Welcome to our blog Fabulessly Frugal! You too can be FABULOUSLY FRUGAL with out breaking the bank!

WE'VE MOVED! Come on over to FABULESSLYFRUGAL.COM and see our "NEW LOOK! and resubscribe to our new feed!

Newbie? Check out our couponing basics. Come back often to see the latest printable coupons, freebies, coupon tips and frugal living tips! Got something to say? Leave us a comment! Lastly, subscribe via RSS or Email to get the latest updates! We are located in Boise, Idaho, and blog about stores found in the Northwest and Nationally!

Showing posts with label Shop from your Pantry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shop from your Pantry. Show all posts

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Cooking from Your Pantry

Hope you are having success cooking from your pantry. This week we got a lot of fab ideas from Amber!
Check it out!

RITZY POPPY SEED CHICKEN
Amber likes to leave the poppy seeds out of this one, but we love them in there.
You may not have Ritz crakers on hand, but this may be good with the free Keebler Wheatables.
Hopefully you have chicken in your freezer from when it was $1.88 at Albertsons.
Sour cream was cheap last week at Albertsons only .49 after BOGO.
Cream of Chicken soup is only .25 at Albertsons after coupon and double!

LOW FAT GLAZED CHICKEN
Use some of your pineapple-orange juice concentrate from the Chill Deal! Still going!

CRANBERRY VINIGRETTE SALAD DRESSING
Use some of your cranberry juice concentrate from the Chill Deal! Still going!

APPLE CINNAMON TART
Use yogurt, oats and juice concentrate from your stockpile


CREAMY SLOPPY JOES
Use cream of mushroom only .25 at Albertsons after coupon and double!



Bookmark and Share


Sunday, March 7, 2010

Cooking From Your Pantry

Helping you "Become the Master of Your Stockpile."

Our Ideas this week to help you cook from your pantry!


DINNER:


Smoothies:
Use Yogurt, Ice cream, apples, oranges from this weeks Albertsons sale through Tuesday. Use strawberries from Fred Meyer this week $2.50/lb through Saturday. I like to buy frozen ones at Costco 6lbs for $8.85.

Cross Rib Roast:
Through Tuesday, Paul's has Beef Cross Rib Roast for $1.99/lb. That is a great price!

Mexican Fiesta:
I overstocked on Jose Ole. I will show you how I used it.

Taco Salad:
Camille shows us how she used tortilla chips from a recent promo. Use your bag salad from Albertsons last week, sour cream from Albertsons this week and get some ground beef for only $1.59/lb at Fred Meyer this week! {stock up price}

Crispy Chicken Strips:
Camille shows us how she used tortilla chips from a recent promo. These look yummy!


LUNCH:
Peanut butter and honey sandwich
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Deli meat sandwich
Tuna Fish Sandwich
Grilled ham and cheese sandwich
Macaroni and Cheese
Can of Soup
Bagel Bites
Quesadillas
leftovers!!!

BREAKFAST:
Cereal
Oatmeal
Yogurt and granola
Pancakes
Carnation Instant Breakfast
Cereal? :)

Get more ideas from some of our previous weeks!

Do you have recipes ideas from this weeks shopping lists? Send us you recipe and it could be featured here at Fab Frug! Hehe or if you just want to share the love!





Bookmark and Share


Sunday, February 28, 2010

Cooking From Your Stockpile

Helping you "Become the Master of Your Stockpile." 

Our Ideas this week to help you cook from your pantry!
DINNER:


Tex-Mex Casserole: You can still get Dorrito's from Albertsons until Tue. Rotel will be on sale again starting Wed.

Whole Frying Chicken: Chicken Enchilada's from reader 

Grilled Tuna Fish Cakes: Remember if you still have coupons you can get Tuna free this week! Amber will show you how in her recipe.

Tator Tot Casserole: Get tots for only $1.99 in the Chill Deal this week at Alberstons

Chicken and Biscuits: Use biscuits from this weeks GM promo.

LUNCH:
Peanut butter and honey sandwich
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Deli meat sandwich
Tuna Fish Sandwich
Grilled ham and cheese sandwich
Macaroni and Cheese
Can of Soup
Bagel Bites
Quesadillas
leftovers!!!

