With summer wrapping up and the back to school rush beginning, there's no better time to get the dinner time chaos under control. Give this Slow Cooker Freezer cooking plan a try and have 9 meals ready and waiting!
I really wanted to try to get dinner time more under control and I know for me, having prepared meals (homemade and store bought) in the freezer really help me out. While store bought foods, (think frozen pizza, perogies...etc.) are okay with me once in a while, I love to have homemade meals on the table most nights.
I've been seeing freezer cooking posts all over Pinterest lately and knew I had to jump on that band wagon. Freezer cooking is a great solution to my problem and I haven't intentionally stocked my freezer with meals since before my daughter was born.
Another one of my favourite things is using the slow cooker. I love the ease of just throwing things into the slow cooker, turning it on, then coming back at dinner time to dish up! Sure makes that 5pm toddler crazy time more bearable. đ
So, with those two things in mind, I created a plan for 9 slow cooker freezer meals that I'd love to share with you all!
The plan consists of some of our tried and true favourite family meals. Here are the meals you will be making if you so wish to join in:
Peanut Chicken
Beef Roast and Carrots
Chicken Tortilla soup
Honey Garlic Chicken
Meatballs
Chicken Vegetable Curry
Beef Stew
Baked Beans
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
I hope you'll enjoy them just as much as we do! (It's actually 10 meals because the size I roll meatballs makes that recipe enough for two meals)
All told, everything cost me under $100. The cost could be much less since I didn't purchase any of the meat on sale. I also purchased everything from the Real Canadian Superstore for the sake of time. I think you'll have many of the ingredients on hand already which also makes the costs go down.
Since nothing in this freezer cooking plan has to be cooked beforehand, I think the best use of your time would be to chop the veggies and meat first. Then for any recipe that requires a sauce, mix those up. Finally, throw all the veggies and meat into a freezer bag and pour the sauces over top! Simple as that!
As for the labels included in the plan, simply cut them out, then place them on the freezer bags and use clear packing tape to cover.
If your household is a fan of Italian dressing, this Italian Seasoning Mix is going to save you a lot of money over time! It's perfect if you're on a budget and you keep finding yourself buying the expensive bottles at the grocery store.
While this recipe is meant to be mixed up as a liquid dressing, I'm sure sprinkling the spice mix over veggies or meat would be just as wonderful. We like to use Italian dressing as salad dressing (of course) and even as a marinade for chicken! Hint: throw some chicken breast into a freezer bag, pour this Italian dressing over top, then seal the bag and toss it into the freezer for a really quick freezer meal! It cooks up well in the slow cooker.
Eating well doesnât have to be expensive. Thatâs what Leanne Brown is determined to show as she serves up a smorgasbord of meal ideas in her cookbook Good and Cheap.
Created as part of a Masterâs project in Food Studies at New York University, the cookbook was designed for people with limited incomes â such as the nearly 47 million Americans who live on a $4/day food stamp budget.
This was originally published February 2012. It still rings true in my life today, so I thought I'd repost it!
I'm not entirely sure this post will come as a shock to those of you who have been reading Simply Frugal for awhile, but it's been on my mind for quite some time now!
Quite honestly, I don't really get the "extreme" couponing thing. I mean, I get it, but I personally don't see the benefit it could have for my family. And by no means am I saying that it isn't a great thing for other families! Sure, I post about coupons and deals all day long, and I really enjoy getting great deals with coupons, but I am by no means anywhere near extreme. (Maybe most of you are the same way?) Here are the reasons I'm not an Extreme Couponer:
Goes against what I'm trying to accomplish in my life: Simplicity
For me, it's another thing to add to the to-do list. It takes time. Hours to plan a massive shop. And then you actually have to go shopping after all that planning!
Since simplicity in my home means having less stuff, a years worth of supplies/groceries really defeats the purpose of extreme couponing for me. This leads me to my next reason:
There will always be a sale and there will always be coupons available
Items tend to go on sale for rock bottom prices every 6 weeks - three months. This fact alone keeps me from going crazy stocking up. I only buy what will get us through until the next sale. If we run out, we run out! Then there are the necessities that always seem to be on sale week after week. Can you think of a week recently where there hasn't been toilet paper on sale? Or pasta?
I don't have much room for stockpiling
We live in a two bedroom condo. We're about to have a baby. Space is at a premium. Enough said?
I can't be bothered
If I'm being honest, I really can't be bothered to spend all the time and effort it takes to have a shopping trip where I save over 50% off my bill. (or something like that) Mostly because I don't buy many of the products that have coupons and I'd much rather spend my time doing other things. đ
I like to save money by not shopping
Using coupons and getting stuff for free still comes with a price tag. You'll always pay taxes on the full price of the item, before coupons are deducted. Sometimes I think people buy things just because they have a coupon and the item will be super cheap or free. They don't think about all the tax dollars they're throwing away on an item that they won't use. Donating items could be used as an argument as long as they're okay with the fact that those items were not entirely free (taxes, gas money and their time). I love hearing about those that do donate items since there still is a bit of sacrifice in doing so, when you take into consideration the time and money that it does involve.
