Fast Food for Christmas

A prepared woman, doesn't wait until black Friday to start on her Christmas plans or shopping.  So with the fall of summer, :)  I am starting to think of my own holiday plans.  

       One tradition I started with my kids years ago was to make one of their gifts some favorite convenience or fast food they don't normally get.  I make lots of things from scratch but one of my fondest memories was a proud quote from my first child after visiting a friend.  "Mom, we had macaroni and cheese for dinner and there wasn't a bit of real cheese in it!"   That Christmas each child got a few boxes of mac n cheese in their stocking and they were thrilled.

       As an adult, most of us don't really like the taste of prepared food as well as homemade, but kids taste things differently.  So now is the time to start using your coupon savvy to collect some special convenience food if that is a rare treat in your house or for grocery boxes to share with those who might need them.  Getting an entire package of Oreos is also a big favorite at my house.

       My son in law  works for the postal service, December is the busiest month for them, everyone works overtime and no one is allowed vacations.  So I made him a "lunch advent" with 25 of his favorite microwaveable soups or lunches, which is a big help for their food budget for the month.  He didn't have to worry about no time to go out,  or make his own, but could just grab it and go or even keep them in the car.  You can pack them in holiday lunch bags or add little amusing favors or comics to brighten a busy day as well.  

         

          

Running out of freezer space...time to can

Running out of freezer space...time to can.

This week we butchered the last of our first batch of chickens. I started running out of room in the freezer for them and so decided to pre-cook some of them.  I put 3.5 or so (about 15 pounds) of chicken in my roaster with some water and cooked them all night slowly. This way they were done by morning. I removed them from the broth and added three more raw chickens to the roaster and started cooking them.  I separated the drumsticks, the skin and bones which left me with about five pounds of boneless cooked meat.  I repeated the plan with the rest of the chicken that evening.  

As I am sadly out of freezer space, I was inspired to can that super strong broth. I ended up with about 8 pints canned in the pressure cooker, bought at a thrift store for just such an occasion last year.  I have canned chicken before but frankly I just don't like the taste/texture of canned meat, even from the store. So I squeezed out a bit of space for the 10 1lb packages of cooked chicken I ended up with.  I flattened them and removed the air so they all fit upright in a shoe box.  Looks so organized...I may have to take a picture. :)  The legs we will eat this week for dinner. 

With the next batch of chickens I am going to try canning a single thighs in a pint jar with the double strength broth. I did it a couple of years ago and it was so easy. The final product ended up as convenient and tasty as name brand chicken noodle soup.   I put a raw chicken thigh, with skin and bones, in a pint jar, add broth (made from the necks, feet, etc that you don't want to bother freezing) and salt. Process 90 minutes.  To use I heat in a pan and add a jar full of water, ( just like store bought), remove bones and skin, it falls right off.  Add a handful of noodles and cook until noodles are done.  Taste was so similar to the  $1 or more a can name brand chicken noodle.  

But even if you don't raise chickens you can make this. Leg quarters are often the least expensive chicken to buy per pound.  Look for marked down 10lb bags.  Break the leg off and cut through- poultry shears are helpful.  Make an oven fried meal out of the drumsticks or freeze in meal sized portions for later.  Can the thighs as above. 

 

Broth or "chicken stock" can be made from any skin, bones and fat, raw or cooked.  A picked over rotissere chicken from the deli makes a good broth, boiled in water to cover or simply left in the crockpot all day or all night.  Season to taste and add stock vegetables of your choice if you have them in the fridge.  Boiling the carcass from a rotissere chicken for stock is a good way to get one more meal or add gourmet "umpf" to your next meal for free from something most people toss in the garbage.  

Frugal basics for newbies

Lesson 1

What is Frugal?  I like catchy and direct definitions.  So mine for frugal is getting the most bang for your buck, whether it is with time or money.  Sometimes you must choose between the two depending on which is in greater supply. Wasting, is getting negative bang for your buck, so I am big on avoiding that.    

