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Post by sebastianlady on Jul 21, 2007 8:10:12 GMT -6
Thought this might be a good place to share some of the ideas that we have come up with when, for what ever reason, you find yourself cookin for just one.
It gets old makin a meal and then eattin it for days and days.... and days.
Ideas?
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Post by sebastianlady on Jul 21, 2007 8:12:15 GMT -6
I am coming into an extremely frugal time. That's why I put it in cheap livin... though I tend to be that way anyway.
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Post by sebastianlady on Jul 21, 2007 8:20:28 GMT -6
I make soup in a crock pot and use chicken thies cuz they don't cost so much. I splurge there and get the boneless skinless ones cuz I don't need the skin and the boneless ones can be thrown in the pot frozen without having to think about getting the bones out later.
The crockpot thing works during my busy times, because on those days, I leave at 7 in the morning and don't get home till at least dinner time.
I have learned to freeze the left over soup in ziplock bags filled and frozen flat on a cookie sheet incase they leak (I need one of those fancy machines!). Makes it easy to grab a bag of soup for lunch or dinner.
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Post by buzzard on Jul 21, 2007 9:37:03 GMT -6
I cook single stuff at home, but generally have learned to make just enough for a couple of days cause that's all I'm home. The rest of the week, I'm at my son's. I look for the boneless/skinless chicken breasts (less fat than the thighs), but I look for the big family packs with the store brand, which pretty much are the same quality as the big poultry makers, sometimes better. If I watch the sales, I can get 3 or 4 lbs packs for .99/lb. Then I take them home and make them into single or double serving packs to be cooked (generally one of the breasts will last me two meals) and freeze them. I do the same with hamburger and pork. The hamburger, you can get "manager specials" where you get about 4 lbs of meat for like $3.60. It's on special because it's getting close to it's "sell by" date. I take that home and repackage it up in 1/2 lb packages and freeze it. I always look for the big family packs on my meat, they're always way cheaper. I've gotten some really excellent tender pork chops that way, boneless. It's just not economical for me to buy meat that's packaged for one or two persons, it's usually the most expensive it seems. I'll buy a spiral cut ham when they're on sale real cheap and take it home and cut it up in small pieces and freeze them till I'm ready to cook them, (I make a few packages of slices for breakfast frying too.) I buy frozen veggies when they're on sale, then I can use just what I need and leave the rest in the freezer, instead of opening a can that's to big for one person. I can buy a big old slab of pork ribs and cut them into portions for several meals and freeze them. If fresh veggies are a real good price, I'll buy what I need, plus some extra for freezing. If it's something I use a lot of, like peanut butter and jelly (love PBJ's), I go ahead and buy the big jars, cheaper in the long run. I'll buy big jars of spaghetti sauce on sale, take it home and put it in those little ziploc or Glad plastic containers about the size of individual servings, and freeze them. Then I can make my noodles and just pop one of the sauce things in the microwave and have spaghetti, without having to make a huge pot. I'll make a huge pot of soup, invest in the Glad containers that hold one serving and fill them up and freeze them (stack better than the ziplocs, LOL). Then I let it thaw in the fridge during the day and pop it in the microwave. The Glad/Ziploc containers cost money, yeah, but you can re-use them and I don't like re-using the ziplocs. I've had those leak on me the second time around. I have some Glad/Ziploc containers that I've had over two years that I use all the time and just put in my dishwasher. Bottom line, whatever I'm looking for, I try to find the biggest container that will give me the most bang for my buck, then take it home and repackage it. I even shop the same way for my son's family. The kids know, if we go grocery shopping, when we get home, they just start pulling out the containers and ziplocs when we get home.
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Post by buzzard on Jul 21, 2007 9:39:39 GMT -6
A lot of the stores meat departments around here I go to will take a whole turkey or ham for me and cut it into halves or smaller for me with their big meat saw. Then I can could smaller portions easily. Again, I watch for the sales, like when the turkeys are .59/lb. or less
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Post by chucky on Jul 21, 2007 10:56:27 GMT -6
For one person I will take a single thick cut pork chop in the center of a small glass baking dish. I add one can of condensed mushroom soup with about 1/3 the liquid required for soup. Bake covered with foil at 350 for about a hour, then dump a can of drained green beans on top and cook about 30 minutes longer uncovered. If I am really hunger I might add a second pork chop. Great meal and easy to fix while I am busy doing something else. Then again I am a really big eater, so it might be to much for some people.
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Post by califgirl on Jul 21, 2007 11:41:32 GMT -6
I buy large packages of chicken and also re-wrap in smaller packages when I get home. When I cook, I make enough to freeze, so I can have later. Soup, chili, Spaghetti, enchiladas all can be frozen. I love cooking so I cook too much. But I don't waste any of it. I eat a lot of salads, so I make my own salad dressing. Salad and Baked potato are a very good meal and pretty healthy.
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Post by buzzard on Jul 21, 2007 14:58:22 GMT -6
Ooooo, a baked tater with some broccoli and a little bit of grated mozzarella, yep, I can eat that for dinner any night. I also love cookies, but usually don't want to fix a big batch that will sit there and say "eat me". So I'll whip up something like chocolate chips, peanut butter, oatmeal, etc. and then I use a cookie scoop (or melon baller works just fine too), and scoop all the batter into balls sized for individual cookies. Put them on cookie sheets on parchment paper or waxed paper and pop them in the freezer till they're firm. Take em out and package them in 2's or 3's or whatever (more sometimes for if the grandkids come over). Then put em back in the freezer. Take them out half hour ahead of when I want to use them (like at least when I start making my dinner). By the time I'm done eating, I can pop them in the oven, cook em like usual and I get hot cookies, fresh from the oven! For a lot cheaper than those store bought cookie packages. Also, I bake cake, brownies, gingerbread, etc. in casseroles (rectangular), then when it's done, I just cut them up in serving size, wrap them in waxed paper, then put in a ziploc and pop into freezer. Then I can just pull a piece out whenever I want. For the cakes and brownies, I can either mix up a little bit of butter cream frosting, or sprinkle powdered sugar over the top, or use fresh fruit or frozen strawberries. Yummy on the brownie!
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Post by sebastianlady on Jul 22, 2007 5:57:06 GMT -6
Great ideas all, thanks. That is what I love about this place
On the chicken, I prefer white most times too, but for crock pot soup, the dark seems to shread, while the white meet has to be cut up... another step.
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