Thursday, August 31, 2017
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How to Make Caramel Apple Oatmeal - Frugal Family Home
A yummy and easy recipe for caramel apple oatmeal, it’s really delicious. It’s a great breakfast to use all those great fall apples. The caramel sauce is homemade and dairy free too.
This oatmeal reminds me of those yummy caramel apples you can get in the fall. They are delicious crisp apples that are coated in a smooth and creamy caramel. When you bite into them you get a perfect mix of both apple and caramel.
Am I making you hungry for one right now?
If you have a craving for caramel apples at breakfast, you could eat a caramel apple, no judgment here. But probably it would be better to enjoy a nice warm bowl of this caramel apple oatmeal instead.
What You’ll Need to Make Caramel Apple Oatmeal RecipeOatmeal, minute or regular oats
Apples
Brown Sugar
Coconut Oil
Salt
I’ve made a quick video tutorial for you below. If watching a video is not your thing keep on moving down to see tips for this recipe and grab the printable recipe too.
Tips for making Caramel Apple Oatmeal Recipe PerfectCaramel apple oatmeal is really simple to make. You can prepare it on the stove on in the microwave and in a few minutes, it can be ready.
I think the hardest part is making the caramel sauce and even that is pretty easy.
A few steps to take to make this caramel apple oatmeal perfect.
Powder part of the oatmeal. I use regular oats but you can use quick oats too. Whichever one you use I like to take part of the oatmeal and process it in the food processor or blender to make an oatmeal powder.
Doing this serves to make the oatmeal even creamier without needing to add milk.
You can chop or shred the apples for the oatmeal. I like chopped apples the best, but if you are short on time you can take the whole apple and shred it on box shredder down to the core.
Make the Caramel Sauce ahead of time. While the caramel sauce takes a little time to make, you can make it ahead of time and have it in the refrigerator ready to go. Then when you have a hankering for caramel apple oatmeal you’ll have the caramel sauce ready to go.
Chop the apples ahead of time. If you have a bunch of apples on hand you can dice them ahead of time, freeze them and take out what you. Making it so simple to make quickly.
Prep ahead the oatmeal into packets. You can powder the oatmeal and measure the oatmeal into individual packets so they are quick and easy to prepare.
You can also purchase or dry apples and add them to your packets too. Then all you need is your caramel sauce in the refrigerator and the oatmeal can be made in minutes.
Make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free oatmeal.
- 2 cups Oatmeal
- 1 cup Apples, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
- Start with the caramel sauce by adding ¼ cup water and 1 cup brown sugar to a pan and bring to a boil stirring until sugar is dissolved. Then cook 8-10 minutes on low without stirring.
- Take the sugar mixture off the heat and add the oil and a dash of salt to the sugar mixture. It will thicken more as it cools.
- Once the caramel sauce is done, make the oatmeal.
- Add 3¼ cups of water and salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Once water is boiling, add oatmeal.
- Cook for 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Add the chopped apples and stir in.
- Divide the oatmeal between 4 bowls and drizzle with the caramel sauce.
- Serve warm.
Whether you make this caramel apple oatmeal recipe batch by batch or prep ahead the oatmeal packets, it’s sure to be a morning breakfast favorite for your family.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy oatmeal on a cool fall morning?
More Breakfast Apple Recipes to TryApple Fritters
Mini Apple Muffins
Apple Crumle Bars
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What to Stock Up on in September - Frugal Family Home
September is here and the beginning of fall is right around the corner. I’m looking forward to cooler days and transitioning into baking and back to school. But September is a good month to stock up on a few things so you can save more money. Here’re a few things to stock up on in September
Back to School Supplies
School and office supply deals are starting to wind down but you should be able to pick up a few more deals the first few days of September. Look for deals on binders, paper, pencils, pens, notebooks and other office supplies. Grab those last few deals before the prices go up.
Soup
As we transition from summer to fall soups should be on sale. Be sure to stock up on your favorites this time of year is usually the best time of year for canned soup.
