Sweet Frugal Life

Being Frugal Doesn't Make Life Any Less Sweet

Easy French Bread Recipe

By: Sweet Frugal Life18 Comments

I can’t wait to show you how to make French bread at home!

Have you been wondering how to make French bread at home?  This easy French bread recipe is where you should start!  I turn into my kids favorite person every time I make it!  It is soft and light and tastes perfect as a side for soup or pasta.  You must try it!

Easy French Bread Recipe

To make this easy French bread recipe you will need the following ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. yeast
  • 3 Tbsp. canola oil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 5 1/2 cups flour

First, in a stand mixer gently mix the water, sugar and yeast together.  Let it stand for 10 minutes until yeast is dissolved.  It should be frothy and bubbly.

Next, add the rest of the ingredients.  Make sure to add the flour slowly, mixing it in as you go.  You might need a little less flour or a little more. 

I add a little flour and then mix for a minute and then add a little more until the dough looks right.  The dough will be done when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl when mixing and be slightly sticky.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a tea towel.  Place it in a warm spot and let it rise for ten minutes.  After rising gently punch the dough down in bowl.  Do this for two more times for a a total of 3 punch downs and 30 minutes of rising time.

Split dough in half and shape into two loaves.  Place them on a greased baking sheet to bake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes.  Once it’s done cooking brush with butter to make the crust soft. Slice and serve.  ENJOY!

Have you ever made homemade French bread?  It is so fun!  And this recipe is easy to make ahead and freeze for later!  Sometimes I freeze the dough in a freezer bag, and then let it rise, shape and bake later.  Other times, I make the bread and freeze it after it’s baked!  Whatever works best for you!

Soft French Bread Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. yeast
  • 3 Tbsp. canola oil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 5 1/2 cups flour

Instructions
 

  • Mix the water, sugar and yeast together. Let it stand for 10 minutes until yeast is dissolved. It will be frothy and bubbly.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients. Make sure to add the flour slowly. You might need a little less or a little more. I add a little flour and then mix for a minute and then add a little more until the dough looks right. You will want it to pull away from the sides of the bowl when mixing and be slightly sticky.
  • Place the dough in a bowl and cover. Let it rise for ten minutes and then gently punch the dough down in bowl. Do this for two more times for a a total of 3 punch downs and 30 minutes of rising time.
  • Split dough in half and shape into two loaves. Place them on a greased baking sheet. I will usually freeze half the dough in a freezer bag to use for another dinner.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes. Once it’s done cooking brush with butter to make the crust soft. Slice and serve. ENJOY!

In Conclusion

You can easily make homemade French bread yourself!  Let me know if you try this recipe.  I would love to hear how it worked for you….and I might just come over and sneak a few bites ;).  Happy baking!

Related Recipes:

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how to make french bread - homemade french bread recipe

Enjoy this easy French bread recipe, you will love it!

15 Easy Pantry Dinner Ideas

By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Check out these kid friendly easy cheap dinner ideas!

This month I have been participating in a January Pantry Challenge.  My goal has been to save some extra money by eating the food I already have at home and spending less at the store.  This is not always an easy task, but I love the challenge and pushing myself out of my comfort zone!  As I’ve been trying to cut my grocery expenses I’ve found a few pantry dinner ideas that I am so excited to share with you!

How To Stock A Frugal Pantry

I love having my pantry, freezer, and cupboards stocked with a few of our every day staples.  Having a well stocked pantry makes it much easier to throw together a few easy pantry dinner ideas, without having to go to the store.

The best way to stock up your pantry is to buy a few extra of the items you would normally be buying anyways.  For example, when I need ketchup, I’ll buy 3 bottles of ketchup, rather than just 1.  This gives me the extra food on hand, that I know I buy and use regularly.

When stocking your frugal pantry, try to focus on buying frugal friendly food items.  A few of my favorites are:

  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Pasta
  • Oatmeal
  • Vinegar
  • Beans
  • Eggs
  • Potatoes
  • Popcorn

Related:  Cheap Foods to Buy For a Well Stocked Pantry

pantry dinner ideas - easy dinner ideas for picky eaters

Easy Pantry Dinner Ideas

Alright!  Let’s get to it!  Here are a few of my easy pantry dinner ideas.  I hope they will inspire you to use food that you already have at home to put together a few easy dinner ideas.

Most of these dinner ideas are kid friendly and easy to customize and change to your personal eating preference.

1.  Taco Soup

Taco soup is the perfect pantry dinner to throw together using ingredients you already have at home.  It’s really easy to throw together whatever you happen to have in your fridge to make this soup.

Use chicken, beef, or beans (or a combination of all three!) as the base for your soup.  Then, add in onions, tomatoes, corn, taco seasoning, and whatever else sounds good to you for a nice, warm, and hearty taco soup.

*My favorite taco soup recipe is included in my Mel’s Home Cooking recipe ebook!

2.  Pasta Bake

Looking for an incredibly easy-impossible to fail-quick to fix pantry dinner idea????  This easy pasta bake is just what you need!  You only need 4 ingredients to throw it together, and one of them is water (seriously.)!  You can find this easy Pasta Bake Recipe here!

3.  Chili With Cornbread Waffles

Have a can of chili sitting in a cupboard and some cornmeal?  Make chili with cornbread waffles!  This is my kids favorite cheap and easy dinner!

