Ingredients:
3/4 lb (375 g) lean beef, sliced thinly into bite-sized pieces
Marinade for Beef:
1 egg
1/3 tsp (1.5 mL) salt
1 Tbsp (15 mL) cooking wine
1 Tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch (corn flour)
2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 Tbsp (20 mL) oil
1 1/2 lb (750 g) broccoli, flowerets removed, slice on the diagonal into thin slices
1 cup (250 mL) cooking oil
2 1/2 Tbsp (30 mL) oyster sauce
2 Tbsp (25 mL) light soy sauce
3/4 Tbsp (10 mL) dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15 mL) sugar
a few drops of sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup (125 mL) chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch (if desired)

Directions:
Slice beef and mix marinade ingredients. Add marinade to beef and marinate for thirty minutes. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to beef, mix in thoroughly, and marinate beef for another thirty minutes. While beef is marinating, prepare the vegetables.

Heat wok and add 1 cup of oil. When oil is ready, add beef and stir-fry until it is nearly cooked. Remove beef and set aside on a plate. Drain the wok and wipe clean with a paper towel.

Add 1/2 cup water to the wok. Bring the water to a boil and add the broccoli. Cover and cook until broccoli is cooked through. Drain the wok.
Heat wok and add oil (about 2 tablespoons). Add the garlic and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add vegetables and beef and mix. Make a well in the middle of the wok and add the sauce ingredients. Add cornstarch, stirring to thicken. Mix sauce together with other ingredients. Serve hot.

Serves 3 to 4.

Muffins

This is a great thing to make in bulk (which saves you even more) and freeze for a quick on-the-go breakfast. There’s such a variety of things you can get when it comes to muffins. You can make bran muffins, blueberry muffins, chocolate chip muffins, a fruit and veggie muffin, or a nice pumpkin muffin.

Oatmeal

Making oatmeal can cost pennies. And with different toppings, you can change it up – from cinnamon and apples to blueberries. Or try peaches and milk or some frozen berries. Make it more appealing for the kids by dressing it up with some chocolate chips or fruit sprinkled on top. Make sure it’s a texture the kids will like. If your child likes mushy cereal, then he’ll like the oats fully cooked. For more of a crunch, cook it a little less and cool it down with some milk.

Eggs

Okay, we know making eggs every morning can be a pain. While they are relatively quick to cook, there’s all the hassle of dirtied pans. But make an egg bake over the weekend and freeze it, and you have a great inexpensive breakfast in the morning. Scramble some eggs with spinach or peppers and onions or even some ham and bake it in the oven till set, and you have a perfect yummy egg bake all week long.

French Toast

Okay, another not-so-great one for the week, maybe, but if you have a loaf of bread that is starting to go hard, then this is a good time to make some French toast. With just eggs, milk, and bread, you can’t get much cheaper than that. You can top with some fruit or add a little cinnamon to the egg and milk mixture.

Granola

Make your granola and it will be much cheaper. Then, mix it with a little yogurt or fruit. Just combine rolled oats, oil, honey, vanilla, and a little brown sugar. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Stir frequently to ensure even baking. It will be golden brown when it’s done.

Smoothies

These can be inexpensive to make because you can toss just about anything into them. Got some berries that are getting a little soft? Toss them into a smoothie. Keep some plain yogurt in your fridge to thicken up those smoothies.

Peanut Butter Toast

This is a filling, quick, and easy breakfast. Just add some fruit (bananas and peanut butter are delicious, by the way), and you have a complete breakfast.

So the next time you are looking for an inexpensive breakfast idea, don’t reach for the cereal. Try one of these; you won’t be disappointed.

Do you have any other inexpensive breakfast ideas to add to this list?

What Is Batch Cooking?

You might be wondering what batch cooking is. It’s cooking large amounts of food at once to store and freeze for use at a later date. You can do it in many different ways, depending on what works best for you. If you have a deep freezer and a whole weekend, you could cook up food for the entire month. If you don’t want to spend that much time or don’t have the storage needed for that kind of batch cooking, then cooking in advance for the week might be a better alternative for you.

How to Cook in Batches

Cooking a large amount of food to freeze can seem overwhelming. If you set aside a whole day, it’s doable. Just double, triple, or quadruple your recipes and place them in freezer bags to save room in your freezer.

You can also cook up large batches of sauce to freeze, or roast a chicken and cut it up to freeze to use in meals throughout the week. You don’t have to make a whole meal to have throughout the week.

Cooking up the basics that you will use in a meal will not only make meals easier to make, but also save you money. Jar sauce is convenient to use in recipes because you don’t want to spend the time cooking sauce every time you need it, but if you have some made and frozen in your freezer, it can be cheaper – especially if you have used it in-season ingredients. When you end up with a whole bunch of tomatoes at the end of the summer, you can cook up a large batch of sauce that could last you all winter long.

Whole chickens can generally be bought cheaper than chicken pieces. So cooking up large batches of chicken, shredding it, and freezing it to add to meals as needed is a huge money saver – not to mention the time saver.

