One of the biggest expenses for most families is the food bill and lately it doesn't look like grocery prices will be going down anytime soon. But, there are a few tricks to help you trim down your bill at the grocery store. One of those ways is to meal plan and the other is to shop for sale items. Now if you combine the two ideas, you get: meal planning based on what's on sale. Maximize your grocery savings with the following strategies.
Scan Your Supermarket Circulars
The best way to find out what is on sale at the grocery store is to review the circular. Most supermarkets have a hard copy of their circulars and post an online version of the circular on their website. In some instances if you sign up to receive news and other information from your supermarket's website, they will in fact email you the next week's circular a few days before it is released to everyone else.
Make a list of food items that are at a particularly good sale price. For example, if you see flounder fillets at $2.99lb or boneless, skinless chicken breasts at $1.49lb, jot them down on a piece of paper as you're scanning each ad.
Use What You Have On Hand
Check your pantry and cupboard for those basic staples. You will be very surprised once you take a peek into your stash. Side dishes, desserts and other ingredients just suddenly appear and can be added to your meal plan without buying additional products at the supermarket. For example, you found a single box of instant pudding at the back of the cabinet and fresh strawberries are at a great price this week, so now you can turn that into a delicious mid-week dessert with only buying the strawberries.
Focus on Main Entrees
When matching up your sale items with your meal plan, focus first on the main entrees. Is the pork loin on sale or is it cheaper to purchase the tilapia? Remember a main entr?e does not necessarily mean you have to include meat. You can have a dinner or two during the week be meatless and then watch your grocery bill reduce.
Find Recipes
Based on what's on sale, find recipes that will work with the ingredients you are planning to purchase. If you have a collection of your own recipes, this would be an ideal time to dust them off and see if you can use them. Or, there are websites, where you simply type in what ingredients you already have on hand and out will pop out various recipes that you can make. Jot down any miscellaneous ingredients on your sheet of paper that you may need to prepare the dish.
Meal Plan
Once you have your list of recipes together, go ahead and plan the week's meals out from the main dish to side dishes and even desserts, if desired.
Grocery List
From your piece of paper, go ahead and compose your grocery list. You should have a list of sale items and also any "extra" ingredients you may need throughout the week for your meals. Remember try and use what you may have on hand already to keep the grocery bill on the low side.
About the author: Ann Martin is a writer for Dinnerware Center, which offers stunning dinnerware, flatware and beautiful jewelry boxes. The Reed and Barton jewelry boxes are quite popular with costumers. Ann is a writer for other cooking and travel websites. When Ann is not writing, she enjoys cooking gourmet meals for her family.
Posted: Wednesday 7th March 2012, 12:43 AM
Scrumptious Super Bowl Dips
Watching the Super Bowl with family and friends has been a long ongoing tradition in my house! We enjoy gathering around the TV, cheering for our favorite team and of course enjoying yummy snacks and appetizers! Here are some of my favorite scrumptious Super Bowl dips that will sure get everyone cheering for more!
Black Bean Dip
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked black beans
1/4 cup coriander
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup onions
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
Directions:
Blend beans in a blender until creamy.
Saute onion and garlic in bacon fat until brown.
Add all ingredients except bacon and sour cream.
Cook over medium heat until boiling, stir occasionally to avoid sticking.
Remove from heat at least 10 minutes before serving to allow thickening.
Top with sour cream and bacon.
Serve with hot tortilla's or corn chips.
Source: Food.com
Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Dip
Ingredients:
2 cups sour cream
2 cups mayonnaise
2 lbs sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 plum tomatoes, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
assorted crackers or chips
Directions:
In a bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, bacon, tomatoes and onions.
Refrigerate until serving.
Serve with crackers or chips.
Source: Food.com
Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
1 (10 ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (14 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1 cup shredded parmesan-romano cheese mix
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
10 ounces prepared alfredo sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 ounces softened cream cheese
pepper (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and spread mixture into a small baking dish (I used an 8" X 8" dish).
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheeses are bubbling and melted.
Serve with chips or bread and enjoy.
