Lynn's Kitchen Adventures » Kitchen Tips

5 Simple Ways To Save Money In the Kitchen

Lynn — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:01:12 +0000

Last January I joined a great group of bloggers to bring you 5 Simple Ways. We each offered 5 simple tips to start the New Year covering various subjects like money, decorating, fashion, organizing, healthy living, kitchen life, and more. (Don’t forget to pick up the free ebook we put together from last year’s 5 Simple Ways series.)

Today we are back with more great tips to start the new year right and I am sharing 5 simple ways to save money in the kitchen.

These tips are things I have mentioned often on my site because they are things that I try in incorporate into my everyday kitchen life. They are basic tips that do not take very much time or work.

Menu plan, menu plan, menu plan

Yes I think menu planning is important, because it saves me so much time and money in the kitchen. If I plan my menu with what is on sale and what I have in my pantry, I avoid spending extra money on the dinner time panic of what do I feed my family for dinner. I am a big believer though in making your menu plan work for you.

What works for my family will not work for yours. So, if planning only five dinners a week works for you, plan only five meals and give yourself some freedom on the rest. If you like to do a ground beef Monday, Mexican Tuesday, and a Soup Wednesday type meal plan, than do that. Do what works for you. The important part is to have a plan.

Make it from scratch

I love making what I can at home. Yes, I can find inexpensive prepackaged food with sales and coupons, but the reality is that most things are cheaper to make at home. Things like homemade seasoning mixes and taco mixes are so easy to make at home and are much less expensive.

Eat out less

This one is not directly saving money in your kitchen, but it is saving money on food. I have found that I can often make a similar, if not better, version at home for much less. I can make my whole family a homemade version of Panera’s broccoli soup, tomato soup, or even potato soup for the price of one bowl at Panera. I can make burrito bowls very similar to Chipotles at home for much less than I can feed my family eating out. And the list goes on and on. Pizza is much cheaper to make at home. No it is not quite the same, but it is still very good and much healthier.

Keep a well stocked kitchen

Spur on the moment or last minute purchases can quickly ruin a budget. Running to the store for that item you ran out of often costs more than that one item, because you find at least five other items that you also “need”. Keeping a well stocked kitchen allows you to shop from your kitchen when you need to make a meal or recipe. It saves you from always running out and buying that one item. Now, I am not saying that you should run out and buy a ton of stuff right now to stock your kitchen. You can easily stock a kitchen with the basic canned goods, spices, pastas, etc over a few weeks or a month, by watching sales and spreading it out.

Keep a well organized kitchen

Okay, so here is where I admit I struggle. When people come over to my house, I often hope they don’t notice how unorganized my pantry is. It is an area I am far from perfect on, but I do know that when I keep a well organized pantry and kitchen, I spend less on groceries simply because I do not buy things I already have. I cleaned out my kitchen cupboard recently to discover I had at least 3 containers of cinnamon. And when I cleaned out my fridge, we had 3 or more opened jars of strawberry jelly. If things had been more organized and I had known what I already had, I would not have bought more of something that we did not need.

I would love to hear your tips on saving money in the kitchen. What do you think are the easiest ways to save money in the kitchen?

And don’t forget to check out the other great bloggers joining me for this 5 Simple Ways series.

Springs Bargains-5 Simple Ways To Save More By Wasting Less
Heavenly Homemakers- 5 Simple Ways To Accomplish More Each Day
A Familiar Path- 5 Simple Ways To Make The Most Of Your Pictures
Smockity Frocks- 5 Simple Ways To Occupy Preschoolers
My Blessed Life- 5 Simple Ways To Update Your Home Decor
The Happy Housewife- 5 Simple Ways To Save Money In 2012
I’m In Organizing Junkie- 5 Simple Ways To Organize Without Spending Big Bucks
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam- 5 Simple Ways To Freshen Up Your Wardrobe for 2012
Southern Saver- 5 Simple Ways To Not Get Overwhelmed in Couponing

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Saving Time Making Mashed Potatoes

Lynn — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:29:58 +0000

Today’s kitchen tip is such an easy tip, but it will save you so much time in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. This is a tip I learned from a friend at church quite a few years ago.