BREAKFAST:
Cereal
Oatmeal
Yogurt and granola
Pancakes
Carnation Instant Breakfast
Cereal? :)

Get more ideas from some of our previous weeks!

Do you have recipes ideas from this weeks shopping lists? Send us you recipe and it could be featured here at Fab Frug! Hehe or if you just want to share the love!

 Disclosure

Bookmark and Share


Sunday, February 21, 2010

Cooking From Your Pantry

We hope you are enjoying our meal planning series each week. I kinda started it for selfish reasons. I look at this fabulous stockpile of mine and I know I need to rotate it. Plus I am always asking myself that eternal question, what should I make for dinner. Deciding what to make is half the battle of getting a meal on the table. Having recipe ideas helps me plan ahead, remember to set out meat and be more efficient about cooking. Am I the only one benefiting from this series?

Baked Oatmeal a favorite from Amber to use up that OATMEAL.
Bean & Cheese Quesadillas This week you can get cheese 2lbs for $3 at Albertsons. Total cost of this meal: $2.49.

Funeral Potatoes Don't forget to pick up 10lbs or potatoes for .99 at Albersons

Baked Potato Casserole Don't forget to pick up 10lbs or potatoes for .99 at Albertsons. This recipe calls for bacon. I have some in my freezer from a previous sale, but if you do not have any in your freezer you can get a 12 oz package of Jimmy Dean bacon at Albertsons this week for $1.99. This is a good price, not a stock up price.

Pasta Carbonara Use free pasta from last week. Bacon 1.99 at Albertsons this week. Hopefully you got some Alfredo a few weeks ago when the Ragu was on sale for .50 and you have some frozen peas in the freezer. Maybe you got those peas for .38 a bag in January. If you did all this I am seeing a meal total of $2.87

Easy Pork Chops & Gravy Find pork chops on sale for $1.69/lb this week at Albertsons.
Quick and Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup Hopefully you have some chicken in your freezer from last weeks Albertsons sale. I also have a ton of cream of chicken soup from when it was on sale for less than $.50 a can. This one is a favorite to make for new mommies and is always a hit!

Do you have any recipe ideas
to cook from your stockpile?
Send them to us and share the recipe love!

Bookmark and Share


Easy Pork Chops and Gravy

6 Pork chops
1 can of cream of chicken
1 can of cream of mushroom
milk to desired consistency


TO PREPARE
Brown pork chops until well browned in skillet. They usually have enough fat that they don’t need any oil. The more browning you do the nicer the gravy will be. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook 20 minutes more. I usually cover b/c I worry about pork being
under-cooked. The recipe doesn’t call for this. Add milk to make a gravy of the consistency of your choice.
Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.
Bookmark and Share

Quick Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup (and homemade noodles)

This is my most favorite recipe given to me by my dear friend Julie Jordan (hey Jules!) when I had just two kidlets! It is still a favorite of mine (in fact I made it just tonight!).

Quick Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 quarts water
  • 8 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules (or 8 cubes)
  • 6-1/2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles (pantry item! I saw a coupon for this in todays insert!)
  • 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted (pantry item - I stock up when I can get these for $.50 or less)
  • 3 cups cubed cooked chicken (I grab some chicken from the freezer that I purchased on a good sale and had already cooked in the crockpot and froze).
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (this seems to come on sale every few weeks)
  • Minced fresh parsley (I never use this)
  • I also love to throw in some baby carrots, or you can use peeled and sliced regular carrots. Throw them in the boiling water before you throw in your noodles.

Directions

  • In a large saucepan, bring water and bouillon to a boil. Add noodles; cook, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Do not drain. Add soup and chicken; heat through.
  • Remove from the heat; stir in the sour cream. Sprinkle with minced parsley. Yield: 10-12 servings (about 2-1/2 quarts).
If you have some extra time, you can make these super yummy and super easy homemade noodles!


Easy Homemade Noodles

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 egg shell of milk
1 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 egg shell of milk

Note: this makes a small batch -double the recipe if making a large pot (I double it when making the above soup recipe) - or triple if a crowd. the milk makes the noodles so tender they melt in your mouth.

Place flour in a small bowl, making a dent in the center. Carefully the crack egg shell- put egg in the center of the flour. Use 1/2 of the egg shell you just cracked, fill it with milk and stir into the flour and egg mixture using a fork. Dough needs to be slightly sticky and form a ball, so if needed, add just a touch more milk until the right consistency.

