Tag Archives: meal planning

Meal Planning When You are Busy

When you have three children, you cook when you can. That is why, although it is early Sunday morning, I am about to do some cooking in the kitchen to feed our bellies, and to feed our freezer. While I understand that some people don’t understand getting up early, for a natural morning person, this is the time that I get the most accomplished. It is a nice peaceful time for serving my family and soaking in all of our blessings. The house is quiet with few interruptions, and my energy level is high. It is good to take advantage … Continue reading →

A Week of Free Meals

Do you want to give your monthly budget a boost? Take advantage of having a week of free food to give you the extra monetary padding you need. The best thing about this plan is that you can usually do it several times a year. Okay, so I have to admit that the title above is a little misleading. What I am really talking about is cooking from the supplies of food that you already have, which means at some point you probably spent money on it. But, the meals you make with that food can still, in my mind, … Continue reading →

Sneaking the Leftovers

Using up your leftovers or having planned leftovers for meals is a great way to save money. You can use up all of the food you have through leftovers, especailly getting free meals. Also, cooking in bulk can save money and time. But not everyone is big on leftovers. Before I became frugal, I wouldn’t touch a leftover for my life. People who don’t like leftovers either avoid them because of some pre-determined idea that they won’t taste as good as the original or a feeling of being deprived, or a worry about being too cheap. Kids especially don’t like … Continue reading →

New Grocery Shopping Techniques

Have you changed the way you grocery shop lately? I know that I have. Rising food prices and gas prices have certainly caused me to make some adjustments. For example, grocery prices on many items are changing so fast that keeping a traditional price book that is based on cycles of sales is no longer useful. Instead, shopping can be more of a guessing game or like playing the stock market. Will $4.99 be the lowest price for flour? Should I stock up now or wait for it to go lower? Will it rise even more? You see what I … Continue reading →

Foods that Don’t Freeze Well

Freezing meals and ingredients for meals can be a smart idea when it comes to frugal living. Meal planning and having dinner ready to just pop in the oven on busy nights certainly makes eating out less desirable, and that immediately helps your budget. Buying food in bulk and then freezing the excess can also save you money by reducing your grocery bill. One thing to keep in mind, though, is not all foods freeze well. You can wind up losing money if you freeze something that winds up being thrown away. Here then, is a guideline on foods that … Continue reading →

Flattening Your Freezer Cooking

While I am by no means an expert on freezer cooking, I do like to practice it whenever I can. I stock up on ingredients and freeze them, such as shredded cheese, make freezer soup and double or triple my meals so that we have some portions to freeze for next time. One issue that kept coming up for me is having an efficient use of freezer space, so I can get the most items in that I can. Using glass canisters is great because they stack easily, but having enough of them can get expensive. Plus, the canisters generally … Continue reading →

Frugal Pancakes

Mmm who does like pancakes on a Sunday morning? The good news is that pancakes can be a very frugal meal. Here are some ways to enjoy your pancakes, frugally. The best way to frugal pancakes is to make them yourself from scratch. It really isn’t very hard to do and only requires a couple of extra ingredients versus the store bought pancake mixes. It is just a matter of flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. You can even buy dry buttermilk powder in the grocery store in the same place where powdered milk is sold (generally in … Continue reading →

Freezer Cooking: Meal Planning Advice (2)

At this point, I was basically looking at one hundred and thirty four meals. That’s thirty chicken recipes, thirty pork recipes, thirty ground beef recipes and thirty turkey recipes. Plus, I had made fourteen meals of pasta sauces, all together equaling 134! Seems like a lot doesn’t it? Looking at that, you probably thought, hey she doesn’t have to cook for three and a half months, but that is not how I looked at it. The very next weekend, I began my normal freezer cooking sessions. I started with the chicken, creating thirty more meals, from ten different recipes. And … Continue reading →

Freezer Cooking: Meal Planning Advice (1)

Remember that this is just how I did it, and not how it has to be done. I am just showing you one way to ensure you always have a great variety of meals. One of the things I did at the start of freezer cooking, and have worked hard to try and maintain throughout the years, is to spend a little extra time every couple of months or so, preparing meals. Here’s why. At the start, I had decided that I did not want to spend one freezer cooking session creating several totally different kinds of foods, I’d rather … Continue reading →

Freezer Cooking: Meal Planning (2)

Meal Planning is an important step in the freezer cooking process. Knowing what you are going to make, and when you are going to make it, is imperative in being able to successfully enjoy your new way of cooking. Another thing to consider, is how long a meal will take to prepare the evening that you plan to make it. On Wednesday night, my two oldest children go to church youth group, and because of what time I have to get them there, I have to make dinner a bit earlier than I normally do. This can affect what I … Continue reading →