Of course, I do have to go shopping once in a while. I like to go once a week on Mondays. Usually to only one store, the store with the best deals that week. Since I menu plan, shop the sales and compare for best value, I'm able to see significant savings each week as I only buy what I need to get us through until next Monday. I spend about $60 a week on groceries and household basics. Quite often less than that because of the small quantity of items I do have in the stockpile.
I value health
On paper it looks like I âsavedâ money, but I really may have just come home with a bunch of processed foods that will sit in my pantry for months. I've been seeing coupons for more healthful products lately, but the majority of coupons out there are still for processed or chemical laden products. I'll admit that I do use coupons occasionally for some convenience items, (such as our favourite Ristorante pizzas!) but for the most part I buy fresh ingredients and the parts to create a meal from scratch because I value our health over saving a buck. Iâve decided not to use coupons on things we normally donât use just to get things cheap or for free.
Here's how I do use coupons:
I do order most/all of the coupons I post about on Simply Frugal, but only so I can give some of them away to you. (I do giveaways over at the Simply Frugal Facebook page once in a while)
I see most of my coupon savings on things like toilet paper and toothpaste.
I only use a few coupons each shopping trip. Sometimes, I don't use any because all I'm buying is produce and milk!
I really like the free product coupons. Who doesn't? đ Those are the ones I use most.
Did you find it shocking that I'm not an extreme couponer considering all the time I put into posting coupons and deals? How do you use coupons? Do you enjoy the thrill of extreme couponing?
Note: Since this post was actually hard for me to write but has been on my mind since the Extreme Couponing TLC show started, I felt it was necessary for me to write the following due to the nature of Simply Frugal: In no way were the words I wrote above meant to be taken as condemnation. Each family is different. Each person is different. My way is not the right way, but it is the right way for our family. We're all just doing the best we can do with the resources we have! I have nothing against extreme couponing, it just isn't for me!
I've been starting to use more beans around here because not only does a certain little person love them, they help stretch the grocery budget! I also love the fact that they're filling and nutritious. Buying canned beans can be economical, but if you purchase dry beans in bulk, that's even more economical.
While beans can be boring, they can also be super tasty to more creative you can be. I've rounded up 10 tasty ways to use beans that you're sure to enjoy!
In Smoothies
Sounds weird right? But you've got to check out this recipe for Cocoa Bean smoothie from Tasting Table.
Make Bean Dip
One of our favourite ways to enjoy beans is to make bean dip by layering refried beans, cream cheese, salsa and cheddar cheese in a baking dish. We then bake it at 350 until the cheese is all melted and bubbly. Here's a recipe for refried beans. You could also try this Black bean dip, looks tasty!
In Chili and Soups
Beans are a great addition to chili and soups. Try out my recipe for Turkey Chili. You could omit the turkey and add another bean variety to make it really cost effective. This minestrone soup looks delicious!
In Taco Meat
Add beans to your taco meat to help it go further. Black beans are a great addition.
In Dessert
I'm sure you must know about Black Bean brownies? While I have yet to try them myself, I've heard others rave about black bean brownies!
Make Baked Beans
We've been thoroughly enjoying the recipe for slow cooker baked beans found over at 100 Days of Real Food. It makes a big batch so I always freeze the leftovers.
In Bean Salad
Confession: growing up, I would always pass over the bean salad. It was just not appealing to me (aka: gross). But now that I'm much older and wiser ;), I think I could get on board with eating some bean salad! I'm going to try this recipe first.
In Burritos
One of our favorite ways to use beans is in these Black Bean and Salsa Burritos. That reminds me, we haven't made these in a while! Time to add them to the menu.
In Pasta Sauce
Did you know you can create a delicious alfredo sauce using white beans? You can! Just follow this recipe: White bean alfredo sauce.
Black Bean Burgers
Celebrate Meatless Monday and BBQ season with this recipe for Black Bean Veggie Burgers. They sound mighty tasty.
In Hummus
I was on the hunt for a delicious homemade hummus, so I created this one! Though, I'm not entirely sure chickpeas are considered a bean. They're a legume and so are beans so I'm going with it.
Do you have any tasty ways to use beans? Recipe links in the comments are always welcome!
We have a small grocery store within walking distance of our home. Honestly, I didn't shop there very often because I thought the prices were a bit high. Especially compared to Superstore, where I did the majority of my shopping. But, once Sienna came along I found myself there more often because it was a nice walk and really convenient.
While I still do some shopping at larger grocery stores (and the Farmer's market and little bulk food stores) I've grown quite fond of picking up some essentials at this small grocery store.
Here are three reasons why I like shopping at my small grocery store:
Good sales
Regular priced items can be more expensive then their counterparts bought at a larger store, but when there's a sale, it's a really good sale! I've gotten fantastic deals on chicken, salsa, produce, cereal and more. On occasion, the sale prices have been so low, I haven't seen them priced like that at any other store. Plus, they accept coupons!
Quick to shop
I love, love the fact that the size of the store is much smaller than larger chain stores. I can be in and out within 15 minutes simply because I'm not navigating the crowds or hiking the 5 mile trek from one end of the store to the other.
Friendly staff
When I walk in, it's like they know me personally by asking how I am and if they can help me find something. Even, if I was there the day before getting milk. They even laugh at my terrible jokes and grab a different package of meat from the back if I had something else in mind. They make it feel as though they have time for their customers. I love that.
Do you shop at smaller grocery stores? What do you love most about shopping there?
