Budget bulk meals/wasting food

[rockundergirl]

The thread about eating out got me thinking about a problem I always have. Being a single mom most nights I only have myself and my 4 year old to feed. I notice I end up wasting a lot of food because it never gets eaten, yet I never seem to have anything on hand to make a "real dinner" , when my mom is around or my boyfriend is with us for meal time. Its very hard to predict the amount of time I have to plan meals , since often I don't know when I will be having company. So i have some questions.

-Whats good to keep around in a pinch?

-What bulk foods can i make on the weekend and freeze for lunches or dinners when i need them last min?

-is anyone in my situation? How do you balance it?

 

[HeatherC]

Some things that I do to help with this is the following:

1. Buy a couple lbs of ground beef when it goes on sale. Cook it up in smaller portions and freeze each portion. For 2 people, maybe 1/2 lb portion is good. Then you have it to throw in pasta sauce one night, make tacos another night, add it to soups, make a meatloaf out of a couple portions, etc..

2. I also use a lot of ground turkey in lieu of ground beef. You can do the same thing.

3. I buy a whole eye round roast and cut that into smaller portions and freeze.

4. Chicken breast or tenders are also great to cook ahead and freeze. You can use them in casseroles, stews, soups, etc..

This way if you have company coming one night, you can just take out a couple portions and whip something up quick.

I also make ahead lasagnas, chili, mashed potatoes, etc.. Just freeze in smaller portions and take out what you need. That way you always have something on hand for yourself and company if they should show up one night.

 

[lspst8]

For the make ahead meals, you can't go wrong with soups and chili. I know some people hate her, but Rachael Ray's "stoup" recipes are usually really tasty and freeze very well. (They do usually take long that 30 minutes to make!) And chili is so easy -- just brown some ground beef and onions and then add canned beans and tomatoes, plus whatever spices you like. I love leftover chili. When I was single, I would make a big pot of soup or chili on Monday, and then take the leftovers for lunch at work the rest of the week.

I've also found that making paninis is great for using up leftovers. My sister recently gave me a panini grill, and I use it at least once a week. We even make breakfast paninis with scrambled eggs and cheese on weekend mornings. After Thanksgiving, we put turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce on the panini, and they were delicious!

 

[minnie1928]

I've found that cooking the meat in advance is a HUGE time saver. I can now buy the bulk sizes of beef/ground turkey and chicken breast. I boil the meat, drain off the fat, let it cool and then separate it into portion sizes that I typically use, put it into a ziploc bag and freeze. For the chicken, I'll shred that before freezing it. Works great!

 

[PinkRhombus]

At the grocery, anytime I come across deli chickens in the warmers that they've marked down because they have a fresh batch, I buy whatever they discounted.

Then I bring them home, shred and chop up the meat, bag and freeze.

Then you can use it chicken and dumplings, soups, quesadillas, chicken enchiladas or tacos, OODLES of chicken casseroles, pot pies, salads, pasta, chicken rollups...so many possibilities.

 

[KirstenB]

I couldn't agree more with the above suggestions. With cookign the ground beef ahead of time, you have the fixings for tacos, spaghetti with meat sauce, shepherd's pie, chili, sloppy joes.

I do boneless chicken breasts in the crock pot. With that I make quesadillas, BBQ chicken sandwiches, and either chicken noodle or tortilla soup.

 

[crisi]

Meatloaf is good too, for the "freeze in small portions" - if you have company, you pull out two.

I also used to make a cake, and frost one nine inch round. The other I'd wrap up and freeze.

I have a pantry cookbook - out of print now, but I suspect there are other such things being published. This one has lots of fast recipes you can make out of the pantry or freezer.

 

[clutter]

Single mom, one kid here, too, so I KNOW what you mean. Although I don't have the occasional guest to accomodate. Plus, my dd12 loves leftovers afterschool. Not cookies, chips, fruit, nuts. No thanks, she wants hot food.

One good trick I have is to stew a chicken on Sundays. I cook it for an hour, pull off the breast meat, cook it a while longer and pull off the dark meat, then cook the bones until I get a good soup or broth. That way, I have cooked chicken and good broth that I can make two meals from during the week. (Dd's fave: make a roux, add chicken broth to a grave texture, add an egg, add chicken meat, serve over rice.) I usually get enough for 2 dinners and lots of (too many) leftovers.

I'll also make a pot roast once or twice a month, when chuck goes on sale. Cook it in the crockpot on the weekend, and have it for a meal during the week. Freeze excess leftovers for another day or to bring to Grandpops.

Pulled pork. 3lb shoulder roast and McCormicks seasoning for pulled pork in the crockpot. You will get enough for a couple meals, and freeze the rest in individual servings to pull out as needed. OR don't freeze and bring to work for lunch with a bun.

