We are all talking about how much things (namely gas and food) have gone up and how much they are continuing to go up at the present moment. While there may be no end in sight to these increases, and while we may have no control over how much they go up, we have some control over how much food we buy, and there are some things we can do to help mitigate the rising costs of food.
Meal Plan
I don’t know how people live who don’t meal plan! I know they do because my mother doesn’t meal plan and I don’t remember too many instances of going hungry as a child- so it can be done- but a meal plan solves soo many problems! You can read all about my weekly meal planning and food prepping in this post (how I meal prep so I basically only cook once a week) but here are some tips for making a meal plan.
Look In Your Fridge
Do you have a bunch of spinach that’s about to go bad? Maybe it’s time to make a big pot of soup with spinach before it can expire!
Keep a Clean Fridge
I realized the other day (a little too late) that we currently have 3 open jars of pasta sauce in our fridge. The shelf in my fridge where I keep all the open jar items is a tad (wayyy) too cluttered and therefore we can’t see what we have and multiple items get opened leading to higher waste. If you (and me!) keep a tidier fridge then you can see what you have and this kind of waste doesn’t happen!
Freeze
If you come across something in your fridge that’s about to go bad and that you can’t use, please throw it out. Speaking of throwing out, do you find yourself throwing out the same thing week after week? If so then you probably can stop buying it.
Use the Same Protein Multiple Ways
Try repurposing the same protein throughout the week if you will: start with a whole chicken in the crockpot on Monday, chicken stuffed croissants on Tuesday, chicken enchiladas on Wednesday, chicken Caesar salads on Thursday and homemade chicken BBQ Pizza on Friday! Yes you may start to tire of chicken by Friday but you can switch up your protein the next week, and this way you save by 1) using all of the chicken before it goes bad, and 2) only buying one protein, and buying it in bulk so it’s cheaper!
Plan around deals
Every week, stores send out flyers advertising what they have on sale. Do you ever look at these? These are usually the best deals on food you’ll find. Then plan your meals around these items, or simply use it as an opportunity to stock up while things are at a lower price- don’t go crazy buying more than you’ll ever use though!
It can be a pain to go to different stores to get the best price but a lot of times it is worth it; what’s more is many stores will match their competitors’ prices for the same exact item! It has to be the exact same thing so be sure to look at the details before asking one store to honor another store’s pricing. Many of these sales are while supplies last but not all of them. If you go to the store for the advertised item and they are out, try asking and see if you can have a raincheck, meaning the store will honor the advertised pricing when they get the item back in stock, sometimes this works!
Buy in Bulk
Buying in bulk can be a way to go broke saving money, and a way to over buy but if you have staple items that you regularly eat (I’m looking at you ramen noodles!) you can often save money buying things in bulk. I don’t just mean buying at Costco or Sam’s Club, sometimes a store will give you a discount if you buy a whole case of an item, like peanut butter, granola bars, or tortilla’s. Talk to a manager and find out!
Coupons
I’m not a big fan of coupons but they are a very valid way to save- especially if you like name brand items! Once again look over the weekly coupons and take these into account when doing your meal planning.
Shop at the Cheapest store
Nationally, Aldi tends to be the most inexpensive grocery store, followed by Costco, then Walmart. Meanwhile don’t neglect your mom and pop stores and farm markets as they often have great deals and it supports the local economy and often the food from these places tends to be fresher meaning it will last longer, and therefore you will throw out less.
Eat in Season
As mentioned above, eating things that are in season means they will be cheaper and following the seasons in your region is a great way to add variation to your meals. We all get into meal ruts, try browsing your local farmers market to see what item you’ve forgotten about and see how you can incorporate it!
Quit the Junk Food
We know junk food and baked goods aren’t the best for us, but we still end up buying them. Instead try making your own baked goods; if you can’t bring yourself to spend the time making them how important are they to you really?
Buy frozen
It amazes me how much cheaper frozen fruit is than fresh. This goes for some frozen vegetables as well. Many times frozen will work just as well if not better (in a smoothie for example) so try buying frozen if you consume a lot of fresh fruit!
