Farm fresh cooking

I'm about a month into my stint volunteering on the farm in exchange for a weekly CSA share and it has been FANTASTIC. I bring home about 4 bags of fresh fruit and veggies every week in exchage for my 4 hours of labor...not a bad trade off, plus the farmer and his young family are really nice people and we have good time out in the fields. Who'd have thought?

Last night for dinner I made this baked stuffed zucchini and it was DELICIOUS! Even better - all of the veggies I used were straight from the farm and didn't cost me anything out of pocket! Normally the dish would cost a little over $6 to make...but since the fresh stuff was in my CSA share, I spent a grand total of $2.54 to put that yumminess on my table.

In other news, my little guy turned 1 last week! I still can't believe it's been a whole year already. I will be posting a little "Owen retrospective" as soon as I can get a free few minutes to put it together...I have tons of pictures IN the camera, I swear :) Now that he's almost walking it's a full time job keeping him and his brother out of trouble!

I hope everyone is enjoying a fun and frugal summer!






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FREE copies of Taste of home

Check out this post over at Engineer a Debt Free Life - you can download a bunch of FREE digital copies of current and past issues of Taste of Home! I love their recipes but haven't always been able to buy the recipe books.

Read them online, or save them to your computer like I did!




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Menu Plan Monday - Aug 3rd, '09

As I sit here with my FrankenFeet propped up on a pillow, I still can't believe that my due date is THIS FRIDAY! EEP!

We haven't seen any major movements towards labor yet, I was only 1 cm dilated at my appointment last week...but with the Boy Wonder I spent 2 weeks at 2cm and then blew up to a "stretchy" 8.5cm dilated in 2 days. My labors are rather dramatic :) They're also rather fast, which only means that I am pretty much constantly on edge looking for labor signs so that my OB has time to get to the hospital!

I hesitated to make any major menu plan this week, so I decided instead to make a brief list of easy meals that we will draw from as the week goes on. I expect I'll be dining on hospital fare before too long but I have to make sure we have some kind of plan in place! Once the baby comes, we have a pretty good stockpile of dinners in the freezer but I don't want to tap into that until we REALLY need it!

For more (and more detailed!) menu plans don't forget to visit The Happy Housewife while Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie is on a much needed break!

Menu options for the week:
-Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Fruit salad
-Breakfast for dinner - Western Omelette with toast and fruit
-Chicken Quesadillas made with shredded salsa chicken
-Pizza Rolls
-Hot dogs and veggies
-Kielbasa and pasta supper
-any leftovers






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OAMC update for June

Just wanted to post a quick update on the progress I've made in stocking OAMC meals this month - I still have to make the meatballs since they are on this week's menu but by week's end this will all be tucked away! I am still shooting for using 2 freezer meals per week so this should last me for quite a while, even if I lean more heavily on the freezer meals once the baby arrives.

Chicken Bombay - 2 meals worth
Spaghetti Pie - 4 pans
Turkey veggie Lasagna - one pan (2 dinners)
Cheesy Kielbasa Bake - one large pan (2-3 dinners)
Meatballs - 2 pounds (2-3 meals)

I am finding that it's definitely easier for me to assemble meals a bit at a time, instead of setting one full day aside for cooking. Doubling recipes that are already on the menu make the process go even faster, since I'm not adding much prep time and usually just spending 10-15 extra minutes assembling the pans for the freezer. This week, the lasagna and the Kielbasa bake each took only about half an hour to put together and I took care of the freezer portion while the fresh meal was baking. I know many OAMC cooks prefer to use regular pans, but I am finding that I prefer disposable foil pans and just stack them carefully in my freezer...I get them cheap enough at the Big Lots nearby and it's worth it to not have another pan to wash!

There are some awesome sales coming up on blueberries so I am going to try and add muffins and pancakes to the stash, which will come in handy for snacks and bleary-eyed breakfasts with an infant in the house :) I've got one more month to really build the stockpile before things get crazy, if anyone has favorite freezer dishes please feel free to share!!!









