After dinner, I'm more apt to pull out some cookies or scoop some ice cream for the kids if they want a treat. I do like to bake and make desserts, but I just don't think to do it all that often (which I suppose isn't necessarily a bad thing for my waistline!) For this month's Breaking out of the Dinner Rut feature, I wanted to come up with a dessert recipe to help you turn an ordinary day into an extra special one. I knew I wanted a delicious and "pretty" recipe, but one that would be quick and easy to make. I perused Grocery Outlet's aisles for a little inspiration .... something fun, unique.... And then I found this:

 

 

Danish Wedding Cookies for $1.49! I can't say that I've seen these anywhere else, but I have seen them a few times now at Grocery Outlet and have been curious to try them. And what could be more fun than eating a cookie supposedly reserved for a wedding in a foreign country? I definitely had to take these home. Here's what they looked like, upon opening:

 

 

Yes, they were good. VERY good. Kind of like a little chocolate chip cookie surrounded by a sugary coated goodness. I decided I should continue to eat a few more while I came up with a recipe....

 

 

After some pondering, I decided to trifle these cookies. Now, I've never made a trifle before, but I have eaten a trifle! It's kind of a lasagna of desserts, because you layer fruit, pudding, and usually cake. But instead of cake, we're going to use the Danish Wedding Cookies. Ingredients: 16 Danish Wedding Cookies, chopped 1 package instant vanilla pudding, prepared to package directions 1 banana, sliced thinly Fresh berries (I used blueberries) Whip cream Mint leaves and additional cookies for garnish (optional) Makes enough for 1 regular trifle dish or 2 pint-sized Mason jars Start by gathering all your ingredients. I made the mistake of putting the pudding together only to realize it sets very fast and I was not ready. Don't be like me. Get everything set and ready to go!

 

 

Now I don't own a trifle dish, and it seemed rather silly to go out and buy one! So I came up with the idea of using Mason jars. I think wine or margarita glasses or clear mugs would work well, too. Be creative and don't feel that you can't do this recipe if you don't have a trifle dish. Start by putting in four crushed cookies in the bottom of each pint-sized jar.

 

 

Next, top with a good dollop of the vanilla pudding, a few sliced bananas, some whipped cream, and a few berries.

 

 

Very simply, you'll repeat these layers, in the same order: four crushed cookies, the pudding, bananas, whipped cream, and berries. Allow to set in your fridge for about 3-4 hours.

 

 

Just before serving, top with the garnish of your choice! I opted for a fresh sprig of mint from my garden and another Danish Wedding Cookie. I would think fresh shaved chocolate would also be delightful. This dessert is exactly the kind of thing I want to eat in the evening out on the deck after a long day.

 

 

This dessert sure looks fancy, but would you believe I only spent $4.27 on the ingredients I needed to make it? (I already had the milk, berries, and mint at home.) The best news is you don't have to wait around for a Danish Wedding to enjoy this pretty dessert. Bon appetit!

Download just the recipe by clicking here: Danish Wedding Cookie Trifle Recipe

For more ideas, check out my other posts for this series:

• Cactus Tacos
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Chicken Stuffed Manicotti
• Stuffed Pasilla Peppers
• Asian Mung Bean Salad

Make sure to come back next month for another fun installment!

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

 

 

I recently happened upon a different item at my local Grocery Outlet store and I knew instantly that I had to bring it home for a fun dinner creation.....

 

 

Organic Sprouted Mung Beans for $2.99. Now I'm definitely familiar with bean sprouts, but not sprouted mung beans. I flipped over the package and it read:

These tiny fresh-tasting beans have a rich creamy texture and nutty-sweet taste.

Suggested uses included salads, pilafs, soups, purees, and sandwiches. Turns out, these are quite nutritious too! One serving (1/4 cup dry) contains 7 grams of dietary fiber and a whopping 10 grams of protein. It's also high in iron and vitamin C and low in fat. I'm thinking this would be a wonderful superfood for vegetarians to explore!

 

 

I decided to try these sprouted mung beans for the first time in an Asian-inspired salad. Today's recipe is quick, easy, and delicious! It's enough for 2 large servings, or 4 sides.

Ingredients:

Salad
1 cup dry mung beans
2 cups mixed salad greens
couple sprigs cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup chopped sweet peppers

Dressing (from Once Upon a Chef's Asian Slaw recipe)
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
small piece of ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
dash sea salt

Start by prepping your mung beans. Add 1 cup of dry beans to 3 cups of boiling water. Let boil for 5 minutes before removing from heat, covering, and allow to set 4-8 minutes.

 

 

While my mung beans were rehydrating, I got to work on the rest of the salad. I found some lovely salad ingredients at my Grocery Outlet store yesterday - organic baby kale, organic mixed Romaine, a big bag of sweet mini baby peppers for just $3.99, and a bunch of fresh cilantro.

 

 

Have you ever tried these peppers? If not, I recommend them! They are perfect for dipping in hummus, slicing on sandwiches, or great when your recipe just calls for a little bit of pepper.

 

 

Prepare your dressing by mixing all the ingredients listed above and stirring. This is one of my very favorite Asian dressings I've come across on the web, and I make it often. Incidentally, I found a 1 lb bag of ginger at my Grocery Outlet for $1.99 and the garlic for $0.33 each. If you can't use up all the ginger before it goes bad? Consider chopping and freezing leftover portions or making ginger tea!

