OK, now I have to move onto the chicken and chicken meatballs. I love the chicken parmesan meatballs. Here is the recipe. I'm not sure where I got it so I can't give credit where it's due this time.
1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (any)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2/3 tsp dried oregano (eyeball it)
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
2 Tbsp olive oil (or any oil)
Mix all ingredients EXCEPT FOR the oil until evenly combined. Form into 1 inch balls. In large nonstick skillet warm oil over high heat. Place meatballs in pan (up to 8 at time) cook until all sides are browned (about 8 minutes each meatball). Remove and drain on papertowels. Add to your favorite spaghetti sauce!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Banana Bread Complete!
Here is the banana bread cooling right from the oven. There is one mini muffin missing (bottom of the pic) but I had to try the new recipe while it was hot from the oven!
Review as of now... the banana bread is good. I do like the flavor from the vanilla in it. I think next time I might add a touch of cinnamon for a change. Overall it is good.
Review as of now... the banana bread is good. I do like the flavor from the vanilla in it. I think next time I might add a touch of cinnamon for a change. Overall it is good.
Brown Ground Meat
Now, for the browned meat... I put in a huge skillet that I have and browned it all with some onions. Next, I drained it and then put in separate freezer bags (quart size).
Now, please note that I did put in the freezer and that the meat is lying flat. This way it is much easier to store space wise. I do have an extra freezer in the garage, but I still find old habits die hard. This also helps it to thaw more quickly. More than one reason to freeze flat!
First for the ground meat that I am turning into meatloaf... here is the mix. Sorry to all the pregnant women who cannot stand the sight of raw meat!
Next, I took all the meatloaf and made into huge meat balls. Here is "our" thing... hubs and I both like the ends to the meatloaf so I don't make in a loaf pan. I push them into the muffin pans and make meat loaf muffins. This definitely works out to our advantage. Here are our meat loaf muffin balls. I put them on a cookie sheet and am sticking them in the freezer. I ended up with eleven of them. Once they are frozen then I will put in a freezer bag. I have a few reasons for doing this.
I freeze them individually like that so they won't stick to each other once I put them in a freezer bag. This is for multiple reasons. For the four of us I would probably only cook six of them. If we end up with company then I can pull out more. The opposite applies if hubs is working one night and I only need to cook for the girls and myself. ALSO, one more reason to freeze as huge balls... if we want to grill out one night then we can just mash them into burgers.
Look for short cuts every where you go... you might be surprised with what you come up with!
Next, I took all the meatloaf and made into huge meat balls. Here is "our" thing... hubs and I both like the ends to the meatloaf so I don't make in a loaf pan. I push them into the muffin pans and make meat loaf muffins. This definitely works out to our advantage. Here are our meat loaf muffin balls. I put them on a cookie sheet and am sticking them in the freezer. I ended up with eleven of them. Once they are frozen then I will put in a freezer bag. I have a few reasons for doing this.
I freeze them individually like that so they won't stick to each other once I put them in a freezer bag. This is for multiple reasons. For the four of us I would probably only cook six of them. If we end up with company then I can pull out more. The opposite applies if hubs is working one night and I only need to cook for the girls and myself. ALSO, one more reason to freeze as huge balls... if we want to grill out one night then we can just mash them into burgers.
Look for short cuts every where you go... you might be surprised with what you come up with!
Banana Bread
OK, I have accomplished step one... I have mixed the ingredients to the banana bread. I hunted a new recipe down because I was unenthused about the one I was using, so I am trying this one here. I'm not going to lie... I tasted the batter (yes, even though it has raw eggs in it) and it was quite delicious! I hope they turn out as well as the batter did!!
Step two is below... the banana bread is baking in the oven and I am about to start on the ground meat. I started with the bread because it bakes so long. I made less than what I had intended, but evidently the hubs and girls ate quite of few of the ripe bananas I purchased in the last two days. Oh well! I ended up with a round springform pan, 6 muffins and 12 mini muffins.
This is my to go breakfast for work. I have even made a ton of it before, froze it on a cookie sheet (after slicing) and then put in the vacuum seal freezer bags. Honestly, they were better after being frozen. That's bad, which is why I hunted up a new recipe.
On to the next task....
Ground meat!
Step two is below... the banana bread is baking in the oven and I am about to start on the ground meat. I started with the bread because it bakes so long. I made less than what I had intended, but evidently the hubs and girls ate quite of few of the ripe bananas I purchased in the last two days. Oh well! I ended up with a round springform pan, 6 muffins and 12 mini muffins.
This is my to go breakfast for work. I have even made a ton of it before, froze it on a cookie sheet (after slicing) and then put in the vacuum seal freezer bags. Honestly, they were better after being frozen. That's bad, which is why I hunted up a new recipe.
On to the next task....
Ground meat!
Road Block #1
Not enough yeast! I JUSTgot this bread machine last week and have yet to use it. Today would be the first run and I don't have enough yeast. I need 9 of the little envelopes and I have 6. So, no cinnamon raisin bread today! So sad!!!!
Freezer Cooking Day
Today I am going to be cooking for the freezer. I am getting a late start because we had breakfast with the inlaws and then had to go sock shopping because the dryer seems to eat all of them!
Here is my list of what I'm going to be making today.
