Make Your Own Freezer Meal Kits

Italian Chicken and Pasta

Have you ever purchased one of those frozen meal kits from the store? They sure are fast and easy…just toss the contents in a large skillet with some water, bring to a boil and then simmer, and dinner is done in about 20 minutes. Couldn’t be easier right? But there are also drawbacks to these convenient kits. They’re fairly expensive when you consider how much you’re getting, they’re typically high in sodium, and the ones that include meat are so skimpy with it, you wonder why they even bothered. In addition, most of these kits claim to feed four people, but the portions would have to be mighty small at best, so unless you buy two kits, chances are good that someone is going to be hungry later.

Given the drawbacks of store-bought meal kits, it’s understandable why you might be tempted to avoid them altogether. But why miss out on the ease and convenience? Instead of buying your meal kits already assembled by a machine in a factory, why not make your own meal kits at home instead? It’s easy, and you’ll have the added comfort of knowing that you're in control over the ingredients.

 

To help you get started developing your own meal kit ideas, here’s an easy meal kit recipe that I came up with recently. This Italian Chicken and Pasta Dinner Kit is super-easy and my family loved it. By prepping your noodles and chicken ahead, and by making use of frozen veggies from the store, this yummy kit is a cinch to make.

For a printable PDF version of this post and accompanying recipes, please click on the post title to open in a new window and look for the "Print-Friendly" button at the bottom of the recipe.

Italian Chicken and Pasta Dinner Kit

2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning 
1 lb. Penne pasta
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen broccoli
1 (14 oz.) bag bell pepper and onion blend (such as Fajita blend)
1 frozen crushed garlic cube
1 frozen chopped Basil cube

In a small bowl, combine tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Spoon tomato paste mixture into ice-cube tray sections; place in freezer and freeze until firm. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and let cool. Meanwhile, brown chicken in a large skillet; reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Remove from skillet and let cool on a paper towel-lined plate. In a large bowl, combine frozen broccoli and onion/pepper blend. Divide vegetable mixture between two gallon-size freezer bags. Add 1 frozen crushed garlic cube, 1 frozen chopped Basil cube, and half the frozen tomato paste cubes (about three) to each bag. Divide cooled pasta between two gallon-size freezer bags, making sure to remove as much air as possible and seal. Divide cooled cooked chicken between two quart-size freezer bags, making sure to remove as much air as possible and seal. Add one bag of cooked chicken and one bag of cooked noodles to the bag with the frozen vegetables (you may have to fold the tops of the bags down a bit to make everything fit). Makes 2 kits @ about $5.19 per kit. Each kit makes 4 generous portions @ about $1.30 per serving. Cook’s note: Frozen crushed garlic cubes and frozen chopped Basil cubes can be found in your grocer’s frozen vegetable section.

To prepare Italian Chicken and Pasta Dinner Kit:

Remove noodle bag and chicken bag from the vegetable bag. In a large skillet, combine contents of vegetable bag with 1 ½ cups of water over medium heat. When mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and add noodles and chicken. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until mixture is heated through, about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4 @ about $1.30 per serving. Cook’s note: you may need to add a bit more water if it boils off too quickly. Mixture should be well-sauced but not “soupy” or too dry. For added richness, substitute chicken stock for the water.

 

 

 

 

Save money and time with these double-duty recipes

When the mornings start to get cooler and autumn is right around the corner, don’t you find your thoughts turning towards comfort food? You know… dishes like soups, chili, meatloaf and pot roast? Here at $2 Dinners we love a good pot roast, but let’s face it, roast beef is delicious, but it’s not exactly the most budget-friendly meal in the recipe box is it? Even though it may not be an affordable option for just one meal, if you split one roast between two recipes, it suddenly becomes a frugal cook’s new secret weapon.

Using one roast for two meals doesn’t have to be boring either. We love leftover roast beef sandwiches as much as anyone, but we also know that there is so much more you can do with your leftover beef. Our Italian-style pulled beef sandwiches and Vegetable Beef Soup with a Kick are perfectly delicious examples of what you can create from just one roast and they couldn’t be easier. Make the sandwiches for lunch or dinner one day, use the leftover beef for a delicious soup later in the week, and you’ve got two great meals for one budget-friendly price.

For a printable PDF version of this post and accompanying recipes, please click on the post title to open in a new window and look for the "Print-Friendly" button at the bottom of the recipe.

