Looking for a simple dinner solution to get you through the summer? Enter… freezer meals!
I don’t know about you, but I want to spend time creating amazing memories and moments to cherish forever, than sweat away in the kitchen during the summer months. I’d much rather spend an hour in the kitchen getting a bunch of meals pulled together, than not have to think about or worry about what’s for dinner at the end of an exhausting day of summer fun.
It’s about more than time too…it’s about money. I know, for me, the temptation to hit the drive thru is much higher in the summer months. And that gets expensive, fast! I want your meals this summer to be simple and easy, and I know you do too.
One thing that will bring a family together are home cooked meals at the kitchen table. There is nothing better than gathering around yummy food, while conversing about life, with your family members. Unfortunately, feeding your family does not come cheap. Here are some great tips to help you feed your family on $50 this week, whether you are tight on cash, or just simply looking to be a little more frugal.
Take Inventory
Take inventory of what is already in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. You could make a simple list using a notebook, so that you have it as you sit down to make a shopping list and meal plan. No need to buy tomato sauce if you already have some in the pantry!
Use Store Rewards
I like to collect PC Optimum points because the points turn into cash that I can put towards my grocery bill. I just recently redeemed $30 so that was a nice chunk of change off that grocery bill! There are many other store reward programs out there that may be worth trying out if it means savings for you!
Use Grocery Rebate Sites
I like Checkout 51 and because I can just upload my receipt and go. I have 7 days from the time I shop to upload, and I can combine rebates from all 4 sites from 1 receipt to maximize savings! Ampli is also great if you don’t mind connecting your debit and credit cards to a secure app! Use the promo code AMPLI5 to get $5 for free!
Shop the Right Places
Being able to feed your family for less, means that you need to be willing to shop at different stores. If you are used to shopping at higher end grocery stores that generally charge more than say, Walmart or No Frills, consider stepping outside of your box, and head into a less costly store. Set aside your reasons and any ill feelings that you may have about those stores. You certainly will not regret it after leaving the store with a little extra change in your pocket!
Meal Plan Around Flyer Sales
Meal planning is a great way to make sure you know exactly what your family will be eating every day. Knowing which meals you will be enjoying also means that you know all of the ingredients needed, and this will allow you to better stick to your budget of $50. Just make sure that as you plan your meals, that you are scoping out the flyer sales and planning your meals around what is on sale and what you already have at home.
Use Cheap Fillers
When you have a tight food budget to stick to, you will find that rice and beans will become some of your favorite ingredients. Rice and beans generally do not have much flavor, so they can be added to almost any meal, even if it is just as a side that you season with salt and pepper. However, the other great thing about rice and beans is that they are cheap fillers in things like tacos, soup and chili! This means that you will feel fuller after eating them. Dry beans will be your best value, so don’t be afraid to use them!
Make a list of cheap meals
I’m in the thought camp that most meals can be frugal meals if you purchase the ingredients on sale. for example, meat. Don’t buy chicken breasts if the chicken thighs are on sale. Also, take a look at the 20 meal rotation I have been doing as our meal plan lately. I’d consider most meals on the list cheap and frugal!
Stick to the same things for Breakfast and Lunch
In our house, I have a rotation going of oatmeal, pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs and cereal all served with fruit for breakfasts. Sounds time consuming, but it’s really not because once in a while we have breakfast for dinner (pancakes/French toast) and I freeze the leftovers. We can then pop them into the toaster for a super quick, filling breakfast! Same sort of idea for lunches. Sandwiches, grilled cheese, soup, leftovers… Dinner is where most of the variety comes from!
Eat Those Leftovers!
Who wants leftovers? Most people generally are not fond of reheated meals the following day. However, eating leftovers is a great way to help you stick to your weekly food budget. If your family cannot handle the same meal twice in one week consider turning your leftovers into a new meal by turning it into a soup or stew, or adding new flavors or vegetables to it. Taco Tuesday can become taco salad (or taco soup) Wednesday. I especially love to freeze leftovers like spaghetti sauce. Makes for a super easy meal on a rushed night.
Feeding your family on $50 this week really comes down to being creative as much as it does frugal. People do what they have to do to survive and you, my friend, can totally make this work for your family. What tips do you have to add?
Welcome back to the Eating from The Pantry & Freezer Challenge! Here’s what it’s all about or you can read the post from Week 2.
Here’s my update from last week
I took a little hiatus last week since we had family visiting and we were all over the place! We feasted on burgers, hot dogs, pizza… all the healthy stuff 😉 Needless to say, we still have quite a bit of stuff in our pantry and freezer!
This week should be different so we should be going through quite a bit of stuff.
