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.

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.

Chicken Meal Planner

Chicken Meal Planner

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.

Pink Lemon Chiffon - Store Bought Rotisserie Chicken 4 Meals

It's been a while since I've done any Budget Menus.  I am using them, just not taking the time to record any of them.  Life has settled down for me lately, and my mind has time to dwell on many, many (I mean, many) things, so I have began the process of recording again, in earnest.

My doctor put me on an elimination diet about 10 days ago to try to find out why I've had some allergy reactions recently.  I am pretty excited actually because taking out refined sugar and wheat first should really help motivate some profoundly needed lifestyle changes for me.  To this end, I am now re-imagining many recipes while finding some new ones that will satisfy my previous sugar / wheat addiction.

Last nite, I bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner, so today I need to conquer the leftovers.  I never, and I mean, never, throw out anything.  The $7 price for the cooked chicken is about 4x what an uncooked hen would've cost me, so I need to get as much for my money as possible.  Just in case you're curious, each recipe will feed 2 persons.

Meal 1:  rotisserie chicken with vegetable crudities and sliced cheese.  Yummy.

I call this my "carpet picnic" menu.  I put all the yummies together on a tray.  I had to leave off chips / dips.  I would normally add a glass of white wine, but for now, alcohol is out of my diet, too.


Meal 2:  buffalo chicken / egg bites  

I had about 1/3 the rotisserie chicken left over, so I pulled it from the bone.  I sauteed the chicken pieces with some onion on low heat.  I took 1 cup of this and ran it through the food processor.

1 egg for each cup
peppers, onions, or vegetables
red pepper, salt

Depending on how many egg souffle cups you want to make, you made to adjust the ingredients.   I made 6 cups.

Use half eggs and half egg whites.  This means that for every whole egg, use 1 egg white.  I had 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites.  Beat in a bowl and season.

Spray each up with non stick spray.

Process to crumbles the 1 cup chicken and any vegetables you want to use.

Layer in a cupcake pan:  1 Tab. vegetable, 1 Tab. chicken and 1/2 cup beaten egg.

Bake at 350 until eggs are cooked.

When you remove from the oven, drizzle with buffalo sauce.

Meal 4:  chicken / potato soup 

Take all the bones from the rotisserie chicken and add to a 3 qt saucepan.  Cover with water and simmer on low about 15-20 minutes.  Add any seasoning you want.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Strain all the chicken bones and pieces from the water.  Save any meat pieces.

Add 1 cup chopped slightly cooked potato, chopped onion to the chicken broth.

Simmer on low for about 5 -10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 shredded cheese (any kind).


Meal 3:  chili relleno w/ refried beans and corn chips

Use the remaining sauteed chicken for this recipe.  I had about 1/2 a cup left.
1 fresh Anaheim pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 block cream cheese or 1 cup shredded cheese
1 can enchilada sauce (or 1 package dry enchilada sauce).  Chose red or green sauce.

Flake the chicken and add to a mixing bowl.  Add the cream cheese or shredded cheese, chopped onion and salt / pepper to taste.

Cut off the top of the Anaheim pepper and de-seed.  Rinse well.  Stuff with the chicken / cheese mixture.

Put the pepper in a microwave safe bowl.  Cover well with the enchilada sauce.  Cover with plastic wrap and cook in the microwave about 4 - 5 minutes.  Check that the pepper is cooked.  Once cooked, sprinkle some shredded cheese and let cool slightly.

Either make re-fried beans or use a can of re-fried beans.  Warm the beans in a microwave safe bowl.  Add enough water to make the beans the consistency of a dip.  Serve with corn chips.