Christine, your videos have gotten me through this pandemic, getting laid off, while continuing to feed my family of 4 good food at a great price. I can’t thank you enough! 💖
I really love how you consistently speak to the families going through a time of food insecurity, directing them to food banks and other sources of assistance, also showing how to make the most of inexpensive nutritious ingredients. Without shaming.
A full week's worth of BLDs for an entire family in the $60-70 range is so practical. Not extreme budgeting, just budgeting on the low side with high creativity. These are the videos I love to watch.
This would be a very extreme budget where I live and I have noticed portion sizes are often quite small. I'd be surprised if she's getting 900 calories a day.
Nope, for a family of four eating fresh produce, it's more like 150 if you're budgeting. Especially when getting organic anything. Trying to buy products that aren't filled with sugar or some other cheap filler is hard!
This is more realistic as supposed to $10 at the dollar store. I try to stay in a $50 a week budget ..but of course I have staples , condiments , spices ect already in my home...so I try to pick 2 meats, 2 fruit, 2 veg, and usually milk, butter, cheeze. As for cleaning items, toiletries I do that once every 3 months ...I do a bit of a bulk shop once a year...for sugar, flour, yeast,oats, beans,,rice ( I use my bread maker twice a week ) stuff like that.
I'm glad someone else is doing this ,☺️ I live in Europe (in One Off THE most expensive countries in Europe) and use max 50€ per week. I do One to two big shops per year for toiletpaper, cleaningstuff (I normally use vinegar, handsoap etc.) Dishwashertablets etc
Your method sounds great! I'm gonna try it! Don't forget that vinegar is an excellent cleaner, also baking soda w/a bit of water to scrub works great too.
Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit. I am ready to watch this at least four times. Thank you! I know these are the most labor intensive videos and I truly appreciate you still making them
Reading that made me think of my mom. 💞 She was a funny one. Definitely truly appreciate these type of videos especially with being a mom of 4....I mean 3 and an overgrown toddler. Whoops! I mean Husband🤣🤣 We have 3 picky ones(I'm the worst) so these meals are pleasing for all
I'm a broke grad student and I just made the sausage and bean dish, today. It was delicious. 😊 Admittedly, I got a little heavy handed with the creole seasoning though, and learned why you only used half a teaspoon. Lol. 😅
Kaz D, dry beans and rice will be one of your best friends!!! I wish I had known in college to cook up a batch of beans/chicken in the slow cooker and freeze to have a quick meal on hand. Thawed or Frozen chicken can be cooked up in a skillet super fast! You can also freeze beans and rice meals to have a quick microwave lunch :)
Have you ever tried peanutsauce with asian style food? You can make the sauce from peanutbutter diluted with some water, milk or coconutmilk. You can make it spicier with red pepper or hotsauce. Or sweeter with some brown sugar and soy. The sauce gives flavor to veggies, rice, stirfries, fried chicken or meat. And it is quite filling 😋 In dutch it is called saté sauce and it is very popular.
So my husband doesn't like peanut butter. Can you taste the peanut butter? If he can't taste it, I could get away with this. He is on a restricted diet. I am always looking for home recipes.
@@sewingmistakesunlimited The sauce has a real peanut taste. The other things you ad, makes it different than just peanutbutter alone. This means you can vary, but the peanut flavour will prevail. I hope this gives you enough information, so you can decide wether you give it a try.
When my husband was in college and briskets were cheap, we would buy a big brisket, he would smoke it on the weekend. We used the meat all week for different meals.
@@cassierennoldson3185 I remember--it indeed was awesome. We made sandwiches, burritos, hash, soups, stir fries--you name it, we tried using brisket in it!
@@alibali193 I think people misunderstand the point of the dislike button - people think of it as a rude thing, but I believe the original point was to tell TH-cam that the video wasn’t a good suggestion for you like “don’t show me more like this” but I do get why people think of it as rude now - because its been used it that way. I don’t believe that was the original purpose of it though & TH-cam still sees it as positive because it’s engagement on the video, so it doesn’t hurt the creator :) I also agree though - how could you NOT LOVE her videos?? So much awesome info!
well it is 2022and all the food has doubled if not more in price we are eating beans and rice tortillas, eggs and tortillas with salsa beans and link sausage,
maybe its some dinner idea you like. dry roast oats then make half of it to flour cook the rest with onions and garlic season with salt, pepper and stuff you like at the end put some cheese into it some cream and bind it with the flour from the oats.
@@beatrizaceiton2396 Funny, when we go out that is the first thing we talk about on the way home. . . could we make it cheaper/better and save the money the next time. We go to restaurants the most when we are on vacation!! (although we still cook or use leftovers from the night before)
One other comment (sorry) If you have a child age 1-18 they can get free breakfast and lunch through your local public school, even if they are not enrolled. The Federal School Lunch program is free to all kids through the end of the school year, and then the summer school lunch program kicks in, also free. School lunch has quality and nutrition standards, so please contact your local public school's nutrition program if you would like to be added. :)
Beans and rice dish you won't be able to get enough of, Black eyed peas, rice and salsa. Really simple. We were visiting a family friend and she said she was embarrassed to be giving us "peasant food" but it was soooo good.
My family eats rice and beans several times a week. It's a staple in my house. There is nothing wrong with it. We add several fresh veggies and cilantro. Sometimes on a tostada.
Nothing wrong with "peasant food"....from a Hungarian and Irish peasant🙂. Although, for me, to be able to eat that sausage, it would have to be fully browned. Browned food is flavorful food!
I try too keep our food an cleaning products to 300.00 a month . Not all that easy I cook very little from pre cooked foods. I am old lady if 75 and hubby 77 but I have always cook and try to live wisely.,
where i live we have so much varioty of bread and cheap aswell i can see why not everywhere people bake bread but i like bakeing bread because i can put in what i want i put tomato juice into the dough instead of water and so on^^
@@TheCotzi We have a lot of cheap bread but it can stay fresh outside of fridge for months so it makes me wonder what is in there. I like to know what I put into my food so I really enjoy making my own. And each variety I learn to make is like a small win
I love when you do this, in these times when it is tough for a lot of families it gives them ideas how to buy and cook frugal, as an older person, I was taught how to do this, and stretch out our meals, (buy a huge chicken, beef or pork butt, tear it to pieces, make hot sandwiches the next day, make soup out of it)but I don't believe these younger families know how to cook like this.
