SAVE MONEY, EAT HEALTHY AT HOME- PART 2

PART 2-

AT HOME-We all have been there…probably on a weekly basis…Cheerleading, soccer, football, meetings, church, long day at work, hurry home…only to have issues…soccer shoes are missing? homework isn’t finished…not to mention stopping at the store...constantly running late…no time to fix a nice healthy dinner…okay, fast food…we will just go through the drive through… DON’T DO IT!

INSTEAD, set aside one afternoon and save your health, money and time!

This part seems detailed, but is really very simple. I will try to explain and break down in the simplest of terms, but the basic theory is to buy quantity of meats, pasta, rice, and vegetables and to pre-prepare meals by having the meat and pastas ready to go. AT THIS POINT, I MAY BE LOSING YOU. I PROMISE THIS IS NOT LABOR INTENSIVE. You already spend the time cooking the meat, pasta and veggies, why not spend a little extra and cook it all at once! I spend maybe 3 hours (often less) every couple weeks, and I save quadruple the money, time and hassle by doing so. Best of all, your family will be ending a lot of fast food meals!

THIS IS ALSO A GREAT PLAN FOR SINGLES, just cook smaller quantities.

BE BRAVE READ ALL!

THE PREPARATION-cooking- this takes approximately 2-3 hours, but you don’t have to be a slave to the stove, you can catch up on TV or fold laundry during the process.
The shopping list is below.

Time to start-get out the chicken!

Helpful hints:
Add about ½ cup water to stretch your marinade. If possible, try to marinade overnight, but otherwise don’t sweat if you don’t have time or didn’t remember.

CHICKEN
Split the chicken into 2 or 3 varieties & marinade in your marinades…leave some unseasoned if desired…this batch can be seasoned at FIX and GO time.

Start separating-I usually do 4 pots (wow, 4 burners on my stove). 3 pots with chicken and my chosen marinade or spice...and 1 pot plain chicken or I grill some chicken. Next time you grill out, grill some extra and freeze.

Here are some seasoning options, see shopping list below for more ideas:
Ott’s-alone or add to the taco recipe, yummy
Caribbean Jerk-our family favorite
Cajun Seasoning
Lemon pepper-put chicken in pot, water, lemon pepper & a little olive oil.
Taco-same, chicken in pot, water, package of taco seasoning, sometimes I add a little picante or rotel, if available.
Garlic-powder or salt & some cloves
Powdered chicken bouillon, add a few teaspoons (its salty, no need for salt, garlic powder, garlic clove
Lime & cilantro
Onion Soup Mix

Now that all the pots have chicken, water & seasoning or marinade in them, turn the burners to medium and let them cook until the chicken is done….you might have to add water as the tastiness cooks down.

When the chicken is cooked, put in separate bowls until cooled.

BEEF AND PORK
Helpful hints:
You can do the following meats, to the ratio that suits your family’s tastes…2 pots ground beef to 2 pork’s or any combination.

Next wash and dry the pans you just used for the chicken.

Divide the ground beef into two or three of the pots. Add onion, garlic and seasoning as above. Brown the ground beef.

While your ground beef is cooking, use your last pot for the the pork tenderloin (in marinade) and simmer the same way you did the chicken.

By the time, the ground beef and pork is well on it’s way to cooking, the chicken should be cooled.

You are ready for the next step.

Take your first bowl of cooked seasoned chicken and cut into bite size pieces. And put into small Ziploc sandwich size baggies. If you have a large family, make 1 or 2 larger sized servings, approximately 1 cup per adult.

Use a Sharpie marker to note the seasoning and meat on the bag. Example: Cajun Chicken.

Repeat for each flavor. Include a little juice/broth in each bag, except for one (works great in salads, better without broth). Put into freezer

Now upon completion of cutting & bagging all the chicken, your ground beef & pork should be done. Set aside in bowls to cool.

PASTA AND RICE
Helpful hints:
Rice is not hard to cook; the secret is having a good pot, with a good lid. Into pot put rice and water in at a 1 to 2 ratio. 1 cup rice 2 cups water. Add a little margarine, 1 tablespoon, put on high until it boils uncovered, the minute it boils, turn your burner to low or simmer & put the lid on the pot. Cook for 20 minutes. Check to make sure rice done & no liquid in pot.

I do not add salt, chicken broth or any flavor other than margarine, as the princess loves white rice, milk & butter & sugar for her breakfast. Wouldn’t quite be the same tasty treat with chicken broth. Otherwise, if your family is not one for sweet rice, go ahead & use chicken broth.

Again, clean and dry the pots, fill with water and boil, (check pasta for cooking instructions) cook as much pasta as your stove will hold. If you are tiring of the process reserve one pot for the rice or two. Sometimes, I am industrious, and do a round of cooking for each.

Now that the rice & pasta are cooking, drain & bag the ground beef into small Ziploc baggies, same as the chicken.

Once the pasta & rice have cooked, drain & cool to room temperature.

Separate rice and pasta into baggies, just as you previously did with the chicken and meats. Use large baggies for the pasta, as this will be used more often.
Put all your baggies in the freezer!!! YOU ARE FINISHED!

