Home Economics

[Kim_B]

Alright all you Crockpot Queens - hit me with your best recipes if you please.

I work a full time job - leave the house at 7 AM and I don't get home until almost 7 PM (an hour commute each direction) - by the time I get home I'm too wiped out to even consider cooking dinner...but I hate, no, LOATHE frozen meals every night (the occasional one isn't as bad, but not every night of the week!). Hubby and I both would like to start taking our lunches, and since we both work rather long days it helps having hearty meals to take with us so we aren't starving by the time we leave work. I only have a couple tricks up my sleeve when it comes to my crockpot, but would love to know your recipes if you're willing to share!

 

[Red_Lipstick]

Maybe you could consider buying a Slow Cooker (I think they're also known as crock-pot)? I don't have one, but I've heard it gives good results! You would have to leave everything ready in the morning but would come back to a nice meal in the evening

Once you have that sorted out lunches are easy: just cook extra portions and freeze them! If you want to use dinner leftovers for next day's lunch, you can re-make them into something different so you don't get bored: use pasta to make frittatas, mix veggies leftovers with noodles, etc

I love pasta so I usually cook lots of sauce in the weekend (pesto, tomato and onion, bolognesa, etc) and freeze it in small portions, so I just have to boil some pasta in the morning, mix it with the sauce and ready to go!

Hope this helps you!

 

[Miss Neecerie]

on a related sort of note...advice wise...

I have heard that if you do the prep for the crockpot...as long as you have one of the ones with the removable liner...you prep the night before..stick the -crock- part in the fridge..and then you don't actually need to prep in the AM.....

 

[Joie DeVive]

I haven't used my crockpot a lot as I tend to be home to cook, but when I wasn't, I found out that you can do a corned beef dinner quite well in the crock pot.
You buy a corned beef, it doesn't matter if it's points of flats (meat cutting terms). I like the ones with the little packet of spices. Put the beef in the bottom of the crock. Add water to just cover the meat and sprinkle in the spices. Then add carrot sticks or pre-peeled carrots from a bag, peeled and halved potatoes or whole or halved red new potaotes, and a head of cabbage cleaned and cut into quarters on top. Try to keep peeled potatoes mostly out of the water or they get mushy. Sometimes it's a push to get it all in there, but I make it all fit. Start your crockpot on low before you leave, and by dinner time, you should have a whole corned beef dinner. You probably wouldn't want to do that too often, but I've had really good luck with it.

 

[texasgirl]

I saw this one over on SparkPeople, but I haven't tried it yet.

Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken

Ingredients


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup (condensed)
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

Nutritional Info

Fat: 3.3g
Carbohydrates: 6.7g
Calories:157.2
Protein: 24.3g


Add chicken to slow cooker.
Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken.
Pour salsa and soup over chicken.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.
Serve with rice.

NOTES:
You may use half the packet of taco seasoning (I have started doing this to reduce sodium content myself)

Some slow cookers cook faster than others. Mine is a true slow cooker (have had it over 10 years.) The newer ones cook a bit faster and you may have to adjust your cooking time based on that!



Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CHELLESHOCKED

 

[Lorena B]

I always been told i am good at budgeting soo if they help here they come some of my every day tips.

When i buy fruit, if i see they wont be consumed on time before they go bad, i make jams and marmelades.
with tonight leftovers (if i dont freeze them), ill do something for tomorrow (for example) add them to an spanish omelette, put them in a pie, a russian salad...everything can be used.

Peanut butter is not only great for putting on the bread, is also an important ingredient for making nices thay food.

Buy my spices in refills, they are cheaper than the spice in the container.
I check out some white brands
I check out 99P shops, i buy pantene, dove shampoos for 99p or make up remover towels for the same price!!
Before i go to do my groceries i check my cupboard, if i dont get any ideas about what to cook with all that stuff , then i search the net about recipes containing ingredients i have, in most cases i only need to buy very little things needed.

I am a caterer and i have been cooking for more that 300 men so i have the problem of always cooking more that i need, but what i do is freeze the leftovers for a future use.

If i run out of tomato sauce, ill use ketchup.
If i have sauces or dipping ones left over or stuff like hummus, guacamole, them i add them to meals. I must mentioned, making your own hummus and guacamole is soo easy and cheap.. that i only buy the already made ones if i am in a hurry.

