Thursday, May 6, 2010

Thrifty Tip - Breakfast, the New Dinner

A plate of pancakes with fresh blueberries
Looking over my grocery receipt, I realized the majority of our money is spent on dinner.  In a quest to reduce (yet again!) our weekly food bill, I’ve come up with some ideas to get the dinner cost even lower – have breakfast for dinner.  I hope you enjoy some of these ideas:
  • Pancakes.  You can buy pancake mix at Aldi’s for $1.00 (just add water), and a bottle of syrup for $1.00.  That $2.00 can feed our family of 7 easily.  My boys love pancakes for dinner, and the pancakes fill them up.  You can also add fruit such as blueberries to the mix to add a fun flavor to your dinner.
  • French Toast.  A carton of eggs, a loaf of bread, a little cinnamon, and some syrup makes a delicious rib sticking dinner.  To make the French Toast, scramble the eggs in a shallow dish.  Cover each piece of bread with the egg by dipping in both sides.  Cook break pieces in a buttered skillet until the bread is golden brown on each side.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve with syrup.
  • Bacon and Eggs are a treat at our house, and we love having them for dinner.  Bacon is a luxury in our house and gets a bit pricey with 5 boys devouring it.  But because we have our own egg laying chickens, I can consider bacon and eggs a frugal meal.
  • Breakfast Burritos.  These treats are a huge hit at our house, and I love making them ahead of time and freezing them.  Fill a burrito with scrambled eggs, shredded cheese, and any other ingredients your family enjoys.  You can add sausage, bacon, onions, green peppers, salsa, a variety of cheeses, ground beef….whatever you have on hand.
  • Breakfast Casserole.  All Recipes has a list of top 20 breakfast casserole recipes.  They can be made ahead of time, and often taste better when you allow them to sit for hours before cooking them.
  • Biscuits and Gravy.  If you do not have your own recipe, you can find some great biscuit and gravy recipes at Cooks.com.