5 Meals To Keep In Your Pantry And Freezer!
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Jennifer from The Simple Pen wrote this great post for us, 5 Meals To Keep In Your Pantry And Freezer:
Do you ever have those weeks when life just happens? Boy, we do! Even the best meal plan can’t possibly account for times when life throws a curve ball.
To counteract the craziness, I like to keep my pantry and freezer stocked with several meals that can be made in a pinch. I try to keep some frozen browned ground beef and cooked, cubed chicken in my freezer to help with quick meals. I also try to keep a good supply of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses in my freezer. Here are some of my favorite quick meal ideas.
Five Can Soup
1 can Progresso Minestrone soup
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can mixed vegetables
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 15 oz. can white corn
Mix it all together without draining anything and heat. You can even throw this in the Crock Pot for a few hours or all day. Sometimes we add some browned ground beef or cooked chicken to it.
Cheesy Pasta
3/4 box of Piccolini pasta (or whatever you have on hand)
2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
1 can Hunts pasta sauce (or whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Tonight I cooked up 3/4 of a box of Piccolini pasta until it was al dente. Mix in the rest and heat through.
Pizza
Crust:
1 c. warm (not hot) water
2 T. canola oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 c. flour
1 T. yeast
Mix ingredients in order listed in bread machine. I use my bread cycle, and my machine beeps when dough is ready. You may have to consult your machine’s book to know when yours is done. In a pinch, you can just knead the dough by hand for five minutes. Place dough on pizza pan sprayed with canola oil, and spread the dough to cover the pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Add sauce, toppings, and cheese. Bake another 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees.
If I have pitas or English muffins on hand, I’ll use those in place of homemade crust.
Chicken Wraps
1 can refried beans
1/2 c. salsa
2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
1 c. cheddar cheese (Mexican blend is good too!)
12 corn tortillas
Mix refried beans, salsa, and chicken. Divide the mix among the tortillas. Roll each tortilla, and place seam side down in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan sprayed with canola oil spray. Bake uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Grilled Cheese & Soup
You can’t bypass the old stand-by! I like to keep several types of canned soups in my pantry so that we can use them in a pinch.
What are your favorite meals to keep on hand? Do you have any advice for making meals in a pinch?
Jennifer is wife to Jason and mom to almost-six-year-old Emma. She blogs at The Simple Pen where she helps readers save more, spend less, and give generously.
Emily Dixon says
Thanks! One of our favorite go to meals: Cream tuna fish on toast. Yep sounds gross. Don’t knock it till you try it. Toast (1-2 pieces per person) Frozen peas cooked. Sauce: 1/4 c butter melted in saucepan, 1/4 c flour (whisk with melted butter), add 1 c milk. Salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to boiling. Remove from heat. We triple this sauce for our family of 7. We then break up the bread into bite sized pieces. Pour sauce over bread. Add peas on top for each serving. My husband likes to leave the bread whole with sauce on top and peas on top. Go to meal in 10 min!!
Dian says
Emily,
That sounds great! I love tuna and peas. I used to make a tuna casserole with peas in it!
I will have to try this!
Thanks!
Dian
Yvonne Vizzo says
We always have what my dad called “the poor man’s dinner” Box of macaroni & cheese, tuna fish & peas! Quick and easy, my kids like it
Dian says
Yvonne,
That’s funny!
I do love that! I had never eaten it until my kids were small and it was served at their school!
Thanks!
Dian
Amy says
We have a couple quick, easy dinners, first Mexican macaroni: browned ground beef, a box of macaroni prepared, a can of Fiesta corn and cheese…. yummy!! And the second wonder burgers: browned ground beef, a can of French onion soup and a tbsp of flour. Put it on a sesame seed bun and eat with chips 🙂
Dian says
Amy,
Those sound fast and delicious! thanks for sharing!
Dian
sara cerda says
Love it
T.J. says
These are great, going to try the 5 can soup tomorrow.
I think my new favorite quick stand by is crock pot mashed potatoes..
6 potatoes scrubbed and quartered (i keep the skin on). Quarter cup water and half stick of butter. Season with garlic, salt, pepper and mrs dash. Cook for 3 hours on high and mash…
mmmmm
Dian says
T.J.
That does sound good!
Thanks!
Dian
Katherine Morgan says
Love it
Annetta says
Yes I would like to know how you get the stuff for free ,I try to do
That and I can’t figure it out.please let me know .
Dian says
Annetta,
I have a FREE eBook that explains:
https://www.groceryshopforfree.com/dians-ebook/
I have FREE Videos that explain, too:
https://www.groceryshopforfree.com/dians-videos-2/
I also have a How To Coupon Section:
https://www.groceryshopforfree.com/category/how-to-coupon/
As well as a Couponing Question & Answers section:
https://www.groceryshopforfree.com/category/couponing-questions-answers/
How To Read A Coupon Matchup:
https://www.groceryshopforfree.com/read-coupon-matchups/
I am also always around to help! Feel free to email me and ask me anything:
[email protected]
Shari says
I know this is an old post, but I thought I’d add something anyway.
I like to keep turkey smoked sausage around. It’s great with noodles, in a wrap or just by itself. I like it with pineapple and steamed carrots. We also do the breakfast for dinner with scrambled eggs and toast, fruit. I have a chronic illness, so it’s especially important to have easy meals on hand for those days where I’m not up to cooking.
Dian says
Shari,
Great tips!
Thanks!
Dian