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I use my crock pot all the time for frugal meals:
split pea soup, pinto beans, lentil soup, black bean soup, navy bean soup
Legumes are very frugal!
Yesterday I made in my crock pot a huge batch of spaghetti sauce which we will have for dinner for a couple of nights. Then I frozen some in small containers to use as pizza sauce in the future.
I don't care for crock pots themselves, as the manufacturers are too scared of lawsuits to let the temps be as low as they need to be. Every covered crock pot I've experienced has a tendency to boil or almost boil if covered. 180 degrees is fine for long cooking.
How is this STYLE of cooking frugal? I use a big pot rather than crockpot, but often buy chicken leg quarters in ten pound bags for less that $6 and cook the whole batch, then portion out and freeze meal-sized bags. The same goes for long grain rice (although I use a pressure cooker there). When it comes time for a meal or last minute food, the cooking is basically done. Bag of rice, bag of chicken, frozen or canned veggie = meal in 5 min or less. That is the basics.
IIRC, the concept is "OAMC" or Once a month cooking.
i like to buy meat in bulk. i like portioning it in freezer bags and putting in freezer
i only use as much meat as nec. then i use lots of veggies and fruits to cook.
crock pot is a wonderful tool esp for single guys and gals. but i tend to use too much hot sauce which is a bad habit.
ok the reason it is in the freezer is that I work outside the home all day and am tired when I get home. This saves me money by giving me the option of a homemade meal that is ready when I get home. It keeps me from spending money on ordering take out. The cost per meal is low because I bought in bulk. The preprep insures that I make portions and don't waste food. I mix it up by varying crock pot meals from the freezer with home cooked meals that don't take long. There are no chemicals involved. I get better quality food that is initially labor intensive but since I did that ahead on a weekend i can enjoy a really good meal during the week. There is no way I could come home, chop up all that stuff and cook it and eat before 9pm. I am often in bed by 9!
Another great thing is that so much of what I have frozen was bought at the farmer's market this past summer when prices were low. I have diced green peppers that were 3 for a dollar this summer for example. Not just for crock pot meals but for the weekend when I might want to simmer a spagetti sauce all day.
I am so glad that others might consider this frugal as well as time saving. I eat more meat than many of you here and I appreciate that noone has judged me for that. It def would be more frugal and I would not need the crock pot if I just came home and made healthy grains.
I think the crock pot is frugal and it's great all winter long.
I cook dried beans in it and they are cheap and can cook all day while I'm gone. Add some frozen veggies and you have a nutritious soup. I made a South Western bean soup the other day and just threw some corn bread mix on the top for dumplings.
I've also used a chicken in the crock pot and ended up with several meals from plain cooked chicken stew down to chicken pot pie. Maybe it's more convenient than frugal but in my case, if I had to go to all the time and trouble to cook everything on top of the stove, I wouldn't be doing it. I might even be throwing the chicken carcass away rather than using it. It saves me money because I use every last scrap.
I think the crock pot is frugal and it's great all winter long.
I cook dried beans in it and they are cheap and can cook all day while I'm gone. Add some frozen veggies and you have a nutritious soup. I made a South Western bean soup the other day and just threw some corn bread mix on the top for dumplings.
I've also used a chicken in the crock pot and ended up with several meals from plain cooked chicken stew down to chicken pot pie. Maybe it's more convenient than frugal but in my case, if I had to go to all the time and trouble to cook everything on top of the stove, I wouldn't be doing it. I might even be throwing the chicken carcass away rather than using it. It saves me money because I use every last scrap.
Can you provide the recipe for the SW bean soup? PM if you prefer. Thanks!
ok the reason it is in the freezer is that I work outside the home all day and am tired when I get home. This saves me money by giving me the option of a homemade meal that is ready when I get home. It keeps me from spending money on ordering take out. The cost per meal is low because I bought in bulk. The preprep insures that I make portions and don't waste food. I mix it up by varying crock pot meals from the freezer with home cooked meals that don't take long. There are no chemicals involved. I get better quality food that is initially labor intensive but since I did that ahead on a weekend i can enjoy a really good meal during the week. There is no way I could come home, chop up all that stuff and cook it and eat before 9pm. I am often in bed by 9!