For the in a pinch (if your kid will eat it, mine wont...) I agree with the ground beef. I cook a big pack up and freeze in smaller portions, either individual size or maybe a pound if I was thinking about making sloppy joes or tacos.

Always keep pasta in the house as well as your favorite tomato sauce. That with the ground beef will guarantee a quick dinner once a week. Do you all eat fish sticks?

Another favorite of mine is the frozen chicken breasts and tenderloins you get from Costco (Perdue flash frozen). I can cook the tenderlions frozen by browning them and making some type of sauce for them in less time than it takes to cook rice. The breasts are the same, they defrost in minutes by putting them in a bowl of warm water.

 

[rockundergirl]

Single mom, one kid here, too, so I KNOW what you mean. Although I don't have the occasional guest to accomodate. Plus, my dd12 loves leftovers afterschool. Not cookies, chips, fruit, nuts. No thanks, she wants hot food.

One good trick I have is to stew a chicken on Sundays. I cook it for an hour, pull off the breast meat, cook it a while longer and pull off the dark meat, then cook the bones until I get a good soup or broth. That way, I have cooked chicken and good broth that I can make two meals from during the week. (Dd's fave: make a roux, add chicken broth to a grave texture, add an egg, add chicken meat, serve over rice.) I usually get enough for 2 dinners and lots of (too many) leftovers.

I'll also make a pot roast once or twice a month, when chuck goes on sale. Cook it in the crockpot on the weekend, and have it for a meal during the week. Freeze excess leftovers for another day or to bring to Grandpops.

Pulled pork. 3lb shoulder roast and McCormicks seasoning for pulled pork in the crockpot. You will get enough for a couple meals, and freeze the rest in individual servings to pull out as needed. OR don't freeze and bring to work for lunch with a bun.

For the in a pinch (if your kid will eat it, mine wont...) I agree with the ground beef. I cook a big pack up and freeze in smaller portions, either individual size or maybe a pound if I was thinking about making sloppy joes or tacos.

Always keep pasta in the house as well as your favorite tomato sauce. That with the ground beef will guarantee a quick dinner once a week. Do you all eat fish sticks?

Another favorite of mine is the frozen chicken breasts and tenderloins you get from Costco (Perdue flash frozen). I can cook the tenderlions frozen by browning them and making some type of sauce for them in less time than it takes to cook rice. The breasts are the same, they defrost in minutes by putting them in a bowl of warm water.

Great advice! As far as fish sticks my son will eat them but I wont lol. To be honest I'm happy with a can of soup or left over Chinese food. But a child deserves to be cooked for, So i try to do a lot of "real food" like meat and potatoes.

 

[marthachick]

But a child deserves to be cooked for, So i try to do a lot of "real food" like meat and potatoes.

You're a good mom! Most moms (sometimes me included) do what is easiest for them. Someday when he's older, you won't have to worry about leftovers or wasting food! And he'll tell his friends you cook for him & they'll all think you're great!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We're a family of 6 so we don't have nearly the amount of leftovers you have, but I've found that I can freeze just about anything in small 2-3 person/portion sizes and it reheats just fine. The only thing that gets a little "funky" on defrosting/reheating is cooked pasta. The way I look at it is this: I freeze it after a day or two if it hasn't been eaten so it doesn't go bad. When I reheat it, if it doesn't reheat well or taste good, I toss it. 9 out of 10 times it reheats just fine and it's a quick dinner/snack solution.

 

[hipchickie]

At the grocery, anytime I come across deli chickens in the warmers that they've marked down because they have a fresh batch, I buy whatever they discounted.

Then I bring them home, shred and chop up the meat, bag and freeze.

That is a fabulous idea - I was going to suggest something similar, but I roast the chicken myself, and that is dinner the first night. Then I take the leftovers off the bone, and do something like you mentioned, or use the carcass to make chicken broth, add some veggies and noodles and make it into chicken soup.

I usually buy the individually frozen boneless chicken breasts or tenders at Sams club, so that I can take out as many as I need for dinner instead of having to defrost a whole package. You could do the same thing at home by laying them out on a cookie sheet and freezing and then bagging them - that is great for unexpected guests for dinner.

Lately the spiral hams have been on sale, I get a small one, have it for dinner the first night, use the rest of the spiral cut for sandwiches, and the make soup out of the rest, or dice it up and freeze for easy add in for omelets/ breakfast sandwiches, carbonara, add into homemade mac&chz, etc

Whenever we make homemade mac & chz or lasagna we always make a second pan and freeze it. We have an additional freezer in the basement though, and that it so helpful

 

[marcyinPA]

We're a family of 6 so we don't have nearly the amount of leftovers you have, but I've found that I can freeze just about anything in small 2-3 person/portion sizes and it reheats just fine. The only thing that gets a little "funky" on defrosting/reheating is cooked pasta. The way I look at it is this: I freeze it after a day or two if it hasn't been eaten so it doesn't go bad. When I reheat it, if it doesn't reheat well or taste good, I toss it. 9 out of 10 times it reheats just fine and it's a quick dinner/snack solution.