Canned
Same thing goes for canned as frozen- it can be a great way to save, and if you are buying these items for a soup it can be a much more reasonable option!
I know none of these tips are exactly rocket science but it really is all the little things that we can do that add up to big savings!
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While growing up, it never was officially Christmas until I went over to grandma and grandpa’s and found peanut brittle in grandma’s crystal trifle dish, which everyone in the family called the “Peanut Brittle Dish”. When the peanut brittle appeared in the dish and grandma hung her little decoupaged sand dollars on the china cabinets’ handles, we knew that Christmas had arrived!
Grandma wasn’t a big decorator for Christmas, but she’s always been a big baker of Christmas candy. One year she sent some peanut brittle with grandpa to his office when he was working. People loved her peanut brittle and he came home with orders. She ended up making 100 pounds of peanut brittle that year.
I learned how to make peanut brittle from her, or from the best as I like to say, and below I’m sharing our recipe. Be sure to the read the notes following the recipe instructions because the details are what make for a successful peanut-brittle making experience.
Peanut Brittle
2 cups white sugar
1 cup water
1 cup Karo
1 lb. raw peanuts (these can be the Spanish or Virginia peanut but smaller peanuts are better and they must be raw—not already roasted)
1-¼ tsp. of fresh baking soda
1 Tbsp. butter
Extra butter
A candy thermometer
Get Started
Prepare a large baking sheet by spreading it well with butter. You want the sheet to be pretty large so the peanut brittle can really spread out when you pour it and not have it get too thick. Pick a cool dry spot where you can set your peanut brittle to cool. Place a trivet there because you will be setting a very hot cookie sheet on it to cool.
In a medium or large sauce pan, bring the water, Karo, and sugar to a boil. Boil on medium high heat until the candy thermometer reached 275°*. Stir occasionally. Once it reaches 275°, add the butter and peanuts and start stirring constantly. The mixture will get very thick and hard to stir, but as it cooks it will thin out again. You really need to stir constantly and make sure that you are scraping all areas of the pan so that nothing burns.
Next comes the tricky part: as the thermometer start to reach 290°-295° quickly pull out the thermometer, remove the pan from the heat, pour in the baking soda, and quickly stir the peanut brittle—it will start to foam. As soon as it is foaming evenly throughout, pour onto the cookie sheet. You can gently push it out to the edges of the pan but you don’t want to crush too much of the foam—the foam is what makes it nice and crunchy!
Carefully pick up the cookie sheet and take to the spot you prepared to allow it to cool. It will need to cool for about 30-40 minutes depending on how cool and dry your spot is. Once it has cooled, gently twist the pan so the peanut brittle pops off in one large piece. Flip it over and, using a paper towel, wipe the butter from the back of the peanut brittle; then, with a metal spoon, whack the back of the peanut brittle and watch it crack into pieces. Continue doing this until you have gotten the pieces the size you want. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
*This will take a while. I don’t recommend turning the heat up the whole way because you can burn the mixture. Allow it to take its time so it can thicken. This will take around 30-40 minutes depending on your stove.
When it comes to adding the baking soda, you want this to be a very quick process—as in seconds. As quickly as you can, remove the thermometer, remove the pan from the heat, add and stir the baking soda, taking no more than 30 seconds.
It is very important that you have a cool dry place to allow the peanut brittle to cool. If you don’t, it will get sticky and good luck trying to eat sticky peanut brittle! Also, once it has cooled, break into pieces and store immediately, again to avoid it from getting sticky.
Oreo Truffles
1 package of Oreo cookies
1 package of cream cheese (make sure you get the original kind)
1 bag of melting chocolate
Get Started
Crush Oreos in a food processor or put the Oreos in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. You want the Oreos to be crushed into a medium/fine consistency.
Heat the cream cheese till dry soft.
Combine Oreos and cream cheese together. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, form into to small balls—about an inch in diameter, and place on a cookie sheet.