On a well floured bread board or surface, carefully roll out the dough until very, very thin (almost paper thin). Dough will be stretchy and very tender. Using a Pizza cutter, cut the dough into thin noodles -length of your choice. It is okay if the noodles are not perfect and it is not necessary to dry the noodles.

Slowly sprinkle and stir the cut noodles into rapidly boiling chicken or beef broth mixture (see below for broth suggestions) it is important to put the noodles in this way - so they do not stick together in a lump. Turn down heat and keep broth mixture at a low boil and cook noodles until tender (approx. 1/2 hour). Stir constantly while adding the noodles and frequently while cooking to prevent sticking.


Bookmark and Share

Bean & Cheese Quesadillas




8 tortillas
1 can refried beans
2 cups cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
butter

Spread beans over one tortilla. Top with slices of cheese to cover entire surface. Cover with another tortilla and butter the outside of each tortilla. Place in skillet on med heat. Heat each side until tortillas are golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

I made these last night. It was a quick, easy and filling meal.

I used a white cheddar that I bought at Fred Meyer last fall. Yup, I got the 2 lb Tillomook loaf for only $2.99 after coupon and I have had it in my fridge. Cheese unopened can be kept for months in the fridge.

The tortillas I got a few weeks ago at Albertsons for only .74.

Refried beans were from a while back (last April) at Albertsons for .25 a can.

Total cost of this meal: $2.49



Bookmark and Share


Baked Potato Casserole

BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

1 pkg frozen diced potatoes or 5 large baking potatoes, cooked and diced
6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 cup sour cream
2 bunches of green onion, chopped (sautéed in bacon grease)
Salt and pepper to taste

TO PREPARE
Fry bacon and sauté sliced onions. Mix all ingredients. Place in baking dish and bake for 30 min at 325.
Serves 6-8.

Thanks to Susan Holloway for this recipe.

Bookmark and Share


Baked Oatmeal


A friend of mine made this for breakfast during a play date recently and I was instantly in love. And with all that Quaker oatmeal sitting around, I thought it was a perfect recipe to share.

Baked Oatmeal
3 cups Quaker quick oats
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat together oil and sugar. Mix in eggs, milk, salt, baking powder, oatmeal. Beat well. Pour into a lightly greased pie pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Refrigerate overnight (this step is not essential). Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees until firm, about 35 minutes. Serve hot. Can add milk and/or top with fresh fruit.





Bookmark and Share

Monday, February 15, 2010

Cooking From Your Stockpile


Helping you "Become the Master of Your Stockpile."

Our Ideas this week to help you cook from your pantry!
DINNER:


Spaghetti: Use your FREE Ronzoni noodles and your .33 Hunts Spaghetti sauce. Or maybe you have some Ragu and Prego in your stockpile like I do! Hopefully you have some ground beef in your freezer too.

Hamburger Tator Tot Casserole click for link to recipe

Taco Night: Use some of the .74 tortillas from last week, ground beef from the freezer, .47 salad from last week, and .29 sour cream. I have shredded cheese in my freezer and salsa in my pantry.

Freschetta Pizza: Did you get one from this weeks sale? These are sooo yummy and nice to have for a quick meal. It is not too late. You can still get one through Tuesday for $3.49. Click here to find out how.

Enchilada's Extraordinaire: click for link to recipe

BBQ Ribs: Country Style Ribs are on sale this week at Albertsons

Surprise Cupcakes: click for link to recipe

Granola: Super yummy on your free or cheap yogurt!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies click for link to recipe


LUNCH:
Peanut butter and honey sandwich
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Deli meat sandwich
Tuna Fish Sandwich
Grilled ham and cheese sandwich
Macaroni and Cheese
Can of Soup
Bagel Bites
Quesadillas
leftovers!!!

BREAKFAST:
Cereal
Oatmeal
Yogurt and granola
Pancakes
Carnation Instant Breakfast
Cereal? :)

Get more ideas from some of our previous weeks!

Do you have recipes ideas from this weeks shopping lists? Send us you recipe and it could be featured here at Fab Frug! Hehe or if you just want to share the love!