When a new person comes to my class, they often have varied expectations.  Many are drawn by  low grocery totals, many are just struggling financially and want to find better ways to stretch the budget.   Most know a little about different aspects of frugality, and have specific questions.   It is difficult to give a person enough information in a one or two hour sitting to be really useful without being overwhelming.  On one hand it is the details that will mean success or not- even as tiny a detail as the dimensions of the organizer you choose. (Too big and you won't keep it with you, too small and it becomes unorganized or falls apart with use which leads to discouragement or giving up.)   On the other hand, without some experience or basic knowledge, the details aren't attended.  At first there tends to be hit or miss attendance which has led me to the unfortunate practice of trying to give as much information as possible when they make it.   I have decided to change that, and stick to a set format

Here are some basic requirements for learning frugality or changing habits that are currently unsustainable.  These particular rules are probably true for many habits you are trying to change or skills you are attempting to learn.  For most people growth takes place because of some interest,and is spurred on by success or example.

1. It requires a commitment.  We are sharing lifestyle changes- not magic bullets like, shop on Mondays and you will always save 50% off your bill. There may well be such details, but if it were that easy, you would already be doing it.   If you want to use coupons, you are going to have to collect them, organize them and know when to use them. If you don't want to use coupons but save on your current bill, you are going to have to shop elsewhere,  buy different products, or otherwise change "something". Seems like it would be obvious, but you can't keep doing what you are doing and expect different results.  If you already know you aren't ready to change anything about your lifestyle or habits, then now is not the time to pursue it.  Pretending to try and failing because of lack commitment is worse in the long run than waiting until you are ready. 

2. It takes time.   Learning any new skill takes time. Time to put into the project, time to learn the skill and lastly time to master the skills you are learning.  Eventually when the skills have become habits, it won't take as much time.   But being frugal is going to require time and effort on your part.  (Otherwise you would already be doing it.) 

3. It doesn't require sacrifice, but it does require change. I love this one, because most people rarely see this one coming.  Most people think that being frugal or saving money is going to mean they will be denied the current things they enjoy. If that is the case, you are doing it wrong...or have some really unrealistic  and unsustainable habits.  One of the first things we discuss is what do you currently spend your money on, and why?  What experience are you getting- quality, convenience, entertainment, etc.?  Knowing the reasons  can help you find ways to keep much of the enjoyment without incurring the same cost.   Often there are tiny little tricks or details that will have a huge impact.  I hope to help you find the best balance for your lifestyle.  

4. Maturity helps.   Once I went to a marriage seminar and the first thing they said was "Marriage requires two people willing to mature."  I knew we were doomed!  The reason so many teen marriages in this country fail is that our culture doesn't support teens, (or increasingly anyone) to be mature and responsible.   I have seen some very mature children and hopelessly immature seniors.  Maturity requires a measure of self discipline and attention to details, even if that attention is unconscious habit. Maturity requires thinking past immediate gratification. Maturity isn't self centered. Maturity is patient. (If the Breyers isn't on sale this week, you have to wait and plan better next sale.) This is starting to sound like a certain verse.... Lest I plagiarize God, I had better stop here.  

5. It takes education.  Frugality is something you learn to do, not a "gift" you are born with.  That means anyone can learn. That also means you must take the time to do so. 

Strike while the iron is hot!

This was one of my aunts favorite quotes. There will no doubt be post's with others!

     Yesterday I was cleaning off the kitchen counter and picked up a couple of sprouting potatoes.  My first thought was what can I make with these last two potatoes?  But  it is March, I looked outside, thought about it, and went on outside.  How long does it really take to plant a few potatoes?  I had cut them into pieces so each had at least one eye.  I cleared the weedy overgrowth from along the fence and turned over the soil in six or so spots and planted the pieces.  It probably took ten minutes in all.  Minor success in a world of unfinished projects and goals.

   Normally I am more inclined to set aside those potatoes with the intention of planting them when I " do the garden project".   How many times does a project get put off until it is a last minute rush or not done at all?  For me, too often so I am surrounded by bits and pieces of projects waiting to be done.

    David Allen of "Getting Things Done" fame recommends performing a task if it takes two minutes or less to finish and if it takes more time, then put it on your to-do list . (That is a major oversimplification of a small part of his plan.)  But I am finding with myself, that the best laid plans often lack motivation or discipline to start or finish.  So I try to grab any spark of encouragement I can to get some things done I may not really look forward to doing.

