Phooey! Missed you again.
Freeze them. Wash, dry, put in the freezer. Keep them from sticking together if you put them on a tray where they don't touch, put in a bag after they're frozen and use a few at a time. Run frozen mater under hot water and the skin comes right off.
I love tomato salsa... good on rice, fish, salad, polenta, beans, a spoon! slurp!
Yes, there are good starches that are very inexpensive if you buy in bulk. I buy 15-25 lbs of rice in big bags. Lasts forever and cheaper than 1 lb bags. Dried beans are good too. Soak them over night, simmer on the stove in some water with a bone (beef or ham) if you have it. After they are soft, add some sauteed onion, meat (bacon), some of them frozen tomatoes, salt and seasonings, cook a bit more and serve with corn bread, or regular bread, or by itself in a bowl. Beans are healthy!
I'm with Lisa on pasta. Whenever I see it for $1 a lb or less, I buy a ton and keep it in the pantry. We eat a lot of pasta, and the boys could fix it themselves at a young age. Potatoes are easy too, and have to be cheaper than the instant stuff. Peeling spuds is a kid job, as are mashing them.
Sounds good. Like granny's chicken with frozen veggies and cream of chicken soup. Pour that over a pile of cooked pasta, and you will have a very filling meal.
It's just the initial doing that is hard. Once you get used to it, it becomes a new habit. Unprocessed food is cheaper and healthier, but it does take a bit longer. Use your little minions to do a lot of the work. CB can chop things, littles can open cans and fetch and carry, bigger kids can peel potatoes, mix ingredients, and get it on the stove.
Can you just skin it instead of plucking? Especially if it's going in a stew pot. Don't need the skin. Maybe CB can be your assistant.
We got pretty close!
Taking #1 to
purgatory the car show tomorrow. It's supposed to get over 100 degrees.
We are leaving at 6:30 in the morning, so we can see everything before the heat builds. He's going to owe me big time!
Hang in there.
It will get easier.