This is pretty much how I roll too. Except I usually freeze most of the leftovers the night we eat the meal. My kids are not big on eating the same thing two days in a row

I've noticed that most things freeze pretty well! I love having the ability to take a package of chili or a meatloaf out of the freezer in the morning, and just needing to heat it up for dinner. It really is "fast" food!!

 

[clutter]

Great advice! As far as fish sticks my son will eat them but I wont lol. To be honest I'm happy with a can of soup or left over Chinese food. But a child deserves to be cooked for, So i try to do a lot of "real food" like meat and potatoes.

Actually, I miss the days when my dd only ate fish sticks. I'd have pasta many nights and I miss it! I'd have with tomato sauce and pre-cooked ground beef. Or, my favorite, was to keep a bag of cooked frozen shrimp and frozen spinach in the freezer. I'd cook up the spinach, make some penne, throw olive oil in the pan and some crushed garlic, saute the spinach and frozen shrimp, add pasta and basil and voila! (then of course add cheese when served. ) Unfortunately, my dd, although a good eater, will not eat tomato sauce or shrimp, so now I choose to only cook things we both eat, unless we have company.

But as for fish sticks, they don't have to be 'fish sticks.' There will be times (wait until your child starts doing sports, lol) that you are limited on time and energy. Having a frozen SOMETHING they will eat is a lifesaver. Even if it's frozen fish that bakes while you make rice and veggie. maybe you have a night where you've got a service man coming after work so you don't have time to watch over cooking.

Another lifesaver is a rice cooker. Now, I used to make fun of them, I admit it. But I got one of those fancy-dancy ones that I can program. We eat rice a lot, so I love not having to set the timer off on the stove all the time.

 

[mamo-4-wdw]

I think that sometimes eating out is cheaper and gives you a variety of foods.

 

[Darcy03231]

When I was a single parent with two small children I would cook on the weekends and make up our own "tv" dinners. I bought the dishes that could go from the freezer to the microwave and made up all kinds of individual dinners. Another nice thing about that was everyone could have what they wanted for dinner that night. Typical ones were:

Spaghetti
Lasagne
Meatloaf w/mashed potates and vegetables
Chicken w/rice or mashed potates and vegetable
Beef Stew
Pot Roast w/potates and vegetables
Shepard's Pie
Chicken Casserolle
Pulled Pork
Chili
Seafood Choweder
Hamburgers w/mashed potates and vegetables.

I always kept bagged salad on hand, as well as precut carrot & celery sticks w/ranch dressing, cucumbers (sliced) and cut up fruit and grapes to use as sides in a pinch.

Pretty much everything you cook can be frozen. I've found certain things don't freeze as well as others (steak is one).

 

[disykat]

For my grocery list, I make a list of possible meals on one side and the groceries needed on the other. Then I cut off the meal list and hang it on the fridge. I always know at a glance what meal possibilities I have in the house - and when it's time to go shopping. I also hung a list of meal ideas on the inside of one of my cupboard doors so I have something to look at when I go blank making my grocery list.

I have one tupperware divided dish that I make meals of leftovers for my husband to take to work. I've been considering buying more (a set of four I found on "thehomemarketplace.com" for $12) so I can make frozen meals. That would give you more of a reason to cook a complete meal and know it will all get utilized.

I have teenagers and now last minute extras at dinner happen frequently. I try to keep a few always easy meals I can pull from the pantry or freezer on hand - frozen meatballs, sauce in a jar, pasta - ingredients for chili or taco soup along with already browned frozen ground beef, etc.

 

[puffkin]

I buy chicken breasts when they are really cheap and I cube it all up and lightly fry it in a little olive oil. Drain and cool. Then I freeze it in smaller packages. I use them in everything! Only take a few minutes to defrost in the microwave.

When I make a meal, I put leftovers away in small single serve containers. DH and I take for lunch. Some weeks I actually plan a leftovers dinner. If there are a ton of leftovers, I will freeze some of the single servings.

 

[apnep]

OP, I would highly recommend you investing in a vacuum sealer. A couple of years ago I was into cooking & freezing and I would grill a ton of chicken breats, and cook roast, meatloaf, brisket, whatever and then vacuum seal it with my Rival Vacuum sealer. I could portion out the meals for my family of 5 and just reheat directly in the bag! The food not only tastes just as fresh as the day you made it, but even better because all the spices and flavors really marinade in that vacuum seal. It was also a great timesaver on busy busy days.

I would say, anytime you make your big meals, just vacuum seal the extra and freeze that way you always have something for a quick reheat!

Good luck!
Angela

 

[mrsklamc]

I have only made chicken breast a couple of times and they seemed tough. Are the frozen perdue ones from costco tender when you reheat them?