I really appreciate your cooking abilities. People that can't cook from scratch are missing out on amazing meals. We don't eat out very often because we get better food at home. I'm sure your family feels the same way.
I enjoy my own cooking . As long as I have my prep helper and dishwasher, my husband, I don't need to eat out. I even go to an Asian market and make my own Chinese takeout.
Christine, my mom never taught me how to cook and I always loved cooking as a kid. Now that I’m in college and I can use something without the fear that I will get in trouble for cooking… you taught me how to cook. I cook everyday. Simple simple meals that I would’ve never thought I could make I can now. Thank you so much for this channel. I have a lot of food icks and you make everything seem yummy and I will try so many different things because of you!! Thank you!!!
Aside from being budget-friendly, another GREAT reason to show us lots of beans/rice/pasta meal ideas is the craziness going on in the world has a lot of us 'prepping', and that means we have a LOT of beans and rice on hand, lol.
On other people's videos I type comments at a regular speed, after watching you, I type my comment at super speed then I get up, clean my house, exercise and start dinner. 🤣 It's true!
This week Albertsons has their brand of 2 pound blocks of cheese for 2.99 in their ad with either a coupon or in the app. I bought two and put them in the freezer.
This is pretty cool, but not much for me to take away from this. Living in the German countryside my grandmother taught me about frugal cooking since I was 5 or 6. I know her entire repertoire of German and Eastern European dishes by heart. I knew how to make food preserves, wine and beer at age 7. It was most of what she knew really, but came in incredibly handy at university. Everyone else was on half rations of instant ramen 3 weeks into the month while I ate like a king the entire time with plenty of money left over at the end. On game nights I'd be like: " You can either order pizza for 90 bucks or give me 40 to go shopping". Then I'd buy ingredients for 15, make 6 absolutely huge pizzas and keep the rest of the money. Nobody ever complained.
Same. I’m Cajun, and we can literally go into the swamp with a bag of rice, onions, and a bottle of cooking oil, and survive forever. People think Cajun food requires ordering special spices, but it’s more about the technique of browning whatever meat is available to make a gravy. I once had a “college educated chef” who isn’t Cajun try to tell me I was wrong about my own heritage, and his reasoning was that he had to special-order Cajun ingredients to have them shipped to his restaurant (out of state, not a Louisiana native). I told him that there weren’t even highways, much less the internet back when my great-grandparents were inventing those recipes. He got big mad 😂
I don't see it as a bad thing to have knowledge that you are sharing with others that don't know. Just because you didn't get anything from this doesn't mean someone else is the same. Plus, if you're so knowledgeable, why are you watching a frugal vid?
@@evelynsaungikar3553 Wine yes. Beer is much more complex to make and difficult to properly serve. Just getting it carbonated requires very precise in-bottle fermentation or expensive equipment which I didn't have access to at the time.
I live in AZ and we have “cheese crisps “ as appetizers at the Mexican food restaurants. I make them at home all the time. They are only one tortilla with butter and cheese and it goes under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is brown and crispy. I put salsa or green chilies or both, or sour cream . Use the large tortillas and they make a meal.
I love how in the last couple of years cooking has been made simpler. It makes people feel less intimidated when making restaurant style meals. The pork looks amazing!
Please do more of these realistic budget videos! This is the first time I’ve watched one of your videos and I love your video style and your channels mission! This is great!! If you get any more requests for this, I would love to see some meat and dairy free dinners :)
I cannot believe those prices!! :o I live in Miami and I haven't seen bell peppers or apples that cheap for YEARS. Not even when they're on sale. Awesome video! Thank you for all the ideas! :D
Christine can I just say how much I appreciate that at the end you mention that there is help available to those needing it. I think you are such a wonderful resource to those who struggle making ends meet and those of us who strive to be more frugal. Thank you sooo much ❤️🙏🏼
It's just me in my house and I want to make all of those dinner recipes...imagine how many meals I could freeze for future week nights! I'm excited. Thanks Christine
Boy I wish I had TH-cam 20 years ago and people like you were available to watch.! Great ideas for families! There are just 2 of us so I will make these and freeze!
I love how when you talk and then move or wave the smiley face spoon around at the same time, it's like the spoon is talking to us about how delicious the food is!
One of my favorite soups I call “cream of refrigerator” soup. I just use whatever suitable veggies (raw or cooked) that are left in the fridge, maybe a little leftover ham, and some milk and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Yum! Your soup looked delicious and was a great way to use leftovers. Love, love, love your videos! ❤️
Christine, gurrl, you have GOT to do a video series on buying MEAT in bulk. I feel like sooo many folks are missing out on great meat deals by only buying their meat from these big grocers. In my area we have several sources for bulk meat. When I was a kid my parents would get meat packs to fill up our freezer. I would go crazy for grilled polish sausages. They were delicious! And I loved that we would buy them by the box. One meat pack would feed a lot of us for a very long while.
refried beans, rice, cheese burritos are one of my favorites that my mama used to make us to keep us full and frugal for sure. we would have it with dipped in "salsa a la sour cream" just salsa and sour cream mixed. It actually is quite good! If she had chicken or beef she also would add that in.
I LOVE that you showed frugal meals that still have veggies! Thank you for the variety as well! My family doesn’t do dairy, but I was still able to draw so much from the videos and inspiration for other meals. Also, I love you personality so I’m instantly subscribing lol
I've been watching you for years. Love you and your channel. re-watching this in November 2021... this is my favorite hair look for you! And of course I love the content. I doubt you'll see this comment 6 months later but I still wanted to post it.
Christine, you are amazing! I am lucky to live in a state with year round abundant access to fresh foods and I have a healthy income, but I know that my reality isn't the same for a lot of even most of the country. Your videos are eye opening and done with so much love and care and judgement free and resource. You are a blessing to all who watch you. I thank you sincerely for what you do; you really do help a lot of people. From one mom to another: you're awesome!!! Much love from California!!!
Thank you for getting me excited again about eating on a budget! It's easy sometimes to lose the sense of challenge and adventure that makes it so much easier, but your videos are bringing that spark back!
