Singles Cooking - 1st prep day

Due to New Year's being on Friday and this being my last weekend before school resumes, I will do my 1st full prep day tomorrow.  If you are following my menu exactly, you just need to follow my steps; however, I want to explain what a prep day means and how it will actually save you a lot of time in the long run.

Today, I went to the grocery store and bought everything I will need for the week.  My weekly menu actually is:

Fri - Black Eyed peas with smothered beef
Sat -  Orange caramelized pork and onions
Sun - bean and meat chili
Mon - antipasta and crudite platter w/ hummus
Tue - Pork sandwhiches w/ veggies and / or chili
Wed - Black eye pea salad w/ fruit
Thur - meatloaf
Fri - chili w/ chips or cornbread chili pie
Sat - pork stir fry w/ leftover pork and pre chopped veggies

For the prep day, rinse all veggies and cut.  I got bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, celery and cauliflower.  Also, peel and chop a whole onion.  I sorted out all the meats I will need for the week.  Pork roast was on sale, so I bought a 5 pound one and then cut and divided for 4 meals.

I already had beans and chickpeas, so I didn't need to purchase those.

On Thursday, I will rinse and cook all the beans I will need this week.  Since I already have chickpeas cooked, I won't need to cook those, but I will cook the red beans and the black eye peas.  I will also prep and cook the orange caramelized pork roast w/ onions so that I won't have to cook on Saturday.  I will prepare the meatloaf and then freeze.

I always use dried beans, and here is how I cook them.
Measure out the beans you will use.  For my chili, I use 2 cups of red beans.  For the black eye peas, I will use only 1 cup because I am the only one who eats these.  Rinse the beans thoroughly.  Add to a saucepan and cover with water.  I add salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat and cover.  Cook on low for about 2 hours, checking the water level and stirring often

Once the beans are a bit soft, remove the lid, add 1/3 cup oil (or fat) and simmer on medium for 30 minutes.  When using the beans for chili or salads, I do not allow the beans to make a thicker gravy.

Smothered Beef

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 chopped onion
salt, pepper, paprika and garlic

Mix the meats, onion and seasonings.  Divide into 2 portions.  With 1 portion, brown in skillet and crumble.  With the other portion, make into 8 small patties.  The crumbled portion and the drippings will go into the chili.  Once cool, move to a container, cover and store in the refrigerator.

For the patties, saute in a skillet turnin
g often until browned and cooked almost through.  Remove from pan.  Add flour to drippings and stir well, cooking on low.  Once the flour is well mixed, add 1.5 - 2 cups of water to get to the consistency you want for the gravy.  Stir often and add more water if needed.  You can use milk instead of water to get a creamier consistency.  Once the gravy is ready, return the patties to the gravy and simmer on low to coat.

Singles Cooking - Planning your 1st Month

The New Year is virtually days away, and it's time to begin thinking about January's menu.  Even though these plans are aimed at one person, a family could easily adjust portion sizes and use the planning steps.

First step . . . write in any special days, celebrations, etc.  For me, all I have is MLK and New Year's Day.

Second step . . browse through your freezer and pantry and see what you  actually have on hand.

Third step. . . . start jotting down menu ideas.  For each item cooked, plan on using it again at least twice either in the same fashion or in a different way.  For example, if you make meatloaf with veggies, you might have a meatloaf sandwich and then make a stew.

Fourth step . . . consider menu items that can compliment and overlap.  For example, if you make red beans, you can use beans as a compliment with a grilled meat and also make soup or bean dip out of those beans later.

Here is the beginning of my month.

I will make adjustments to it, especially if things go on sale during the month or as opportunities present themselves.  These are also just my dinner plans.  What I pack in my lunch will be similar, but not exactly the same.

Singles Cooking: Weekly Menu Planning

The new year is upon us, and I have decided to begin a series of posts aimed specifically at singles.  My last child will graduate in a year, and I will be finally alone.  It frightens and intrigues me at the same time.