Try making your own bread, ir takes time but is loooooadss better and once it goes hard, freeze it, and if you need to use it put it in the oven, it will come out nice and crispy.

You can make your own pasta, is very easy, only water and flour, i would invest in a pasta machine. Lasagne comes amazing.

If i have any leftover instand soup ill add it as stock to my meals, ill do the same with gravy granules if i run out of stock

Also, if you dont consume something like for example olives, gerkings now, them cover them in oil (i preffer olive oil one), anything in oil is preserved for long time.
www.myspace.com/lorena54

 

[CherryRed]

Thanks to this thread I had gotten out the bread machine I inherited from my aunt and stated using it.
It is soooooo simple and so much cheaper then paying over $3 for a loaf of whole wheat bread.

I also joined the Grocery Game and even though Walgreen's is the only list available to me I have still done well with it and have saved on things I would have paid full price for at Wal-Mart. It is actually fun to do and has helped me be more organized in where my money goes.

Thank you all for your suggestions!

 

[LelaViavonie]

I always been told i am good at budgeting soo if they help here they come some of my every day tips.

When i buy fruit, if i see they wont be consumed on time before they go bad, i make jams and marmelades.
with tonight leftovers (if i dont freeze them), ill do something for tomorrow (for example) add them to an spanish omelette, put them in a pie, a russian salad...everything can be used.

Peanut butter is not only great for putting on the bread, is also an important ingredient for making nices thay food.

Buy my spices in refills, they are cheaper than the spice in the container.
I check out some white brands
I check out 99P shops, i buy pantene, dove shampoos for 99p or make up remover towels for the same price!!
Before i go to do my groceries i check my cupboard, if i dont get any ideas about what to cook with all that stuff , then i search the net about recipes containing ingredients i have, in most cases i only need to buy very little things needed.

I am a caterer and i have been cooking for more that 300 men so i have the problem of always cooking more that i need, but what i do is freeze the leftovers for a future use.

If i run out of tomato sauce, ill use ketchup.
If i have sauces or dipping ones left over or stuff like hummus, guacamole, them i add them to meals. I must mentioned, making your own hummus and guacamole is soo easy and cheap.. that i only buy the already made ones if i am in a hurry.

Try making your own bread, ir takes time but is loooooadss better and once it goes hard, freeze it, and if you need to use it put it in the oven, it will come out nice and crispy.

You can make your own pasta, is very easy, only water and flour, i would invest in a pasta machine. Lasagne comes amazing.

If i have any leftover instand soup ill add it as stock to my meals, ill do the same with gravy granules if i run out of stock

Also, if you dont consume something like for example olives, gerkings now, them cover them in oil (i preffer olive oil one), anything in oil is preserved for long time.
www.myspace.com/lorena54

That is some great stuff Lorena!!

I really love the 99 Cent Stores!!

 

[Lorena B]

They are great!!, arent they?

I am soo addicted to them!!


Here in the Netherlands i have not seen one yet but.... i am sure if there is any, ill get to find it, ha,ha,ha

 

[miss_elise]

my friend has a slow cooker bbq chicken recipe... i'll go dig it out

also try looking here or one of the millions of recipe websites

http://www.slowcookerrecipes.net.au/

okay, slow cooker bbq chicken

Angie's Coca Cola Chicken.......

Chop chicken breast and pop it in your slow cooker with 1 can coke, 1 small bottle tomato sauce and leave it for about 5 hours. Serve it with mash.

 

[Lady Day]

*bump*

LD

 

[Amy]

Alternative uses for things to save pennies

Hi ladies!

As well as stocking up when things are on offer, I often try to find alternatives for products that eat into my budget. My reasoning is that it leaves more money for shoes!

I use cigarette papers to blot oil before re-applying powder (I'm sure it's the same thing), but a paper towel will do in a pinch.
Hair gel for eyebrow gel (so much cheaper!).
Anti-chafing gel (Lanacane, Monostat) as primer/mattifying gel. It contains the same oil-absorbing ingredients (a type of silicone, I think) without a lot of the perfume and other nasties.
I add a few drops of jojoba oil to my everyday moisturiser to turn it into a night cream.
I add bicarbonate of soda to my face cleanser to exfoliate. You can also add to to toothpaste to help whiten your teeth.
I don't use a special cleaner to clean my make-up brushes, -baby shampoo works just as well.
Olive oil and salt to scrub hands/feet/elbows etc (add some essential oils if you like).
Vinegar (any old kind) for cleaning so many things in the the kitchen and bathroom -it cuts through grease and scale, and will polish shiny surfaces like glass or marble. I also use it to pre-treat clothes with grease stains. Hasn't damaged any silk or cashmere yet, but it might be best to use distilled, so there's no risk of leaving a brown stain.
I use spray oil (the kind used for afro hair styling) instead of the Sally Hansen spray that makes your nail polish touch dry in 60 seconds. MASSIVE can for less than half the price!
Hair conditioner as nail cream (your hair and nails are made of the same stuff).

