Bread

Whole Wheat Bread
This recipe can be made with an egg or without. However, I find that the texture is better for cutting (less crumbly) and the bread stays moister. It doesn't dry out as quickly. Of course we don't have to worry about that around here because I need 1 1/2 to 2 loaves per day for my family.

If you are able to get cheap farm eggs, which is what I use, then I say go for it. Try this recipe with an egg. If you are not able to afford to use an egg, it doesn't need one anyway.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
1 egg--NOTE--the egg takes the place of some of the water. If using an egg, then crack it into the measuring cup before measuring the water. Total volume of egg plus water should be 1 and1/2 cups.

1 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey (sugar works too)
2 tbsp oil (margarine works too)
1/2 cup oats
3 1/2 cups minus 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp yeast

Place in baking pan in order listed.
Whether or not you need wheat gluten depends on the protein content of your flour.
If you substitute sugar for honey and margarine for oil then you may need to tweak the wet ingredients a little.

This recipe works perfectly for me every time.
I know that different flour and different humidity/altitude can also have an effect on how bread turns out.

I use the basic or rapid cycle on my bread machine even though it says they are for white flour only. I find that the whole wheat cycle dries out the bread too much and it seems over-cooked.

You may need to experiment a little. I have had loaves that turn out far from perfect. We either slice them up and eat them anyway or I use them for french toast, bread crumbs, croutons, etc. It never goes to waste. The experimenting is worth it because you will find a way to make a perfect loaf every time!

Good luck. If you have any questions or suggestions, I read and respond to each comment.

Bread Machines

Bread machines-- you either love them or you don't. I adore mine. In fact, I love mine so much that I bought 2 more when they went on sale. When my kids were small, one loaf of bread was enough to last a few days. Now I need 2 loaves a day, at least.

My wonderful bread machine that is almost 10 years old is still going strong. (It is a Black & Decker.) However, I was worried that I was working the poor thing to death. I went out looking for one on sale to run at the same time as my old one and I could have my 2 loaves a day at the same time.

Well, thanks to a half-price sale I actually bought 2 more. Now I can do 1 batch of 3 loaves at the same time and then put the machines away. I absolutely loooooooove it!

Even with the investment of buying the machines, I save a ton of dough (pun intended) by making my own bread. Or should I say, I save a ton of bread by making my own dough (pun intended.)

Does anyone know how money came to be called both bread and dough?
My 17-year old daughter knew that dough also meant money but didn't know that bread also meant money. Do you have to have lived through the seventies to know that money was called bread?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I personally think that bread machines save me a ton of time and the convenience is just priceless.

Yes I do make bread dough by hand sometimes. But most of the time I simply don't have time to do so.

I use my bread machine(s) to make fresh bread, and to make dough. With the dough I sometimes make bread loaves baked in the oven. Mostly I use the dough for pizzas, cinnamon rolls, hamburger buns, hotdog buns, bread sticks, bagels, pizza pops, ad infinitum.

I also make quick breads in my bread machine, and apple crisp. But I don't make these as often as I make bread or bread dough.

I love that I can set the ingredients in the pan when I go to bed at night and wake up to fresh baked bread for breakfast.

I love that I can make a loaf of bread at the drop of a hat instead of having to go to the store for some. Besides, mine tastes better.

I love that I can add oats or mashed potatoes or flax or milk powder or eggs or whatever I want to my dough and decide what we eat in our bread.

I love that I am not feeding my family any preservatives in their daily bread.

Do you love your bread machine too?

Over the next few days I will share some of my favorite bread machine recipes.

What Do You Do With Good Deals?

I was doing my weekly grocery shopping yesterday and I did not have potatoes on my list. I planned on using up my last two pounds this week and then use instant mashed potatoes after that if I needed them.

I happened to notice that yellow-fleshed potatoes were on sale for $1.99 for 10 lbs. Well that's a deal that I just cannot resist. So, I ended up buying 2 bags. This is an example where my weekly menu plans get blown all to ...

But I love those kinds of changes in plans. A deal like that will save me lots of food $$ if I can plan on using them all up before they go bad.

With a family of 7 this is not a hard thing to do. If your family is smaller I would suggest that you decide how much of a good sale you can use before they go bad and go to waste.