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I made that!

I'd been toying with the idea for a while now...always held off out of fear, or what I thought was lack of time. But last night I decided to take the plunge!

I made HOMEMADE YOGURT! In my Crockpot no less!

I have the Crockpot Lady to thank. When I first found her recipe I was all brands of excited, but then I started reading a little deeper into yogurt making and got a little scared...seemed like all the sites I found warned about it being tricky, and time consuming if I wanted to do it "right". Well I decided to trust my Crockpot Guru and gave her yogurt recipe a try, with a few little adjustments I picked up along the way.

Oh Mah Gosh.

I made REAL yogurt!

Here's what you need:
Crockpot (she used a 4 quart, I used my 6 quart)
1/2 gallon milk (I used whole milk)
1/2 cup plain yogurt with live cultures (for starter)
1/2 cup nonfat powdered milk

Here's what you do:
-Pour the half gallon of milk into your crockpot and set it to low for about 2 1/2 hours. Watch TV or do some crafts for a little while. I took a nap! My crockpot tends to run hot too, so I cooked the milk for slightly less time.

-After the milk is heated up, turn the crockpot off and unplug it. Leave the cover on and let it sit for about 3 hours. Take the plain yogurt out of the fridge and let it warm to room temperature while the milk is cooling - just like with yeast, it's better if the cultures are awake! Hubby and I finished straightening up the house and watched some really bad TV reruns. I actually only let mine sit for about 2 1/2 hours and it seemed to be fine.

-Remove about 2 cups of the milk from the pot, and whisk it together with the plain yogurt and the powdered milk. Powdered milk is optional, but most sites I read recommended adding it so that you get a thicker consistency at the end. Return the milk mixture to the pot and stir to combine.

-Now for the fun part: wrap your unplugged crockpot in a heavy towel (I put a tea towel over the lid and then a bath towel over that, and tucked it in on all sides). Go to bed. No, really! The milk has to ferment for about 7-8 hours, so get some rest! Some sites I read said that 7 hours is the ideal time, Crockpot Lady recommended 8...the longer you leave it sitting, the tangier it will be. I stopped at about 6.5 hours and it was nice and thick but very mildly tangy.

-Pour into storage containers and refrigerate. The yogurt will keep for a week to week and a half. I bought small 8-oz Glad containers and portioned out 7 half-cup sizes (for the kiddo plus one to use as starter next time), and 6 three-quarter cup sizes for me. You can mix fruit in before portioning it out, but I think I will be adding fruit as I serve it so that it doesn't get watered down.

I was so excited when I took the lid off this morning! The crockpot looked like someone had dumped a carton of Dannon into it :) I had read horror stories about slime on the top, thin consistency...but it looked just perfect! And it was definitely milder tasting than the store bought plain yogurt, probably because I stopped the process a little early. I don't think I will ever buy yogurt at the store again. Here's the cost breakdown:

1/2 gallon milk - $1.00
1/2 cup starter yogurt - $0.87
1/2 cup powdered milk - $0.17

Total for 64 ounces of plain yogurt: $2.04, plus anything you want to add in.

Cost comparison:
Columbo, Yoplait, or other brands on sale: between $0.40 and 0.50 per 6 oz
- You need about 10.6 containers to equal the same amount of yogurt - cost would be $4.20-$5.30

Trix kid's yogurt in 4oz containers (plus all the artificial sweetener!) - $2.20 for a 6-pack
-It will take 2.6 packs to equal the same amount - cost would be $5.72

I used Stonyfield farms organic yogurt for starter - and I know the organic yogurts are even more expensive from the store! Here are a few of the add-ins I have tried with success:

-frozen or fresh pureed fruit (great for making baby yogurts!)
-Jell-o Powder (this comes out a lot like the Trix yogurts! use about a 1/2 tsp per half cup)
-Pudding powder - great for getting more "exotic" flavors like richer vanilla, pistachio - same measurements as for Jell-o)
-honey and granola
-1 Tbsp GOOD vanilla added with the live yogurt cultures and milk powder during the fermentation process

You can also use yogurt in the kitchen to substitute for Sour Cream in dips and cooking!