Thanks you for hitting a middle ground! While I like to stick to my budget I don’t personally like to buy stuff at the dollar store (even though it’s totally ok!). These meals were definitely something I would consider balanced AND yummy. Can you do more of these???? Pleeeease 🙏🏼🙏🏼💜💜💜
I'm definitely going to try and veganise the soup with the veggie roast I got on clearance that is in the freezer. Just done a clear out in my cupboards and made a huge batch of hummus. One jar in the fridge and two in the freezer and lovely red pepper chilli hummus in my salad wraps for the week.
Oh my goodness! Pork shoulder in Verde salsa is one of my new favorite things! 2 ingredients, 1 crockpot, cooks all day while I'm working 11 hours. Amazing. 👍 Red salsa and chicken is great too.
I love these ideas! I think pork is so underrated. It’s usually very reasonably priced here, and can be seasoned and prepared in so many ways. I found pork butt (shoulder) for .69 lb and I grabbed 3. They were all 8-9 lbs each. Boy did we eat well for a long time from those!! I’m also seeing eggs at a very low price, so they have also become a staple here. Thanks for your ideas!
Looking at these prices from 1 year ago make me want to cry and transport myself back to stock up. We should all be trying to stock up now because things aren't going to get any cheaper!
Amazing produce prices. Jealous. We just made the French bread pizza for our family of four. We ended up with a free loaf through the Randall's app So it made for a very inexpensive meal that fed a family of four. Love these type of videos. Thanks for sharing.
Love this. Some other meal ideas: enchiladas (corn tortillas, cheese, homemade chile sauce), tostadas (fried corn tortillas with refried beans, cheese, sour cream and lettuce)
In my country we cook beans a lot and we never put salt before the beans are ready, because they cook slower with salt. Also we soak the beans for a few hours and change the water after boiling them for 5-10 minutes.
I love watching your videos. You are so funny and your husband and children are great also. I love how you value family but are still your own woman. Such a pleasure to watch you and learn.
One time I made a pork shoulder in the crock pot and my plan fell through and my husband suggested we take the shredded pork and add Alfredo sauce and make pasta and it was so good and I don't like Alfredo sauce but the pork gave the Alfredo sauce an amazing flavor.
Whoo! It's nice to see Winco in a video like this - it's usually Aldi, Trader Joe's or something, but Winco is my absolutely favorite place to shop! Great quality and great pricing!
I grew up in a village in middle europe in low income family and I actually grew up to be suficient with food, not as tight as it can be, but now that I live alone I realised how spoiled I got in my own nest and I was throwing out so much food I could eat before but I was spoiled to eat it before it turned bad. Now I try my best to buy nice food in mediocracy for myself so it does not spoil. Also I use my tiny freezer (I seriously need a bigger one) and I freeze what I dont eat immediately. That bread pizza looks sooooo good I need to make some too
Christine I'd love to see a menu plan with the same level of budgeting including for kids cold lunches and a birthday treat for a week or for a full month thanks so much for all your frugal videos they help immensely!
My 8yr old son had 2 comments while we watched this. 1. During the pizza meal, he asked why you also didn't do a double layer of cheese and 2. When you dumped in the beans for drunken beans he goes "that's gonna be a lot of farts"
I’ve gotten so many ideas from these kinds of videos. This is how I found you last year so I’m feeling very nostalgic right now! 😂 feels like old times
Christine have you ever tried bean enchiladas. They are sooo good. Blend the beans with its broth, then sauté onions in a pan with a little bit of oil. Add the bean sauce and let it boil once it’s boiling add a tortilla at a time cover it in the sauce then back to plate but whatever filling you want in the middle roll up. You can add some cheese on top, salsa or sour cream.
Wow! These meals all look sooo yummy! And wow that was a lot of pork! Showing the boys with their porridge was a great way of showing how big the portion actually looks, strange how viewing it from the top seems to make them always look small, but that really showed those bowls pack a decent serving size!
Breakfast: Oatmeal made with water, with either apples and a sprinkle of cinnamon, or bananas with peanut butter. Could also add other things you have: Chocolate chips, walnuts, whatever you have that's fab. Lunch: - French bread pizza. French bread, pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni. (You could use whatever you have - tomatoes, olives, onions, pineapple, just whatevs). 325f for 10 mins. - Homemade lunchables: crackers, pepperoni, cheese slices, any fruit you have left over. (From experience a squirt of ranch dressing in the middle puts this over the edge. SO good) - quesadillas: tortilla with cheese. Serve with salsa and sour cream. - Pizza roll-ups: Pepperoni and cheese in tortilla rolled up. Microzap for a couple of mins. Serve with leftover pizza sauce if you have it. Dinner: 9lb Pork shoulder picnic roast cooked with 1 jar salsa and a 3/4 cup brown sugar. Cook in crockpot. High for 2 hours. Low 7-10 hours. Trim fat, remove bone, shred, place back in pot with juice. Cook up pinto beans with seasoned salt and 2 cubes chicken bouillon. - Burritos: Tortillas, rice, beans, tomato, lettuce, shredded pork, sour cream, salsa. - Rice and bean bowls: Rice, beans, meat, lettuce, sour cream, salsa. - Soup: cook onions with oil and 4 chicken bouillon cubes. Add 8 cups water, 1 can cream-style corn, 2 cans Mexican tomatoes, 1/2 jar salsa, shredded pork with juices, 1 can black beans, 1 pkt frozen mixed vegetables. Simmer for a bit. Add leftover rice. Makes a HUGE pot of soup. - Sausage pinto beans over rice: saute onions and bell peppers with oil. Add sausage, bouillon cube, 1/2 tsp creole seasoning and 2 cups water. Add 3 cups pinto beans and cooking liquid. Add 1/2 jar salsa. Serve over rice.
Potatoes would’ve been great w that soup. Yes ma’am. I feel like some cheap noodles would’ve kicked everything up a whole notch. Your giving me so much ideas. New subscriber love your channel.
I know this is an older video so Christine might not see it, but in case anyone else needs another easy pizza recipe, here's a pizza dip recipe I found MANY years ago and adapted it a little bit. 1 jar of pizza sauce, 2 cups mozzarella/pizza cheese, 1 tbsp garlic, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 brick of cream cheese and lastly, pepperoni if you like. Toss into a crockpot (high for 1 hour, stir occasionally). Serve with breadstick, Texas toast, on bread with extra cheese for pizza grilled cheese, OR on tortillas as a quesadilla.
