EATING FOR *ALMOST* FREE - FREEZER CLEANOUT CHALLENGE

[@allyrooh3628]

Learning “it’s only food”, helped my creativity in the kitchen. Experiment & it’s awful, you learned what not to do. Experiment & it’s awesome, you have a recipe for life! We’re all ambitious at the store, Lori!

[@danceandsing33]

Amen on having grand expectations and overestimating our energy to have everything homemade.

[@millenieelggren3860]

With canning tomatoes you would need a water bath to canned your tomatoes to cook it at the right temperature. It needs the extra something to help keep the tomatoes extra storage shelf longer. Or you could do pressure canning as well for most of your canning. But I get nervous with pressure canning though it not my favorite I love doing the water bath though.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Yes! The vacuum sealer definitely isn’t shelf stable. It just prolongs it a little longer than normal by removing the air.

[@heiditagge5776]

@@homemadesimplewithlorivacuum sealer good for dry foods for shelf stable. For wet foods put in fridge for few weeks.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

@heiditagge5776 yes! You are right. Thank you for clarifying!

[@apriln.4307]

I liked what you said about not being afraid to try in the kitchen because that's how we learn. I have been wanting to try my hand at making bread, but am so worried about messing it up. This video makes me want to give it a try.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

You can do it!

[@nancyculp6968]

I think buying a head of lettuce and making taco salads would have stretched your ground beef and chips. Then you could have used some of the ground beef in another meal. Also if you had cooked your vegetables in your chicken broth for your pot pie, then added in the amount of soup substitute would have made a more flavorful dish. Plus using less turkey in the pot pie would have given you enough to have rolled over into a chicken tortilla soup with some of your tomatoes, corn, black beans, onion & garlic. Then top each bowl with those pieces of tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream, sprinkled with some of the cheddar cheese. Then serve a guacamole salad on the side. The beef leftover could be turned into vegetable beef soup( using some of those frozen vegetables and your tomatoes) served with cornbread or bread that was made. Bread if not all used up turned into Open faced turkey melts or turkey salad sandwiches, or turn leftover beef into sloppy Joes, or a pasta bake. So many options that you probably could have gotten double out of most of your ingredients. Like making homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese sticks( like cheese pizza) to dip into soup with a cold type of dessert salad on the side. Yet then it just depends on what your family will eat.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I’m sure we could have made more meals but it was all used up and eaten for leftovers. Trying to increase our protein is a major reason why I didn’t make it into separate meals

[@cassandras1688]

Wow these are some good ideas!

[@Ididitonce]

I also love hearing the family in the background ❤

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

❤️❤️❤️

[@lisaremy4817]

Everything looked yummy!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks!!! ❤️

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

I have some old roasted acorn squash defrosting. I’m going to use up some roasted tomatoes, peppers, onions and cottage cheese with the squash and turn it into a lasagne bake. That’s my creative cleanout for the week. Those tacos and teriyaki beef looked amazing.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

That is very creative! Good for you!!! Let me know how it turns out!!

[@wjcdmartin]

Love this kind of vid. Keep ‘Em coming.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks!! I think I’m hitting my grove 😂😂😂

[@nancyculp6968]

Just wanted to let you know that if you roll out your dough where it is not really thick ( still covers your pie pan well), cut excess around the parameter of pie pan and cut it into strips to form lattice on top of filling. This way it will give you a bottom and top out of one pie crust. May not look as pretty as if you made two crust, but definitely serves the purpose. I pre bake my bottom crust using beans as weights on top of foil or parchment so no bubbles form after docking the crust. Then I add the filling and use excess dough to form a lattice design on top. Then I wrap one for freezer( later date, when needed) and bake the other. This keeps bottom crust from getting too soft. This really comes in handy when I do not have time to cook or I am running low on ingredients.

[@vixxcottage]

@nancyculp thanks for the tips

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Good idea!

[@heathermoses6183]

I always enjoy watching you and your sweet family. I love how real you are, rest assure you are doing a great job don't be so hard on yourself. 😊

[@hmeerdink9606]

Another great video. Thank you!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks again!

