Save money with once a month cooking and frugal recipes

Have you ever spent money on fast food because it was quick and easy?
Do you have your local pizza delivery place on speed dial?

If so, then you will be thrilled by how much money you save when you start cooking once a month. Your freezer full of meals saves you money by eliminating the need for fast and easy solutions. You won’t be tempted to buy the expensive pre-packaged food at the grocery store. Instead, you’ll be preparing nutritious meals at a fraction of the cost.

Perhaps you’ve heard of once a month cooking and would like to try it, but you don’t know how to begin. Frugal Mom’s Guide to Once a Month Cooking, written by Candace Anderson, will show you how.

Enjoy once a month cooking with easy step-by-step instructions

Candace has put together an easy 5-step plan to once a month cooking that will set you off on the right foot, and hold your hand through the entire process. The 5-step plan uses forms that she created to help you plan, and keep you on track. The forms that she included in this book will be your road map for your cooking session. It will organize your cooking day, your grocery shopping, and give you a plan for cooking.

Here are some customer comments about her book:

“The Beef Fajita marinade was very simple to prepare and took about 5 minutes” – Judy

“We will definitely do the Mexican Beef Casserole again – it was easy to prepare as well as put together for dinner. We all enjoyed it – there wasn’t enough leftover to have for lunch the next day. I would say that tells how much we all liked it!” -Cindy

“The Stuffed Burger Pockets were very easy to put together. They were tasty and easy. -Julie

“The Crock Pot Beef was great! Very easy recipe to follow and the whole house smelled great. My kids ate every bite.” -Keri

“We had this Sweet & Sour Chicken and it was yummy – everyone love it! I do have to say that I had never made sweet & sour sauce from scratch before and this is delicious, quick, and easy!” -Lisa

Once a month cooking support

Not only will you have a large variety of delicious meals to prepare for your family, you’ll also have an online community where you can turn to for help. Candace, and others just like you, will be walking right beside you, every step of the way.

~ Complete step-by-step instructions for giving you a freezer full of meals.
~ Over 70 family-friendly recipes tested by Frugal Moms.
~ The ability to save money with once a month cooking.
~ A simplified life that gives you more time to enjoy the things you love.
~ Once a month cooking forms that will organize your cooking sessions.
~ An online community to support you on your new journey.
~ Instant delivery! Since this is an ebook, you won’t have to wait for it to arrive in the mail.

BONUS: With your purchase of Frugal Mom’s Guide to Once a Month Cooking, you’ll also receive Bulk Cooking for the Freezer: Ground Beef. Save time and money with this detailed guide to bulk cooking 20+ meals with ground beef. This eBook has illustrated plans that include step-by-step instructions to guide you through the entire preparation process. The ground beef plan includes 14 different ground beef recipes for your freezer along with recipes to make your own seasonings. Bulk Cooking plans include both printed grocery list and Shopping List software (windows) grocery list file.

From the introduction:

The recent economic recession has a lot of people worried, about their jobs, their businesses, their homes and their bills. When your income is dropping or in jeopardy and you still have a mountain of bills to pay, things can get pretty scary.

However, tough economic times do not have to be a time of struggles! If you look for the opportunity in the middle of difficulty, as Mr. Einstein suggested, then tough economic times become an opportunity to transform your life.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. A Simple Lifestyle
2. Focus on the Essentials
3. Thriving on Less, Not Struggling
4. Focusing on Enough, Not More
5. Make Small Financial Changes First
6. Look at Large Expenses for the Long Term
7. Changing Your Spending Habits
8. A Guide to Getting Out of Debt
9. Tools for a Frugal Life
10. Resources

BROILED AND SPICY CHICKEN:
1. 6 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2. 1/2 cup fat-free italian dressing
3. 1 cup tomato juice
4. 1/2 tsp. chili powder
*combine dressing, tomato juice, and chili powder
*pour over chicken and marinate for several hours
*broil for 30 min. or until done, turning once and basting frequently

LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN:
4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 TBS lemon juice
*using non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray, slowly saute garlic over low heat
*add chicken and cook over medium heat until brown on both sides
*add broth and lemon juice
* heat to boiling, then reduce heat
*cover and simmer 10-15 min. or until chicken is done
*remove chicken and keep warm
*cook or reduce remaining liquid in pan, around 3 min.
* pour over chicken and serve

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN:
1. 6 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2. 1 cup crushed corn flakes
3. 1/4 cup buttermilk
4. 1 tsp. creole seasoning
*combine creole seasoning and corn flake crumbs
*brush chicken with buttermilk and roll in crumb mixture
*bake at 375* for 1 hour

Buy the book at the Simply Saving Shop

Description: Easy salads that you can prepare for family barbecues or picnics.

Salads are a great accompaniment to any summer picnic or barbecue. Everyone has their favorite. I personally love Taco Salad, my daughter’s favorite is Pea Salad.

Here are some easy salad recipes you can prepare for your family or take to your next family get-together. Keep an open mind about the Broccoli Salad recipe and give it a try. It is delicious!

