What is your limit?

[CraigC]

Does that mean you no longer patronize the store less than a mile away that provided your rotten cippolini?

Kind of, I will now do the same thing I do if I buy prepackaged chicken from them. Break the package open. In the case of chicken, it gets the smell test, in the case of prepackaged produce, it gets inspected. When we shopped at Publix exclusively, if they didn't have loose produce, I would break open packages to 1) make sure nothing was bad inside, 2) get the exact amount I wanted and 3) if the loose produce isn't appealing. We pretty much only shop there for bogo items anymore or for items not available else where. Considering there is a Penn Dutch, Winn Dixie and Publix within blocks of each other, we can pick and choose from each stores ad. Penn Dutch gets the bulk of our grocery spending each week. There is also Restaurant Depot as well.

 

[StuartCooks]

I usually am at $50-$80 per week, for two adults.

Keep things really really cheap, I also have a 10 gallon pail of barley. I suggest all of you get a 10 gallon pail of barley, if you can. Barley can be used to make pottage, which is our staple food. I usually make a large stock pot full of it on Sunday, portion it out, and it is lunches and help all week.

I do the coupon thing, and watch the sales. Normally I get 30-50 percent off my bill on discounts and coupons when I go to the grocery.

Buy whole chickens, and thighs, instead of breasts. Can usually get either three servings of four thighs, or a whole chicken which is one dinner for breasts, and a pot pie for the rest, for about $7.

I am not very discerning about ground beef, and tend to get the $10 three pound 'log' of 75% lean. I mainly use it in casseroles anyway.

Speaking of casserole, they are my friend.

I try to once a week spend a bit more and have a 'good' meal, where I spend a little bit more especially on the protein.

Some of my favorite seafood recipes are middle eastern, and highly spiced. They stand up well to those big sacks of frozen talapia from BJ's or Costco.

I buy spices in bulk.

I try to take advantage of windfalls, very cheap sales. I just had a sale of a lot of ground beef, bought much and made it into meatballs, and froze them. Now I have a quick meal from grabbing a bag of meatballs, making a sauce, and serving with a starch.

Just some thoughts.

TBS

How'd you freeze the meatballs?Just threw them in a ziplock? Do you ever freeze the casseroles?

 

[erehweslefox]

How'd you freeze the meatballs?Just threw them in a ziplock? Do you ever freeze the casseroles?

Yup, just stick them in a ziplock. They last for quite a while. I put them about 25 to a bag, that way if I'm in a rush I can grab a bag, make a sauce, and add a starch or pasta.

And yes, I freeze casseroles all the time. I generally make up twice to three times what we need, and freeze a bunch. I find it is just as easy to make a big batch of something, than a small batch.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Freezing Meatballs



Whenever I make meatballs, I place them onto a sheet pan and freeze them this way.



Then they go into a freezer bag, 12 at a time for the 2 of us.
I put them into a pot of sauce, still frozen most times and slowly
simmered to perfect tenderness.
We usually don't eat that entire dozen meatballs in one sitting,
they'll be used for Meatball sandwiches the next afternoon, MMM

 

[Andy M.]

...Whenever I make meatballs, I place them onto a sheet pan and freeze them this way. Then they go into a freezer bag, 12 at a time for the 2 of us. I put them into a pot of sauce, still frozen most times and slowly simmered to perfect tenderness. We usually don't eat that entire dozen meatballs in one sitting, they'll be used for Meatball sandwiches the next afternoon, MMM

I usually cook them first in a big batch in the sauce (after browning) then freeze them in the sauce. That way, All I need to do is microwave the meatballs and sauce to eat.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

... snipped ...
We usually don't eat that entire dozen meatballs in one sitting,
they'll be used for Meatball sandwiches the next afternoon, MMM

Mangiamo!

 

[Cheryl J]

View attachment 25385

Whenever I make meatballs, I place them onto a sheet pan and freeze them this way.