Another great thing is that so much of what I have frozen was bought at the farmer's market this past summer when prices were low. I have diced green peppers that were 3 for a dollar this summer for example. Not just for crock pot meals but for the weekend when I might want to simmer a spagetti sauce all day.
I am so glad that others might consider this frugal as well as time saving. I eat more meat than many of you here and I appreciate that noone has judged me for that. It def would be more frugal and I would not need the crock pot if I just came home and made healthy grains.
If you eat a lot of meat, the crock pot is definitely frugal. A couple years ago, I was cooking up a lot of roast, stew and pork butt, (and of course the chicken!) in it; it works wonderfully for these cuts and then it is easy to freeze the meat in portions. I may start doing this again. We actually only eat meat about once per week, though.
The thing about the crock pot is that it is not really any more time saving than your stove or oven, you still have to prep the meat, etc. it's just that you are doing that part earlier in the day. So it's 6 of one and half-dozen of the other. Bottom line, if the crock pot works out better for you, then that is the way to go. It definitely is more frugal in that is uses less electricity than your oven.
I don't care for crock pots themselves, as the manufacturers are too scared of lawsuits to let the temps be as low as they need to be. Every covered crock pot I've experienced has a tendency to boil or almost boil if covered. 180 degrees is fine for long cooking.
How is this STYLE of cooking frugal? I use a big pot rather than crockpot, but often buy chicken leg quarters in ten pound bags for less that $6 and cook the whole batch, then portion out and freeze meal-sized bags. The same goes for long grain rice (although I use a pressure cooker there). When it comes time for a meal or last minute food, the cooking is basically done. Bag of rice, bag of chicken, frozen or canned veggie = meal in 5 min or less. That is the basics.
IIRC, the concept is "OAMC" or Once a month cooking.
You can buy digital crock-pots which let you adust both temperature and cooking time.....I have seen them starting in the 35 dollar range.
If your plain-jane crock-pot only has warm-low-high settings, try these solutions: If you are going to be away a long time, and don't want your food to boil try the warm-setting....it actually cooks everything quite well if you are going to have the food cooking 6-10 hours. You can also put the meat in when it is frozen solid and set the CP to warm. I would suggest adding extra water.... but that method leaves the yummy broth tasting not as yummy.
Can you provide the recipe for the SW bean soup? PM if you prefer. Thanks!
Yes, of course. Like most crock pot recipes, it's quite forgiving. I use plain canned tomatoes, I use whatever beans I have on hand, I've left out the chili peppers. The flour, cornmeal part is for the dumplings and they are optional -- I've used a mix and it worked fine. You can also turn the crockpot up to high and cook it for a shorter time.
Southwestern Bean Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings
Ingredients
3
cups water
1
15 ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1
15 ounce can black beans, pinto beans, or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1
14 1/2 ounce can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1
10 ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1
cup sliced carrot
1
cup chopped onion
1
4 ounce can diced green chili peppers
2
tablespoons instant beef or chicken bouillon granules
1 - 2
teaspoons chili powder
2
cloves garlic, minced
1/3
cup all-purpose flour
1/4
cup yellow cornmeal
1
teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
Dash pepper
1
beaten egg white
2
tablespoons milk
1
tablespoon cooking oil
Directions
1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart crockery cooker combine water, beans, undrained tomatoes, corn, carrot, onion, undrained chili peppers, bouillon granules, chili powder, and garlic. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours.
2. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pepper. In a small mixing bowl combine egg white, milk, and oil. Add to flour mixture; stir with a fork just until combined. Drop dumpling mixture into 6 mounds atop the bubbling soup. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more. (Do not lift lid while dumplings are cooking.) Makes 6 servings.
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