News Taffy

Last week I wrote about Kara Mayfield’s money saving tips on groceries. Kara also finds many ways to spend less time in the kitchen. Kara often spends a morning baking muffins, waffles or pancakes, then freezing them so her family can pull out what is needed for breakfast. She wraps each muffin in plastic wrap and then places them in a Ziploc bag. She also browns ground meat immediately then freezes it to use later in spaghetti sauce, chili or other recipes. This allows her to take advantage of good prices. She feels that planning a day to shop and do food prep pays off in less money spent and saves time on busy nights. I took a cue from Kara and bought several bell peppers when they were on sale recently for 44 cents each. It took about 15 minutes to chop them and put them in the freezer. Not only did that cost less than buying them already chopped but they are ready to be used when I need them.

Her latest time saving idea involves crockpot recipes. Kara buys the ingredients for several recipes, spends a morning chopping and measuring. She puts all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag for each recipe, then freezes it. When she needs a fast dinner, she pulls out a bag from the freezer and lets it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then dumps it in the crockpot. I tried two of her recipes and liked both enough to share. You can try her freezer method or go ahead and make it that night.

Honey Rosemary Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (I just used a couple of sprigs, being lazy!)
1 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:  Put ingredients in a large Ziploc freezer bag and let marinate in the refrigerator a few hours before freezing. When ready to cook, thaw bag completely. Place contents in a crockpot, add 1 cup of water and cook on high 3 to 4 hours or low, 6 to 8 hours. Ten minutes before serving, add cornstarch to the broth to thicken. Serve over rice or pasta. I thought some mushrooms would be good added to this, maybe 30 minutes or an hour before serving. Canned mushrooms would do in a pinch.

Lime Salsa Chicken (My family really liked this one!)

INGREDIENTS:
2 or 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken (dark meat is cheaper, trim fat before cooking)
1 chopped bell pepper
1/2 onion chopped juice of one lime
1 package taco seasoning

DIRECTIONS:  Place in bag and freeze. When ready to cook, thaw completely and place in a slow cooker. Add a 24 oz. jar of salsa. Cook on high 3 to 4 hours or low 6 to 8 hours. To serve, cook 1/2 cup of rice and stir into cooked mixture. Shred chicken with a fork and serve in tortillas. Serves 4. Note: I added a can of black beans, drained and rinsed, about 10 minutes before serving. A can of whole kernel corn would be good, especially if you need to stretch this to feed more people. I also used the 16 oz. jar of salsa and it was fine.

Until next week,
Lisa