 

 

By now, your mung beans should be cooked and your salad ready to assemble! Toss the greens in the dressing, top with the peppers, scoop on some mung beans and sprinkle on the cilantro. I did have a decent amount of the prepped mung beans leftover, so I will refrigerate them to use in another recipe in the next day or so.

 

 

The warm mung beans added a nice touch to this salad - and they had such a mild, pleasing flavor! I could see how well they'd work on any number of recipes. While researching their use for this post, I also learned that some people even enjoy turning them into a cake! Now how would that be for a nutritious alternative for your kids?

If you're looking for new, fun ingredients to make cooking fun again without breaking the bank? You need to visit Grocery Outlet!

For more ideas, check out my other posts for this series:

• Cactus Tacos
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Chicken Stuffed Manicotti
• Stuffed Pasilla Peppers

Make sure to come back next month for another fun installment!

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

 

 

I always find unusual and inspiring ingredients at my Grocery Outlet. This helps me avoid the much-dreaded "dinner rut" and keeps my meals fresh and fun. Recently, I found this item on my Grocery Outlet store shelf:

 

Hmmmm. Jarred tender cactus.

I can't say that has ever graced my dinner table and I think it was just the ticket to keeping my menu creative this week. At $1.79 for a large jar, it would hardly break the bank to give it a go! That's another thing I adore about Grocery Outlet - I get to try new ingredients, but without having to spend a small fortune!

I did a little research, and it turns out this can be a pretty versatile ingredient. You can serve it as is, use it on salads, incorporate it into Tex-Mex dishes, or toss it with beans and rice for a side dish. I decided to try it a couple different ways. But first, I was super curious about the smell and taste...

 

Time to pop the lid!

The smell was totally pleasant. It reminded me of a cross between jarred chilis and green beans. I was excited to give it a try! I decided to do a spin on tacos with the cactus. You could use chicken or pork, but I opted for a pound of thinly cut ribeye steak that I picked up at Grocery Outlet for $7.

 

Here are the ingredients you'll need to complete this recipe:

• 1 lb thin steak, such as ribeye or flank steak
• 1 tbsp cumin
• ground pepper
• 1 cup prepared salsa (your choice)
• 1 cup jarred cactus
• cilantro, to taste
• corn tortillas

Start by rubbing the steak with the cumin and ground pepper. Then top with the salsa. I had a verde salsa on hand, so that's what I used. Cover and allow to marinate in your refrigerator for an hour (or more!).

 

Preheat your broiler when you're ready to assemble the tacos.

How long you will cook the steak depends on two things: 1) the thickness, and 2) your preferred "done-ness" level. I personally have come to enjoy mine just slightly pink, so the meat remains tender. This steak was pretty thin, so I found broiling for 4 minutes on each side (8 minutes total) was perfect. I would encourage you to start with less time on the timer versus more. You can always cook a steak more (but not the other way around).

While your steak is cooking, drain and rinse your cactus.

I then warmed my cactus in a skillet. I didn't add any extra oil or seasoning, but I suppose you could do that if you wanted to. I wanted to enjoy the flavor on its own this time. If you are feeling creative, you might add garlic, peppers, beans, onion, or jalapenos at this point, too.

Here is my steak resting after being broiled. I let it sit on this cutting board for about 5 minutes before cutting it in thin strips across the grain. These two things will help keep your steak nice and tender. (Just like the sliced tender cactus, right?)

Assembling the taco is pretty easy: add some steak strips to the middle of a warmed corn tortilla and layer on the cactus. I topped with plenty of cilantro.

 

This recipe was delicious! (Yes, I did manage to down BOTH of the tacos pictured above for dinner.) Except for the time spent marinating your steak, it takes relatively short time to cook and put together too.

If you feel you always make the same tacos with plain old ground beef, sour cream, and flour tortillas, try this cactus version instead! And here's a bonus idea for you:

Quesadillas!

The next time you find yourself in a dinner rut, explore the shelves of your local Grocery Outlet store. You might just find some unusual, fun, or inspiring ingredient to get you excited about creating meals again. In case you missed them, you might want to check out the meals I've previously shared for this series:

• Stuffed Pasilla Peppers
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Chicken Stuffed Manicotti

Make sure to come back next month for another fun installment!

 

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

 

 

It can be so easy to grab for the same ingredients to make the same recipes over and over, can't it? That's why I love hunting for interesting foods at Grocery Outlet. They can help keep me from getting in those dinner ruts! Last month, you might recall how I discovered these pasilla peppers at my local Grocery Outlet store and used them to put a spin on traditional stuffed peppers. This month, I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful new Maple Valley store in Washington and did I ever find some delicious treats!

 

They had beautiful organic pasta for just $1.50. I rarely venture beyond plain old spaghetti (and maybe penne when I'm in a mood!), largely due to the cost. Sure, it would be fun to try some new pasta - but who wants to spend $4 or $5 a bag? Not this gal! But $1.50? Now I'm game to change things up at the dinner table a bit! I decided to poke around and see what else I could find to put together a fun new pasta creation.

 

 

Check out these beautiful pesto varieties: garlic galore; basil, garlic & sundried tomatoes; and bail & garlic. I decided to pick up the basil, garlic & dried tomatoes. After that, I decided to see what I could find in the cheese section to complete my meal.

 

 

If you like cheese of any kind, you really need to make Grocery Outlet your stop. Check out these tubs of shredded Asiago, Romano and Parmesan cheese - all for just $1.99 each. I've seen similar tubs for $4 or more at other stores! It's all good quality stuff, too.