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To make or not to make?

I just read an article on Slate, that talked about the writer's experiment with homemade versus store-bought pantry items. She tried a few specific items (like crackers, jam, bagels) and did a cost-analysis to see what was cheaper to make and what was better to buy at the store. I found it pretty interesting, especially that she chose an item like cream cheese which I would never have thought to make at home.

I've actually touched on this as well in my Bricklaying series. I try to do the same thing when I am looking at my pantry - is it better to make myself, or is the store bought version good enough? Here's what I have determined:

- if I make it myself, I know exactly what has gone into it. I know there are no preservatives or chemicals (usually added to make things shelf-stable) and I can control and adjust the recipe to my family's needs and tastes.

- SOME baked goods are cheaper at the store. I have yet to find a homemade bread recipe that I can make for the $0.79 per loaf that I pay at Price Rite, but I'm still looking! I often make my own biscuits but they are a bit more expensive than buying the canister of biscuits from Price Rite at $0.35. But there's no harm in trying a homemade version and comparing the cost to make it with the store version! You may save a ton of money - or you may find the quality is worth the extra cost.

- It is surprisingly EASY to make things at home. I keep a healthy stockpile of muffins on hand for breakfast and snacks, because I can make them in the time it takes one load of laundry to go through the washing machine. I can have fresh, homemade pizza from scratch (including the dough) on the table in 25 minutes. I have been experimenting with buns and rolls (without using a bread machine!) and have found numerous recipes that take very little time and are worlds better than the store bakery's! I'll be trying a homemade yogurt recipe I found a while back that uses the crockpot, so very little work will need to be done on my part.

The bottom line is, don't be afraid to try - homemade is a scary word, especially for folks that are already juggling full or part time work with family management. But it's not impossible! Make baking time a family affair - kids adore the process of baking and it can be a great teaching time. Recipes move faster the more you make them - what takes you 45 minutes today may only take 20 minutes after a few tries!


Some of my resources - what are your favorite recipes and sites?

Allrecipes.com

The Homesteading Housewife's recipe box

The Pioneer Woman Cooks









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Menu Plan Monday - May 4, '09

Just another Manic Monday!

I wanted to say thanks to all who sent notes of encouragement regarding the loss of my friend - it was a tough week but we all made it through and the notes and prayers definitely helped :)

Last week I fell off plan a bit - forgot to take the meat out to thaw one night and hadn't saved enough leftovers...so we had grilled cheese on Friday and Chickpea Stew on Saturday. I think I need to give myself reminders to take stuff out to thaw (especially with freezer meals on the menu), baby brain is doing a number on me!! On that front - we are about to hit T-minus 3 months till arrival! I REALLY need to get the baby's room set up....

This week will be the beginning of incorporating Once a Month meals in my menus - I will make a note of when those are being used versus fresh cooked meals and we'll see how things pan out! I am already working on a cooking list for June meals and will keep you posted!

Here's our table for the week, don't forget to visit Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas!

monday - Black Bean Quesadillas ($6.65 for 4-6 servings)

tuesday - Turkey and veggie lasagna - OAMC ($5.78 for 6 servings)

wednesday - Chicken Cordon Bleu over noodles - OAMC ($6.75 for 6 servings)

thursday - Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin, veggies, homemade breadsticks ($4.01 for 4-6 servings)

friday - Homemade pizza ($2.95 for 6-8 servings)

saturday - Leftovers! Free!

sunday - Mothers Day Dinner with the in laws - free!








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Bulk cooking and bad blogging

OK, so this week I have been a baaad blogger. I put the boy to bed with the best of intentions and plans to write each evening, and then find myself passed out cold on the couch....oh the joys of pregnancy!!!