Tomato Products
September is a great month to find deals on tomatoes and tomato products. Be on the lookout for deals on canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stock up when you see a great price so you can save in the months to come. Tomatoes are in season this month so if you are planning to can, freeze, or dry tomatoes you should be able to find a good price on them at your local farm stand too.
Comfort Foods
Fall is the time we transition our diets from lots of fresh, cool, foods to more hearty comfort foods. Be on the lookout for deals on comfort foods when you shop. Items like chili, pot pies, and baking items now that it’s not too hot to bake.
Summer Clearance
Summer clearance sales should still be going on. September is a great time to stock up on summer clothing for next year. If you have a few older summer items that need to be replaced, be sure to look over the clearance rack and replace them while prices are low. If you are purchasing for kids be sure to pick the next size up or maybe two sizes up.
Besides summer clothing there should be great sales on fans, air conditioners, garden supplies, camping gear and BBQ supplies. Things like charcoal, lighter fluid, bug spray, any items you use in the summer.
Diabetes Items
This month you’re sure to find a few sales on diabetes items. If you or someone you know uses these items it’s a good time to stock up. Items to be on the lookout for are sugar-free food items, testing supplies, glucose meters, and other diabetes care items.
In Season Produce for September
These items will be in season this month and should be less expensive in the store. Be on the lookout for deals on apples, pears, artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, beans, cucumbers, eggplant, grapes, onions, pears, peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillo.
Since September is a transition month you can start to stock up on things you can use this fall and winter. Plus you can really save on all things related to summer and grab the last of the back to school deals too.
That’s what to stock up on in September. What items are you looking forward to being on sale this month?
More Ways to Save This Month…
Budgeting Money, Big Savings Small Changes
Ways to Save Money on Heating
Save for the Holidays Now
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http://ift.tt/2vN80IIWhat’s on the Menu for This Week - Frugal Family Home
Another week and time to plan our menu for this week. I know menu planning is a task that isn’t that exciting but it can really help you stay on budget.
If you struggle with menu planning you can find more menu planning helps and a grab free menu plan printable too.
The menu for this week relies upon a few things from our freezer. I stock chicken in our freezer regularly when I find it on sale or purchase it through Zaycon Fresh. This week I’ll be using a few packages of chicken from the freezer for our dinners.
I also stock pork chops in our freezer regularly by purchasing a pork loin at Costco. I can make 8 meals out of one pork loin and save money too. The pork loin cost about $2 a pound while pork chops can cost $4 a pound or more. I can cut my own pork chops for that kind of money.
If you want to give this a try you can find how I cut up a pork loin here. If you are looking for recipes for the freezer using the pork loin, I have an ebook that explains how I make 8 pork meals in about an hour for my family.
What’s cooking at your house this week?
Here’s what’s on our Menu for this Week,Dinners
Fajita Chicken, Refried Beans, Chips, and Salsa
Chicken Stir Fry with Pan Fried Noodles and Rice
Pita Pocket Sandwiches, Salad, and Fruit
Chili Dogs, Salad, and Fruit
Eggs, Sausage, Hash Browns, and Toast
Chicken Yakisoba, Fruit, and Salad
Pan Fried Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans
Lunches
Leftover most days
Tuna Sandwiches, Fruit, and Salad
Quesadillas, Chips, and Fruit
Breakfast
Toast with Eggs
Eggs, Sausage, Hash Browns and Toast
Sticky Buns, Eggs, and Sausage
Do you need help planning your menu? Find my menu planning tips here with a free printable menu planner page and here for frugal menu planning tips.
Find more menu plan ideas at Org Junkie too.
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http://ift.tt/2emVARuFriday Freebies, This Week’s Free Ebooks, Samples and More - Frugal Family Home
Yeah, it’s Friday! Are you ready for some freebies? Here’s this week’s free Kindle ebooks, free samples, and free printables all in one post.
Some of the links in this post are my referral links. You can read my disclosure policy for more information. Be sure to check the prices before you purchase as prices can change without any notice.