On their own, they probably don't save much money, but put together...

 

[GoddessMama]

I have two slow cookers ( I am cooking for 8 people every day) At night I fix up both, one for breakfast and one for dinner. Breakfast its things like slowcooker cinamon rolls, fritata, or cranberry and walnut Irish outs. Dinner we do things like enchiladas, pulled pork for sandwitches, stew, barbeque chicken. I would just die with out my crockpots!

 

[LoserVonTeese]

Grocery outlet is another good frugal place I love that store they have brand name food and off brand but there prices are good. clothes, cleaning supplies, brand name laudry cleaners, everything !!!

 

[lframe]

Anti-chafing gel (Lanacane, Monostat) as primer/mattifying gel. It contains the same oil-absorbing ingredients (a type of silicone, I think) without a lot of the perfume and other nasties.

I use the Monistat anti-chafing gel as my go to primer/mattifying gel. A friend told me about it a year ago and at $6 for a tube that lasts a year? I was sold!

 

[Amy]

Isn't it great stuff?! So much cheaper than the designer primers, and works just as well! I put mine in a pretty little jar too, so I don't have to look at the ugly tube each morning, so I don't feel deprived of pretty beauty products, either

 

[Puzzicato]

I use the Lanacane too; after a friend was raving about monistat I had to find the UK equivalent.

I'm not sure about hairgel on my eyebrows though - I try not to put anything around my eyes that hasn't been specifically tested for use on them.

 

[Amy]

I've never had a problem with using hair gel for eyebrow gel, but I should point out that I do not have sensitive skin, so although I've never had a reaction, it might not be for everyone!

 

[40'sfetish]

I'm a member of a website/forum called Simple Savings. It is an Aussie site, but it's amazing how much you can save when you get fantastic ideas on how to crunch your budget from networking with other women. The best way to save on the grocery bill is to avoid packaged foods, avoid takeaway, and cook from scratch. I can never understand packet cake mixes, it doesn't take any longer to cook a cake from scratch. We also buy our meat in slabs instead of as individual steaks and cut it ourselves. Saves a huge amount in $per kilo.

I make my own Iced Coffee syrup for in summer. Basically put 10 teaspoons of coffee and 30 teaspoons of sugar (bear with me!) in about 200mL of hot water, give a good stir/shake to dissolve and store in the fridge. Then you can pour into cold milk whenever you like. This is quite sweet, for not so sweet just reduce the amount of sugar. This is amazing in our hot summers.

More recipes

Impossible Pie
4 eggs=7 bantam eggs
1/2 cup maragine
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup P/Flour
1 cup coconut
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Blend all together Pour into a large greased pie dish and bake 180c for 1 hour or untill center is firm.
The flour settles to be the base, the egg and milk the custardy middle and the coconut the crispy brown topping

Impossible Quiche
1 cup grated cheese
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup SR/Flour
4 eggs = 7 bantam eggs
3 bacon rashers (chopped)
1 1/2 cups milk
salt, pepper and parsley to season
Mix all together and bake 35minat 180c
Variations
1 Tuna,onion,parsley and cheese
2 Prawns,crab,spring onions and cheese
3 Leftover veg,broccoli,cauliflower and lots of cheese
4 Bacon ,tomato,onion and cheese
5 Asparagus, macarroni,onion and cheese

Enjoy!

 

[lframe]

Isn't it great stuff?! So much cheaper than the designer primers, and works just as well! I put mine in a pretty little jar too, so I don't have to look at the ugly tube each morning, so I don't feel deprived of pretty beauty products, either

It is! Cracking up here as a friend of mine also puts hers in a pretty beauty pot! I think I will have to do that, although I stash my cosmetics in a bag. I haven't tried hair gel on my brows, but I do use the Benefit brow kit and the way that's in there? Lasts eons.