Freezer Cooking Stage 1 Our Fantastic Chili

With winter closing on us here in Northern Minnesota I am in the mood to cook and get some freezer meals ready for cold nights and easy cooking. Our freezer is really only the top of a refrigerator so I can not get that much in.
There is only 2 of us so what I am cooking this afternoon is our homemade Spicy (to me) Chili and I am dividing it in to 3 containers for 3 different nights.
We can add some crackers or bread for a fast tasty dinner.
My recipe is for 6 servings so would be a nice amount for 4 to 6 people.
1 1/2 pounds of ground beef 85 percent fat free

small amount of onion chopped up
2 tsp of garlic
4 tsp of Chili
2 tsp of basil
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
2 tsp of cumin
2 tsp of oregano
2 16oz cans of Chili or Kidney beans
1 32 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
1 32 oz can of Tomato Sauce
1 can of water

Brown ground beef

then add your spices and stir.

Add your tomato sauce, diced tomatoes


and chili beans

Simmer for about 45 minutes . It is now ready to eat or cool and freeze for future meals.

This pot has been divided into 3 containers for dinner and there was enough for us to each have a small bowl for lunch.

Stage 2 of Cooking will be coming up soon..

I am sharing this recipe at Potluck Sunday.. hope that you will check what other's are cooking and leave a comment maybe when visiting starting here.
Thanks for stopping by .. Lets keep saving together .. Grace

Grocery Shopping For Freezer Cooking

Went shopping today for this weeks groceries plus extra to do some freezer cooking at Cub Foods today. Boy was it ever chilly out.

They had 85 percent hamburger for $2.49 a pound ( not as good as last freezer cooking at $1.99 a pound but better than some weeks). I picked up 2 / 3 pound packages. This will give us 8 meals.

Cub had Chicken Breasts skinless at buy 1 get 1 FREE. I got two packages for 8.07. This should give us a few meals.

2 packages of Land O Frost lunch meats using a coupon for buy 1 get 1 FREE so 2 packages at $4.99

Chi Chi Salsa $1.79 used 50 cent coupon off

1 Enchilada sauce $1.89

Green Chili diced 75 cents

2 cans of peas 59 cents each

1 cub cereal $2.39

2 cub chili beans 79 cents each

1 package of Spaghetti noodles 99 cents

2 Cub Tomato crushed $1.19 each

2 Cub Tomato Sauce $1.19 each

1 Yolk less noodles $1.29

1 re fried beans $1.29

1 Mission Shells $1.99

Tortilla Chips $1.99

Potato chips $2.79

1 onion 68 cents

2 loafs of bread $1.49 each

1 shredded Parmesan cheese $4.13 ( thought it was $2.00 and did not notice till home)

1 shredded cheese $2.00

1 milk $3.19

2 sour creams $3.00 on sale

Total spent $67.66 this week

Total for the month $94.82

Remaining of monthly budget $105.18

I am sharing this at

Grocery Cart Challenge

Wednesday Shopping at Frugal Follies

thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together.. Grace

What's For Dinner " Chicken And Rice Casserole" So Yummy

What is for dinner? Last night we had a Chicken and Rice Casserole. So yummy..

Here is the recipe..

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In 13 by 9 pan (or a casserole dish as I did) combine the rice, celery, carrots, onion, butter, salt, soup and water.

Arrange the chicken on rice skin up. Sprinkle with paprika or poultry seasoning and bake uncovered 1 hour or until the chicken is tender.

I had 5 thighs.. cooked the other 2 in a baking dish. Gets crispier that way for those who want it crispy.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of rice $.50

1 stalk of celery $.25

1 carrot $.25

1/4 cup of onion diced $.15

1 can of cream of chicken soup $.50

2 cups of water

4 Chicken Breasts ( I used thighs) $3.39

1 tsp of salt

2 Tablespoons of butter $.05

paprika or poultry seasonings

Total cost for my meal $5.09

serves 4

This was so good the way we had it. I have also served with peas and a dinner roll. Any way served it tasty and a sure winner.

Thanks for stopping by... lets keep serving together... Grace

Mama's Hamburger Hot Dish / Casserole

There is no need to go out for good food is there? Yes I do love having people waiting on me but I also love the comfort food we can make at home. Best of all we are keeping the $$ in our pocket. That is even more of a comfort to this lady.
Tonight's dinner is my mama's Hot Dish. We call it a hot dish in this part of the country, other parts call it a casserole. I will never forget the first time I told my east coast son in law I was making a hot dish. He had no idea what I was talking about. After explaining to him what a hot dish was, he said that is a casserole and looked at me like I was from another planet. Then of course there is the pop/soda conversation with him. Gotta love that guy.