The key to using up this good deal to feed my family is finding more ways to cook and serve potatoes so they don't get sick of them.

Let's do some brainstorming...
mashed potatoes
baked potatoes
beef stew with potatoes
oven-crisp fries
crock-pot potato soup
mashed potato biscuits
potatoes au gratin

What else can you think of?

How about:

Sliced Potatoes with Garlic Sauce
(serves 4; can be doubled)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a shallow, large casserole.
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs yellow-fleshed potatoes, sliced 1/8" thick.
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Arrange half the potato slices in a layer in the casserole.
Drizzle with 1/2 of the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Repeat the layers.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil and spread minced garlic on top.
Replace foil and cook 10-15 minutes more just til tender.

This recipe also works very well for breakfast. Serve alongside scrambled eggs.

Hope you find some good deals this week!
We would love to hear your comments.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Okay, we all know we should be eating our oatmeal. I admit I really like oatmeal, but sometimes my family gets real tired of eating it.

Several years ago I stumbled upon this recipe and we like it so much, we have oatmeal pancakes at least once per week.

These are light yet filling. They can be served for any meal during the day, and go well with eggs or sausages or fresh or canned fruit.

So here's the recipe:

Oatmeal Pancakes

Pre-heat skillet to 345 degrees.
Set 1 1/2 cups oats and 2 cups milk in a bowl to soak while getting the other ingredients.
To the oat mixture, add 2 eggs and 1/4 cup oil. Whisk with fork until eggs are well mixed.
On top of this mixture, sprinkle 1 cup flour (I use whole wheat)-- and 1 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp baking powder.
Drop by 1/3 cups onto pre-heated skillet set to 345 degrees. Cook on one side until golden brown and bubbly on top. Turn and cook other side.
This recipe makes 14- 6 inch pancakes.

Optional: To batter, add 1 Tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon.

Years ago I printed this recipe and attached it to the inside of my cupboard. It's not there anymore because I have it memorized and can make it at the drop of a hat. You can too. I hope you enjoy our family's favorite way to eat oatmeal!

Saving Money

I am astonished when searching for cheap meal ideas to find that many recipes are submitted boasting to be a cheap meal and bragging that it will save you money. Then I see that the recipe contains shrimp, or is loaded with cheese, or calls for boneless, skinless chicken breast. I wonder, how could this recipe save me money?

I guess that saving money on food is relative. It all depends on what you were spending on food before you decided to cut back to save money. So if you were eating out before, then making a gourmet dish at home actually could save you money.

However, if the money just isn't there, and you must eat for as little expense as you can, then you would approach things much differently.

There's still a balance between eating for less money and eating healthy. Our health is worth a lot, so it wouldn't be an option for me, for instance, to feed my kids ramen soup every day. Even if I had only the 50 cents a package that it costs here, I would use that 50 cents to buy something else. You'd be surprised what you could do with 50 cents worth of dry beans or lentils or barley (or a mixture of all 3). It would fill my childrens' tummies better and be enormously more nutritious.

That said, I do still let my children eat ramen soup once in a while. (Only when it goes on sale for 30 cents or less. LOL) But I do always make sure they get some food groups in there with it.

So I guess what I'm saying, is that you need to make some choices. You need to decide what sacrifices you will or won't make in buying your food. If there are some foods you decide you just can't do without, then cut corners somewhere else. If you really need your skinless, boneless chicken breasts, then cut back on how much of them you serve at each meal. Stretch them further.

As I've said previously, it really does pay to spend the time going "window shopping" in our grocery store. Also visit discount stores and see what they carry for food items. Sometimes I find that my local dollar store has food items really cheap and they're worth it. Other times I find that they're not.

So often we go into a grocery store in a hurry and we quickly scoop off the shelves all the items we think we need and go through the checkout and that's it. In and out as quick as we can. While there is some wisdom in that process, we may not stop to think about what else is in there that we could buy instead of our favorites, that may save us a bundle.

Because I have a larger family, I love buying huge bulk amounts of food. For instance, I used to think that the 1 lb bag of barley that I would buy for $.69 was a real deal, and I could make several meals out of it. But one day in a bulk store I saw a 10 lb bag of barley for $4.99!
Obviously, the bigger bag at $.49 per pound is the real price winner.
I am a great lover of cooking and eating barley and spreading the word on how nutritious and delicious it really is. And what a meal-stretcher!