I love these type of videos& this was one of the best. Everything looked delicious but especially the soup. I love soups. It always amazing how many meals you get out of the amount of food you purchase. I also love how you show you can eat good & delicious food without spending alot. I know these videos have to take a lot of time to make so thank you for the inspiration.
I love these videos, I find myself coming back to them for budget lunch ideas for my kids being home for summer because I can never think of anything. Do you have more like this?
I am so excited since I made and froze the "Cafe Rio" pork and now I'm defrosting some to make your soup. I will make sure to come back and update after I make it. Lol Edit: I made it... followed it exactly. It was BOMB! It was a lot more filling and hearty then I thought. My husband who isn't a bean fan (I know he's a monster) raved about it.
I wish we had an Aldi’s or a store like this nearby. I used to live in florida, and Aldi’s was my place. Now I’m back in my home state. If I keep an eye on the weekly sales, and also do my shopping at different stores, I can *almost* do this. The good thing is that all of our stores are on the same street because our town is small 😊
Hers are the best. So many of the large- family moms have heavy meals for every meal. They look good, but i just can't get on board with then all the time.
A struggling preschool teacher (bc we know teachers and especially preschool teachers don’t get paid enough!) Is grateful to you!! I add my own spin on ur recipes! Thanks so much for what you do! A lot of us were not taught how to shop! Will definitely share my knowledge with my future family!
Christine, you are awesome to post this video and others like it. I am already a frugal shopper thanks to learning from my mom, who lived through the depression and other hard times. I like your modern take on the more diverse foods we commonly eat today. Thank you so much.
I love these videos- thank you. One of the things I love the most is watching you put basic ingredients together so creatively! One doesn’t need recipes to use up ingredients and cook great meals!!!
I make quesadillas pizzas, so yummy. I double it like you showed it. I add my sauce, cheese, and veggies or meat. I put it in the oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. So so yummy!!
My Winco here in Northern California is right next to Walmart. When they have something priced lower than the Walmart Price, they have a sign that tells you what the Walmart price is verses theirs.
I'm a maple brown sugar girl so I add maple sugar brown sugar and some toasted walnuts that I keep in a jar and toasted myself. We didn't have French bread pizza until I was in my first year of high school. usually once a week growing up as little kids my mother would make English muffin pizzas which I still make to this day! Pre toast the English muffin for a couple of minutes in the toaster otherwise they will not toast up nicely they will be soggy on the top. Then add your toppings and put them in the oven I think I do 375 until they are melty and crisp. Everyone that I know who is my age makes English muffin pizzas. I also make nice three day fermented pizza dough and make Grandma pizza but English muffin pizzas when you really want pizza and you don't have dough. I like to use Mike's English muffins because they're more nutritious and I eat too little as it is.
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Christine, your videos have gotten me through this pandemic, getting laid off, while continuing to feed my family of 4 good food at a great price. I can’t thank you enough! 💖
Lol I’m a Christine too
Hope you're still going well ☺️
Prayers .. God bless you ..
P
I just read your comment and it touches my ❤. Thanks 😊 for your post
I really love how you consistently speak to the families going through a time of food insecurity, directing them to food banks and other sources of assistance, also showing how to make the most of inexpensive nutritious ingredients. Without shaming.
I agree Desertblurcat NM - you said EXACTLY what I was thinking.
My dad use to make soup with leftovers called it "refrigerator soup" Lillie
My family called it Mulligan Stew
Yes!! My grandpa would make soup from thanksgiving leftovers and we called it refrigerator soup or grandpa soup 😂
@@elizziebooks we called it kitchen sink soup, as in "everything but the kitchen sink..."
100 ingredients soup that's what I call mine.
stone soup!!!! or minestrone
A full week's worth of BLDs for an entire family in the $60-70 range is so practical. Not extreme budgeting, just budgeting on the low side with high creativity. These are the videos I love to watch.
These groceries do not equal a balanced diet and they eat the same bland meal several times. Hard pass!
I agree
Very interesting to watch
This would be a very extreme budget where I live and I have noticed portion sizes are often quite small. I'd be surprised if she's getting 900 calories a day.
Nope, for a family of four eating fresh produce, it's more like 150 if you're budgeting. Especially when getting organic anything. Trying to buy products that aren't filled with sugar or some other cheap filler is hard!
This is more realistic as supposed to $10 at the dollar store. I try to stay in a $50 a week budget ..but of course I have staples , condiments , spices ect already in my home...so I try to pick 2 meats, 2 fruit, 2 veg, and usually milk, butter, cheeze. As for cleaning items, toiletries I do that once every 3 months ...I do a bit of a bulk shop once a year...for sugar, flour, yeast,oats, beans,,rice ( I use my bread maker twice a week ) stuff like that.
I like the 2 meat, 2 veggies, and 2 fruit idea. Going to try that as my rent just doubled. Thank you! :)
Shopping for toiletries every three months is a great idea. I’ve never thought of that tbh.
I'm glad someone else is doing this ,☺️ I live in Europe (in One Off THE most expensive countries in Europe) and use max 50€ per week. I do One to two big shops per year for toiletpaper, cleaningstuff (I normally use vinegar, handsoap etc.) Dishwashertablets etc
Your method sounds great! I'm gonna try it! Don't forget that vinegar is an excellent cleaner, also baking soda w/a bit of water to scrub works great too.
This cut and colour is so flattering, Your eyes just pop .
Totally agree. Today’s video had me commenting on it.... then I saw this one from 3days earlier
I agree!
Agreed. She's just so 😍
Amen.🌞
Me too!!! I had to comment. Everything looked delicious
Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit. I am ready to watch this at least four times. Thank you! I know these are the most labor intensive videos and I truly appreciate you still making them
They really do take a lot of time, so I appreciate that!
I've never heard that saying before and totally made me laugh! Needed that!
😆😆😆
Reading that made me think of my mom. 💞 She was a funny one. Definitely truly appreciate these type of videos especially with being a mom of 4....I mean 3 and an overgrown toddler. Whoops! I mean Husband🤣🤣 We have 3 picky ones(I'm the worst) so these meals are pleasing for all
@@anitaholmes6824 there's a tea towel that says that on Victorian Trading Company's website...so hilarious. Go get one!