[@SlowLivingWithAutism]

Lunch meat - when my boys were still home and I also fed a few single guys, their favorite was meatloaf sandwiches. :) I just make the meatloaf as usual, but shape it to where it will fit on bread. Cook, cool, slice, lay slices individually on parchment, freeze, and then put frozen slices together into a freezer bag. Freezing individually first helps them not to stick when stacked in the freezer. AND ... bonus ... I'd use frozen homemade bread, BBQ sauce, and frozen meatloaf slices so the sandwiches stayed pretty cool until time for lunch. I've also experimented with homemade lunch meat recipes where you blend up the raw meat (chicken or turkey) with other ingredients, baked in loaf pans, sliced, and froze like stated already. This had a texture more like the processed stuff but was homemade and thicker sliced. One more thing I'd do is just cook whole chicken or turkey and use breast slices in the sandwich, saving the leg and thigh meat for dinners. I'd use homemade hummus to help hold the meat on the bread. 😊 it's fun to remember these things!!! I fed a lot of men, do being frugal and creative really helped. Of course they gave me money and helped me in other ways, too. (Single mom.) ❤ Blessings! Joanne in SW MO

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

What great tips!!! Thanks! ❤️❤️

[@debbiegoble786]

All of the meals look delicious!!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks!!!

[@cheryldepedro7029]

Oh-em-gee!!! Those tacos looked fabulous!! I wish we had smell-a-tube! ♥️♥️

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

They were YUMMY!!!! ❤️

[@samanthadodd8112]

U r an inspiration. I was listening to u on the way home. I decided to get some roast and carrots out of the freezer and make roast and gravy with baked brown sugar carrots and some baked beans. As soon as I got home I took everything out. I'm eating the last of my left overs tonight so my roast, carrots, and beans are dinner for the next couple nights. I'm trying to get some things out of the freezer too. Thank you for your videos.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

How sweet. Let me know how it tubs out!!

[@kendalbrakefield5098]

I loved your tortillas🥰🥰

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

[@nancycarney]

I love ALL of your videos and your faith.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@PaulaFlatt-vt1pz]

A little sage, rosemary and thyme would be good seasoning as well. The pie looks delicious

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I didn’t think of that! Good catch!

[@SlowLivingWithAutism]

I like adding homemade biscuit dough to the potpie top. Sometimes I'll do a crust on the bottom. Crust on the top always looks prettier, though!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

That’s a good idea!

[@TracyannBoyle-wm2zo]

You did a great job. Keep going.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thank you! 🩷🩷

[@madelineeverritt8874]

I like the way you make tacos. We don't eat pork. That doesn't matter. I guess we could substitute. What Chelsea made, oh my goodness. That looked amazingly delicious. You're doing an amazing job with your kids. Please give Chelsea my compliments. ❤

[@EricaLeigh-ic4hy]

Your meals always look great! You’re way too hard on yourself! You do a great job, that’s why we are here!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

🥰🥰🥰

[@dawnrobinson3354]

Great video! Thank you

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thanks for watching!!

[@MelP-o9f]

Those meals looked delicious! I always buy meat in clearance. I should do a pantry/freezer clean out before Winter. It would give me some room for freezer meals. Have a great week!❤

[@NOVAFrugalFamily]

Every time I get to the night to make tortillas, I regret my decision to not buy them but we have been going without buying for at least a year. I totally agree that many days I make it to dinner with less energy and a little grumpy. I cook them in a dry cast iron skillet. I love our griddler too. I got the waffle inserts too which are great. Lots of creativity!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I did not know about the waffle inserts!!! I will have to look that up!!!

[@yvettegerry9862]

I remember letting you know about the turkey breast when you first started your channel. I use it all the time on salads or with stuffing and gravy and pot pie 🥧 it’s a great price and nice to have in the freezer . Looks delicious. It’s also a great protein . I do my nachos on a cookie sheet it’s easier to get what you want lol . Kelsey’s bread is beautiful and looks delicious ! The tortillas look delicious! Thank you ! 🌸🦋🌸

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

So yummy!

[@jillgott6567]

I am working on this so I can fill my freezer with meat deals I just have my refrigerator freezer but it is always full for which I am grateful. Love seeing your little guy helping you cook :)

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Yay!!! I only just now got our big freezer. I’ve been wanting one for forever and I’m so glad I have it, but the small freezer has always been plenty for us, too.