Taking my Grocery Outlet ingredients, I decided to do a spin on this beautiful Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells recipe I discovered a couple weeks ago. Here's what I came up with:

Ingredients: 1 package manicotti
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional: plus more for garnish)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed and cooked
1 package cream cheese (I opted for fat free)
1/2 cup sundried tomato pesto (OR other pesto of your choosing)
Fresh ground pepper & salt, to taste
2 tsp minced garlic
1-tsp fresh chopped Italian parsley (optional: plus more for garnish)
One batch Bechamel Sauce

Start by making your filling. Place the cream cheese in a bottom of a mixing bowl and add the garlic.

Next: the pesto! I was really excited to give this a whirl. You can mix it to your taste, and I wanted a really pesto-y taste, so I ended up adding about 1/2 of this container.

Add the cooked, cubed chicken. Make sure the pieces are not too large, because you are going to be stuffing your pasta. If you would prefer, you could omit the chicken for a vegetarian take on this recipe. OR, you could swap Italian sausage for the chicken for a different flavor combination.

Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesan, freshly ground pepper, salt, and a good measure of fresh chopped parsley. If you wish, you could add some other Grocery Outlet cheeses into the mix! I think a little mozzarella would be rather tasty.

Mix it all together. This might not look pretty, but trust me - take one whiff and you'll be wanting to just spoon it right out of the bowl like this! Heavenly!

At this point, I set aside my filling mix to chill while I worked on cooking my pasta and prepping the Bechamel Sauce. Here's one more look at the beautiful organic pasta I ended up with:

I cooked the entire package until al dente in salted water. While the pasta cooked, I made the sauce. Now, I'd never made a Bechamel sauce, but I figured - why not? The whole idea is to get out of a rut, try something new!

To make the sauce, I followed this recipe at Epicurious. Turns out, I had everything I needed in my fridge already and it took mere minutes. Easy peasy!

You can get the full details at Epicurious, but it basically involves melting butter, adding a little flour and watching it bubble, adding hot milk, waiting for it to thicken and seasoning with salt and pepper. Really, really easy.

At this point, you should have the filling, the pasta, and the sauce done. It's time to assemble! I started by adding a small portion of Bechamel to the bottom of a baking pan, to prevent sticking. My manicotti was a "mini" version, so I found roughly 2 tablespoons of the filling did the trick. I worked to get two pieces of chicken into every noodle.

Here are all my manicotti noodles nearly ready for the oven!

I topped with the Bechamel, making sure to cover each noodle evenly and topped with a little more Parmesan for good measure. Then I popped this dish into a 350° oven for about 20 minutes.

The finished product! Yes, this dinner took a little more time, but I promise, it's worth the effort! Delicious!

Serve with plenty of fresh green salad and maybe a loaf of crusty Italian bread or garlic breadsticks. This recipe should serve 4-6, depending on appetites.

If you've been in a dinner rut, can I recommend paying a stop to your local Grocery Outlet? I guarantee you'll find some new ingredients to jazz up your meal plan this week without breaking the bank. Make sure to come back next month and see what new creation I've come up with. If you missed it, check out my Stuffed Pasilla Peppers recipe from last month, too.

With thanks to What's Cookin, Chicago? and Epicurious for today's recipe inspiration.

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

 

 

It can be really easy to get stuck in a dinner rut, can't it? We stock our pantries and refrigerators with the same items, gravitate to the same recipes, and plan our meals around the same foods.

Over the next several months, I'd like to show you how Grocery Outlet can help you get out of a rut and get inspired to create beautiful meals that won't break the bank. Unlike other stores, you never truly know what you're going to find at Grocery Outlet! I like to think of it a bit like treasure hunting. So what better place to visit to find creative ingredients that will get your imagination going?

Yesterday, I visited my South Tacoma store and found this beautiful bag of pasilla peppers for just $1.49. They sold them individually for $0.50, but the bag of four was a better bargain (works out to $0.37 each).

Now I'd never cooked with these before, but the price was right and I was completely intrigued. How could I use this ingredient to make a delicious meal? I was determined to find out.

After a little hunting on the internet, I learned that I could stuff them - much as you would green bell peppers. I loved the idea of a Mexican-inspired stuffed pepper recipe!

Here's what you'll need to recreate my stuffed Pasilla Pepper recipe (serves 4):

• 4 Pasilla Peppers, cleaned and whole
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, undrained (fire-roasted would work well, too!)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp cumin
• salt, to taste
• freshly chopped cilantro, to taste (I used about 1/4 cup)
• 1 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or Monterey Jack)
• freshly chopped tomatoes, sour cream, etc. to serve (optional)

The first step is to broil your peppers. This took about 10 minutes and I flipped them every 2-3 minutes. They will start to char up, and this is OK!

When done, allow to sit and cool for a few minutes until you can handle them without burning yourself. While waiting, you can prepare your filling.

Start by sautéing the onion in a little olive oil. Once the onions turn translucent, add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

At this point, I added the can of tomatoes, the can of black beans, cumin, and salt. I let the mixture simmer for a couple more minutes.

Next, I added the cup of frozen corn and cooked for another couple minutes, until everything was warm. Finally, I added the chopped cilantro. I like a lot of cilantro flavor, so I went with about 1/4 cup, but of course, any of these seasonings could be done to taste.