To make chili with cornbread waffles, you will first need to heat up a can of chili over the stove on medium-high heat.

While the chili is warming up, make your cornbread waffles using the recipe below.

 

Cornbread Waffles

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 cup buttermilk if you do not have buttermilk just mix 1 Tbsp vinegar into 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • In large mixer cream together the sugar and oil.
  • Add eggs and milk and mix well.
  • In separate bowl stir together the baking soda, flour, cornmeal, and salt.
  • Add all at once to egg mixture and mix until smooth.
  • Pour batter onto waffle iron and cook until lightly golden brown.
  • Serve with chili and cheese on top.

Serve the chili on top of the cornbread waffles and sprinkle with cheese.  You will now be your kids favorite person, seriously.

4.  Spaghetti With Garlic Toast

Spaghetti is one of the easiest pantry dinners around!  Have a box of spaghetti noodles and a jar of spaghetti sauce???  All it takes is a few minutes to warm them up on the stove and, boom dinner is ready!

I like to serve spaghetti with a side of garlic toast, which is so easy to make!  Get out a few bread slices from a loaf of bread and spread butter on top and then sprinkle it with garlic salt.  Cook the bread slices on a cookie sheet, under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until brown and toasty.  That’s it!  Garlic toast is a great side for a family friendly dinner.

5.  Burrito Bowl

Burrito bowls are a perfect way to use up ingredients you have sitting in your fridge and pantry.  Layer your burrito bowl with rice on the bottom, and layering with beans, cheese, seasonings.  Top your burrito bowl with your favorite toppings.

A few topping suggestions are:  tomato’s, salsa, sour cream, tortilla chips, lettuce, corn, avocado, cilantro, ranch dressing, and anything else that sounds good to you!

6.  Sloppy Joes

Another great pantry dinner idea is to make sloppy joes.  Sloppy joes can easily be made with some ground beef and a few other pantry staples.  This is a very freezer friendly meal, so I will double the recipe and then freeze half for another day.

These are best served on hamburger buns, but we have used a regular loaf of bread when in a pinch.  All about pantry friendly here!

*My favorite Sloppy Joes recipe is available in the Mel’s Home Cooking ebook.

7.  Tomato Soup With Cheese Toast

We always keep a can of tomato soup stocked in our pantry for nights when I’m to tired, or busy, to make a big dinner.  It only takes a few minutes (and hardly any effort!) to heat up some tomato soup over the stove

I love to serve tomato soup with a side of cheese toast.  Make cheese toast by placing some cheese onto slices of bread and then cooking them on a cookie sheet under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

8.  Tacos

Tacos is another quick and easy dinner you can throw together using pantry ingredients.  Make your tacos using any meat you happen to have at home, such as chicken, pork, or beef.

To make tacos just cook your meat over the stove.  Once cooked add 1/2 cup water and a packet of taco seasoning.

If you don’t have a packet of taco seasoning in your pantry, that’s ok!  You can make it yourself!  Check out my favorite taco seasoning recipe below!

Easy Taco Seasoning Mix

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions
 

  • In small bowl mix all ingredients together.
  • Use 2 Tbsp taco seasoning mix in replace of 1 packet of taco seasoning.
  • Store seasoning in a tupperware container or jar in your pantry.

 

Cook and stir your meat with taco seasoning and water until the water has cooked off, about 5 minutes.

Serve in tortillas with your favorite toppings.  We love cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

9.   Homemade Pizza

We love homemade pizza at our house!  Use this homemade pizza dough recipe to make the crust, and then top it with your favorite toppings, or whatever you have in your pantry.  

Get creative!  You can use barbecue sauce, marinara sauce, alfredo sauce, or even Thai sauce.  For toppings try different kinds of cheeses, vegetables and meats. 

If you don’t feel like making homemade pizza dough, you can even use French bread, biscuits or tortillas to make your pizzas.  Find out how here:  Easy Pizza Alternatives.

10.  Bean Burritos

Another great pantry dinner idea is to make bean burritos!  This is a very quick and easy meal to prepare, and they are freezer friendly!  (yay, I love freezer friendly!) 

To make bean burritos just mix beans (we use black or pinto beans), cheese, rice, and taco seasoning together.  Place mixture on tortillas and gently roll up.

Heat your burrito in the microwave or oven and serve!  Easy peasy!

11.  Stir Fry

Stir fry is another dinner staple at our house!  It’s the perfect meal to make on busy days.  The three steps to a good stir fry are vegetables, protein, and sauce.

Choose whichever protein and vegetables you have in your home already.  A few protein suggestions are:  chicken, beef and shrimp.  There are so many vegetables that make a great stir fry, such as:  peppers, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms and peas.

Sauté your protein in a large frying pan.  Add vegetables and continue to sauté until cooked.  Next, add sauce and stir together.  Cook and stir for a few more minutes until sauce has thickened.

Serve your stir fry over rice or noodles, whichever is in your pantry.

My favorite stir fry sauce is included in my Mel’s Home Cooking eCookbook, but I also really like this 3 ingredient stir fry sauce.

12.  Stroganoff

Stroganoff is another simple and pantry friendly dinner.  You can whip up some stroganoff with ground beef, sour cream, cream of chicken soup mix and some seasonings.  Serve it over noodles or eat it Idaho style, served over a baked potato!  Yum!

