Frugal Moms

I usually do not divulge family recipes for a number of reasons.  The first and most important is that recipes are the spice that peppers family get togethers.  I was hoping to pass them to my children.  Second I always find reading about food boring, or at the very least hunger inducing.  Anyway, I will divulge some recipes that are quick, easy, and affordable.

First let me explain what you should have bought in bulk.  This is how much I buy for my family on a tight budget.

rice (25lb $16), beans(25lb $25), frozen pepper strips(2-3 1lb bags $3), 1$ sauage(3 1lb rolls $3), tomatoe sauce (2-3 industrial size cans $8-12), parsley ($2), garlic($2), soy beans (25lbs $19) or powdered milk(2 boxes $30), soy sauce (1 industrial size $4), the “value” 5lb broccli bags(2 $10) or mixed veg bags (2 $10), Oatmeal (25lb $20), potatoes (20lb $10), carrots (5lb $5), celery (2 bunches $3), cabbage (5-10 lbs $4-7), whole chickens (3 $12), butter (4lb $8), Sugar (10 lb $6), Chili powder ($2), Salt ($1), Olive Oil (1 gallon $26), Onions ($4), Apples ($4), Flour (5lb $2), Baking powder ($2), Veg shortening (1 can $5), Oregano ($2), Oyster Sauce (2 bottles $6).  Total $265.

This is for a family of 7 for one month.  There are a couple basic recipes I vary a little here and there.  Please also note this is with nothing on sale,  this assumes all these items will have to be bought every month even though they won’t, This is with out coupons, this is at the higer price not the store brand or non-organic variety, and this is assuming no veggies are coming out of your garden.  My actual costs are much lower because I use the above techniques to lower our bill.

Recipes.

1 Pot Chicken

Needed: Defrosted whole chicken, 3-5 potatoes washed and chopped up, 2-3 carrots washed and cut up, 2-3 celery stalks washed and cut up.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Place chicken breast side up in a Baking dish that has a fitted lid.  Place cut veggies around the bird.  *Note potatoes can be place whole for ultra laziness.  Sprinkle with parsley and maybe salt.  Place in oven.  Check bird after two hours with a meat theomometer.  When the needle reaches “poultry” (or 190 degrees F)it is time to pull it out and serve it.

American Fried Rice

*This isn’t fat free so leave your diets at the door

Needed: A wok, A rice cooker, 5-7 cups of cooked rice, 1 frozen pepper bag, 1 onion chopped,  1 pound of sausage, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oil (I don’t measure I just know), chili powder to taste, parsley to taste, Oregano about 1/4 a small bottle or more, 1 and 1/2 pints to 1 quart of tomato sauce (depends how saucy you want it).

Take the wok and place thawed sausage in it and fry on med to high heat.  Add the oil now.  After the sausage is fried add the veggies (peppers, onions, anything from the garden that would go great in tomato sauce* summer squash, turnip greens, spinach, wax beans, pinto beans, etc..)  Add the tomato sauce.  Add the spices. Turn heat to low-med.  It should look like really really chunky spagetti sauce.  Allow this to simmer for about 20 minutes or until all veggies are tender and done. Remember to stir occasionally or it will burn on the bottom.  Also about 1/2 to 2/3 of my wok is filled at this point.  Once the veggies seem tender, turn off the heat.   Add the pre cooked rice from your rice cooker and mix well.  Immediately serve on plates hot.  Serves 7 at least and usually many more.  (Up to 24 “side” servings)

Generally good things to add to this dish; summer squash, eggplant, tomatoes, corn, beans, greens, onions, mushrooms, cheese, chicken, tofu, hot peppers,

The day after 1 Pot chicken I usually make Chicken Vegetable Soup

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Needed: Crock Pot, Chicken bones from 1 Pot Chicken, 2 carrots chopped, 2-3 potatoes chopped, 2-3 celery stalks chopped, 1-3 lb cabbage shredded, parsley, salt, 1tsp. olive oil, pepper (optional), 1 onion chopped.

Boil the chicken bones from the 1 pot chicken in enough water to cover.  After the bones have been “boiled to death” to quote my husband, strain the broth into the crock pot.  Take the bones and crack and reboil for more broth with less water.  After straining the second batch ofbroth into the crock pot pick off any tiny amout of meat left on the bones to add chicken bits into the soup.  After the bones have been boiled twice and closely picked clean, give Fido a treat.

Into the crock pot add all the veggies, spices, and oil.   Place on high heat for at least 4 hours before placing on low.  I usually place this on low right before I go to bed and let it cook while I sleep.  When I was going to school, I would place it on low before I went to schooland come home to a nice home cooked meal.  Either way, it should be done after 8 to 12 hours depending if you keep it on low the whole time or did 4 hours of high heat first.