I'm a broke grad student and I just made the sausage and bean dish, today. It was delicious. 😊 Admittedly, I got a little heavy handed with the creole seasoning though, and learned why you only used half a teaspoon. Lol. 😅
Kaz D, dry beans and rice will be one of your best friends!!! I wish I had known in college to cook up a batch of beans/chicken in the slow cooker and freeze to have a quick meal on hand. Thawed or Frozen chicken can be cooked up in a skillet super fast! You can also freeze beans and rice meals to have a quick microwave lunch :)
I love that you encourage people to get help if they need it. Thank you sending the message that it’s ok to get help.
If you want to be fancy - a Sausage and Bean stew is called a "Cassoulet" in France :D
Beanie Weanies 😋
Have you ever tried peanutsauce with asian style food? You can make the sauce from peanutbutter diluted with some water, milk or coconutmilk. You can make it spicier with red pepper or hotsauce. Or sweeter with some brown sugar and soy. The sauce gives flavor to veggies, rice, stirfries, fried chicken or meat. And it is quite filling 😋
In dutch it is called saté sauce and it is very popular.
I was going to post that too. we use peanut sauce with meat satays ie. barbequed meat on a skewer
Dutch? Then you meant indo food?
Yes, and it's soooo good for salad dressing tooo..
So my husband doesn't like peanut butter. Can you taste the peanut butter? If he can't taste it, I could get away with this. He is on a restricted diet. I am always looking for home recipes.
@@sewingmistakesunlimited The sauce has a real peanut taste. The other things you ad, makes it different than just peanutbutter alone. This means you can vary, but the peanut flavour will prevail. I hope this gives you enough information, so you can decide wether you give it a try.
@@astridteeuw2374 what would you do of he doesn't like peanut butter, but limes peanuts. I think it is a texture thing.
When my husband was in college and briskets were cheap, we would buy a big brisket, he would smoke it on the weekend. We used the meat all week for different meals.
I miss cheap brisket!
She did a video on several ways to use the one brisket it was an awesome video😊
@@cassierennoldson3185 I remember--it indeed was awesome. We made sandwiches, burritos, hash, soups, stir fries--you name it, we tried using brisket in it!
@@cynthiamyers4265 and skirt steak
This one has been the BEST frugal grocery challenge so far! I love all of the great tips you gave and the recipes. And no dislikes? WOW!
Wow, thank you!
I don't know why anyone has to hit dislike on any videos. If they don't like what they're watching just move onto something else.
@@alibali193 I think people misunderstand the point of the dislike button - people think of it as a rude thing, but I believe the original point was to tell TH-cam that the video wasn’t a good suggestion for you like “don’t show me more like this” but I do get why people think of it as rude now - because its been used it that way. I don’t believe that was the original purpose of it though & TH-cam still sees it as positive because it’s engagement on the video, so it doesn’t hurt the creator :) I also agree though - how could you NOT LOVE her videos?? So much awesome info!
She is amazing! Much love from Canada
I think TH-cam got rid of the dislike...it doesn't show how many...and that's just fine with me lol
These prices are insane. None of the I stores in my town have deals like this…so jealous.
Come to Australia, the price of grocery shopping is ridiculous 🤦♀️
well it is 2022and all the food has doubled if not more in price we are eating beans and rice tortillas, eggs and tortillas with salsa beans and link sausage,
As a mom of 6 I always appreciate frugal and convenient meals.
Better than restaurant food
maybe its some dinner idea you like. dry roast oats then make half of it to flour cook the rest with onions and garlic season with salt, pepper and stuff you like at the end put some cheese into it some cream and bind it with the flour from the oats.
@@beatrizaceiton2396 Funny, when we go out that is the first thing we talk about on the way home. . . could we make it cheaper/better and save the money the next time. We go to restaurants the most when we are on vacation!! (although we still cook or use leftovers from the night before)
Me too, I have all sons too haha 2 teenagers
One other comment (sorry) If you have a child age 1-18 they can get free breakfast and lunch through your local public school, even if they are not enrolled. The Federal School Lunch program is free to all kids through the end of the school year, and then the summer school lunch program kicks in, also free. School lunch has quality and nutrition standards, so please contact your local public school's nutrition program if you would like to be added. :)
Beans and rice dish you won't be able to get enough of, Black eyed peas, rice and salsa. Really simple. We were visiting a family friend and she said she was embarrassed to be giving us "peasant food" but it was soooo good.
Rice and beans..classic and delish!
My family eats rice and beans several times a week. It's a staple in my house. There is nothing wrong with it. We add several fresh veggies and cilantro. Sometimes on a tostada.
There are so many things you can do with rice and beans.
That sounds delicious!
Nothing wrong with "peasant food"....from a Hungarian and Irish peasant🙂. Although, for me, to be able to eat that sausage, it would have to be fully browned. Browned food is flavorful food!
I try too keep our food an cleaning products to 300.00 a month . Not all that easy I cook very little from pre cooked foods. I am old lady if 75 and hubby 77 but I have always cook and try to live wisely.,
Christine: Not everybody wants to bake bread.
Me watching the video and waiting for my 2 loaves of bread to bake.
Great video!
where i live we have so much varioty of bread and cheap aswell i can see why not everywhere people bake bread but i like bakeing bread because i can put in what i want i put tomato juice into the dough instead of water and so on^^
@@TheCotzi We have a lot of cheap bread but it can stay fresh outside of fridge for months so it makes me wonder what is in there. I like to know what I put into my food so I really enjoy making my own. And each variety I learn to make is like a small win
I love when you do this, in these times when it is tough for a lot of families it gives them ideas how to buy and cook frugal, as an older person, I was taught how to do this, and stretch out our meals, (buy a huge chicken, beef or pork butt, tear it to pieces, make hot sandwiches the next day, make soup out of it)but I don't believe these younger families know how to cook like this.
I sure don't! That's why I'm here. 😊 Always learning.
@@MagicallyMusical We will be eating for $1 a day by the time Christine is finished with us 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@heatherlynsey3092I’m by
Carrot cake oatmeal is so delicious and cheap! Grate carrot and add cinnamon into your oatmeal as you cook it into the pan! So delicious 😋
I really appreciate your cooking abilities. People that can't cook from scratch are missing out on amazing meals. We don't eat out very often because we get better food at home. I'm sure your family feels the same way.
I so agree. Many times eating out turns out to be a disappointment for the food we cook at home is far tastier.