Chill the formed balls in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes or about 20 minutes in the freezer. You want the balls to be hard to the touch but you don’t want them to actually freeze.
While the balls are setting up, start to melt the chocolate in a melting pot or double boiler. You will want to stir constantly while the chocolate is melting. If you are using a fondue pot or melting pot, I recommend not keeping the heat on high after the point when the chocolate has just melted. If you keep it on high the entire time, your chocolate will most likely burn. What does burn chocolate look like? If the chocolate is melted but you are seeing clumps form that you cannot blend out, then your chocolate has burnt. It will still taste more or less ok if this is just beginning to happen, but not if it continues.
After the balls have set and the chocolate is melted, dip the balls into the chocolate and allow to cool on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. If you want to add sprinkles or decorations to your truffles, do this right after placing them on the wax paper, before the chocolate has time to cool.
Allow the chocolate to set and cool entirely and once it has—enjoy!
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I have always been a soup-and-salad-type of girl. I love soup, as in I could (and do) eat it all year round! I realize that while not everyone may enjoy soup all year long, most of us can enjoy a good bowl of soup in these colder months. Here are several of my favorite soup recipes. These have been big hits, not just in my family, but also to most everyone I have served them too. Since soup is so easy to throw in a pot and let simmer, it is often my fall back-up option when entertaining—and these recipes have been real crowd pleasers!
Hot Sausage Soup
18 oz. (1 pkg.) hot sausage links (I like Uncle Charley’s)
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1-32 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cans great northern beans
1 pkg. of spinach
Dash of hot sauce
1 green pepper
Water
Oil
Salt and pepper
You can make this either on a stovetop or in a crockpot. If you decide to make it in a crockpot, you do not have to brown the meat, onions and pepper beforehand, but be sure to cook for about 6-8 hours if this is what you choose. Also, beware the onions and green pepper will have a slightly softer taste, however I hardly ever take the time to cook my onion and pepper ahead of time and I have had no complaints.
Slice sausages links and brown in a pan over medium/low heat. While the meat is browning, slice onions and green pepper and once sausage is mostly brown, add in the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook until onion and pepper are soft and sausage is thoroughly browned. Add the crushed tomatoes and 32 ounces of water to your cooking pot of choice. Rinse and add one can of beans. Rinse the other can of beans and the purée(?) before adding. This will thicken your soup. Add sausage, onions, green pepper, and garlic from pan. Add a touch of salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Cook for 1.5 hours on stove top or longer if using a crockpot. Stir occasionally. After 1.5 hours add the spinach and cook another 15-20 minutes until spinach is wilted. Then, dish up and enjoy!
Garlic bread, croutons, and shredded cheddar cheese go great with this!
Broccoli Cheese Soup
2 Tbs. butter
1 medium onion
6 cups water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
8 oz. of rice
2-10 oz. pkgs. of chopped broccoli
½ tsp garlic powder
6 cups milk
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
Sauté onion for 3 minutes, until tender. Add water and bouillon cubes and bring to a boil. Add broccoli and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, or until broccoli pierces easily with a fork. Cube cheese. Reduce heat and add milk and cheese and stir until dissolved.
This is soup—grandma always said cook low and slow so the flavor can really come to strength and this is so true! You can cook for a short amount of time or several hours. The important thing is about 20-30 minutes before you finish cooking the soup, add the rice and the salt. You want to cook it long enough that the rice will soften, but not so long that it will become mushy.
Considerations and Alternatives:
Instead of using rice, you can use a small noodle such as Acini de Pepe. I prefer rice because it is gluten free but either will do.
Be sure the water and bullion are simmering and not boiling when you add your milk and cheese; otherwise, rather than becoming creamy your milk will separate which, although it will still taste good, it will not look pretty!
Tomato Pepper Jack Cheese Soup
2 cans (or one family-size can) of tomato soup
14.5 oz. (1 can) of diced tomatoes
1.5 cups of milk
1 block of pepper jack cheese
4 oz. of cream cheese
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. basil
½ tsp. garlic powder
Dash of hot sauce
Shake of crushed red peppers, if you like spice!
