Ham and Bean Soup

This is something I do with a lot of different crock pot roasts. The flavor of the soup will change based on what meat you started with, but I find them all tasty.

I'm in the middle of a freezer cleanout month, trying to use up things that have been in there way too long. It's a good money saver and it also is less wasteful.  When I was in Target last week, they had whole bone in spiral cut hams for only $1.50 per pound.  Since $2.99 is generally a decent deal, I bought the biggest two hams I could find.  I cooked the ham, and we ate two meals with meat from it.  After that, I packaged and froze the rest of the meat.  I didn't have time to make a lot of freezer meals right then, but I will get to them later.  For some other things I do with ham, check out these two posts:

• One Ham, Many Meals
• Ham and Cheese Ziti

Since the first time I posted, I have discovered that the beans are so much more flavorful if you soak them in the broth from the meat.  It also made it a whole lot easier.  I dumped the bone and the juices from the ham into my crock pot with the rinsed beans, put the lid on it, and left it all in the fridge overnight.  In the morning, I put the liner into the crock pot and started it out on low.  I love these beans:

Around noon, I dump in whatever leftover veggies I have on hand.  We had some leftover broccoli from the previous night's dinner, a partial bag of frozen mixed veggies, and a whole bag of frozen peas. When you are ready to serve, here's my last helpful hint.  You can thicken up the broth and make it more stew-like by just taking your spoon and mashing some of the beans and veggies.  No need to add a heavy cream or roux, so it might even be a bit healthier for you. 

We've had several meals from this soup, and I just froze the rest of the leftover in freezer bags.  Remember, if you lay them flat before they freeze, they take up much less space.

Thanksgiving Stew Re-do

Now that the Thanksgiving dinner is all done, it's time to start my favorite holiday meal. This post is from last year, but I think it's worth another go.

I call it either leftover soup or Thanksgiving stew.  I think I love it more than the actual turkey dinner.

To start, you have to cook down your carcass.  This is sort of a lost art and slightly gross to me, but it’s necessary for both good stock and the best little bits of leftover turkey.  I immediately package up all the extra meat and freeze it, because one extra turkey meal is all my family can stand.

Then I throw the turkey carcass into a big stock pot with enough water to cover it most of the way; bring it to a boil, then drop the temperature low enough for a nice steady simmer.  I usually let it simmer for about 2-3 hours, and then begin the job of picking bones out.  

 

Once I have my good turkey stock and all the meat cooked off, I start adding in all the leftovers—I do mean all the leftovers.  The amounts aren’t really all that important to me.  This year, we had a big bird and a lot of leftovers, so I actually divided my stock and meat for two meals.  I saved half of it for “chicken and noodles” and used the rest for the soup.  If I had to measure, I’d say it was about 3 cups of stock and meat.   

When I roast the turkey, I stuff an onion and a whole garlic bulb (not a clove, the whole thing) into the cavity.  After it's all cooked down, I dispose of the bones, leave the onion in the pot, and then use a garlic press to get all the roasted garlic out into the stock.

To that I add in everything:

•   About 2 cups of dressing/stuffing.  I make my dressing (I don’t stuff the bird with it, so I don’t call it stuffing) specifically for the leftover potential.  I have a great recipe that uses dried cherries and pecans, and it adds so much to the flavor of the soup.  You can use whatever recipe is your favorite.

• About 2 cups of mashed potatoes.

• About 1 cup of turkey gravy.
• About 1-2 cups of liquid reserved from cooking the turkey the first time.  I rub it with herb butter, so it’s really healthy.  Look at it in all its congealed goodness.

• All the chopped up leftover vegetables from the relish tray.  This depends on what we have left.  I always have carrots and celery, but sometimes I also have cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers.  You add whatever you have and think would be good. 

• Did you have cooked corn?  Throw it in.  Leftover green bean casserole?  Sure, why not?  I don’t have any sweet potato lovers in my house, so I think they’re the only thing that doesn’t go into the pot.

You don’t need ANY extra seasonings, because everything was seasoned properly when you made it the first time.  Simmer the whole pot full of leftovers for an hour or so, or until it cooks down a bit and the carrots are soft.  Eat and enjoy.

