Ava: I'm sorry that I can't understand paying so much for organic beef, I'm sure you have your reasons. However I make my own spaghetti sauce, If you already have the herbs it doesn't cost much. I use a little less than one pound of meat. I use one large can of tomato sauce (29 oz I think) and one can of tomato paste You can add an onion or bell pepper ( I use dehydrated onion) I use a teaspoon of garlic from a jar or garlic powder I use dried basil and oregano or just use Italian seasoning salt, sugar, (if your tomato sauce is pectant)and dill weed and parsley flakes I cook the ground beef with the onions and garlic. Drain. Return to pot, add tomato sauce and paste. Stir in seasonings, and simmer on low. If there is left over sauce (and there usually isn't much,) I like to put it on cut french bread and add cheese, to make french bread pizza for lunch.
AvaRose - buy in bulk definitely saves you money if you have a place to store it. I buy our chicken and ground chicken in bulk. The store I go to ALWAYS has boneless/skinless chicken breast for $1.69 IF you buy it in 10 lbs or more - they put it in this HUGE plastic bag, and it's sort of cleaned - when I get it home (I buy 2 bags, usually at a time). I trim ALL the fat off and freeze in 1 to 2 lb packages. We have a BASIC food saver (it was $40 at Walmart). I haven't had to buy any more bags or anything yet, so it's still saving us money. Like I said earlier - the deli I go to will package up ground chicken for me for the same price. When I pick up my chicken I also buy two beef things - usually the top sirloin or the london broils (never more than $2.99/lb). My husband can have it VERY occasionally. I'll also see what they have on sale - like sometimes they have turkey burgers for 1.29 for a 4 pack and stuff like that. I'll admit to not buying organic anymore (I used to when I lived in AZ). It is WAY too expensive here. I cannot justify paying $5.99/lb for boneless/skinless breast when I can get it for $1.69. I like buying from this deli because everything is local. The chicken they get is from a local poultry farm that I know - even though the chicken is not fed organic grain - is fed natural feed and it is not free range but it is not an inhumane farm either. They also do not inject with hormones or broth or anything like that. So it is a reputable source even though, not organic. I struggle with the milk issue and do try to buy from Trader Joes or Whole foods so that at least it is RbGH free. For spaghetti - I make my own sauce. I spend about 8 for the ingredients (8 cans crushed tomatoes, 1 can paste, 1 onion, 1 pepper, dried spices, etc). Then freeze in 1 qt chinese soup containers! LOL I can usually get 6 qts out of one batch - that's 6 dinners. So it's fairly cheap - just takes time. Hmmmmm....with celiac, I can't just grab a 99cent loaf of bread - so I'm learning to bake all over again.
I count detergents, cleansers, and such as grocery. I don't buy pop or chips either unless we have bible study at our house. I do try to get good deals. However, I have little freezer space, so I end up buying meat every week. I think we will get a freezer. Everyone I have known that saves money on groceries buys meat in bulk. With this tax return, I think that will be a wise investment. I do buy off brands in just about everything, including diapers. I have not tried Sam's club diapers but I did try Wal-mart diaper (which are probably the same) and they were great and half the cost. However, I end up buying diapers when I am at the grocery store so I will buy Luvs or Pampers. I don't care for Huggies and most grocery store brands aren't very good. I should make a special trip to Wal-Mart for diapers. Looks, like it is time to renew my Sam's Club membership. When I start buying wise at Sam's and meat in bulk on sale, I think I will see a reduction in my grocery bill. Thanks!
I also make garlic butter for Spaghetti day: enough margarine for a loaf of french. dill weed, parsley flakes and garlic powder and a dash of salt. mix well and spread on sliced french bread (or even regular bread) but spread all the way to the edges or your edges burn. I bake for 5 minutes and broil (in the middle of the oven not right next to it) for 3 minutes.
