Milk .99
Campbell’s soup 1.00 Coupons.
Ragu 2/3
80/20 ground beef 3.49
Sour cream large 2/4
Alberways
Eggs .99@@
Bacon 2.99@@
Bread .89@@
Frozen vegetables 1.00
Pillsbury grands 3/5 coupons
Digital coupons -or paper
Kens salad dressing 1.99 - .75 coupons dated 9/30. ***. Not sure if they work
Salsa 1.79
QFC
Milk .99
Pie , pumpkin 3.99
Fred Meyers
B5S5 sale
Land of lakes butter 2.49
Dreyers 2.49
Yoplait refrigerator yogurt 2.99 - coupons?
DiGiorno pizza 4.99
Pork loin BOGO
Graoes 1.99
Milk .99
Campbell’s soup 1.00 Coupons.
Ragu 2/3
80/20 ground beef 3.49
Sour cream large 2/4
Alberways
Eggs .99@@
Bacon 2.99@@
Bread .89@@
Frozen vegetables 1.00
Pillsbury grands 3/5 coupons
Digital coupons -or paper
Kens salad dressing 1.99 - .75 coupons dated 9/30. ***. Not sure if they work
Salsa 1.79
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
How did she do that - scratch cooking
One of the Rights of Youth is chocolate pudding! Goes along with watermelon and corn on the cob! Scratch pudding can take no longer than the boxed stuff, but it is free of preservatives and you can make it from stock food you have in hand, Simplify your pantry and life will be easier.
Chocolate Pudding in the microwave
1/4 cup cocoa powder (raw without sugar)
2 T cornstarch
1-1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Combine cocoa and cornstarch on a microwave safe large glass measuring bowl and whisk in milk until blended. Microwave on high 2 minutes . Reduce heat to 70 percent and cook another 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 minutes, stirring every 1-1/2 minutes or until mixture has thickened,
Stir in sugar and vanilla, Let stand for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep smooth. Transfer to individual cups and cover with plastic wrap to keep from forming a skin, Refrigerate.
Serves 4.
Chocolate Pudding in the microwave
1/4 cup cocoa powder (raw without sugar)
2 T cornstarch
1-1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Combine cocoa and cornstarch on a microwave safe large glass measuring bowl and whisk in milk until blended. Microwave on high 2 minutes . Reduce heat to 70 percent and cook another 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 minutes, stirring every 1-1/2 minutes or until mixture has thickened,
Stir in sugar and vanilla, Let stand for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep smooth. Transfer to individual cups and cover with plastic wrap to keep from forming a skin, Refrigerate.
Serves 4.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Kitchen Management aka meal prep
Monday here is kitchen Management aka meal prep day. It is a tool that takes an hour, but saves hours in the long run.
Reminder of meals
Reminder of meals
- Stew with potatoes, carrots , herbs , peas
- Pizza
- Pork loin , baked potatoes, veggie
- Chicken enchaladas
- Spaghetti , french bread, salad
- Tuna melts
- Breakfast for dinner
- Wash kitchen floor
- Clean refrigerator, and dump anything dead and note what needs to be used soon,
- Wash and disinfect counters and sinks and drains.
- Clean the floor under the refrigerator.
- Wash potatoes and carrots with vinegar water and set to dry
- Thaw pork loin
- Make muffins
- Organize freezer.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Meal plans
Meal plans are a tool that makes for a smoother experience in the dinner time. You know what ingredients you will need, you know what might have to come out of the freezer in the morning, and left is just easier.
We meal plan on a matrix based on protein. It gives a variety of meals and nutritional choices.
We meal plan on a matrix based on protein. It gives a variety of meals and nutritional choices.
- Pork stew with potatoes, carrots, peas, and herbs,
- Pizza
- Pork loin, baked potatoes. Broccoli
- Chicken enchiladas , salad
- Spaghetti on the insta pot. 😀, salad , French bread
- Tuna melts. Salad
- Breakfast for dinner
Notes :
This week’s grocery shopping had a lot of basic needs on bulk. Chicken noodle soup was on sale and there were coupons to make it about 1/2 price. It is a good go to especially if someone is sick.
Cheese was on sale at safeways and we had coupons. Two dollars and fifty cents is my buy price and it was 2.00 a pound.