I make a huge pot of this soup.  We eat some, then the rest of it is packaged and thrown in the freezer for later meals.   

 

Cabbage Roll Casserole Rewind

I have posted the recipe for cabbage roll casserole before on my blog, but I just made a ton of it and started thinking just how inexpensive and reasonably healthy this meal can be.

This weekend when I went grocery shopping, I discovered all the necessary ingredients on sale at once.  Fareway's circular plus the price matching for the other local ads made this a very affordable option.  Because I like to make ahead and freeze meals, I made a lot of this family favorite.  I cooked 3 8x8 pans (feeds 4) and one 9x13 pan (feeds 8).  I froze the three smaller ones right away, and I cooked the large pan.  My husband can take the leftovers for lunch, and I often freeze individual portions for later.

You can click the link for the recipe.  I change this up depending on what items I have on hand, so here is the price break down.

Cabbage Roll Casserole

• 2 cans tomato soup 2/1.00          1.00
• 2 cans diced tomatoes 2/1.00     1.00
• 2 cans tomato sauce @.86         1.72
• 2 lbs ground pork @1.99           3.98
• 1 bag long grain rice @.99          0.99
• 4 bags cabbage @.88                 3.52

$12.21

20 servings = 61 cents per serving

I didn't add in the cost of the salt, pepper, or other spices I put in the recipe.  $2.44 for feeding a family of four is very good.  This meal has lots of good veggies, rice, and protein.  I used ground pork, but have also used sausage, ground turkey, and ground beef.  

I also love that I have three more meals in the freezer for other days.

Make Ahead Breakfast Burritos

Another breakfast recipe from the make-ahead and freeze part of my kitchen. This one isn't anything original, but it is nice to have on hand for a quick grab.

 

Freezable Breakfast Burritos

• 1 lb bacon or sausage
• 18 eggs
• 1/2 C milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onions (or use fresh onion)
• 15 medium (burrito-sized) tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Salsa of your choice

1. The best part about these burritos is that you will be able to adjust it to your family's taste.  You don't have to follow my measurements exactly.  I used bulk breakfast sausage from our local Fareway, but you can also use links or bacon for yours or leave out the meat entirely.  Cook the meat and set aside to cool.
2. Mix everything from the eggs to the onions, and cook them just like you would normally cook scrambled eggs.  Put finished eggs aside to cool.
3. Set out the cheese and salsa in separate bowls.  You'll then have four bowls of ingredients, and set it up in an assembly line.  
4. Put out a square of plastic wrap, then a tortilla.  
5. Add a big spoonful of eggs, a spoonful of sausage, then a spoonful of cheese and salsa in a line slightly off the center of the tortilla.  (For these, I use larger serving spoons for meat and eggs, smaller spoons for the cheese and salsa.)  
6. Fold the ends over the filling, then roll the rest of the burrito up.  Wrap in plastic wrap.  
7. Freeze these on a cookie sheet, then toss them all into a large freezer bag.  
8. To reheat, wrap in paper towel and microwave at 60% power for 2-2.5 minutes.

Sausage and Pancake Breakfast Muffins

While I do a lot of make ahead and freeze meals, I never seem to have much available for breakfast. It IS the most important meal of the day, no?  I went looking around for ideas on items that would freeze well for easy grabbing in the morning.  This weekend, I decided to try a couple of new things for freezing.  I'll post the other one later, but here are some good muffins.

Sausage and Pancake Breakfast Muffins

1. Mix up your favorite pancake recipe, whatever that may be.  
2. Cook link sausage and set aside to cool.
3. In greased muffin pan, put 1/3 of a sausage link, then fill 2/3 of the way with pancake batter.
4. (This is optional, but yum) Drizzle some maple syrup on top.
5. Bake at 350* for 15 minutes.
6. Freeze on a cookie sheet, then drop the frozen muffins into a large freezer bag.
7. To reheat, wrap in a paper towel and cook in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.

This is right before baking, with the syrup drizzled on.  These are good and less messy than pouring the syrup on after baking.

Next up, breakfast burritos.