Things I make that uses hamburger (when its on sale!) spaghetti or pizza pasta bake both use the same sauce (under one pound) chili (pound and half) meatloaf (4 lbs) hamburgers (under 2 lbs~~only 2 kids like hamburgers and sometimes I make 1 extra for lunch the next day) tacos (2 lb) chili sauce for hot dogs (1/2 lb) sloppy joes (2+ lbs) so if the store has 5 lbs (we do not use the chubs, I have to be able to see what I'm buying) I will make spaghetti one day and a meatloaf) or some other combo, putting what we don't need in a freezer bag, but knowing how much I'll need to section them off.
Has anyone tried "Once a Month" cooking? If not, I strongly suggest borrowing the book from the library (if they have it!) While I don't follow it, it is easily adapted. You can go on-live for "chicken plans" or "hamburger plans", etc.
I don't use a lot of ground beef but I do buy organic when I do. You see, when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was told that things she consumed and the enviorment where the cause. It is not hereditary in our family. There are two kinds of breast cancer and one is estrogen based. That was the one she had. Cows have hormones, estrogen being one or the only???, injected into them. These hormones are present in meat and milk. Injesting estrogen does have an effect on the body. Anyway, I just couldn't see knowingly feeding my kids hormone injected beef. I may be crazy, who knows. However, the organic meat was about the same price as the lean beef (94% fat free) I would have purchased anyway. We also try not to consume red meat much more than once a week...so I figured a few extra dollars wouldn't make a difference. The chicken I buy is $1.99 ($1.69 on sale) at the meat market and that is organic. My meat market has awesome prices and excellent meat. So, my only big organic expenses is ground beef which I buy maybe twice a month and milk which I buy weekly. I cannot afford to buy organic cheese or yogurt. So, part of me wonders if I should even bother with the milk.
I have wanted to try that. Again, I need a freezer....hmmm...after I get one maybe I will try that. Are you talking about that plan that you share cooking? Like getting together with a group of women and each making meals for each other families? I have heard about that but never tried it.
There are a few people on the taste of home that do it and they even have a thread for menu ideas. But if you don't have the freezer space or the disapline to thaw your food intime I don't see how it would work. But I know for some it does.
No, what the book does is to spend one day buying ALL the food you need for the month, then the next day cooking and freezing it ALL. But you're right, you DO need the freezer. My MIL gave us an OLD one when we got married that she was getting rid of. That was almost 14 years ago, and it's still working! I'd love a "new, state-of-the-art" one, but as you know, what I WANT and what I NEED are not the same thing, lol! My old model gets the job done JUST FINE! Anyway, I never cared for OAMC (Once A Month Cooking...you'll see it abreviated this way a lot on cooking sites!), because it never made sense to buy your hamburger, fish, chicken, etc. all on one day, regardless of what the cost was. I'd rather wait until the Chicken Quarters are running me 10 lb. bag for $5, and then take them home and cook them all up. Then next week when my hamburger is running $1.99, I'll get ten pounds and cook that all up.
I don't have a freezer either, so I can't stock up on frozen foods like I'd like to. Even my fridge's freezer is rather small. We talked of buying a small freezer, but with moving this year being certain, it's just something else we'd have to move.
I don't do this with my dinners cause I can't get enough time during the day to actually do it but I do it kind of with breakfast cooking. I will fix mounts and mounds of pancakes and waffles and freeze what isn't eaten right away. I also do this with muffins and quick breads that I can reheat later for the kids. There are also intenet sites dedicated to once a month cooking with a bunch of recipes and master recipes that can be used to make several different recipes using one mix.