2 meatloaves
spaghetti sauce with ground meat
brown ground meat precooked for future use
chicken parmesan meatballs
6 baked boneless skinless chicken breast
loaf of cinnamon raisin bread
tons of banana muffins, mini muffins and loaves
cookie dough (freeze in balls for future use)
This is what I hope to accomplish so we shall see how far I get. Amidst all this I have two children (napping for now), piles of laundry, cleaning, scrubbing and vacuuming to do so keep your fingers crossed for me.
Below is a before picture of the kitchen, let's see how bad it gets.
Here is my list of what I'm going to be making today.
2 meatloaves
spaghetti sauce with ground meat
brown ground meat precooked for future use
chicken parmesan meatballs
6 baked boneless skinless chicken breast
loaf of cinnamon raisin bread
tons of banana muffins, mini muffins and loaves
cookie dough (freeze in balls for future use)
This is what I hope to accomplish so we shall see how far I get. Amidst all this I have two children (napping for now), piles of laundry, cleaning, scrubbing and vacuuming to do so keep your fingers crossed for me.
Below is a before picture of the kitchen, let's see how bad it gets.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Experiment for the Week
I am trying out an experiment this week. You ready to hear what I’m doing. You’ll probably think me weird or odd, but that’s OK… just trying out something else to see what works for us.
I baked two whole chickens on Saturday and my experiment is to see if we can eat five dinners off these two chickens. The chickens were only $6.00 total for the two. If I can get five meals out of them then the cost of meat for each meal is only $1.20.
Sunday – chicken and vegetable soup (like my Granny’s… cooked in crockpot overnight Saturday and it was AWESOME!)
Monday – chicken chili
Tuesday – had penne pasta with chicken, broccoli, tomatoes in a chicken broth, olive oil and seasoning sauce
Wednesday –
Thursday – chicken casserole or burrito casserole (not sure)
I’m trying to think of about how much each meal cost (if I get five meals from chicken)…
Chicken Vegetable Soup – 1.20 chicken, 1.50 broth, .66 vegetables = $3.36
Chicken Chili – 1.20 chicken, 1.00 for seasoning, .77 beans, .33 corn = $3.30
Penne Chicken – 1.20 chicken, penne was free, .50 broth, broccoli was free, tomatoes about .25 = $1.95
Buffalo Chicken – 1.20 chicken, hot sauce was free, .50 Italian seasoning, .50 tortillas, .75 cheese = $2.95
Chicken Casserole – 1.20 chicken, .79 cream of mushroom, corn was free, breadcrumbs were free = $1.99
Five meal total = $13.55
That is my experiment for the week and so far seems to be working out for total cost. Would you think I was anal if I put a sticker on everything I bought and put how much it cost me just so I can see how much all of my meals cost?? LOL J
Not only has this saved me money, but the time that it has saved me each evening has been EXTREMELY valuable and very noticeable to me. The chickens cooked by themselves in a big turkey oven bag. Then I pulled some off to put in my soup and it cooked in the crock pot over night and the house smelled great. I took the rest of the chicken and didn’t debone it and just tore it apart and put in a storage bag. I pulled some out for the chicken chili on Monday after work. It took all of about ten minutes to put dinner together. Last night I did the Penne chicken and it was done in less than 20 minutes (started the water and cooked the pasta, put the steamfresh broccoli in the microwave, put the sauce together and then threw it all together and let the chicken heat through). Tonight the tortillas will take a few minutes to make but the meat of the meal is already done and I can get the chicken and sauce concoction together while they cook. Probably less than 30 again!
I think I am going to start precooking all my meat on the weekends. This week hasn’t been hectic at all when it comes to dinner and super quick. I’ve enjoyed it immensely!! And my family has appreciated it as well. A happy mom is always a good thing (ask dad J)
HT Triples Yet Again!!
I’ve already been to HT this morning (for trip 1 since can only use 20 coupons that multiply in a transaction) and was at work before 8:00 a.m. Working diligently already!! You better get on over there before I buy them out!
Here is what I bought…
3 x Scrubbing Bubble bathroom cleaner
($2.50 - .75 cpn = .25 ea)
3 x Joy dish detergent
(.99 - .30 cpn = .09 ea)
Strawberry Nestle Quik Powder
(2.99 - .50 cpn = 1.49)
Chocolate Nestle Quik Powder
(2.99 - .50 cpn = 1.49)
6 x Carnation Evaporated milk
(.69 - .50/2 cpn = free)
Starkist Tuna salad pouches
(1.85 - .50 cpn = .35 ea)
Bumble Bee Tuna pouch
(1.99 - .55 cpn = .34)
5 lb HT sugar
(.99 eVic price)
2 x Mt Olive Sandwich Stackers
(2.59 - .50 cpn = 1.09 ea)
2 x Mueller Macaroni
(1.00 - .55/2 cpn = .17 ea)
2 x Mueller Spaghetti
(1.00 - .55/2 cpn = .17 ea)
2 x Mueller Lasagna
(1.50 - .55/2 cpn = .67 ea)
Spent $11.27
Saved $39.34
Total $50.61
Saved 78%
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Harris Teeter Triple Coupons
Harris Teeter has triple coupons starting TOMORROW (11/04/09)! You will find me there about 6:00 a.m. getting things before I get to work and again that evening for the perishables.
I will post later on what to match up. Keep in mind that I don’t know which paper my coupons come from nor is it an all inclusive list. I can only find the sales they post at this time and go off of which coupons I have (I may have used some already so don’t have those).
Anyways… see you there!
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