Bookmark and Share

Hamburger Tator Tot Casserole

1 lb Ground Beef
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Green Beans
1 lb Tator tots
salt and pepper to taste
Milk

1 cup Cheese optional

1. Brown hamburger, drain season meat with salt/pepper
2. Mix meat with soup and beans drained, add 1/4-1/2 cup milk for creamier mixture.
3. Place in 8x8 pan and top with tots
4. Bake in oven at 450 for 15 minutes 
5. Sprinkle cheese on top and cook additional 5 minutes




Bookmark and Share


Easy BBQ Pork Ribs

This is one of those recipes that you just do... no real "measurements"! :)

Purchase some Pork Country Style Ribs (boneless is easiest of course)
Rub some garlic powder on the raw meat and lightly brown in a pan of oil.
Put in crockpot and pour your favorite BBQ sauce all over the ribs.
Put the lid on and bake for 8 hours slow, 4 hours fast.

Enjoy! Super easy and yummy!

Bookmark and Share


Chicken Enchiladas Extraordinaire

2 TBSP fresh cilantro (optional)
4 c. shredded, cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup (pantry item!)
1 (8 oz) package Mexican Style Cheese (got a lot of this in my freezer!)
1 c. sour cream
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies (undrained)
1 1/8 tsp chili powder, divided
1/2 tsp ground cumin
11 flour tortillas (do you have some of these in your freezer from the sale 2 weeks ago?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Snip cilantro and combine in bowl with chicken soup, 1-1/2 cups cheese, sour cream , chilies, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and cumin. Mix well. Place 4 tortillas (overlapping in center) on the bottom of 9 inch square baking dish. Spread 2 cups of the chicken mixture over the tortillas. Repeat for a second layer. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Stack remaining 2 tortillas and cut into 16 thin triangles (pizza cutter works good). Sprinkle over casserole. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle remaining 1/8 teaspoon chili powder. Bake 30-35 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serves 8.


Bookmark and Share

Micro-Meatloaf

Love this super easy and quick meatloaf recipe with a tangy sauce!!

Mix together all ingredients and form the meat into a microwave safe dish or bowl, making an open space in the middle (for grease to drain).
2/3 C. Instant Oatmeal (you have this in your stockpile!)
1 lb Ground Beef (if you have some in your freezer, thaw completely - not in microwave)
1/2 C. Ketchup
2 TBS Mustard
1 Egg
1/2 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste

Topping: Blend 4 ingredients together in a small bowl, and spread on top of raw meat mixture.
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp mustard
3 TBSP brown sugar
Cook in microwave for 10-12 minutes (don't cover). Make sure it is done (I usually just do mine for 12 minutes). Spoon excess fat out of middle, serve with baked potatoes and creamy beans (green beans and cream of mushroom soup mixed and heated together) and enjoy!

Bookmark and Share

Surprise Cupcakes

This is one of my favorite recipes from when I was a kid. And my kids love it today! Since Cream Cheese was on such a great sale this past week at Albertsons, I thought I'd share this recipe with you!

Here is the recipe for the filling. I always have free or nearly free chocolate cake mixes on hand, so this is a pretty cheap treat!
Surprise Cupcake Filling

1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 - Egg
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup Chocolate Chips (have a bunch of htese in my pantry from when they were on sale last November)

In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Stir in chocolate chips.
  • Make your cake mix as usual (unless you're super mommy and make cakes from scratch - good for you!!)
  • Prepare cupcake tins as usual
  • Pour cake batter only half full in each cupcake liner.
  • Add a spoonful of cream cheese mixture
  • Cover cupcakes with the remaining batter and bake as usual!
My sister uses this recipe with her cakes as well. Adds some fun to boring chocolate cake mix!

Bookmark and Share

Granola Recipes

Unfortunately for me I am pretty clueless when it comes to making Granola. Luckily I know a few people who love to make it! 


Recipe from reader Christy


6 cups of Oats
1 1/2 cups of Honey
1/2 cup chopped Almonds
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts
1/2 cup chopped Peanuts
half bag of Coconut
1/2 cup Flax seed
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup


In a small saucepan heat the honey til it is thin...add Vanilla and Maple Syrup...in seperate large bowl add all the dry ingredients...pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until it is well coated...pour onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350. for 10-15 min...allow it to cool completly on the pan and transfer to air tight container... I was also going to tell you the cook time on the granola is also to taste...I like it soft so I only cook it for 10-15 min. stirring once in between...my mom likes it crunchy so she cooks it 20 min or so...(she also does it on her food dehydrator)  so play with it


Recipe from my Uncle Sid: I tried this last weekend and it was yummy! Even my little ones liked it!