NOW THE FUN PART!!!!
I CALL THESE FIX & GO RECIPES:

The first time you do this it will be a learning experience, next time you will be the pro. You will know the size of bags to freeze and the combinations that work for your family. But I assure you that you will save time and money! Instant meals and snacks that just need thawed and combined. Pick a meat, pick a pasta or rice thaw or warm in the microwave. Cook your veggies as needed, add your seasoning, voila! a complete and balanced meal in about 10 minutes. Endless possibilities and lots of fresh healthy QUICK, did I mention QUICK meals ready to go in your freezer. Combine the frozen meats and pastas in the large baggies, with a special vegetable for a nice sit down meal.

To thaw, I place the baggies of pasta in a bowl & microwave. To thaw the meat, I empty from the bag & microwave.

If I am fixing a meal for the entire family, I use a large pot to warm the meat, while I steam or microwave my vegetables, then I combine the pasta/rice and vegetables. Use the large baggies of frozen meat & pasta.

I would love to hear more from the readers, but these are some of our quick fix meals/snacks. All of the kids can fix their own meal or snack if needed in about 5 minutes. The food is healthy; less costly and very little goes to waste!


FIX & GO COMBO’s:

Corkscrew or macaroni pasta & parmesan, little salt & pepper
Pasta, steamed veggies, parmesan season to taste
Pasta, meat or chicken (Caribbean Jerk is delicious), veggies, spaghetti sauce
Pasta, spaghetti sauce-hence why I keep a jar of Ragu in fridge, my teenage boys love this…surprisingly they don’t always add meat.
Pasta, meat or chicken, veggies, alfredo sauce
Rice, meat, veggies
Rice, queso, chicken
Baked potato (microwave), meat, cheese & sour cream
Yukon gold potatoes, chicken, canned green beans
Oven Burrito’s-see recipe below
Meat and a can of Manwich
Pasta. chicken, mushrooms, parmesan
Pasta, lemon pepper chicken, summer blend steam vegetables
Warm tortilla with taco seasoned meat
Warm tortilla, taco chicken, rice
Warm tortilla, taco chicken, sautéed peppers and onions, sour cream
Tacos
Tortilla chips, chicken or meat, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes. ***ADD a can of ranch style beans to stretch & add flavor.
Salad with chicken added.
Seasoned ground beef on toast or buns with bbq sauce
BAGEL or FRENCH BREAD PIZZA-great for after school snacks
Warm oven to 350
On open side of bagels or French bread, spread thin layer of spaghetti sauce, add cooked chicken, beef or pork. Sprinkle with fresh veggies, onions, green peppers, tomatoes. Cover with cheese. Put in oven for 6-8 minutes. Delicious quick snack!!! These can also be made in the toaster oven. I suggest toasting one side first.


SHOPPING LIST: I suggest that you go back through this list & highlight what you need to get started. Also, read through all my recipes below to complete your shopping list. I would also suggest that you shop at your local store that has featured sales on meat, as this is where you will spend the bulk of your grocery money.

Chicken tenders or breasts (boneless & frozen works great) save even more by cooking whole chickens-10lbs work great –
Ground beef-buy the big family pack-again 10lbs works great
Pork tenderloins-these usually come in smaller packages with no bones.-buy the most for your buck you can get.

Pasta-buy enriched good pasta, the few cents difference will not matter. Just make sure you buy 5 or 6 varieties.
Rice-white or brown, either or!

Spaghetti sauce-use your favorite brand, or try a few new varieties. I buy Hunts ($1.00 on sale) in the can & keep a few Ragu’s for special occasions. Don’t throw away the jar, save to store Hunts in the fridge for quick fix meal. It is not recommended to store opened cans in the fridge.
Alfredo Sauce-or make your own & freeze
Couple cans Manwich or similar

Packets of taco seasoning
Marinade for chicken- Buy 2 different kinds-I love the Caribbean jerk marinade in the bottle (salad dressing aisle) Italian dressing works great! Asian w/hint of peanuts is another family favorite
Ott’s tomato dressing
Queso dip in jar- chip aisle

Tortilla chips
Tortilla’s flour or corn
Bread, bagels, pita pockets

Lemon pepper-staple in my house
Powdered chicken bouillon-great to have, harder to find
Parmesan cheese-no the packets you get from the pizza guy don’t count. Go ahead and buy the big container or fresh!
Cheese-I buy shredded/grated Monterey/Cheddar blend and mild cheddar- a few 2 cup packages, depending on your family

Sour Cream
Margarine/butter-word from my mom the retired cardiac nurse, be cognizant of what you are buying…heart healthy is important. Shed’s Spread has the big tub of Country Crock with omega plus
Olive oil

Frozen vegetables-buy to suit your family’s taste-broccoli, summer blend and oriental blends are our favorites.
Microwavable-steam veggies work great!!!
PotatoesFresh veggies-carrots are a must, tomatoes, broccoli, onion, squash, zucchini again buy to your family’s taste.
Veggies for seasoning-garlic, onion, cilantro
Canned vegetables-carrots, green beans, corn-again to your family’s tastes

Potatoes- I buy on sale large quantity, regular & the ever yummy no need to peel Yukon golds

Baggies-gallon, quart and sandwich size
Helpful hints:
Buy good baggies. Buy baggies that have the slide that makes sure they seal!!!