It is cold outside but warm inside with the oven on. Last night for dinner we had one of the old standards. Hamburger Hot Dish my mama's way.

Super easy with just browning the hamburger and boiling some pasta. After degrease the hamburger add tomato soup to both the hamburger and pasta then mix together. Mama always fried up onions with her hamburger but I was out. We used a little onion powder, some salt and pepper.

At this point I differ from mama and add some cheese to my hamburger and pasta combination. All I had in the house last night was a little Velveeta and some Havarti cheese so put a little of each in.


We baked at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour and dinner is on. Simple, easy but comfy food during the winter.

What a thrifty dinner.
1 1/2 pounds of hamburger $3.00 bought on sale for $1.99 a pound
2 cups of pasta $1.00
3 cans of Campbells tomato soup $1.50 I bought on sale at 50 cents a can (used a coupon so really less than 50 cents a can
spices pennies
Total cost for Hamburger Hot dish/Casserole $5.50
This can easily feed 6 people or the 2 of us 2 dinners and 1 lunch.

I will be sharing this at
Hearth and Soul
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Who is Laura
Healthy Home
A Beautiful Mess
Mouth Watering Monday
Tuesday Twister
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesdays At The Table
Delicious Dishes
Anti Procrastination Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
Tuesday Night Supper Club
Menu Inspiration Monday
Menu Plan Monday
Hunk Of Meat Monday
Tidy Mom
Thursday Life As Mom
Grocery Cart Callenge

Want to thank you for stopping by.. maybe leave a comment letting me know you were here and lets keep saving our $$ together... Grace

Menu Plan For The Week Saving Money Eating At Home

Menu plan is on Monday this week. Yesterday was dear hubby's birthday and time was spent with family instead of planning this week

Meals for this week are

Breakfast
cereal, or eggs and toast and yogurt
Lunch
soup and sandwiches or any left overs that may be there
Dinner

Meat balls in gravy, potatoes, and veggies

Hamburger hot dish, veggies, and warm bread

Chicken and Rice with veggies

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with multi types of cheese, chips and dip


Chicken, Pasta and Vegetable soup with crackers

Chili and Cornbread



Left over Buffet

I am keeping it simple and frugal this week with using a lot of items from the freezer and pantry.

What's on your menu this week? I will be sharing this over at organizing junkie.
Take a moment and see what others are cooking up this week and leave a comment letting them know that you passed by.. Everyone likes hearing some one visited.

Thanks for stopping by.. Lets keep saving together.. and please remember Never Under Estimate The Value Of A Small Amount Of Money... Grace

Whats For Dinner Easy Chili Cornbread Bake

Recently I found a recipe at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen for her Chili Cornbread Bake and thought it looked so tasty.

This is my super easy version for the two of us, Chili from the freezer thawed out and slightly warmed and 1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix prepared by box directions. ( bought the corn mix on sale at Walgreen's a while back)

You can get my Chili recipe here .. trust me it is really good and freezes good with the beans included.

Started the corn bread batter with mix, milk and egg

Greased my casserole and spread about 1/2 of cornbread batter in bottom of casserole.

To this I added about 1/3 of my chili recipe from recipe above ( that is what I had in one freezer dish).

Next I spread process cheese on top of chili ( did not have enough shredded cheese in house)
and did not plan to go out for just this since it is snowing outside..

Poured remainder of corn bread batter on top of cheese and then remainder of my shredded cheese ( had about 1/4 cup of cheese ) on batter.



Baked in preheated 425 degree oven.
Boy did it turn out good. Next time I would have 1/2 to 2/3 of my chili recipe in the casserole.
I added a small dollop of sour cream on the side since I always put it on my chili.

I will be sharing this at

Hearth and Soul

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Who is Laura

Healthy Home

A Beautiful Mess

Mouth Watering Monday

Tuesday Twister

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesdays At The Table

Delicious Dishes

Anti Procrastination Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday

Tuesday Night Supper Club

Menu Inspiration Monday

Menu Plan Monday

Hunk Of Meat Monday

Tidy Mom

Life As Mom

Grocery Cart Callenge

Thanks for stopping by.... Lets keep saving together.. and please remember Never Under Estimate The Value Of A Small Amount Of Money.. Grace

Wonderful Memories And Old Family Soup Bowls

I was reading a story over at Greta's Genealogy Bog about memories of old bowls and children fighting over one certain bowl. I had those same bowls at one time. They would not break.
My bowls that bring back great memories are these old soup bowls that belonged to my mother. I remember her warming up Campbell's Tomato soup. She would serve in these bowls with a few crackers along side.
I still have them and use them several times a week for my soup or chili. I still feel like a little girl every time I have some soup with a few crackers or a piece of bread on the side.
Got to love those old memories.. Grace