Any Flavor Quiche

This is a response to a reader request. It's a favorite recipe of ours, and though quiche can sometimes seem a little daunting, it's really easy to make ahead for later meals.  I'm going to post a recipe in true Roseanne fashion--first the original, then how I adjusted it to make it work for us.

I start with this recipe for easy as pie crust.  Because I'm making a savory dish instead of a sweet dessert, I do it more like this:

• 1 1/2 C. flour (use half whole wheat flour)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. sugar (but it can also be left out)
• 1/2 C. canola oil (or the oil of your choice)
• 2 T. milk

First, mix together the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients in separate dishes.

Mix them together right in the pie plate. 

Press the crust into the pan.  Bake the crust at 425* for 10 minutes, then set aside to fill.

Nobody show this to my Grandma.  She's such a good baker, and I'm such a slacker.  Yes, it looks terrible, but it sure does taste good when it's done.

Then for the filling for the quiche.  You can use whatever recipe you want, but I found this one (mostly) in the freezer cooking book from 30 Day Gourmet.  It may sound a little gross, but it uses readily available ingredients and can be made lower in fat.  This is per quiche.  I make 3-4 at a time and freeze some.

• 1/2 C. milk  (we use skim milk)
• 1/2 C. mayo (I know, I know.  We use light or the olive oil kind.)
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 T. cornstarch (or flour, if you don't have it)
• Mix these all together.

Here's where you get creative.  Add the following:

• Around 1 C. of the cheese of your choice.
• Around 1 C. of the meat of your choice. 
• Around 1 C. of the veggies of your choice.
• You can adjust these so that they make about 3 cups total of solid ingredients.  Just make sure your veggies are well drained if you use canned or frozen.  
• If you use spinach, put in a pinch of nutmeg.  Salt and pepper, or add the spices of your choice.  I really think simpler is better in most cases.

This is mine, with asparagus, ham, and swiss cheese.  I used frozen asparagus, but cooked it first.  Because of the length of time the quiche bakes, I think you wouldn't need to fully cook items first.  Bake at 350* for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.  If we're eating it right away, I tend toward the 50 minute range. 

If we're saving it for later, I undercook slightly.  Allow the quiche to cool fully, then wrap well with aluminum foil to freeze.

Enjoy!

Some other great combinations we've tried--cheeseburger quiche (the original recipe) uses browned ground beef, American cheese, bacon.  Spinach and tomatoes, cheddar, and bacon are delicious.  What's your favorite?

Thanksgiving Leftover Stew

I realize this post is finding you with all of your Thanksgiving leftovers consumed or having been otherwise disposed. I’ve been busy trying to keep up with all the bargains, shopping, and Holiday magic. Though I made the stew well over a week ago, I did remember to take pictures, and they’ve been waiting patiently on my camera ever since. Leftover soup is my favorite Thanksgiving meal. I think I love it more than the actual turkey dinner.

To start, you have to cook down your carcass.  This is sort of a lost art and slightly gross to me, but it’s necessary for both good stock and the best little bits of leftover turkey.  I immediately package up all the extra meat and freeze it, because one extra turkey meal is all my family can stand.

Then I throw the turkey carcass into a big stock pot with enough water to cover it most of the way; bring it to a boil, then drop the temperature low enough for a nice steady simmer.  I usually let it simmer for about 2-3 hours, and then begin the job of picking bones out.  

Once I have my good turkey stock and all the meat cooked off, I start adding in all the leftovers—I do mean all the leftovers.  The amounts aren’t really all that important to me.  This year, we had a big bird and a lot of leftovers, so I actually divided my stock and meat for two meals.  I saved half of it for “chicken and noodles” and used the rest for the soup.  If I had to measure, I’d say it was about 3 cups of stock and meat.   

When I roast the turkey, I stuff an onion and a whole garlic bulb (not a clove, the whole thing) into the cavity.  After it's all cooked down, I dispose of the bones, leave the onion in the pot, and then use a garlic press to get all the roasted garlic out into the stock.

To that I add in everything:

•   About 2 cups of dressing/stuffing.  I make my dressing (I don’t stuff the bird with it, so I don’t call it stuffing) specifically for the leftover potential.  I have a great recipe that uses dried cherries and pecans, and it adds so much to the flavor of the soup.  You can use whatever recipe is your favorite.

