Budget Family Meals

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Taco Salad is one of my favorite meals so to continue this week’s theme, let’s learn how to make a good taco salad to take to work or school.  It’s really very easy.  This video is sure to put some good ideas into your head!

 

Chicken is routinely eaten at evening mealtime in American households. We each have our favorite ways of preparing it. When cooking a whole chicken, you can do wonders with what you don’t eat for dinner. Here are some ways to make that roasted chicken appealing to the family.

Learn to slice a whole chicken. Slicing one properly makes it easier to remove the rest of the meat from the bone. The skeleton can be used to create broth. Boil it in some water until the rest of the meat falls off.

You can season the broth with herbs and spices. After it cools, pour it into jars for storage. You’ll be able to keep the broth for a few weeks. Use it to flavor soups and casseroles.

Do your kids carry their lunches to school? Instead of buying lunch meat, slice leftover chicken breast for sandwiches. It will be a nice change from the usual lunch fare.

On the weekends, instead of ordering a pizza or going to McDonald’s, use that chicken. Cube a few pieces to toss on top of a salad with some cheese and croutons. Combine with peppers and onions in a skillet to make filling for fajitas or soft tacos.

Does your family like chicken pot pie? Add some of that chicken, along with vegetables (canned or frozen) and a can of creamed soup to a pie crust and you’ve got an instant dinner that takes less than an hour to prepare. It is a quick meal idea perfect for busy families. A salad on the side will make a complete and healthy dinner.

Chicken based casseroles can be made and frozen for future meals. The family may be all “chickened out” for the week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of the chicken you have left for future weeks.

Do you still have more chicken? Well let’s keep going with more ideas. Hey, our mothers and grandmothers learned to use chicken in many ways and so can we. What tastes the best when you have a cold and are feeling under the weather? Why, chicken noodle soup of course.

Don’t settle for canned soup with small noodles. Make your own soup with juicy chicken pieces and wide egg noodles. That broth you jarred up will serve as a nice base and best of all it is already seasoned.

Add wide egg noodles and sliced vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions to your soup. When the noodles are tender, add the chicken. Since it is already cooked it just needs to warn up. Ladle up a bowl for the sick and the healthy as a light weekend lunch.

What are you doing with your chicken after dinner tonight? Try some of these ideas to make that chicken do double and triple duty to save on your family’s grocery bill. The best part is that the new meals are just as tasty as the original dish.

meal when they don’t get home until 6pm or later? Better yet, who feels like cooking a meal after a hard day’s work?  So, what’s a girl to do in order to avoid frozen dinners or worse yet, fast food?  Use your weekends off to prepare all your meals for the upcoming week.

We’ve all been there at least once and if you’re like me, more times than we wish to admit.  We go to the grocery store and spend a ton of money so that there will be food in the house. We then make a promise to cook each and every night since the food is already there and ready to be consumed.

But, guess what happens? I come home from work late and I am tired. Everyone else is tired from work and school and no one wants to cook. It falls on me to cook so I suggest that we order take-out food. We spend twenty or thirty dollars on food for one meal when we have a freezer full of food. Have you been there, too?  Not a very good choice when we’re trying hard to save money, right?

One way I’ve found to stop this endless cycle is to pick one day on the weekend and have a cooking party. Yes, you read that right – a cooking party. I make a menu for the week and thaw out the food on Friday. Then, on Saturday morning I get to work. The kids can help me if they choose and when they do, they get a say in what we will be eating.

For your weekend cooking party, decide on the menu early. This ensures that everything needed is present and accounted for. Start with the meats. They will take the longest to cook so get that going and try to have a variety so you’re not bored with the same meats all week long.

Side dishes should be prepared, too. It seems like such a small thing to cook the main part of the meal and save the rest for later. What usually happens is no one feels like cooking anything. Avoid the drama by cooking everything at the same time.

Cooking that much food for later requires containers to hold it all. There are two ways this can be done. One way is to use containers that are large enough for each side dish and the main meat courses. Each day, take a meat and two sides out of the fridge and heat it up for dinner.

