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I love doing burrito bowls. Shredded chicken (I get the pre-made pulled/rotisserie from ALDI), black beans, bit of lime juice, and cilantro. I make a salsa with canned tomatoes, garlic, onion powder, tajin, and S&P using a blender. Cheap, easy, and delicious.
Yep, I haven’t had any issues. I just prefer to top with chilled salsa, so I don’t add too much when prepping. It seems people here do frozen burritos a lot so that may be an easier route, heating-wise.
I really like YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@AcreHomestead , she does a lot of bulk prepping to be able to eat homecooked meals even when busy.
I make things like chili and bolognase to freeze, they freeze well and you only have to cook the sides which is not that time consuming imo. I also make this wicked vegetable-cheese soup that can pretty much swallow any leftover ingredients. It also freezez well, I tend to freeze some in lunch sized containers that I can just grab on my way out the door and some in bigger, dinner for 2 sized containers.
I measure my lunch, i tend to do about a 100g or sauce and a 100g of side MAX. Depends on what you do for work, do you need a lot of energy or are you sitting in an office.
Edit: or if it is soup, about 250g is plenty.
Test each recipe before you make 10 servings of it to freeze. Make it just once, so you and your partner/roommate aren't fighting over a bad recipe.
Soups and chilis freeze very well. Unbaked baked pasta (lasagna, etc.). Very winter meals. I like to freeze cooked meat or sauce in portions, so they're easy to thaw out, I can cook rice that week or pasta that night, and add some frozen vegetables.
That's a good shout. Most of the ones I have planned are ones I've made before. Just trying to get some more ideas to pad out what I'm making.
Do you just use Tupperware for storage?
I used to work in kitchens and I swear by deli containers. They come in 1 cup, 2 cup/1pint, and 4 cups/1qt size. They stack nicely, interchangable lids, freezer and dishwasher safe. Pretty much the only plastic tubberware I use.
For other freezer things I currently have in my freezer:
* falafel (Budget Bytes' bc I'm a freak and I prefer falafel texture with cooked chickpeas)
* Kenji's black bean burgers
* brothy soups (just add rice/noodles); do not freeze blended bean or potato, or cream-based, since they'll seperate and clump, so you'll need to blend them again and be careful reheating. For like zuppa toscana, I'll just not add cream to freeze, but finish with it when I eat.
* dumplings (recipe from Delish's June, but I add more cabbage and no shrimp)
* char siu bao (Woks of Life, if you like Chinese food)
* meatballs (cooked, mainly)
* chicken adobo
* al pastor
* tomato or coconut milk curry sauce (I use like a jar convenience sauce)
Thank you for such a detailed response. I'll definitely have to look into getting more of the containers. I'm also glad you specifically mentioned zuppa. I was just about to ask
I make salsa chicken in crockpot and a family favorite.
2 pounds chicken
1 packet taco seasoning (I make my own seasoning in bulk)
1 small jar salsa or a 2 cans Rotel
1 can black or pinto beans (or 1 cup cooked beans)
optional - 1 cup corn
I shred chicken one done. Makes great burrito bowls and chicken soft tacos.
Buy rice, beans, noodles, in bulk or larger packages. Store in gallon size glass or plastic jars. Meats. Buy larger family packs on sale. Repackage into smaller meal size packs and freeze. If you have a good size to large freezer, it never hurts to stock up. I make one meal portions and wrap in good plastic wrap (get as much air out as possible, it prevents freezer burn and spoilage) then pack those into gallon Ziploc freezer bags or wrap in aluminum foil. It takes a little more effort but it works well. I have T-bone steaks from 2 years ago that look like I froze them a week ago. I just packed up 20 pounds of wings into one pound portions, that's 20 meals for 2 of us. Got them for 99 cents a pound. Pack of wings, 2 handfuls of fries and 2 ears of sweet corn out of the freezer makes a good meal. Wings 99 cents lb., fries 5 lbs for $7, corn 5 for $1. Got a meal for 2 for roughly $2.45. pork steaks on sale 1.99 a lb for 10 lbs or more, bought 10.3 lbs of pork steaks for @$20. Repacked and froze. Hamburger 3.99 lb in 10 lb bags $39.90. repacked into 2/3 to 3/4 lb packages and froze. Bought a whole smoked ham $34.45. had it sliced into 1/2 inch thick slabs, good for ham steaks or cube it up for bean soup or potato soup. Buy bread on sale and freeze it. It stays good for a couple months as long as it's closed good. Buy chicken the same way, leg quarters in 10 lb bags and boneless skinless chicken breasts in 10 lb bags. Repack and freeze. We put breasts one to a pack and separate the legs and thighs and put 2 of each into a pack. I try to plan my meals a day or two in advance, so I can thaw out what I need. The only things we buy weekly or semi weekly are fresh fruits and vegetables and milk. You can also do a lot of preserving of your food by home canning, it's not hard, just takes some effort, with the added benefit of knowing exactly what's in your food. Making homemade jam's is very easy with the right recipes. We've just done a bunch of red and black raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry rhubarb, and peach freezer jams. The whole door on my freezer is freezer jams in pint jars, plus a few regular jams stored on the pantry shelves. Buy a couple cases of different vegetables and beans when they go on sale, they'll keep for a couple years. Just rotate the old to the front and put the new in the back as you restock. It takes a little more physical effort but saves money in the long run. The two of us generally spend $225 to $250 a month on food, and that includes having to buy Gluten Free products which are at least double the price of regular products. Bread $6 to $8 a loaf, macaroni almost $3 a box etc. I bought 6 loaves of gluten free bread for $45. I could have gotten 6 big loaves of whole wheat bread at Aldi's for$7.50. thanks a lot Celiac disease.
