Bits and Pieces- Budget Savers!

So this entry won't be about a recipe specifically, but more about what you can do with those little scraps and extras you have from the meals you've cooked. Some of these things you may be throwing away without even thinking twice about it. I'm a bit weird about trashing food that hasn't gone bad, even if it is something as seemingly useless as the ends of onions and carrots, the last one or two tortillas in the package, or the carcass of a chicken you carved and have eaten. Here's a few of the little things you can do with your bits and pieces that can save you a few dollars and inspire you to get creative and take charge of your food!

Chicken Stock. We all buy chicken broth or stock at the store for an array of dishes, and if you buy the cartons of stock, then you know one carton costs you anywhere between $2.50 and $3.50. Here's how you can make up to $15 worth of stock basically for free: Save the scraps. The trimmings off chicken breasts, the bones of your cooked chicken, the neck out of the whole chicken cavity, the ends of your onions, those funny little middle cloves of garlic, ends of carrots, ends of celery, veggies that aren't super fresh anymore, woody stems of mushrooms and asparagus, the aromatic vegetables you use to stuff a whole chicken... basically any thing you trim off or have left over of these vegetables and chicken- you can clean them up (the veggies) and add to a collective resealable bag in the freezer. When you get 2 or 3 gallon bags full, put them all in a stock pot, cover with a generous amount of water, add some salt and pepper, and boil for a couple of hours (once it has cooled, refrigerate overnight, strain and skim off solids and fat, and freeze or use). It beats the flavor of store bought stock, you can portion it out and freeze it to use when you need it, and it is such a great way to add flavor to dishes instead of using water. The best part? It is made totally of ingredients that you would have thrown in the trash.

Roll ups. I always buy flour tortillas for tacos or some other Mexican dish and it seems I always have 1 or 2 left in the bag. It's never enough to make another dish with but I don't want to let them go bad. I will whip up a little ranch flavored dressing (mayo, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and dried dill) and spread it on, add some turkey lunch meat, and a slice of cheddar cheese. It's fewer calories than making a sandwich, you can eat it with one hand while you do something else, you're using up that last tortilla, and it's a little different than that boring old sandwich you've eaten a million times. This is a concept you can do SO many things with, so get creative!

Bread crumbs. Your bread got a little stale or you have just the "butts" left. It isn't exactly sandwich material anymore but it isn't trash either! Cut them into squares, toast them in the oven, whiz them up in the food processor, and store in an airtight bag or container for a week or two. You can even create your own seasoned varieties with some dried herbs and spices. They will be ready for your next meatloaf, meatballs, pepper/mushroom filling, oven fried chicken, or crunchy topping for fish. Why buy bread crumbs when you can make them for free!?

Casseroles. You have some extra taco meat or baked chicken left from dinner last night but you either won't have a chance to eat it before it goes south or you just don't want it to lose freshness. Make a casserole, cover, and freeze! There are so many things you can do with extra cooked meat and veggies to keep from wasting them. For example: Leftover taco seasoned ground beef can make a great Mexican lasagna. Layer in a baking dish with an arrangement of tortillas, refried beans, olives, cheese, tomatoes, and/or cooked onions and peppers. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze it. You can thaw it out, bake it, and top with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, and salsa! If you have leftover cooked chicken, you can assemble a chicken spaghetti, a chicken and rice casserole, or any other casserole you love with your chicken, cover, and freeze. It's dinner that's ready and waiting for a busy night when you don't have time to cook and it is much better than the frozen stuff from the store.

Soups. You can take your leftovers and freeze to have on standby for your favorite soup recipes. It really is just a matter of transferring it from the Tupperware to the zip lock bag and popping in the freezer. Not only are you saving the couple of dollars from going in the trash now, you are saving another few dollars later by not having to use up new ingredients in your soup!

Frozen herbs. Fresh cilantro, parsley, basil and so many others add such a fresh flavor to your dishes that make their cost WELL worth it. It seems you always have more in the bunch than you actually need in a 2 or 3 day period of time before they have wilted on you. If you have an ice tray, you can chop these herbs while they are still fresh, sprinkle into the compartments of the tray, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and freeze until you need them. You have portioned herbs ready for your sauces and soups!

It only takes a little bit of time and effort to use tricks like these to stretch your grocery dollars and cut food waste. You may be surprised how easily these things can become part of your kitchen routine and just how much money you can save!

Italian Chicken Soup

Leftovers are something we eat constantly at my house. There's always something waiting in my refrigerator that was delicious yesterday but I need to do something new with it for dinner tonight. Since we are always watching fat and calories, chicken is the usual suspect for leftover re-purposing. Tonight on a total whim, I threw this together with Minestrone soup as inspiration for flavors. It is super healthy, and could be converted to a vegetarian or vegan recipe with little effort. The recipe follows...