Use a food processor to shred the block of pepper jack cheese into tiny pieces. Then add the diced tomatoes* and process in a food processor until creamed. Cube cream cheese. Add all ingredients to a crockpot and cook on high for 3-3.5 hours, or longer on low. Stir occasionally.
Garnish with croutons, cheese, or serve with garlic bread.
*You do not have to process the tomatoes but I prefer the more creamy texture
There you are! These are three of my favorite cold weather recipes. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and friends do! I’d love to hear what are some of your favorite soups and cold weather recipes.
A few years ago I didn’t even know what a charcuterie board was or how to create a charcuterie board—now they are one of my favorite things! Why? Because I love meat and I love cheese and these are the foods a charcuterie board is made of!
My husband and I try to get together on a somewhat regular basis for a game night with a small group of friends. One of our favorite things we do now is to have a picnic style/charcuterie tray dinner. All of us bring different meats, cheeses, and bread or crackers as the base for our charcuterie tray as well as veggies, jams, spreads, pickles, and fruit.
Another way I have been using the charcuterie tray idea is on vacation. Lunch is so easy when all you have to do is pull out several different meats, cheeses and a cheese-cutting board! It is easy to pack and easy for everyone to access. You can then simply make yourself as many little mini sandwiches as you want! I don’t have to worry about one sandwich not being enough and then someone being hungry because we did not bring anything else.
To me the best part of a charcuterie board is the meat and cheese but you can also make a charcuterie board more healthy by going heavy on the fruit and vegetables!
My favorite ingredients for a charcuterie board are:
Base:
· Baguette
· Crackers (I like the Triscuit-like crackers—salt and pepper flavor!)
· Multi Grain Crackers
Meat:
· Turkey (I love smoked turkey breast. It is very versatile.)
· Pepperoni or hard salami
· Ham
Cheese:
· Pepper jack. (It spices things up!)
· Cheddar
· Havarti
· Goat cheese
· Brie
Veggies:
· Sugar snap peas
· Carrots
· Mini bell peppers
Fruit:
· Grapes
· Apples (These can be a little tricky since they brown quickly.)
· Berries (Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries—you can’t go wrong!)
· Baguettes, turkey, Havarti cheese, black raspberry jam
· Crackers, pepperoni, cheddar, bell pepper
· Crackers, ham, Brie cheese
· Crackers, turkey, pepper jack cheese, artichoke spread
Other Ingredient Ideas:
· Pears
· Roasted red peppers
· Sun-dried tomatoes
· Spicy mustard
· Olives
· Any flavor of jam
· Broccoli florets
What To Consider When Setting Up Your Charcuterie Tray
The great thing about charcuterie trays is they can fit your tastes no matter what! However, if you want a few guidelines to follow here they are:
· Include at least the options of your main items (bread, meat, and cheese).
· Include a variety of flavors: a sweeter option, a spicy option, and classic option.
· Don’t get too fancy with all your options, try for at least two safe choices you know people will like, then go for one more daring option.
· Add a little pizzazz to your board by having a sweet and a savory spread option available!
Favorite Tools
· A large tray to corral everything on
· Little knife spreaders
· Small bowls for dip
· A cheese slicer (The cheese slicer is what is most important to me—it is what takes all the work out of it! I take it with me because it feels easiest to me, but you can also get a handheld cheese slicer too.)
If you are looking for some ideas of how to switch things up for your Labor Day plans, I hope this will inspire you!
If you are here, chances are you just might like my writing. (wink) If you Drop your email address in the box below I’ll save you time by emailing you the link every time a new post comes out!
I run a very tight schedule- I’m sure you do too. In this fast paced world it is so very hard to balance what needs doing, what should be done, and what we actually want to do! My schedule during the week leaves me with very little time in the evening,(I typically leave my house at 6 or 6:30 am and don’t get home till 7 or 8pm), and therefore makes thorough planning essential. This is my plan for how I approach meal prep for a week so I can cook basically only once a week.