We actually underwent a big schedule change these last 2 weeks - hubby started 2 jobs and is now working a LOT more than before. We got used to having him around! The good news is, his income will put us back on track pretty fast....and did I mention that one of his jobs is at IKEA???? Helloooooo discount :)

I am really working on getting back to regular blogging, but the pregnancy is throwing me for a loop...this is the first time I've been so tired, and apparently heartburn is on the daily menu now. We had our level 2 ultrasound (because I am the ripe old age of 35 and considered "high risk") and everything was exactly as it should be...I am about 21 weeks, the baby weighs about a pound and has all necessary parts where they should be :) NO, we are not finding out the sex of the baby! Maybe I'll run a contest toward the end for guesses :)

If you HAVE read my last few posts, you've gotten a taste of my latest obsession...Once a Month Cooking. I'm still not ready to just plan a month ahead - I really like shopping the sales week to week and for me, planning the month seems a bit restricting. But the stars aligned, and there are BIG meat sales last week and this week at my grocery stores...which makes bulk cooking a reasonable prospect. The ladies over at Once A Month Mom are truly an inspiration, they make everything so simple! It's hard not to want to join in the fun...

So here's what I am going to attempt... I plan to gradually assemble the dishes through the next few weeks instead of doing one big cooking day...I'm not quite there yet! I figured that I only have to plan for 4 meals per week because I always do leftover night, we eat at my in-laws just about every week, and I would be disowned if I didn't make homemade pizza :) This should allow enough for about half frozen OAMC meals and half fresh cooked meals for the month!

Breakfasts:
Breakfast Burritos
Banana Sour Cream bread (from OAMM's February menu)
Choc Chip Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (April OAMM Menu)

Lunches:
Pizza roll-ups with pepperoni (OAMM March Menu)
(most of our lunches are leftovers, or made fresh, but these rollups were a hit!)

Dinners:
Enchiladas (since I have to buy tortillas for breakfast anyway)
Orange Apricot Pork Chops (no cooking - just assemble and freeze!-OAMM April Menu)
Chicken Cordon Bleu (since I will probably have leftover ham from Easter- OAMM April Menu)







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OAMC - baby steps!

If you've been following my Bricklaying series, you know that I recently touched on a great frugal cooking method, Once a Month Cooking. I haven't yet delved whole-hog into the process yet, but I have been doing a LOT of reading about it...I'm one of those people that needs to make it work in my head before I can make it work in practice :)

I did, however, take a few baby steps towards that end. I haven't figured out yet how I can set aside a whole day for cooking but I DID use some of my cooking time a little more efficiently during the week!

For me, time is the biggest issue. I could handle the massive cooking, the packaging, the project management involved...but with both of us working full- or near full time, our days off are precious. I already cook full meals in the evenings, so I started to review my recipes to see which ones would be simple enough to double and freeze - and found that I had a pretty good arsenal to work with!

By just doubling a recipe that freezes well, you're guaranteeing you have at least one (or more if you usually have leftovers) meal completely prepared in your stockpile. You're adding minimal effort because you're already making one meal for your family. And if you're meal planning around the sales or your stockpile (as I do), you're getting more mileage out of those low prices AND saving yourself time down the line.

Last week, I had planned to make Bee Rocks - when I make a single batch, I usually end up with 6 or 7 for the freezer anyway...doubling the filling was easy (I used a dutch oven instead of a skillet because of the volume) and the dough is simple to make in multiple batches. I made the filling in the afternoon to save a little time, but you could easily make it a day or two ahead since it cooks again once it's in the dough. The assembly took about 40 minutes total - it added about 20 minutes to my dinnertime routine but I now have twenty-five neat foil packages in the freezer - that's after our meal for the night! That would feed us at least 3-5 times.

