I’ve been working on frugal recipes for some time, ones that maximize time and effort. Bread made from scratch takes time and effort, for example. Yeast rolls do as well. Anything from scratch generally takes more time and effort than store bought so I think doubling up is the way to go. Freeze-ability is also important.
This is also why I think buying a giant roast (pork, beef, etc.) on sale is the way to go. The strategy is to roast off the protein and then turn it into multiple meals that you can freeze for future use. Any meal you make that is time-consuming and also cost-effective should be used for multiple meals so below are some of my top seven two for the price hits:
- Stuffed cabbage rolls. Use your favorite cabbage roll recipe and make double or in my case, triple. Use a recipe that is generous on the rice as part of the stuffing because rice is cheap and takes on the savory flavor that you are creating. Because you are using cabbage, be sure and get it on special and freeze the extras for quick meals. I always wait until I have a couple of cups of leftover rice from another meal and then I defrost ground beef and make the rolls. The excess stuffing I keep for other meals.
- Toasty Roasty. When you cook a pork roast, be sure and make it worth your while. I use the leftovers to make shredded pork which I then turn into BBQ pork sliders, pork tacos and more.
- Lasagna. This is a tried and true standby for sure but when I make it, I make smaller portions (because lasagna is a heavy meal) and I double the recipe. I make one vegetarian with veggies and white sauce and one with red sauce and ground beef. Lasagna freezes great and is a handy meal for a busy day. If you are going to spend the time and effort to assemble lasagna, be sure and make more.
- Chicken. When I roast a whole chicken or chicken quarters, I use the meat for multiple purposes. Pot pie. Triple your favorite recipe for colder months comfort. Shred some of the meat for chicken enchiladas and use the leftover chicken bits, veggies and the stock for a freezing chicken soup base. You can really stretch chicken that way.
- Homemade bread. This takes time so I like to make multiple loaves at once. My to-go bread recipe allows me to season the loaves any way I like, both savory and sweet.
- Ground beef. When I do my big box run, I generally stock up and buy 5 or more pounds of reasonably priced ground beef and when I return home, I immediately make two meatloaves and meatballs. The rest I will flat pack into small freezer bags for quick defrosting and ease of meal making. The meatballs I keep generic in seasoning so I can use them in both Italian cooking and for my slow cooker Swedish meatballs.
- Homemade rolls. My recipe for this took time to refine but now I can make multiple types of rolls that can be shaped and flavored any way I wish.
in future blogs I will post the techniques and recipes for each of the top seven hits listed above.
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the house behind 