I have spent over 30 years cooking for a crowd.  The prospect of cooking just for me is a bit daunting.  I don't want to give up all the homecooking.  Frugality and time saving are two words that must exist.  To begin this series, I am posting the weekly menu form.  Download and begin to use.

Stay tuned for my own January menu.

Weekly Meal Planner by Stacci Slayton Hamilton

Frugal Kitchen: Chicken and Chickpeas

Oh, the weather outside is......

The weather here in Austin is warmer than normal.  It's beautiful.  As Christmas quickly approaches, I spend my days wrapping up paperwork for the Fall semester and getting ready for my first grandchild.   For many reasons, my cooking / eating has been a bit off, and I long to return to my Susie Homemaker mode to putt about in the kitchen.  I miss cooking.

I have posted several other chicken ideas, and today, I wanted to share a couple more.  I bought 5 pounds of chicken thighs on sale.  I froze 1/2 of the package.  With the other thighs, here is what I prepped.

Chicken fajita baked potatoes
Chicken stock for loaded baked potato soup

I also finally made the Buffalo Ranch Hummus I had prepared for over the weekend.

Here's the preparation instructions:

With 3 chicken thighs, carefully trim the meat from the bone.  Also trim the skin from the meat.  Don't worry about cutting all the meat from the bone.  Put the skin and bones in a saucepan and cover with water.  Add 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped celery and salt / pepper to the water.  Simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

With the bulk of the thigh meat, cut into small strips.  Add to a heated skillet with 3 Tab. oil, chopped garlic and onion.  Season with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Simmer and stir until meat is cooked through.

Once the chicken stock has cooked and then cooled, remove any meat pieces from the bones.  Discard the bones and skin.  Save the stock and chicken pieces until you are ready to make the loaded baked potato soup.


For the chicken ranch hummus.....................and this stuff is really good, you will need 2 cups of cooked and cooled chickpeas.  I make my own chickpeas.  It is much less expensive and less wasteful.  I am the only one in my family who eats hummus, so I need to make small portions.

In my food processor, I added 2 cups of cooked chickpeas, 1/4 cup buffalo hot sauce and 1/4 cup ranch dressing.  Blend well together.  I ate mine with gluten free crackers, carrots and celery.  It was wonderful.

Frugal Kitchen: Leftover Turkey

Many many years ago, I got a holiday planning guide from Kraft for purchasing the required number of items.  This was way before the internet.  I still a few of these idea cards around the holidays, but I have not seen the holiday planning guides in several years.

My favorite recipe from this guide is the Turkey Enchiladas.  I have made them many times over the years.


These are so simple to make and are delicious.



Turkey Enchiladas Con Queso

1 cup chopped turkey
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup chopped green onion
8 corn tortillas
oil
3/4 lb. cheese spread
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup milk

Mix together turkey, cream cheese and onion until well blended.  I use my hands to mix them.

Brush tortillas lightly with oil.  Stack 4 on a plate and microwave on High for 30 seconds or until soft.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup turkey / cheese mixture.  Roll up; place, seam side down in a 12x8 inch baking dish.

Microwave process cheese spread, chopped tomatoes and milk on High for 2-4 minutes or until process cheese spread is melted, stirring after each minute.  Pour cheese sauce over tortillas in the casserole dish.  Microwave on High for 12-14 minutes or until thoroughly heated, turning dish after 6 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Chicken Meal Planner

Chicken Meal Planner

Frugal Kitchen: Pasta Bake

For lunch today, I took a few bits and pieces and threw together to make a yummy pasta bake.  Fazoli's has an item on their menu that gave me the inspiration:  oven baked pasta.  If you have not tried these, they are so yummy.  Since eliminating gluten, I have missed them.