• About 2 cups of mashed potatoes.

• About 1 cup of turkey gravy.
• About 1-2 cups of liquid reserved from cooking the turkey the first time.  I rub it with herb butter, so it’s really healthy.  Look at it in all its congealed goodness.

• All the chopped up leftover vegetables from the relish tray.  This depends on what we have left.  I always have carrots and celery, but sometimes I also have cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers.  You add whatever you have and think would be good. 

• Did you have cooked corn?  Throw it in.  Leftover green bean casserole?  Sure, why not?  I don’t have any sweet potato lovers in my house, so I think they’re the only thing that doesn’t go into the pot.

You don’t need ANY extra seasonings, because everything was seasoned properly when you made it the first time.  Simmer the whole pot full of leftovers for an hour or so, or until it cooks down a bit and the carrots are soft.  Eat and enjoy.

I made a huge pot of this soup.  We ate some, then the rest of it was packaged and thrown in the freezer for later meals.  

While We're Discussing Food...

As my blog has developed, I have focused on many different areas while trying to stick with my main theme--how to live on a budget, reduce your expenses, and get what you need for as little cost as possible.  Yes, many days are dedicated to shopping deals, but I have also spent time writing longer articles with a variety of themes.  If you're in between the bargains and have time, you may want to read back on some of the topics I've covered.

Some of my first blog posts focused on my philosophy and the bargain-hunter's mindset.  I went on to discuss how to find the best coupons and how, when and where to use them.  There are posts about how to develop a stockpile of food and household needs, and how to cook and freeze meals for later.  It also focuses on the central theme of saving money while being able to purchase and use more healthy ingredients and cutting back on eating out.

Here are some of my favorite food related posts.

• Where to find coupons
• Where to use coupons
• How to pair coupons with sales
• How to save money while eating out
• How to stockpile and preserve food
• Some of my posts about once a month cooking (OAMC)

Please let me know if there's a topic you'd like to see covered more, or one I haven't covered at all, or if you have any questions about anything.  While I do love finding and sharing bargains with people, it's not my only focus in life.  I've done a lot of trial and error and researching to find all of this, so it's nice to share with others.

If you have any great tips or hints to share, please do!  I'm always looking for new ideas.  Again, commenting on my posts is easy!  You can log in with about any account, and you can even comment anonymously to save some time or preserve your identity.

I'm coming up on a year of blogging and this is post number 337.  I hope to hit 400 by my one year blogoversary, and there will definitely be more coupons, freebies, and deals forthcoming.  Let me know what's on your list, and I can help you find it cheaper.

Freezable Meals

One of the reasons I like all the "spam" I sign up for on different companies' sites is that sometimes you can get some great meal ideas from them. I've posted before about Once a Month Cooking (OAMC) that I do.  Though I do not literally cook once a month, I use a lot of the ideas for OAMC in order to make dinner time easier.  I'm always on the lookout for more inspiration, so I always read the recipes I receive in emails.

My favorite part of cooking is making the recipes work for our family's needs by adjusting ingredients.  While these recipes from Pillsbury might not be perfect, they will give you some great ideas and allow you to expand your monthly menu.

Don't forget, signing up for newsletters will also give you a chance to get coupons from the companies.  I have recommended before, but if you like a company's products, go to their site and look around, like them on Facebook, and whatever else you need to stay in the know when they are giving out coupons and free samples.

Be sure to read my old posts on OAMC to get some more ideas, and to see how recipes can be adjusted.  You can even just prep part of the dinner (like cooking just the beef or chicken ahead for later use in recipes)

Wednesday Shopper Deals

I saw some really great deals in the free paper from Wednesday.  Talking to others, I noticed that most people don't actually look in these ads, so I thought I should pass them along. 