Lentils and rice are very filling and great meal-stretchers also. I use only brown rice and sometimes converted rice. Converted rice retains a lot more nutrients than white rice.

The other night I made a Lebanese dish (can't remember the name now...). But here's how simple it is: Rinse and boil 1 cup green or brown lentils in water until soft, about 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook 1 cup rice according to package directions, adding 1 tsp cumin to the water. I used brown minute rice, because it was on such a good sale. While these two are cooking, put 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet and add 1-2 large thinly sliced onions, and break up the slices into rings while stirring. Brown the onions on medium heat. To serve: drain lentils and mix with rice. Stir in onions and olive oil remaining in pan. My family ate this with sliced ripe tomatoes on the side. Or use cucumbers, whichever is cheaper. I fed 7 people for about $3.00

Try some of these tasty, filling whole grains. You'd be surprised just how much money-saving, tummy-filling capacity they have!

Do you carrot all?

Carrots- Did you know?

• That carrots are rich in dietary fiber, antioxidants and minerals? They are an excellent source of beta-carotene and are closely related to parsley, fennel, dill and cumin.

• Carrots are very versatile. Enjoy them raw or steamed, boiled, sauteed, baked, or fried.
  

• The city of Holtville, California claims to be the "Carrot Capitol of the World."

• Carrots range in color from cream (like parsnips) to blood-red (like beets.)

Carrots can be the base of many quick easy cheap meals.

Carrot Soup. Combine:

• 8 cups vegetable broth, 1 large chopped onion, 6 peeled, grated carrots and simmer until tender.
• Mix 1 Tbsp melted butter with 1 Tbsp flour into a paste. Stir into soup. Simmer 10 minutes.
• Optional add-ins: 1 Tbsp tomato puree; 1 tsp dried parsley flakes or 2 tsp snipped fresh parsley; 1/2 tsp sugar; 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas.

Glazed Carrot Coins.

• Boil or steam 2 1/2 cups of sliced carrots.
• In a skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter and add 2 Tbsp brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Add drained cooked carrots and simmer stirring until carrots are glazed.

Enjoy carrots in one of your quick easy cheap meals today!

Barley Packs a Nutritional Punch

Barley is an often over-looked and under-rated staple.

When buying barley, choose the "pot barley" over the "pearl barley." The pot barley is whole-grain barley, whereas the pearl barley has been pearlized or polished, resulting in loss of bran.
The world produces about 150 million tonnes of barley annually, with the top 5 producing countries being Russia, Canada, Germany, France and Ukraine. (as of 2005, according to Wikipedia.)

Barley is nutritious, delicious, and filling. Barley can be cooked and used in a variety of ways, including any way in which you would use rice. Barley has a lot of potential as part of your culinary repertoire. Here are a few of the grand productions that barley has been known to regularly participate in: Beef & barley soup, barley pilaf, barley risotto with mushrooms, Barley-stuffed squash, Greek barley salad.

Some of the benefits of barley include:

• Helps to regulate blood sugar up to 10 hours after consumption
• Contains all 8 essential amino acids
• Has a long storage life as a dry grain
• Works well in crock-pot cooking
• Is cheap to buy
• Is easy to make
• Is readily available
• Research has proven that barley lowers cholesterol levels
• Improves intestinal health
• Increases immunity to diseases
• Reduces insulin resistance
• Promotes weight-loss
• High in dietary fiber
• Good source of zinc, folate, potassium, selenium, phosphorus.
  

The list of health benefits goes on, but I think you can see that barley is a neglected nutritional powerhouse.

3 Recipes using barley to start you out:

Barley Soup
(rinse barley before using)
3/4 cup barley
1 beef, lamb or pork soup bone
1 small onion, diced
1 medium potato, cut up
1 large carrot, cut up
1/4 cup celery, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
a few sliced mushrooms if desired

Boil barley and soup bone for 35-40 minutes in 2 1/2 quarts of water. Add the remaining ingredients and seasoning and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.