This friend makes that best mashed potatoes. She brings a large bowl of them to almost every church dinner and they are always a hit. One Sunday I asked her how she managed to make up such a large pot of mashed potatoes all the time to bring to potluck dinners. She answered by saying that she did most of the work ahead of time.

She told me that she did all the peeling and cutting ahead. She then put them in a pot and covered them in water and left them to sit in the fridge until she was ready to use them. Then when she was ready to cook them, she set them on the stove, heated them up, and cooked and mashed them.

By doing the time consuming part of peeling and cutting the potatoes ahead of time, she saves a lot of time the day she needs them. And by covering them completely in water, she keeps them from turning brown. I loved this idea, because peeling potatoes is not my favorite job to do, especially in the middle of trying to prepare a meal like Thanksgiving dinner.

I also love this because it is an easy job to give the kids ahead of time. They can easily peel and even help cut the potatoes the day before or the morning of the day you need them. You can cover them in water and cook and mash when needed.

I have used this tip many times now and it saves me so much time during the holidays, and during those times where I need a large batch of mashed potatoes.

It is simple tips like this that make holiday dinners so much easier.

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Kitchen Shortcuts That Work For Me

Lynn — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:28:24 +0000

I love to cook and bake. I love to make things from scratch, but the reality is that I am a busy homeschooling mom, with three kids. I live in the country, we have three dogs, and we raise hogs. I help with my husband’s office, I take kids to piano lessons, the library, doctor appointments, etc. I am busy just like everyone else.

We also have food issues and eating out is almost impossible. The fact is that most of the time I cook twenty one meals at week at home. That makes me tired just thinking about it.

I love to cook and bake, but the reality is that no matter how much I love to cook and make things from scratch, I don’t always have time. The reality is that I often need quick and easy meals. The reality is that I can not do it all and often use shortcuts and convenience items.

Yes, I like to make homemade refried beans, but you will also find canned ones in my pantry for when I do not have time to make them.

I think it is great that many of you make your own tortillas. I have had homemade tortillas and they taste great, but homemade tortillas are not happening most nights at my house. I just don’t have the time. You will almost always find a package of store bought tortillas at my house because I can easily put together quesadillas or taquitos using them.

And although I like to cook dried beans, right now you will find these in my pantry.

In fact, you will almost always find quite a few cans of various types of beans in my pantry for those days and times when I need a quick and easy meal. Canned beans make life so much easier when I need to put together a quick soup, chili, or mexican type dish.

Another kitchen shortcut that I use all the time is chicken and beef broth. Yes, I know how to make it from scratch. Yes, I know how good it tastes when made from scratch, but the reality is that I don’t usually have time and store bought broth is convenient and easy to use.

Should I admit that I also love boneless skinless chicken. Yes, I love to cook whole chickens, but in general boneless skinless chicken is quicker and easier to use.

And here are just a few other kitchen food shortcuts and convenience foods that you will almost always find in my kitchen.

Yes, even though I prefer to make my own homemade granola and granola bars, I usually keep a few premade items on hand to be sure we always have them.

And yes you will even find a few prepackaged cookies and other snacks for the non gluten free eaters in my family. I am just like everyone else. I need and use some prepackaged convenience type items. Tomorrow I will even be sharing a recipe that uses tator tots. Yes, I even keep a package or two of those in my freezer.

My thought is that a homemade meal is still homemade even if I use canned beans. A soup is still homemade and healthy even if I use store bought chicken broth. A homemade hamburger or meat loaf with a side of canned baked beans is still a meal that my family enjoys.

We can not do it all. We all have a few convenience foods and kitchen short cuts that we keep on hand and use. And I think that is perfectly fine.

I am just keeping it real here…….

Now that I have admitted a few of my favorite food shortcuts, I would love to hear yours. What kitchen shortcuts do you use and love?

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Soaking Beans In Salt Water

Lynn — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:46:02 +0000

Last year I posted a video on how I cook dried beans in my crock pot, and I still love making them that way. It makes it so easy to cook up a large batch of beans and freeze them for use in soups and Mexican food.