By this point, your peppers should be cool enough to handle. Very carefully, make a small triangular slit just below the stem. Then, remove the stem and the seeds. Take care with the seeds and make sure to wash your hands immediately after! You do not want to forget and then rub your eyes after working with them (speaking from experience here!).

You can also remove the charred parts quite easily at this point.

Continue the process for all four peppers. This took me several minutes to complete.

Now it's time to stuff these babies. Just prior to stuffing, I added 1/2 cup of the cheese into the mix. I don't know about you, but I like cheese mixed through, not just on top. Make sure to stuff the entire pepper. A regular tablespoon did the trick for me!

Finally, top with more cheese and bake in a 350° oven for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Serve and enjoy immediately!

I have to say, I loved this recipe. I had a second helping and it got two thumbs up from my husband. It was a nice spin on the traditional green peppers and would definitely spice up your meal plan this week.

While I was preparing it, it occurred to me you could easily create variations to suit your diet, tastes, and/or what you have on hand. Here are a few other ideas I came up with for the stuffing ingredients:

• Rice
• Quinoa or other whole grain(s)
• Ground meat (I would think chorizo would be excellent!)
• Dairy-free by omitting the cheese or using a vegan "cheese"
• Mexican-style cheese, such as Cojita (see what your Grocery Outlet has in stock!)
• Different vegetables - squashes, bell peppers, tomatillos

I hope I've inspired you to check out your local Grocery Outlet and see what new and interesting ingredient you can find to help get you creating in the kitchen this week!

Have you ever cooked with pasilla peppers? What have you found at Grocery Outlet recently that surprised you?

With thanks to Tasty Kitchen, City Mama, and  SparkRecipes for today's recipe inspiration.

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

by Amy Sherman, of Cooking with Amy

The holidays mean friends, family and, of course, food. Lots of food.

While it may seem like a lot of cooking, many holiday dishes can become the base for great meals the day after the holiday and all weekend long. Best of all, you’ll be saving money and trips to the grocery store too.

Instead of a cold turkey or ham sandwich, I like grilled cheese sandwiches with ham or turkey. These versions don’t feel like leftovers, but something special that everyone will enjoy. With people stopping by to drop off gifts and visit, it’s nice to have something warm on the stove to serve. Split pea soup or turkey rice soup are warm and soothing and can be served for lunch or a light supper. For bigger appetites, serve soup and a sandwich.

 

 

Shopping at Grocery Outlet, you will find lots of special ingredients that can help add pizzazz to your holiday meals without adding a lot of expense, whether you are serving a holiday meal or dressing up leftovers. To make a festive holiday salad, I used a pomegranate that was only 69 cents and some roasted salted pepitas, which were also a great buy. While there is a lot of rich food at the holidays, look for dried fruit, nuts and pies on sale.  They are all wonderful choices for dessert and will give your holiday table a traditional feel—all while saving you money.

We like to partner with local chefs and experts to illustrate how you can use the bargains you find at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market in your everyday life.  We've been honored to work with Sam the Cooking Guy, whose take on easy, affordable cuisine is one we greatly admire.

A little about Sam
Sam Zien, known as Sam the Cooking Guy, is a Canadian-born television cook (not a classically trained chef) and author, based in San Diego, California. His show, Sam the Cooking Guy, started on local television stations before moving to a Fox affiliate and thence to Discovery Health. He has won multiple Emmy awards, including one for an episode on Jewish cuisine. Zien started his television career doing travel shows, but reconsidered after the World Trade Center attack. in the decade following Zien has taken his television cooking show on the road, producing multiple shows across the world in places like Hong Kong, Fiji, New Zealand and Vancouver. (from Wikipedia.  For more about Sam, check out his bio here.)

Source: Sam the Cooking Guy

Grocery Outlet
Sam agreed to partner with us in launching our East Village San Diego location.  He cooked for a couple of events we hosted at that store, and in the process, created these five videos for us about the amazing values he found at Grocery Outlet, checking out the deals by scanning them on his phone.  He even made some spicy steak and corn soft tacos.  Check out our videos below for more.

Sam the Cooking Guy - Introduction

Sam the Cooking Guy - Prices

Sam the Cooking Guy - NOSH (Natural, Organic, Specialty, Healthy)

Sam the Cooking Guy - Wine & Beer

Sam the Cooking Guy - Sam Cooks Spicy Steak and Corn Soft Tacos

Thank you Sam, for showing us you can make a healthy and delicious dinner easily and inexpensively, by shopping and saving at Grocery Outlet!

A 12-Month Series by Guest Blogger Julia Wessels, from The Frugal Find

If you're sending kids to school, likely you're making the decision between hot lunches at school or sending a cold lunch.  We have four kids all in school this year and a hot lunch costs $2.50 x 4 that's a whopping $10 a day!  I've talked before about our ENTIRE family grocery budget being only $75/week.  This would seriously eat into our budget so the decision for our family was an easy one to make.

 

Of course, finances aren't the only factor that plays into sending a lunch with our kids to school.  Knowing they'll actually EAT the food I send with them is even more important.  I wanted to share a few examples of lunches we send with our kids each day.  First of all, we invested in a few containers with snug lids to put inside their lunch boxes so that we could cut back on the cost of Ziploc bags.  I also scoured local thrift stores and found a few Thermos containers so that I could send hot lunches from time to time.  Sending hot lunches is a great way to stretch your budget if you have leftovers from dinner.  For example, today my daughter is taking a bowl of White Bean Chicken Chili to school today—I think that beats a PB&J any day!