13.  Breakfast for Dinner

My kids love when I make breakfast for dinner.  It’s such an easy, fun dinner to make when your pantry is feeling bare.  We love to make waffles, pancakes, eggs and a smoothie for Saturday night dinners once or twice a month.

14.  Twice Baked Potatoes

I grew up on an Idaho potato farm, so potatoes are always a staple at my house.  They are so cheap, easy and filling!

Twice baked potatoes are a great way to make a filling meal out of ingredients you probably already have at home.  I love this recipe from Ree Drummond.

15.  Quesadillas

Have some tortillas and cheese???  Make quesadillas for dinner!  You can customize your quesadilla in whichever way you want!  We use salsa, beans, chicken, onions, peppers and green chilis.

A fun way to serve quesadillas is to set out all of the ingredients you have to make them for a quesadilla bar.  Let everyone fill, and customize their own tortilla and cook on the griddle.

Save Money and Cook At Home

I hope these pantry meal ideas gave you some inspiration for cooking without having to go to the store.  Cooking dinner using your pantry ingredients is a great way to save extra money on groceries. 

Remember, to try to use the foods that you already have at home.  If a recipe calls for something you don’t already have, be creative and find a good substitute, do not run to the grocery store!  Because we all know if we go to the grocery store for “just one thing” we always leave with more (is that just me????).

Related Articles:

How a Pantry Challenge Will Save You Money

Best Ways To Store Produce To Keep It Fresh Longer

15 Products You Should Always Buy Generic

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easy dinners to make from the pantry ingredients - easy dinner ideas for homemade cooking

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I hope you enjoyed these easy pantry dinner ideas!

Easy Cinnamon Candy Recipe For Christmas

By: Sweet Frugal Life4 Comments

Try this Christmas hard candy recipe this year!

Years ago I went home with my boyfriend (now husband) for Christmas.  We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas together and I was able to celebrate the holiday with new experiences.  It’s always interesting to me how different families celebrate each holiday.  On this visit all those years ago I was introduced to many new traditions (they open all of their presents Christmas Eve, was, ALL the presents.  Anyone else do this???) and lots of new foods!  One of my favorite Christmas treats his mom made for us was Cinnamon Candy.  I begged her for her recipes and I have been making this Cinnamon Candy recipe ever since!

It takes less than 30 minutes to make and requires very few ingredients.  Yay!  This Cinnamon Candy recipe is now a tradition in our own home and we look forward to making it every year.

You can make this Christmas hard candy recipe two different ways.

The first way is with red food coloring and cinnamon oil, which is how I always make it.

Another way to make this candy is using green food coloring with peppermint oil.

My mother in law makes a batch of both flavors, but I have only made it with the cinnamon.

cinnamon hard candy recipe - easy homemade Christmas candy

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How to Make Your Own Cinnamon Candy

It’s easy to make Cinnamon Candy, which is one of the reasons why I love this easy recipe!

First, gather all of your ingredients.  You will need white sugar, light corn syrup, water, cinnamon oil (or peppermint), and food coloring (red for cinnamon, green for peppermint).

I usually buy cinnamon oil at a local craft store in the cake decorating section.  It is also on Amazon here.  Do not use cinnamon extract, it will not taste the same…I promise, I have tried!  It needs to be cinnamon oil.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water together in a medium sauce pan.  Stir mixture continually until it boils. 

Insert a candy thermometer and continue stirring occasionally.  Keep stirring until thermometer reaches 300 degrees.

 

Remove candy from heat once it reaches 300 degrees.  Quickly stir in the oil and food coloring.

Immediately pour it onto an oiled cookie sheet.

Pick up the pan and gently tilt it left, right, back, forward to help the candy fill up the pan.

Let candy cool completely and then you can break it into pieces.  I usually just use the back of a spoon to crack each section.

Christmas Hard Candy Recipe

Easy Cinnamon Candy Recipe for the Holidays!
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 3 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon or peppermint oil
  • 1 tsp either red (for cinnamon) or green (for peppermint) food coloring for cinnamon or green (for peppermint) food coloring

Instructions
 

  • In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water.
      Cook on medium to high heat until candy thermometer reads 300 degrees (hard crack stage), stirring occasionally.
      Remove from the heat. 
    Stir in oil and food coloring, keeping face away from mixture as odor is very strong.  Immediately pour onto an oiled cookie sheet.
      Cool and break into pieces.
      Store in air tight container.

This Christmas cinnamon candy recipe also makes the perfect gifts to hand out to neighbors and friends!

Let me know if you try it and like it!  It puts a big smile on my husbands face every year!

Check out my other Christmas Recipes:

Christmas Tree Cookie Recipe

Easy Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe

I hope you enjoy this easy cinnamon candy recipe!

Freezer Chicken Recipes and How to Freeze Bulk Chicken

By: Sweet Frugal Life4 Comments

This Check out these easy freezer chicken recipes.

One of my favorite ways to save money on groceries is to buy my chicken in bulk.  Bulk chicken is usually priced much lower than buying smaller amounts.  This is also a great way to save time in the kitchen!  When I buy my bulk chicken, I like to prep some of them for the freezer for quick to fix dinners.  Today I am going to show you how to prep bulk chicken for the freezer and 6 of my favorite easy freezer chicken recipes.

how to freeze bulk chicken - chicken freezer recipes

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Where To Buy Bulk Chicken

There are many different places you can buy your chicken in bulk.  Watch for sales at your local grocery store.  Bulk chicken will go on sale multiple times throughout the year and is usually an excellent deal.