Now onto the freebies,
Free Kindle Ebook FictionDecluttering: How to Declutter and Organize Your Home for Simple Living
Sewing: 12 Amazing Sewing Techniques for Beginners
12 Halloween Crafts to Crochet
CookbooksBread Baking: Essential Recipes For Great Tasting Bread
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes Cookbook
Kids BooksA is for Animals!: Coloring Books for Kids
Diary of a Confused Harry Potter
How to Draw Cool Stuff: Holidays, Seasons and Events
__________________________________________________You don’t have to have a Kindle to read these books. You can go here to download a Free Reading App so you can read any Kindle book on your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Amazon has a selection of Kindles here
Please note: Amazon pricing, promotions, and availability are subject to change at ANY time without notice. Please confirm the price before completing your purchase
Freebies, Samples, and PrintablesFree Set of Coloring Bookmarks
Free Subscription to Town & Country Magazine
Free Subscription to Seventeen Magazine
Free Subscription to House Beautiful Magazine
Free Subscription to Town & Country Magazine
Some of the links in this post are my referral links. You can read my disclosure policy for more information.
http://ift.tt/2emVlpyEasy Salisbury Steak, under $1 a Serving - Frugal Family Home
How to make easy Salisbury steak. Have this dinner recipe ready in just about 30 minutes. We love it served on top of creamy mashed potatoes.
Easy skillet dishes are always welcomed at our house. They are great for hot summer days because they don’t heat up the kitchen. They are great for busy days because they are usually quick and easy to make.
This recipe for easy Salisbury Steak is a quick dinner idea.
Growing up we used to enjoy tv dinners every now and then. It was an inexpensive dinner for our family. It gave my mom the night off from cooking and we got to watch tv while we ate. As a kid, we looked forward to tv dinner nights.
In our home every now and then I purchase tv dinners. But it’s harder to find ones my kids and hubby can eat with their milk allergy.
My hubby always asks is there a dairy free Salisbury steak tv dinner. I always had to answer no because I couldn’t find one.
I thought how hard could it be to make my own Salisbury steak? I looked over a few recipes to get an idea of how others make Salisbury steak.
But like the tv dinners, they all had milk in them too. Either in the brown gravy or added to the beef. So I devised to make my own recipe that my family could eat.
You don’t have to eat dairy free to enjoy this recipe for Salisbury steak. It’s really good even though it’s dairy free.
Ground Beef
Breadcrumbs
Mushrooms
Worcestershire Sauce
Ketchup
Egg
Salt and Pepper
Brown Gravy Mix
Just 8 ingredients to make your own Salisbury steak at home in just about 30 minutes not bad at all.
How to Make Easy Salisbury Steak at HomeFirst, let’s start with the video. I know I learn better when I can see it done and so I made a video of the recipe from start to finish. If you’d rather get the recipe and tips in written form keep on going down.
Tips for Making Quick Salisbury Steak at HomeKeep the cost down by making your own breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs in the cans at the store can be expensive for what you’re getting.
I used soft breadcrumbs in this recipe. You can make your own breadcrumbs by taking a couple slices of bread and processing them in the food processor or blender.
I like to cube the bread first then add it to the food processor and process until they are the consistency of bread crumbs.
I like to use 80% lean or 85% lean ground beef in this recipe. It’s leaner than 75% lean, so less fatty. But not so lean like the 93% lean ground beef that can be a little dry once cooked.
If you need to eat dairy free be sure to check the brown gravy mix. I had to search to find one that was dairy free.
I found that the Winco Foods brand brown gravy mix was dairy free if I purchased the reduced sodium one. The regular brown gravy mix had dairy. Be sure to check the different varieties you store carries you might find one you like better.
Be sure to grease or spray the skillet. I made the mistake of thinking the fat in the burgers would grease the pan and my patties stuck a little. Give it a quick spray or add a little oil to the pan first before adding the patties.
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- ¾ cup Breadcrumbs
- 1 can Mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Ketchup
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 2 packages Brown Gravy Mix
- 2 cups Water
- In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, egg, salt, and pepper.
- Mix to incorporate well.
- Divide the ground beef mixture into six portions and form into patties.