Cost of food varies greatly from state to state, but I think you'll find that hands-down, eating at home (or prepared at home) food is always cheaper.

Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking about creative (and frugal!) lunchbox meals:
Bagel & Cream Cheese
Homemade Uncrustables (PB&J or Grilled Cheese)
Salami, Cheese, and Crackers - substitute ham, turkey, etc
Peanut Butter and Apple "Sandwiches"
Homemade Pumpkin Muffins
Soups and Chilis

 

There are also a few tools that make packing lunches a breeze for me.  The first one is the Apple Wedger which works great for pears too! When packing hot liquid lunches (soups, etc) the Thermos Leak Proof Stainless Steel Food Container is a must!  Of course if you're packing a cold lunch and actually want it to stay cold you'll need a couple Blue Ice Packs.  Also as I mentioned above, a good set of plastic containers are very useful and in the end will help you to save money by cutting out Ziploc bags. I like The Container Store Klip-It Lunch Cubes but there are many different products on the market, the key is to make sure they don't leak especially if you're putting fruit or yogurt into the containers.

Lastly, I thought I'd share one of my family's favorite recipes: Homemade Granola Bars!  They're actually very simple to make and a lot heartier (and healthier) than your average Quaker granola bars. This recipe comes from my friend Sumiko who blogs at Near to Nothing.  She guest posts on The Frugal Find each week in our From Our Pantry on a Budget series!

Granola Bars
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 to 3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ*
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup mix-ins (see below)
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix-ins:
Dried cranberries
Chocolate chips or peanut butter chips
1/2 Cup peanut butter (plus some chocolate chips, of course!)
Nuts
Dried fruits (apples, bananas, cherries, blueberries, etc.)
Pretty much anything your heart desires!

 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; pour wet ingredients into well.  Mix until combined, then spread into the prepared pan. Using your hands, press it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until they begin to turn brown around the edges. Cut bars while still warm then cool completely. Store in an air-tight container or zip-top bag.

A 12-Month Series by Guest Blogger Julia Wessels, from The Frugal Find

We talked very briefly last month about freezing your food as a method to saving money each month. Well I want to elaborate because in my opinion this is one of the MAIN ways you can save BIG each month. The key is stocking up when the prices are low, but if your food goes to waste so does your money. So you need to be prepared to freeze your goods. For quite some time I used the affordable over the counter Ziploc Vacuum Starter and Bags to freeze various food. However recently we upgraded to a FoodSaver from Costco, we bought the lower end model for $64 (after an instant $20 rebate). I’m so happy we did this, it’s made the process so much quicker and easier! However the Ziploc Vacuum works very well too!

 

 

Here is a list of many food staples that freeze well. Of course, this isn't an extensive end-all list, but it's a great place to start!

Milk and Cheese - Cheese is simple, just toss it in the freezer that includes shredded cheese too! However with your milk, you'll need to take the cap off and pour out about a 1/2 cup to leave room for the jug to expand. Often times you can find milk on clearance but if it expires in just a few days, you may not consider buying 4 gallons, unless of course you freeze them! When you thaw out your milk (in the fridge) you may need to give it a good shake before serving, but that's it.

Eggs - Yes, surprisingly eggs freeze very well! You'll just need to take them out of their shells first and scramble them (you don't have to, but I find it's much easier this way). Place the scrambled eggs in ice cube trays to freeze them initially, then I combine them in a Ziploc bag to save space. You could also just place 6 scrambled eggs directly into a ziploc bag if you plan to use them all at once.

Veggies, Herbs, and Fruit - These are one of my favorites to freeze because it means that even when produce isn't in season I can still enjoy it. Recently I stocked up on asparagus. Here’s a tip when freezing asparagus (and brussels sprouts), the key is to blanch them first. Drop them into boiling water for 2-3 minutes then immediately place them into a cold water ice bath. Blanching stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Until vegetables are harvested, the enzymes cause them to grow and develop their color and flavor. By blanching them you stop that process, keeping them as fresh as possible.

Bread, Cake, Pies, Dough - All forms of pastries freeze well, you just need to make sure that you prep it well using wax paper and a good freezer bag (or freezing system). Bread goes on sale from time to time and if I can find a good hearty whole wheat loaf for $1.00, that's when I buy 8-10 loaves and stick them in the freezer. We have 4 kids and we easily go through a loaf every 2-3 days so stocking up is essential for us.

Fully Prepared or Fully Cooked Meals - This won't just save you money it will save you a lot of time too! If you can cook a meal or two in bulk and then freeze the rest you'll be very thankful when a busy day rolls around. Just grab that extra pan of enchiladas out of the freezer and stick in the oven! Maybe you'd like to organize a group of friends and create a Freezer Meal Exchange Group on Facebook!

You may also be interested in using this Free Printable Freezer Inventory Form to keep track of what you have in the freezer. After all, you've gone through all the effort to score a deal and prep it for the freezer you wouldn't want it to go to waste because you forgot you had it!

 

 

It's the perfect time for picnics!  Picnickers often head out with complicated dishes, but you can keep it simple and inexpensive by picking up your picnic at Grocery Outlet! Here's how:

Fruit Salad - We have the best of the season in our produce aisles.  Slice berries, melons, pineapples, and citrus for a delicious and refreshing fruit salad.  All it takes is a little time, plus it's healthy and great for your family.  To jazz it up, thread fruit chunks onto skewers for fruit kabobs.