Italian-Style Pulled Beef Sandwiches

4 ½ - 5 lb. beef roast

1 (14 oz.) can beef broth
¼ cup water
3 tbsp. salt-free Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 (16 oz.) jar Pepperoncini (whole or slices) with juice
Sub or hoagie rolls, if desired
Cheddar or Mozzarella cheese, if desired

Combine broth, water, Italian seasoning, salt, and juice from ½ jar Pepperoncini in a slow cooker. Add beef. Scatter ½ jar Pepperoncini over and around beef. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until beef is tender. When beef is cooked, remove to a cutting board and let rest for 10- 15 minutes. Then, using two forks, gently pull and shred beef apart. To make sandwiches, toast rolls or buns, top with shredded beef, a drizzle of juice, peppers and cheese. Store beef and peppers, almost covered in juice, in a container in refrigerator. Serves 10 for approx $1.36 per serving.

 
Vegetable Beef Soup with a Kick

Leftover Italian-Style shredded beef (include juices and peppers)
1 (10 oz.) bag frozen mixed vegetables
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (30 oz.) carton beef broth
2 cups water
¾ cup barley or small pasta

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer until vegetables are cooked through and flavors are combined. Serves 6-8 for approx. $1.00 per serving.

 

My Adventures in "Extreme" Couponing

Maybe some of ya'll heard about this...recently there was a show on TLC about "extreme" couponers. According to an article I read the day after the show aired, these people take couponing to a whole other level. For example, the woman who dumpster dives for coupons, or the man who's turned his garage into a mini-warehouse to store all the stuff he buys with coupons (including approx. 150 years worth of stick deodorant). I didn't personally see this show, but my impression from the article I read was that the show painted these people as borderline hoarders who buy anything as long as they have a coupon for it. I use coupons when I can, so I have to admit the concept of "extreme" couponing intrigued me in a train-wreck sort of way, so I did some digging for articles about it on the Internet. To my surprise, there was quite a lot of info. There are lots of blogs and websites dedicated to couponing, extreme and otherwise, with all kinds of systems and theories that seem (to me) very elaborate, complicated and time-consuming. Worse than that, many of them seem to be more about what you save than what you buy. I was more mystified than ever.

Most of what I found was overwhelming and a bit frustrating, because it didn't seem to apply to me and my lifestyle. My time is valuable (so is yours!) and I'm just too busy for some of the stuff I read about! A lot of these women are stay-at-home moms so I'm not sure how they have time for elaborate systems either! Obviously they must be more organized and better time managers than me. Then, just when I was getting ready to give up on finding anything useful, I came across a website that made me stop in my cyber tracks. It's called Southern Savers and it's written by a lady named Jenny who really knows her stuff. She explains in an easy-to-understand way how to effectively use coupons, and she doesn't advocate complicated systems or elaborate methods. On top of that, she has links to most of the major coupon sites like RedPlum and Coupons.com, as well as current weekly sales circulars for most major grocery chains. The best part of all, though, was that Jenny isn't trying to sell me anything...she's simply trying to share what she knows with the rest of us. Amazing! At last....here was what I was looking for...a site full of common sense and practical advice! I looked at the weekly sales circulars for the stores close to my house, checked off items I was interested in and printed my shopping lists with the convenient tool built right into the list. So easy! Jenny even tells you which items have manufacturers coupons, so I was able to grab those from my coupon file and match them with my shopping lists. It only took me a few minutes and I was ready to shop.

I approached this trip to the store very differently than normal. Instead of just making a list and then shopping like usual, I focused on items we use regularly that were on sale and for which I had coupons. For the first time ever, I would build my weekly menu around what I bought instead of creating a menu and then making a list of what I needed. This fits in perfectly with the $2 Dinners savings pyramid idea of having core budget-friendly recipes that make use of what items you have on-hand. Getting those items at a discount just maximizes the savings! My extreme couponing shopping trip took me to three grocery stores and one drugstore, all within 3 miles of my house (I wouldn't have gone to so many stores if they weren't so close). A few things I bought were necessities that weren't on sale, and for which I didn't have coupons, but most of what I bought was stuff we use on a regular basis, that was on sale, and for which I had a manufacturer's coupon, a store coupon, or both. Some of what I bought is planned for meals this week (I'll be posting recipes), and some things, like the canned tomatoes (5 cans for $1!) were purchased to stock up because I use them often. Here are the stats on my extreme couponing shopping trip:

• Time spent = 2 1/2 hours
• Grocery  bags unloaded = 28
• Total money spent = $97.83
• Retail value of purchase = approx. $150.00
• Money saved = approx. $52.17

Here are pictures of the loot from my trip, so you can see for yourself what I was able to buy for less than $100.

I think once I get used to this new way of shopping, I can cut down the time it takes considerably. I have to admit it was fun...almost like a game to see how much I could save, and I was extremely pleased with the results. I learned that you don't have to go to extremes to save on your grocery bill, and you don't have to buy 150 years' worth of deodorant! So far this week we've had chicken and dumplings and pot roast, all made with items I purchased on sale.Thanks to Jenny at SouthernSavers.com for her great site, practical advice and awesome tools! If you're interested in learning more about couponing, I encourage you to check out southernsavers.com!