The other dip in the OAMC pool came on Pizza night - this is a weekly occurence in our house, so I always have the ingredients handy. I found new inspiration over at Once a Month Mom, where they posted a recipe for Pizza roll ups as part of this month's plan. Again, I just doubled my dough recipe on pizza night, and while the dinner pizza was baking I assembled the Pizza Roll-up. (My husband dubbed it "sushi-roni") The pizza rollups cooked while we ate our dinner, and I ended up with 12 pizza pinwheels for the freezer with almost NO extra effort! Two of them make a decent serving if you have them with a salad or side.

We've used the pizza rolls for lunch at work, and the Bee Rocks will make a nice easy dinner paired with some leftover soup from this week - it's not QUITE full-court OAMC, but it's a start!

*I'll be relabeling entries at The Recipe Mission to include OAMC as I find which ones work best!




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Menu Plan Monday - Feb 23rd '09

Whew! Made it through last week's menu mostly unscathed! I shuffled a few nights around, but we ate our way through everything and I hardly spent anything on groceries. This month is a great exercise in working mostly with what you have, but my brain hurts :)

This week is the final week before we move! Boxes are slowly filling up, and I'm realizing just how much extra STUFF we had laying around...the garbage man is going to hate me and the Salvation Army LOVES me. I made an executive decision with regard to packing my kitchen - we kept one full set of dishes (plate, bowl, glass, silverware) out for each of us, and packed everything else...and we packed everything but the crockpot, a big spoon, a cutting knife and a cutting board. I knew it would increase my grocery spending this week by trying to do an exclusively crockpot menu, but it means less to gather on moving day! Leftover day will mean heating stuff up on our plates, or working leftovers into the crockpot dishes....we'll see how it works out :)

Here's my crockpot-crazy menu, don't forget to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for over 300 more awesome menus!

monday - Crockpot "Fried" Rice using leftover pork ($1.75 for 4 servings)

tuesday - Crockpot BBQ and Cornbread casserole using leftover bbq beef (about $2.50 for 4-6 servings)

wednesday - Leftovers! (free!)

thursday - Crockpot Meatloaf, green beans ($4.58 for 4-6 servings)

friday - Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings with added frozen peas and carrots ($2.74 for 6-8 servings)

saturday - Any final leftovers before the move (free!)

sunday - Moving day! Homemade pizza made in my new apartment's kitchen! Yay! ($7.50 for 3 pies to serve my hungry helpers!)





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Brick #7 - Prudent Planning

Moms should be awarded medals for all that we keep track of and manage through the week. Schedules, appointments, homework - we've got to keep a handle on everything our loved ones are doing to make sure nothing gets lost in the mix...so can we really take on one more planning task?

The truth is, to shop smarter and make the absolute best use of the stocked pantry we've built, we can't afford NOT to plan! How many times have you found forgotten veggies in the crisper? How many science experiments get cleaned out of the back of the fridge? Planning your meals is an indispensible tool in your arsenal to prevent unnecessary waste...so add this brick to your wall:

Brick #6 - Planning smarter means less waste and more savings!

It might seem daunting, but planning your week's meals will become your best friend in a hurry. Imagine never EVER having the dreaded "what's for dinner" conversation again! Imagine preserving your great savings and hard work in the kitchen by using EVERYTHING you make and wasting nothing.

I've heard from so many readers that "I really need to start planning", or "I don't know if I have time for that"...but it's much easier than it seems at first! As with anything (including this series), you need to start small and take baby steps:

BEFORE YOU START - Clean out your fridge! Get rid of the rotten produce, science experiments, and expired foods! If you can time this out for the night before trash day, even better :) You will have a better handle on what you really have that is edible and what you need to buy for the week.

1. Choose two meals for next week that you will plan before Saturday. Take a look at what you have on hand, and pick two easy dishes that use mostly ingredients that you have on hand. If you did the food list exercise in Brick #1, you've already got a handle on what your family uses regularly and can choose recipes that make the most of that list. You don't necessarily have to pick the day you will make those dishes, though it's a good habit to get into! When you do your weekly shopping, make sure you check the recipes and add to your list just what you need to finish those two dishes.