Source: Food.com
Seven Layer Dip
Ingredients:
16 ounces refried beans
1 (1 1/4 ounce) packages taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream
1 cup guacamole
1 cup salsa
1 cup lettuce
1 cup Mexican blend cheese
4 ounces sliced olives
1 cup tomatoes
Directions:
Layer in this order.
16 oz refried beans mixed w/ 1 package taco seasoning.
1 c sour cream.
1 c guacamole.
1 c salsa.
1 c lettuce.
1 c Mexican cheese.
4oz sliced olives.
1 c tomatoes.
Source: Food.com
Philly Cheesy Pizza Dip
Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons red peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons green peppers, chopped
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
Spread cream cheese onto bottom of microwaveable 9-inch pie plate.
Cover with pizza sauce; top with remaining ingredients.
Microwave on high 2 minutes or until heated through.
Serve with crackers.
This can also be served with assorted cut-up fresh vegetable dippers in addition to the crackers.
Source: Food.com
About the author: Ann Martin is a writer for Dinnerware Center, which offers stunning dinnerware by Reed and Barton and carries many other brands as well. Dinnerware Center even carries a beautiful line of Reed and Barton flatware. Ann is a freelance writer for other cooking and home entertaining websites. When Ann is not writing, she enjoys reading.
Posted: Thursday 9th February 2012, 1:21 AM
Healthy Vegan Recipes for the New Year
After the holiday season, most of us are done stuffing ourselves with all those delicious and decadent holiday treats and are ready for a fresh and healthy start with our diet. For most of us, that means increasing our fruit and vegetable intake. Not only is the cost of dairy and meat products constantly rising, but they offer minimal nutritional value when compared to their fruits and vegetable counterparts. Try changing up your recipe rolodex with a few of these delicious and healthy vegan recipes.
Creamy Roasted Tomato, Garlic, and Onion Coconut Soup
Roasting vegetables:
5 pounds of roma tomatoes, washed & sliced in half
1 large sweet onion, peeled & sliced
2-3 large garlic bulbs, prepared for roasting
extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, & pepper, for vegetables
Soup:
3 cups roasted tomatoes
2 tbsp roasted garlic flesh
all of the roasted sweet onion
1 can light coconut milk (reserve 2-3 tbsp for garnish)
3 cups vegetable broth (I used low-sodium)
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp garam masala or make your own
1 tsp salt or to taste (you may have to reduce amt. if you used full-sodium broth)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
for garnish: garlic croutons, coconut milk, pesto, herbs, garam masala, pepper, etc.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F and line 2 baking sheets with tin foil (note that parchment paper will burn). Grab a small casserole dish to place the garlic in. Lightly drizzle on EVOO onto onions and season onions and tomatoes with S & P. Roast for about 30 minutes and then check on the vegetables. You might have to remove the onions early as they cook the quickest. When the onions are golden and lightly blackened on the edge, you can remove them. Continue roasting the garlic for about 60 minutes or so (check it after 4 5mins), and the tomatoes for about 1 hour and 20 mins. Your oven times will vary though, so keep an eye on them!
Add 3 cups roasted tomatoes, 2 tbsp roasted garlic flesh, and all the onion into a large pot. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, and broth and stir well.
Stir in the seasonings and spices to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
Carefully transfer into a blender, processor, or use an immersion blender. Pulse for just a few seconds until chunky. You can also make it smooth, but I liked the texture. Serve immediately and garnish with reserved coconut milk, a sprinkle of garam masala, croutons/bread, and fresh black pepper.
Source: Ohsheglow.com
Easy Hummus Spiral Wraps
Ingredients:
2-3 Tbsp Roasted Red Pepper Spread
handful of shredded carrots
handful of baby spinach
splash of lemon juice/olive oil
fresh ground pepper
edamame soy beans
avocado slices
Directions:
Spread the hummus.
Add the ingredients in a thinly spread layer - distribute evenly.
Roll up your lavish bread wrap - tightly. Slice into 1 inch thick rounds. Serve.