I have also bought bulk chicken at Savory Butcher and Butcher Box, and honestly was so happy with both!

Savory Butcher

Savory Butcher is a meat coop community offering discounted meats to multiple areas around the United States.  Their meat are all humanely raised, antibiotic free and no added hormones.

They are currently delivering meat to areas in Texas, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Oregon and more!  Products include beef, pork, seafood, and chicken.

I just tried out Savory Butcher for the first time, and I was SO impressed!  The customer service was incredible and the meat was high quality and delicious!  Plus, the price is right which is so important to me.

I chose to purchase the 40 lb case of chicken, which was only $1.99/lb.  This is a smoking deal!  Their chicken comes fresh from the farm and already trimmed (this makes life easier, trust me!).

Butcher Box

Another great place to buy meat and get it shipped right to your door is Butcher Box!  Be sure to click here for my full Butcher Box review.

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How To Freeze Bulk Chicken

I just spent a couple of hours prepping my bulk chicken.  It makes me happy to stock my freezer full of chicken for quick, easy dinners.  I prepped 8 ready to cook dinners; and 6 bags of plain chicken.  It does take a little bit of effort to prepare your bulk chicken, but the amount of money you save is SO worth it!

 

If your chicken comes trimmed (like mine did) you can start putting them into freezer safe packaging, right out of the box.  

Sometimes bulk chicken is sold still needing trimmed.  Take a few minute trimming off the fat and then you can begin packaging.

When preparing chicken for the freezer I highly recommend using a vacuum sealer.  This one simple purchase will make freezing bulk chicken much easier and does a great job of preventing freezer burn.

My sealer was not working (resulting in quite a bit of frustration on my part!).  So, I used freezer bags instead.  These don’t work quite as well as a vacuum sealer does, but they can get the job done.

To prep your chicken for the freezer you will need to separate your chicken into dinner sized portions.  For my family I put about 2-3 chicken breasts per bag for my family.  Place each portioned chicken into freezer bag, remove all of the air and seal tightly.

Your chicken is now ready for the freezer!  Yay!  Your chicken will stay fresh in the freezer for 6-12 months.

 

Easy Freezer Chicken Recipes

While you are preparing your chicken for the freezer, you can whip up a few of these easy recipes at the same time.  I love these recipes because I can pull the chicken out of the freezer in the morning, and half of the work for dinner is already done!  They are perfect for busy days, or when you just don’t feel like cooking!

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Slow Cooker Honey Chicken

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs. chicken breasts
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 4 Tbsp diced onion
  • 4 Tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 4 tsp cornstarch
  • 6 Tbsp water

Instructions
 

  • Combine chicken, salt, pepper, honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup and garlic powder in a freezer bag.
  • Let all air out of bag.  Seal tight and freeze.
  • When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
  • Dump entire bag of chicken and sauce into slow cooker.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
  • When finished cooking take chicken out of slow cooker and leave the sauce.
  • Combine cornstarch with water, stir well.
  • Add it into slow cooker with sauce.  Cook sauce on high until it begins to thicken (5-10 minutes).
  • Slice chicken into small chunks.  Return to slow cooker and stir with sauce.
  • Serve over rice.

 

Barbecue Chicken

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs. chicken breasts
  • 1 container of barbecue sauce

Instructions
 

  • Put chicken in a freezer bag.  Pour entire container of barbecue sauce on top.
  • Let all air out of bag.  Seal tight and freeze.
  • When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
  • Cook on grill.  Top with barbecue sauce to serve.

 

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb. chicken breasts sliced thin
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Combine chicken, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper in freezer bag.
  • Put chicken in a freezer bag.  Pour entire container of barbecue sauce on top.
  • Let all air out of bag.  Seal tight and freeze.
  • When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
  • Cook chicken on grill.
  • Serve with rice and veggies.

Balsamic Chicken

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This balsamic chicken recipe is available as part of my Free 5 Days to Frugal ecourse.  You can sign up below and my 5 favorite frugal recipes will be emailed to you on day 3 of the challenge!

 

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb. chicken breasts
  • 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions
 

  • Combine chicken, tomatoes, brown sugar and red pepper flakes in freezer bag.
  • Let all air out of bag.  Seal tight and freeze.
  • When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
  • Pour chicken and sauce into slow cooker.
  • Cook in slow cooker on high for 5 hours.
  • When done cooking shred chicken in sauce.
  • Serve in flour tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Grilled (or baked!) Island Chicken

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This grilled island chicken recipe is available as part of my Free 5 Days to Frugal ecourse.

You can sign up below and my 5 favorite frugal recipes will be emailed to you on day 3 of the challenge!

