Cookbook Giveaway ~ 30 Day Gourmet's Big Book of Freezer Cooking

As I begin my freezer cooking expedition, I have ended up with two of these books.  I ordered one from them directly and thinking it was not coming (since there was no confirmation or response to email) I ordered another from Amazon.  Since I get free shipping from Amazon Prime, they cost almost the same.  I ordered the Amazon book six days later and got them at the same time.  So if you want it quickly, I would order it from Amazon.   When I get a new cookbook, I read it cover to cover. . . and that is what I did.  I drank in the details and imagined the possibilities.  The recipes all seem simple and delicious.  It is full of tons of pertinent freezer cooking information and forms.  All in all. . .it seems very do-able and enjoyable.  I am very excited to get going!

Now for the extra book!  I felt like this is a wonderful time to do a give-away.  Who doesn't like something for free?  And for me this is a good opportunity to ask you to share the blog. So in order to enter, please do the following:

1. At the top right of this page, subscribe to the blog.


2. Then at the bottom of this post, share it on Facebook.

A drawing will be held on February 8th at noon (est) for the winner.  Book must be shipped within the USA.   I look forward to sharing my journey with all of you and a book with the winner.

Easy Lasagna Recipe

 

Dinner last night was a very easy and delicious Lasagna. I hope you will make it and enjoy it.

1 lb ground beef

1 32-ounce jar of thick spaghetti sauce (I use two 24 ounce jars )

1 medium onion - chopped

1.5 cups water

2 cups ricotta cheese

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (plus a little more for the top)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1/4 chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

24 lasagna noodles

Brown ground beef in 3-quart saucepan, stirring until crumbly.  Near the end add the chopped onion to soften.  Add sphaghetti sauce and water; mix well. Simmer for 10 minutes. Combine cheeses, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl; mix well.  Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce in 11x15 inch (or close size)  baking dish.  Layer noodles on sauce. Then layer 1.5 cups meat sauce and half of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Top layer will be a layer of noodles, followed by meat sauce. Finish it with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.

Bake 350° covered with foil for 55 minutes. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

This recipe comes together very easy and would be great served for company with a salad.

Vacation Meals

This post is going to be a little different in that last week we were on vacation.  We stayed right outside of Walt Disney World in a nice two bedroom condo resort for less than we could have done an onsite budget resort.  One of the biggest budget breakers for vacation is meals and yet as the mom I still want to feel like I am on vacation.  We spent 4 days in the Disney parks and one day at Holy Land Experience.  My general plan was not to have more than one meal out per day.  Here is what we did:

Breakfast was easy.  I made Sausage Balls before the trip.  I also took cereal and breakfast bars. Everyone just picked what they wanted for breakfast.  It was quick, easy and had us in the parks at rope drop.

For lunches we did have a couple of meals planned. The days we didn't have plans, I just packed a lunch in a backpack cooler.  We included sandwiches of everyone's choice (ham, turkey or peanut butter), apples, crackers (or chips) and drinks.  Lots of parks do allow you to take food in now so just check before leaving home.  We had no problems at any of the Disney parks.  Once we got into the park, we put the cooler into a locker and were off for the day.  When lunch time rolled around we avoided the crowds and found a nice place to sit.  Not only did we not miss eating at the parks but it was very nice.

We had two dinners out but the other nights included simple fare at the condo.  I had cooked ground beef with onions before leaving home.  We needed three evening meals. We had Sloppy Joes and chips, Chili Cheese & Fritos and Hot Dogs.

Each day we did have a breakfast or lunch out so we really had too much food everyday.  But we kept it simple which made it fun and budget friendly.

Making the plans. . .

Currently, I make meal plans for two weeks at a time.  I keep thinking about switching to monthly plans but,honestly, I like the two week plan.  I usually have a pretty good idea of plans over the next two week period. Plus my refrigerator is stuffed at times even with a two week plan.

Are you wondering how to get started? Let me help.  I use forms from Money Saving Mom.  I like the vertical two week plan and the grocery shopping list.  First off, I add to my shopping list staples like cereal, milk, butter, eggs, etc.  Then I begin by filling in dinners that I know we will want onto the two week list.  If I need more ideas, I have a couple of "go to" cookbooks and a notebook filled with recipes that I have printed from online.  Usually a quick look through one of these will help me complete the dinners.  I only plan for breakfast or lunch if there is something special going on.  For breakfast, I just make sure I have an assortment on hand including oatmeal, cereal, frozen biscuits (Wal-mart brand is the best), bagels, eggs, and low fat sausage.  Lunches are almost always leftovers. This works well for us since we homeschool.

Now I will say that many advocate plans that are much more specific for the overall. However, I have found that once I started planning dinners and being determined to stick to the plan everything else fell into place. My attitude changed. I honestly do not like eating out any more.  Furthermore, at the end of the two weeks I feel like I have won a marathon by carrying out the plan.

I think with today's busy schedules it is so easy to think it is easier and perhaps quicker to grab something out. At this point, I would challenge that notion.  Our family has so much more quality time since I started being diligent about our meal plans. There are no words to describe how much it has changed our family. I hope yours will enjoy the same changes as well.

By the way, tonight's dinner is Chicken Marsala, mashed potatoes, and green peas! Hum!

Rice Cookers & Dinner

Back in November, my husband bought a rice cooker.  I wasn't sure it was going to be worth the space that it would occupy. Boy was I wrong. First off, it makes the best rice. It has come out perfectly every time no matter which kind of rice I used but that is only the beginning. I use it about 3-4 times per week. It works beautifully for soups, stews, meats, oatmeal and the list goes on.  I simply use the white rice setting for most things. It cooks quickly with the sealed lid and makes little mess.  I am even thinking I might take it for the next vacation. 

So tonight we will be having red beans and rice for dinner.  The hardest thing was knowing I couldn't use the Rice Cooker for the beans since I need it for the rice. LOL! I look forward to finding more great things to make in my Rice Cooker.