- Add patties to skillet cook over medium heat until browned on one side flip and brown on the second side cooking until cooked through.
- Remove patties from pan and set aside.
- To the skillet add the drained mushrooms and cook until browned.
- Add the brown gravy packets and 2 cups of water to the mushrooms in the skillet.
- Cook over medium high heat 1-2 minutes stirring while cooking until the gravy has thickened.
- Add the cooked patties to the pan and heat through.
- Serve patties and gravy over mashed potatoes.
- Sprinkle with parsley if desired.
I like to figure out the cost of each recipe I make for two reasons. One so I know how much it costs. Two if it’s a frugal recipe it is added to my meal plan more often.
If it’s more expensive it will show up less often but still appear to keep our family out of the same dinners meal rut.
When you know how much a meal or recipe costs to make you can keep control of your food costs more easily.
When I figure the cost of a meal I use regular sale prices as the prices for the cost of the ingredients. For this batch, I used $2.49/lb for the ground beef price per pound. It fluctuates between $1.99 a pound and $2.99 a pound on sale. So I averaged the price at $2.49 per pound.
The rest of the ingredients I used the average sale price for too. Bringing the cost of this Salisbury steak recipe to… $4.04 for six servings. Or just $.67 a serving. That’s not bad at all.
When I make it a meal with mashed potatoes and green beans our full meal costs $4.94 or $.82 per serving. That’s a lot less expensive than even a cheap meal out or a tv dinner from the freezer section.
I hope your family will enjoy this easy Salisbury steak recipe as much as ours does. I’ve made it only a few times so far but my family keeps asking for a repeat of it so I know they really enjoyed it.
What meal did you eat as a kid that you now make for your family? Leave me a comment below and let me know.
Cheeseburger Skillet
Hamburger Skillet
Creamy Mushroom and Chicken Skillet
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http://ift.tt/2wrzkhwFall Garden Chores, What to Do Before Winter Comes - Frugal Family Home
A few fall garden chores to do to wrap up your garden and get ready for winter that is ahead.
I know when fall rolls around you can get garden fatigue. With all the planting, watering, harvesting, canning, and freezing that goes on during the summer months you might be ready for a gardening break.
Or if you love gardening you might be ready to revamp your garden for the fall growing season. Either way, there’s a few fall gardening chores you should really do before putting your garden to bed.
I’ve broken up the tips for vegetable gardens and flower gardens to make it easier to access the garden information you are looking for.
Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for more fall gardening tips from the other Tuesdays in the Garden gardeners before you leave.
Remove any Dead or Dying Plants
As the end of summer comes and fall begins there is bound to be a few dead or dying plants in the garden. They have come to the end of their life and are wilting away.
Instead of letting them lay around in the garden to get mushy and moldy remove them to free up room to plant more cool weather crops or just to clean up the garden space.
Every little bit you do now can save you time and energy in the spring when you are ready to plant for the new season.
Pick Up Fallen Fruit
If you have fallen fruit around your fruit trees be sure to pick it up and compost it. Letting it lay around can help promote pests to stick around until next season. No one wants them sticking around.
Weed the Garden Bed
Even though I cover my beds I usually have a stray weed here and there to remove from the garden. I like to weed at the end of the season to get rid of those pesky weeds. Because for every weed you leave you can end up with much more.
Plant your Fall Crops if You’ll Be Growing a Fall Garden
If you are not quite ready to give up gardening for the year start to plan and plant your fall garden. Cool weather crops that mature in short amounts of time are great to plant in the fall for a second season harvest.
Cover Your Garden Beds
I’ve been covering my garden beds each year with black plastic to block weeds and kill weed seeds. I have to say this technique I learned from my friend Jami has really paid off.
The weeds weren’t gone instantly but in the last two years of gardening in my raised bed, I’ve only spend about 1 hour each garden seasoning weeding.
Compare that to weekly weeding of the past and I’m saving all kinds of time and energy not having to weed.
If you are ready to put your garden bed to bed for the winter, cover them with a tarp or plastic to help kill the weed and weed seeds. An enjoy less weeding come next garden season.