The second way gives the family a little more of a choice each day of what they want to eat. When the food cools (everything needs to cool before placing it in containers), have each person scoop what they want to eat into a serving container. Have one meat and two sides per container. In the absence of the family you can do it yourself. Label each with what is inside. During the week, everyone can pick from a variety of dinner combinations.

Each works, but it is up to you to decide which is better for your family. Cooking on the weekend saves time and money because you’ll be less tempted to go out when you’re tired from working all day.  Not to mention, for once you’re sure to use the leftovers!

If your food makes more meals than you could eat in a week, freeze several of them for another time. Simply thaw each meal the day you plan to serve it.  Yes, you will have to make an investment in dinner size containers, but it pays off the more you use them.  Once you see how much stress you relieve and healthier your family is eating it will be well worth the initial cost.

It is the first meal we eat when we get up in the morning. After a long night of sleep, we can’t do without it if we want to get our bodies going. No, I’m not talking about coffee. I’m referring to breakfast. Here are some ideas for breakfast that don’t require a drive-thru window.

Have a piece of casserole. It takes time to cook eggs and bacon for breakfast. No one wants to ruin their clothes with the mess it can create. On Sunday night, get breakfast done early. Put together a casserole using your favorite ingredients. Fewer eggs are needed in a casserole than when frying or scrambling them for breakfast each morning. Depending on the size of your family, the casserole may last two to three mornings.

Yogurt. Yogurt is a healthy and economical breakfast choice. When you are eating on the run, grab a container of yogurt and some dried or fresh fruit. Cutting up fruit on top of the yogurt adds carbohydrates to fuel you for the morning in addition to the calcium and protein in the yogurt itself.

Breakfast shake. This is even quicker and can be ingested while driving without taking your eyes off the road or both hands off the wheel. Put together some frozen fruit favorites, ice cubes, frozen yogurt, and unsweetened juice in a blender. Pour into Styrofoam cups to keep it cold. Everyone can grab a cup on the way out the door. The nutritional effect is about the same as yogurt, but without the spoon.

Pigs in a blanket. This is the homemade version. Whip up a batch of pancakes and freeze them in short stacks of three. A package or two of frozen link sausage is needed to create this quick and economical meal idea. Thaw out a stack of pancakes. Heat up three sausages in the microwave. Wrap a pancake around each sausage. Voila! You’ve got an instant pig in a blanket. Eat it as you watch the last of your favorite morning show or as you walk to the bus stop. It can be eaten in the car without too much fuss or mess. For a sweeter taste and less mess, add a little maple syrup or honey to the batter when making the pancakes.

Breakfast sandwiches. In the evening, while you are getting things ready for the next day, grill up a few breakfast sandwiches. Choose whatever you like: turkey slices, ham slices, cheese, tomato, bacon, etc. When the sandwich cools, cut it into bite size pieces and put it in a container. In the morning, just grab a container; pop it into the microwave for fifteen or twenty seconds and breakfast is served.

These breakfast ideas are time saving and money-saving too. They make use of items you buy normally and also whatever you have around the house to create delicious fare for a morning rush.  No more excuses for skipping breakfast or swinging into the fast food restaurant every morning.

Everything is getting more expensive today. From gas to groceries, our hard-earned dollars are challenged to stretch further. Now, we may be able to ride a bicycle around town if we can’t put gas in our cars. But, we have to eat. There’s no getting around that. So, we have to find ways to spend less on groceries while still getting the things that we need to feed ourselves and our families. Here are six money saving tips to try the next time you go grocery shopping.

Clip coupons. They put those in the newspaper for a reason. If there are new items you want to try, use a coupon to get it at a discount. If you like it, you have saved some money. On the other hand, if you don’t take a liking to it, you didn’t pay full price. For me, coupons save an average of ten or more dollars per visit. That’s money in my pocket that I can put towards gas for the car.

Buy more staples than prepared foods. It is easier to buy a box of macaroni and cheese, but is it more economical? A large box of macaroni and a block of cheese will make more servings for your family than one box of prepared macaroni and cheese. The next time you go shopping and pick up a box or bag of an already prepared item, ask yourself if you can make that at home for less. If you can, then put that item back in favor of less expensive staples.