I recently learned a new tip for soaking my beans though that I am loving. It is really helping the texture of my cooked beans.

I have always been one to soak my dried beans. I know many people say you can skip the soaking step, but in my experience I always have better results when I soak them. So, I continue to soak them, but this new method I found for soaking beans works way better than just soaking them in water.

I posted a few months ago about how much I love the Cook’s Illustrated Slow Cooker Revolution Cookbook. It has become one of my favorite crock pot cookbooks. It is full or not only recipes, but tips for using your crock pot.

One of the tips in the book is for soaking beans in salt water before cooking them. A friend told me a few months ago that she had read the tip in the Slow Cooker Revolution Cookbook and tried it. She thought it worked great and wanted me to know about it.

I knew with the amount of beans we use that I needed to give this tip a try. Plus, if both Cook’s Illustrated and my friend thought it worked, it must be worth trying.

So, I recently soaked my beans in salt water according to the directions in the Slow Cooker Revolution instead of just plain water, and I agree, it works great.

I loved how the beans turned out. The salt really helps tenderize and soften the beans. ( I also think it helps aid in digestion if you know what I mean, although CI does not mention that. )

All you do is put 2 tablespoons of salt in about 4 quarts of water and stir well. Add 1 lb of beans and soak overnight. Drain the beans, and rinse salt water off. Cook as directed or according to the recipe you are using.

I am curious have any of you heard or tried this tip for soaking beans before?

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Tortilla and Pancake Warmer

Lynn — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 22:43:51 +0000

I have seen Tortilla Warmers in stores for years, but I did not think that I needed another kitchen gadget that would fit only one purpose.

Several years ago though a friend mentioned that she used her tortilla warmer not only for tortillas, but for keeping pancakes warm.

That idea had me very interested. This would make it a dual purpose tool. And since we eat pancakes once a week, I would use it often.

Plus, if it kept pancakes warm, it would makes things easier because everyone could eat at once.

Now every week I place my pancakes straight from the griddle into my tortilla warmer, and the pancakes stay warm until we are ready to eat them.

I also enjoy my tortilla warmer for tortillas, but I have used it far more for pancakes. In fact in our house it is called a pancake warmer, not a tortilla warmer.

Do you own a tortilla warmer? Have you ever used it for pancakes?

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Tips For Summer Cooking

Lynn — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:52:31 +0000

Summer time means hot weather for many parts of the country. Here in Oklahoma we are going on over three weeks of triple digit temperatures.

I don’t know about you, but I do not like to do a lot of baking, or turning on the oven, during the summer. We do not need anything extra heating up the house.

And not only does summer mean hot weather, it usually means very busy schedules.

So, how do you cook your family healthy meals without spending a lot of time in the kitchen?

Use your crockpot

It is easy to start something in your crockpot first thing in the morning. Crockpots do put off a little heat, so if you are worried about that set your crockpot on your back porch or in your garage. I learned this tip actually from a friend when I was pregnant and I could not stand the smell of food cooking, but it works the same for hot weather. (Just be careful that you do not attract the neighborhood dogs. )

Use Your Grill

I know some of you do not own grills, but for those of you that do, put it to work. I use my grill several times a week. We use it for everything from meats and vegetables to pizza. Grilling keeps the heat outside and keeps the mess in my kitchen to a minimal.

Make Salads

I love salads and could eat them almost every day. My husband on the other hand thinks of salad as a side dish not a main dish. However, I can easily incorporate salads into our menu plan by making the hearty salads.

We love steak salad and chicken salad. I also often make pasta salad, fajita salad, and taco salad.

Keep It Simple

Summertime is the perfect time to keep your meals simple.

It is so easy to make Mexican Rice and quesadillas. Fried rice is also simple and easy to make.

We love making homemade burrito bowls with cilantro rice and seasoned black beans during the hot weather. Tacos and fajitas are also quick and easy meals to make.

Make Breakfast For Dinner

Breakfast for dinner is often popular because it is an inexpensive meal, but it is also quick and easy to prepare without using the oven.

It is easy to make pancakes, waffles, or eggs and toast. Breakfast bowls are also easy to make and make ahead.

What tips do you have for keeping mealtime simple during the summer?

