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Farm Kitchen:  Frugal Meals  |
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country roads
True Blue Farmgirl
443 Posts
Melissa
Shinglehouse
Pa
USA
443 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 27 2017 : 12:57:24 PM
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DH has decided that we waste to much money (which we do). He wants us to make smaller, more frugal meals. Both the kids are out of the house, so it's just us now. We eat a lot different kinds of wraps, which we love. I was just hoping for other people's meal ideas to add to the menu.
Take care, Melissa.
~Think Happy Thoughts~ |
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farmgirl68
True Blue Farmgirl
369 Posts
Katie
Bangor
Pennsylvania
USA
369 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2017 : 07:25:43 AM
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Melissa, first of all, where is Shinglehouse, PA? Next, I've been using a collection of recipes from Ruth Sucoup (sp?) called 10 meals in 1 hour. I find them to be quite reasonable if you shop ads and use coupons and VERY easy. You essential make 5 different recipes but make a double batch of each (one to eat, one to freeze) that way you can buy super low prices and make recipes for that meat and take advantage of it twice. Not only are they easy but they are some of the best recipes I've eaten. See what you think.
Katie #7422
Friends are the flowers that bloom in life's garden.
www.etsy.com/shop/RLHomesteadCrafts
www.rlittlehomestead.org
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country roads
True Blue Farmgirl
443 Posts
Melissa
Shinglehouse
Pa
USA
443 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2017 : 12:38:01 PM
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Hi Katie, thank you for the suggestion. I'm going to look her up.
Shinglehouse is in northern Pa, just 5 miles from the NY line.
We are 2 1/2 hours north of Clearfield Pa.
Take care, Melissa.
~Think Happy Thoughts~ |
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saram
True Blue Farmgirl
521 Posts
Sara
Biggs
CA
USA
521 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2017 : 7:51:50 PM
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Well Melissa, I don't know just how you've been eating til now, but there are lots of ways to eat frugally. My husband's parent immigrated from Mexico and he was raised on rice, beans, homemade tortillas, and a scattering of vegetables. Now if your husband is really on board, you can stretch a pot of beans a long way and eat on just pennies a day. And adding a few different flavors to the pot---a little ham, an onion, some cumin or cilantro---can make things a little more interesting!
If you have been eating pre-fixed dishes ( meaning that all or some of the steps of preparing them have already been done for you) you are paying more than you have to for your food. The closer you get to eating natural, unprocessed foods, the healthier you'll be, and you will actually save money in the end. |
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saram
True Blue Farmgirl
521 Posts
Sara
Biggs
CA
USA
521 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2017 : 7:55:51 PM
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| Here's one of our favorite dishes: cheese enchiladas. Soften corn tortillas in hot oil, dip in enchilada sauce (we like El Pato brand) and lay in an 8 inch square dish. Pile on each some shredded jack cheese and sprinkle with some chopped green onion (if you want) Roll each up and line the pan with the enchiladas. Then warm them in a 300degree oven for about 10 minutes or until they are melty. Enjoy! |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1143 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1143 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2017 : 10:04:24 PM
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The Crock Pot is such a great way to make frugal meals. Many people now also sing praises about the Instant Pot, but I don't own one, myself.
We love making taco soup, chicken thighs/drumsticks (BBQ, lemon pepper, teriyaki, etc), Swiss steak, pot roast, cheeseburger soup, chicken cacciatore, chicken and dumplings, and lots more in our slow cooker. It would be really easy to take the leftovers and save them for later in the week or freeze them for another time.
Do you eat meat? I guess I should ask that! Salads are always yummy and you can make them all sorts of ways. It's easy to make your own dressing, too. Beans and cornbread are always great, and so is chili! I think both of those are better the next day, though.
What else do y'all eat besides wraps?
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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saram
True Blue Farmgirl
521 Posts
Sara
Biggs
CA
USA
521 Posts |
Posted - Oct 31 2017 : 07:32:44 AM
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| Those are great ideas Amanda. I was also thinking about how much meat Americans think they need to eat, and how little you can get by on and still be happy and healthy. One of my big boys can eat an entire steak by himself, but if I cut that one steak up and drop it in a homemade soup it will feed all five of us and give leftovers for lunch! |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6802 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6802 Posts |
Posted - Oct 31 2017 : 07:43:45 AM
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I buy ground Angus chuck on sale and cook it with a salt, pepper, and herbs. Flash freeze it on a tray lined with parchment paper. During freezing I move it around so it doesn't lump together. When frozen I put into freezer zip-lock bags. I can take out what I need for spaghetti sauces, wraps, topping for flat breads or pizza. I find if it's precooked I can control how much meat I use in a dish.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
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Edited by - YellowRose on Oct 31 2017 07:44:34 AM |
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saram
True Blue Farmgirl
521 Posts
Sara
Biggs
CA
USA
521 Posts |
Posted - Nov 01 2017 : 1:14:58 PM
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| That's clever! |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1143 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1143 Posts |
Posted - Nov 01 2017 : 8:07:05 PM
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So true, Sara! I try to add lots of veggies to everything. Meat is just expensive. If my body didn't hate beans, I would eat them almost every day. Lol! But anyway...
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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country roads
True Blue Farmgirl
443 Posts
Melissa
Shinglehouse
Pa
USA
443 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2017 : 12:42:18 PM
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Sara, the cheese enchiladas sound wonderful. We would love that dish. msdoolittle, we use the crockpot every chance we can. I just got a recipe for cheeseburger soup that a coworker brought in. We have grilled cheese and tomato soup, sausage and spicy fried cabbage (one bag of shredded cabbage for coleslaw. Works great for our meal and I take leftovers to work for lunch) Marinated chicken breasts on the grill, fried egg sandwiches, stir fry veggies and chicken. we love Brussel sprouts cooked in butter and garlic. We've definitely gotten better about eating veggies. Next week DH is making spicy hamburger soup. One thing I really need to do is cook smaller portions. In my head I guess I'm still cooking for a house full. :) We are also getting much better about using up left overs before they go bad.
Take care, Melissa.
~Think Happy Thoughts~ |
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country roads
True Blue Farmgirl
443 Posts
Melissa
Shinglehouse
Pa
USA
443 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2017 : 12:46:40 PM
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I love the idea of precooking the burger too and using only what I need. We've been planning our meals around what will be on sale the day we go shopping. Thank you ladies for all the ideas.
Take care, Melissa.
~Think Happy Thoughts~ |
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Farm Kitchen: Frugal Meals |
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Frugal Meals