Favorite Baked Chicken

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb. chicken breasts
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in freezer bag.
  • Let all air out of bag.  Seal tight and freeze.
  • When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
  • Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.
  • Serve with baked potatoes and veggies.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb. chicken
  • 6 Tbsp honey
  • 4.5 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 10 oz. can green enchilada sauce
  • flour tortillas
  • shredded monterey jack cheese

Instructions
 

  • Combine chicken, honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder in freezer bag.
  • Let all air out of bag.  Seal tight and freeze.
  • When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
  • Pour chicken and sauce into slow cooker.
  • Cook on low for 8 hours.
  • Shred chicken in sauce.
  • Pour a small amount of green enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
  • Fill tortillas with shredded chicken and cheese.  Place in pan.
  • Pour the rest of the green enchilada sauce over the tortillas.  Sprinkle with cheese.
  • Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

In Conclusion

I love buying my chicken in bulk.  It has proven time and time again to be a money and time saver for me.  Feel free to try any of these recipes for any chicken, it doesn’t have to be in bulk.  Let me know which one is your favorite!

If you are looking for more easy recipes be sure to check out my very own recipe book!  Mel’s Home Cooking offers 65 simple, delicious and easy recipes for one low price.  You are sure to find a new family favorite!

Related Articles:

How to Freeze Raspberries

8 Foods You Should Freeze in an Ice Cube Tray

Mel’s Home Cooking Recipe Book

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Love these freezer chicken recipes for the busy mom

 

Enjoy these easy freezer chicken recipes!

How to Make Butter in a Jar

By: Sweet Frugal Life1 Comment

Learn how to make homemade butter in a mason jar!

Do you know how to make butter in a jar??  It is one of my favorite activities to do with my kids!  The butter tastes fresh and delicious, and it is so easy to do!

Homemade butter is a fun pioneer activity to teach kids about how life was in the 1800s.  We have also made it for our Thanksgiving dinner before!  It was so fun for my kids to serve their very own butter at the table.

I had a container of heavy whipping cream sitting in my fridge for a few weeks.  I kept looking at it, knowing I needed to do something with it, but never knowing exactly what!  My sister finally suggested to me that I should use the cream to make butter in a jar with my kids.  Best idea ever!

Making butter in a jar is so so easy, cheap, and my kids absolutely LOVED it!

It was so fun watching my kids shaking their jars and checking every 5 minutes to see if the butter had formed.  My daughter even said, “Wow!  They use to have to work hard in the olden days!  I can’t imagine doing this every time we needed butter.”  This led into such a great discussion about the conveniences we have now and how hard our ancestors had to work in order to survive.

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How To Make Butter In a Jar

All you need to make your own butter is a mason jar and a carton of heavy whipping cream.  Seriously, that’s it!  I told you this was easy!

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To make your butter you will need to pour some whipping cream into your mason jar.  I filled our jars about half full, but if you are doing this with your kids, or for the first time, I would recommend only filling it about 1/4 full.  It just makes the process easier and quicker for the kids if the jar has less cream in it.

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Once you have your whipping cream in the jar, put the lid back on, and screw it tight.

Now, all you have to do is shake the jar!  Shake, shake and shake!  The amount of shaking the butter will need will depend on how much cream you put in the jar.  The more cream, the longer you will need to shake.

When we did it today it took us about 45 minutes of hard shaking.  If I had done less cream I’m sure it would’ve been much quicker.

You can make the shaking part fun.  We turned on some music and danced around while shaking our jars.  If you are only making one jar of butter you can have everybody take turns shaking it for 2 minutes and then switching to the next person.

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As you shake your jar you will notice the cream will slowly becoming thicker.  After a while the butter will begin separating from the cream.  Keep shaking until the butter forms together in a nice solid ball.  Once this happens, you are done!  See, so easy!

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Drain the leftover cream, rinse your butter, and then transfer it to a plate.  Wah-lah!  You have made butter!

Now is the fun part!  You get to enjoy your butter on some fresh bread or rolls.  I am so excited for you!  This butter is delicious!

Butter in a Jar

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Mason jar

Instructions
 

  • Pour heavy whipping cream into your mason jar. Fill it between 1/4-1/2 full. The fuller it is, the longer the butter will take to make.
  • Screw lid onto mason jar to secure a tight fit.
  • Shake jar vigorously for 15-45 minutes (the more cream, the longer you will need to shake).
  • Once butter has separated from the cream and formed a ball, you are done.
  • Take butter ball out of jar and lightly rinse with water.
  • Enjoy on your favorite bread, rolls, or muffins!

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Easy Huckleberry Muffin Recipe

By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

The best Huckleberry Muffin Recipe.

I am so excited to share my easy Huckleberry Muffin Recipe with you!  These are our favorite muffins and I look forward to making them each year with our newly picked huckleberries.

Have you ever had a huckleberry?  It is one of my favorite treats!  They grow in the wild here in Idaho and we love picking them as a family each summer.  The best way to describe a huckleberry is it’s very similar to a blueberry, only more purple and smaller.  They are also the perfect mixture of sweet and tart.

Huckleberries are considered “gold” where I live.  Every summer, around the end of July, we head up to the mountains with buckets and spend a few hours picking berries. 

It always takes a little bit of hiking and searching to find the best picking spot, but once you find that perfect place, you are in heaven!  The unwritten rule in Idaho is to never tell anyone where your huckleberry picking spot is….because you want to save it for yourself!  If someone gets to your spot before you do, it’s such a sad day!

We love to use huckleberries in syrup, pies, jam, and muffins.  But, they are also wonderful to eat plain!

