Convenience foods...

Last week, walking past an apartment development, DH and I were rather shocked to see the trash filled with processed food boxes and containers...but with little to no evidence of actual real food. These boxes were for items such as: breakfast bagels, waffles, pancakes, chicken pot pie, frozen pizza, various brands of frozen entrees, and more. DH was surprised because the apartments housed many people that we know are on very limited incomes...and yet these processed foods are so costly in the long run. I explained that so many people do not know how to cook "from scratch", and that many have been taught by decades of ad campaigns to fear and resent cooking...and to believe that prepared foods are superior to homemade (hint - they are NOT!).

I know the arguments for processed foods - and we have certainly indulged (I stock up on organic frozen pizzas for DH before I travel). But on a day to day basis, we do not buy into the "convenience" of convenience foods.

So how do we eat well and maintain a hectic schedule? It does take a bit of planning and coordination - but these steps do not take much time, and quickly become part of one's daily routine! This includes tasks such as boiling batches of eggs all at once, to keep chilled in the fridge for quick egg salads or deviled eggs or simply boiled eggs :) I also make huge batches of chili or stew or soup at once and freeze in lunch-size and dinner-size containers. Ground beef on sale? I stock up and prep full size meatloafs + mini loaves baked in muffin tins.

We bake our own bread, and we save time and effort by using the "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" recipe and method. In another season of my life, I baked as many as 10 loaves of traditional "sandwich bread" on one Sunday each month - I froze extras, and after a bit I could skip a baking month without running out of bread. I bake huge batches of muffins and freeze for future use. I used to freeze "breakfast cups" of scrambled egg, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheese for my son.

There are loads of ideas all over the internet for making delicious, healthy and budget-friendly foods that are also easy and convenient. I've been asked to prepare a print-out to hand out at a local food pantry, suggesting easy and frugal ideas for some of the staple items we hope to share. What are your favorite frugal food ideas?