Barley Pilaf
Pre-heat oven to 375.
1/2 cup pot barley, rinsed
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
parsley, 2 Tbsp fresh or 1 Tbsp dried
2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in oil for 5 minutes; add garlic and barley and saute 1 more minute.
Set aside 1/2 cup of the broth and then add all remaining ingredients together into a casserole dish, including onion and barley mixture. Cover and bake for 75 minutes. Remove lid and add reserved 1/2 cup broth. Stir slightly, re-cover and bake 30 minutes longer.
Notes:
If your family prefers chewier barley, reduce cooking time and liquid by 1/4 cup.
Make the recipe once and then tweak it to suit your tastes for the next time.

Bean & Barley Salad
1 cup cooked barley
3 cup cooked or canned beans, drained (variety of pink, chickpeas, white, etc.)
1 cup chopped raw vegetables (mixture of celery, onions, red peppers, mushrooms, etc.)
Your favorite salad dressing
Salt and pepper to taste.

This salad works best if prepared ahead and marinated in salad dressing. Zesty Italian or similar works well. You can play around with the proportions of barley to beans to raw veggies and use whatever strikes your fancy. Let your creative genius flow.

You have to cut Waaaaay back. How to do it?

I am often asked how to drastically cut back on your grocery bill. Well, there are several ways to go about doing this. First of all, make yourself some notes. How much have you generally been spending per month on food? How much do you want to cut back? What are the obvious things to cut back on? How will your family react to these changes and how can you buffer it for them? Maybe if you let everyone in on your plans, they can help you with the planning. You can garner more support that way.

Some Easy Switches to save you money now

• Take your lunch to work instead of eating out

• Make your own pizza at home instead of ordering in

• Make your own hot breakfast drink to take on the road instead of stopping for an expensive coffee.

• Try some of the store brands or no-name brands for favorite foods. The quality of store brands has been increasing to become more competitive but the price remains lower.

Cost-Cutting Strategies:

1) Instead of planning a meal and then buying the ingredients, stock your pantry with the least expensive food options and then make your menu from your pantry foods.

2) Keep in mind that some of the least expensive foods, which are filling and nutritious are:


• fresh vegetables: potatoes, cabbage, carrots and onions
• frozen vegetables: peas, green beans, corn
• canned foods: pork & beans, tomato soup, tomatoes, tuna
• packaged foods: mac&cheese, ramen soup (these 2 aren't highly nutritious)
• dry goods: oats, cornmeal, dry beans and lentils, rice, noodles, flour (sometimes)

3) Go window-shopping at the grocery and discount stores in your area.
Make a list of the inexpensive foods. Go home and do some brainstorming about what you can make with them. Look in cookbooks for ideas.

4) If your family needs some "breaking in" to the budget meals idea, then do 3 meals per week under the new plan to start out with.
Make your budget meals exciting with the use of different spices. Add some cheese on top if you need to. (that's always a winner with my kids!)

5) Have a family competition.
Assign different members to plan a meal and see who can make the yummiest meal for the least money. If you are cooking only for yourself then have the competition with yourself. See how low you can go for cost while still maintaining nutrition and taste. Keep track of your meals and costs for future reference.

Making budget meals can be a fun challenge. Look at it in a positive light, congratulating yourself and your family on how much you've saved, rather than feeling deprived, and you will be surprised at the difference it makes. Have fun making your Quick Easy Cheap Meals!

Quick Easy Cheap Meals: Dessert in a Jiffy!

I received this recipe from my sister-in-law years ago, and the same recipe card, now all tattered, torn and discolored still sits in its special spot in my cupboard, ready to pull out in a moment's notice.

Quick Cobbler
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 quart fruit, drained

Put butter in 9 x 13 pan or slightly smaller and put in oven while preheating. (350)
Mix remaining ingredients except fruit. Pour over melted butter.
Mix together. Drop fruit on top of batter evenly. Do not mix.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

This recipe has been great to use over the years. I always try to keep some bottled or canned fruit in my pantry, and the other ingredients are pantry basics. If you would like to try using the fruit liquid instead of milk, then cut down the sugar slightly. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Yummy Bean Soup

We all love quick, easy cheap meals! This one is great because you can buy the ingredients, place them in a plastic shopping bag, loosely tie the top (so you can re-use the bag), and put it in your pantry. Then, on a day when dinner needs to be NOW, just grab the bag and you are only about 5-10 minutes away from eating!