View attachment 25386

Then they go into a freezer bag, 12 at a time for the 2 of us.
I put them into a pot of sauce, still frozen most times and slowly
simmered to perfect tenderness.
We usually don't eat that entire dozen meatballs in one sitting,
they'll be used for Meatball sandwiches the next afternoon, MMM

kgirl, that's how I do meatballs too, when I make up a batch to freeze. They don't stick together if they're frozen on a sheet pan first before putting them in a bag. Living alone, sometimes I only want to grab 3 or so, then throw the bag back in the freezer.

I don't freeze all of them in a sauce at one time - once in a while I want them plain with mushrooms and onions, or grandson will want a couple with just bbq sauce. I need to replenish the meatball supply very soon, come to think of it.

 

[Cheryl J]

Can't believe I haven't posted about this subject on this long thread yet.

I don't really keep track, it would be nearly impossible. I keep the freezer stocked with meat and when it gets a little low on one thing or another I buy a family pack and portion it up. I stock up on canned food, paper goods, shampoo and vitamins at Costco, but that might only be once a year or so since it's so far away. Walmart for things in between, like cat food, etc.

I usually hit the seasonal local farm stand and supermarket about once a week for produce and dairy. Sometimes I'll go a couple of weeks without needing to buy anything but milk. And wine.

Of course, then there's the times when tri tips are on sale, or I want a nice rib eye, or scallops, or if I'm having family over for dinner. Overall, I don't think I spend much at all so figure I can splurge when I want to.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

kgirl, that's how I do meatballs too, when I make up a batch to freeze. They don't stick together if they're frozen on a sheet pan first before putting them in a bag. Living alone, sometimes I only want to grab 3 or so, then throw the bag back in the freezer.

I don't freeze all of them in a sauce at one time - once in a while I want them plain with mushrooms and onions, or grandson will want a couple with just bbq sauce. I need to replenish the meatball supply very soon, come to think of it.

That's true Cheryl, I have been only 2-track minded... maybe Swedish meatballs; I make often in the Winter Italian Wedding Soup with tiny meatballs, I recently made Meatball Parmesan, MMM ... hmmm, what else could I do with meatballs.

I also want to say that I portion them out with a small ice cream (cookie) scoop to get them as even in size as I can, that way they cook evenly. For the tiny meatballs, I simply half the small scoops, that works, and then they also will go frozen, into the boiling broth to simmer gently, mmm, time for another pot of soup me thinks

 

[Cheryl J]

I use a spring loaded scoop too, makes it so much easier. Forgot about Italian Wedding Soup until you mentioned it...there's another idea.

 

[GotGarlic]

Chinese sweet and sour meatballs

 

[erehweslefox]

Chinese sweet and sour meatballs

One of my favorites....

Yeah, I forgot to mention I brown the meatballs before freezing them. Not cook, through, but brown.

I don't freeze mine in sauce, because, well, I usually don't know what sauce we're gonna be in the mood for!

Worst case scenario, just use some basic tomato sauce, or barbecue sauce. I normally have a bottle of that hanging around, pick them up whenever on sale at the store.

TBS

 

[Addie]

When I am doing meatballs for the freezer, I partially bake them all at once on a large cookie sheet. Sure beats standing over the frying pan and turning them. Much quicker. Then once that tray cools down some, into the freezer. I use them mostly for meatball subs.

 

[erehweslefox]

When I am doing meatballs for the freezer, I partially bake them all at once on a large cookie sheet. Sure beats standing over the frying pan and turning them. Much quicker. Then once that tray cools down some, into the freezer. I use them mostly for meatball subs.

You know that does make a lot of sense. I sometimes get tunnel vision when cooking. I'll usually use my cast iron skillet for most things, just because. I even OWN a set of all clad saucepans (wedding gift), cookie sheets, and other stuff, but usually I just grab the Lodge.

I guess it is the same reason I use my swiss army knife for most simple home repairs, even though I have a toolbox full of actual tools, the swiss army knife is always in my pocket, where the toolbox is in the basement, and I KNOW it works in most situations.