• The biggest one that I noticed this week is a 3 day sale at HyVee.  They're calling it a freezer stock up sale, and some people might be interested in the pre-made items in the ad.  I don't buy those items, because I am able to stock my freezer with items I make.  (see OAMC posts I've done)  What might be more interesting is the freezer they are offering.  You buy it for $199, and get $200 worth of free food item coupons. 
• Also, Aldi has their weekly special buys, which include rain coats and rain boots for $6.99.
• Fareway has boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.49 a pound this week, which is a pretty great deal.  Red or green grapes are 98 cents a pound, and they have canned veggies 5 for $2.  There are a lot of other great deals in Wednesday's ad, and don't forget that you can ask Fareway to price match any competitor's ad, but they usually do it automatically.

Cabbage Roll Casserole

This is another old favorite of ours.  I've always loved cabbage rolls, but the work of wrapping the leaf around is a little too much for me.  I was browsing recipes on Recipezaar and found this recipe.  It's a good recipe, but I of course had to tweak it and double it and make extra for freezing.

This is how I make it for us:

Cabbage Roll Casserole

6 cups shredded cabbage (about 1.5 heads or a bag of coleslaw mix)

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 lb ground beef

1 onion

3 cans of tomato soup

1 can diced tomatoes

As you can see, I double the recipe but don't double the meat.  I use brown rice, and increase the amount of rice to bulk it up a little.  Instead of using 4 cans of tomato soup, I use either 2 or 3, then just subsitute canned diced tomatoes in the place of the soup.  This decreases the sodium and calories, and increases the good antioxidants and vitamins that come from tomatoes.  When I put it all together, I do two 8x8 pans, then cook one and freeze the other.

I have found this SITE very helpful to calculate calories and nutritional content of my recipes.  When I put this one in, I come up with the following nutritional information, and also a grade of A for the recipe.

How to enter recipes:

The accepted order is quantity, then measurement, then ingredient

2 1/2 cups rice
1 tbsp cinnamon

Use exact weight measures (in parenthesis) to define non-exact measurements

2 (8-ounce) steaks
1 (250g) package breadcrumbs

Specify any preparation-specific instructions after the ingredient using a comma

2 large onions, diced
3 tomatoes, sliced

If you specify 2 alternate ingredients using "or", we will analyze only the first one

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

You can specify any item from our database to be used as an ingredient by entering its ID in square brackets

1 cup milk [88683]

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 362 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 460 Calories from Fat 56

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6.2g 10%

Saturated Fat 2.0g 10%

Cholesterol 50mg 17%

Sodium 683mg 28%

Total Carbohydrates 76.0g 25%

Dietary Fiber 6.0g 24%

Sugars 12.9g

Protein 25.7g

Vitamin A 19% • Vitamin C 70% Calcium 7% • Iron 27%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Cooking Day

If you're new to my blog, you may want to click back through my previous posts for many (I hope) helpful tips.  While I don't completely practice Once a Month Cooking, I do often take advantage of having my husband home to distract the kids and do a lot of cooking.

I posted about the big sale at Fareway earlier, and I had some chicken and ground beef to prepare and freeze.  In a little over two hours, I had meat for 9 meals prepared and in the freezer.  First, I prepared the chicken breasts to bake.  I used a can of Swanson's chicken broth, then seasoned the breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic and placed 4 whole breasts into a large stoneware pan.  I put them in the oven at 350* for around an hour and 15 minutes.

I started them baking in the oven, then started browning the hamburger.  I did two pounds with onion, garlic, salt, and pepper, then two more pounds with taco seasoning.  I always start by sauteing the (one whole) onion and (2 cloves) garlic in a little bit of olive oil, then add the meat.  My big skillet will do two pounds well, three pounds get crowded.

As I get the hamburger browned, I put it into my big bowl and cool it in the fridge.  Once it's all cooled, I bag it flat and put it into the freezer.

In the meantime, the chicken has been in the oven for a little over an hour, so I pull it out.  I freeze the broth in a bag to use later, then cut all the chicken into pieces, bag, and freeze.  The four whole breasts made 5 bags with around 1 pound of meat each.

What I like about this style of cooking is that it allows me to cook more from scratch, and the work that I do saves me doing the same prep work four more times.  There are many easy recipes I can put together using these already cooked items.  The chicken breast is healthier than canned chicken breast and cheaper than buying pre-cooked chicken at the deli.