Yummy Bean Soup:

• 1 envelope chicken noodle soup
• 1 can beans in tomato sauce (with or without pork)
• 1 can flakes of ham (the small round can)
• 1 Tbsp dried onion flakes
• 1 can mixed vegetables

Directions:

• Mix the soup with 4 cups water and add onion flakes.
• Bring almost to boil while mashing ham into small pieces with fork
• Add all ingredients to soup mixture and simmer 5 minutes.

If you're rushed for time, serve with bread or buns.
If you have an extra 5 minutes, put a batch of biscuits in the oven while soup is cooking.
This soup can easily be doubled.

Shepherd's Pie Revisited

Some people have their own favorite recipe for Shepherd's Pie. Did you know that you can really let your imagination go to work when making this classic dish? Here are the layers you will need. In bottom of an 8x8 or 9x13 pan, put:

• a layer of cooked meat. If meat is dry, mix it with gravy or a can of cream soup.
• a layer of cooked vegetables. If you have leftovers, use them. Otherwise you can drain a can of corn, peas, beans, whatever you have and sprinkle on top of the meat.
• a layer of mashed potatoes. If you have leftover cooked mashed potatoes, use them. If you want to quickly mix up some instant mashed potatoes, use them.
• top with a sprinkling of grated cheese, if desired.

Pop into the oven or microwave long enough to heat cold ingredients and melt cheese.
Call everyone for dinner!
This is a one-pot meal, and has meat and lots of vegetables. As a side, you could open a couple of cans of fruit and mix them together, or serve bread, buns, or a salad on the side.

Quick Easy Cheap Meals: Why celery is a winner

Today's focus on Celery:

• an oft neglected affordable fresh vegetable
• crisp, sweet, juicy, delicious
• low in calories
• naturally reduces high blood pressure
• eat raw or cooked
• very versatile
• widely available
• quick easy snack to grab on the go
• packs well in lunch bags
  

Tips for storing celery:

• Cut off root end, split into separate stalks
• Wash celery well
  
• Package clean stalks in aluminum foil, 3-5 stalks per foil bundle
• Keeps well in fridge several weeks this way

Tips for using celery:

• Eat raw as a stand-alone or add to salad
• Use to scoop up hummus
  
• Fill stalks with cheese or nut butter
• Chop and saute and add to meatloaf or lasagna
• Chop and add to favorite cole slaw recipe
• Saute celery and onions and add to omelet or quiche
  

Taco in a Bag

Taco in a Bag:
This is one of my all-time favorites. My daughter came home from school with this idea after the canteen at school started serving this every Wednesday.

• Here's what you need:
  
• a single-size bag of doritos or tostitos or taco-style chips for each person.
• Taco ingredients such as seasoned ground meat or tvp
• chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, lettuce (whatever you have)
• sour cream
• grated cheese
• salsa
• black olives
  
• Directions:
• Carefully slit open one long side of each bag and let each person slightly crush the taco chips in their bag. Then, open up the bag, and spoon your favorite taco ingredients into the bag, on top of the chips. Stir gently to mix and eat right out of the bag!

Now you see why its one of my favorites! Talk about quick, easy, cheap and it also saves on dish washing. This is very fun for a party, as well. Enjoy!

Quick Easy Cheap Meals: Haystacks Unlimited

The traditional haystack consisting of a pile of rice topped with a variety of tasty additions is the inspiration for this post. Here are the parts we need: something to make the stack out of. That could be rice, pasta, potatoes, couscous, bulgur, barley, etc. These are all cheap and healthy and the toppings are quick and easy. Let your imagination run wild: pineapple, chow mein noodles, chopped nuts, chopped veggies such as red pepper, cucumber, sauteed onions, celery-raw or sauteed, any leftover cooked veg, chopped apple, raisins, grated cheese, leftover cooked meat, etc. Choose a sauce that goes with your creation. Maybe tomato sauce for pasta; honey-garlic sauce for rice; mushroom sauce for barley, etc.

This meal can actually fall together very quickly and easily, even on a minute's notice. First, get your water boiling for cooking whichever food you choose for the main stack. While that is happening, raid your fridge and pantry for possible toppings. Serve them in separate bowls and line it up on the table like a salad bar. Serve each family member a stack of the main ingredient and then let them top it as they like!