Tips So You Aren’t Wasteful

If your major goal in bulk cooking is to save money, then the one thing you do not want to happen is for the food that you worked so hard to cook to go bad. To keep this from happening, here are some tips:

• Properly wrap your food to prevent freezer burn. Make sure you use a wrap meant for the freezer and that as much air as possible has been removed and it’s sealed tight.
• Label the item with what it is and the date it was prepared. Foods can last 6-9 months in the freezer, but you need to label it with how long it has been in there.
• Do not place piping hot food directly into the freezer. Allow it to cool some before freezing.
• When reheating, to keep food from drying out reheat at a slightly lower temperature than what you normally cook it on.

Following these tips will ensure that you make the most use out of the food and that it tastes its best. This way, you aren’t throwing away the food you worked so hard on.

Batch cooking can be a great money saver. You won’t be eating out as much because meals on busy days will be so fast and easy. You’ll also save money by buying in-season items in bulk. Batch cooking might not be for everyone, but give it a try to see how much money you can save.

“St. Louis is known for its great barbecue and rubs, and we’ve got the grills going to prove it,” said Earline Walker, owner of one of the city’s best barbecue restaurants. “That’s because we know nothing can bring family and friends together like a cookout with that great smoky, real barbecue flavor of charcoal-grilled foods.”

Memphis, Atlanta, and Tampa were also named in the top ten list, which was compiled by Kingsford® Charcoal with SureFire Grooves™.

Easy Does It

Use a chimney to light the briquets. Simply place loosely wadded newspaper in the lower chamber, charcoal in the top, and light the paper. Once the briquets are ready (they’ll turn an ash-gray color), just pour them into the grill. You can find chimneys at any hardware, home, garden, or superstore. Visit kingsford.com for additional lighting methods.

Seasonal Sides

Spice up seasonal sides! Sprinkle fresh veggies like summer squash and corn on the cob with Hidden Valley® The Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix instead of butter.

5-Minute Dessert

Before grilling desserts, brush the grates to remove any marinades or meat flavors from the meal. Then, drizzle KC Masterpiece® Barbecue Sauce on slices of pineapple, melon, and apple, lightly grill to caramelize the topping, and serve with ice cream.

Think Outside of the Kitchen

You can grill almost anything! Try grilling chicken wings instead of deep-frying or baking them, as they’re traditionally prepared. You can also heat sides, like beans and veggies, in a saucepot on the grates, or grill pizza and quesadillas for a great smoky, real barbecue flavor.

Grilled Chicken Wings

Recipe created by Earline and Otis Walker, owners of Smoki O’s, St. Louis

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 11/2 to 2 hours

Serves: 4

4 tablespoons granulated garlic

2 teaspoons red pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound chicken wings

11/2 cups Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® dressing

2 cups KC Masterpiece® Original Barbecue Sauce

Light grill using Kingsford® Charcoal with SureFire Grooves™. Mix garlic, red pepper, and salt; rub onto wings. Pour Ranch dressing into Glad® food storage bag; add wings. Shake bag to coat wings.

Remove wings from bag; place on aluminum foil, fold into cooking pockets and seal tightly. Place pockets on the main grill rack for about an hour and a half. Remove wings from pockets and finish directly on grill over moderate flame. Turn every two minutes until wings develop a crust.

Baste wings with KC Masterpiece® Original Barbecue Sauce. Serve warm.

• If a smoker is available, arrange wings on the smoker. Cook for 11/2 to 2 hours. Remove and place on grill over moderate flame and grill as directed above.

Of course, you don’t have to live in St. Louis to enjoy great grilling. Make your next cookout shine with these tips from Walker.

Here are some hints for adapting your favorite traditional recipes for crockpot cooking.
1.) Add vegetables like peas and broccoli to your recipe in the last 15 – 60 minutes. If you’re using frozen vegetables, remember to add them to your crockpot recipe during the last 30 minutes.

2.) Make sure to soak your dried beans so that they are completely softened before adding them to your recipe. If your recipe includes tomatoes, salt, or sugar, your beans should be soaked before cooking.

3.) If your recipe calls for pasta, seafood, milk, or other dairy products, only add them during the last 60 minutes of cooking, and cook pasta to just a bit tender before adding them to the cooker. Condensed cream soups are good alternatives to dairy products because they can withstand longer cooking times.

4.) When cooking a recipe with rice, add an extra ¼ cup liquid for every ¼ cup of rice.

5.) Remember to reduce the liquid in your recipe by ½ when you’re using a traditional recipe in your crockpot.

6.) A good idea for cooking stews and soups that call for vegetables is to put the veggies on the bottom and sides of the slow cooker and then place your meat on top.

Traditional Recipe to Slow Cooker Use:
15-30min traditional = 1.5–2hrs High or 4-6hrs Low in a Crockpot
35-45min traditional = 3-4hrs High or 6-10hrs Low in Crockpot
50min-3hrs traditional = 4-6hrs High or 8-18hrs Low in a Crockpot

If you’re like most families, your slow cooker supplies lots of food per meal, so you’ll very likely have leftovers. Never reheat your leftovers in the crockpot. One of the additional rewards of slow cooking is the ability to make lots of food and freeze it for future meals. Happy slow cooking!