Need a fast meal?  Pull out a bag of chicken or ground beef, throw it in with some tomato sauce while you boil a package of pasta.  Throw it all together and you've got a quick pasta meal.  Chicken and noodles are so much easier when you can throw the chicken in with the broth then cook some egg noodles in the broth.  All of these can become quick one pot meals, or you can make something a little more time consuming without as much prep work.

I used the chicken broth tonight to make some creamy vegetable soup, and it really enhanced the flavor to use the broth I had cooked.

Our Favorite Roast Recipe

I've been making this roast for so long that I can no longer remember where I first found the recipe.  I may have gotten it from a friend or family member, or may have found it through online search, so I apologize for the lack of attribution for the recipe.  I know it's been a staple in my core recipes for at least 6 years.  It is always a hit, and it's my go-to recipe if I am entertaining or we just have a roast we need to cook.

We just refer to it as "Our Favorite Roast"

1 3 pound beef roast (though I have used this recipe with a pork loin roast with good results).  We really like chuck roasts, but I've used whatever happens to be on sale.
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon garlic powder (do not use garlic salt, the soy sauce is salty enough)
1 whole bay leaf
4-5 whole peppercorns

Put all dry spices over the roast, then mix the liquids and pour over.  I do this in the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.  It's a great recipe to make in the morning and leave on all day long.  The smell from the cooking roast greets you as you walk in, and it is just delicious.

Serving suggestions

I sometimes cook this with cut up potatoes, carrots, and onions in the crock pot with it, sometimes just serve it with baked potatoes.  It makes a delicious broth that we spoon over our veggies or potatoes, and it also makes a really good open face sandwich.  Just serve it the way you like best.

Leftovers

I put the leftover meat and broth in the fridge and set some beans to soak overnight.  The next morning, I rinse the soaked beans, add another 2-3 cups of water to the broth, and put it on to cook all day again.  This process can be sped up with a large cooking pot on the stove if you'd like.  My favorite style of beans for this recipe is one of the mixes, like 10 or 15 bean soup mix.  I will also throw in whatever leftover vegetables we have, or finish off open bags of frozen vegetables.  Tomatoes are a good addition, and I will use whatever style of tomato we have or a can of diced tomatoes.  I don't drain the can, because the juice from the tomatoes just adds depth to the flavor.

The leftover soup can be bagged in quart- or gallon-sized freezer bags or put into freezer storage containers.  It's a great thing to pull out and serve as a side or hearty enough for a full meal.  By doing this, one 3 pound roast is good for four or more meals.

What to Do with Ground Beef

Much like my previous post, What to do with chicken, this post will have some ideas for once a month cooking and stockpiling while using current store sales.

Our local Fareway often has a tube of 93% lean ground beef for around $1.79 a lb, sometimes even less. You have to purchase the whole tube, which is 10 pounds. Some people see this and think, what would I do with 10 pounds of ground beef? I have several ideas. First, you can usually have the butcher divide it up into 1-2 lb packages if that is how you would use it. I don't do this, because how do you use ground beef when you buy it? I will make meatloaf occasionally, but for the most part I brown it for Italian style dishes or I make meat for tacos or enchiladas.

Here is what I do when I find myself with 10 pounds of ground beef. I bring the tube home and start preparing it to freeze.

• Ground beef for casseroles or "helper"--For two pounds, I add a chopped onion and a few cloves of minced garlic, then some salt and pepper to taste. I brown two pounds at a time and put it all in my large Tupperware bowl in the fridge to cool. I may do this with all 10 pounds, or sometimes only half of it. 2 to 2.5 cups is equal to 1 lb for recipes, so I freeze that much into a quart sized freezer bag.
  
• Taco meat--For three pounds, I add enough taco seasoning packets (or your own mixture of seasonings) to season, plus a chopped onion. I brown it up and cool it in a separate bowl. Because the prepared taco seasoning often has a lot of salt, I use 2 packets for 3 pounds so there's slightly less seasoning in it. Sometimes I will do 2 pounds with one packet of seasoning. Do what works for you. 2 to 2.5 cups is equal to 1 lb for recipes, so I freeze that much into a quart sized freezer bag.

