By budgeting, meal planning & shopping 2x a month, I have been able to cut our grocery bill in half in addition to building up my long term food storage. I will be covering a lot of these topics in future blogs/vlogs. Some of the recipes have come from online while others are from cookbooks (which I purchased at the thrift store of course) or old family favorites. All are approved by even my picky eater! You will notice that almost everything is served over rice. Reason being that it makes meals go farther inexpensively. Also, here on the farm the extra carbohydrates come in handy! We usually have enough leftovers to reheat for lunch the next day.
Slow-Cooker Chili
Makes 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
- 2 16oz cans red kidney beans, drained
- 2 14 1/2oz cans diced tomatoes
- 1 medium onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 to 3 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.
- NOTE:
Use leftovers over lettuce and other fresh garden vegetables to make a taco salad. - VARIATIONS:
For more flavor, add cayenne pepper or a jalapeno pepper before cooking.
Add 1 cup chopped green peppers before cooking.
F.A.D. Chicken Crockpot
This recipe was so incredibly easy that I dubbed it “Forget About Dinner” chicken crockpot. Really. I dumped it all in and walked away for hours. It was fabulous.
Ingredients
- 1 (2.5 – 3 lb) bag frozen chicken (recipe called for tenderloins, I used breasts -worked fine)
- 1 block cream cheese
- 1 (15 oz.) can of corn (drained)
- 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 (10 oz.) can of Rotel tomatoes (generic is also fine)
Instructions
- Dump everything in the pot in this order, select anywhere from 4-6 hours and happily skip away.
- Shred chicken in the pot.
- Serve over rice.
Southwest Rice and Beans
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice (leftover from previous meals)
- 2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed if canned
- 1 cup corn
- 0.5 cup salsa
- 1-2 teaspoons cumin
- .5 cup shredded cheese (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix rice, beans, corn, salsa, and cumin. Scoop into a baking dish and sprinkle with cheese, if using. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and rice is warmed through. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro or a dollop of sour cream, if desired. Serve as a side dish, or spoon into warmed tortillas and eat burrito-style.
Notes
Freezing Directions:
In a bowl, mix rice, beans, corn, salsa, and cumin. Scoop into a baking dish and
sprinkle with cheese, if using. Cover with foil and freeze.
To serve: Bake from frozen at 350 for 1 hour or until cheese is melted and rice is
warmed through. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro or a dollop of sour cream, if
desired. Serve as a side dish, or spoon into warmed tortillas and eat burrito-style.
Serendipity & Spice
Hamburger Hash Slow Cooker Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb cooked ground beef
- 4 medium Red Potatoes diced
- 1 large Vidalia Onion diced
- 1 cup Carrots diced
- 1 can Cream of Onion Soup
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 cup Shredded Cheese (I like to use Colby Jack but Mozzarella is good too)
Instructions
- Toss all ingredients except cheese into the crock pot, stir well, and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Once veggies are cooked to desired softness add in the shredded cheese and cook additional 15 minutes.
- Sauce will thicken as it cools.
Notes: I buy such lean ground beef that to give extra flavor I add a couple of beef bouillon cubes.
Fix-It & Forget-It Cookbook
Lemon Honey Chicken
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1 whole roasting chicken, rinsed
- 1/2 c orange juice
- 1/2 c honey
Instructions
- Pierce lemon with fork. Place in chicken cavity. Place chicken in slow cooker.
- Combine orange juice and honey. Pour over chicken.
- Cover. Cook on Low 8 hrs. Remove lemon and squeeze over chicken.
- Carve chicken and serve.
Notes:
Serve with a salad and homemade rolls.
Red Beans & Rice
Makes 8-10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb pkg dried red beans (16oz)
- water
- salt pork, ham hocks or sausage, cut into small chunks
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 3 to 4 c water
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions
- Soak beans for 8 hours. Drain. Discard soaking water.
- mix together all ingredients in slow cooker.
- Cover & cook on Low for 10-12 hours, or until beans are soft. Serve over rice.
Notes
Variation:
Use canned red kidney beans. Cook 1 hour on high & then 3 hours on low.
(These beans freeze well)
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 (3 pound) pork roast (I used boneless)
- 1 (12 oz) can root beer
- 1 (18 oz) bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
- 8 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place roast inside slow cooker and pour the root beer over the meat. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours (or until meat easily shreds).
- Take the roast out of the slow cooker and shred using two forks (it should just fall apart). Drain the root beer out of the slow cooker and place the shredded roast back inside. Stir in the bottle of BBQ sauce. Keep warm in the slow cooker until serving.
- Place meat on hamburger buns and serve.
As you can see, I use my crockpot almost every day. Especially this time of year when I am so busy. It keeps me from having to worry about stopping whatever project that I am working on the homestead to cook dinner. I love the convenience! I cook long grain rice in my steamer and make up some homemade cornbread or biscuits in my cast-iron skillet. And don't forget your veggies!
At any rate, this should give you an idea of how to economize on your grocery budget. I have lots more recipes that I may share later but this should get you started. Have a great day!
Blessings!
Tina:)
