After spending too much money at holiday and in the sales …, i’ve been (successfully) cutting down the familys food budget by switching some of the fresh food i usually buy to frozen. You can get so much more for your money and there’s a lot less prep time in an average meal!
So far i’ve been using recipes which have all been healthy and great to try, but i’d love to hear any ideas anyone has for some more frozen food ideas? Give me a challenge !
I do not buy a lot of frozen foods. that is not to say I do not buy or use any. I do buy Walmarts frozen Philly Steak rolls and use themfor many things and I buy Birdseye’s teriaki Vegitables with tree bags of sauce included for use with the steak meat in Stirfries or soups. I also use the steak meat along with shreded or diced potaotes and some home made or a pack of gravy mix to make a quick stew type meal. I do not buy many fresh veggies at walmart as they are way higher than the local Flea Market produce stand. last weekend, Walmart and Save A Lot had fresh Eggplant for $.49 to $1.53 a pound. The Flea Market stand had them,and they were not old an spongy, for two for $2.55. She also had Green Bell Peppers for three for $1.50, or Fifty cents each. I bought a few of each and took them home and sliced and diced the eggplant and blanched it in boiling water then quick chilled it in Ice Water and the placed it in freezer bags for later use in meals. the Peppers I cored and topped and cut into stripes and halfed them and put them in a large freezer bag for use in meals, just grab a handful and toss in pan.
On the way home I sw a roadside stand and the man had fresh Turnips with a big bunch of greens and Fresh Collard greens, so I bought several bunches and took them and some Cubanel peppers home. I removed the greens from the turnips and removed te center stems and tore into small chunks and then blanced them and the spun them to fling off the extra water and allowed them to retain a thin coating of water and placed them in freezer bags and sealed them and froze them along with the collards I had done the same way. The turnips I sliced or diced and then blanced them and dried them and bagged them and froze them for later.
I do not buy frozen meat. You do not know how long it has been frozen and I have got sick from meat that was too old. I instead go to a local Meat packing house that only deals in fresh,local raised pork and Beef and buy a large Boston Butt Roast. these run close to 25 pounds and at home I cut them into five or six chunks and wrap and freeze I only buy them when they are one special at $1.95 pre pound.and sometimes as low as $.99 a pound at thjeir twice yearly specials. When I cook them I place in a crockpot liner and mix a brine to soak them in for two to three days on ice and then slow cook them with m homemade BBQ sauce. I want to ahgve a friend who lives in Kinston North Carolina send me several bottles of King’s BQ BBQ sauce. It is a vinegar based sauce and is not too tart or too sweet and mustardy tasting. I’ll then make up some large, three to four time normal sized, Hushpuppies and gte some Creamy Cole Slaw from Publix or an other place tat has it and cut one of the large hushpuppies almost in half and fill with a heaping tablespoon of the Pulled pork and the top witjh a spoonful of the cole Slaw. This is what King’s BBQ calls a Pig in a Puppy!
My Mom and Dad ad got a free freezer by purchasing a Plan where they ahd to fill the freezer tree tmes with things from te supplier. Once they ahd met the contract, Mom and dad wold go to the local Mom and Pop Meat Markets in our area on Saturday afternoon, about closing time. BAck then the stores didnt open on Sunday and the Health laws would not allow them to keep the “Butcher cut’ meats over until Monday, not even if they froze them. Mom would look at what was in the meatcases and say there wsa fifteen to twenty pounds of Lean ground Beef left. She would ask the owner how much he would let her have it for if she took all of it. Hed think for a minute then say,” Well, it was $.32 a pound and if you take it all I’ll give it to you for $.28 apound. Shed take it and then ask about Pork chops, steaks beef roast and other items until she had all hed had to sell or someone beat her to it, then shed go to the other meat market and get the deals there and have the freezer full for less than the companys plan and better meat as well. Back then they even had trucks that came around with things like Bread, MIlk, Eggs were sold by our Amish Mailman and there were guys who sold produce, sodapop an even Ice Cream from trucks. Not by the cone, but buy the gallon and he had all kinds of flavors and at a better price than a half gallon at the groceriy stores.
AHHH! Those were the Days!