I enjoy my own cooking . As long as I have my prep helper and dishwasher, my husband, I don't need to eat out. I even go to an Asian market and make my own Chinese takeout.
Can you imagine eating out with 6 people?
Christine, my mom never taught me how to cook and I always loved cooking as a kid. Now that I’m in college and I can use something without the fear that I will get in trouble for cooking… you taught me how to cook. I cook everyday. Simple simple meals that I would’ve never thought I could make I can now. Thank you so much for this channel. I have a lot of food icks and you make everything seem yummy and I will try so many different things because of you!! Thank you!!!
Aside from being budget-friendly, another GREAT reason to show us lots of beans/rice/pasta meal ideas is the craziness going on in the world has a lot of us 'prepping', and that means we have a LOT of beans and rice on hand, lol.
On other people's videos I type comments at a regular speed, after watching you, I type my comment at super speed then I get up, clean my house, exercise and start dinner. 🤣
It's true!
For real after watching her vlogs I feel like the laziest person alive 🤣
Christine’s seasoning measurements have the same energy as the “two shots of vodka” vine 😂😂 love these videos!
That can't have been a haul! You didn't touch all the things! ;)
LOL!
This week Albertsons has their brand of 2 pound blocks of cheese for 2.99 in their ad with either a coupon or in the app. I bought two and put them in the freezer.
This is pretty cool, but not much for me to take away from this.
Living in the German countryside my grandmother taught me about frugal cooking since I was 5 or 6. I know her entire repertoire of German and Eastern European dishes by heart. I knew how to make food preserves, wine and beer at age 7.
It was most of what she knew really, but came in incredibly handy at university. Everyone else was on half rations of instant ramen 3 weeks into the month while I ate like a king the entire time with plenty of money left over at the end.
On game nights I'd be like: " You can either order pizza for 90 bucks or give me 40 to go shopping".
Then I'd buy ingredients for 15, make 6 absolutely huge pizzas and keep the rest of the money. Nobody ever complained.
Same. I’m Cajun, and we can literally go into the swamp with a bag of rice, onions, and a bottle of cooking oil, and survive forever. People think Cajun food requires ordering special spices, but it’s more about the technique of browning whatever meat is available to make a gravy. I once had a “college educated chef” who isn’t Cajun try to tell me I was wrong about my own heritage, and his reasoning was that he had to special-order Cajun ingredients to have them shipped to his restaurant (out of state, not a Louisiana native). I told him that there weren’t even highways, much less the internet back when my great-grandparents were inventing those recipes. He got big mad 😂
I don't see it as a bad thing to have knowledge that you are sharing with others that don't know. Just because you didn't get anything from this doesn't mean someone else is the same. Plus, if you're so knowledgeable, why are you watching a frugal vid?
@@ajsassafrass6883 Not saying it's a bad thing, and I'm obviously only speaking for myself here.
You could have made wine and beer for them too!
@@evelynsaungikar3553 Wine yes. Beer is much more complex to make and difficult to properly serve. Just getting it carbonated requires very precise in-bottle fermentation or expensive equipment which I didn't have access to at the time.
I live in AZ and we have “cheese crisps “ as appetizers at the Mexican food restaurants. I make them at home all the time. They are only one tortilla with butter and cheese and it goes under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is brown and crispy. I put salsa or green chilies or both, or sour cream . Use the large tortillas and they make a meal.
I love how in the last couple of years cooking has been made simpler. It makes people feel less intimidated when making restaurant style meals. The pork looks amazing!
Please do more of these realistic budget videos! This is the first time I’ve watched one of your videos and I love your video style and your channels mission! This is great!!
If you get any more requests for this, I would love to see some meat and dairy free dinners :)
I cannot believe those prices!! :o I live in Miami and I haven't seen bell peppers or apples that cheap for YEARS. Not even when they're on sale. Awesome video! Thank you for all the ideas! :D
Same here MN
And then she showed her haul and I thought "WHY on earth did she buy only one bell pepper and four tomatos for the whole week??"
Same in Va unless aldi if lucky 😂
Yes!!!! Got back from the gym and now I get to watch my favorite videos that you do! God is good and today is great!
Christine can I just say how much I appreciate that at the end you mention that there is help available to those needing it. I think you are such a wonderful resource to those who struggle making ends meet and those of us who strive to be more frugal. Thank you sooo much ❤️🙏🏼
It's just me in my house and I want to make all of those dinner recipes...imagine how many meals I could freeze for future week nights! I'm excited. Thanks Christine
Boy I wish I had TH-cam 20 years ago and people like you were available to watch.! Great ideas for families! There are just 2 of us so I will make these and freeze!
Yes. As much as social media is bashed - and can be bad. Some of it is a life saver
I love how when you talk and then move or wave the smiley face spoon around at the same time, it's like the spoon is talking to us about how delicious the food is!
One of my favorite soups I call “cream of refrigerator” soup. I just use whatever suitable veggies (raw or cooked) that are left in the fridge, maybe a little leftover ham, and some milk and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Yum! Your soup looked delicious and was a great way to use leftovers. Love, love, love your videos! ❤️
This is cute lol
Christine, gurrl, you have GOT to do a video series on buying MEAT in bulk. I feel like sooo many folks are missing out on great meat deals by only buying their meat from these big grocers.
In my area we have several sources for bulk meat. When I was a kid my parents would get meat packs to fill up our freezer. I would go crazy for grilled polish sausages. They were delicious! And I loved that we would buy them by the box. One meat pack would feed a lot of us for a very long while.
refried beans, rice, cheese burritos are one of my favorites that my mama used to make us to keep us full and frugal for sure. we would have it with dipped in "salsa a la sour cream" just salsa and sour cream mixed. It actually is quite good! If she had chicken or beef she also would add that in.
That soup looked tasty! And with all of that extra pork you could also make enchiladas 🤤
For just a few pennies more, add a smear of refried beans to your cheese quesadilla and keep your kids full twice as long. :)
I don't enjoy refried beans much but love them like this
As a Hispanic that eats a lot of pinto beans, we have drunken pinto beans. It’s a soup and we add beer to it😁 Frijoles borrachos
I LOVE that you showed frugal meals that still have veggies! Thank you for the variety as well! My family doesn’t do dairy, but I was still able to draw so much from the videos and inspiration for other meals. Also, I love you personality so I’m instantly subscribing lol
I feel that good old French Toast for breakfast is cheap and great. My kids love it. I've made breakfast for dinner. French Toast and sausage on sale.