Source: kblog.lunchboxbunch.com
Vegan Breakfast Sandwich
Ingredients:
1 English Muffin
2 Tbsp soy vegan sausage, pressed into a round patty
3 slices bell pepper, thinly sliced
handful fresh baby spinach
1 Tbsp Daiya Vegan Cheese (opt'l)
1 tsp harissa OR hot sauce (opt'l for spicy flavor)
1/2 tsp vegan butter
1 tsp maple syrup OR berry jam
dash pepper
EVOO (for rubbing)
Directions:
Grab all you ingredients out of the fridge. Stick your English muffin - uncut under the grill press for 45 seconds while you arrange your ingredients.
Slice off 2 Tbsp of the vegan sausage (you know the kind that comes in the thick tube) and hand-press a nice patty. If you are feeling really adventurous, you can even press some diced onion into the patty as well.
Rub the paty in a very light amount of EVOO and place it on the heated grill. Remove your English muffins and press the panini grill shut - or cover your stove top skillet with a heavy spatula or foil. You want it to cool through in just under 2 minutes. Thinner patties cook in a flash.
Slice open your English Muffin and place the open faced ends back on the grill while you prep your veggies. Rub some sliced pepper in a bit of EVOO and place it on the grill as well.
Close panini lid and allow the vegan sausage, peppers and bread to grill for another minute. After a minute, lift lid and observe doneness. Pull anything that looks very done. Otherwise turn off panini press and close to keep heated.
Grab your cheese and sprinkle it right over top the patties - still on grill. Then place the sizzling hot peppers right on top of the cheese so that it creates a hot barrier - and close the panini press one more time. Yes, the panini press/grill is on off - but there will be enough heat from the grill and peppers to melt the cheese.
Grab your English Muffin and spread 1 tsp buttery spread on one side - the maple syrup and/or jam on the other.
Start building your sandwich: Muffin, patty (with cheese and peppers), layer your fresh spinach on top of that (and optional harissa) then close with top half of muffin.
Slice. Serve! You can even wrap your sandwich up and take it on the road with you - maybe eat it on the subway and make everyone else jealous. OK, that's not nice. Eat it at home with a side of fresh fruit or juice. You'll feel sooo much better with a full belly on a busy day!
Source: kblog.lunchboxbunch.com
Seitan and Broccolini with Clementine Teriyaki
Ingredients:
8 Ounces Sliced Seitan (I use West Soy brand)
1 Cup Sushi Rice
6-8 Stalks of Broccolini
2 Clementines
1 Tbs Vegetable Oil
Japanese Seven Spice, optional
Ingredients for Clementine Teriyaki Sauce:
1/2 Cup Low Sodium Tamari
1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Fresh Clementine Juice
1/4 Cup + 1 Tbs Rice Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
Zest from 1 Clementine
Directions:
Rinse your sushi rice in cool water and drain. Cook in your rice cooker or on the stove according to package directions, but 1 cup of sushi rice is usually cooked in 1 1/4 cups of water. Allow to cook completely and steam for 5-10 minutes off the heat while you are preparing the rest of the meal. Total cooking time for the rice will be around 20 minutes.
Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small pan let it go at a lively simmer for 20 minutes, until reduced and slightly thick. The sauce will NOT be super thick when it is hot. It will very slightly cover the back of a spoon and look syrupy, but it's not going to be thick until it cools, so don't worry if it seems runny. At the end of the cooking you should see large, excited bubbles (this is the sugar caramelizing), so if you don't see those, keep cooking. Once the sauce is done, it'll taste good but pretty strong. Set aside.
While the sauce and the rice are cooking, prepare your seitan and broccolini. Slice the seitan into 1/8? thick medallions, or something similar. I usually don't prep broccolini any more than rinsing it and chopping off the ends, but if the stalks are particularly thick, you may wish to half them lengthwise. This shouldn't be the case with most bunches you find in the store, however.
Heat a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the seitan and let brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl, turn up the heat to high, and add broccolini in one layer. Once you get color on one side, flip, reduce heat to low, and cover the pan to finish the cooking, another 2-3 minutes. The broccolini should be bright green and cooked to a tender-crisp.
Once you are ready to serve, add the seitan to the pan with the broccolini. Drizze enough teriyaki sauce in to coat everything. Beware, if the pan is too hot you risk burning your sauce, so take good care here. Once everything is heated and covered in a nice glaze, serve immediately with the sushi rice. Top with seven spice if you like a little heat.
