I love fall and winter! I love nothing more than curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee while the snow (or rain) is falling outside. All the great flavors come out during this time of the year, too: pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggnogg, etc. It's also the time of year for soup, chili, and fresh bread. Yum! Is it any wonder we tend to put on a few pounds during cold months? We have so many carbs and sugary treats to choose from! It's very easy to get caught up in the fun of the season and lose track of the budget while shopping for all these tasty items. It got me to thinking about some of my favorite, budget-friendly winter meals.
Put On a Pot 'o Beans
I put a pot of mixed beans on yesterday morning before we left for church. The plan was to have it for lunch, which didn't happen. I thought 4 hours on high in the crock pot would have done it (yes, I pre-soaked Saturday night), but they were still little rocks when we got home. We ended up having them for dinner instead, and they were delicious! I took a simple bag of mixed beans (the bean soup blend), sliced onions, and ham chunks from the freezer and threw it in the crockpot. Budget-wise, you don't get much cheaper. The bag of beans was less than $2, and the ham was left-over from a spiral I bought months ago. I always save the bone and odd chunks that don't get sliced when we get a ham, and then take out pieces as I need them. The downside to this meal is you do have to plan ahead a little bit, but it can all be done in a day if you choose the "Quick Soak" method over overnight soaking for the beans. One bag fed six people - 4 adults and 3 kids - so if you have more people in your family you'll probably need another bag of beans.
Homemade Soup
Charles LOVES soup. I think he would be fine if I made soup once a week. Unfortunately for him, I don't. But, as fall rolls around I do get to hankering for some tasty soup and I go recipe hunting. There are tons of resources available these days for finding recipes: websites, friends, mobile apps, or even cookbooks! My process usually starts with an ingredient - I have chicken and need a soup that works around that and doesn't require a trip to the store. Budget-wise it's always easier if I can avoid extra trips! One of the best soup recipes I have found in the last year is for Chicken Tortellini Soup. I found it on Betty Crocker's website when I was looking for something to do with leftover Turkey. One thing I should admit to now is I rarely follow a recipe as it is written - I'm a big substituter. As I was looking at this recipe I figured my leftover turkey would go perfectly in this soup. I happened to have some tortellini in the freezer, and the rest is history. It was a family hit - no leftovers for us that night! I will include it here in case you would like to give it a try with your family: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/chicken-tortellini-soup/9b4cfb75-f88b-4c88-93a3-a0f9ecde2519
If you don't have a recipe, or just want to experiment, vegetable beef (or chicken, pork, or turkey) is so easy! As long as you have canned or frozen veggies and some meat, you have the base for a soup. Charles' mom and dad will often cook up a roast in lots of broth, then add a ton of veggies and let it cook the whole day. They will then eat on that same soup the whole week. I like to bake up a loaf of homemade bread to go with mine, but it's good just with crackers, too!
Chili 'n Cornbread
Chili is a staple in most homes in the US, I think. It's different everywhere you go, but everyone has a chili recipe that they love. Chili is another thing that I like to tweak depending on the ingredients I have available. I've been known to use ground beef, ground turkey, leftover chicken, or leftover sloppy joe meat to make my chili, as well as a variety of beans. Some nights we have kidney beans only, others it's black beans or pintos, and others it's a combination of all of them. Chili is a pretty forgiving medium, too. If you need more "sauce" add some canned tomatoes, pizza sauce, or salsa if you like spice! I wish I had a great chili recipe to share with you here, but mine is different every time. Pop a batch of cornbread in the oven and you have a nice, hot tasty dinner on a cold, rainy night!
Mostly, I just try to have fun with whatever I'm fixing. When winter hits I don't mind having the oven on in the house and it's time for cooking! Have fun with it - try new things and don't be afraid to mess stuff up. We've all made the meals that no one wants to eat. We just have to learn from our mistakes and keep trying!
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