Here is why this is a bits and pieces recipe.  I had only about 1.5 cups of gluten free pasta, about 20 pepperoni left from a pizza recipe and the ingredients to mix up some spaghetti sauce.  Lacking any mozzarella cheese, I improvised with some white American instead.  The results.............amazing.

I need to back up a bit and talk about the spaghetti sauce.  Stop buying the jars or cans of pre-made.  These are major convenience items that are often full of hidden sugar and fat.  Instead, buy the spaghetti seasoning package for about $.30 and a can of tomato paste for about $.40.  Here is what I do with mine.

Spaghetti Sauce

In 2 tablespoons olive oil, heat 1/2 chopped onions, 2 wedges of garlic and 1/2 chopped mushrooms if desired.  Stir well while  heating.  While that is simmering, add the package of seasoning, 1 cup water and the can of tomato paste to a mason jar.  Add an air tight lid and give it a thorough shake.  Add to the sauteed veggies and stir on low.  At this point, I add salt, pepper and basil.  Leave on low.  The secret to great sauce is to add liquid from cooking pasta.  Seriously.  I add 1 - 2 cups of pasta liquid to my sauce.  You can add meat if you want, but it increases the cost.

I have enough sauce for 2 meals, so 1/2 of what is simmering goes back into the mason jar, sealed and stored in the refrigerator until next time.

Back to the Pasta Bake

In a casserole dish, spread a small amount of sauce.  Layer drained, cooked pasta over the sauce.  Then, layer the pepperoni over the cooked pasta.  Add some shredded cheese, about 1/2 cup only. You can add more cheese if you want.   Then, sprinkle 1 cup of sauce over the the pasta / pepperoni mixture.  Cover with plastic and cook in the microwave for 8 minutes; or, cover with foil and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes.  The pepperoni should start to shrink and curl.

Once cooked, remove from oven or microwave and let cool slightly. At this step, you can also sprinkle more shredded cheese over the mixture and cook just a bit longer, if desired.  Remove the covering and serve.  You can sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over it, if you want.

Leftover Version

If you are using a leftover pasta, you just need to add a couple of ingredients and warm through.  You can use any leftover marinara based pasta:  lasagna, spaghtetti, ziti.  If you want to experiment with alfredo based pastas, the results may not be as good as you want.  I do something different with these.

If using lasagna or spaghetti, cut into bite sized pieces to begin.  Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray.  Arrange the leftover pasta in the casserole dish and drizzle with about 1/4 cup water (or ketchup); sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded cheese; layer with pepperoni slices.  Cover and warm through.

There are many other leftover recipes on the internet.  As I researched them, I added a couple to my "try this later" list, especially the zucchini spaghetti pancakes.   The main idea is to use leftovers and to remain frugal.

Seafood - Crab Cakes and Gumbo

Imitation Crab was on sale, so I purchased a package knowing I would find a recipe for it later.  At only $1.50 for 12 ounces, the imitation crab was a good purchase and much cheaper per pound than most other meat choices.

Looking through my "thrifty seafood planner", I wondered what all I could cook this week.  I also did a search on Pinterest.   What I have decided to make this week are crab cakes with salad.  I will save a bit of the imitation crab to add to a gumbo recipe since I have some left over tilapia in the freezer.

Just to spice it up a bit, I will also make a cucumber sunomono.  It looks and sounds yummy.

My planners have been by far one of the best things I've created because the planners allow me to focus my attention (and money) to maximize time and planning.   

The only things I will need to purchase are cucumbers and bagged gumbo veggies.  I have the rest of these things on hand already (or left over).  Now all I need to do is fill in the rest of my weekly menu, complete my shopping list and get going.

Not only will I make cucumber sunomono, I will also make cucumber humus and a fresh diced cucumber / onion salad.  Yummy!!!

It takes very little extra work to eat healthy and frugally.  You can't leave things to chance until you retrain your mind and habits.  Until that, spend the extra time planning.