I've been watching you for years. Love you and your channel. re-watching this in November 2021... this is my favorite hair look for you! And of course I love the content. I doubt you'll see this comment 6 months later but I still wanted to post it.
Every time I hear quesadilla said, I hear it in the voice of Napoleon Dynamite's grandmother! "Go & make yourself a dang quesadilla, Napoleon!"
Way to eat all the freaking chips, kip
😂 and now I’ll hear it in his grandmothers voice too!
lol me too
Christine, you are amazing! I am lucky to live in a state with year round abundant access to fresh foods and I have a healthy income, but I know that my reality isn't the same for a lot of even most of the country. Your videos are eye opening and done with so much love and care and judgement free and resource. You are a blessing to all who watch you. I thank you sincerely for what you do; you really do help a lot of people. From one mom to another: you're awesome!!! Much love from California!!!
Thank you for getting me excited again about eating on a budget! It's easy sometimes to lose the sense of challenge and adventure that makes it so much easier, but your videos are bringing that spark back!
Thanks you for hitting a middle ground! While I like to stick to my budget I don’t personally like to buy stuff at the dollar store (even though it’s totally ok!). These meals were definitely something I would consider balanced AND yummy. Can you do more of these???? Pleeeease 🙏🏼🙏🏼💜💜💜
I'm definitely going to try and veganise the soup with the veggie roast I got on clearance that is in the freezer. Just done a clear out in my cupboards and made a huge batch of hummus. One jar in the fridge and two in the freezer and lovely red pepper chilli hummus in my salad wraps for the week.
Oh my goodness! Pork shoulder in Verde salsa is one of my new favorite things! 2 ingredients, 1 crockpot, cooks all day while I'm working 11 hours. Amazing. 👍 Red salsa and chicken is great too.
I love these ideas! I think pork is so underrated. It’s usually very reasonably priced here, and can be seasoned and prepared in so many ways. I found pork butt (shoulder) for .69 lb and I grabbed 3. They were all 8-9 lbs each. Boy did we eat well for a long time from those!! I’m also seeing eggs at a very low price, so they have also become a staple here. Thanks for your ideas!
I have binge watched a LOT of your videos multiple times over the past couple of years, and your content just keeps getting better! :)
Thank you!!
Looking at these prices from 1 year ago make me want to cry and transport myself back to stock up. We should all be trying to stock up now because things aren't going to get any cheaper!
LOVE THIS SHOW, SHE MAKE'S ME FEEL LIKE i CAN DO ANYTHING!!!
Thanks for helping families get by with full tummies.
Amazing produce prices. Jealous.
We just made the French bread pizza for our family of four. We ended up with a free loaf through the Randall's app So it made for a very inexpensive meal that fed a family of four.
Love these type of videos. Thanks for sharing.
Love this. Some other meal ideas: enchiladas (corn tortillas, cheese, homemade chile sauce), tostadas (fried corn tortillas with refried beans, cheese, sour cream and lettuce)
Those little pepperoni and cheese roll-up things are a great idea!
In my country we cook beans a lot and we never put salt before the beans are ready, because they cook slower with salt. Also we soak the beans for a few hours and change the water after boiling them for 5-10 minutes.
In India we soak beans overnight then throw away that water then we use pressure cooker to cook them.. Beans are cheap yet fully nutritious
Ordered an instant pot after continuously being jealous. Arrives tomorrow! Very excited!
You will LOVE it! I have a small family and still use mine a ton!
I love watching your videos. You are so funny and your husband and children are great also. I love how you value family but are still your own woman. Such a pleasure to watch you and learn.
One time I made a pork shoulder in the crock pot and my plan fell through and my husband suggested we take the shredded pork and add Alfredo sauce and make pasta and it was so good and I don't like Alfredo sauce but the pork gave the Alfredo sauce an amazing flavor.
Thank you for going through the entire process of grocery shopping and actually cooking each meal and sharing meal ideas!
I love that your kids are not picky! Feeding a family of 6 isn’t easy for sure. You have inspired me to spend less and have full bellies!
We have all boys fam of 7 mine aren't picky either :)
I can't wait to try some of these recipes!!! Thank you, Christine, for being so laid back and treating us like we're neighbors! Love ya!
Whoo! It's nice to see Winco in a video like this - it's usually Aldi, Trader Joe's or something, but Winco is my absolutely favorite place to shop! Great quality and great pricing!
I grew up in a village in middle europe in low income family and I actually grew up to be suficient with food, not as tight as it can be, but now that I live alone I realised how spoiled I got in my own nest and I was throwing out so much food I could eat before but I was spoiled to eat it before it turned bad. Now I try my best to buy nice food in mediocracy for myself so it does not spoil. Also I use my tiny freezer (I seriously need a bigger one) and I freeze what I dont eat immediately. That bread pizza looks sooooo good I need to make some too
I love watching meal videos where I already have most everything already in my fridge/freezer/pantry! 👍🥰 Thanks for the meal inspiration!
I use beans all the time. I hate the texture so I puree them. I love the taste. So good for you
Can you do a low carb/keto version of this for emergency budget meals?
Christine I'd love to see a menu plan with the same level of budgeting including for kids cold lunches and a birthday treat for a week or for a full month thanks so much for all your frugal videos they help immensely!
Watching this makes me almost exited to try budgeting more on my groceries 😃 And your kids are so adorable.
My 8yr old son had 2 comments while we watched this. 1. During the pizza meal, he asked why you also didn't do a double layer of cheese and 2. When you dumped in the beans for drunken beans he goes "that's gonna be a lot of farts"
I shop at Winco too...the bulk section is the best...especially for seasonings
You can even cut the tortilla and fry it and add it to the soup as a topping. Yum!
I’ve never clicked a video so fast! Love your videos!!
Yay! Thank you!
Sausage with sour kraut with a side of boiled cabbage, pintos and cornbread is always yummy as well
I’ve gotten so many ideas from these kinds of videos. This is how I found you last year so I’m feeling very nostalgic right now! 😂 feels like old times
Christine have you ever tried bean enchiladas. They are sooo good. Blend the beans with its broth, then sauté onions in a pan with a little bit of oil. Add the bean sauce and let it boil once it’s boiling add a tortilla at a time cover it in the sauce then back to plate but whatever filling you want in the middle roll up. You can add some cheese on top, salsa or sour cream.
