Money Saving Ideas for Your Food Budget
With food prices going up, crock
pot recipes are a great way to
economize. I remember the
introduction of crock pot cooking,
about 1970, and at the time we
thought it was the greatest time-
saver ever invented for the kitchen.
These days, cooks still want to
save time and saving energy is
also becoming important.
Putting your dinner into the
crock pot in the morning
allows you to arrive home
to a delicious home cooked
meal in the evening.
How Crock Pot Cooking Saves You Money
- Buy less expensive cuts of meat - Using a crock pot, it's easy to cook a whole chicken, which is much cheaper than an cut up chicken, for instance. Also, cheaper cuts of beef are sometimes tough if cooked in the oven, but become tender and delicious when cooked for hours in your slow cooker.
- Pork Tenderloin can be expensive but a pork shoulder costs less and is easy to prepare in a crock pot.
- Love barbecue sandwiches? Using a crock pot, you no longer have to purchase already prepared shredded beef, pork or chicken. Simply cook these meats in your slow cooker, let them cool and shred them up. Add some tasty barbecue sauce and you have your barbecue dinner.
- Save money buying fresh veggies instead of canned and frozen. While canned and frozen veggies are convenient, buying vegetables in season offers more nutrients and saves money too. Fresh veggies are easy to cook in a crock pot. Just toss them in to cook with the meat you're preparing for dinner and you get a delicious blend of flavors.
- Save money by freezing leftovers from your crock pot recipe. With a slow cooker, it's easy to cook twice the amount you actually need for dinner and freeze the extra. You get two dinners for the time and energy of cooking one.
- Cooking in a crock pot saves you money, not only on food but also on your gas or electric bill. Since a slow cooker uses much less energy than your oven.
- Knowing your dinner is cooking at home in your crock pot keeps you from spending your hard earned dollars on fast food. Rushing home from work in the evening with a hungry family to feed makes a crock pot dinner a wonderful time saver. Plus you know your family is getting much better nutrition than if you brought home a pizza or burgers.
At the end of a long tiring day at work, isn't it nice to come home to a fragrant, home cooked meal, just waiting to be dished up and served?
Crock pots come in all sizes and price ranges so it's easy to select one that is just right for your family, whether you are a couple or a family of eight.
With a little thought and planning, any meal you can cook in the oven can be turned into a delicious crock pot recipe.
Here's a delicious Crock Pot Recipe to get you started.
Easy Crock Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground round or chuck
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c chopped onion
1 large (28-oz.) can tomatoes, chopped
1 c chunky salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
1 can Mexicorn, about 11 oz, drained
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch green onions, with 3 inches of tops, thinly sliced
Directions
Brown beef in a skillet, along with the minced garlic and onion. Drain and then put all into a crock pot.
Add remaining ingredients.
Cook beef stew in your crock pot on low 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Serves 6 to 8.
© Copyright 2011 by Path2HealthyLiving
Path2HealthyLiving.com
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Tips to Save Money on Food - Use a Crock Pot