Frugal Kitchen

Due to some situations out of my control, my family's cash flow has drastically declined.  As I continue to hope for an improvement and search for a 3rd job, the urgent need to slash spending takes it toll on our food budget.  Luckily, I can do this.  Because I need to feel that something purposeful emerges from this situation, I decided to get serious about sharing frugal kitchen tips and techniques.  Many of the conveniences in the kitchen almost double the price.  What this means is that we pay double for something that is a convenience.  Think about instant oatmeal and pre-cooked meats.  Similarly, snack size packages are often 3 times more expensive as buying in bulk.  I have bought those snack size packages before if my weekly budget allowed.  I have also not always been discriminate with much of my weekly food purchases.  Until now.................

The $60 I used to spend on groceries weekly has been slashed in half, so my money must go very far if I want to feed my family.  Because I don't have time to search for the best deals and clip coupons, I have found other ways to make every penny count.

• No packaged / convenience foods
• Some of the items that tend to cost money (and have hidden sugars and fats) are things like condiments.  Here are a few other convenience foods:  single serve, snack sized, bag salads, protein bars, packaged lunch meats, shredded cheese, yogurt cups, instant oatmeal, flavored rice or pasta packages, canned beans.
• Meatless meals
• Reduce the amount of meat used in dishes like spaghetti, soups, chili, etc.  When using ground beef, switch to ground turkey which is half the cost.  Or, skip the use of meat completely.  Meals with beans or nuts are a good way to replace meat.  Avoid buying "steak" meats. This means reducing things like chicken breast, pork chops, ribs or beef steak.  These whole cuts of meat are more expensive than ground versions.  Be careful though.  A ground meat with too much added fat may actually cost more per pound than its whole cut counterpart.  Buy meats when on sale and then find ways to stretch the whole cuts.  A whole chicken is less expensive than cut up chicken, but if you are not going to utilize the whole chicken, it will not save you money.  One of my favorite meatless meals is crudities and humus with sliced fresh fruit and cheese.
• Bulk purchases
• Peanut butter freshly ground at the store saves almost $.50 a pound, plus it has no added sugar.  It is extremely healthier.  Things like Nutella and peanut butter may seem cheaper alternatives, but they are also full of sugar, so that the amount of good protein is reduced.  Avoid these.  Also, pre-chopped veggies and bag salad are 4-5 times more costly than purchasing the greens and veggies in bulk.  One of the most drastic price increases comes from those fruit salads.  For the same amount of money spent on fruit, you could make 4 times the fruit salad.  Oatmeal, including steel cut oats, are less expensive in bulk.  Avoid the instant packaging or smaller containers.  Instead, buy in bulk.  I mix my own "instant" oatmeal.  Similarly, don't throw out any cooked oatmeal that isn't eaten.  Bulk purchase nuts are a huge savings.
• High protein items
• Nuts, beans, quinoa..................add as many high protein items to your diet as possible.  I add nuts, flaxseed, chai, or quinoa to my smoothie, peanut butter to my oatmeal, and cooked beans to my salad.  I am gluten free, so much of my diet revolves around fruits and veggies.  Humus is a normal snack item for me, as is no sugar yogurt dip.  
• Throw nothing away
• And I mean nothing....................not one thing.  Even a store bough rotisserie chicken can be salvaged for one more meal before its final disposition. It seems silly, but I made a tortilla soup out of left-over nachos from a restaurant once.  It can be done.  We are a nation of over indulgence.  I cringe at the amount of food thrown away.  My freezer has two bowls I use for leftovers.  Once is for soup and the other for smoothies.
• Create a weekly menu
• The best way to stick to a tight food budget is to create a weekly menu.  I have done this many times in my adult life, and each time, I am able to maximize the money I spend on food.  The most effective use of the weekly planner is to cut down the time spent preparing and cooking foods.  If I make a pot of beans, I figure in how many times I will use beans that week and make enough to carry the whole week.  Then, stick to the menu.