Italian Chicken Soup

1 large chicken breast, cooked and diced

6 stalks of Kale, stripped of ribs and chopped

1/4 cup chopped celery heart

1/2 onion, diced

1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 can (same) diced tomatoes

1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed

2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

8 oz. elbow or shell pasta

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 carton chicken stock

3 cups water

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil 

Drizzle olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute carrots, celery, and onion until the onion is translucent. Stir in garlic and pour in chicken stock. Pour in tomatoes (with liquid), crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, water, and beans. Keep heat at medium.

Pour in pasta and cook for 3 minutes. At this point, add in the chicken and kale and stir occasionally until pasta is cooked. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. 

Serve with croutons or parmesan cheese as a garnish. Enjoy!  

Oven "Fried" Chicken Nuggets

So in our quest to lose weight and get healthier, I am always trying to come up with new ways to cook things we love to eat, but lighter, less fat/calories, and a nutritional bargain. I like fancy, complex food as much as any other foodie, but sometimes you just want some salty, crunchy chicken nuggets!

These are healthier for a number of reasons, first and foremost because they are baked and not fried. I use buttermilk because it's low in fat, it is far more flavorful than regular milk, keeps the chicken moist, its thickness helps bind the Panko without using egg, and it is a familiar flavor associated with traditionally fried chicken.

These are so yummy that my child who is sometimes iffy about meat ate a TON of them! This also doubles as a quick/easy/affordable weeknight meal for busy folks! Hope y'all enjoy!

2 large chicken breasts, trimmed
1 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp dried chive
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 3/4 cups panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tbsp chicken boullion powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika

Mix together the buttermilk, hot sauce, dill, chives, and garlic powder and set aside to meld the flavors.

Cut the chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch chunks and submerse in the buttermilk mixture. Allow to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature (if you are going to marinade longer, refrigerate). In the meantime, combine all the dry ingredients in a shallow dish and preheat the oven to 400º.

Once marinated, drain off as much buttermilk as you can from the chicken. (Too much buttermilk will keep the chicken from crisping up like it should in the oven) Dredge each chicken nugget in the dry mixture and place on a parchment lined baking sheet*. Be sure to really press it down into the chicken.

Bake at 400 until the chicken is cooked through- roughly 15 minutes.

*parchment paper is better than foil or the bare baking sheet because it will allow the chicken to crisp up on the bottom and keep it from sticking/losing the bottom coating.

Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

This recipe is relatively balanced, and, aside from cooking the pasta, is a one skillet meal. Enjoy!

2 large chicken breasts, trimmed
1/3 head of cabbage
2 garlic cloves
2- 6 oz packages of Asian noodles (chow mein or the like)
2 carrots, peeled
1/2 yellow onion
2 scallions
vegetable oil for the pan
salt and pepper
1/2 cup water

Sauce:
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce*
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp corn starch

Shred carrots on large grate, slice cabbage into very thin strips, dice onion, grate garlic with a rasp or small grate, and chop scallion (green and white parts). Separately, whisk together all sauce ingredients. Set all of the above aside.

Slice chicken breasts into thin strips and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, coat the bottom with vegetable oil and bring to temperature over medium high heat. Saute chicken until cooked through, then remove and set aside.

In the skillet still on medium high heat (add more oil if needed), add onion and cabbage and saute until slightly softened. Pour in water to deglaze the pan and scrape up all the brown bits, add garlic. Once most of the water has reduced, add in cooked noodles (as prepared according to the package), carrots, and pour in sauce ingredients. Remove from heat. Toss to combine and garnish with scallions. It's ready to serve!

The vegetables in this recipe can be swapped or added to depending on what your tastes are. The flavor bases really come from the garlic, onion, and sauce. Get creative!

*Low sodium soy is really important for this recipe..... using regular soy may make it too salty for some.

I'll introduce myself....

So per request of several friends and family, here I am, finally starting a blog. This will be a place where I will share recipes, food/kitchen gadget info, money saving ideas, and the occasional dining out experience and inspirations. I'll share a little info about myself and what brings me to blog. 

I'm the wife of an oilfield man and a stay at home mom to my darling daughter. Everything I cook, I make to share with my friends, my family, and to bring a little something special to the happy times we spend together. We gather to eat for holidays, birthdays, nightly dinners, celebrations, to have a good time, to relax... Whatever the reason, food does more than fulfill a basic human need; it brings us together no matter how formal or casual, fancy or simple, conservative or indulgent. 

As each generation comes up, cooking and the concept of how food happens seems to be more foreign and inconvenient. With dining out, microwaving, chemical cooking, and "just add water" type meals being so common and almost ruled as the "only option" for all our eating needs, I want people to know you don't have to have a culinary degree to cook you/your family wholesome, real food. Regardless of your budget, time, equipment, or skill level restrictions, anyone can make delicious food. If you have a 1st world heat source, a pot and/or a pan, and some real and raw ingredients, you can make something great! Our bodies, futures, health, traditions, and loved ones depend on the continuation of home cooked, wholesome meals and the concern we share about what we are eating and where it comes from. 

Join me in the foodie movement that should be happening in all our kitchens! We absolutely CAN cook!