I actually use this measuring cup filled to the brim to fill the bags. It's a two cup measure, but if you fill to the top it's pretty close to 2.5 cups which is "officially" 1 pound. Also pictured below is the large Tupperware bowl I use for any time I cook large batches of anything. I love that it has a lid, and I can let the food cool in the fridge till I'm ready to freeze it.

• My meatloaf--For two pounds, mix up the meatloaf of your choice. I do not use a set recipe for meatloaf, but I try to make the most of it healthwise by using the leftover heels or crusts from my whole grain bread instead of white bread crumbs. I have also used oatmeal with great results. I always use a can of diced tomatoes without draining it. In addition, I will finely grate or chop a zucchini or some carrots (or both) to get more veggies into our meals. You can add pureed veggies as well, and I often "stretch" the meat by adding a can of black beans. I add one or two eggs to bind it together, then season to our family's taste. I divide this into 2 or 3 disposable (but not) 8x8 pans and freeze without cooking it. When I am ready to cook, I thaw it overnight in the fridge and bake for 45 minutes in a 350* oven.
• If your family likes meatballs, this works the same way. I form the meatballs and put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer with wax paper or parchment paper, then remove them and put them into a ziploc bag once they are frozen. This way, they don't all stick together. Again, don't cook them until you are ready to serve, which helps keep them from drying out.
  

These are the freezer containers I use. I buy several at a time and use them over and over till the lids break or they get too rough looking. These are both freezer and oven safe, so they work great. I mostly use the smaller one because it is a size that works great for our family of two adults and two small kids, but the larger ones work well for larger families or for taking to potlucks.

The best part about this is that it might take 2 hours to prepare all this meat, but it saves so much time later on when you need something fast to cook for dinner. Just like the chicken, you can do whatever your family likes. I adapted recipes to the way our family likes to eat. This 10 pound tube of ground beef may have saved us up to 50 cents a pound and also saves us a lot of cooking time. I decide when I get the meat how I want to prepare it. You can also make patties for hamburgers and freeze those in the same way I described for meatballs.

What to Do with Chicken

If you're living on a budget, you are going to end up eating a lot of chicken. For that matter, many families are hesitant to eat red meat due to health concerns. When chicken breasts go on sale, I buy as much as they'll let me. For a savings of often 60 cents a pound, buying up 10 pounds at a time is a great money saver. It can then become a time saver for you, so I want to explain what I do when I find myself with 10 full boneless skinless chicken breasts.

I use boneless skinless breasts, but you can do a lot of the same things with wings, thighs, legs, or you can even buy whole chickens and take them apart yourself for these recipes.

• Bake at least 3 in a large stoneware dish, put in 1 cup water, salt and pepper to taste, and 4 cloves minced garlic at 350 for 1 hour. When they come out, I let them cool enough to work with, then cut them into strips, shred, or cut into bite-sized pieces for casseroles. I then put 2 to 2.5 cups of chicken in freezer bags. When a recipe calls for 1 pound of chicken, I just pull one out to throw in.
• The next thing I do is put one raw breast in a freezer bag or container with a marinade to freeze. This way, the chicken marinates while it thaws in your refrigerator. It's a huge time saver. I have a lot of different recipes that I use, and you may have your own favorites.
• Teriyaki sauce (you can purchase this or make it very easily). If you put a little extra in with the breasts, it's great to throw in with some mixed veggies and serve over rice for a fast stir fry.
• BBQ sauce, nothing fancy, I just use prepared BBQ sauce and pour it into the bags with the chicken.
• Italian dressing is great over chicken, pour it in and freeze.
• Any sort of vinaigrette is also good for this purpose.

When these are in your freezer recipe-ready, you'll not only save time but you'll be a lot more likely to grab one out if you are rushed for time and a lot less likely to drive through somewhere or order pizza. This also saves money and gives your family a healthier meal.

Teriyaki Marinade

1/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 tsp. grated or minced ginger
1 clove garlic

Balsamic Marinade

1/2 C. peanut oil
1/3 C. soy sauce
1/4 C. balsamic vinegar
2 T. Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. hickory smoke
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 C. parsley

Sesame Marinade (sesame chicken)

1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. sesame seeds

If you want to triple it, use 1 Tablespoon of each and 3 cloves of garlic.

