| My husband and I go over the food budget at the | | | | can freeze. Just about anything. If you don't know |
| end of each month. We try to look at what we | | | | if you can then try it with a small amount and see |
| could do better for next and month and where | | | | how it works out. Here is a short list of what we'll |
| we did well. Then we plan the menu for the | | | | freeze. |
| following month. The first couple of months we | | | | -Tomato sauce/paste/soup and fresh tomatoes |
| always seemed to have a big shocker, the fast | | | | -Refried Beans |
| food cost. Even though we had a budget and | | | | -Taco Meat |
| stuck to it we say that we were spending as | | | | -Marinade |
| much as 200-300 at fast food joints. This had to | | | | -Chicken/pork/beef with the marinade |
| stop. | | | | -Chicken with cream of chicken soup to put over |
| So what did we do? We started freezing food so | | | | rice |
| that we had quick easy meals. So even if we had | | | | -Rice |
| a busy, crazy, hectic day, we could come home | | | | -Ham Fried Rice |
| and quickly make some for our family. | | | | -Onions, chopped, dice, quartered |
| I know this sounds hard but it's really not if you | | | | -Soups (potato, squash, chicken noodle, broccoli, |
| slowly do it and don't expect it to happen | | | | clam chowder, etc.) |
| overnight. First you want to think of what you | | | | -Funeral Potatoes |
| can freeze and then when you make those meals | | | | -Casseroles (If the casserole has some sort of |
| double or triple it so you can freeze a meal or | | | | liquid absorbing top then freeze it without the top |
| two. | | | | and add it later) |
| When my husband and I decided to get serious | | | | -Enchiladas |
| about cutting the fast food cost we decided to | | | | -Chimichangas |
| double or triple 4 meals a week. Within a month | | | | Really the list is almost endless, I have had so |
| are freezer was full of leftovers and quick meals. | | | | much success freezing things that I freeze |
| In fact, we got so good at it that every 3 | | | | probably 50-75% of our food, because I buy in |
| months or so we would have to plan 2 weeks of | | | | bulk. I even make my own baby food and freeze |
| meals on just leftovers in the freezer to clear it | | | | it in ice cube trays. Then just heat a cube or |
| out a bit. | | | | more as they get older and meals are just as |
| So now you are probably wondering what you | | | | quick and healthier then the jars. |