Now I should mention that in my house at this time it is just my husband and me, and we have an agreement- I cook, he cleans. This means I almost never do dishes- my husband would go so far as to argue that I never do them- he may be right! But one thing I do all the time is the cooking. We don’t go out to eat very often, and because I can be quite frugal in certain areas of my life,(ahem, cheap), I have never used any meal prep services. Instead I do my own meal prepping. I want to spend as little as possible on good food that is reasonably healthy, spend as little time possible preparing it, have it taste great and not get bored. At heart I am a foodie who loves flavorful food, so I’m really not about having a baked to death pot roast every night. Or ever. I hate pot roast. But I digress.
For breakfast I typically have a protein smoothie which takes literally a minute to prepare. My husband does intermittent fasting and skips breakfast. (For more on my proteins smoothies and how I came to eat them everyday check out Kelly Levesque and her two books, Body Love, and Body Love Everyday.) For Lunch I have a salad bowl and dinner is something that I have either prepared in to crockpot or something that takes hardly any time to assemble.
Now because of my frugality I do my meal prepping one of two ways:
I select a base meal, for example: I buy a whole chicken at the store. Cook it in the crockpot on Monday, and serve it with a side. A sample week could look like this:
Monday: Chicken and a Salad.
Tuesday:Chicken Enchiladas
Wednesday: Chicken Alfredo Pasta with Steamed Veggies
Thursday: Leftover Chicken Enchiladas
Friday: Chicken Curry and Rice
Saturday: Chicken Tortilla Pizzas
Sunday:Improvision day!
By the time we get to Sunday we are usually done with our main dish so I make something that I always have on hand that can be easily whipped up, like spaghetti and meatballs.
2) The second way I like to do cost effective meal prep is similar to the first but instead of selecting a base meal, I have base ingredients that I reuse in various ways during the week. For example:
Monday:Vegtable Mexican Soup
Tuesday: Veggie Fish Bake,(lay the fish on a bed of lever over veggies and bake)
Wednesday: Vegtable Soup leftovers
Thursday:Spicy beef and rice
Friday: BBQ Beef Wraps and Salad
Saturday:Beef Stir Fry over Noodles
Sunday: Improvision Day!
For a week like this I would prep the soup ahead of time to be cooked in the crockpot. Then I would prep the beef for the crockpot or cook utilizing another method. Lastly I could chop any veggies ahead of time, leaving only fish, rice and noodles to be cooked during the week.
That is typically how our week goes, I find that for the 2 of us we typically get 2-3 meals out of any large casserole or crockpot meal, that means I only have to prep 2 or 3 large meals, and then have a few extra ingredients on hand for meals that are quick to throw together and we’re set!
Now let me back up to discuss the meal prep itself. The first step is to write out your menu for the week. But listen! It only takes a few minutes, for me it usually takes about 15 minutes. I come up with a “category,” if you will, that I want to eat that week; chicken in the first example, or beef in the second. I look in the fridge to see if I have extra of an ingredient to use up, a bag of spinach, or tomatoes, and take my findings into account and try to find a receipie that will use it up. I then come up with or search for a recipies using may main ingreient,(typically on Pinterest), and then let whatever sounds good guide my choices, (I like to meal plan right before a meal because then I’m hungry and its easy to find recipes that sound good!
I do my grocery shopping and then will spend approximately 1-2 hours prepping at some point that weekend, for me Saturday evenings or Sunday early in the afternoon are usually the best times. I start cooking everything that needs to be cooked ahead of time, while a meat cooks I will start slicing and dicing. Then I assemble ingredients for any casseroles or my crockpot. I also prep my lunch bowls at this time. I would say after doing this prep I usually spend less than an hour during the week cooking.
I hope this helps make your cooking life a little bit simpler! What are your meal prep tips and tricks?
