tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809691927256994512.post4854892967897621842..comments2023-05-31T00:34:52.307-07:00Comments on Angie's Frugal House: My Apple Turned BrownAngie's frugal Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07501238383146880477noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809691927256994512.post-76108675260571439342014-05-29T11:42:37.230-07:002014-05-29T11:42:37.230-07:00Wow! You sure are a busy lady. All great ideas, ...Wow! You sure are a busy lady. All great ideas, even for a single person. It may work to batch cook whole meals. Cook the starch (rice, potatoes, pasta), veggie, and meat at the same time. Then freeze them in individual containers as meals. You could call it 'fast' food when it's ready to be consumed. Angie's frugal Househttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07501238383146880477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809691927256994512.post-79851615754522133462014-05-28T20:20:33.742-07:002014-05-28T20:20:33.742-07:00All good ideas! I do three things consistently tha...All good ideas! I do three things consistently that seem to keep my food budget in check, even with rising prices. And aren't they rising at a fast clip??!! Okay, so the first two ideas might NOT appeal to someone cooking for one, but are ideal for a family. I watch the sales and sale cycles, then plan on "stock up" purchases of serious sales (especially meats). This week, one local store has 10 lb. bags of chicken leg quarters for $5.90, or 59 cents per pound. I know from experience I need to plan time to at the very least rinse and trim all those leg quarters in a clean sink, and then I usually also separate them using poultry shears into thighs and drumsticks to store more easily in my freezer. I'll probably buy and prep two 10 lb. bags while at this price. The second thing I do that might NOT work for someone cooking for one is batch baking/cooking. Over the weekend I roasted two tri-tip beef roasts and a 13 X 9 inch baking pan of chicken thighs at the same time in the oven. It saves enery for our gas bill, and my own energy as well, since I had a few dinners within 20 minutes later by having all the meat cooked ahead of time. The third and perhaps most useful thing I do is invest in reusable, "stay fresh", spoil-retardant storage bags for produce. Cabbage will keep for a month or more in the storage bags, I've found, carrots for almost that long, broccoli and other veggies for about 2 weeks, and even salad greens of any kind (lettuce, spinach, kale, etc.) for up to 2 weeks in those bags. The trick is to not let any of the produce spoil (keep an eye on it), and then the bags can be rinsed, dried with paper towels or a clean towel, allowed to "air" and reused up to 4 times while still retaining their anti-retardant properties. In other words, I have a LOT less spoilage than I used to. It means almost nothing goes to waste. :-)EM Griffithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05897942424655139102noreply@blogger.com