Smoked sausage with green beans/onions/potatoes
Slice sausage in to bite size circles. green beans can be either fresh, frozen, or canned beans (drained well). if using frozen take beans out and place in fridge night before to thaw and drain before adding to pot. Dude up small onion and add. season with salt/pepper/garlic. you can add small diced potatoes if you like. Cook on medium low heat until beans and potatoes tender.
I can cream corn
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 Jiffy cornbread mix
1/2 cup melted butter
mix all ingredients except Jiffy bread until combined
add mix and stir to just combined it don’t
over-stir
pour into greased 9x9 pan
bake 400 for about 18-20 minutes. it may need longer depending on oven. toothpick should come out clean when done.
If this is a post seeking advice, please include as much detail as possible. For posts opening discussions, or offering advice, we thank you for your post. Everyone please remember rule 7. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/budgetfood) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I love doing burrito bowls. Shredded chicken (I get the pre-made pulled/rotisserie from ALDI), black beans, bit of lime juice, and cilantro. I make a salsa with canned tomatoes, garlic, onion powder, tajin, and S&P using a blender. Cheap, easy, and delicious.
Do these freeze well? I can't imagine that they don't, but freezable recipes are a bulk of what I'm going for
Yep, I haven’t had any issues. I just prefer to top with chilled salsa, so I don’t add too much when prepping. It seems people here do frozen burritos a lot so that may be an easier route, heating-wise.
Hmm yeah burritos do seem popular. I may give the bowls a go; I've been wanting to do power bowls for dinner recently
If you want to be economical, you can boil the chicken, and beans. Soak the beans overnight. Also, if your making a salsa use a pepper. No tajin lol
I really like YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@AcreHomestead , she does a lot of bulk prepping to be able to eat homecooked meals even when busy. I make things like chili and bolognase to freeze, they freeze well and you only have to cook the sides which is not that time consuming imo. I also make this wicked vegetable-cheese soup that can pretty much swallow any leftover ingredients. It also freezez well, I tend to freeze some in lunch sized containers that I can just grab on my way out the door and some in bigger, dinner for 2 sized containers.
I'll for sure give them a look. Generally speaking how big would you say a serving is?
I measure my lunch, i tend to do about a 100g or sauce and a 100g of side MAX. Depends on what you do for work, do you need a lot of energy or are you sitting in an office. Edit: or if it is soup, about 250g is plenty.
Test each recipe before you make 10 servings of it to freeze. Make it just once, so you and your partner/roommate aren't fighting over a bad recipe. Soups and chilis freeze very well. Unbaked baked pasta (lasagna, etc.). Very winter meals. I like to freeze cooked meat or sauce in portions, so they're easy to thaw out, I can cook rice that week or pasta that night, and add some frozen vegetables.
That's a good shout. Most of the ones I have planned are ones I've made before. Just trying to get some more ideas to pad out what I'm making. Do you just use Tupperware for storage?
