How we made three meals out of a couple of steaks

Being frugal is something that comes a bit natural to me. I love a good bargin expecially when it comes to the grocery store. Recently I bought some good steaks for a fabulous price.  I wanted to make  good use of them. So I was able to create three meals from these steaks.

1. Steak dinner.  We had a really nice steak dinner with some freinds.  I seasoned up the steaks and grilled them outside. I cooked more steak than we really needed. It made it look and feel like we had an abundance of food, and everyone was able to have thier fill. I have an abundance of good things in life, and I want others to feel of that. We were able to sit out back and enjoy the nice weather at the picnic table that my husband built out of scrap wood.  It was enjoyable.



My beef stroganoff as it was being finished

  2.Beef Stroganoff.  From those leftover steaks I was able to create a beef stroganoff dinner. (excuse the bad picture it does not do the food justice)  It was a good way to use up the mushrooms and sour cream in my fridge. My kids and husband ate it up.  We made a big pot so that there was enough leftover for meal #3

3. Beef noodle soup. The leftover stroganoff became the base for a nice lunch of beef noodle soup.  My kids love my soups. Soups are so easy to make with many kinds of leftovers in the fridge. I once worked in a place that any leftovers (and I mean any) went into the soup pot.  To me that is disgusting. I am not that kind of a cook.  I am careful about what leftovers go together.  With time I have become quite good at it. My son who is 6 is learning to cook with me.  He likes to create soups. We talk about what would go good together.  He will ask "should we put this in?" we will look at it, smell it, sometimes taste it; then decide if the item will go in the soup.  It is a fun learning experience with him.

We create soups quite often, my children love them and they are a frugal way to feed a family.  You can take a few items and stretch them to fill hungry tummies. My biggest problem is that when I make soup I serve it hot. The kids hate waiting for soup to cool. We have started putting frozen vegetables in the kids soup to cool it down.They love it!  My kids now think that every bowl of soup should have an extra serving of vegetables added from the freezer.

This is how we do and who we are.  It is something that we have found that works for us.Take from it what you will. Being able to create meals from leftovers is a simple thing for us. What is simple to one person may not be so for another.  To each their own.  For me, Freezer meals do not make sense. It does not work for me and my world. Throwing leftovers into soup makes more sense for us. Find out what works for you;  Find your own path to that place of simple abundance.

PS. For you that are interested in finding out if freezer cooking may be of use to you and your family you can check out money saving mom's freezer cooking 101