Taco Salad
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tomatoes
1 head lettuce
4 oz. cheese, grated
8 oz. Thousand Island dressing
Taco Sauce to taste
1 bag tortilla chips
1 lg. avocado, opt.
1 lb. ground beef
1 can kidney beans
1/4 t. salt

Chop onion, tomatoes, and lettuce. Toss with cheese, dressing and taco sauce. Crunch and add chips. Brown meat, add kidney beans, salt and simmer 10 minutes and mix into cold salad. Serve immediately (or prepare ahead of time and add cheese and chips right before serving).

Three Bean Salad
1 can green beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can wax beans
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Drain beans. Heat remaining ingredients in a saucepan until heated through. Pour over beans and refrigerate before serving.

Picnic Coleslaw
6 c. shredded cabbage
2 c. shredded carrots
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
12 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 c. vinegar
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Combine cabbage, carrots, bacon, and onion. In a jar mix vinegar, sugar, salt, and shake well. Just before serving, pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss.

Macaroni Salad

1 lb. salad macaroni
12 med. green onions, sliced
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 c. thinly sliced celery
12 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
1 c. dill pickles, chopped
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. mustard
1 tbsp. horseradish
1 tbsp. dill pickle juice
Salt and pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain well. Rinse and drain again. Place macaroni into large bowl. Add onion, eggs, celery, and pickle. Blend together the mayonnaise, horseradish, mustard, and pickle juice. Stir into macaroni mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill 4-6 hours.

Broccoli Salad
1 bunch broccoli, cut in tiny flowers
1 c. raisins
1/4 c. red onion
1/4 c. pecans (or walnuts, or sunflower seeds)
1/4 c. bacon bits
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. vinegar

Mix mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Add bacon bits and other ingredients and mix. Chill for a few hours.

Pea Salad

2 bags frozen peas
1 block cheddar cheese (cubed or shredded)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 bunch green onions
1 pkg. bacon cut into small pieces and fried

Keep peas frozen until ready to use. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill and serve.

Five Cup Salad
1 c. sour cream
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1 c. coconut
1 c. pineapple
1 c. mandarin oranges

Mix together and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

1. Easy clean up for your microwave – Keep a paper plate in the microwave to catch messy spills. When it is time to clean, just throw the paper plate out and replace with a new one.

2. Always crispy fried fish – Your fish will be perfectly fried if you put it in a little milk before flouring it. Also, put it into the pan when the oil is very hot, but not smoking. Your family and you will love the crispy coating.

3. Kitchen Tricks – Don’t throw out trimmings from onions and celery. Instead, freeze them to use later when you make stock or broth. They will have a rich taste.

4. Juice Your Lemons Juicier – For lemons that are really juicy, try this little trick. Just before you squeeze the lemons, put them in hot water. You can also place lemons in a preheated warm oven. These warmed up lemons give much more juice.

5. An Apple a Day – When you eat outside on a camping trip, if anyone forgets their toothbrush; always keep an apple in your backpack. The apple not only helps to digest your food, it cleans and disinfects the mouth.

6. Ripening Fruits and Vegetables – A lots of fruit and vegetables found in supermarkets today look ripe but are hard as a rock. Put them in a brown paper bag and hide the bag away in a dark cupboard for a day or two before you eat them.

Use this great tip for items such as avocados, bananas, kiwi fruit, peaches, nectarines, and many more.

7. Prepare a Quick Salad – Serve salad ingredients on a bed of lettuce rather than tearing the salad greens into small pieces. Just lay a few lettuce leaves on the plate and layer it with a slice of tomato, cucumber, red onion and olives.

8. Tender Meat – You can tenderize meat using one to two tablespoons of vinegar. You can do a quick marinade with vinegar and spices. Leave in the refrigerator 10-15 minutes then cook.

9. Wilted vegetables – You can perk up wilted vegetables by soaking them in 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.

10. Wooden Skewers – Shish kebabs are a healthy meal and delicious meal especially for summer outdoor cookouts. When using wooden skewers for kebabs, keep them from burning by soaking in cold water for 10-30 minutes before you put them on the grill.

Angela Tyler is a mom who would rather play than cook. If that sounds like you, you won’t want to miss www.FreeQuickRecipes.com.

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine 3 tomatoes (chopped), 1/2 onion (chopped), 1 clove of garlic (chopped), 1/2 TSP each of basil & oregano (fresh if you have it), 2 TBS olive oil and some grated parmesean cheese. Mix and set aside.

Cut a loaf of Italian bread diagonal, 1/2″ slices, place on pan and bake 2-3 minutes. Take the bread out and spoon the mixture on it. Add some shredded or thinly sliced mozzerella cheese. Put back in the oven for 2-3 minutes.

mangia!

I am by no means a cook. I don’t even like the kitchen. LOL But hey, we gotta eat. I love the products by companies like Morning Star Farms, Gardenburger (love their meatballs with some sweet and sour sauce!) and Boca because they’re so easy to use. I found this recipe on the MSF website that I’d like to try.