Fast Chicken Casserole

1 bag of precooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom
1 package of any noodles or pasta
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the noodles, then throw it all together and stir. I often add 1-2 cups of frozen veggies in this as well.

Fast Italian Chicken Bake

1 bag of precooked chicken
1 large jar or two cans tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes (don't drain)
1 tsp italian seasoning, or your own blend
2 cloves minced garlic
1 package any pasta (we like multicolored rotini)

Mix everything together without cooking the pasta first, cover with cheese (or don't, your choice), then cover with foil and bake at 350* for 45 minutes. If you used cheese, take the foil off for the last 10-15 minutes. This is also good with a package of thawed frozen spinach mixed in.

Some Good Cooking Resources

I do enjoy cooking, though some days if we're running 10 different directions, it's great to be able to pull something out of the freezer to eat. The great thing about once a month cooking (OAMC, though I don't really do it once a month) is that when these meals are prepared by you, you know what ingredients were used. Every family has different dietary restrictions and preferences, so you can also personalize the recipe or adapt a family favorite for freezing.

I use a variety of resources for cooking, though not too often do I get out an actual cookbook. I have learned a lot from my perusal of the 'net, so I will share some of my bookmarks.

• Crock pot or slow cooker cooking. There are a ton of recipes out there, but no one has the variety of A Year of Slow Cooking. She cooked a different recipe in her crock pot every day for one year, and there are so many delicious options.
• Good everyday recipe finder. One of my favorite online cooking resources is Recipezaar. They let you search for recipes by ingredients, or even by not having a certain ingredient. If you need a specific recipe, you can bet it will be there. The recipes also have reviews, so you can sort by what has the best review.
• Once a month cooking. There are a few good choices here. I love 30 Day Gourmet. They have a fairly extensive free section, or buy their freezer cooking manual and have access to everything. I also will browse Recipezaar by typing OAMC into the search area.
• Budgeting and meal planning. I love the Hillbilly Housewife. She has menus for every budget, tips for saving money on about anything, and lots of good information on cooking from scratch. Be sure to check out her emergency meal plans for when you have only a very limited amount to spend on groceries.
• More menus than you can imagine. There's nothing like browsing other people's meal plans for finding good ideas. I know I often hit a brick wall trying to decide what to cook for the week. One person would eat steaks and potatoes every day, one would be happy with mac and cheese, and when I ask for help with planning, I get very little. That's why I love I'm an Organizing Junkie. (I know I am not.) She not only has her own menu plan for the week, but links to lots of other people's blogs with menus. It really helps when you get into a cooking rut.
  

Ham and Cheese Ziti, Cheaper and Healthier

I realized after I posted that recipe that it's not even remotely the way that I actually do it. I always adjust recipes to better fit our family's needs, and I had this one in my favorites just the way it was written. Here's how I make this:

Ham & Cheese Ziti

2 16 oz. packages ziti noodles (I use Barilla whole grain or plus)
1 cup butter/margarine (I used 1 stick of butter and about 1/3 cup of EVOO)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt (1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper)
8 cups milk (this is a great place to use fat free powdered milk)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
8 cups Colby cheese, shredded (Wow! that's a lot of cheese! I used 4 cups)
16oz cooked ham (deli style), cut into thin strips

Then I added a 16 oz bag of frozen peas and carrots

Boil the noodles as directed on package, though I do 1-2 minutes less because I will bake it later. While they are boiling, use a large pot to melt the butter and olive oil together. Add garlic, stir for about 1 minute. Add flour, salt, and pepper, whisk together till there are no lumps, then slowly whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil while stirring, allow to boil for one minute, then add mustard, cheese and vegetables. This will make a nice thick cream sauce. Using a REALLY LARGE bowl, combine ham, pasta, and sauce. Pour into two 9x13 (8 servings each) or 4 8x8 inch casserole dishes. Cool in refrigerator, then transfer to freezer. When you are ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake at 350* for 30-45 minutes.