A little at a time

Quick Easy Cheap Meals: Most of us know the benefits of cooking a lot of meals on one day of the month and then freezing for later use. This is a great plan to follow and can save lots of time and money, and be very quick as well. This is an excellent plan, and I highly recommend following it.
However, there are some circumstances where this doesn't work very well. These circumstances may be:

• You don't have enough money to shop for 1 month's worth of food at one time
• You don't have a day in the month to commit toward cooking and freezing
• You don't have the freezer space to store the frozen food
• You don't have your hands free to start a big cooking day

If this is the case, try doing it "a little at a time."
Here are 3 examples of preparing food to use later "a little at a time."

• You are cooking rice for supper tonight. Cook an extra cup or two and put it in the fridge to use in a few days or in the freezer for quick use on a night you're too busy to cook rice. For example, if you have steamed rice today then you can have fried rice in a few days. Or you could make a rice salad. Just add some chopped fresh veggies and Italian dressing. Let stand for a couple hours in the fridge for flavors to blend and voila!
  
• Soak some dry beans overnight (or use the quick soak method) and cook them until soft. Since this is a fair amount of work, soak some extra. Take them out of the pot just before the rest are cooked. (Freezing helps soften beans so you want to slightly under-cook them before freezing.) What can you do with these beans later? Take them out of the freezer. If you have time, let thaw. If not, heat up a pan and add a little oil. Throw in the beans and break up as they thaw. Add chopped onion and maybe some garlic. Mash if you like. These refried beans are wonderful in tacos or as part of a hearty salad.
• You are washing and cutting carrots for tonight's meal. Wash and cut a few extra and put in a container in the fridge. Makes a quick snack or the start of a side dish for another meal. (You only have to get out the peeler once and wash it once instead of twice)

There are many more ways to prepare food ahead "a little at a time." Use your imagination. Remember to plan to use your left-overs and also your planned-overs. Here's to another quick easy cheap meal idea!

The Ground Beef Short-Cut continued:
1c of pre-cooked ground beef, frozen until needed, can go a long way:
Besides the two options mentioned in the previous post, you can also use it to:

• Add to pasta sauce and serve over spaghetti
• Use to fill tacos; along with other fillings you have
• Add it with a can of tomatoes, leftover veggies, and some beef broth to make hamburger soup
• Thaw it in microwave while mixing some instant mashed potatoes. Then layer the following in a 8x11 pan: ground beef, can of corn, hot mashed potatoes, cheese sprinkled on top (optional) Heat to melt cheese and serve.
• Cook some macaroni while defrosting cooked frozen ground beef in microwave. Add the following together: macaroni, can of peas, ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, a little milk (1-2 Tbsp). Season with a dash of garlic powder. Serve with biscuits or carrot sticks.
• The possibilities are endless, really. It would be nice to hear some entries on this one by our readers. (Hint, hint.)
  

The ground beef short-cut

This trick is one of my favorites. With only a little bit of advance time, you can be meal-ready for several meals later. Here's how it works:

1) Next time you shop for ground beef, buy an extra couple of pounds.

2) Fry this up with some onions and garlic (or whatever you like), and after draining and cooling, freeze it in 1 cup portions.

3) On a day you need a quick easy cheap meal, choose one of the following:


A) Quick chilli soup:
Add ONE of the following to the pot:

• Tomato soup + 1 can water for each can of soup OR
  
• Canned tomatoes + the liquid in the can

Add a variety of the following to the pot:

• Canned mushrooms
• Canned beans (kidney, garbanzo, lima, etc.)
• Canned corn
• Chopped sauteed onions/garlic/celery
• Chili powder, cumin, parsley, etc.

Drop in the 1cup of frozen ground beef and it will thaw while the rest is heating up.
You can increase quantities for larger families. Or you can make enough for chili soup tonight and then put the leftovers in the fridge to pack in thermoses for lunch or to serve with cornbread on another night this week. If your soup ends up really thick and chunky, you can serve it up in tortilla shells or as a topping for mashed potatoes, rice or noodles on another night.

B) Homemade Hamburger Helper


Put the following into a frying pan, cover and simmer until all liquid is absorbed. Partway through cooking, open lid and break up the ground beef:

• 2 cups water, 1 cup rice, 1c frozen cooked ground beef, 1 can tomato or cream soup, veggies of your choice.