Deviled Eggs - A classic, and totally inexpensive.  There are hundreds of different ways to make them, but give them a twist by replacing some of the spices or fillings.  Check out this article for Deviled Eggs with Pesto, Bacon & Cheddar or Tomato & Capers.

Cold Cuts - Sure, you could make the classic picnic staple of Fried Chicken, but why fuss?  Pick up a bunch of cold cuts from Grocery Outlet's deli section, some cheese, bread, and other sandwich fixings and let everyone make their own sandwich.  Or you could slice salami and cheese, and add olives and tomatoes for a great antipasto platter. 

Looking for something a little different? Check out this article on easy picnic food you can make in 20 minutes from the New York Times: 101 Picnic Foods in 20 Minutes or Less.

Don't forget to pick up your picnic at Grocery Outlet during the month of June! We have lots of great picnic items at extremely low prices.

With our wine sale earlier this month, you probably have a bunch of bottles stocked up.  Inevitably, there’s half a bottle lying around after dinner that you cork back up and then forget about, and before you realize it, it’s turned to vinegar.  Such a waste!

The great news is that there’s a simple way to use up leftover wine—cooking! You can up the Wow Factor of any dish by adding a little bit of wine to the recipe, which saves you money and cuts down on waste.

Here are some ideas on how to add wine to your cooking:

• Add wine to your marinade.  The acid in the marinade will help the meat absorb the flavor of the wine.
• Replace some of the water, vinegar, broth, or fruit juice in a recipe with wine for a richer, fuller flavor.
• Use a little bit to add flavor to soups, stews, gravy, and hearty dishes.
• Make sangria!  Add chopped fruit and a little sugar and you have the perfect summer beverage.
• Mix with oil and spices to baste turkey, roasts, or braise vegetables.
• Make a pan sauce using the juices from the meat, some wine, and some spices.  Perfect for sautéed or browned meats.
• Create a classic French dish like Coq au Vin.  Julia Child’s classic recipe is worth a try: Coq au Vin Recipe

The rule of thumb is to pair red wine with heartier fare, and white wine with lighter dishes.  But we say experiment!  Your palate is what’s most important.  Try a bunch of things and find out what works best for you.  Always consult the recipe if you’re cooking with wine—the author may have had a specific flavor profile in mind and has done the legwork ahead of time.

What do you like to drink with different foods?  

 

I'd like to talk today about the "Envelope Budget" or the cash-only method.   I'd like to suggest that you'll actually save money every month by using cash.  Seems like a contradiction right?  I’m suggesting that by spending CASH (note – not debit, credit cards, or checks) but hard cold CASH, you’ll actually SAVE money!  We are a cash-only family – simply put if you can pay cash for it, you should.  I know at first it might sound crazy, you might think if I have cash I will just blow it!  However, I think quickly you will see just the opposite happen. You will begin to ask yourself, do we really need this?  You will find yourself meal planning.  You will find yourself with money at the end of the month.

“When you pay cash, you can “feel” the money leaving you. This is not true with credit cards. Flipping a credit card up on a counter registers nothing emotionally. A study of credit card use at McDonald’s found that people spent 47% more when using credit instead of cash. This is money you could have saved!” – Dave Ramsey

We do not pay cash for any bill that can be paid through our online bill pay, and I highly suggest online bill pay – it’s free and you’ll never incur a late payment again.  We get our cash out each week and divide it up between our envelopes, some of them accrue while other are spent each week.

For example, our Car Registration envelope accumulates while our Grocery Envelope is spent in full each week.  The difference is that you do not want or need for your Grocery Envelope to have excess, it is not a “savings account”—if you have extra money in there every week, I’d bet that there's another category that could use a little bump up or, if you’re working on paying down debt, it should absolutely go there first.

Hopefully these steps will help you to understand the process...
Step 1 – Define your categories.  What can you possibly pay for cash with? One key here is to only include categories for things that you can’t pay online or through an invoice or bill. Anything that doesn’t come as a bill in the mail is probably a good candidate for cash.

Here's a list of our envelopes.  You may notice that we do not have an envelope for gas. It’s not that we don’t have it budgeted; it’s because I don’t want to leave the kids in the car while I go into the gas station to pay the attendant. We use our debit card for this expense. You’ll need to figure out what best fits your family's needs.

ENVELOPES
1. Groceries
2. Toiletries
3. Clothes
4. Gifts (Birthdays, Christmas, etc)
5. Date Night
6. Eating Out
7. Spending Money
8. Car Maintenance
9. Kid’s Date
10. Kid’s Allowance
11. Trip Money
12. Car Maintenance
13. Car Registration
14. Hair Cuts
15. School Supplies/Events

Step 2 – Determine how much you spend in several categories per month, ie. groceries, toiletries, clothing, etc. Not while on a budget, but what you have spent on a regular basis. This make take some time, and you may have no idea because you haven’t kept any track at all so you may have to start this process now for the next 30 days. Now hold on to your seat, you’re going to be shocked.

Step 3 – Figure out how much you THINK you will NEED in each category.  The key here is to be flexible, because it will change. It will change more than once, twice, and possibly even three times. Life is always changing and so will your budget. Another baby? Up goes the toiletry budget! Or maybe you just potty trained your 2 year old, well that saves $30 a month!

