Day 4:Pantry Cleanout Pot Roast
I tell ya, this eating from the freezer and pantry thing is really fun! Maybe it’s because I’m finally enjoying the bounty of meats purchased months ago on major sale or finding creative uses for random root vegetables at the bottom of my veggie bin, or those last few Cajun walnuts given in a Christmas basket (thanks, Cathy!). It’s the odds and ends that sometimes come together to make the best meals…. Read the rest of this entry »
Day 1 FPC: Plum Chicken with Cabbage
Happy New Year everyone!!!!
As promised, I’m declaring the entire month of January a “Fridge and Pantry Cleanout” month whereby every meal will be formulated from stuff I have on hand in the fridge, freezer, other freezer, storage shed, or pantry. I just finished my proposed menu plan for the week, and I’ve gotta say, I think I’m going to be able to easily make it through the month of January (possibly February too) easily without buying much of anything.
CookBook Review: Make it Fast, Cook it Slow
Ever the cookbook junkie, I have been excitedly anticipating the release of the book Make it Fast, Cook it Slow.
Penned by the amazing blogger Stephanie O’dea, who is the genious (wow, how embarrassing! I’m obviously not one) genius behind the blog A Year of SlowCooking, this book is everything I hoped it would be and more! You know when you are constantly visiting a website for recipes that chances are you’ll enjoy the book!
The reasons that I love her book are many. For one, they all involve the slow cooker which makes life much easier. All the recipes are gluten free, which doesn’t always mean they all work for our diet, but there are certainly plenty of good choices. I also love the recipes because they are not your typical slow cooker recipes. She has a whole section called “Take Out Fake Out” where she has simple, frugal recipes for Thai, Indian, and Chinese takeout favorites. Her Inidan and Thai curries are amazing. Her Korean ribs and Chinese beef and broccoli look fabulous as well and I plan to try them as soon as I get rid of the frozen beef in my freezer (and can therefore justify buying ribs!).
For the generally gluten-free, you will be pleased with the diversity of pasta recipes (using rice pasta) including macaroni and cheese! She also manages to create enchilada casserole in the slowcooker (one of my favorites!). She has lots of great rice and bean recipes and fantastic soups, including a homemade broccoli and cheese soup!
If you’re eating a paleo/gaps type diet, you will enjoy the wide variety of tasty meat recipes, including lots of different ways to enjoy chicken and beef! She has a delicious rotissarie-chicken wannabe recipe that has the most amazing blend of spices that totally rivals store-bought rotisserie chicken!
Stephanie makes many nonconventional items in her crockpot, including Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Chai Tea, Dolmas, and even Falafel!!! She has a delicous recipe for gyros and that crispy lemon chicken like you get at the Chinese Restaurant! And to add to the fun, she has these simple, genious recipes for fancy cheese fondue and chocolate fondue! All of these recipes are entertainment-worthy, and I can’t think of a way to make having guests over easier than by slow-cooking! I’m really excited to try Stephanie’s creme brulee recipe, the famous recipe that got her on the Rachael Ray show!
These recipes are thrifty and kid-friendly, and very simple. They are just my style because I think Stephanie and have the same taste in food. There are lots of ethnic food recipes (I love Indian and Thai food and this book has lots of unique restaurant-food quality recipes!) including Peking Duck!! We don’t eat out often, but when we do we love to go to Indian or Thai food. I am excited to save even more money by cooking these dishes at home!
A Few Caveats
A few things must be mentioned about this book, even though I love it. There seem to be quite a few recipes with added sugar (particularly the beef recipes). I am interested to test these recipes using some honey, stevia, or simply leaving out the added sugar and seeing how it works. There are also several recipes calling for fat-free dairy, which I think is essentially a “non food”, so I simply will replace with whole milk, yogurt, cream, etc.
All in all, I highly reccommend this book and encourage anyone who’s looking to expand their reperatoire of slow cooker recipes to check this one out!
Thursday’s Thrifty Meals from New Seasons
This week’s Thrifty Meal is one I’ve gotten many, many requests for. It’s a winner at potlucks, and it’s the perfect one-pot meal for a busy day when you need to have a nourishing dinner prepared! Best of all, the recipe is composed of ingredients that are simple and inexpensive! Read the rest of this entry »
Thursday’s Thrifty Meals at New Seasons!
This week’s Thrifty Meal from New Seasons is simple, nourishing, and will provide at least three (if not more) additional meals for the freezer or nourishing lunches. Using a thrifty cut of meat that’s on sale at New Seasons, along with a handful of cheap bulk spices (10% off all bulk items right now at New Seasons!) make this easy meal in the morning and forget the dinnertime hassle! Read the rest of this entry »
Frugal and Healthy Meal: Tongue Tacos
I know that the notion of eating tongue is probably totally unappealing to most of you; it was to me for sure. Recently, however, at an authentic Mexican restaurant, I ordered tongue tacos and they were delicious and inexpensive! When I found out that my grass-fed, organic beef farmer sold tongue for $2.50/lb, I had to figure out a way to use it in a delicious way. Here’s what I did, with pictures of the transformation from icky cow tongue to deliciously spicy, shredded beef! Read the rest of this entry »
Menu Plan Monday: A Week of Slow-Cooker recipes!
The challenge this week is going to be getting my slowcooker scrubbed and clean enough to use for the next day! I’m going to wish I had two!
Since summer’ s bounty is still being enjoyed from the farmer’s market and CSA, including 13 lbs of plums I picked last week, I found inspiration in the chapter entitled “From the Garden to the Slow Cooker”. I will post my favorite recipes (after we try them) here to share them.
Why Slow-Cooking? Simple. Easy to prepare. Do you have to ask?!?!?! I have found the perfect time in my day to prep my slow-cooker (after coming home from taking Kirsten to preschool, which thankfully is only a 2-minute walk from our house!). I can literally fix it and forget about it until the “natives” are clammouring for food!
This week I’m only posting dinner, since breakfast is always the same rotation of eggs with some sort of veggie and meat (bacon or sausage). Lunches are always leftovers, and I’ve learned to give Kirsten only fresh veggies and 1 “meaty” thing (whether leftovers, soup, or a hot dog) for the three days she takes her lunch to school.
Friday: Spaghetti Squash w/ Marinara Sauce
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Leftovers
For more ideas and inspiration, visit the Organizing Junkie!
