Stretch your dollar in the kitchen

By Sam Vangsness

As we approach the holiday season, we all have a lot on our minds from hosting Thanksgiving dinner to Christmas shopping. Sometimes these thoughts get in the way of being present in the moment and enjoying the Thanksgiving season. As you plan your meals this month let me help you with a few recipes and meal tips.

4 fall meal tips

1. Shop your fridge, freezer and pantry. Take stock of what you have on hand before you go to the grocery store or put that pick-up order in. Once you’ve gone through what you have on hand, begin to come up with meals around your ingredients. This tip will save you time and money!
2. Shop the sales. You can always find me in the grocery store’s clearance section. This section is simply items that are close to their “best-by” date, which can be stretched when cooked or put into the freezer.
3. Shop meat in bulk. Pork and beef are great varieties to buy in bulk. Cuts like ham, pork loins, and any beef roasts are versatile and can be stretched for many meals.
4. Cook once and eat leftovers. We are leftover eaters, and it makes meals so much simpler. Recently, I bought a ham and it will stretch to feed us for various meals. We ate a meal’s worth of ham, then the next day I made “Ham and potato soup.” I knew we would have our fill of ham by the end of the soup, so I cut the rest of the ham up and put it into the freezer. I will use the frozen ham down the road in our breakfast sandwiches, egg bakes, on pizza or soup.

3 well-loved recipes

Beef and vegetable hotdish

It’s as simple as it sounds and is customizable to your liking.

Ground up beef, season as you’d like, and add vegetables (I opt for the frozen peas, carrots, and corn blend). Add in any other vegetables you’d like. This is a perfect meal to clean out the fridge. Serve the hotdish as is or make some noodles or rice to accompany. Plus, adding noodles, rice and/or additional vegetables is a great way to stretch a meal!

Beef kale tortellini soup

This will probably be our new fall favorite soup.

Brown 1-2 pounds of ground beef. Once browned, add 1 diced onion and 2 diced carrots. Sautee until aromatic. Add in 32 oz tomatoes, 2 cups kale, 16 oz beef broth and 16 oz water. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to taste. Add in red chili flakes for a bit of spice if you like. Bring to a simmer and add in 1 package cheese tortellini noodles. Cook noodles in a simmer for 10 minuntes and add 1 cup heavy cream.

Ham and potato soup- slow cooker recipe

Add 2 cups of ham, 2 diced carrots, 1 diced onion, and 2 stalks of diced celery (you could use the frozen peas, carrots, and corn blend again here as well) into a slow cooker pot. Add 16 oz broth and 16 oz water. Season with salt, pepper and your choice of seasonings. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. Once there is about ½ hour left add in 1 cup heavy cream and turn to low for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

I always say, simple does the job. Your meals don’t have to be social media worthy, they just have to be enjoyable to you and fill the bellies around your table. Often our favorite recipes are the ones that take less than 20 minutes to throw together like the “Beef and vegetable hotdish” above. Remember to take time to enjoy the fall and not to get into too big of a rush this holiday season.

Sam lives in rural Morton County with her husband. She enjoys being outside working alongside her husband, but equally enjoys being in the kitchen cooking nutritious, delicious, simple meals, and sharing tips, tricks, and recipes along the way.

 

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