This sauce is strong so you just need enough to coat - save any extra for a future meal.
Source: veganyumyum.com
About the author: Ann Martin is a writer for Dinnerware Center, which offers stunning dinnerware sets, such as the classic Reed & Barton. Dinnerware Center even carries a beautiful line of Christmas ornaments! Ann is a freelance writer for other cooking and health-related websites. When Ann is not writing, she enjoys cooking for family and friends.
Posted: Tuesday 17th January 2012, 1:03 AM
Delicious Make Ahead Holiday Breakfasts
With the busy holiday season upon us, be sure to relax and enjoy these times with these delicious make ahead holiday breakfasts. With a little prep time the night before, your family will be happy to wake up to those delicious smells of a special breakfast during the holiday season. Here are some of my favorite holiday breakfasts, just be sure to make enough because everyone will want a second helping!
Syrupy Banana-Nut Overnight French Toast
Ingredients:
6 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar
5 large ripe bananas, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 (12-ounce) long loaf French or Italian bread, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices
6 large eggs
2 cup(s) milk
2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
1/2 cup(s) sliced almonds or coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions:
In microwave-safe small bowl, heat butter in microwave oven on High 1 minute or until melted. Stir sugar into butter until moistened. With fingertips, press sugar mixture onto bottom of 13-inch by 9-inch glass baking dish. (It's okay if mixture does not cover bottom.) Spread fresh or dried fruit over sugar mixture; top with bread slices, cut sides down.
In medium bowl, with whisk, beat eggs; whisk in milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Slowly pour milk mixture over bread; press bread down to absorb egg mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap from baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes or until bread is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Source: Delish.com
Holiday Strata
Ingredients:
7 slices of whole wheat bread, cubed (not the small sized slices)
canola cooking spray
2 cooked boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2/3 cup chopped green pepper
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/3 cup fat free sour cream (light can be substituted)
1 large egg
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup fat free half and half (lowfat milk can be substituted)
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 can Campbell's Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
Directions:
Place half of the bread cubes in a 9 x 9-inch baking dish that has been coated with canola cooking spray.
In medium bowl blend chicken pieces, green pepper, onion, celery, light mayonnaise, and sour cream together. Spread the mixture over the breadcrumbs.
Spread the remaining bread cubes over the chicken mixture.
In mixing bowl, beat egg, egg substitute, half-and-half, and salt together until smooth. Pour egg mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Cover dish and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread condensed soup over the top of the casserole. Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake 5 minutes longer.
Source: Webmd.com
Farmer's Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
3 cups frozen shredded hash browns, 24 oz. bag
3/4 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3-cup mild salsa
1 cup Ham, or Canadian-style bacon, diced
1/2 cup Green onions, sliced
4 Eggs, beaten
12 oz Evaporated milk, canned
1/4-teaspoon black pepper
1/8-teaspoon salt
Directions:
Grease a 2-quart square-baking dish. Spread the potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheeses, ham, salsa and green onions. Combine the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt and pour over the potato mixture in dish. Cover and refrigerate. To serve, bake, uncovered at 350 °F for 40 to 45 or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Optional, add extra shredded cheese to the top during the last 15 minutes of baking. Serves 6
Source: Christmas.Organizedhome.com
Do Ahead Breakfast Bake
1 cup diced fully cooked ham (6 oz)
2 boxes Betty Crocker® Seasoned Skillets® hash brown potatoes
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 tablespoon dried chopped onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 eggs
Directions:
Grease 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with shortening or cooking spray.
Layer ham, potatoes, bell pepper, onion and 1 cup of the cheese in baking dish. In large bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, pepper and eggs until blended. Pour into baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
Heat oven to 375?F. Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown around edges and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes.
Source: Bettycrocker.com
About the author: Ann Martin is a writer for Dinnerware Center, which offers an array of stunning dinnerware sets online, such as the classic Reed and Barton. Dinnerware Center even carries a beautiful line of Christmas ornaments! Ann is a freelance writer for other cooking and garden websites. When Ann is not writing, she enjoys reading the best sellers.
