Since I am gone this week, I thought you might like these articles from the Crockpot Lady about using the crock pot and being a “frugal menu mama”…Enjoy!
Slow Cooking During a Recession
Save Money By Using Your Slow Cooker
Just for the record…I am so mad at myself! I know you all like photos…I do too when I read a blog. So, I’m sorry but I forgot to take a photo of today’s recipe. And too bad too because this is one of my favorites! Today’s recipe is my mom’s spaghetti and meatballs. When I smell this, I feel at home. Now my husband and my college roommate would say that this is different, even sweeter that other spaghetti recipes. My mother got the recipe from a genuine Italian, but she tweeked it a little. I think it is fabulous.
Now, Mom and I both make the meatballs on a different day than the sauce. What I do is make up several batches of meatballs when I get a bunch of ground beef. I freeze them in Ziploc bags in individual meal portions. For my family, that means maybe 10 per meal. Then when I make a batch of sauce, the meatballs are already done, making it an easy meal.
I love that this sauce is made in the crock pot. I love how the aroma fills the house all day long and makes you so excited for dinner time. :) This week, I made a double batch in my large crock pot. We ate it for dinner and I froze the rest of the sauce in two seperate meal portions. Like I’ve said before, I can’t think of a better way to save time and energy that to use the crock pot and the freezer together. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Meatballs
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
-Combine all ingredients and form into meatballs. Place on foil covered baking pan. Bake in 400 F oven about 25-30 minutes until browned. Remove from pan to paper towel covered plate.
*If making 4-5 lbs of meat at one time: after cooking divide into zip-loc bags and freeze.
Spaghetti Sauce
1 large can tomato puree
2 small cans tomato paste
3 tomato paste cans of water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 onion chopped
4-5 dried bay leaves
-Put all ingredients in a crock-pot. Mix well. Add meatballs. Cook on low all day. Remove bay leaves before serving. If you cook this in a pot on the stove, cook for at least two hours on low.
-To Freeze: Cool, spoon into Ziploc bags, and freeze.
Happy Friday! I am off today for an anniversary trip (8 years…yippee!). My mom has graciously agreed to watch the “grands” and she even brought me a freezer meal! She is famous in our extended family for her fabulous lasagna and she agreed to share her secrets with you! I hope you enjoy this guest post from the original Frugal Menu Mama. Take it away, Mom!
I love to cook. I like to try new recipes, and I like the old favorites. I am always looking for ways to make it better and easier. The second recipe, Pizza Lasagna, (not pictured) is a no-fuss version of lasagna that is low-fat and uses a lot of fresh vegetables. You won’t miss the reduced amount of cheese. It is made with uncooked noodles that cook as the lasagna bakes. It was my inspiration for adapting our family favorite lasagna (first recipe).
My original recipe for lasagna came from the Mueller’s Lasagna box. Over 35 years of making lasagna I have added, subtracted, substituted, and adjusted this recipe. The only part that is the same as the original is the lasagna noodles—and I even change that! I no longer pre-cook the noodles.
Lasagna
12 servings
1 lb. ground beef
¾ C. chopped onion
1 16-oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 28-oz. can tomato puree
1½ C. water
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. oregano
9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
16-oz. cottage cheese
8-oz. mozzarella cheese
1 C. parmesan cheese
Brown ground beef and onion, drain. In a bowl combine next 9 ingredients, mix well. Add ground beef and onion. In a 9×13-inch dish (or disposable aluminum pan) spread one cup sauce mixture.
Build layers as follows:
3 uncooked lasagna noodles, side-by-side (They will expand as they cook.)
Spread ½ cup sauce over each noodle.
Using a teaspoon drop 1/3 of the cottage cheese over the sauce.
Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over cottage cheese.
Sprinkle 1/3 C. parmesan cheese over mozzarella cheese.
Repeat layers two more times. Use all remaining sauce on top layer.
Cover with heavy-duty foil. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
For Freezing*: Cover with heavy-duty foil and using permanent marker label with directions for thawing and baking:
Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours.
Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes.
Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
*Freeze before baking. If you try to freeze it after baking the noodles will turn to mush.