   Therefore I may change my personal guideline to 10-15 minutes instead of 2.  If I can accomplish a task that has been brought to my attention in 15 minutes, instead of put it off, I think I shall get more accomplished.  Obviously this won't work when you are in the midst of an important project, but for much of our daily routine, a ten minute timeout here and there will increase productivity rather than side rail us too much.

  Frugal-wise I have invested ten minutes and two old potatoes, with the potential gain of several pounds of new potatoes.  Also I cleared the kitchen of  two bits of counter clutter without turning them into garbage.  A frugal and environmentally sound ten minutes.  
 

Frugal Cooking with what's on sale: Chicken and Crackers

Frugal Cooking with what's on sale: Chicken and Crackers

 

The trick to success in most things is in correct details, so I hope I have provided enough to make this easy enough to be repeated by anyone.

Here is an example of last nights successful cooking experiment, using the tools I have available and the ingredients I had in abundance or needed to use…

Last night I made chicken nuggets from some butter crackers  (.50/lb because they were broken) margarine (on sale less than .10 a stick) and chicken breasts from the freezer (.99/lb).   So it was about $1.12 lb for the final nuggets. I don’t normally use margarine, but if I am making something with another heavily processed ingredient, like the crackers, why waste my more expensive butter?  If the alternative would be buying commercially prepared food, they won’t be using real butter either.

I had boned the chicken when I bought it. I froze the bones and skin in bags to use for chicken broth, and the meat in strips and nugget sized pieces (freeze thin and flat for use with contact grills).  Some pieces I put on skewers raw and froze to take out later, thaw in a marinade and cook on the grill. For this recipe I chose a bag of nuggets and thawed in the microwave a few minutes. I looked up a recipe online, found a video and watched it for any tips.  (She pointed out if the chicken was too cold, the butter would congeal and the coating not stick. Never thought of that.)

If I like a recipe I save it to Evernote, a free note taking program (that I  now prefer to Mastercook after reading this) for recipe collection. I add tips, hints and  record how well we liked it. I am planning to add my own pictures as well when I get on the ball.

She used gallon baggies to shake the chicken in, I used recycled cereal bags I had saved for microwave cooking and in place of wax paper.
I tried half on the contact grill and half in the toaster oven, just to compare. Both were fine, though the contact grill was a bit crispier and  much faster. So if I need a fast dinner I would make them on the grill, if I need a lot for a group I would make them up in baking pans.

It was pretty fast to make, but a bit messy.  It might be nice to make these up ahead of time, so they are ready to cook right from the freezer, but since I only buy these ingredients on sale, I don’t necessarily have them all on hand. (I’m also a be hesitant to make up too many bulk packs without testing this recipe in the freezer, because maybe the coating would get too soggy or fall off after freezing.) I am thinking of another plan to save and use the ingredients as I find them.

I already froze the on sale chicken. I don’t trust crackers to keep very long in the pantry, so I will probably go ahead and process all the crackers into crumbs and put them in a labeled ziploc in the freezer.  I may even go ahead and put the stick of margarine, the pre-measured bag of crumbs and the bag of frozen chicken all together in a gallon size storage bag with the directions on the bag or on a card inside. I could even add a frozen side dish to go with it like mac n cheese or mashed potatoes. This would make it about as easy, fast and convenient as buying a frozen dinner.  Though the time and ease advantages seem slight, they may add up to be worth it.  By including all the ingredients in the bag, I don’t have to go “searching” through the freezer, nor do I risk contaminating or thawing that may occur if a portion were removed from one big bag. By adding the side dish, I don’t have to decide what to have with it and then find the ingredients for the side dish.  (I admit I sometimes lose my cooking enthusiasm and so we end up eating just lots of one item at a time, rather than an entree, side, etc.) Also I can make these meals up a bit at a time, potatoes added one week when they are on sale, chicken when it goes on sale, etc.

I have one child that is gluten free, for her I would substitute potato chips and/or rice cereal for the crackers.

This was fast to make, reasonably inexpensive for an entree, $.37 per 1/3 lb generous serving and approved by the picky pre and post teen. This gives it a 5 star rating in my opinion.

I wrote this 2011. It is now 2023 so 12 years later I will have to compare how much prices have changed and update the costs of this meal.