In the flower garden and the lawn fall is a great time to get ready for spring and to do some general clean up before the snow flies. Doing these chores now can help to make your garden look great come spring.
Deadhead Flowers
Keep your flowers blooming longer by keeping up with deadheading the plants as well as fertilizing them to keep them growing strong.
We regularly deadhead our roses to keep them blooming all season long. But this can be done with other flowers too. I’m just not as good about keeping up with deadheading our other flowers.
Be sure to collect any seeds that have formed on annuals so you can replant them again in the spring.
Plant Spring Bulbs
Now is the time to pick out and plant spring bulbs. Start shopping for the bulbs you want to add to your garden and plant them before winter sets in. The beautiful plants will just emerge in the spring.
Divide Perennials
I love perennials. They come back year after year but as they grow and expand, you might need to divide them. After dividing them find a new home in the garden or bless your neighbor with a new plant for their garden. If you have hostas to divide I have a tutorial for you.
Weed Those Beds
For every weed left behind you could end up with hundreds of seeds it produces. It better to get them cleared out so you don’t have all those weed seeds germinating in the spring.
✳︎ At the end of the season cut the lawn short and fertilize before winter sets in. It will help to feed your lawn for the fall and help it make it through the winter.
✳︎ If you have bare spots or want the lawn to fill in, overseed with a cool weather grass seed. Get it in early so it will have time to germinate and set good roots.
✳︎ Weed the lawn. I know weeds can get out of hand in the lawn but do your best with the hand weeding. You can also use a product like Weed and Feed to help feed your lawn while getting rid of weeds too.
Those are my fall garden chores to do before the winter. But don’t leave yet keep on going and see what the Tuesdays in the Garden bloggers have to offer for their fall garden ideas.
To read all the great gardening tips and ideas for fall just click on the photo below. It will take you right to the article.
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7 Day Easy Stove Top Meal Plan - Frugal Family Home
The end of August is always a busy time of year around here, is it that way for you too?
There’s gardening to do, summer projects to finish up, and canning to store up all that great summer produce.
With all the tasks that need to be done, I’m keeping my menu plan simple this week and oven free. Because it’s bound to heat up again and I want to be prepared.
All of the dinners this week are one pot or stove top meals, which I find really easy to make.
I love that there isn’t a pile of dishes waiting for me in the sink once dinner is done.
We all have a delicious meal that doesn’t take a long time to prepare and clean up is so much easier too.
What’s cooking at your house this week?
Here’s what’s on our Meal Plan this week,Easy Oven Free Dinners
Hamburgers, Macaroni Salad, and Fruit
Salmon Patties, Rice, Tartar Sauce, and Broccoli
Ground Beef Stroganoff, Salad, and Fruit
Pancakes, Eggs, and Sausage
Easy Sesame Chicken, Rice, Stir Fry Vegetables
Glazed Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, and Salad
Eat Out
Lunches
Leftovers Most Day
Homemade Lunchables with Fruit
Crisp Bean Burritos, Chips, and Salsa
Breakfast
Toast and Eggs
English Muffins, Eggs, and Sausage
Cinnamon Twist Scones, Eggs, and Sausage
Do you need help planning your menu? Find my menu planning tips here with a free printable menu planner page and here for frugal menu planning tips.
Find more menu plan ideas at Org Junkie too.
http://ift.tt/2emUSniBudget Grocery Haul, Fred Meyer and Safeway - Frugal Family Home
For this budget grocery haul, I made a two store trip to Fred Meyer and Safeway.
I’m loving all these great beef deals I’ve been getting at Safeway lately. This trip I picked up one package of ground beef at just $2.49 per pound.
I was hoping to pick up $.99 grapes but they were sold out by the time I made it to the store. I was sad to miss such a great deal, but there is bound to be another good deal on grapes soon.
I also found a great deal on eggs at $.88 for one dozen and I had a Checkout 51 coupon to use too. As well as a good deal on cookies at $1.67 each plus I used a Checkout 51 coupon to save even more.
At Fred Meyer I picked up a couple of boxes of granola bars that were on sale. I also shopped for a few other items we needed some at great prices others not so good.