Biscuits and Beans

Needed: A crock pot, Cookie Sheet, 1-2 lbs of beans, water, 2 cups flour, 1 Tbsp. baking powder, 1 Tbsp. Sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 1/3 cup of powdered milk, 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of shortening(*butter or sausage grease).

Place beans in crock pot and fill it with water and place on high.  After 2 hours check beans and add water as needed.  Stir.  Place on low overnight.  Check beans upon rising and stir. Will be done by 4pm the next day. Add salt or pepper to individual bowls.

*Before lunch or dinner, which ever, make the biscuits.  I usually make about 4 to 5 times what this recipe calls for and freeze the left overs so they can have microwaved biscuits with butter for breakfast, with left overs, or with second helpings of beans. This recipe makes 12 biscuits give or take 1 or 2.

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.  Place all the other DRY ingredients (powdered milk, flour, salt, sugar, & baking powder) into a large bowl.   Place 1/2 cup of shortening into the same bowl.  Take a knife, or a pastry cutter and “cut” the shortening into the dry ingredients.  This takes a while.  I usually give up halfway through and have a child take over.  After the mix looks like large crumbles add 1 cup of water.  Mix well with a spoon.  Drop1 teaspoon of batter per biscuit onto the cookie sheet.  Place cookie sheet into the oven for 8 to 11 minutes depending on altitude and oven variance.

Note* Left over beans are usually used for vegetarian tacos if I have enough fresh garden veggies.  The kids love this.  I usually add a little American rice to the tacos too, and this adds more flavor. I take the left over beans and mash them with a potatoe masher to make “refried” beans.  I spread this on tortias ($1) with American rice left overs and fresh veggies.

Mock Chinese Fried Rice

Needed: Rice cooker, wok, 4-6 cups of pre-cooked rice, 1 cup of oil, 1 to 2 lb of frozen broccoli or frozen mixed veggies, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of soy sauce (I suggest the low sodium kind if possible), 1/4 cup of oyster sauce.  Optional spices to add to taste: turmeric,parsley, oregano, cumin seed, Sesame seed, nuts of all kinds, etc…

Place oil, soy sauce, and oyster sauce in the wok on medium.  Add veggies and seasoning.  Stir religiously.  Add up to 1/4 cup of water to keep things from burning.  (Optional: add a splash of balsmatic vinegar)   Once veggies are cooked through turn the heat off and move the pan fromt he burner.  Stir in rice and mix well.  Serves: an army of hungry children wanting seconds with some left overs.

Other good add ins to this dish; shrimp, tofu, summer squash, onion, fresh peas, cabbage, beans, thinly sliced carrots, turnip greens, asparagus, spinach, cauliflower, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, baby corn, bean sprouts, sunflower sprouts, previously cooked chicken pieces, bacon, sausage, alfalfa sprouts, peppers,

Note: Breakfast is usually oatmeal with sugar and butter, lunch is left overs.   Apples are for snacks, to add to the biscuits, or to add to oatmeal.

Other Rice dishes I usually make every now and then are;

Mushroom soup Rice.

I just make 2 cans of mushroom soup with powdered milk added and a tsp of butter.  I stir well on low heat and when finsihed drizzle on top of warm rice fresh from the rice cooker onto plates.

Baked Salmon on a Bed of Rice

When I can afford it I get about 2lbs of Salmon.  Pre-heat the oven to 375 F.  Place the Salmon on an Aluminium Foil bed and spritz it with lemon juice, thyme, parsley, onion bits, 1 tsp butter, and paprika.  Wrap this up tightly and place in the preheated oven for an hour or until the meat timer says done.  Have pre-cooked rice laid out on plates.  Arrange cooked fish pieces over the rice and drizzle with the juice from the aluminum pouch.  If you want to get cute, yo can even garnish it with fresh herbs from the garden.

If you notice these recipes are “inter-connected” as in they all need the same ingrediants and many depend on left overs from other recipes inorder to taste their best.

Recipes that go together.  1 Pot Chicken & Chicken Vegetable Soup, American Fried Rice & Biscuits and Beans.  Mock Chinese Fried Rice works with so many things as a side it doesn’t need a complimentary dish.  I admit this may not be 5 star cooking, but it’s good, it is nutritous, it is inexpensive, and it doesn’t have as many preservatives as commercially available alternatives (which by the way cost more).

Tomorrow I will give you a couple more recipes to make snacks, treats, and other goodies.

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