How to Make Huckleberry Muffins

I usually flash freeze our huckleberries after picking them, similar to this method I use for freezing strawberries.  The flash freeze will preserve the fruit so I can use them throughout the entire year.

My favorite part of this easy huckleberry muffin recipe is that I can use my frozen huckleberries to make it, no thawing required!

I also really love the crumb topping on these muffins.  It gives them an extra flavor and crust, which is to die for!

When cutting your butter into the topping ingredients I recommend you use a pastry cutter, it makes this step so quick and simple!  This is the pastry cutter I use.

Easy Huckleberry Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time 30 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup frozen huckleberries

Topping

  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 3 Tbsp flour
  • 3 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions
 

  • Cream butter and sugar together in large mixer.
  • Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
  • Mix together well.
  • Add flour, salt, and baking powder.
  • Mix gently, just until ingredients are mixed together.
  • With spoon, stir in huckleberries.
  • Pour mixture into prepared muffin tin. Leave each cup 2/3 full.

Topping

  • Mix flour and sugars together in a small bowl.
  • Use a pastry cutter to cut in butter.
  • Sprinkle over each muffin cup batter.
  • Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly brown.

If you don’t have any huckleberries in your area, you can easily substitute blueberries in this recipe and the muffins will still be amazing!  But, if you ever get a chance to try a huckleberry, try it!!  You will love them!

Want More Easy Recipes?

If you are looking for even more recipes you might love my very own recipe book, Mel’s Home Cooking.  It has 65 of my favorite, easy, family friendly recipes!  Make sure to grab it here!

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How To Make A Recipe Binder

By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Grab your free Recipe Binder Printables below!

You want to know what the biggest game changing with Meal Planning has been???  My Recipe Binder!  I made my first recipe binder a few years ago and still use it every single day.  This article is all about teaching you how to make a recipe binder for painless meal planning.

What is a Recipe Binder?

A recipe binder is a binder where all of your recipes are organized in one simple spot.  Instead of having 5 cookbooks and hundreds of recipe pins saved, you can print off all of your tried and true recipes and keep them organized in one simple spot.

The recipes that you put into this binder should be ones that you have tried multiple times.  These are recipes that you want in your regular cooking routine.

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How Does a Recipe Binder Help With Meal Planning?

Meal Planning can be made so much easier when you use your binder.

Here’s how I Meal Plan using my Recipe Binder:

  • Pull out my Binder and look at the Meal Ideas I have previously written down.
  • Choose a few meals to make throughout the week, writing them down on the Meal Plan printable.
  • Look through all of the recipes in my binder to find the ingredients I will need to buy at the store that work.
  • Jot the ingredients down on the shopping list.
  • And done!

See how easy that was?????

When you meal plan with a recipe binder it takes out the stress of wondering:

  • What should I make this week?
  • What foods do we like?
  • What do I need to buy at the store?

Supplies Needed

To make a recipe binder you will need:

  • A Binder.  I recommend a binder between 1″ to 2″, depending on how many recipes you will be putting in it.
  • Page protectors.  Don’t skip this step!  They will keep your recipes fresh for a long time and can be wiped clean.  (when I cook, it gets messy…)
  • Pocket Dividers.  Dividers in the binder are great, to help you find all of your food sections quickly.  I also love having dividers with pockets, as a place to put all of my random recipes when I don’t have time to organize them.
  • Recipes.  Spend a few hours finding all of your favorite recipes.  Don’t forget to look through cookbooks, pinterest, or magazines.  Just make sure to only choose the recipes you have tried multiple times and love.  The point of the recipe binder is to have one spot for your favorite recipes.  You want to be able to open it up and know every recipe inside is a good one.
  • Recipe Binder Printables.  You can grab these for free by signing up for my newsletter below.


 

Putting it all together

Now, for the fun part, putting the recipe binder together!  Fortunately it’s so easy to do too!

First off, slide the Favorite Recipes cover into the front of your binder.  It’s always fun to see something pretty from the beginning.

Next, search through all of your cook books and favorite recipes and collect the recipes you want in your binder.  You can print these out from the internet, make a copy from your favorite cookbook, or reuse recipes you already have printed.

Once you have found all of your most loved recipes take some time to put them and your Recipe Binder printables into page protectors.  This is a great activity to have your kids help with or to do while watching a movie!

Next, take out your pocket dividers and write the different categories you want in your binder onto each tab.  A few of the categories I have in my binder are:

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Appetizers
  • Salad
  • Soup
  • Chicken
  • Meatless
  • Drinks
  • Veggies
  • Bread
  • Side Dish
  • Snacks
  • Crock Pot
  • Seafood
  • Pasta
  • Pork
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Cookies
  • Dessert

Lastly, put all of your recipes, recipe binder printables, and dividers into your binder.  Organize them in the way that will make the most sense to you!  I included a blank category so that you can personalize it for the recipes you use most.

Don’t forget to use the Meal Ideas printables.  These are really the secret sauce to quick meal planning.

Write down all of the recipes that you chose to include in your binder (remember, these should all be recipes you have already tried and loved) and put these papers at the front of your recipe binder.  The next time you can’t think of what to make for dinner, just look at the Meal Ideas in your binder!