Pork cubes are from the butt end of a pork loin. Cutting the tapered down ends of the meat
and making stew meat or stir fry is a good way to assure even pork chops. The rest of the loin is cut into roasts and center cut pork chops. Butchering your own saves a lot of money...as much as 2.50 a pound. Protein is the most expensive part of your food budget, so saving a lot on it makes good sense.
Pizza from scratch costs out at a dollar if you are buying your ingredients at RBP. That’s is probably why there are so many pizza places out there, considering that those places get wholesale prices on their ingredients, they are making a lot of money. It is easy , anyone can do it . Our granddaughter at four yo could do it. You can pat or roll the crust and the DT has most of the ingredients cheap, name brands. Save bits from other meals and freeze. Dedicate a door she,f in your freezer and pizza is a piece of cake—or maybe pie. LOL
Pork loin Roast is from the end of the pork loin, after the stew or stir fry meat. Roast it on the oven and add potatoes and a vegetable —Classic Sunday dinner, There have been recipes out there lately with cranberry glaze or some with an Asian flare,
Chicken enchiladas are easy and sauce can be made simply using a roux ( white sauce technique.
Basically, make the flour and oil paste, add chicken stock and sour cream. We add some of a can of mild chillis (Winco). Fill tortillas with chopped cooked chicken and a little sauce, cheese and chillies. Pour sauce on bottom of a baking pan, place rolled tortillas on top of sauce and top with sauce and grated cheese. Bake off at 350 degrees until the edges are bubbly. Everything going in is edible and cooked if needed, so you are just warming it up to a desired temperature,
Spaghetti is a favorite of many families. We make it on the insta pot (8 minutes). French bread is less than a dollar at Winco or it costs about 30 cents to make. Add a salad .
Tuna melts are made with English muffins. Sometimes they can be found at the DT. Orowheat, or the cheapest price is at Fred Meyer . They are usually in a basket by the eggs.
Breakfast for dinner is a hit here. It is a relaxing way to eat breakfast. Most mornings are grab some breakfast and get out the door. Buttermilk pancakes are good. Making your own mix is easy. It is better price wise to omit the milk powder and use milk instead of water when you make the mix. My prices on line for dry milk are prohibitive, I got my dry milk last time at Winco in the bulk isle.
Eggs continue to be close to a dollar on some places. Yogurt is on sale and there are coupons for it .
Cinnamon rolls have been on dollar sales lately.
Thanks for stopping by...
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Tips and tricks to organize your freezer / refrigerator.
We are, after twenty years, getting a new fridge. It’s been a long time coming and it is way past it’s designated useful life. Lol
So, I thought it would be a good time to discuss organizing your freezer and refrigerator.
Putting like things on a shelf makes finding them in a hurry a lot easier.
Usually the top shelf is the tallest, That’s where we put things like pickle jars and condiments,
Using those larger plastic containers that we aren’t supposed to store food in is a good way to contain the clutter, We have one for yogurt cups. Another for any items like tube biscuits.
Dairy except milk on the door, is one one shelf excluding eggs.
The next shelf has tortillas and eggs. We keep eggs in lock and lock egg keeper. It really saves of someone drops the eggs, like that would ever happen. Lol
The bottom shelf before the bins, has a celery keeper, cheese keepers, and any refrigerator dishes with leftovers or fruit that has been prepped.
The door has a space for butter, and cream cheese, a shelf for milk and juices, and two for condiments, I separate sweet and savory condiments so they are easier to find,
This is just our organization. You can make your own,
The next drawers are for meat, vegetables and cheese.
The freezer. We have a side by side. I hated it at first, but looking at the options now, I prefer it,
The huge black holes of a freezer would make it a chore to find anything.
In the extra freezer, o got bins from the dollar tree. All of one thing is in one bin, it makes life a
whole lot easier. In the side by side, I marked the bins with chicken, pork, beef, and fish/ vegetables.
The doors of the freezer have vegetables, the ingredients for a pizza, and peppers.
If you keep a bag for anything that can go on a pizza 🍕 takes away from when you are cooking meat or vegetables, and frozen pizza sauce from the jar at the dollar tree, it is really easy to throw a pizza together, Cut small, frozen meat and veggies thaw and cook quickly at the high heat you cook a pizza.
We also save scraps for chicken stock. It is a good use of those tiny shelf’s in the door of a side by side freezer.
With a little organization , gone are the days of moving a bunch of things to find what you want and buying duplicates because you think you are out of something.
Save time and money.
So, I thought it would be a good time to discuss organizing your freezer and refrigerator.