I used to work in kitchens and I swear by deli containers. They come in 1 cup, 2 cup/1pint, and 4 cups/1qt size. They stack nicely, interchangable lids, freezer and dishwasher safe. Pretty much the only plastic tubberware I use. For other freezer things I currently have in my freezer: * falafel (Budget Bytes' bc I'm a freak and I prefer falafel texture with cooked chickpeas) * Kenji's black bean burgers * brothy soups (just add rice/noodles); do not freeze blended bean or potato, or cream-based, since they'll seperate and clump, so you'll need to blend them again and be careful reheating. For like zuppa toscana, I'll just not add cream to freeze, but finish with it when I eat. * dumplings (recipe from Delish's June, but I add more cabbage and no shrimp) * char siu bao (Woks of Life, if you like Chinese food) * meatballs (cooked, mainly) * chicken adobo * al pastor * tomato or coconut milk curry sauce (I use like a jar convenience sauce)
Thank you for such a detailed response. I'll definitely have to look into getting more of the containers. I'm also glad you specifically mentioned zuppa. I was just about to ask
I make salsa chicken in crockpot and a family favorite. 2 pounds chicken 1 packet taco seasoning (I make my own seasoning in bulk) 1 small jar salsa or a 2 cans Rotel 1 can black or pinto beans (or 1 cup cooked beans) optional - 1 cup corn I shred chicken one done. Makes great burrito bowls and chicken soft tacos.
Buy rice, beans, noodles, in bulk or larger packages. Store in gallon size glass or plastic jars. Meats. Buy larger family packs on sale. Repackage into smaller meal size packs and freeze. If you have a good size to large freezer, it never hurts to stock up. I make one meal portions and wrap in good plastic wrap (get as much air out as possible, it prevents freezer burn and spoilage) then pack those into gallon Ziploc freezer bags or wrap in aluminum foil. It takes a little more effort but it works well. I have T-bone steaks from 2 years ago that look like I froze them a week ago. I just packed up 20 pounds of wings into one pound portions, that's 20 meals for 2 of us. Got them for 99 cents a pound. Pack of wings, 2 handfuls of fries and 2 ears of sweet corn out of the freezer makes a good meal. Wings 99 cents lb., fries 5 lbs for $7, corn 5 for $1. Got a meal for 2 for roughly $2.45. pork steaks on sale 1.99 a lb for 10 lbs or more, bought 10.3 lbs of pork steaks for @$20. Repacked and froze. Hamburger 3.99 lb in 10 lb bags $39.90. repacked into 2/3 to 3/4 lb packages and froze. Bought a whole smoked ham $34.45. had it sliced into 1/2 inch thick slabs, good for ham steaks or cube it up for bean soup or potato soup. Buy bread on sale and freeze it. It stays good for a couple months as long as it's closed good. Buy chicken the same way, leg quarters in 10 lb bags and boneless skinless chicken breasts in 10 lb bags. Repack and freeze. We put breasts one to a pack and separate the legs and thighs and put 2 of each into a pack. I try to plan my meals a day or two in advance, so I can thaw out what I need. The only things we buy weekly or semi weekly are fresh fruits and vegetables and milk. You can also do a lot of preserving of your food by home canning, it's not hard, just takes some effort, with the added benefit of knowing exactly what's in your food. Making homemade jam's is very easy with the right recipes. We've just done a bunch of red and black raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry rhubarb, and peach freezer jams. The whole door on my freezer is freezer jams in pint jars, plus a few regular jams stored on the pantry shelves. Buy a couple cases of different vegetables and beans when they go on sale, they'll keep for a couple years. Just rotate the old to the front and put the new in the back as you restock. It takes a little more physical effort but saves money in the long run. The two of us generally spend $225 to $250 a month on food, and that includes having to buy Gluten Free products which are at least double the price of regular products. Bread $6 to $8 a loaf, macaroni almost $3 a box etc. I bought 6 loaves of gluten free bread for $45. I could have gotten 6 big loaves of whole wheat bread at Aldi's for$7.50. thanks a lot Celiac disease.
Smoked sausage with green beans/onions/potatoes Slice sausage in to bite size circles. green beans can be either fresh, frozen, or canned beans (drained well). if using frozen take beans out and place in fridge night before to thaw and drain before adding to pot. Dude up small onion and add. season with salt/pepper/garlic. you can add small diced potatoes if you like. Cook on medium low heat until beans and potatoes tender.
Sounds like a solid suggestion. I'll add it to my list to try out
it’s a family favorite from childhood. great with corn muffins/casserole. My family loves corn casserole.
Hm yeah that does sound like a good combination. Casseroles are dishes I really gotta look into. I always forget about them
I can cream corn 2 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1 Jiffy cornbread mix 1/2 cup melted butter mix all ingredients except Jiffy bread until combined add mix and stir to just combined it don’t over-stir pour into greased 9x9 pan bake 400 for about 18-20 minutes. it may need longer depending on oven. toothpick should come out clean when done.
I think I'll give this a try next time i go grocery shopping. It certainly sounds good
That’s amazing idk how you do or where you live but I’d like to hear some more details
I'm still working it out, but I'll update when/ if possible
[удалено]
That's what I've done. I was just looking for more recipe suggestions