This is a wonderfully easy and delicious recipe. Every time I’ve made it I’ve had requests for the recipe. I’ve never tried to freeze it because of the fresh mushrooms, but it can be made one to two days in advance.
Pizza Lasagna
(original recipe from Light & Tasty, Aug./Sept. 2003)
12 servings
½ lb. ground beef, browned & drained
2 15-oz. cans petite diced tomatoes,
undrained
1 can tomato soup*
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 C. water*
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. oregano
1tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. salt
9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
4 oz. sliced turkey pepperoni
1 ½ C. shredded mozzarella, divided
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
6 green onions, chopped
1 small can sliced ripe olives, drained
For sauce, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, soup, tomato paste, water, onion, oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
Spread ½ C. sauce in a 9×13-inch baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with three noodles and 1/3 of the sauce, then pepperoni. Sprinkle with 1 C. cheese. Top with three noodles and 1/3 of the sauce. Top with mushrooms, red pepper, green onions, and ground beef. Top with remaining noodles, sauce, and cheese. Sprinkle with olives.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 70-80 minutes or until noodles are tender. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes.
*The original recipe called for 1 can ready-to-serve creamy tomato soup and ½ C. water. I had difficulty finding the soup and made the substitution above.
I will admit it…I am running out of good, frugal breakfast ideas. BUT before I move on to frugal snack ideas I want to give you one more chance to tell us your frugal breakfast ideas. If you would please leave a comment on this post with those ideas, I will email you to get recipes from you that I can post. Please help us out!
OK-well one reader did send me a recipe that I can’t wait to try hopefully next week. It is for granola you make in the crock pot! Sounds pretty simple! Thanks Sharon!
Crock Pot Granola
5 cups of oats
1/2 cup of oil
1/2 cup of honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup of coconut
1/8 tsp. salt
Mix all ingredients together and place in crock-pot sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook on low for 5 hours or until brown, stirring occasionally. Make sure you keep the cover cracked on the crock-pot.
Add raisins, dried fruit, nuts, whatever you desire, after taking out of crock-pot.
Also, do you remember the website I mentioned a little while ago…Once A Month Mom? Well, I am fascinated with their monthly menus, grocery lists, etc… so I have been exploring their site. And for each monthly menu, there are usually about 3 breakfast recipes that go in the freezer! Fabulous! I plan to try those soon too! If you want to check them out, go to their site and look under “menus” or May Menu or any other month and you’ll see the breakfast recipes in the list. I am thinking about putting some of these together on my next baking day.
Happy Friday!
If you are new around here, Fridays are all about freezer cooking and having a Freezer Cooking Club or Co-op.
I am so excited for today being the first video post on my blog in cooperation with Sam’s Club! Today I will be showing you how I shopped for and made the crockpot/freezer BBQ sandwiches. I posted this recipe a few weeks ago and decided to show you exactly what went into it. I hope you enjoy it!
A few things to remember:
-I do not actually have a freezer co-op at this time because I just moved to GA. You can be sure I will be starting another one once I get to know enough people. I made these Sam’s Club posts like I would if I was still with my co-op.
-My freezer co-op (when I lived in WV) involved 5-10 families depending on who was available during that rotation.
-We agreed that each meal needed to be 4-6 servings and the main dish.
-I am doing these videos at the request of Sam’s Club. They would like me to show tips on having your own freezer cooking club and tips for what we do. The Sam’s Club I worked with was very helpful and eager to assist me.
-This will be a series for a few weeks on Fridays (I don’t know for how long). So, please subscribe to my feed or check back often!
Here is the recipe:
Beef & Pork BBQ
(16 servings)
1 1/2 lbs. stewing meat-cubed
1 1/2 lbs. pork-cubed
2 cups onions-chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar-packed
3 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
6 oz. tomato paste
pepper blend seasoning
onion salt
-In a large crockpot, combine all ingredients. Cook on low setting for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. Stir with fork to break up pieces. Serve on buns.
**May use all pork or all bef. Pork may cook faster than the beef, so start the beef ahead of time, then add the pork.
IF FREEZING: Allow BBQ to cool completely. Spoon into Ziplock bags. On cooking day, thaw overnight in fridge. Reheat on stove top.