See the full trip in the video.
Best Buys for this Budget Grocery HaulEggs $.88 dozen, used Checkout 51 coupon for $.45 off, Final Price $.43
Ground Beef $2.49/lb
Deli Fresh Lunchmeat $3.49, used $1/1 e-coupon, Final Price $2.49 each
Fig Newtons $1.67 each, used $1/2 Checkout 51 coupon, Final Price $1.17 each
Lettuce $.99
My total spending for this budget grocery haul was $41.90. I spent $25.83 at Fred Meyer and saved an additional $.25 with the Ibotta app. At Safeway I spent $16.07 and saved an additional $1.45 with the Checkout 51 app.
That’s it for this trip. What deals did you find while shopping this week?
Friday Freebies, The Freebies for This Week - Frugal Family Home
Are you ready for some freebies? Here’s this week’s free Kindle ebooks, free samples, and free printables all in one post.
Some of the links in this post are my referral links. You can read my disclosure policy for more information. Be sure to check the prices before you purchase as prices can change without any notice. Now onto the freebies,
Free Kindle Ebook FictionEvery Penny: A family’s journey living on one small income
Life Management for the Busy Homeschooling Mother
Dig for Your Dinner in September
CookbooksSalads Cookbook: Top 25 Healthy and Easy Salads Recipes
35 Great Recipes You Wish Your Mother Made
Kids BooksMagical Adventures & Pony Tales
__________________________________________________You don’t have to have a Kindle to read these books. You can go here to download a Free Reading App so you can read any Kindle book on your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Amazon has a selection of Kindles here
Please note: Amazon pricing, promotions, and availability are subject to change at ANY time without notice. Please confirm the price before completing your purchase
Freebies, Samples, and PrintablesSign Up for Dove Free Samples and Special Offers
FREE Faux Fur Hat! Just pay shipping! Use Code ENBABY
Free Subscription to Redbook Magazine
Free Subscription to EatingWell Magazine
Free Sample of Nikwax Waterproofing Wax for Leather
FREE Amazon Music Unlimited for 30 Days
Free Sample of Avery Printable Dividers
Free Digital Subscription to Rachal Ray Everyday Magazine
Some of the links in this post are my referral links. You can read my disclosure policy for more information.
http://ift.tt/2gmyGdCSimple and Frugal Hamburger Skillet Dish - Frugal Family Home
Don’t we all love frugal meals? Frugal meals like this hamburger skillet dish can help to keep your grocery bill lower. With easy and frugal meals to make for your family, you can feed them well and keep your budget in check too.
It’s a win win.
This recipe is one we eat fairly often at our home. It is easy to make. It’s prepared in one skillet so there are fewer dishes to wash and in the summer it’s prepared on the stove so it’s an oven free meal too.
But what also makes it great is that it can be prepared as a freezer meal. I share later how to do just that but first here’s a quick video of the recipe.
Or if watching videos isn’t for you, scroll down for the printable recipe and tips below.
Tips for Making This Hamburger Skillet DishStart the onion first and let it get golden before adding the beef. Sautéing the onion first helps to mellow out its flavor and picky eaters are less likely to be offended.
If you have a picky eater that can spot a small piece of onion a mile away. Try using onion powder instead, add a teaspoon to start and more if you want more flavor.
If you are trying to cut grocery cost use only the half pound of ground beef. If you think your family won’t go for such a small amount of meat start with 1 pound or 3/4 of a pound.
You’ll still have a frugal meal and you won’t get push back from the meat lovers in your family.
Be sure to remove the lid when done cooking to evaporate off the extra liquid.
Serve with cheese sprinkled on top if your family doesn’t need to eat dairy free. Cheese seems to make dishes more tasty to most kids and picky eaters.
Use broken up lasagna noodles or small lasagna noodles to make a skillet lasagna.
It’s simple to transform this dish into a freezer meal. Here’s how to do it…
1. Prepare the beef and onions for the recipe.
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients except the macaroni.