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Homemade Tostada Shells {And A Pantry Challenge Update}

Lynn — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:26:43 +0000

I mentioned last week that I was joining with a few other bloggers this month on a pantry challenge. My goal was to help clean out and use up some of the food that has been sitting in my freezer and pantry for too long.

This challenge has been good for me. It has made me think a little outside the box and has forced me to get creative.

Last week I planned on serving Mexican Pizzas for dinner. I was sure that I had a few tostada shells in the pantry, but when I went to find them I realized that I did not have any. (Hopefully this pantry challenge will also force me to clean out and organize my pantry so that I know what I have.)

Instead of changing the menu plan, I decided to make due with what I had. I had several packages of corn tortillas that I keep on hand to make quesadillas for lunch. I knew I could easily make these tortillas into a tostada, because basically a tostada shell is just a crisp tortilla.

I knew I could fry the tortillas in oil, but instead of taking the time to fry the shells I decided to bake them in the oven.

I baked them at 400 for about 8-10 minutes, turning them once until they crisped up.

They turned out perfectly. In fact, my husband and kids thought that they tasted better than the store bought ones. They also thought that it was easier to eat the Mexican Pizza because the homemade tostada shells did not fall apart as easily.

I really wish that I had tried this trick before now. Tortilla shells are much cheaper than tostada shells and I almost always have tortillas on hand for things like quesadillas and taquitos. This is definitely something I will be doing again.

Sometimes we need to think outside the box when it comes to cooking. Using what you have and making do with what is on hand not only saves you money, but it often creates new family favorites.

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What To Do If You Do Not Have Ramekins

Lynn — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:07:06 +0000

When I post recipes like custard and other foods that require ramekins, one question I’m often asked is, “What do I do if I don’t have ramekins?”

Ramekins are simply small oven safe dishes that are the perfect size for a single serving. Ramekins are used for things like custards, puddings, and many other dishes. They are inexpensive and can be found at places like Walmart and Target.

However, I know that many of you do not have a lot of extra room to store dishes that you will only use a few times a year. You also do not want to spend money on dishes that you will use only occasionally.

I own several ramekins, but my problem is that I only have a few. I have enough to serve my family dessert, but I do not have enough to serve company a dessert using ramekins.

So, what do I do when I want to serve something like custard to a large group of people?

I bring out the jars. Small jam type jars work great and they are something that can be used over and over again and for many different things. They are also very inexpensive and can be purchased almost anywhere.

I used jars for my Chocolate and White Chocolate Custard and it worked prefect for serving family and friends at a barbecue we hosted recently.

So, if you do not want to purchase ramekins consider using small jars instead. They are inexpensive and easy to use and store.

What fun ways do you use jars?

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Simple Bowl Of Fruit

Lynn — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:24:57 +0000

Sometimes I think we over complicate food.

Many cooking shows and magazines take basic foods and add a lot of ingredients and steps. This often produces a wonderful result, but it also often makes a dish more time consuming and less healthy.

Sometimes it is easiest and healthiest to stick to the basic. A simple bowl of fruit, with nothing added, is often the perfect side dish or ending to a meal.

What do you think? Do you sometimes serve something simple like bowl of fruit?

And do you agree that food now often seems over complicated and time consuming?

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Kitchen Disasters Into Something Special

Lynn — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:00:43 +0000

We all have an occasional kitchen disaster or recipe gone wrong. Today I want to encourage you to think outside the box when this happens.

Many times our instinct is to throw the disaster out, but often with a little thought, a cooking disaster can be fixed and used in a different way. This is especially true with desserts.

A cake that did not come out of the pan quite right can easily be turned into a trifle.

Brownies that are over done, or not quite done, can be turned into a trifle, but they can also be used in a sundae or milkshake.

The same basic idea can apply to cookies that don’t come out quite right. Add them to a milkshake or use them as the base in an ice cream sundae. Once something is covered in chocolate and ice cream it is hard to tell what is wrong with it.

So next time you have a kitchen disaster, or recipe that does not turn out quite right, think how you can use it in a new way.

What is your favorite way to turn a kitchen disaster into something tasty?

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