Finishing Up

That’s it!  Your recipe binder is complete!  Now, it’s time to use it regularly.  Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your recipe binder:

  • Put it somewhere you will see it often.  I keep mine on my cookbook shelf, right next to the kitchen.  This makes it easy to grab, and also helps me remember to actually pull it out and use it (which is important….for obvious reasons…..)
  • Set a specific day each week when you will pull out your recipe binder and meal plan.  The day I have chosen is on Sunday afternoons.  I am almost always home this day and it’s a great way for me to start the week organized.
  • Update your binder regularly.  As the years go by you will hopefully find new recipes you enjoy, and maybe a few you tire off.  Make sure you pull out your binder every now and then, throw out the recipes you don’t enjoy anymore, and add your new favorites.

Need more help meal planning?  Check out my article, Start Meal Planning For The Complete Beginner, where I share all of my best tips for beginners to make a successful meal plan.

Alright!  It’s your turn!  Grab your free Recipe Binder printables below to make your own Recipe Binder today!


 

 

Need recipes for your binder????

Are you needing some new, fresh recipes to try?  Something easy to make that your family will be sure to love??

Check out my recipe ebook!  Mel’s Home Cooking contains over 60 of my favorite, easy, and family friendly recipes.

Want to make rolls, but don’t have time to roll them out???  Try the fairy rolls!

Looking for something different, yet easy, to make your family for breakfast?  You will love the Hootenany pancakes!

Are you tired of the same old dinners, but don’t like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen?  Try my chicken pesto pasta recipe!

These recipes have all been in my kitchen for decades and I am so excited to share them with you!  You can learn more about Mel’s Home Cooking ebook here.

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How to Make Sweet Zucchini Relish Recipe

By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Easy Canned Zucchini Relish Recipe.

When I married my husband, I had no idea the plethora of new and delicious recipes I would learn about.  My in laws have introduced me to so many yummy foods that I never even knew existed.  One of them is this Sweet Zucchini Relish recipe. 

This is honestly the very best relish I have ever had.  Every single person who I have shared this relish with loves it!  I am always being asked to share the recipe.  Zucchini relish is perfect to eat this relish on hamburgers, hot dogs, biscuits and gravy, and sandwiches.

I love to make a big batch of zucchini relish every summer to use up our garden zucchini surplus.  A jar of zucchini relish makes a wonderful gift to give to new neighbors, friends or as Christmas gifts.

how to make zucchini relish - sweet relish recipe

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Zucchini Relish Prep

Zucchini relish is so easy to make.  It takes a little prep and planning, but the steps are really simple.

First, you need to grate 10 cups of zucchini and 4 cups onion.  If you have a food processor, I suggest using it.  Sadly, my food processor was broken so I used my grater.

Dump your shredded zucchini and onion into a large bowl.

Next, add 5 tablespoons of salt and stir well.

Cover bowl and put in fridge and let it sit overnight.

The Next Morning

After your relish sits for 12 hours (or overnight) get it out and put it into a strainer.

Rinse with cold water.

Afterwards, use a spoon to try to push out as much moisture/water from the relish as possible.

Once you have gotten out as much moisture as possible, pour the zucchini mixture into a large pot.

Shred 2 green bell peppers and 1 red bell pepper.  You can use 3 green peppers if you prefer, the red just adds a little color.  Put the shredded peppers into pot.

After that add the following ingredients to the pot:

  • 6 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp. celery seed
  • 2 1/2 cup vinegar
  • 1 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. dry mustard
  • 1 tsp. turmeric
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. black pepper

Stir well.  Turn stove to low and cook mixture for 30-1 hour.

The more moisture your zucchini has, the longer it will need to cook.  It’s OK for it to still be a little runny/watery when bottling.

Fill hot mason jars with relish and top with a hot canning lid.

Process pints following canning procedures in hot water bath for 15 minutes.

Let sit on counter to cool and lids to seal.

Enjoy!  Let me know if you have any questions!

Sweet Zucchini Relish

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 10 cups zucchini
  • 4 cups onion
  • 5 Tbsp salt
  • 2 green bell peppers
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 6 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp celery seed
  • 2 1/2 cups vinegar
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Use food processor or grater to shred zucchini and onions. Put in large bowl.
  • Add salt to mixture.
  • Cover bowl and put in fridge to sit overnight.
  • After sitting overnight put zucchini in a strainer and rinse well with cold water.
  • Use spoon to press out as much moisture as possible from zucchini.
  • Pour mixture into a large, heavy pot.
  • Grind peppers and add to mixture.
  • Add sugar, celery seed, vinegar, nutmeg, dry mustard, turmeric, cornstarch, and black pepper. Stir well.
  • Turn stove to low and cook relish for 30-60 minutes. The more moisture the zucchini has, the longer it will need to cook. It is OK for it to be a little runny and watery when bottling.
  • Pour mixture into hot pint sized mason jars. Process in hot water bath, using safe canning procedures, for 15 minutes.

I can’t wait for you to try this sweet zucchini relish recipe!  You will love it!

 

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How to Make Zucchini Noodles With a Spiralizer

By: Sweet Frugal Life2 Comments

How to make zoodles with this easy tutorial.