Putting like things on a shelf makes finding them in a hurry a lot easier.
Usually the top shelf is the tallest, That’s where we put things like pickle jars and condiments,
Using those larger plastic containers that we aren’t supposed to store food in is a good way to contain the clutter, We have one for yogurt cups. Another for any items like tube biscuits.
Dairy except milk on the door, is one one shelf excluding eggs.
The next shelf has tortillas and eggs. We keep eggs in lock and lock egg keeper. It really saves of someone drops the eggs, like that would ever happen. Lol
The bottom shelf before the bins, has a celery keeper, cheese keepers, and any refrigerator dishes with leftovers or fruit that has been prepped.
The door has a space for butter, and cream cheese, a shelf for milk and juices, and two for condiments, I separate sweet and savory condiments so they are easier to find,
This is just our organization. You can make your own,
The next drawers are for meat, vegetables and cheese.
The freezer. We have a side by side. I hated it at first, but looking at the options now, I prefer it,
The huge black holes of a freezer would make it a chore to find anything.
In the extra freezer, o got bins from the dollar tree. All of one thing is in one bin, it makes life a
whole lot easier. In the side by side, I marked the bins with chicken, pork, beef, and fish/ vegetables.
The doors of the freezer have vegetables, the ingredients for a pizza, and peppers.
If you keep a bag for anything that can go on a pizza 🍕 takes away from when you are cooking meat or vegetables, and frozen pizza sauce from the jar at the dollar tree, it is really easy to throw a pizza together, Cut small, frozen meat and veggies thaw and cook quickly at the high heat you cook a pizza.
We also save scraps for chicken stock. It is a good use of those tiny shelf’s in the door of a side by side freezer.
With a little organization , gone are the days of moving a bunch of things to find what you want and buying duplicates because you think you are out of something.
Save time and money.
Friday, September 21, 2018
Friday recipes. : insta pot quick meals
I don’t have stock on insta pot, but I wish I did. It is one of the most versatile and time and money savings workhorse on the kitchen.
Last night we had chicken pot pie, earlier in the day I put a large chicken breast on the pot with a cup and a half of water. You always have to add liquid to the pot, that’s what makes the steam.
I set it in poultry for 18 minutes because it was a large and thick breast. When it was done and de pressurized, I removed it from the pot, checked to be sure it was dime, amd out it in a quart container in the refrigerator. At dinner time, I cut the chicken on bite sized pieces, added frozen mixed veggies and a can of cream of mushroom soup with a half can of milk. Put all of it on a casserole amd put it covered in the oven @ 375 for half an hour. I then made the crescent rolls I got for a dollar last week and we had chicken pot pie.
Insta pot spaghetti
Place in bottom of insta pot insert,
8 ounces of cooked ground meat
8 ounces ( 1/2 a box) of spaghetti that you have broken in half and spread out in a Corel around the meat. Almost like a birds nest.
Add a jar or can of pasta sauce
Add 2 cups of broth of your choice pouring it around the Edge of the noodles.
Cover, seal, and process 8 minutes.
Quick release
Stew is another thing that takes 35 minutes instead of hours.
Rice is equal parts of rice and water or broth and put the lid on, seal, and push the rice button.
My favorite is making beans without the soak, rinse, and cook with new water for hours. Watched pot.
Measure the beans. You should get 3 times the volume . Wash the beans and pick out any that don’t look good or the occasional rock.
Pour in the insta pot insert.
Cover with water past your second knuckle.
Cover, seal , and push the bean button.
This will make well done beans, if you want more firm beans reduce the time a couple of minutes.
NEVER fill the pot more than 1/2 full if you are cooking anything that will expand like beans, rice, or noodles.
The internet is full of good recipes. Chili is a good and inexpensive meal too. You can cook the beans and add your ingredients and switch the pot to be a slow cooker.
It’s a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a pressure cooker and you can sauté and some let you make yogurt.
Last night we had chicken pot pie, earlier in the day I put a large chicken breast on the pot with a cup and a half of water. You always have to add liquid to the pot, that’s what makes the steam.
I set it in poultry for 18 minutes because it was a large and thick breast. When it was done and de pressurized, I removed it from the pot, checked to be sure it was dime, amd out it in a quart container in the refrigerator. At dinner time, I cut the chicken on bite sized pieces, added frozen mixed veggies and a can of cream of mushroom soup with a half can of milk. Put all of it on a casserole amd put it covered in the oven @ 375 for half an hour. I then made the crescent rolls I got for a dollar last week and we had chicken pot pie.