I never thought of bean enchiladas. I’ll have to try that.
Wow! These meals all look sooo yummy! And wow that was a lot of pork! Showing the boys with their porridge was a great way of showing how big the portion actually looks, strange how viewing it from the top seems to make them always look small, but that really showed those bowls pack a decent serving size!
Breakfast:
Oatmeal made with water, with either apples and a sprinkle of cinnamon, or bananas with peanut butter. Could also add other things you have: Chocolate chips, walnuts, whatever you have that's fab.
Lunch:
- French bread pizza. French bread, pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni. (You could use whatever you have - tomatoes, olives, onions, pineapple, just whatevs). 325f for 10 mins.
- Homemade lunchables: crackers, pepperoni, cheese slices, any fruit you have left over. (From experience a squirt of ranch dressing in the middle puts this over the edge. SO good)
- quesadillas: tortilla with cheese. Serve with salsa and sour cream.
- Pizza roll-ups: Pepperoni and cheese in tortilla rolled up. Microzap for a couple of mins. Serve with leftover pizza sauce if you have it.
Dinner:
9lb Pork shoulder picnic roast cooked with 1 jar salsa and a 3/4 cup brown sugar. Cook in crockpot. High for 2 hours. Low 7-10 hours. Trim fat, remove bone, shred, place back in pot with juice.
Cook up pinto beans with seasoned salt and 2 cubes chicken bouillon.
- Burritos: Tortillas, rice, beans, tomato, lettuce, shredded pork, sour cream, salsa.
- Rice and bean bowls: Rice, beans, meat, lettuce, sour cream, salsa.
- Soup: cook onions with oil and 4 chicken bouillon cubes. Add 8 cups water, 1 can cream-style corn, 2 cans Mexican tomatoes, 1/2 jar salsa, shredded pork with juices, 1 can black beans, 1 pkt frozen mixed vegetables. Simmer for a bit. Add leftover rice. Makes a HUGE pot of soup.
- Sausage pinto beans over rice: saute onions and bell peppers with oil. Add sausage, bouillon cube, 1/2 tsp creole seasoning and 2 cups water. Add 3 cups pinto beans and cooking liquid. Add 1/2 jar salsa. Serve over rice.
Potatoes would’ve been great w that soup. Yes ma’am. I feel like some cheap noodles would’ve kicked everything up a whole notch. Your giving me so much ideas. New subscriber love your channel.
I know this is an older video so Christine might not see it, but in case anyone else needs another easy pizza recipe, here's a pizza dip recipe I found MANY years ago and adapted it a little bit. 1 jar of pizza sauce, 2 cups mozzarella/pizza cheese, 1 tbsp garlic, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 brick of cream cheese and lastly, pepperoni if you like. Toss into a crockpot (high for 1 hour, stir occasionally). Serve with breadstick, Texas toast, on bread with extra cheese for pizza grilled cheese, OR on tortillas as a quesadilla.
I love these type of videos& this was one of the best. Everything looked delicious but especially the soup. I love soups. It always amazing how many meals you get out of the amount of food you purchase. I also love how you show you can eat good & delicious food without spending alot. I know these videos have to take a lot of time to make so thank you for the inspiration.
I love these videos, I find myself coming back to them for budget lunch ideas for my kids being home for summer because I can never think of anything. Do you have more like this?
I am so excited since I made and froze the "Cafe Rio" pork and now I'm defrosting some to make your soup. I will make sure to come back and update after I make it. Lol
Edit: I made it... followed it exactly. It was BOMB! It was a lot more filling and hearty then I thought. My husband who isn't a bean fan (I know he's a monster) raved about it.
I wish we had an Aldi’s or a store like this nearby. I used to live in florida, and Aldi’s was my place. Now I’m back in my home state. If I keep an eye on the weekly sales, and also do my shopping at different stores, I can *almost* do this. The good thing is that all of our stores are on the same street because our town is small 😊
These are my favorite videos. I opened my eyes and thought " lemme see if I can get a dinner idea from Christine" of course I can! WOOT. Thank you!
Hers are the best. So many of the large- family moms have heavy meals for every meal. They look good, but i just can't get on board with then all the time.
A struggling preschool teacher (bc we know teachers and especially preschool teachers don’t get paid enough!) Is grateful to you!! I add my own spin on ur recipes! Thanks so much for what you do! A lot of us were not taught how to shop! Will definitely share my knowledge with my future family!
Wow! Those meals sound so good. I made sure to write them down to use when I get all of the ingredients. I'm envious of your prices for food!!!
Christine, you are awesome to post this video and others like it. I am already a frugal shopper thanks to learning from my mom, who lived through the depression and other hard times. I like your modern take on the more diverse foods we commonly eat today. Thank you so much.
I love these videos- thank you. One of the things I love the most is watching you put basic ingredients together so creatively! One doesn’t need recipes to use up ingredients and cook great meals!!!
I make quesadillas pizzas, so yummy. I double it like you showed it. I add my sauce, cheese, and veggies or meat. I put it in the oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. So so yummy!!
I’m hoping to get inspiration for summer meals! That’s always a struggle with all the kids home, I’m trying to plan away. I wish we had a winco.
My Winco here in Northern California is right next to Walmart. When they have something priced lower than the Walmart Price, they have a sign that tells you what the Walmart price is verses theirs.
Produce prices are insane there!! 😱😱 on the vine tomatoes cost me $4 everywhere
That's alot man they are usually 2 where I live
I'm a maple brown sugar girl so I add maple sugar brown sugar and some toasted walnuts that I keep in a jar and toasted myself. We didn't have French bread pizza until I was in my first year of high school. usually once a week growing up as little kids my mother would make English muffin pizzas which I still make to this day! Pre toast the English muffin for a couple of minutes in the toaster otherwise they will not toast up nicely they will be soggy on the top. Then add your toppings and put them in the oven I think I do 375 until they are melty and crisp. Everyone that I know who is my age makes English muffin pizzas. I also make nice three day fermented pizza dough and make Grandma pizza but English muffin pizzas when you really want pizza and you don't have dough. I like to use Mike's English muffins because they're more nutritious and I eat too little as it is.