Here are the videos:
In my freezer co-op in WV, my friend Rhonda makes some pretty good meals. I can’t wait to make this one on my own! It makes 16 sandwiches, so I’m thinking, my small family of 4 could divide it into at least 3 freezer meals. Not too bad for not too much work! I hope you enjoy it!
Beef & Pork BBQ
(16 servings)
1 1/2 lbs. stewing meat-cubed
1 1/2 lbs. pork-cubed
2 cups onions-chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar-packed
3 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
6 oz. tomato paste
pepper blend seasoning
onion salt
-In a large crockpot, combine all ingredients. Cook on low setting for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. Stir with fork to break up pieces. Serve on buns.
**May use all pork or all bef. Pork may cook faster than the beef, so start the beef ahead of time, then add the pork.
IF FREEZING: Allow BBQ to cool completely. Spoon into Ziplock bags.
Happy Tuesday! Today’s recipe is delicious…even my kids eat it. In fact, we had some friends over for dinner a few months ago and their kids liked it so much, I had to give them the recipe. It does have a lot of sugar, so be sure to brush teeth afterward! I believe I originally got it from the CrockPot Lady’s blog.
Crock Pot Brown Sugar Chicken
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
2/3 cup vinegar
3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
2 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. ground black pepper
-Plop the chicken in the crock pot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar and pour in the soda, it will bubble!
-Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency.
-serive over a bowl of rice with a ladle full of the broth.
I made this yummy crock pot recipe tonight. Got the recipe from a friend a year or so ago and we love it!
First, a tip about the meat. This is a pork roast recipe. Pork roasts can be expensive if you don’t buy them on sale. A inexpensive way to get a great cut is to get it at Sam’s. When we lived in Florida, a friend gave us this idea. We go to Sam’s and get the huge, long pork tenderloin. We have the meat man cut it into 2 good size roasts and the rest into chops. This way, we get it for about $1.97/lb. I freeze it all in individual meal sizes. I also only buy pork every other month or every 3 months.
Here it is:
Teriyaki Pork Roast
3/4 cup apple juice
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. vinegar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 lean boneless pork loin roast (about 2 3/4 lb.)
3 Tbs. cold water
1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch
-Place roast in crock pot.
-Mix apple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours or until meat is very tender.
-Transfer meat to a warm platter. Cover and keep warm.
-Strain cooking liquid and place in a small saucepan. Skim off fat, if desired. Over medium heat, bring to a boil.
-Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix water and cornstarch until smooth. Stir into boiling liquid. Stirring, bring to a boil and boil for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve gravy separately.
-This says to serve with fried rice and mixed Oriental vegetables. I don’t. I serve it with mashed potatoes. We pour the gravy over the meat and over potatoes. DELICIOUS!
So, when I posted about menu planning many weeks ago, I mentioned that I plan one crock pot meal per week. This is for many reasons:
-It saves money by not using energy from the stove or oven.
-In the summer, it doesn’t heat up the house.
-It gives me a break from cooking during that “crunch” time of the day.
-It makes life easier.
-There are so many yummy easy recipes to use with the crock pot! Check out the CrockPot Lady for some ideas. And I will be posting my favorites on here every so often.
I am picky about using my crock pot. I do not make any recipes that require cooking the food prior to putting it in the crock pot. (I might make a few that require ground beef since I normally cook mine up as soon as I buy it.) Cooking food before putting it in the crock pot defeats the purpose of the crock pot being easy (in my opinion)! I have the Fix It and Forget It cookbook. The recipe I’m posting is from that cookbook, but many of the recipes I’ve gotten from friends or from the internet. I hope you enjoy!
Cooker Chops
4 pork chops ( I prefer boneless-$1.97/lb. @ Sam’s, so about $3?)
1/4 cup ketchup (~$.30)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (~$.20)
1 can cream of mushroom ($.49 @ Aldi)
2 cups rice ($.50)
1 can peas ($1.76-I only eat LeSeur and they weren’t on sale.)
TOTAL COST=$6.25 (less for us, we only use 2 pork chops)
-Place chops in crock pot. Combine all other ingredients (except rice & peas) and pour over chops. Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 8-10 hours.
-Cook rice according to package and peas according to can and use as sides.
-Serve pork chops with rice and the “goop” from the crock pot.