Buy in bulk. Consider the food items that you use most often. Cereals, meats, vegetables, condiments, juices, and paper products can be bought in bulk usually at a lower price at food warehouses like Costco, BJ’s, and Wal-Mart. If you have a coupon, you’ll save even more money.

Don’t shop when you are hungry. This is a definite no-no. Shopping on an empty stomach means that you will pick up more things than you need. You are more likely to pick up that bag of chocolate chip cookies or that box of donuts when the growling gets underway.

Take a grocery list with you. This is another protection against picking up things that are too costly. Check your cabinets and the fridge to see what you need and write them down. Remember, the goal is to stick to the list as much as possible.

Shop at the same stores. This is more of a frustration reliever. In a new store, you spend most of your time looking for things and walking up and down every aisle, which oftentimes leads to forgetting an item or two. Going to the same store each time makes you more familiar with the prices so you can estimate your bill as you write your grocery list.

Rising prices don’t have to mean a lean dinner table. There are ways to make your food dollar go further and if you take the time to implement the ideas listed above as well as others of your own, you’ll see savings each and every time you shop.

How many times have we opted for fast food for lunch or dinner instead of cooking? There’s no telling how much money we’ve spent on that one meal that easily becomes a few (or more) meals a week. Instead of picking up that telephone and calling for delivery pizza, get the family together and make one at home.

Making homemade pizza can become a great new family tradition. Choose a day of the week when everyone can get together and enjoy the experience. You can even pretend that you are in a real Italian eatery and go all out by decorating the dining room table to resemble a pizzeria.

The best thing about homemade pizza is picking the toppings. Since it is your personal pizza, you can have as many different toppings as your heart desires. It’s a chance to raid the cabinets and the fridge to find good stuff to top your creation.

How will you prepare the crust? Now, this step can be easy or an adventure. If you wimp out and go easy, you can use an already prepared crust from the store like Pillsbury pizza crust in the pop open can or a Boboli pizza crust.

It you want to treat the family to a high time of flour and dough, choose to make your own crusts. With your own, the size of the pizza can be customized for each person in the family. Making your own dough crusts will also make use of those handy pantry staples. You can find a classic pizza dough recipe on the Internet and in just about any cookbook, so find one that you like and go to it.

When the dough is ready, shape it into a circle of appropriate size. Create a rim on the dough so that the sauce won’t bubble over onto the oven rack. Now comes the fun part.  The dough is ready to be dressed to the hilt.

For the sauce, we’ll let you slide and use the store bought kind if you wish. Spread the sauce over the dough and be sure to cover it to the rim. Next, top the pizza sauce with your favorite cheeses. It’s more economical to purchase a block of cheese and use a grater to slice it for pizza toppings. Those already shredded bags have only two or three cups in each which is not going to go the distance for an entire family. Besides, fresh cheese melts better.

Want to have even more fun with your family pizza creations?  See who can make the wackiest pizza. Throw a little leftover chicken or hamburger on top. How about jalapenos? They are good for those who like it hot. Don’t forget the spices. It wouldn’t be a pizza without oregano, basil, and some thyme.

If you have at least two baking stones or pizza trays, you can make more than one at a time. Everyone can help to clean up while you wait for dinner to be ready. When the timer goes off, Bon ApetÍt!

If there are leftovers of your pizza, enjoy them tomorrow morning for breakfast!

Here at Budget Family Meals, I am excited at the prospect to, not only share good food, but share free products as well. In January, many people have a goal of weight loss in mind. I’m in that boat too. I have found some good information and put it all together for you. It is a 57 page PDF that is absolutely free. Please let your friends know to come sign up as well. All you have to do to get this free book is to use the sign up form on the right hand side of the page. Hurry though, books don’t stay on BFM indefinitely. Each month, I will be bringing you a new book or booklet to enjoy. Get yours today!

When a family is on a budget, holiday meals get quite a work out being created into new and enticing dishes. Before that happens, the tradition of the turkey sandwich must be done. I think it’s against some sort of law of turkeyness to not have at least one turkey sandwich after the Thanksgiving meal is done.

Instead of the same old turkey sandwich, how about trying something new this year? There are so many tasty ideas that you could try, the list is almost endless.