3. Cool the meat sauce completely and store in a quart size freezer bag. Freeze with date and instructions for preparing written on it. You can also bag 2 cups of macaroni into another quart sized bag and freeze it. But to save freezer space I freeze the sauce.
4. When ready to prepare thaw completely. Add the thawed sauce to the skillet with the macaroni and water. Cook as directed in the original recipe.
I like to prepare the hamburger skillet dish for the freezer as described above for two reasons.
☀︎ The macaroni is not frozen in sauce and gets sticky or mushy.
☀︎ It makes for a smaller package to freeze. If you freeze it flat, once frozen it can be stood on end to take less space in the freezer.
The only drawback is you have to remember to have noodles of some kind on hand when you go to make this dish.
- ½ - 1 pound Ground Beef
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1 can Tomato Sauce (15oz)
- 2 cups of Macaroni (uncooked)
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- Cook the ground beef in a skillet with the onions and garlic until the onions are tender and the beef is no longer pink and cooked through. Drain any extra fat.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the macaroni to the ground beef/onion mixture. Mix well.
- Stop at this point if you will be freezing it. Cool and place into a zippered freezer bag.
- If preparing for this day’s dinner, add the macaroni and 2 cups of water to the skillet and stir to mix.
- Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes.
- Then if the dish looks too watery after the cooking time. Let simmer with the lid off until the consistency you like.
- We serve ours with a little goat or sheep cheese sprinkled on top but this is optional.
If you want the dish to be more like the Hamburger Helper Lasagna skillet you can add in the small lasagna type noodles instead of the macaroni.
Also if you have any peppers that are getting past their prime they work well for added color to the dish.
Make this dish vegetarian by using the meatless crumbles or using TVP instead of the ground beef.
What the Cost of this Hamburger Skillet Dish?To figure the cost of this dish I used sale prices on the ground beef at $2.49 a pound. Which is a price we have been consistently able to purchase ground beef. Your price of ground beef may be more or less than my cost.
The canned tomato sauce was priced at $.50 a can. The onion was deemed $.10 since I usually purchase onions in the 3-5 pound bags. I used the bulk food price for the macaroni at $.50 for 2 cups.
Finally the seasonings I priced at $.20 since they are pretty common to most kitchens and the small amounts used don’t add up to much.
That brings the final cost of this hamburger skillet dish to $2.55 for the whole dish which serves 4-6 people. Making it just $.43 to $.64 a serving. Add a little more if you sprinkle cheese on top.
Add a loaf of french bread baked at home for $.20 and add a green salad for another $1.50 and you have a full meal for just $4.25 or $1.06 per meal for 4 people.
That’s what I call a frugal dinner, at just over $1.00 per serving.
This hamburger skillet dish is yummy and frugal both. I hope your family enjoys it as much as ours does.
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Day One, Oat Groats
Day Two, Rice Cereal
Day Three, Cinnamon Twists
Day Four, Jam Danish
Day Five, Caramel Sticky Buns
Day Six, Cheeseburger Muffins
Day Seven, Pinwheel Sandwiches
Day Eight, Pizza Cups
Day Nine, Crisp Bean Burritos
Day Ten, Twice Baked Taco Potatoes
Day Eleven, Crock Pot Whole Chicken
Day Twelve, Chicken and Bean Enchiladas
Day Thirteen, Cheesy Ham and Potato Crock Pot Dish
This post was updated with better photos and a printable recipe.
http://ift.tt/2wrexe9Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Make-Ahead Skillet Baked Spaghetti
Here’s a great recipe for those days when you leave the house early and won’t be back until dinner time.
Prep this skillet pasta in the morning before you leave – or even the night before — and pop it in the oven when you’re home from work, your kid’s soccer practice, the last beach run of the season, or whatever activities have filled your day.
http://ift.tt/2vsRXEoMake-Ahead Baked Spaghetti Skillet Supper
Here’s a great recipe for those days when you leave the house early and won’t be back until dinner time.