Insta pot spaghetti
Place in bottom of insta pot insert,
8 ounces of cooked ground meat
8 ounces ( 1/2 a box) of spaghetti that you have broken in half and spread out in a Corel around the meat. Almost like a birds nest.
Add a jar or can of pasta sauce
Add 2 cups of broth of your choice pouring it around the Edge of the noodles.
Cover, seal, and process 8 minutes.
Quick release
Stew is another thing that takes 35 minutes instead of hours.
Rice is equal parts of rice and water or broth and put the lid on, seal, and push the rice button.
My favorite is making beans without the soak, rinse, and cook with new water for hours. Watched pot.
Measure the beans. You should get 3 times the volume . Wash the beans and pick out any that don’t look good or the occasional rock.
Pour in the insta pot insert.
Cover with water past your second knuckle.
Cover, seal , and push the bean button.
This will make well done beans, if you want more firm beans reduce the time a couple of minutes.
NEVER fill the pot more than 1/2 full if you are cooking anything that will expand like beans, rice, or noodles.
The internet is full of good recipes. Chili is a good and inexpensive meal too. You can cook the beans and add your ingredients and switch the pot to be a slow cooker.
It’s a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a pressure cooker and you can sauté and some let you make yogurt.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Grocery Hauls 9/21/18
Fred Meyers
Peppers .96
Sausage, chicken and a beef 2/5
Barilla pasta .96
Cottage cheese .96
Hawaiian rolls .96
Strawberries 3.96
Cinnamon rolls
Crescent rolls
Grapes
Scampi BOGO @7.99
Angus beef patties 1.5 lbs 3.99
Butter 2/5
Cucumber
Coffee 5.99
Eggs .96
Total 49.80
Peppers .96
Sausage, chicken and a beef 2/5
Barilla pasta .96
Cottage cheese .96
Hawaiian rolls .96
Strawberries 3.96
Cinnamon rolls
Crescent rolls
Grapes
Scampi BOGO @7.99
Angus beef patties 1.5 lbs 3.99
Butter 2/5
Cucumber
Coffee 5.99
Eggs .96
Total 49.80
Big lots
Baking powder 1.30/ 2.60
Grocery outlet
Cheese 1.99
Squash .99
Pepperoni 2.49
Total 8.07
Grand total 57.87
.87 over budget of 4.00 a day.
Total is under
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Chain store ads
Safeways is. It up on the internet yet and the mail person didn’t bring it,
QFC
Digital Friday and Saturday
Pork 1/2 loin 1.49 lb
Can use 5 times in one transaction,
Buy 5 save 5
Milano cookies 1.99
Dreyers 2.49
FRED MEYERS
Fred Meyers digital Friday and Saturday
Hamburger 80/20 3 lb roll 1.88
Gala apples .99
Soup 1.00 coupons?
Grapes 1.99
Pears .99
Kroger cinnamon rolls or crescents 1.00
Sargent cheese 8 Oz BOGO -coupons ?
Safeways
Cabbage .39
Grapes 1.28
Broccoli .99
Dreyers 2.99
Digital coupon - 10 ct tortillas .88
Milk 1.99@@ limit 2
Progresso soup .99@@limit 4
Bread 1.99@@ limit 2
Barilla pasta .99@@limit 4
Oven joy bread .99
Don’t buy this DBT
6 muffins 3.99 - 10 minutes hot out of the oven about a buck.
Sour cream, 1.26 - a dollar last week at FM
80/20 hamburger 3.99- 1.88 at FM on friday or Saturday with a digital
Bread - orowheat is a dollar at the DT .
QFC
Digital Friday and Saturday
Pork 1/2 loin 1.49 lb
Can use 5 times in one transaction,
Buy 5 save 5
Milano cookies 1.99
Dreyers 2.49
FRED MEYERS
Fred Meyers digital Friday and Saturday
Hamburger 80/20 3 lb roll 1.88
Gala apples .99
Soup 1.00 coupons?
Grapes 1.99
Pears .99
Kroger cinnamon rolls or crescents 1.00
Sargent cheese 8 Oz BOGO -coupons ?