Dress It Up

A turkey sandwich will always be a turkey sandwich and a ham sandwich will always be a ham sandwich. I heard that somewhere once. The old way of thinking is that no matter what, the only way to have a sandwich made from holiday meal leftovers is the old and boring way. There are too many tv shows, too many cookbooks, too many good cooks to put up with that old way of thinking. There are a lot of ways to dress up your sandwiches and bring out an entirely different flavor. For instance, instead of the predictable mayonnaise and mustard we have all eaten, try adding something new to the sandwich. How about a chipotle mayo or sweet chili mayo for a little bit of a kick. Sprouts instead of lettuce is a really nice change. A bit of shredded cabbage into a slaw, or even sauerkraut are interesting twists.

Think of high-end sandwich shops when you are creating your masterpiece. This will help you envision what you would like. If you are a fan of avocado, try adding a few slices to your sandwich, or experiment with different types of cheese. The holidays always bring out gift boxes with different cheeses in them. Who says they have to be used only for a gift? Use them yourself. It is a matter of rethinking each layer of your sandwich and use something you’ve never used before. That is how you dress up that slice of turkey or ham.

Change Clothes

The clothes of any sandwich is the bread. This is an option of you are really one of those people who must hang on to your own toppings or if you don’t like to experiment. There are wraps, buns, dinner rolls, pita and even bagels and English muffins.

You could grill turkey or ham on Rye bread instead of white. How about chibatta bread for a big change of pace. Lettuce wraps are also quite popular and do away with the bread option all together.

If you continue to be stuck for ideas, there are companies out there who hire very talented people. I was amazed at this great idea on video.

Take a Flavor Trip

Now that you have dressed up your sandwich and changed its clothes, you may also want to experiment with flavors from around the world. Take your typical turkey sandwich on a trip to Italy or Mexico. Dress it up with different flavor combinations and try authentic ingredients to completely make over your sandwiches.

There are a multitude of possibilities you can try with your sandwich. It just takes a little creativity and a few ideas. Your leftover sandwich never has to be boring again.

BONUS RECIPE:

Hello Chili Sauce Turkey Wraps

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons chili sauce to taste
4 (10 inch size) tortillas
2 cups finely shredded cucumber, cabbage, or lettuce
4 cups cooked turkey, shredded
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small can sliced ripe olives, drained

Put cream cheese in a bowl with chili sauce and mash together, tasting and adding more chili sauce to taste.

Lay the tortillas out on a work surface and spread 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture evenly onto 1 side of each tortilla.

Spoon 1/4 of the cucumber, turkey, onions, cilantro, and olives onto each tortilla.

Roll tortilla up tightly to enclose filling. Cut each in half and serve.

Makes 8 single serving wraps.

Make dipping sauce of cilantro, sour cream, and chili sauce if desired.

Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Yes, is that time of the year where you will have to figure out what to do with all of those leftovers.  There are some fantastic cookbooks you can use to help you.

Leftover Turkey – Make Some Magic (Kindle Edition)
~ Chefs Secret Vault ~

The Holiday season often means a great pile of leftovers to enjoy. However, if you don’t want to be eating turkey sandwiches every day for a month, you’ll want to find more exciting recipes. You’ll find some of the best leftover turkey recipes like Heart Healthy Turkey Loaf, Rib Sticking Baked Ziti with Ground Turkey Meatballs, and Eye-Popping Jumbo Shells Stuffed With Turkey.

The Kindle edition makes it very handy to order.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, there is a free download for Kindle for PC.  It’s very cool.  Try it today!

The Turkey Trots Once More
~ Johnny Pinto and Sandy Pinto ~

With 200 holiday leftover creations to choose from, you are bound to find a few new favorites. Think beyond the turkey sandwich. This one of a kind cookbook covers as they say “gourmet soups, peppy pasta, sassy salads, ample appetizers, epic entrees, enticing ethnic, and captivating casseroles.” Judging from these titles, we’ll all find something to love: Aunt Wyannie’s Great Northwest Turkey Bake, Cranberry Turkey Wreath, Spicy Orange Turkey Stir Fry, and Turkey Paprikash.

Meanwhile, there are some great videos on the big ole www that will also help you along. I’m a fan of the Food Network and saw this video that I thought people would enjoy.