Prep this skillet pasta in the morning before you leave – or even the night before — and pop it in the oven when you’re home from work, your kid’s soccer practice, the last beach run of the season, or whatever activities have filled your day.
http://ift.tt/2vFsu6H10 September Activities for Catholic Families {Free Printable}
I started making the monthly Activities for Catholic Families printables way back in 2012 or so. I updated them for a while, and then made an attempt at making them usable each year without a need for updates, but that didn’t always work. What continues is my post from updating the September Activities for Catholic Families printable in 2014, but with a few changes. Toward the end, you’ll also have the option to download it in the older format or in the new format I just made and updated last night.
As unbelievable as it is, it’s already extremely close to the end of August. So, since September is fast approaching, it’s time for another free printable of 10 September Activities for Catholic Families.
While I know that these don’t apply to some of my readers, I hope that even if you don’t feel that they apply to you, maybe you will check them out and use some ideas that might work for your family too! Although there are mentions of saints throughout the printable, most of this month’s activities are ones that most families could use or adapt for a fun religious (non-Catholic) activity.
10 September Activities for Catholic Families Printable{Keep scrolling to get to the download.}
1. Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day. Help your children do something special with their grandparents or spend the day with them. {Note: This date changes each year. You’ll need to correct this on the printable if you download the older version/design, as it has the actual date it was in 2014. All other dates should be accurate.}
2. Decorate wooden, or even paper, letters spelling out MARY. Be as colorful and creative as you want to celebrate the Most Holy Name of Mary (September 12th).
3. Labor Day is the first Monday in September. Take the time to write a note or give a small gift to someone who works hard for your community (or for your family!).
4. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Pick out your favorite bread recipe and have your children help you make it.
5. Be a peacemaker. Do something nice for someone that you sometimes argue with. The feast day of St. Wenceslaus is Sept. 28th.
6. Saints can seem like people from long ago to children. Talk to them about Saint Teresa of Calcutta (when she lived and died), her work, and her writings. Her feast day is September 5th. (Here are lots of Saint Teresa of Calcutta printables and worksheets.)
7. Find your favorite cross craft to create on Sept. 14th for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
8. Look around your room, house, or pantry for items or food to donate to the less fortunate. The feast day of St. Vincent de Paul is Sept. 27th.
9. Learn a prayer or even short phrase (like “Ora Pro Nobis,” which means “pray for us”) in Latin. St. Jerome translated the Bible from Hebrew to Latin, and his feast day is Sept. 30th.
10. September 22nd marks the beginning of Autumn. Try one of these fall crafts to celebrate.
Note: This download is free for personal or classroom use. It can also be put into church bulletins or newsletters, but the copyright credit line must be included (which just means to make sure that you don’t accidentally crop off the line with the copyright information at the bottom of the printable when you are reproducing it to hand out).
It cannot be sold, published, or hosted on other websites. If you want to pass along the printable though, please feel free to share a link to this post (not directly to the printable) with others. Thanks!
10 September Activities for Catholic Families Printable Download OptionsIn this section, you can click on the download link for either the new or the old versions of this printable. You can get them through the picture of the printable or the link under it:
Note: In the old version, it has the date for Grandparents Day, which changes each year. You’ll need to update it (like with a pen and some white out) with the correct date for this year on your printable, if you are downloading the older version. The newer version doesn’t list a specific date.
Check out other free Catholic Printables on the site. Other Printables You May Love:The post 10 September Activities for Catholic Families {Free Printable} appeared first on Real Life at Home.
http://ift.tt/2wieoeiTuesday, August 29, 2017
Slow and Low Country Ribs
When it comes to the grill or barbecue, I defer to my colleague Hank, especially when it concerns meat. Here he shows us how to cook pork country ribs, slow and low. A favorite from the archives! ~Elise
Country ribs. Big slabs of porky goodness cut from the shoulder of the hog. Sold boneless or bone-in, these are nothing like a rack of ribs. They are pork logs, laced with fat, and require slow, low-temperature cooking to become delicious.
That’s the downside: You can’t do a fast country rib.
The upside is that they are all meat, so you only need one to fill you up. In fact, I slice them in half because a full rib, which can weigh a pound, can be too much for some people.
http://ift.tt/2ta0er7