Almost-from-scratch cooking can be the best of both worlds. It is less expensive than buying food already prepared, but it is quicker and easier than starting completely from scratch. You can serve good food with basic ingredients, but still have the time for all of the other things you need and want to do. Plus, if you use coupons and sales to get some of the ingredients, you may actually save more money than if you did things totally on your own. Here are some ways that you can practice almost-from scratch cooking. Use a Baking Mix Your standard baking … Continue reading →

Here is a quick way to get pickled vegetables for free! The next time that you finish off a jar of pickles, save the jar and the brine. You can use it to make your own pickled vegetables! Just add sliced vegetables to the jar, making sure that the brine covers the vegetables. Replace the cap and return the jar to the refrigerator. You can do this with soft or hard vegetables. Soft vegetables, such as onions, peppers, cabbage, etc., will take only two days to brine. Harder vegetables, such as carrots, cauliflower and radishes will take longer, about five … Continue reading →

Making pancakes from scratch is so easy that I never understand why people by the boxed mix. Making them from scratch is much cheaper, especially when you have to feed a crowd or like to do some advanced freezer cooking in order to serve a hot breakfast during the week when things get hectic. It is bulk cooking made easy. While I liked my bulk pancake recipe before, I decided to work on making it even better. So yesterday, I tried a few things and came up with what I think is the absolute best pancakes for a crowd recipe. … Continue reading →

Chicken and potatoes go well together. Whether you make them baked, or fried, these ingredients can easily be used to create a tasty dinner that your family will enjoy. If you pay attention to what is on sale at the grocery store, it becomes easier to stay within your budget. Just wait until your grocery store has both foods on sale. Many people would consider chicken and potatoes, (together, or separately) to be “comfort foods”. There is something satisfying about the combination of these two ingredients, whether they are baked or fried. Instead of taking your family to KFC for … Continue reading →

Not every meal has to be for the entire family to enjoy. Do you and your spouse have a “date night”? Sometimes, expensive restaurants are just not in your budget. Instead, you could make a tasty dinner at home, using foods that are on sale at the grocery store. Next “date night”, try the Budget Recipe for Rib Eye Steak with Vegetables. There are many couples who take the time to do a regularly scheduled “date night” together. While this is a nice idea, it can sometimes be too expensive to fit into your budget. Between the cost of hiring … Continue reading →

What’s for dinner tonight? How about breakfast? Most of the types of meals that people typically make for breakfast include ingredients that are less expensive than the foods that you would include in a meal made for dinner. If you pay attention to what is on sale at the grocery store, you can make meals that fit within your budget. There are some people who would say that breakfast is their absolute favorite meal of the day. They like the types of foods that are served for breakfast, and the smells of those foods. These people might be “morning people” … Continue reading →

One way to stay within your budget for groceries is to pay attention to what is on sale this week at the grocery store. Often, the sale items will suggest a great meal that you can make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Today, I have a Budget Recipe for Fish with Macaroni and Cheese, which can be made for picky eaters, or for those with a wider pallet. One meal that tends to be a family favorite is Fish with Macaroni and Cheese. This can be made very quickly and simply from packaged food that doesn’t require any preparation time. … Continue reading →

Budget Recipes are designed to make meal planning fit into your budget. If you pay attention to what is on sale at the grocery store, you can create an inexpensive, (and delicious), meal for your family to enjoy. Tasty Grilled Cheese sandwiches, with a few additional ingredients, are something that everyone can enjoy. If you have a large family, then you have to plan out meals that will include enough food to feed everyone. Sometimes, though, when schedules get hectic, it isn’t easy to know for sure exactly how many people will be available to eat lunch or dinner together. … Continue reading →

School has started, and the Summer is over. It might be nice to do one last dinner that brings you the tastes of Summer before the weather really starts to get cold. If you pay attention to what is on sale at the grocery store, you can make a meal that fits within your budget. Make your family some “End of Summer Cheeseburgers”. Right now in California, we are experiencing a bit of a heat wave. Perhaps the weather where you live isn’t quite that warm. Either way, it can make you miss the good things about Summer. Few things … Continue reading →