I’m sure you do too. In this fast paced world it is so very hard to balance what needs doing, what should be done, and what we actually want to do! My schedule during the week leaves me with very little time in the evening,(I typically leave my house at 6 or 6:30 am and don’t get home till 7 or 8pm), and therefore makes thorough planning essential. This is my plan for how I approach meal prep for a week so I can cook basically only once a week.
Meal Preparation
Now I should mention that in my house at this time it is just my husband and me, and we have an agreement- I cook, he cleans. This means I almost never do dishes- my husband would go so far as to argue that I never do them- he may be right! But one thing I do all the time is the cooking. We don’t go out to eat very often, and because I can be quite frugal in certain areas of my life,(ahem, cheap), I have never used any meal prep services. Instead I do my own meal prepping. I want to spend as little as possible on good food that is reasonably healthy, spend as little time as possible preparing it, have it taste great and not get bored. At heart I am a foodie who loves flavorful food, so I’m really not about having a baked to death pot roast every night. Or ever. I hate pot roast. But I digress.
For breakfast I typically have a protein smoothie which takes literally a minute to prepare. My husband does intermittent fasting and skips breakfast. (For more on my protein smoothies and how I came to eat them everyday check out Kelly Levesque and her two books, Body Love, and Body Love Everyday.) For Lunch I have a salad bowl and dinner is something that I have either prepared in a crockpot or something that takes hardly any time to assemble.
Now because of my frugality I do my meal prepping one of two ways:
I select a base meal, for example: I buy a whole chicken at the store. Cook it in the crockpot on Monday, and serve it with a side. A sample week could look like this:
Monday: Chicken and a Salad.
Tuesday:Chicken Enchiladas
Wednesday: Chicken Alfredo Pasta with Steamed Veggies
Thursday: Leftover Chicken Enchiladas
Friday: Chicken Curry and Rice
Saturday: Chicken Tortilla Pizzas
Sunday: Improvisation day!
By the time we get to Sunday we are usually done with our main dish so I make something that I always have on hand that can be easily whipped up, like spaghetti and meatballs.
2) The second way I like to do cost effective meal prep is similar to the first but instead of selecting a base meal, I have base ingredients that I reuse in various ways during the week. For example:
Monday:Vegetable Mexican Soup
Tuesday: Veggie Fish Bake,(lay the fish on a bed of lever over veggies and bake)
Wednesday: Vegetable Soup leftovers
Thursday:Spicy beef and rice
Friday: BBQ Beef Wraps and Salad
Saturday:Beef Stir Fry over Noodles
Sunday: Improvisation Day!
For a week like this I would prep the soup ahead of time to be cooked in the crockpot. Then I would prep the beef for the crockpot or cook utilizing another method. Lastly I could chop any veggies ahead of time, leaving only fish, rice and noodles to be cooked during the week.
That is typically how our week goes, I find that for the 2 of us we typically get 2-3 meals out of any large casserole or crockpot meal, that means I only have to prep 2 or 3 large meals, and then have a few extra ingredients on hand for meals that are quick to throw together and we’re set!
Now let me back up to discuss the meal prep itself. The first step is to write out your menu for the week. But listen! It only takes a few minutes, for me it usually takes about 15 minutes. I come up with a “category,” if you will, that I want to eat that week; chicken in the first example, or beef in the second. I look in the fridge to see if I have extra of an ingredient to use up, a bag of spinach, or tomatoes, and take my findings into account and try to find a recipe that will use it up. I then come up with or search for recipes using my main ingredient,(typically on Pinterest), and then let whatever sounds good guide my choices, (I like to meal plan right before a meal because then I’m hungry and it’s easy to find recipes that sound good!
I do my grocery shopping and then will spend approximately 1-2 hours prepping at some point that weekend, for me Saturday evenings or Sunday early in the afternoon are usually the best times. I start cooking everything that needs to be cooked ahead of time, while the meat cooks I will start slicing and dicing. Then I assemble ingredients for any casseroles or my crockpot. I also prep my lunch bowls at this time. I would say after doing this prep I usually spend less than an hour during the week cooking.
I hope this helps make your cooking life a little bit simpler! What are your meal prep tips and tricks?