2. The following week, plan three dishes ahead of time, using the same method (check your stuff on hand, work as much with that as you can). This time, choose the days. Write the game plan on your family calendar. When you make your grocery list, this time START with what you need for your planned meals, then flesh out your list with the other stuff you need for the week.

3. To maximize your savings - stick with 3 planned dishes the next week, but before you plan check your stockpile AND the sales flyers. Try to work in dishes that only use what you have and what's on sale (or what you can get cheap with coupons!). Use recipe sites like Allrecipes.com and Supercook.com to search out at least 1 new recipe by ingredients. You can also check my Recipe Blog for recipes I've tested!

4. Add one day to your planning each week until you can comfortably plan your entire week's meals before your weekly shopping trip! Don't forget - not every night has to be a brand-new dish....many folks (including myself) are sure to include one "leftover night" or "CORN" (Clean Out Refrigerator Night) in the weekly plan. Check your family activities - are there nights you plan to eat out, or share a meal at family or friends' house? That's one less night you have to cook for!

Eventually, the more you do it the easier it becomes. Knowing what you REALLY need before you shop will help you shop smarter and reduce the waste in your fridge, and money in the pocket is always a great motivator for me! If you need additional motivation, try participating in I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday meme! I post my own menus there and it really helps keep me on track! It's also a FANTASTIC resource for recipe and meal ideas - with over 300 participants each week there's no shortage of help!

Next time, I'll talk a little bit about four kitchen letters that kinda freak me out :)

Some recipe resources that I have found VERY helpful when planning:

My trifecta of recipe sites: Cooks.com, Recipezaar.com and Allrecipes.com - I can almost always find good recipes with short ingredient lists (meaning they don't cost a lot!) on these sites.

Supercook.com - I recently found this one - it's a meta-search engine for recipes...but what makes it great is that you enter the contents of your kitchen, pantry and freezer, and it lists recipes based on what you can make with what you HAVE. If you're missing something it will tell you what it is before you get to the actual recipe.

$5 Dinners - the bloggy maven of good, cheap eats! I love her site, who wouldn't when every recipe can feed a family for five bucks? Great for folks with dietary restrictions too - her kids are GFCF.

A Year of Crockpotting - See your crockpot. LOOOVE your crockpot. Visit her site for every recipe under the sun.

Brick #4 - Give a little Sweat Equity

I had rockstar dreams. Once upon a time, I was going to be a famous actress/singer/dancer and live in the lap of luxury, with a team of dedicated employees to cater to my every whim.

Right.

Now I am the caterer...and taxi driver, personal shopper, accountant, maid, butler, activities coordinator...I should get paid by the hour! Then I could live in the lap of...oh nevermind.

With all of that going on, don't I deserve a little convenience in my life? Perhaps. But I had to sit down and take a hard look at where the small amount of money we had was going, and somewhere along the way it occured to me that HUNDREDS of dollars were disappearing out of our wallets because we were buying convenience food.

Let me clarify a little bit - in my book, "convenience food" includes ANYTHING that I could make for myself, but I choose to buy a pre-packaged version. Yes, that includes bread, pancake mix, soup, precooked meats, shredded cheese. Anything that I could DIY in my meager kitchen. There were two thought processes going on:

1. What am I buying just to avoid putting some time in at the stove?
2. What is the benefit if I did it myself instead?

The answer to the first question was a long list of prepared meals, breakfast foods, snacks, and easy dinner solutions. The answer to the second question was short: I save a LOT of money, and I KNOW what is going into my family's mouths - no fillers, preservatives or extra junk. This required me to put firmly in place another brick:

4. Give a little sweat equity in the kitchen, gain a lot in the wallet

Let's dispel a few myths about making things homemade:

It takes too much time
My breakfast muffins take 10 minutes to mix, 20 minutes to bake (while they're baking, I can do other things!). I often throw some together before I go to work in the morning, it's that easy. Same goes for most dinners that I make. Ten or fifteen minutes of prep, and I can go about other business while things cook. Especially in the crockpot - I've been known to toss ingredients into the 'pot before work, set it, and dinner's done when I get home. Easy Peasy! At first things took longer to make, but that was just me re-acquainting myself with the stuff in my kitchen :)

One of my biggest time savers was making extra portions of a meal and freezing them - I haven't yet ventured into once-a-month cooking, but making extras while I'm already in the kitchen has been a lifesaver on nights when we aren't getting home until later in the evening. Sometimes those freezer meals are the only thing standing between me and the temptation to order out. That alone saves me almost 20 bucks a week...more if you include the fact that our leftovers often become lunch at work!

I can't cook.
YES YOU CAN. You don't need to be Julia Child in the kitchen, you just need to be able to operate an oven/crockpot without breaking something. It's really just following basic instructions, if you could program your iPod you've worked harder at that than you would in the kitchen! Two of my favorite recipe sites, Cooks.com and Recipezaar.com are chock full of simple recipes with minimal ingredients. A good basic cookbook (my personal favorites are How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food and The Best of Cooking with 3 Ingredients (Flavors of Home)) can be your best friend and help in areas you aren't comfortable with - I always had questions about cooking raw meat...now I roast with the best of them!

I won't really save any money because I have to buy the ingredients
OK - most people know that is about as false as Tammy Faye Baker's eyelashes. But I do actually know people who think this way! They figure that buying ONE of something over TEN somethings makes the ONE something cheaper. But most of the time, the raw materials that you use will add up to a LOT less when you consider that you're buying enough to make SEVERAL somethings instead of just one meal.

Investing some sweat equity in your kitchen is ESSENTIAL to successfully feeding your family on a small budget. I am a working mom (anywhere between 32 and 48 hours a week) and my husband works as much or more. My son is a mini-hurricane right now. I DID NOT think I had the time to do the home cooked meals thing every night. But I knew that I could make the same thing as packaged meals for a fraction of the cost, so I made the choice to TRY.

I started just making the effort to plan very basic protein-veggie-starch dinners. The more I did it, the easier it became to branch out and try new recipes. If you stick to recipes with less than 10 ingredients (and follow your price book!) most of your dinners will end up being under $7 for 4-6 portions. That's an ENTIRE WEEK of dinners for less than 40 bucks.

Getting familiar with the flour jar will also cut major costs. I make homemade muffins, buns/rolls, and pizza dough just about every week. ALL THREE of these recipes cost me $2.73 COMBINED. That's six muffins, 12 dinner rolls and a whole pizza pie. There are a TON of cheap recipes for muffins, breads, breakfast bars and such out there, just find the ones that appeal to you! The only think I don't bake myself right now is sandwich bread - only because I get it SO cheap at Price Rite. If I can figure out how to make it for less than 75 cents a loaf, I'm all over it.

I even make our own version of 100 calorie snack packs. I buy a BIG bag of the snack of choice, and divvy it up into snack baggies. The cost? Around 5 bucks for about 20-30 servings. Those snack packs at their CHEAPEST are 2 bucks for SIX. My cost for the same number of servings - $0.25.

The added benefit of all this work? You know EXACTLY what's going into the mouths of your precious family. No fillers. No added preservatives, extra sodium, or things you can't pronounce. I don't know about you, but it makes me sleep better at night. And my husband is healthier than he's ever been, in spite of his diabetes....there's something to this "home cookin' thing"!

Next week we'll spice it up! Literally ;)

Some great resource sites:

Make ahead recipes - Your Own "fast" food

$5 Dinner Mom - awesome recipes, all for 5 bucks or less per meal!

Saving Money with Homemade Convenience Mixes - everything from breads to sauces to seasonings, and tips on making homemade even healthier.

Grab and Go foods

The Crockpot Lady - if it can be done in a crockpot, she's tested it! Another awesome recipe site.