Step 4 – Get the cash! We go every week  to withdraw our cash, it is easiest if you can keep it to an even $20 amount so you can go to the ATM machine at your bank, saves you a trip inside the bank. This has got to be the best part, it’s like playing a game of monopoly. Divide your cash, you may need to go into the bank every once in a while to get $5’s, $10’s, etc depending on your envelope amounts.

Step 5 - Start saving money! When the envelope is empty, that’s it, your money is gone and you CANNOT purchase anything in that category until the next envelope payday. But remember, the first couple of months you need to be flexible. Also, please remember to make your budget realistic, if you undercut yourself too much, you will give up. So that is why my family has an eating out budget, because the reality is, while we shouldn’t eat out, we do. We put $15 a week into our eating out budget, if we save it up we can go out to a sit down dinner, otherwise it gets us a pizza night once a week.

“Hey I just wanted to share with you that after starting the envelope system 3 months ago we have finally met budget AND we were able to UP-IT! Also my husband told me the other day that for the first time he doesn’t feel like we are living paycheck to paycheck. We are buying things dirt cheap before the real need for them hits. It has been a hard but wonderful journey. One I really didn’t think we could do! Thanks so much.” – Cassandra

That is just one of hundred’s of  reader’s experiences.  I’d LOVE to hear about yours in the comment section below.  Do you use cash or an envelope budget system?  What does it look like for your family?

See the first post in Julia's series here: Saving Money by Meal Planning.

Saving Money by Meal Planning
I love that the New Year means new resolutions, new goals, and a fresh start! What I don't love is the feeling we get when I realize I've not kept up with my resolutions, and I find myself slacking big time. The simple fact is that often times we set ourselves up for failure from the get-go by taking on way too much all too quickly. I want to help you tackle saving money in the new year in a way that is managable and that will make a difference to your bottom line when 2013 rolls around.

I'd encourage you to break up your resolutions and goals into bite size chunks, and spread them out over time. Statistics show that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. With this plan you'll add one new resolution to your plate each month of the year thus forming great habits all year long! Trust me - it's a lot less painful this way, and at the end of the year you'll be in much better shape financially, which will feel great! Today I'll share the money saving tip for January, and in the months to come we'll tackle topics such as budgeting, how to know when a sale is really a sale, when to stock up on a particular item, why you shouldn't treat your tax return like a savings plan, and much more!

This month I'd like to encourage you to tackle meal planning. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Basically, it is as simple as you make it. I try to sit down each week, usually on Saturday or Sunday with the store ads to see what is on sale, then I make my meal plan based on these deals. Of course I use whatever I have in my pantry and freezer first then buy as needed the extras. Also, if there is something I see that is a “stockpile price,” I will add that to my list for future week’s meals plans.

Why Meal Plan?

• It’s healthier. Meal planning allows you to think in advance about preparing a meal adding a key ingredient from each food group instead of throwing something together last minute that is maybe carb laden.


• Saves money. If you go grocery shopping with a list, you will be more likely to avoid impulse purchases. Also it gives you the time to organize and sort your coupons BEFORE you shop.


• Saves time. I can’t stress this enough. While it may seem tedious to sit down and plan out your meals for the week. It is much more time efficient than standing in front of the fridge or pantry blankly staring at the shelves of food, while you think “There is nothing in this house to eat!” Either you will just grab something out to eat, or you will end up making several small weekly trips to the grocery store to grab key ingredients that had you meal planned you would have already had on hand.

Tips for successful Meal Planning:

• Use those leftovers! Plan it into your Meal Plan. I enjoy cooking, but the truth is at the end of the day sometimes I am just not in the mood or I am just plain tired. I try to plan ahead for these nights, if I know I will be working until 6 on Wednesday, I will plan a meal on Tuesday that can carry over. Or I will double up on cooking the ground beef the night before so we can use it in another meal.
  
  From Love Food Hate Waste I found the following statistics:
  
  Each DAY we waste…
  
  1 Million Slices of Ham
  1.3 Million Yogurts
  7 Million Slices of Bread
  5.1 Million Potatoes
  1.6 Million Bananas
  4.4 Million Apples
  2.8 Million Tomatoes


• Use Rice/Potatoes/Pasta as the base for your meal. If you can build the main part of your meal around a grain, you will save money and fill up on less. Use small amounts of meat, poultry, fish, or eggs. Of course I would suggest whole wheat grains to get the maximum nutritional value.


• Plan snacks around nutritionally sound choices. This helps your budget because as we know, typically fruit, veggies, granola, etc enable your body to go longer stretches between meals as opposed to it’s sugar enemy – fruit snacks, candy, juice, etc. The denser the snack the more bang for your buck and almost always this is the cheaper option anyway!


• Eat before you shop. Do not go grocery shopping when you are hungry. The best time to go is after you have had a good meal, or at least a snack to hold you over. When you are hungry, you are much more likely to pick up impulse purchases which can just throw your food budget out the window!

Let’s Practice.

Step 1: Make 3 Lists; Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Breakfast
Monday – Cereal, OJ, and Fruit
Tuesday – Oatmeal, Milk, and Toast
Wednesday – Scrambled Eggs and Toast, Milk or OJ
Thursday – Cereal, OJ and Fruit
Friday – Bagels & OJ
Saturday – French Toast and Sausage
Sunday – Cereal, OJ and Toast

Lunch
Monday – Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Tuesday – Tuna & Crackers/Sandwich, Fruit and Yogurt
Wednesday – Bean/Cheese Burritos with Chips & Salsa
Thursday – PB&J, Fruit, Pretzels and Yogurt
Friday – Macaroni & Cheese and Fruit
Saturday – Leftover Pizza
Sunday – Smorgasbord, what sounds good?!