Getting creative with what you haveleft
At this point in the challenge you may have come to a point where you need to be creative when it comes to using up what you have an abundance of and filling the spaces of those things you wish you could go out and buy.
There are a few great websites out there that will come up with some recipes for the ingredients you already have on hand. All Recipes is one of them. Simply input the ingredients you have and the ingredients you don’t have and it will pull up a list of recipes you could make! Recipe Matcher, Supercook and Ingredient Chef are also good resources!
Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:
Since not many of my planned meals got made last week, you’ll see some recycled meals on this week’s menu.
Welcome to the second week of the Eating from The Pantry & Freezer Challenge! Here’s what it’s all about or you can read the post from Week 1.
Here’s my update:
As it seems with all my weeks, not every meal I had planned got made. Things just come up or we have more leftovers than we thought!
But I did manage to rid our freezer of a few things! Some taco meat is gone, a couple of bags of frozen fruit are gone, along with quite a few frozen bananas.
It’s time to start the Eating from the Pantry & Freezer Challenge!
I told you last week that I’d be sharing my goals and plans, so here’s what I’ve got in mind:
My number one goal is to clean out the pantry and freezers, especially the freezers! It seems like we’re always throwing stuff out because it gets lost for far too long. 🙁
Also, I think it’s important to say to make this challenge your own. Decide what will work best for you to help you clear out your pantry and freezer while still making it a challenge. Maybe this means you won’t be buying any household items (toilet paper, toothpaste..etc) because you really do have enough to get you through until the end of the challenge. Or maybe you realize that you have a ton of stuff to go through so you can actually do the challenge for 5 weeks. Make it yours!
Now, how am I going to make this happen?
I took inventory of our pantry and freezers (and discovered that I don’t have as much meat as I thought)! Here’s what I’ll be working with:
Some shredded chicken
a couple of packs of Ground beef
Taco meat
Ham
Shrimp
Pulled pork
Plenty of flour, oatmeal, rice, pasta, quinoa
Lots of dried beans and lentils
Lots of frozen fruit (peaches, strawberries, mixed berries, raspberries)
Frozen vegetables
Chicken nuggets/fries
Puff pastry
Crackers
Apple sauce
Premade butter chicken and Coconut curry (No one will eat it but me!)
Frozen bananas
And lots more!
I’m actually quite shocked at how much I found and I’m sure I could do this challenge for longer than I have planned!
It is no secret that Ramen Noodles are a staple in every college student’s pantry. However, ramen noodles are not just for the college student, bachelor, or preschooler anymore. I have even found some organic brown rice ramen by Lotus Foods at Costco that we love, making it a healthy choice for our family! Even if you buy the budget friendly packs of ramen, there are quite a few healthy ways to spice up a package of the fried noodles.
How to Turn Ramen Noodles Into a Healthy Meal Idea
Ditch the Packet
Some people prefer ramen noodles simply because they are cheap, cheap, cheap. Others prefer them because of the beef, chicken, or oriental flavor that comes in the package. While that packet is full of flavor, it is also packed full of sodium and MSG. Make your meal a bit healthier, by ditching the packet, and adding your own herbs and flavoring. Boil the pasta in low sodium chicken or beef broth, and throw in some pepper and herbs, like thyme, or oregano.
Use Uncooked, as a Topping
That’s right. You can eat Ramen without cooking them first! Dig the recipe for your favorite Asian inspired salad out of your recipe box, and simply swap out the Asian noodles for Ramen Noodles. Just discard the seasoning packet and break the noodles up. Add them to your salad just before serving.
Stir Fry
Instead of opting for burgers and fries, pull out a package of ramen, and some fresh or frozen veggies. Cook up chicken or beef pieces, and throw some in some veggies, with a bit of low sodium soy sauce. Meanwhile, cook the Ramen in either plain water, or low sodium beef or chicken broth. Once it is all done, simply toss it all together, and grab a bowl and a seat.
Make a Hearty Soup
There is nothing like a hot bowl of hearty soup, on a chilly evening. Gather the ingredients for your favorite soup, and toss it all in the slow cooker. When there are just a few minutes left of cooking time, add a packet or two of Ramen, minus the flavor packets, and you have yourself an easy, healthy meal.
Limit the amount you eat
Even if you dish up Ramen Noodles to be healthier, you still need to limit the amount you eat. Many carbs come from ramen noodles, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Which is why adding them to a salad as a topping or using it as a filler, is an excellent idea.
The great thing about Ramen is that it’s so inexpensive. Once you get rid of the packet and figure out how to make it into the perfect healthy dish, you are good to go.
I’d love to hear how you use ramen noodles! Let me know in the comments below!