GrandPa’s Bodacious Granola


1 ½ C Flour
1 T salt
1 ½ C sugar
5 C oats
3 T Baking powder
2/3 C Oil
Bake 225 degrees for 45 min.


Add raisins nuts, or coconut if desired


What do you like to make with Oats? Feel free to share recipes and ideas in the comments!

Bookmark and Share


Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Use up those OATS!!!!

Yummy these are my favorite! I made them last weekend for a family function and everyone was going on and on about how much they loved them! My friend Jessica was just asking me for the recipe. So this is for you Jessica. Miss you!


5 cups blended oatmeal (measure after they are blended)


2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar


4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla


4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder


24 oz. chocolate chips
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated) sometimes I use milk, butterscotch or white chips, I have also used other candy bars and M&M's
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice) I love ALMONDS

Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.


Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

I always bake up a few dozen and then freeze the rest of the dough. To freeze the dough I place it on a sheet of aluminum foil in a long roll, the diameter of the cookie size I like, then roll it up in the foil. When I want to bake them I take them out of the freezer and slice them into little round discs 1/2 inch thick and put them on the cookie sheet to bake. This photo is after they have been frozen and two have been cut to bake.

Bookmark and Share

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Cooking from Your Pantry


Helping you "Become the Master of Your Stockpile."

Our Ideas this week to help you cook from your pantry!
DINNER:

Garlic Ranch Chicken Use some of that FREE ranch dressing in your stockpile!

Oatmeal Meat Loaf  Gotta start using those OATS!

Tuna Caserole  Here are more ways to use Tuna

LUNCH:
Peanut butter and honey sandwich
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Deli meat sandwich
Tuna Fish Sandwich
Grilled ham and cheese sandwich
Macaroni and Cheese
Can of Soup
Bagel Bites
leftovers!!!

BREAKFAST:
Cereal
Oatmeal
Yogurt and granola
Pancakes
Carnation Instant Breakfast
Cereal? :)

Get more ideas from some of our previous weeks!

Disclosure

Bookmark and Share


Oatmeal Meat Loaf

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 cup tomato juice
3/4 cup oats, uncooked (quick or old-fashioned)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Sauce

1 cup ketchup
3-4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground mustard


Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Combine first seven ingredients. Press into an 8x4-inch loaf pan. Mix ingredients for sauce. Top of meatloaf with sauce. Bake for 1 hour or until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Drain and let stand 5 minutes before serving. I usually like to double the sauce and save some for the side. Also great to top with Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce if you have that in your stockpile. Also tastes great to add 1 pkg of Lipton Soup mix to the meat if you have that in your stockpile like I do.
Bookmark and Share

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Cooking From Your Pantry


Still helping you "Become the Master of Your Stockpile."

I have links to recipes for the dinner options, plus ideas for lunch and breakfast. I only give you five meals because you may be likely to have left overs one night, eat out or possibly order pizza.


DINNER:

Chicken or Hamburger Helper (All ingredients in the current sale)

Porcupine Meatballs Use your hamburger and tomato soup

Stuffed Green Peppers I have never made these, but I found a recipe for you. My roommate Lora in College LOVED these. Green Peppers are only .69 at Albertsons this week.

Shepherd's Pie: Use hamburger, beef broth, frozen veggies, cheese and potatoes from your stockpile.

Cream Cheese Chicken: I bought cream cheese in last weeks sale for this and you can use the chicken from this week. The seasoning packet I got last year on a deal so you may or may not have it in your stockpile.


LUNCH:
Peanut butter and honey sandwich
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Deli meat sandwich
Tuna Fish Sandwich
Grilled ham and cheese sandwich
Macaroni and Cheese
Can of Soup
Bagel Bites
leftovers!!!

BREAKFAST:
Cereal
Oatmeal
Yogurt and granola
Pancakes
Carnation Instant Breakfast
Cereal? :)


Bookmark and Share