[@bettyir4302]

We've been doing a freezer cleanout for it seems forever and there's still no end in sight. Pulled out a very old package of chorizo and scrambled it with eggs for sandwiches to use up frozen bread tonight. Made bread pudding to use up some milk that expired yesterday and some really dried out prunes I forgot we had. There was exactly enough milk for a qt. of yogurt so that's incubating now. I saved jalapeno stems from yesterday's poppers for "free" starter so the yogurt will be turned into a savory cheesecake with frozen bacon so that's an easy summer main dish. We'll finish off the bread for breakfast tomorrow. Sunday will see a frozen Polish sausage in with cabbage and tomatoes with a side of carrots or maybe carrot salad if I can soften some prunes. Need to get some carrots in the dehydrator. Next week, leftover carrot salad and coleslaw will start everyone's favorite mu shu something with homemade wraps. Too many sweets so in a couple weeks the goal will be to finish off the prunes so can add them to frozen bananas and frozen nuts to make muffins. Maybe shred a carrot in the mix, too!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

You are amazing!!!!!

[@juliephelps7616]

For frugal meals i add lentils to my beef to stretch. Hubby not a big fan but i buy the groceries. I do buy miscut chicken breast too for 1.25 a pound. I am currently looking for a dough recipe to use to put leftovers in for homemade hot pockets. Put left over beef, chicken, or pork in it with a sauuce or cheese. We will see. I also make my own pizza dough but want to get a good pizza sauce recipe. I dont mind store bought it just seems lacking in something. I have also made homemade English muffins and made breakfast sandwiches for hubby, as i am not a big breakfast eater. I do make soup for my work lunches, hubby takes leftovers or sandwich to work but sometimes he does purchase lunch. I love the relatability of your videos. Teriyaki looked awesome, one of our favorites. I love Chinese food just not the sodium in it. Happy homemaking and homesteading.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

That sounds good! Homemade hot pockets! Let me know what you come up with!!!!!

[@brg2743]

We started putting our meat in baskets. We vacuum seal them, date them in the top right corner and file it in the basket. Don't have to clean out the freezer because stock is being rotated. It isn't perfect, but has sure helped us not waste anything. It is easy to see at a glance what we are running low on. Your recipes sound good.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Good idea!

[@lisawaltoncarver9545]

I wanted to share with you a truck with hand mixer, punch a hole in center of paper plate (if using only one beater and two if two) and place beater through hole before attaching to mixer. I also do this with my stand mixer when churning butter so it doesn't splatter

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Now that is SMART!

[@jimmiepatrum]

I love your bravery in trying some meats that you have tried before...when it's on sale, especially. I'll now be more brave, too. Diane

[@jimmiepatrum]

Oops - I meant to say meats that you have NOT tried before. Diane

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I understood 🙃 Yeah, I just couldn’t pass up those deals! I have found my new favorite clearance spot-target meat section 😂😂😂

[@tammaraschlueter1588]

Very creative 😃

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Thank you! 😊

[@hoguejp]

Those pork tacos looked delicious!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

So good!

[@sandykamenicky7366]

Hi, Lori. Love your channel! Could you please share the French bread recipe with us? 😊

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Sorry!! 😖 I’ll add it now!

[@sharonschoppe9781]

Wow! I’ve never seen an electric mason jar sealer. That would be a game changer for me with my homemade jam. I’ve always done a water bath to seal my jam. Do you think I could make jam and then use that electric mason jar sealer instead of the water bath to seal my jam jars? Thank you so much! I really enjoy your channel, friend. I’ve got one of your meals already cooking in the crockpot for tonight! ❤️

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

The vacuum sealer doesn’t make a jar shelf stable long term. I think you would still need to water bath can the ones you won’t use in the next two weeks or so

[@teresakryvenchuk6205]

Pork tacos 🌮 😋 are my favorite ❤ Goð bless everyone. ✝️ ❤

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

So yummy!

[@vixxcottage]

Looks great! Being gluten-free I can't use sourdough but thinking about substitution of kefir. Like you said cooking is a lot of trial and error!

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

I have heard you can made sourdough with the King Arthur gluten free flour. Just in case you want to give it a go ❤️

[@lauriewaters7206]

You pronounced Pico de Gallo perfectly.

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Yay! Thanks!!

[@nanar.8088]

Nothing wrong with purchasing a few items to make your meals complete. At least, used alot of items. Don't be hard on yourself, all would do this if can afford

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

❤️❤️❤️

[@annethompson2212]

your daughter is very beautiful 😊

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Inside and out ❤️. Thank you.

[@libraryslug]

Messy food tastes best

[@homemadesimplewithlori]

Yes 😊