Safeways
Cabbage .39
Grapes 1.28
Broccoli .99
Dreyers 2.99
Digital coupon - 10 ct tortillas .88
Milk 1.99@@ limit 2
Progresso soup .99@@limit 4
Bread 1.99@@ limit 2
Barilla pasta .99@@limit 4
Oven joy bread .99
Don’t buy this DBT
6 muffins 3.99 - 10 minutes hot out of the oven about a buck.
Sour cream, 1.26 - a dollar last week at FM
80/20 hamburger 3.99- 1.88 at FM on friday or Saturday with a digital
Bread - orowheat is a dollar at the DT .
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
How did she do that? Scratch cooking
Oven roasted sausage and vegetables
This time I separated the sausage from the vegetables because a family member is vegan.
Cut up a variety of vegetables in somewhat equal sizes.
Toss them with olive oil.
Shake on seasoning of choice, we like garlic pepper.
Some like Monterey steak seasoning
Bake at anywhere between 350amd 400degrees for 30-45 monitors or until potatoes are tender,
Potatoes.
Peppers
Onion
Carrots
Radishes
Broccolli
Turnips
just about any root vegetables,
Monday, September 17, 2018
Monday Kitchen Management aka food prep
Kitchen management is a tool that saves time and money 💰 in the kitchen. If things are organized , it os more likely that you will be encouraged to scratch cook, Scratch cooking is more healthy because you aren’t consuming fillers or chemicals needed to preserve food. Years ago I wrote that convenience foods start with $$$$. Some things are drastically cheaoer to make and are also very easy to make and take little time, The things that take a lot of time or are actually cheaper than scratch, it makes more sense to buy. Most of us lead busy lives and can’t spend all day on the kitchen, I, for one , don’t have the stamina to work all day on the kitchen. Sometimes my granddaughter will help.
Meal plans
Meal plans
- Vegetable bean soup
- Pizza
- Hamburgers, oven fries
- Gnocchi with Alfredo sauce and peas and chicken , crescent rolls
- Chicken sausage, potatoes and carrots roasted
- Ham and cheese sliders , salad
- Breakfast for dinner
- Make vegetable soup
- Cook beans
- Wash potatoes and carrots with vinegar, according to a chemist professor, most pesticides are water soluble. Washing your vegetables is a good thing,
- Make pancake mix. Note, using milk powder can be expensove, but you can just use milk instead of water when you are making the mix for cooking, Just start with the two cups until the right consistency. I think I got my milk at Winco in the bulk isle, It seem to be very expensive on line. There are 3.5 cups of milk on a pound, The cost comes to .59 a batch, still a lot cheaper than ready made.
- Wash kitchen floor.
- Wash and disinfect countertops and sinks and drains.
- Clean out the refrigerator and dump anything dead. Note what needs to be used up. Yogurt is good to make parfaits out of with granola (homemade) and fruit,
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Sunday meal plans
Meal plans are a kitchen management tool that saves time and money. It makes meal time a lot less hectic.
This time I am working on eating down the pantry and freezer.
This time I am working on eating down the pantry and freezer.
- Vegetable bean soup, cheesy rolls
- Pizza
- Hamburgers, oven fries, veggie platter
- Gnocchi with Alfredo sauce and peas, crescent rolls
- Chicken sausage, potatoes and carrots , sheet pan oven roasted
- Ham and cheese sliders , fruit cup, salad
- Breakfast for dinner
Notes :
- Soup can be made in a slow cooker and ready when people are ready to eat. Cheesy rokls are biscuits with cheese inside. We got biscuits for a dollar on sale,
- Pizza is a no brainier, scratch pizza cost a buck. Add bits of leftovers,
- Hamburgers are from the hamburger patties we got at Fred Meyers for two dollars a pound, bond are from the bread outlet store, s ranch fries and a veggie platter , carrots, celery and pepper strips.
- Gnocchi is new for us, scratch Alfredo sauce and peas from the freezer, gnocchi is from the DT,
- Chicken sausage was in sake for 2.50 for a full rope. We will use 1;2 because there are only two of us. Roasted on the oven on a sheet pan covered with parchment. Olive oil and garlic salt,
- Ham and cheese sliders. Ham from a three pack on sale at Costco. A little over two dollars a pack. Cheese from GO at two dollars a package. Slider rolls are from Fred Meyers on their .96 sale.
- Breakfast for dinner is a family meal. Everyone contributes to cooking. Buttermilk pancakes are from a homemade mix. Add bacon 🥓 and fruit,
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