Stocking Up

Today on the way home from church we had to stop by the grocery store to buy some diapers. When I walked in I heard someone from the meat department on the intercom saying there were whole chickens on sale for 49 cents/lb. Of course I couldn't pass up that deal! I am way ahead on the grocery budget so I figured I'd use the remainder to hold back for a great "stock up" deal such as this. I grabbed a chicken and two packages of ground beef that were also on sale for $1.99/lb. At home I stuck the chicken in the freezer for later and made meatballs from the ground beef. I'd say we will get 3 - 4 meals out of those. I had about 2 1/2 lbs. of meat. My meatball recipe is a simple one and freezes well.

Meatballs

2 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 c. onion, minced
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2/3 c. bread crumbs
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 stalks celery, minced
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. Parsley
squeeze of lemon juice

Mix all ingredients well with your hands. Using a cookie scooper or soup spoon, scoop out equal amounts of meat mixture. Form into balls with your hands or on a work surface. When finished shaping, roll lightly in flour. Bake in a lightly greased pan for 30 - 35 minutes at 375 degrees. Drain off fat before serving. These can be frozen then thawed and baked as directed.

Tomorrow since were having beans, greens and con bread I'll make an extra pan of corn bread for the freezer. I'm also going to make pancakes for breakfast and will do a double batch so I can freeze leftovers for breakfast later this week. Pancakes are so easy to make from scratch and the kids love them!

Pancakes

1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. mace
1 1/2 c. milk
1 egg
1/4 c. oil

Whisk together all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and whisk until well blended. Add oil to a griddle or skillet and heat to medium-high. Pour 1/3 c. batter per pancake, cooking one at a time unless you have a large griddle. When the middle looks bubbly and the edges are dry looking it's time to flip them. Stack cooked pancakes on a plate in the stove or microwave to keep them warm until time to sit down to eat.