I don't do OAMC. I don't think I could! LOL BUT, I usually try to double things I make (espeically when I make casseroles and such) We eat half, freeze half. I usually have two or three "grab 'em from the freezer and cook'em up" meals in there at any given time. Because of my new diagnosis, however, I cannot eat the ones I have frozen. Oh well! Honestly, most of my meals are 30 minutes or less to prepare. USUALLY. AND if I take the effort to make homemade lasagna or something of that like, I usually make it super bulk so I can get 2 or 3 out of it. Can't find brown rice lasagna noodles though, YET...still looking. I do think (when you move) that a freezer is WELL worth the investment. It allows you to stock up on things when they go on sale and not worry about where it's going to go. (granted, I have a full sized freezer in the basement I've been known to fill to capacity! LOL ) My husband laughs at me when I say we have no food and I have to go grocery shopping. Working on broth upstairs right now - the deli always gives a coupon if you spend $10 you get the family pack of leg qtrs for 9cents a lb (yes NINE cents). I'm boiling them up to make broth. Going to use the meat for chicken chipotle cream enchilladas. The rest of the broth will make soup later this week, I think....see....need to menu plan!
For those of you who don't think you can do any of the OAM cooking cause of freezer space you might still be able to do something along these lines. You can take your ground meat and preseason it for meat loaves or meatballs (whatever), you can even precook it yourself and store it flat and freeze it like you would the meat when you get right from the store. With meatballs you can line them on a cookie sheet and freeze them solid and bag them in ziplock bags, preseasoned meatloaf you can put them in bags and sqeeze them as thin as possible and stack them like that. Watch out with salt though cause it will get stronger in the freezer. I have also heard some people who will season chicken pieces with Italian seasoning mix and freeze them and at they are defrosting they get marinaded. Also you can do it from maybe just one or two meals at a time. If you make something like lasagna make two or if you know that your family will only eat half of one 13x9make the dinner in two 9-in square pans and freeze one for next week. Thaw it for a few hours before warming it back through until hot. These are just a few of the things I have done from time to time if I'm in the mood.
I do the cooking at my home usually on Sundays for the week ahead. It rotates and sometimes I let the kids pick but a sample would be Sunday Night: Pizza Monday: Mozzarella Chicken Tuesday: Ziti Wed: Pizza Thursday: Fajitas Friday: I leave this open Saturday: Play it by ear or I'll fix something special I'll usually cook anywhere between 25 and 30 meals ahead of time and freeze them. That way when I get home all I have to do is boil some rice or pasta and warm up some veggies. If anybody wants some really easy recipes I'm happy to share
Ok, ladies I just happened upon this recipe and the name alone made me cackle like a wild hen. Goopy Boobs 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast 1-10.12 oz can creamed chicken soup 1-8 oz can sliced mushrooms 1/8 C chopped green onion 1/2 (5 oz) can carnation milk 1/4 C white cooking wine In a greased casserole dish place chicken breasts. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken and bake at 350° for 1- 1 1/4 hours or until chicken test done. This is very good and so easy to do. I didn't have green onion so I used yellow onion. I wouldn't use cooking wine because of the salt content and I don't keep wine in the house because it goes to waste. I used the liquid from the mushrooms. I think this would be good made with the chicken mushroom soup also.
Okay....here goes.... Hubby gets paid wednesday - so the next few days feel so lean!!! LOL Monday - Chicken Chipotle Cream Enchilladas Tuesday - Macaroni & Peas w/ Ham (have to get some ham tomorrow!) Wednesday - Pan Fried Tilapia w/ brown rice & green beans Thursday - Fend night (usually left overs - daughter has gymastics - hubby feeds himself and the younger two) Friday - Deli Night - sandwiches, cole slaw & chips Saturday - Cream of White Onion Soup w/ homemade gluten free french bread, salad Sunday - SUPERBOWL spread!!!! Fajitas, tacos, salad, chips & salsa, chili cheese dip, Tortilla Soup, (still working on a dessert!)
PKM, the market I go to will sell their chicken in any of 7 different marinades, so I always tend to freeze them like that. It's great! I will also open my London Broil right away and freeze it in a freezer bag with the marinade.
Oh Amy...that is so funny! LOL! The recipe sounds delicious. Chicken and cream of mushroom are a great starter to begin with.
