A Warm Cheap Meal Idea/Recipe for a Cold Winter Day

As I bundle the kids up and load them on the bus this morning I realize boy it is getting cold.

Winter is fast approaching and it is time to dust off the soup recipes and warm the dinner menu’s up a bit.

So I dug through my personal cookbooks and found the best Broccoli and Cheese soup recipe.

This recipe is cheap to make, so very easy to prepare and if you double or triple the batch it will make the perfect make ahead meals to freeze for lunch or dinner for next week.

Make Ahead Meals

Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Personal Cookbook

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Meal Preparation Ingredients:

  • 3 bunches of broccoli
  • 1 quart of half and half
  • 1/2 cup of margarine
  • 10oz. bottle of cheese whiz
  • 2 cans of chicken broth
  • 1 1/4 cups of flour

Meal Preparation Directions:
1.    Cook broccoli. Then set aside.
2.    Heat margarine, half and half and chicken broth over medium heat until slow boil.
3.    Slowly add flour while stirring briskly.
4.    Cook until mixture becomes thick.
5.    Add cheese whiz and cooked broccoli then heat over low until hot.
Meal Assembly:
Serves 4- 6 – I serve this soup in a bread bowl with 4 or 5 saltine crackers and a side of fruit for a complete meal that is kid approved and healthy.
TIP: This soup is the perfect make ahead meals recipe as it holds well during reheat so double or triple the batch for lunch and dinner next week.

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December 5th, 2008 | Tags: , , , , , | Category: Dinner Recipes, Dream Dinners Made Cheap, cheap lunch ideas, freezer meals recipes | 6 comments

Cooking Meals For A Month

As we prepare for a New Year to approach during a recession that is starting to affect everyone, we have to focus on preparing Family Meals For Less with more determination that ever before.  I am preparing to launch a new section of Cheap Family Meals that will focus on cooking meals for a month.  Here’s what it will include:

  1. Make ahead freezer meals that will be prepared for 2 weeks at a time using the most popular viewed recipes from right here at Cheap Family Meals.
  2. A complete printable shopping list, with prices, that will allow you to go right into the grocery store and shop and know  exactly what you are going to spend.
  3. A complete supply list including freezable Ziploc bags, freezable containers and more so that as you start cooking, you will have all the necessary supplies at your fingertips.
  4. 14 days of recipes including:
  • Quick One Dish Meals
  • Easy Ground Beef Meals
  • Crockpot Meals
  • And of course Viewer Choice Meals (see below for details)

The launched is planned for the first week of January 2009 as I find this is a critical time to budget right after Christmas.  Please bookmark this site, add it to your feeder or send me an e-mail and I will notify you the day it goes live. This is going to be an excellent resource you do not want to miss!

I need you help, even though I have access to the most popular recipes viewed on Cheap Family Meals, I would like to know what your meal preferences are. Please take the viewer Poll’s below, it’s simple and sweet and will allow me to focus on the 14 best recipes with simple preparation for my viewers.

How Do You Cook:

What Do You Like Cooking?

Thanks for all your support and stay tuned THIS IS GOING TO ROCK!

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December 3rd, 2008 | Tags: , , , , , | Category: Best Crockpot Recipes, Casserole Cooking, Dream Dinners Made Cheap, easy ground beef meals, freezer meals recipes | One comment

Cheap Quick Rice Meals

As I prepare for cooking meals for a month, there has to be many cheap quick rice meals.

I cannot think of a cheaper ingredient to use to feed this large family of mine.

I love the simple one dish bakes that include rice and chicken.

But what I love even more is when I can use my crockpot to prepare a family meal.

I know what your thinking, rice in the crockpot?

Yes this is the best chicken and rice crockpot recipe I have found.

The rice turns out perfect every time I prepare it.

I guess you could say it’s almost fool proof and believe me when I say those are the safest recipes for me to prepare.

And for those frugal mom’s it is one of the $5 dinner meals I suggest when trying to get control of your food budget, one meal at a time!

Chicken and Rice Crockpot Recipe

Chicken and Rice Crockpot Recipe

Chicken and Rice Crockpot Recipe

Personal Cookbook
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 8 hours
Meal Preparation Ingredients:

  • 10 chicken tenders (or 4 chicken breasts)
  • 1 dry pkg. zesty Italian dressing
  • 1 cube margarine (1/2 cup)
  • 1 cup minute rice
  • 1 can Campbell’s cream of chicken soup
  • 1 soup can(use from above) of milk

Meal Preparation Directions:
1.    Put chicken, dry zesty Italian dressing and margarine into crockpot.
2.    Cook on low to medium for 5 to 6 hours.
3.    Once chicken is cooked, remove and cut into chunks.
4.    Put chicken back into crockpot and add the rice, Campbell’s cream of chicken soup and can of milk. Stir all together.
5.    Cook for 3 more hours on low.
Meal Assembly:
Serves 6 – Add some hot garlic bread and a small side salad for a complete, nutritious and delicious dinner that was cheap and quick to prepare.

TIP: This can be the perfect freezer meals recipe as it holds well during reheat so double the batch for dinner next week.

For the quick one dish (casserole) version here it is: Chicken and Rice Bake

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November 30th, 2008 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Category: Best Crockpot Recipes, Casserole Cooking | Leave a comment