Filed under: bulk buying, bulk cooking, cooking, cooking ahead, freezer, freezer cooking, frozen assets, frugal living, ground beef, make-ahead, mealtime, oamc, once a month cooking, recipes, simple living
One of the easiest ways to save money on your family’s grocery bill is by purchasing foods in bulk when they go on sale. When ground meat goes on sale, rather than just stocking up to store in the freezer “as is,” many cooks find it helpful to prepare meat mixes for using later in their favorite family recipes.
By preparing this recipe for All-Purpose Ground Meat Mix, you’ll be ready to fix any number of tasty ground meat recipes without needing to brown the meat, onions and spices each time you cook. Not only will this technique save you money, it saves time too.
The following recipe is from the book Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month by Deborah Taylor-Hough (ISBN: 1891400614).
Filed under: bulk cooking, cooking, cooking ahead, freezer, freezer cooking, frozen assets, frugal living, make-ahead, mealtime, oamc, once a month cooking, recipes, simple living, vegetarian
This tasty recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen for a simple dinner on one of those “too-busy-to-cook” days we all have from time to time.
And before you ask, yes, this recipe really is cheese-free and vegetarian. 
Enjoy!
Tofu and Spinach Vegetarian Lasagna (8 servings)
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 (16-oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato paste
- 2 additional cups water
Filling:
- 1 pound medium tofu
- 2 bunches fresh spinach (or 10-oz. package frozen spinach)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- pinch of sage
- 1 (16-oz.) package lasagna noodles, uncooked
To prepare sauce, in large saucepan, combine 1/4 cup water, green pepper, onion and garlic. Heat to boiling. Turn down heat to medium-low and simmer until soft, stirring frequently. Stir in crushed bay leaves, basil, tomato sauce, tomato paste and 2 cups water. Simmer for 15 minutes.
To prepare filling, rinse fresh spinach in cold water. Cut off thick stems. Keep the water clinging to the leaves. Place in large stockpot. Heat covered over high heat, stirring frequently until spinach is soft. Drain spinach and squeeze out excess liquid. Set aside.
Drain tofu slightly (don’t squeeze out excess water). Place in blender container or food processor. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape sides of container frequently. Spoon blended tofu into mixing bowl. Add spinach, oregano and basil. Mix well.
To assemble, spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of 9×13-inch pan. Top with 1/3 of the uncooked noodles, then 1 more cup of sauce. Spoon the tofu mixture by dollops over top of sauce. Add a second layer of noodles, followed by 1 cup sauce, and then spooning in the remaining tofu mixture. Add a third layer of noodles, pressing down firmly all over the lasagna. Spoon the remaining sauce over noodles, making sure that the noodles are completely covered with sauce. If preparing to freeze for eating later: wrap, label and freeze.
To serve: If frozen ahead, thaw completely. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Uncover lasagna and continue baking 15 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares to serve.
~Debi
Filed under: breakfast, bulk buying, bulk cooking, cooking, cooking ahead, freezer, freezer cooking, frozen assets, frugal living, make-ahead, mealtime, oamc, once a month cooking, recipes, simple living
To get you started on the road toward simple breakfasts, here’s a recipe for easy Breakfast Burritos … definitely one my family’s all-time favorite make-ahead meals. Recipe used with permission from my book Frozen Assets: How to cook for a day and eat for a month.
Breakfast Burritos
- 12 eggs, beaten
- 1 pound bulk sausage, cooked (or crumbled links)
- 1/2 cup chunky salsa (your choice of heat)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 24 flour tortillas (you can also use whole wheat)
- Scramble eggs in large skillet until done.
- Stir in cooked sausage and salsa.
- Warm tortillas in microwave 20 – 30 seconds or until warm and flexible.
- Place 1/2 cup egg mixture into tortilla; sprinkle with cheese; roll burrito-style.
- Freeze burritos in single layer on lightly greased cookie sheet.
- When fully frozen, wrap burritos individually; place wrapped burritos in large zip-top freezer bags; freeze.
(makes 24 breakfast burritos)
To serve, unwrap burritos from foil or plastic wrap that you used for freezing. Wrap in a paper towel. Cook in microwave until heated through (about 2 minutes). Or thaw burritos (remove plastic wrap if used in freezing), wrap burritos in foil, and bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Serve with salsa or hot sauce, if desired.
Optional Ingredients:
- 1 green pepper, finely diced
- 6 potatoes, shredded and fried until cooked through (or use hashbrowns)
- Jalapeno slices
- Small can chopped green chiles
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 tomato, peeled and chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced with tops
I’ve even taken these frozen burritos with us when we’ve gone camping. I just place the bag of frozen burritos into the ice chest, and by the time we’re ready for breakfast the first morning, the burritos are fully thawed. Then I simply reheat them in a large skillet over the campstove or fire grate.
~Debi
Filed under: breakfast, bulk buying, bulk cooking, cooking, cooking ahead, freezer, freezer cooking, frozen assets, frugal living, make-ahead, mealtime, oamc, once a month cooking, recipes, simple living
In many families, morning is a hectic and hurried time. Frequently parents feel fortunate just to get everyone out the door fully dressed each day. Serve a hot cooked breakfast every morning? Not a chance. Breakfast (if it’s served at all) often consists of grabbing a toaster pastry and a quick glass of juice as the family runs out the door racing headlong to work and school.
I’ve discovered that taking an hour or two on an occasional weekend to prepare breakfast items for the freezer, takes much of the insanity out of the weekday morning rush.
Waffles, Pancakes, French Toast
To prepare waffles, pancakes and French toast for freezing, cook until lightly browned. Don’t overcook. Then freeze individually in a single layer on a cookie sheet or flat pan.
When frozen solid, stack together in a freezer bag. By freezing these items separately, they won’t stick together. You can remove only the amount needed for today’s meal whether it’s one waffle or a dozen.
To reheat, just pop them (still frozen) into the toaster on the pastry setting (low) just like you would do with the boxed frozen waffles from the store. Heating in a toaster keeps them firm, rather than limp and soggy which often happens when these breakfast items are reheated in the microwave.
Muffins and Quickbreads
Make muffins and quickbreads ahead of time to serve for easy breakfasts. Just bake your favorite recipes as usual, cool completely, wrap in foil, label, and freeze.
You can also wrap individual muffins in plastic wrap and then place the wrapped muffins into large zip-top freezer bags. Muffins can be easily reheated in the microwave. Serve with fresh fruit and juice for a delicious and easy breakfast.
~Debi