It is particularly egregious when I use the lodge as a saucepan, were I know darn well I have perfectly good saucepans in the cabinet. And they say you shouldn't do acidic sauces in cast iron. Mine is so seasoned by near daily use, and rubdowns with shortening by now, though I think I'd hide behind it in a nuclear blast, and only get a slight sunburn.

Honestly I think this is due to a string of apartments with small kitchens, and the fact that even though I have been cooking for a while, even having cooked in restaurant settings, I still think of myself as a campfire cook. Stew pot, cast iron skillet, dutch oven, seem to be the three things I go back to. The all-clad pots, I've always kind of thought of as too fancy to use... weird I know.

But yeah, I do have a couple cookie sheets, makes sense again.

TBS

 

[Addie]

I have two Revere Ware sauce pans. I received them more than 30 years ago as gifts. I just seem to have grown to hate them. I am so sick of looking at them. Time to get new ones. Right now Cuisinart is looking good to me.

I also have a two cup SS measuring cup that I use all the time for very small jobs in the kitchen. And not just for measuring. Pirate wanted to toss it. He thought it was a tiny pan and not a measuring cup also.

 

[erehweslefox]

Right now Cuisinart is looking good to me.

I also have a two cup SS measuring cup that I use all the time for very small jobs in the kitchen. And not just for measuring. Pirate wanted to toss it. He thought it was a tiny pan and not a measuring cup also.

I heard Cuisinart is great for SS.

Yeah I have some weird cooking stuff too. In our last move Beloved Wife threw out my small mixing bowl. And I admit, it was a steel bowl from a military mess kit, and looked like absolute garbage. I still miss it, it was kind of the perfect size for sauce, and it was just the right depth too, where I could whisk in it, but it was still shallow enough I could see the colors of something I was making up. I don't blame her (much) for throwing it out, as it was dented to all hell and maybe stained a bit, didn't look like much, but I miss it. Mainly as I knew that bowl exactly, I could tell just by looking how much stuff I had.

 

[CakePoet]

Food and hygiene products for a house of three goes on about 4000- 5000 SEK per months. That is about 467 - 583 USD per month.

To put in perspective. 1 kilo of onion is about 50 cent, 1 liter milk is about 1 USD, how ever we go for lactosfree which is about 2 dollar for 1½ liter, eggs 4 USD per kilo.

And meat is expensive, it is like 7 USD per kilo for half and half mince.

 

[erehweslefox]

Food and hygiene products for a house of three goes on about 4000- 5000 SEK per months. That is about 467 - 583 USD per month.

To put in perspective. 1 kilo of onion is about 50 cent, 1 liter milk is about 1 USD, how ever we go for lactosfree which is about 2 dollar for 1½ liter, eggs 4 USD per kilo.

And meat is expensive, it is like 7 USD per kilo for half and half mince.

If CakePoet, if your idea is that we pay too much for too expensive foods, I agree with you.

Have seen some good vegan arguments, often they are off the mark. I like my vegan friends, but do still want a meat protien component in my meals.

Onions have a great nutrition to cost ratio. I use them whenever I can. Milk less so as many people are lactose intolerant.

Meat is fine, I like ground beef, often on sale for $1.99 a pound.

TBS

 

[StuartCooks]

View attachment 25387

Mangiamo!

Me too! I cook them in the sauce then vacuum seal them in the sauce. They are super full of flavor when I do this. I reheat them in a water bath. Ready to go in no time.

BRB Thawing meatballs!

 

[CakePoet]

Well that is how expensive food is in Sweden, reason being why meat is so expensive is we pay to keep the animals in good health and happy. We have one Europeans strictest animal husbandry laws. Sweden is expensive when it comes to food, but it isnt as bad as Norway.

I am not going to be vegan, I cant digest that much veggies, I tried , I got really ill. So instead with have smaller portions on the table and fill up with is cheaper.

Pure pork mince is about 5 dollar and you can see it for 3 dollar on sale. Remember do everything by kilo ( 1 kilo= 2.2 pounds)