Dinner
Monday - Lasagna, Corn and Garlic Bread
Tuesday - Grilled Teriyaki Chicken, Pot Stickers and Chinese Fried Rice (make extra rice)
Wednesday – Chicken Enchiladas and Spanish Rice (using extra rice from Tuesday) (make extra chicken)
Thursday – Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and Potato Salad (make extra)
Friday – Pizza (Eating Out)
Saturday - Hotdogs, Potato Salad and 5 Bean Salad
Sunday - Broiled Salmon, Brown Rice and Asparagus

Step 2: Prepare Ingredient List and head to your pantry & fridge. Cross things off as you find them or leave the ingredients on your list, you now have your shopping list! Make sure to pull out any coupons you have and put them all together in a place where you can find them easily.

Step 3: Go shopping and save! The best part is because you've planned ahead, without even trying you'll have saved money. You won't head to the store on a weeknight at 5 pm for a "few ingredients" and come home having spent $50 or worse. You're saving loads of time because everything you need is accessible when you need it, no more wasted trips to the store or to a restaurant for takeout.

Now, it's your turn. Please share your best meal planning tips. And resolve to save money in 2012!

We've got less than a week to Thanksgiving and we're here to help you Simplify the Season with our $3 Thanksgiving Menu. Check out the latest Bargain TV to help you save your money and your sanity!

 

You can download the Thanksgiving menu that Christopher mentions in the video by clicking here: Download Thanksgiving Menu.

What's your favorite holiday movie? Leave a comment below.

With the chillier weather, Crock-Pot recipes are high in demand.  In our latest episode of Bargain TV, Chris announces the winning Crock-Pot recipe from last week's contest (which we're posting below). Also, look for sneak peeks of Doug the bobblehead and Chris's favorite wine picks for our upcoming 20% Wine Sale!

Jeana's Winning Crock Pot Recipe

1 & 1/2 lbs meat (usually ground beef) of your choice from the fresh Grocery Outlet Meat Case
1 yellow onion
2-3 carrots or bag of GO baby carrots
2 large russet potatoes
2 cups beef or chicken broth
1 cup water (or red wine)
2 cans kidney beans
splash of Lea and Perrins
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut up veggies and meat into sizeable chunks, throw in the crockpot
2. Add liquid ingredients and beans
3. Add salt and pepper
4. Cook for 4(high)-8(low) hours (the longer it cooks, the better the flavor!)
5. Enjoy!

Whether we like it or not, we live in a fast-paced society. It's especially tough for those of us with families, but we're doing our best to keep up. At Grocery Outlet, we can provide fast, easy and nutritious meals for families on the go. Check out this week's Bargain TV and let Chris show you just some of the quick and easy meals that you can save big money on at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market.

Afterschool snack time is very important to kids—they’ve had a long day in the classroom and on the playground and are hungry when they get home! So how can you, a busy parent, satisfy them quickly and nutritiously?

We've collected some of our favorite snack recipes from Parenting magazine, and we're passing them along. All of these are pretty quick to make and will surprise and delight your kids. Plus, they're healthy too!

 

Any parent will agree that the world’s toughest food critics are children. Do you want to give your kids a healthy, balanced back-to-school lunch filled with protein and that will provide energy and nutrition and keep them satisfied? We know that this may sound like a lot to fulfill for a busy parent, but don’t worry—Grocery Outlet is here to help!

To make certain that your child’s lunch doesn’t go straight into the trash when you drop them off at school, you need a lunch packing strategy. Fill out your child’s lunch box with a piece of fresh fruit like a green apple or red grapes, some veggies (such as mini carrots), and some dry snacks like trail mix. Then add a “main course” for your kid—try a Peanut Butter Berry-Wich or the The Mighty Mozz Sandwich. Both of these recipes will kick-start your kid’s appetite and are healthy, well balanced meals. 

Best of all, you can find most all of the ingredients for a healthy, inexpensive lunch at Grocery Outlet.  We know there's a lot to do to be ready for school, but make a quick stop by your local GO store and you'll see how we can help you save on back-to-school lunches and snacks.

Please watch our latest YouTube video on hunger and what Grocery Outlet is doing to combat it.  On your next trip to Grocery Outlet, please consider donating cash or cans to Independence from Hunger to help us fight food insecurity in our local communities.

For 1 in 6 Americans, food insecurity is a challenge they face every day.  We’re trying to help.  

During the month of July, you can make food and cash donations at Grocery Outlet that will go to a local food agency helping families in your community get the food they need.  This campaign, Independence from Hunger, is off to a great start, but we wanted to do more.  In these times when so many worthy causes are asking for donations, we wanted to find a way to help them, and give something back to you.

Introducing our Feed the Need Contest!  Enter for a chance to win a $100 donation to your favorite non-profit charity, plus a $100 Grocery Outlet gift card for you!  

All you have to do is go to our Facebook contest page, tell us the name of your charity and why you love them, plus enter your name and email address so we can contact you if you’ve won.  There will be a total of 5 winners.  You have until July 31st to enter.  

If you do not want to enter on Facebook, you may also mail in your answer to this address:

Grocery Outlet Inc.
Attn: Feed the Need Contest
2000 Fifth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710

We’d love to know what causes and organizations are important to you, and give you a little reward for giving so much.  Let’s Feed the Need together!