Let’s face it stressful schedules, long days at work can make up the formula that leads to expensive take out meals or eating out more often. For me this is not something I want to do to my budget or to my financial goals. Planning is key and while eating out of the pantry and freezer are a great help in January and February and we have plenty of food tucked away it is easy to forget what you have put aside so a review of your pantry, freezer, and pre-made meals is in order at least weekly. My title is kind of a play on words because pre-making pantry meals and soup mixes is something homemakers have been doing for years but got away from common sense which is less junk is better.
Earlier this year I made a bunch of pre-made mixes but I didn’t blog about it as around the same time my good friend Lisa at The Way Grandmama Does It put together an excellent blog post about pre-made soup mixes here.
I think this is a good time of year for a reminder to use what you have on hand and not to forget to use those Pre-Made meals and put them to good use! Some of these recipes call for some processed ingredients likebouillon cube and potato flakes but there are many recipes online for unprocessed bouillon cube like this one here or these Chicken Buillon Cubes, or this one. I could go on and on as there are tons of recipes on the internet!
These pre-made unprocessed meals for the most part have come in so handy on hectic nights when I have been tired or I have just thrown them in a crock pot. Either way coming home to a cooked meal or knowing your meal will just be a simple affair can make a big difference in your mood.
I made Potato Soup (this is so easy and delicious), Holiday Split Pea Soup, Italian tomato and Pasta Soup Mix just to name a few. Click on the links below for more recipes.
Homemade Onion Soup Mix (with no MSG) from Heavenly HomeMakers
Homemade Cream Style Soup from Taste Of Home
Chicken Noodle and Friendship Soup Mix from Thrifty Thursday
A little time and planning will get you a great reward. I spent an afternoon with all of my beans, pasta, and spices and my Food Saver out on the counter and ended up with enough Pre-Made meals to help make this fall and winter a lot easier with meal preparation.
Have a great Monday everyone!
Fondly,
I am a huge fan of my pressure canner, for doing this! I spend several days at a time canning up soups, and then, when I need a fast meal, I can grab one off the shelf. Simply heat, add extra veggies, rice or noodles, and thicken-if the family wants a stew. Serve with a salad and garlic toast, and everyone is fed in less than 30 minutes.
Great idea to pressure can we need to start doing more pressure canning. Simple is better we need to do more of this over the summer 🙂