Quick Tips!

Today I am not going to share any recipes only some good shortcut ideas to help you with week nights.

I have gathered these from many different people just by asking what works best for them.

•  I will buy big packs of hamburger and either freeze them in 1 lb. packages or you can fry the burger and then put them into baggies and freeze.  When you are ready to make supper take a package out, put it in the microwave for a few minutes and you are ready to go.  This really does help when you are trying to get supper whipped up in a hurry.

• Another thing I do is I make these meatloaf muffins.  Really it’s just burger mixed with pepperoni (chopped up), cheese, seasonings, and some pizza sauce.  I roll them into balls and put them in muffin tins.  I then bake them for about 45 minutes to an hour to make sure they are done all the way.  My husband absolutely loves them! 
• To save on time with these also, I will whip up a huge batch of them, put them on a baking sheet before baking and I will put them in the freezer for an hour or two.  Once they are frozen then I will put them in a zip-lock bag and toss them in the freezer for future use.  This really saves time also because all I have to do is take them out and put them in the muffin tin and bake.  You can also do this as a smaller meal if you want.  If it’s just you only take out a few and bake those.  Very quick and perfect!
• I buy groceries at Aldi's because you can get the same amount of food there for about 50% of the price. 
  o   I can restock my whole kitchen with an overflowing cart for about $200.  If I were to try and do that at Wal-Mart or any grocery store it would be more like $500. 
  o   I buy a lot of different stuff.  Sure you can't get EVERYTHING there but you can get a good majority of it there. 
  I buy stuff that I can freeze or the stuff that will be good sitting in the cupboard.  I will buy the rice, boxed potatoes and stuffing.  I know a lot of people don't like them but they are quick and easy.  Goes great with steaks or burgers!  :) 
  
  
  Below is a list of the Freezables, The Cupboard food, and just normal food:
  o   Freezable:
  §  All meats (careful of the bologna though!)
  §  All cheeses (Shredded & String)
  §  Cream Cheese
  §  Frozen Fruit (of course)
  §  Frozen Pies
  
  
  o   Cupboard:
  §  Rice
  §  Boxed Potatoes
  §  Stuffing
  §  Boxed meals (like hamburger helper style)
  §  Chips
  §  Salad Dressings
  §  Cereal
  §  Cake mix
  o   Things not to Freeze but good price:
  §  Butter
  §  Yogurt
  
  
  So, I have slowly started to try out some of the meats there.  The sandwich meat is good but be careful which ones you buy.  I got a package once and it smelled horrible!  It had that red lining around the edge of the bologna.  I will pick up a couple different kinds then when my husband runs out I will just take the next package out and go get more. 
  ·       I buy all of my chicken and pork there.  No issues.  I will buy the ground beef but it is very greasy.  We use to get the organic kind that does not compare to any ground beef you can get at a store.  AMAZING!  Barely any grease with the organic. 
  §  I already buy their shredded cheese because you get more to a bag then you would at a normal store.  I buy about 5 or 6 packages of this as we go through cheese like nothing!
  ·        I also get the string cheese there because my husband prefers it from Aldi’s than a normal grocery store. 
  ·       I won’t buy the sliced cheese at Aldi’s because my husband is addicted to the Bongard’s cheese.  It is very good but it is very expensive! 
  ·       I was looking up if you could freeze cream cheese and it looks like you can but the consistency won’t be the exact same.  That is okay with me because I am usually mixing it with something.  So I buy the cream cheese and toss it in the freezer until I need it.