My zucchini plants have been generous this year, and I have loved it!  Zucchini is one of my favorite veggies because it’s the vegetable that just keeps on giving (and giving and giving and giving…..); plus it is so versatile!  We have been enjoying zucchini in bread, cookies, on the grill, fried, etc.  One of my very favorite ways to cook zucchini is to turn it into zoodles!  Zoodles is a great, healthier alternative to noodles (and if you pick the zucchini from your garden….it’s also FREE!).  I love to serve zucchini noodle with marinara or Alfredo sauce, but any of your fave pasta sauces will work great!  If cooked correctly, the zoodles are really not a lot different from regular noodles.  They are also much more filling, with much less calories!  Sometimes my kids don’t even realize what they are eating……emphasis on the sometimes.  I’m excited to teach you today how to make zucchini noodles with a spiralizer.

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Homemade Zoodles Tutorial

Zoodles might look fancy, but they are actually so easy to make; especially when you use a vegetable spiralizer.  Honestly my frugal self tried for years to make zucchini noodles without a spiralizer and I just couldn’t do it!  So, I bought this spiralizer and haven’t looked back since!

First things first, if your zucchini is long, you will want to cut it down into smaller chunks.  This will make it easier to move through the spiralizer.

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Next, you will need to prep your vegetable spiralizer.  I use the Thin Spiral for my zoodles.  Put your thin spiral attachment in the spiralizer and then stick one of the zuchinni chunks into the middle, in between the handle and the blade.  Easy peasy!

Now, all you need to do is twist!  This part is so simple (and…kindof fun….really!).  The zucchini will spiral through the blade, be sure to have a plate to catch all the spirals!  Kids love helping with and watching the noodles come out.

If you want to eat your zoodles raw (which you totally can!) they are ready.  I prefer cooking them over the stove for a few minutes (don’t worry it is quick!) to warm them up.

How to Cook Zoodles

Heat 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil in a sauce pan.  Once the oil is hot, add the zoodles.

Toss zoodles in the oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.  Continue stirring and cooking for 2-5 minutes.  I like them to be soft, but slightly firm.

And that’s it!  They are done.  Serve with your favorite pasta sauce.  ENJOY!!!

What’s your favorite thing to make with your garden zucchini???  I would love to hear it in the comments below!

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Easy Tin Foil Dinner Recipe

By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

The best campfire dinner recipe.

A few years ago I stumbled upon the best tin foil dinner recipe ever, for reals though…..I’ve tried a lot of tin foil dinners!  I found it originally on Melyssa Saves Instagram Story Highlights.  I’ve since adapted it to our own personal liking, but I still give her credit for introducing me to this amazing campfire dinner recipe.

This recipe has become our favorite camping dinner recipe.  It’s easy to cook over the fire, and perfect for customizing to everyone’s preferences.  We also use it regularly for backyard fires.  When I don’t feel like cooking, or cleaning up a messy kitchen….I whip up these easy tin foil dinners and we eat outside.  The kids think it’s a fun family activity, and I think it was the best way to keep my house clean…..

tin foil dinner recipe - how to make tin foil dinners

Ingredients

Like I mentioned earlier, this recipe is very easy to customize to your own specific taste preferences.  So, don’t be afraid to take my suggestions and add a few of your own!

  • Little Smokies
  • Shredded Cheese (we like mozzarella, but you can also use cheddar)
  • Diced onions 
  • Green Beans
  • Peas
  • Corn
  • Seasoning Salt
  • Shredded hash browns
  • Carrots
  • Jalapeno peppers
  • Butter
  • Salt and Pepper

You will also need:

  • Cooking spray
  • Tin foil

Putting it All Together

Pull out two strips of tin foil and lay them one on top of the other on your counter top.  Spray generously with cooking spray.

Layer hash browns on the top tin foil.  You can add as much or as little as you want.  I always put less on the kids dinners and much more in my husbands (he likes to eat!).

Next add the little smokies.  Again, there is no set recipe.  Just add as many or as little as you want to eat.

Now it’s time for the vegetables.  I try to use whatever veggie is in my garden at the time.  We have used carrots, corn, green beans, diced onion, peas, and jalapeno peppers.  All were good and delicious!

Sprinkle your veggies with your favorite cheese.  We enjoy mozzarella cheese, but cheddar is also delicious!

Next add salt, pepper and seasoning salt to taste.

Add a few pats of butter on top.

And it’s all done!  Look how yummy!  Can you believe it even tastes better than it looks?!?!

All that’s left to do is roll your tin foil packet up and refrigerate until ready to be cooked.

Cook your tin foil dinner over hot coals until thoroughly heated through and cheese is melted.  It usually only takes about 10 minutes, depending on the heat of your fire.

Pull a packet out and peek inside to test for doneness.

I promise you will love this delicious, easy tin foil dinner recipe.

Easy Tin Foil Dinner

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Shredded Hash Browns
  • Little Smokies
  • Favorite Veggies We like green beans, peas, carrots, corn, onion and jalapenos.
  • Mozzarella or cheddar Cheese
  • Seasoning Salt
  • Butter

Instructions
 

  • Lay two pieces of tin foil on counter top. Spray with cooking spray.
  • Layer hash browns on top of tin foil.
  • Add little smokies on top.
  • Put your favorite veggies over little smokies and hash browns.
  • Sprinkle with cheese.
  • Salt, pepper and seasoning salt to taste.
  • Add 2-3 pats of butter.
  • Wrap tin foil up tightly.
  • Cook over hot coals in camp fire until done.

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What is your favorite tin foil dinner recipe?

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