Just like in the freezer aisle, the refrigerated section (dairy, meat etc.) of your supermarket holds some surprisingly good shortcuts. Here are some of my favorites:
Mashed Potatoes- My family loves mashed potatoes and I don’t always have the time or energy to make them. I can’t stand instant mashed potatoes, although I admit they are convenient and have a long shelf-life. My favorite shortcut was the frozen mashed potatoes from Ore-Ida because you could make as much or as little as you wanted, but the stores in my area have all stopped carrying them. My next favorite would be the refrigerated ones from Shedd’s Country Crock (in the meat department in my store for some reason). These are great and don’t need any “doctoring†although you can add some sour cream or cream cheese to make them a bit richer. I recently added some French onion dip to them and it was really good!
Pillsbury Pizza Dough – Not only does this make a fast and delicious pizza, it can also be used to make and lots of other things like garlicbread sticks, pot pies, garlic bread, etc. You’ll be surprised at what you can use it for once you put your mind to it.
Hormel or Tyson Refrigerated Entrees- Both Hormel and Tyson have fully cooked meat entrees like roast beef, beef tips, meatloaf and chicken or turkey and gravy (usually found in the meat section). Maybe they aren’t as good as homemade, but these ready-in-four-minutes entrees can serve as a creative starting place for a good meal. For instance, the pot roast or beef tips can be served over rice or noodles, the meatballs and gravy are just asking to be turned into Swedish Meatballs over noodles, and the chicken and gravy are the perfect shortcut for some of your favorite casseroles. Keep in mind that you are paying for convenience and these entrees will cost more than homemade, but if you are crunched for time, they could be worth the extra cost. Also remember to read the labels as some of these entrees are high in sodium.
People laugh at me because I like coupons. I have been accused of being a “Marketer’s Dream,” which is ironic because I work in Marketing. The fact is, however, that if you are savvy, coupons can save you some money. No, maybe not $50 a trip, but if you save even $5 a week, that adds up to $20 a month, or $240 a year. Not sounding so silly anymore, is it?
Today I was grocery shopping and decided to look at the coupon rack. Most of them were useless to me, but then something caught my eye: “Buy four Lean Cuisine meals and get 4 free items!” I always buy at least four Lean Cuisines anyway, so this was a steal for me – I got free bottled water, yogurt, candy and salad, just for buying something I always buy.
You shouldn’t let a coupon or sale steer you towards buying something you won’t use “just because it’s on sale,” but if you keep an eye out, they should be able to help you with the important stuff!
I absolutely love cookbooks. My only gripe is that most cookbooks have one or two of the qualities I seek, but not all. They might be vegetarian, but the recipes are decadent and high in calories and fat. They might be light, but each recipe requires 20 random ingredients that I do not have stocked and am not willing to invest in for a one-time deal.
I was overjoyed last month to find the answer to this problem: Nava Atlas
’s cookbook entitled The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet. The cover of the book says, “250 Simple Recipes and Dozens of Healthy Menus for Eating Well Every Day.”
This book has been a lifesaver. Every recipe is limited to 5 ingredients max, so they are generally fast and easy to prepare. Atlas also lists calories, fat, protein, carbohydrate, cholesterol and sodium levels next to each. (I would have liked to see a sugar count as well, but I’ll take what I can get.) Some of my favorite recipes are “Pasta with Asparagus,” “Cranberry Slaw” and “Mixed Greens with Pears, Cranberries and Goat Cheese.”
*Cash-saving tip: See if your library has a copy. You can always photocopy recipes you like!
Don’t let the “food snobs” make you feel bad about taking an occasional shortcut in getting a meal on your family’s table. I have a very dear friend who is an excellent cook, in fact he is better than most and we consider ourselves evenly matched in the kitchen. However, I recently found out that he is a “food snob”. One day we were talking about food as we frequently do, and I happened to mention Bisquick. He was horrified that I would even have it in my house let alone consider actually cooking with it! I realize it may not be one of the best things for me or my family, but in a pinch, I would rather use Bisquick to put an ‘”Impossible Chicken Pie” on the table for dinner rather than grab a burger from the McDriveThru!Â
    My friend is not the only food snob by a long shot. The internet is full of blogs and forums that say some pretty nasty stuff about people like Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee, but you know what? I think those ladies have a better idea of how busy people cook in the real world than most of the people who verbally slam them! There are lots of ways to get a meal on the table and I don’t believe there is any one right way. Do what works best for you and don’t let anyone make you feel badly about it! The next time a food snob tries to make you feel bad, just remember that while they are sweating in the kitchen over their homemade Bechamel sauce, you are relaxing because DINNER IS DONE!
Here are some more of my favorite shortcuts from the freezer aisle of the supermarket:
Jimmy Dean Breakfast Scrambles- When you’re in the mood for “breakfast supper” these are a super fast and easy meal. All you have to do is add fresh egg and in 10 minutes you’re done! They come with the meat already in them, and I found there was plenty of it and it did not taste like rubber. We like the sausage best, but the bacon was also very good. I often make these for breakfast when we have had overnight company. With fresh fruit and toast, muffins or biscuits, they make an easy and satisfying breakfast.
Frozen Stir-Fry Veggies- Add your own beef or chicken and a bottle of teriyaki sauce or a package of stir-fry seasoning and you have dinner in about 15 minutes. Serve over Minute rice, or my new favorite, Ready Rice by Uncle Ben’s that you microwave for 90 seconds.
Frozen Cakes, Pies and Cream Puffs- These are great for emergency desserts when you get last-minute company and have no time to bake. I love the Pepperidge Farm cakes because they taste fresh and they are just the right size (no too big, not too small). I am not a huge fan of bake-and-serve pies because most of them aren’t as good as my homemade, but I do love the lemon meringue pies from Edwards (their pecan pies are also very good). Frozen cream puffs are also great because all you have to do is set them out to thaw on a serving plate an hour or so before dinner, drizzle some jarred fudge sauce over them and serve (for a really elegant look, scatter some fresh berries around them too). Yum!!
Sometimes it is not just about making a dinner that is no-fuss, but making a dinner that is not high in fat or calories. I recommend this super fast meal plan that is light and actually tastes really good.
- Buy a couple of Lean Cuisine ‘Santa-Fe Style Rice and Beans’ meals.
- Microwave meals according to directions on box and dump contents into a large flour or wheat tortilla. Feel free to add thinly sliced lettuce, diced tomatoes or peppers (don’t worry about cheese – the dish is cheesy already!).
- Serve immediately with fat-free sour cream and light guacamole (if desired).
How to make the light guacamole? Mash up some fresh avocados, add diced onions and tomatoes, a clove of garlic (minced), a squirt of lemon juice and salt and pepper. That’s it!
We all know that garlic serves as an important flavor component in dishes from a multitude of cultures. Italy uses it in sauces, breads, pastas, dips, and dressings; Spain includes it in marinades, salsas, rice and bean dishes, and soups, among many others; Asia adds it to stir frys, noodle bowls, egg rolls and spring rolls, and the list goes on. It is obvious that globally, we have an addiction to garlic. Garlic is one of the most utilized ingredients on the planet because of its versatile flavor and diverse physical composition. There are garlic powders, salts, flakes, and oils. You can chop it roughly, mince it finely, or simply roast it and squeeze out the garlic goodness.
Ok, so we know about all of these things, but were you aware that garlic has medicinal properties as well? According to Wikipedia.com, garlic has been used for ailments dating back to biblical times. It is rumored to have been used as a cure for smallpox, and also used as a palliative (pain reliever) of symptoms from the heat of the sun in outdoor labor. Modern day uses include employing its antibacterial properties to prevent infection, and treat intestinal parasites.
There are claims that garlic can help prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Some even believe that it has the ability to both, prevent and fight the common cold. With all of these amazing new facts about garlic, why shouldn’t you cook with it as much as possible? Well, maybe chronic halitosis would be a good reason, but I say go for it! I mean, we have mouthwash don’t we?
Like the deli in your supermarket, the frozen foods aisle is a great place to find dinner shortcuts (and I don’t mean T.V. dinners!). Here are some of my favorites:
Meatballs- Another of my favorite time savers, and one I put on my personal staples list. Pre-cooked frozen meatballs are another instant dinner idea, and most of them are as good as homemade. Use them for spaghetti and meatballs, meatball subs, sweet-n-sour meatballs, etc. There are also quite a few recipes out there for casseroles that use frozen meatballs, so if you have them on-hand you are halfway to dinner!
Dinner Kits- I put these on the list because they are fast and they areconvenient, even though I find that most of them have little taste. I avoid the ones that already have the meat in them because there is never enough and it usually has a texture like rubber. If you use a frozen dinner kit, look for the ones that you add your own meat to. An exception to this rule are the ones by Bertolli- they have enough meat (not rubbery) and they taste great! Keeping one of these on-hand for emergencies is not a bad idea (add some garlic bread and a salad, and dinner is done).
Refrigerated Pie Crust and Pour-A-Quiche- What could be easier? Mrs. Smith’s makes a great frozen quiche filling that you thaw, pour in a pie shell (I use Pillsbury) and bake! You can add some of your own ingredients if you want, such as chopped onion, real bacon bits, frozen chopped broccoli (thawed and drained) or fresh herbs. With a side salad or some fresh fruit, this is an easy delicious meal.
Was anyone else a child of the ‘No Frills’ era? Perhaps they still sell these products today, but I haven’t seen them. Sure, they have cheaper products at the supermarket with interesting brand names that no one has ever heard of, but I am talking about the days of the plain white box with the big black letters: NO FRILLS _____. My parents were working middle-class people on a budget, and I recall my mother taking me to the ‘No Frills’ section of the supermarket to pick out some of our groceries. (I used to get really excited when we bought a box of NO FRILLS BROWNIE MIX and made it at home together.)
Anyway, I bring this up because I was thinking about how people can possibly save money on groceries today. One of my best suggestions is to be open-minded enough to take a look at ‘No Frills’ products. They will likely have a different name, such as ‘Hill Country Fare’ or even the name of the supermarket you’re shopping at. While some of these items are of lower quality than the name brands, many of them actually work quite well. For example, there is nothing wrong with buying ‘No Frills’ plastic wrap, cake mix or seasonings. Such items are generally similar across the board.
You won’t always get it right, and sometimes you will wind up with a ‘No Frills’ item you wouldn’t want to buy again. More often than not, however, you will have saved some money and your dinner guests or picky eaters won’t even notice.
I thought I would do a series of posts about some of my favorite Supermarket Shortcuts. These are not necessarily items that you have to keep on-hand all the time, but they will bail you out of a jam when you need to put a meal together on-the-fly and you have no clue what to make! Instead of heading for the nearest drive-thru, try some of the ideas from this list. You may be surprised at the money you save, and you can feel good about serving your family a meal that was prepared at home. Keep a copy of this list in your purse or in your car so it’s handy when you need it. If your life is like mine, those dinner emergencies always seem to pop up when I am in the car or in the store and nowhere near my cookbooks!
Salads and Slaws- When you don’t have time to make your own from scratch, deli potato or macaroni salads and slaws are a big help. For a more homemade taste, you can “doctor†them up with some sour cream, horseradish, diced onion, fresh herbs, etc. and nobody will be the wiser! Served alongside burgers or hot dogs, they make another easy meal.
